'I have to find my limit': Sask. adventure vlogger zigzags through Australian wilderness
On Feb. 1, adventure filmmaker Layton Keddy set out to cross a mountainous region of the Australian wilderness along the Bicentennial National Trail between Marysville and Omeo.
“It’s roughly 350 kilometers, but it zigzags all the way through like a horse trail, and they said it’s by far the most difficult stretch when crossing the continent of Australia, and it just absolutely intrigued me and I wanted to try it out,” said Keddy, 32.
When he didn’t answer any of his messages or social media, and his phone was off, a friend reported him missing to Australian police.
“There were people looking for me unnecessarily,” said Keddy.
He could only take on the trip what he could carry on his bike.
Once reported missing, Keddy’s parents back in Prince Albert didn’t really know what to think, said Betty Keddy.
She trusted that her son was okay because he had done long bike trips before, but the missing person report was still worrisome.
Betty also said he posted on Facebook: “I won’t say goodbye because I know I can do it, but I’m warning you now that I will be gone for a while. I have to find my limit.”
Ten days into the trip, Keddy went more than 100 kilometres out of his way to charge the batteries for his camera gear. That’s when he learned from police in Woods Point that he was the subject of a missing person report.
“I still had weeks to go, in my opinion, before I wanted to be in cell signal. I wanted to be away and the only reason I saw the police officers is because my cameras had run out of batteries and I wanted to go and charge them,” said Keddy.
He said he turned on his cell phone and had hundreds of messages from people worried about him.
He called his parents and to clear up the matter. Then, he loaded up his gear and went back out on the trail to finish his bike trip alone.
He said he was having the “adventure of a lifetime” and wasn’t afraid of the long days cycling across difficult terrain.
“There’s absolutely nothing like it. It was the best time of my life,” he said.
Keddy has been doing extreme adventure trips into the wilderness in different countries for about eight years. He documents his trips on his YouTube channel called ‘My Travel Forever Machine’ and on social media.
Keddy said the trip inspired him to get more involved in travel journaling. He plans to cross every continent by bike and document his journey.
“I realized that there’s a message inside me and it doesn’t come out in words, and for whatever reason it comes in the form of me taking photos and writing stories.”
Keddy said he hopes to inspire others to go on adventures.
“I know 100 per cent that I’m going to continue going around the world and continue filming and making videos,” he said.
“For me, I’m just shooting for the sky now.”
Betty Keddy poses with a newspaper about her son going "going missing" in Austalia. (Lisa Risom/CTV Prince Albert)
After eight years of Layton going on extreme adventures, Betty Keddy says she’s learned not to worry and trust that he’ll be okay.
“I’ve learned to be happy for him, that he’s really doing what he wants to do. And every parent, all they want for their children is for them to do something that makes them happy and to follow their passion – and that’s exactly what he’s doing,” she said.
“It doesn’t mean that I don’t worry about where he is or if I haven’t heard from him in a few weeks,” added Betty.
“You have to let it go, just be happy that they’re following their passion.”
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
NEW After hearing thousands of last words, this hospital chaplain has advice for the living
Hospital chaplain J.S. Park opens up about death, grief and hearing thousands of last words, and shares his advice for the living.
BREAKING Police cordon off Iran consulate in Paris where man threatens to blow himself up: French media
French police cordoned off the Iranian consulate in Paris on Friday, where a man was threatening to blow himself up, Europe 1 radio and BFM TV.
Some Canadian families will receive up to $620 per child today
More money will land in the pockets of some Canadian families on Friday for the latest Canada Child Benefit installment.
BREAKING Iran fires at apparent Israeli attack drones near Isfahan air base and nuclear site
An apparent Israeli drone attack on Iran saw troops fire air defences at a major air base and a nuclear site early Friday morning near the central city of Isfahan, an assault coming in retaliation for Tehran's unprecedented drone-and-missile assault on the country.
American millionaire Jonathan Lehrer denied bail after being charged with killing Canadian couple
American millionaire Jonathan Lehrer, one of two men charged in the killings of a Canadian couple in Dominica, has been denied bail.
Ottawa to force banks to call carbon rebate a carbon rebate in direct deposits
Canadian banks that refuse to identify the carbon rebate by name when doing direct deposits are forcing the government to change the law to make them do it, says Environment Minister Steven Guilbeault.
Ontario woman loses $15,000 to fake Walmart job scam
A woman who recently moved to Canada from India was searching for a job when she got caught in an online job scam and lost $15,000.
After COVID, WHO defines disease spread 'through air'
The World Health Organization and around 500 experts have agreed for the first time on what it means for a disease to spread through the air, in a bid to avoid the confusion early in the COVID-19 pandemic that some scientists have said cost lives.
Prince Harry formally confirms he is now a U.S. resident
Prince Harry, the son of King Charles III and fifth in line to the British throne, has formally confirmed he is now a U.S. resident.