Pair hiking 130 kms across Nunavut to empower others

Kevin Tikivik and Raphalle Lavigneheaded out from Kimmirut, Nunavut, on Wednesday to begina 130-kilometre trek toIqaluit.

The pairplans on documenting the wet, rocky trip throughrivers, mountains and tundra, and sharing it with otherson Facebook.

"It's beautiful because I get to show my community toRaphalle,"Tikiviksaid.

• Nunavut mom organizes walk for 4-year-old son who needs wheelchair
• Arviat high schoolers celebrate graduation with tundra 'walkabout'

He said the adventure has been years in the making.

"I always had a romantic idea of my ancestors and how they lived off the land. When I was a young boy I always imagined doing this walk," he said.

Lavigne said from thetime they met, Tikivik has talked about doing this hike.

"I also grew up pretty outdoorsy with my family ... as he talked about it, I was like 'yeah, for sure, let's do it,'" she said.

'Get out there and do stuff,' says Tikivik

For Tikivikthe journey ismore than just an incredible adventure, it's alsoabout starting a positive conversation aboutwhat Inuit can accomplish.

He has been working with healing centres across Canada, and works as a coordinator for the Puttautiitsuicide prevention conference.

• 'Why not?': Man starts fossil fuel free trip from Nunavut to Argentina
• PHOTOS |'Pretty spectacular': A hike through Baffin Island's Auyuittuq National Park

"I just want to motivate people in the North to do the best that they can and understand that there are people watching who care about you and we need to embrace each other, bring each other up," he said.

"Get out there and do stuff."

A 10-day trip takes a lot of planning. The pair said they made and dried enough food for nearly two weeks,pored over maps and used a global positioning systemto plan theroute. They are alsoplanning to talk with hunters along the way.

"There is no better way of knowing someone and knowing communities than being on the land," Lavigne said.

With files from Qavavao Peter