My name is Sam Harrison. I am a recent graduate in human geography from the University of Northern B.C. This summer, Nathan Leenders (a current student and close friend) and I are planning a wilderness hiking trip on Haida Gwaii to raise awareness of the threat that supertanker traffic would pose to B.C.'s north coast if the Northern Gateway project goes through.

We plan to walk approximately 700 km of extremely remote and trail-less Graham Island coastline that could be badly affected in the event of an oil spill.

Nathan and I feel a deep connection to Haida Gwaii, having worked there for years and spent time exploring the coast. Jeopardizing this magical region in the interests of expediting oil export is shortsighted and foolish with respect to both the environment and the economy.

To show the shoreline's bounty, we will not carry any food. We plan to subsist entirely on fish and coastal foods we find: seaweed, berries, crabs, prawns and other marine invertebrates. Although we're both experienced outdoorsmen, having climbed various peaks in Canada and around the world, this endeavour will be a challenge. It will involve full self-sufficiency, including long stints of bushwhacking, since there are no hiking trails on Graham Island's west coast; purifying water, and using a solar panel to power our cameras, emergency radios and a satellite phone.

My position on the pipeline is that while it is unrealistic to expect tar sands expansion to stop, it is possible to develop responsible ways of exporting the oil and, eventually, extracting it.

The Northern Gateway pipeline requires a new right-of-way that would cross many important salmon-bearing streams and watersheds and bring supertankers into some of the most storm-prone waters in Canada. I believe it would make more sense to expand the Kinder Morgan pipeline that leads to Port Moody, from which oil is currently exported. This would concentrate the risk of a tragic spill, rather than spreading it out to remote parts of the province.

On the trip, we will update our blog (www.tankersnothankers.ca) and tweet about our experiences.

Sam Harrison, Nathan Leenders.