The ultimate Canadian road trip, by canoe
In the spring of 2015, Canadian Voyageurs will cross the country by canoe (Photo by Canadian Voyageurs)
In the spring of 2015, Gerry, my husband and I will cross Canada by canoe as the Canadian Voyageurs. When people ask us why we are doing it, my first response is always: Because we can! Because life is about adventure! The reasons, though, are many….
Years ago, when we flew across Canada we saw how vast it is. That vastness called to us; it said, come and explore me! We have been planning for this epic journey ever since. And now, we are living out our dream.
We chose the canoe as our mode of transportation because it’s proven itself to be an excellent way to explore our wonderful country. For thousands of years, the canoe has been a reliable, low maintenance, durable and affordable means of travel. Also, the canoe is very ecologically friendly — it runs on water! In modern lightweight gear we will follow in the steps of the original Canadian Voyageurs.
We are the happiest when we are in the wilderness – one with nature. (Photo by Canada Voyageurs)
Like the First Nations, we have always had tremendous love and respect for nature, having spent a great deal of our lives outside enjoying the great outdoors. We love canoeing, kayaking, hiking, camping. We love exploring Canada’s natural beauty; it’s where we feel the most alive.
We are the happiest when we are in the wilderness — one with nature.
It’s thanks to our off-grid lifestyle and our “less is more” way of living that we can manage to go on extended trips and live out our dreams. We stopped watching television years ago. Now, we create our own adventures! We don’t want to be those people who just dream and talk about doing things. We want to experience life to its fullest — and we want to inspire others to do the same.
By documenting our journey and sharing it with others we hope to inspire others to get outside and get active. Our goal is to inspire people to reconnect with nature and live more active lifestyles. We also wish to raise awareness that we need to protect our natural resources.
We are looking forward to meeting people who live along our route, to learning about the history of the towns we come across and to seeing what we will learn along the way. Expect the unexpected on wilderness adventures!
We’ve already made all kinds of new connections. We expect to see lots of wildlife and we plan on taking lots of photographs and videos.
We can’t wait to head west — to leave Rocky Mountain House Alberta in the spring and paddle east for months until we reach Lachine Quebec — our destination. Who knows what waits for us in Canada’s great outdoors? Ours is not a race, but a journey — one of documenting, one of sharing.
Follow us on our journey: Canadian Voyageurs.
About the Author
Canadian Voyageurs is made up of Celine and Gerry, a couple who has been married 24 years and lives off grid in the remote wilderness of Northern Ontario.
