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Mitch Bowmile, a Toronto-born adventurer, began his unsupported journey from Whitehorse to Tuktoyaktuk on Thursday leaving from the Fireweed Market at Shipyards Park.

Bowmile will be using the 1,400-kilometre journey to support CPAWS Yukon鈥檚 work to protect the Porcupine caribou herd鈥檚 calving grounds. As well he will be supporting Green Iglu, a non-profit Toronto based organization that works on setting up greenhouses in northern communities.

It is Bowmile鈥檚 first time in the territory.

鈥淚 wanted to do some sort of an expedition this summer and something I haven鈥檛 done before,鈥� said Bowmile. 鈥淚 came across the Dempster Highway and how remote it was so I thought it would be a pretty cool ride to make it all the way up there.

鈥淚鈥檓 excited, I鈥檝e got my first couple of days planned out then after that day-to-day.鈥�

In Toronto, Bowmile works as a swim coach but by no means considers himself a cyclist. With that said he is feeling prepared.

鈥淏y no means am I a cyclist because that would mean years of dedication to the sport,鈥� said Bowmile. 鈥淚鈥檝e always had fitness as a priority so I鈥檓 feeling fit and very prepared so we will see how it goes.鈥�

It started as an expedition and he had already planned the ride before he reached out to CPAWS Yukon.

鈥淚 thought it would be a great idea to use the ride as a way to connect with organizations that are doing really great things,鈥� said Bowmile. 鈥淐PAWS Yukon chapter is doing awesome work out here which I wanted to support and Green Iglu that also supports some issues in Canada鈥檚 north.

鈥淏y no means am I an expert in that. I just wanted to connect with these organizations and they filled me in and gave me more info and I鈥檓 super happy that I can offer some support and hopefully raise some awareness.鈥�

The two organizations fall in line with his beliefs and he thinks it鈥檚 cool that he can connect people back in Toronto to the issues in the north.

鈥淚t鈥檚 been kind of cool because I鈥檝e gotten to share that with my friends and people in Ontario,鈥� said Bowmile. 鈥淚 don鈥檛 think its something on a lot of people鈥檚 radar so I鈥檝e gotten a lot of questions so I鈥檝e gotten to raise some awareness for these issues which has been the goal since day one after partnering with these organizations.鈥�

He hasn鈥檛 planned on stopping in any communities along the way but he is hoping the opportunity arises.

鈥淚t鈥檚 not out of the question but I don鈥檛 know what to expect,鈥� said Bowmile. 鈥淚 don鈥檛 want to impose myself on any communities but I鈥檇 love to see the cultures. I also think it depends on how my ride is going. I have a very loose plan with that.鈥�

For both organizations, the discussed goal, along with creating awareness, is to raise $10,000 each for both CPAWs Yukon and Green Iglu.

鈥淭o be able to do that is fantastic,鈥� said Bowmile. 鈥淚鈥檇 be super happy to hear that more people are getting involved and get excited to do things like this.

(Personally) I鈥檓 a coach back home and I hope I can be an inspiration to some of my athletes. If they want to do something, get up and do it, put the effort in and give it your all.鈥�

His personal goal is to have something neat to share with friends and family back home.

鈥淢y girlfriend Sam is super excited for me,鈥� said Bowmile. 鈥淚鈥檓 just excited to try something new. It鈥檚 cool to plan something but in other experiences, things don鈥檛 always go according to plan. It鈥檚 interesting to see how I鈥檓 going to manage myself in those situations.

鈥淭here is definitely personal growth to be had. The first part will be more populated so hoping to meet some cool people along the way and raise more awareness and just see the Yukon.鈥�

CPAWS is a national-wide environmental non-government organization that advocates for protecting wild places. That includes watersheds and protecting species inside them like the Porcupine caribou herd.

鈥淭hey (the herd) are at risk because their breeding grounds are being threatened to be drilled for oil and gas,鈥� said Braden Lamoureux, the CPAWS representative at the market booth. 鈥淭he U.S. administration is threatening to sell oil and gas leases by the end of this year.

鈥淲e are working to get Canadian concerns on the record in the U.S. and get them aware that Canadians care about this issue and it鈥檚 going to affect us.鈥�

The hope is that the ride from Bowmile will help further the awareness on the current issue.

鈥淚 think Mitch has a cool perspective because he is not from the north,鈥� said Lamoureux. 鈥淗e gets to experience the north for the first time which is a good storytelling and awareness opportunity.

鈥淗e gets to share a part of Canada that not a lot of people have been. He is going to a very vast and beautiful, intact, wilderness area along the highway. I think that is a real testament to the work we do in the Yukon. It is really our duty to protect it. Just because we have it doesn鈥檛 mean we can slack off.鈥�

The Porcupine herd鈥檚 breeding ground is in the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge, where the current U.S. administration is considering allowing drilling. The herd is also the primary sustenance to the Gwich鈥檌n First Nation.