[Closed] Canoeing tens of thousands of kilometres

Bookmarked.

You should look up Sir Alexander Mackenzie.
He tried to find a passage from east to west.

You can do a fair amount of it. 20 years ago I paddled from Hayriver to Inuvik over 6 weeks with some friends after leaving school. That was the end of his journey, about a 1000miles. You hit the top end of the Canadian Rockies and get turned north never making it to the Pacific.

You could extend it. Peace River and great slave would probably double the length. From memory Peace river is fairly full on. There's a river down that way I saw on a white water video. So big and wide that they had to use maps to navigate the rapids. No easy task when they were monster volume grade 5.

The Mackenzie itself is mostly easy. Apart from a couple of sections (the ramparts) you can float down it.

https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/north/winnipeg-brothers-ride-mackenzie-river-on-makeshift-raft-1.3195240

You hit the top end of the Canadian Rockies and get turned north never making it to the Pacific.

I haven’t actually looked at a map, but are you saying there would be feasible way of portaging (unassisted) to another body of water that would allow you to continue?

I think portaging over the Rockies would be a challenge. See the route taken in Paddling Across Canada.

An interesting proposition.

I remember watching a documentary (oh a long time ago), I can't fully remember the specifics of it. But they were attempting to do the crossing and going over the Rockies.

Just been googling around looking for more info and came across this. Canoe routes

It seems that several attempts have been made in the past, not very successful where the participants barely got out with their lives.

Good luck if you do have a go.

I spent a good few evenings during lockdown watching this series, would definitely wet your appetite for adventure!

Episode 1 of Crossing Labrador.

I would be tempted to find a route that was a bit more relaxing and feasible, rather than potentially fatal!

Should probably read this: https://www.amazon.co.uk/Voyageur-Across-Rocky-Mountains-Birchbark/dp/0753821486

@spooky_b329, that video looks excellent! Thanks for the heads-up!

I had a plan to paddle round the uk when I retire (a good few years time!) and then Colin Skeath and Davis Gould-Duff went and did it (the book Only Fools and White Horses is well worth a read).

So my latest day dream plan is the North Sea!!

-From home (Burton on Trent!)
-Down the Trent
-Up the coast of England and Scotland
-Orkney
-Big sea crossing to Shetland
-HUGE sea crossing to Norway
-Then south down the coast of Norway
-Big sea crossing to Denmark
-Down coast of Denmark, Germany, Netherlands, Belgium, France
-Hop across the Channel
-Up the coast of UK
-Back up the Trent to home

I think there is a few years worth of paddling there! I suspect Orkney will be as far as I get but Google Maps encourages ridiculous journey planning.

Across Canada sounds epic - sign me up!

How being pedal powered help? Something like this

Finland would be a good place to canoe around. It's mostly water in the middle and the lakes are all connected together by channels with low or no flow.

I met a Norwegen guy a few years ago, ex-forces, took some time to paddle the length of Norway, north to south, then he decided to cross the North Sea to London. (Not sure of the actual route taken). Apparently he was intercepted by Royal Marines on the Thames just before the London Olympics, on explaining where he'd come from they were a little surprised!

The Voyaguer book is written by Robert Twigger - of boy in the striped pyjamas author.

The boys across labrador is superb. Get a brew and put it on the big screen. Proper good adventuring.

No. Twigger wrote "Angry White Pyjamas". A very different book.

Voyageur is a good read. A brutal incident with a thumb though.

@spooky_b329 Thanks, enjoyed watching that

@epicyclo (this tagging thing quite nifty)

You can't have watched all 15 episodes already? 😉 It's about 8hrs isn't it?