Imagine the shock of having a marauding wolverine stroll into our campsite below Sandstone Rapids on the Coppermine River. Our intrepid international gang from the UK first thought this was a wayward raccoon until they noticed the oversized claws! Thankfully, the wolverine retreated at a sprint when it realized it had walked directly into our camp dashing by two campers digging the latrine!

Canoe North Adventures proudly hosted a 150^th Centennial Expedition on the Coppermine River with Malvern College – a British Independent School. The 15 students and 4 staff were stoked for adventure upon their arrival in Yellowknife after a long day of international flights. Early the next morning the group head for the river by floatplane with everyone’s eyes glued to the barren landscape.

The students had been training for this trip for two years – and with a few days of practicing eddy turns and cross-bow draws the gang could have easily been mistaken for Canadians! Imagine the nervous excitement as we scouted historic Rocky Defile with sheer granite cliffs and lightning fast whitewater. Our eleven canoes entered the shadowy canyon in two groups with paddles steady and true – all making it through spectacularly and safely although Nikko and Hugh had a close-up encounter with a monstrous wave! The other major rapids, Musk-Ox, Sandstone and Escape were all run with poise and perfection amidst great cheers and celebration.

On our last night at Bloody Falls, we were joined by Inuit youth and elders from Kugluktuk for a feast of caribou ribs, arctic char and bannock. Elders Mae-Mae and Alice kept our group spellbound with stories told in Inuktitut (and translated to English) of the simpler times when the land and sea provided for the local community – a rich culture based on respect for the land and animals, and a close-knit community based on caring and sharing with one another.

Reel Paddling Film Festival complete with hot-buttered pop-corn and bagpipes presented at Red Dog Creek campsite, Keele River, NWT. A screening that won the award for the most enthusiastic audience in the history of the festival. A Canoe North Adventures first in twenty-five years to have a movie playlist on a gravel bar! Movie watchers were enthralled!

Bill Buxton along with his two sons, Adam and Blair, and son-in-law, Charlie, smuggled a tiny projector, a set of miniature speakers and a memory-stick loaded with five short canoeing films from the Reel Paddling Film Festival with the blessing of Scott McGregor at Rapid Media. Bill was aware that Canoe North Adventures was a leading sponsor of the festival and was determined to show the festival in the most remote, wilderness setting ever!

One glitch Bill had not considered was the lack of darkness in the far north so the “cinema” tarp had to be clad in sleeping bags and therma-rests! Piper, Helen Batten called the festival goers to the world-premiere arctic screening by, you guessed it, a bagpipe march! The sold-out screening (the make-shift theatre seated 14) was picture perfect!

After the show, the paddlers’ eyes shone with excitement and ideas danced in their heads. The next day their paddling was inspired! They met a couple of caribou downstream who said how much they had enjoyed the movies … gave them a new appreciation for canoes on the river! They mentioned a couple of bears had said they enjoyed the night as well, especially the hot-buttered popcorn! Hurray for innovation on the river!  The End.

The Alan White Family, including four brothers, one brother-in-law and a future father-in-law, arrived in Norman Wells from Ireland, South Africa, Peterborough, Hamilton and Toronto and spent two glorious weeks sharing an adventure on the iconic Keele River. The trebuchet became an all-day labour of love and engineering – created with stubborn ingenuity, rope and driftwood and one blue barrel filled with water as the counter-weight. A memory-for-life indeed!

Family expeditions create an awesome environment to reconnect through a shared spirit of adventure.  Our Guides marvel at the curiosity and ingenuity of siblings and in-laws through their deep caring for parents,  grandparents and each other while on the river and in camp.  We are experienced at assisting families come to terms with the detailed organization and planning that a trip entails working with diverse schedules and world-wide points of travel.  We would like to invite your family to join us on an unforgettable wilderness journey!