Periodically I am overcome by a desire to take my canoe out on a wilderness trip. If I remember correctly I’ve only done three. Those were to a couple of destinations in Oregon, and none were particularly remote. I find that in this neck of the woods the regions I seek out are more accessible by four wheel drive. That being said, conditions are different in the waters draining into Hudson’s Bay; they are the home of the canoe. In this video Joe Robinet and his friend Shawn James canoe in Woodland Caribou Provincial Park. A region much more wild than my local woods.
Woodland Caribou Park is about 51˚ N; roughly the latitude of the southern reaches of Hudson’s Bay. It however lays on the western boundary of Ontario Province. To give an idea of the remoteness, both of these lads traveled over 20 hours by car to the Red Lake Outfitters float plane dock. Then they were flown into the park to paddle for seven days.
Watch their story, but I think they put too much emphasis on covering terrain and not enough on living with the land. They were so on the move that it wasn’t until the last day that they caught a lake trout, the fish they were seeking on the trip. At one point, Joe mentions that they were so fixated on travel that he wasn’t interested in starting a fire in any way but the swiftest.
Here is part one and here is part two from Joe’s perspective. Shawn put together a shorter video of the trip and one on techniques for cooking fish.
I will eventually make a trip like this, but I will only canoe one day in three or less. I guess that I value the small over the large. I want to experience my little corner where ever that corner might be. I have found that there is more to be gained from sitting still than from darting about; because stillness promotes silence and silence begets reverence.