I was born in Whitehorse, YT, in 1975. I went to elementary school in Fort McMurray, AB, where I lived with my Dad; and high school in Provost, AB, where I lived with my Mom. I received a Bachelor of Commerce from the University of Alberta in 1997.
To prepare for this journey, I began studying wilderness skills in 2000. I spent time at a wilderness school as a student, caretaker, instructor, and eventually as the Director of Community Education Programs. While I was a caretaker, I built and lived in a primitive shelter for four seasons. The shelter was made exclusively of natural materials: grass for a roof, wood lashed together for support, and cob for an oven.
I can usually be found knitting, playing pool, practicing martial arts, or running. My parents own a lounge, and I consider my Dad a pool shark. He taught me a lot, and it has come in handy over the years. In 2006, our team competed in the World Championships in Las Vegas.
At the age of five I chose martial arts over ballet. I started taking Tae Kwan Do classes, and, after a lifetime of developing skills and discipline, I received a Black Belt in 2006.
Geoff introduced me to trail running. Together we’ve explored many backcountry trails training for races. My biggest accomplishment has been completing the Haliburton Forest 100 mile race in Ontario.
My roles on the trip are: bow paddler, archivist, camp builder, and child wrangler.
In 1975, I was born in Trail BC. I attended public and high school in Orillia ON, and graduated from the University of Waterloo, in Geological Engineering.
Some of my best times have been spent in the bush: canoeing, snowshoeing, hunting, and running.
I went on my first canoe trip when I was 12. I spent the next three summers in the voyageur program at Camp Ecole Keno in Quebec. I have been guiding my own canoe and snowshoe trips ever since.
The other passion in my life is trail-running. Wilderness parks are the usual venue, though I’ve shown up at the odd ultra-marathon. While 50 miles is my preferred distance, I’ve buckled at the Leadville and Bighorn 100 milers.
Terry Fox inspired our trip, and maybe someday we’ll run across Canada on trails. This time we’re using a canoe.
My roles on the trip are: sternsman, cook, and canoe carrier.
Jude was born on October 20, 2009. He has been canoeing with us since he was 8 ½ months old. This summer will be his 4th season!
He loves to camp on beaches where he can play in the sand and gets very excited when he sees abandoned vehicles in or near the water. While paddling, he can often be found lining up his many matchbox cars on his seat in the canoe.
Jude’s roles on the trip are: vehicle identifier, tent helper, and goldfish cracker connoisseur.
Rane is our newest crewmember. He was born on December 1, 2012. He already has one season in the canoe under his belt, but he is looking forward to seeing the water from the “outside.”
Rane’s roles on the trip are: drool factory, schedule dictator, and kitchen utensil helper.
Taq is a purebred Alaskan Malamute born on October 18, 2005. His full name is Marruunik Taqsalik, which stands for Two Spot in Inuktitut. When we were picking him from the litter, we could always tell it was him by the two spots on his belly. He is quite a character – when we scold him, he howls and talks back!
Taq currently weighs about 109 lbs. and will be 8 years old this year. He doesn’t deal well with the heat anymore, so he will be getting a belly trim before we head out this summer.
His role on the trip is companion, bear alert, kitty patrol, random ballast, and greeting committee.
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