Presentations:

Seal River Manitoba

Presenter: Adam Maxwell

Adam is still in his 20's but has done the Churchill River from Baniff, paddled to York Factory, led the 8 Rivers Canoe Trip to Whale Cove and, in 2015, paddled with a 4 person crew for over 30 days on the Seal River in Manitoba. Adam is a great storyteller!

Seal River:
The Seal River is one of the four major rivers in Northern Manitoba, and is the northernmost river and the only river without dams. This river is far removed from any human population in the isolated wilderness. The nearest settlements are Churchill and the small Tadoule Lake. Churchill is about 45 kilometers (28 mi) south of the mouth of the river along the Hudson Bay. There are no actual settlements or permanent human inhabitants along the Seal River. The river flows through a mix of boreal forests at the southernmost edge of Canada's tundra. Because it travels through this transition zone, it travels through dense forests, as well as portions of the barren and rocky subarctic wilderness. The course of the Seal is inconsistent and can be dangerous to navigate. It has no human uses, except for the very few skilled travelers on rafts or canoes who brave the abundant white water each year.

Baker Lake Area—Quoich River
Circling the Center of Canada by Canoe

Presenters: Brian Johnston and Jim Gallagher

In the summer of 2015, Brian Johnston and Jim Gallagher paddled a 30-day, 300-mile route circling the geographic center of Canada—claimed by and located near the hamlet of Baker Lake, Nunavut. They started and ended in the hamlet of Baker Lake, requiring no charter flights. Brian and Jim paddled and tracked upstream on the Prince River, crossed over into the Quoich River watershed and descended the Quoich, and returned by paddling Chesterfield Inlet and Baker Lake back to their starting point. This trip was unique in that it connected the Prince and the Quoich Rivers as a paddling route. They encountered ice on lakes, wicked weather, and the usual suspects of arctic wildlife: muskox, caribou, arctic ground squirrels, wolves, and seals.

Kazan River with Bear Paulsen
Three in a Pakboat—the Kazan River

Presenter: Bear Paulsen

The Kazan River rises at the borders of Manitoba, Saskatchewan, and Nunavut in the boreal forest and flows 500+ miles into tundra. Known as Inuit Ku—the River of Men—due to the Inuit population that once thrived there. The Kazan abounds with endless skies, musk ox and whitewater. Unexpectedly, and midway through a month-long trip, one member voluntarily left, the group adjusted to a new trip, including fitting three people and equipment into a 17-foot Pakboat.

Paddling Remote Small Rivers in Far Northwest Alaska

Presenter: Duane Lee

Duane Lee: A previous presenter at the Far North Symposium, Duane has paddled rivers and streams in the Nunavut, Yukon and Northwest Territories as well as Alaska, Manitoba, Saskatchewan and Ontario. He is an experienced and excellent whitewater paddler who likes to find new routes and explore small rivers. Duane will share a few new, remote and small, rivers he found this past two summers in far Northwest Alaska.

Expedition Trip Planning

Presenter: Bob O'Hara

This presentation is about the who, what, where, why, and how of organizing a wilderness expedition canoe trip, with the emphasis on the arctic and sub arctic.

The key ideas are; crew, gear, canoes, bush planes and what to do with ice. Fully illustrated with excellent examples of what you can expect on your trip.
Bob O’Hara has been an educator all of his adult life working with high school kids in science and coaching after school sports activities like Nordic skiing and track. He currently officiates in four sports from August through June. From 1969 through 2015 he has spent most of his summer months roaming by canoe, rivers, streams and connecting lakes far north of the 60th Parallel. He has mentored many young men and women paddlers on the finer points of arctic exploration and travel. In 1978 he was honored with induction into The Explorer’s Club (New York). His love for the wilderness and wild places began in the BWCA but has no boundaries; his canoe travel has taken him across Manitoba, Nunavut, the Northwest Territories, Quebec and Alaska.

Bob has also paddled across all of Finland from Russia to the Baltic Sea. And, has ocean paddled on Hudson Bay from Wager Bay to Repulse Bay. 2015 marks the 57th consecutive year that Bob O’Hara has paddled in the BWCA and Quetico.

Paddling the Slave and Mackenzie Rivers to the Arctic Ocean

Presenter: Nick Peterson

During the summer of 2015, Nick Peterson and Taylor Fredin paddled 1500 miles from Alberta's northern border to the Arctic Ocean over the span of 60 days. Their adventure on the Slave River, Great Slave Lake, and Mackenzie River took them through forest fires, big waves, and First Nation villages. They will share stories of the people and wildlife along the way, as well as pictures of this spectacular region.