THUNDER BAY — A three-week, 350-kilometre hike through the Himalayas wouldn't be most people's idea of fun, but Thunder Bay entrepreneur and adventurer Samantha Plavins looks forward to the challenge.
She'll travel to Bhutan this fall to take on the arduous Snowman Trek, considered to be one of the world's toughest hiking routes in one of the most remote parts of the globe.
"What makes it difficult is you're often at a very high altitude above 15,000 feet, you're trudging through mud and a very rocky, uneven path. The weather is notoriously awful, usually rainy, sometimes snowstorms, and you are literally outside for 22 days," Plavins told TBnewswatch.
"But it's really not just about the physical stamina. It's a mental game, and about 50 per cent of people who try it end up just calling it because of all the things that I just mentioned . . . The altitude in isolation is not necessarily what I would say is a deal-breaker in the world of hiking, but it's the sustained, prolonged combination of the weather, the remoteness and the altitude with the difficulty of the trail itself."
Plavins is no stranger to challenging hikes.
She operates a business that includes leading women on long walks in exotic locations around the world.
On the Bhutan expedition, she'll be accompanied by only one person, filmmaker Kendra Slagter of Hamilton, but she hopes documenting the expedition will further her mission of improving women's mental health by nudging them to escape their stressful lifestyles.
"I've been trying, since I launched Walk The Walk, to help women get off society's treadmill of, you know, overworking, chasing success etc, and really trying to inspire and encourage them to look within, and follow their own paths in life . . . The film is not going to be one of those 'Hey, go to Bhutan and walk the Snowman Trek,' but through our own suffering and our own learning and insights, it hopefully will inspire women to just even get outside and go for a walk in the woods."
One of the things that intrigued Plavins about the Snowman Trek is that Bhutan considers Gross National Happiness to be more important than Gross National Product.
"When I first heard about this country that measures success by happiness, not money, I was floored. This was exactly the type of thing I teach my clients . . . We want to find out what 'happy' means in Bhutan, then share it with other Western women through a documentary."
She met Slagter after viewing a film about a hike Slagter took with her father on the Bruce Trail in southern Ontario.
"I just loved her storytelling capabilities, and I love that she did this with her dad during COVID when the world was shut down. She also really challenges and questions society's definition of success . . . I approached her about my film idea, and she was all over it. We are women of two different generations asking the same questions, but coming at it from a different point of view."
The pair has launched a Kickstarter campaign to pay for the $7,000 business film permit required by the government of Bhutan.
"They're very selective with who they give permits to, but they've shown great interest in this project, so we're hoping to generate a buzz, to get people interested and kind of follow our journey," Plavins said.
"And we have some really cool rewards for anyone who jumps in as well."
The duo hopes to submit their adventure documentary to some high-profile film festivals.
More information is available online.
