Artic Land Expedition - Paul vanPeenen |
Maple Ridge photographer
and Arctic paddler Paul vanPeenen
will be heading off on another two-month
Arctic Land Expedition supported
by Western Canoeing & Kayaking.
Last summer, Paul paddled solo for
58 days and over 1,000 km through
the Northwest Territories and Nunavut
in a 14-foot Clipper Porspector.
Paul retraced part of John Franklin's
1821 expedition starting at Fort
Enterprise, 250 km north of Yellowknife.
From there he paddled and portaged
upstream to Point Lake on the Coppermine
River. Point Lake was still frozen
but rapidly
deteriorating which meant there
was no time for dawdling. He travelled
the 120 km long lake in four days,
paddling and dragging the canoe.
After two days rest and a resupply
at a fishing lodge at the west end
of Point Lake, Paul set off down
the flooded Coppermine River to
the Arctic Ocean, often camping
in the same places and on the same
dates as Franklin had done180 years
before. After 40 days travel, Paul
arrived at the town of Kugluktuk
on the Arctic Ocean where he resupplied
before heading east along the coast
of Coronation Gulf. Bad weather,
grizzly bear encounters and spectacular
scenery marked this part of the
journey. At Galena Point in Bathurst
Inlet, a three-day storm pinned
Paul in his tent on a small island.
Once the weather cleared he was
able to resume his trip into Bathurst
Inlet to the mouth of the Hood River.
Another grizzly bear
encounter was the deciding factor
in ending the trip just 40 km short
of the goal of Wilberforce Falls
on the Hood River. Besides, after
two months solo travel, he was ready
to go home. This year's expedition
will begin in early June at Old
Canoe Lake, south of MacKay Lake
and Camsell Lake in the Northwest
Territories. From there, Paul will
spend about a month threading his
way northeast into Nunavut through
several river systems and countless
lakes to
Contwoyto Lake. At the south end
of Contwoyto, Paul will cross the
height of land into Nose Lake, the
headwaters of the Mara River. There
he will be joined by three paddlers
from Prince George who have paddled
with him on previous expeditions.
The foursome will descend the Mara,
which flows into the Burnside River,
all the way down to the Arctic Ocean
to the settlement of Bathurst Inlet.
They will then paddle north into
Portage Bay to do a few days of
hiking around the Wilberforce
Falls area on the Hood River before
returning by float plane to Yellowknife
in early August. The expedition
will be using a 16-foot and a
17-foot Clipper Prospector from
Western Canoeing & Kayaking outfitted
with spraydecks. In the fall,
Paul will again be presenting
slide shows of his expedition
throughout British Columbia. Stay
tuned for more information.
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