Far North Symposium 2026

In the summer of 2025, Bear Paulsen, his wife Claire, and their son Dashwa set out on an extraordinary canoe expedition deep into Canada’s Arctic wilderness. Flying by float plane to Damant Lake in the Northwest Territories, they embarked on a 39-day journey covering more than 600 miles by canoe. Their route followed the Elk River north through one of the continent’s largest concentrations of ancient eskers, then onto the upper Thelon River, where challenging whitewater tested skills and teamwork. As the terrain opened up, the middle Thelon revealed rich human history, from Inuit heritage to echoes of more recent travelers, while the lower river unfolded into a chain of three immense lakes stretching nearly two hundred miles toward their destination. For thirty-one days the family saw no other people, but the land was anything but empty: moose, caribou, and muskox roamed the shores and shallows, creating unforgettable encounters. When they finally reached the hamlet of Baker Lake in Nunavut, they celebrated not just the end of the trip, but community, attending a local wedding reception before heading home. Along the way, Dashwa discovered a new favorite meat: caribou.

In July 2025, veteran Arctic paddlers Jim Gallagher and Brian Johnston returned to the Far North to complete a rare canoe journey through Tuktut Nogait National Park in Canada's Northwest Territories, one of the least visited national parks on Earth. Beginning on Nunavut Lake, they paddled the Roscoe River, crossed an ancient river channel and height of land, and continued down the Brock River to the remote coastal community of Paulatuk. This presentation explores what it takes to travel through an exceptionally remote and unforgiving landscape. Gallagher and Johnston recount paddling demanding rapids at the edge of what an open canoe can handle, triple-carrying miles of portages, and enduring snow and freezing temperatures, all rewarded with vast herds of caribou, dramatic waterfalls, and immense canyons rarely seen by human eyes. A compelling story of experience, partnership, and the enduring pull of true wilderness travel.

In 2025, the Solitude of Four set out on a remarkable canoe expedition to Hudson Bay, paddling more than a thousand miles through some of the most remote waterways in the North. Traveling for weeks at a time without resupply, they followed historic routes through vast boreal forests, powerful rivers, and big, unpredictable water. This presentation offers a firsthand account of what it takes to plan, prepare for, and complete a true wilderness journey, from navigation and logistics to group dynamics, decision-making, and the mental challenges of prolonged isolation. It's a story of endurance, self-reliance, and the deep rewards of traveling by canoe in places where few people ever go.

In the summer of 2024, Lee completed two demanding Arctic canoe journeys in Nunavut: his first descent of the remote Hayes River, followed shortly by a return to the Quoich River, three decades after his original trip. Flowing through the traditional territory of the Netsilik Inuit, both rivers lie north of the Arctic Circle and remain seldom paddled, known more through stories than firsthand experience. In this talk, Lee reflects on what continues to draw paddlers back to the Far North. Tracing the history of travel on these rivers, from early explorers like John Rae and Frederick Schwatka to modern recreational pioneers, he explores how motivations, challenges, and perspectives evolve over time, even as the landscape itself remains profoundly unchanged.

In the summer of 1988, three friends completed an ambitious 870-mile canoe expedition through the Canadian Barren Lands west of Hudson Bay, traveling from Wollaston Lake in northwest Saskatchewan to Baker Lake in what is now Nunavut. Over fifty-five days, they paddled from boreal forest to the Arctic divide and into the vast, treeless Barrens, a landscape defined by wind, water, and deep history. This presentation retraces a route steeped in exploration and hardship, following portions of J.B. Tyrrell's 1890s geological expeditions, Farley Mowat's The Deer's Way, and sections of the ill-fated Arthur Moffat journey of 1955. Along the way, the team faced brutal portages, blackfly swarms, cold and dangerous whitewater, and immense ice-chilled lakes, while encountering caribou herds, muskoxen, white wolves, and traces of cultures that once thrived in this remote land. A powerful reflection on wilderness travel, history, and the enduring draw of the Far North.

In the 1940s and 1950s, the Paul Bunyan Canoe Derby was one of the longest and most ambitious canoe races ever held in North America, a grueling 450-mile competition down the Mississippi River. More than a race, the derby stood at a pivotal moment in history, bridging an older, non-motorized river culture with a rapidly modernizing world. It launched the career of canoe-racing legend Gene Jensen and drew paddlers from across the continent into a shared test of endurance, skill, and grit. The derby also occupied a unique social space, linking Indian country with white America and creating neutral ground where people from different cultures and communities came together in competition and camaraderie. In this talk, Frank Bures explores the rise and fall of the Paul Bunyan Canoe Derby, drawing from his book Pushing the River. Through vivid storytelling, he brings to life a largely forgotten chapter of canoeing history and reflects on what was gained, lost, and nearly lost again along the river.