German long-distance traveler Katharina Kneip, 35, is now well underway with the Canadian leg of her multi-year journey around the Northern Hemisphere by wind, foot, and ski.
Since leaving Germany in January 2023, she has covered more than 4,300km by hiking, kayaking, and skiing across northern Europe, before sailing to Svalbard, Greenland, and Iceland, where Kneip spent the winter, later completing several long-distance treks.
ExplorersWeb last reported on Kneip in July, when she landed in St. Lewis (a remote community in southern Labrador, part of the province of Newfoundland and Labrador), after sailing from Iceland to Greenland and then across the Labrador Sea. On arrival, Canadian immigration officials initially issued her a six-month stay — too short for her planned 10,000km crossing to Alaska on foot.
Eventually, Kneip and her sailing companions sailed to Lewisporte, Newfoundland, where she prepared extensive documentation outlining her plans. Her application was successful, and she was granted a two-year stay in Canada.
“It took a while for it to sink in. This is really happening, being underway in Canada is my home for the next two years,” Kneip said.
A relieved Kneip with her Canadian approvals. Photo: Katharina Kneip
Crossing Newfoundland
Kneip quickly sent her winter gear ahead to Ottawa, Ontario, where she plans to arrive around December, then began walking 300km across Newfoundland. The trek took 10 days in unusually hot and dry conditions.
“It was incredibly hot, 35˚C. All the marshland was dried out. Some people wrote me like, ‘Oh, why don’t you have a water filter if you’re short on water?’ But there was literally no water,” she told ExplorersWeb.
On foot across Newfoundland. Photo: Katharina Kneip
Despite the heat, she found support in rural communities.
“While I was sweating and walking through the incredibly vast landscape, past countless flowers and caribou, accompanied by singing birds, mosquitoes, and many other animals, something else happened that I would never have imagined…the incredible helpfulness and enthusiasm of the people here.”
Finishing her trek at Corner Brook, Newfoundland, in early August, Kneip hitched to Nova Scotia with a Belgian sailing couple, landing in Cape Breton.
Some of the backcountry Kneip covered in Newfoundland. Photo: Katharina Kneip
Nova Scotia and New Brunswick
By then, large wildfires had forced the closure of trails across the province and parts of New Brunswick.
“Everything was closed, no hiking was allowed, no wild camping. I had to skip my hiking plans for Cape Breton.”
With trails closed, she followed rural roads westward, walking stretches of 60 to 100km with no houses or cell service.
Kneip and her Belgian sailing companions. Photo: Katharina Kneip
Accommodation remained a challenge. Campsites were scarce and expensive, so Kneip often relied on local hospitality.
“That was actually maybe the best experience so far, meeting all these people…[They] told me all their family history and invited me in, gave me food. I’ve never eaten so much bacon in my life.”
Once in New Brunswick, she followed ATV tracks after fire bans were partly lifted. She reached Bathurst on August 16, after about a month. From there, she walked the 150km Nepisiguit Mi’gmaq Trail through northern New Brunswick.
Map Source: shadedrelief.com/north-america
Moose season
The timing coincided with moose hunting season, which added new risks.
“I’ve never seen so many dead moose in my life,” she recalled. “Like, really, every car…and truck had moose on the back, and so I didn’t want to stay in the woods during dawn.”
From northern New Brunswick, she continued to Edmunston, near the New Brunswick–Quebec border. Here, she is currently resting with hosts from a travelers’ hospitality network.
Looking back, she described her east Canadian stage as more social than nature-focused. “It became much more of a cultural walk than a nature walk.”
Funding a a global journey
Kneip’s ability to sustain such a long journey rests on years of financial preparation, frugal living, and occasional outside support. She isn’t allowed to work while in Canada, so she relies entirely on advance planning and resourcefulness.
“I’ve been planning, meaning saving, for about three years before I started. I dedicated my whole life to save money,” she said.
Kneip worked multiple jobs. “I worked full-time in two jobs and got some artist grants also.”
On the coast of Cape Breton. Photo: Katharina Kneip
She avoids relying on sponsorships or heavy social media promotion.
“I could do much more on social media, I guess, like in terms of having more followers…[but] that is something that I don’t want to do. It was very clear to me that I want to be independent from that.”
Ottawa and beyond
Kneip’s immediate plan is to continue west to Ottawa via a mix of hiking and bicycle trails, including repurposed railway lines.
On the road in Newfoundland. Photo: Katharina Kneip
Once she reaches Ottawa in early winter, she will head west across vast northern Ontario to Winnipeg, aiming to arrive in late April. She then continues heading west across Canada, ultimately turning north to Alaska.
From there, she hopes to sail across the Bering Strait into Russia to continue her trek. Given the unknowns of travel in Russia and the difficulties of hiking across that country for what will surely be years, she will have to surmount many logistical issues. As a last resort, she could sail to Japan and trek across China or other Asian countries instead. In any case, it will be several more years before she reaches her finish line back in Germany.
