Manitoba news: A 60 year old retired Winnipeg police officer who fought on the front lines in Ukraine has walked the length of the Pacific Crest Trail, more than 5,000 kilometres on foot, to keep the world watching a war he refuses to let fade from view.
Peter Derksen, a 60 year old retired Winnipeg police officer and Ukraine veteran, hiked the Pacific Crest Trail from the United States Mexico border to Manning Provincial Park in British Columbia. The nearly six month trek covered more than 5,000 kilometres and raised over $7,000 for Ukraine relief.
By Maplestime News Desk | Winnipeg, Manitoba | November 12, 2026
Sources: CBC News | Last updated: November 12, 2026
Key Takeaways
- Peter Derksen, 60, from Manitoba’s Interlake, is a retired Winnipeg Police Service officer who served on the front lines in Ukraine from September 2022 to September 2023.
- He hiked the Pacific Crest Trail from early April to late September 2026, from Campo, California, to Manning Provincial Park, B.C.
- He walked more than 5,000 kilometres, about a marathon a day, carrying up to 50 pounds of gear, food and water.
- He turned 60 atop Mount Whitney, California, the highest peak in the contiguous United States at 14,505 feet.
- He raised more than $7,000 for two charities, including the Canada-Ukraine Foundation.
Who is Peter Derksen?
Derksen spent his career with the Winnipeg Police Service, where he specialized in security, weapons handling and tactical procedures. Before that he served about three years with the Royal Winnipeg Rifles reserve unit. When Russia invaded Ukraine, he went to fight. He served on the front lines from September 2022 to September 2023, teaching combat and warfighting techniques to Ukrainian soldiers. He first joined the International Legion for the Defence of Ukraine, then enlisted as an official member of the Ukrainian army. His brigade operated near the front lines, often suffering multiple casualties each day.
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The Smithsonian Institution Shelter on the summit of Mount Whitney. Photo: Justin Johnsen, CC BY 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons
What did the Pacific Crest Trail hike involve?
The trail officially spans about 4,265 kilometres. Derksen estimates he walked more than 5,000 kilometres because fire closures forced rerouting, plus diversions to restock supplies. He averaged the equivalent of a marathon each day while carrying up to 50 pounds of gear, food and water. He turned 60 atop Mount Whitney in June 2026. The hike left him with stress fractures and numbness in his toes, and his feet grew nearly three shoe sizes from swelling and calluses. He joked: “I have what hikers call Christmas toe, which is the feeling will come back in your toes by Christmas.”
He never doubted the finish. “I never doubted I would finish, even though it was a momentous task and incredibly difficult,” he said. Chris Rylee, communications director for the Pacific Crest Trail Association, called completing the whole trail in a single continuous hike an “audacious proposal” that “very few attempt, even fewer complete.” About 5,000 people apply for permits each year, and 1,000 to 2,000 self report completing the trail, but only a tiny handful are true thru hikers.
Why did he walk more than 5,000 kilometres?
Derksen walked to keep attention on Ukraine and to raise money for relief. “To keep the world aware that Ukrainians are continuing to struggle for their own ability to live peacefully and free,” he said. He raised more than $7,000 for two charities, including the Canada-Ukraine Foundation, which has contributed more than $100 million in aid to Ukraine since the invasion began.
Valeriy Kostyuk, the foundation’s executive director, said: “Peter’s story shows passion and shows generosity and shows that we all can be doing our bit in order to bring relief to Ukraine.”
Frequently Asked Questions
How long is the Pacific Crest Trail?
The trail officially spans about 4,265 kilometres from the United States Mexico border to Manning Provincial Park in British Columbia. Derksen estimates he walked more than 5,000 kilometres because of fire closures, rerouting and restock diversions.
How much did Peter Derksen raise for Ukraine?
More than $7,000 for two charities, including the Canada-Ukraine Foundation, which has contributed more than $100 million in aid to Ukraine since the invasion began.
What did Derksen do in Ukraine?
He served on the front lines from September 2022 to September 2023, teaching combat and warfighting techniques to Ukrainian soldiers, first with the International Legion for the Defence of Ukraine and then as an official member of the Ukrainian army.
A view from E. C. Manning Provincial Park in British Columbia. Photo: Bbb23, CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons
Maplestime will provide updates from Peter Derksen’s hike for Ukraine as announcements are made.
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