When we were young, we believed in magic. The magic of the first warm day of spring when we could finally get outside with our friends again…

Follow the link to find out how to find the magic again!

On November 15, Lin Ward and Al Pace, founders of Canoe North Adventures, were thrilled to be made Fellows of the College of Fellows of the Royal Canadian Geographical Society. The main criteria for becoming a Fellow is to tirelessly promote Canada to Canadians as well as to support the interests of the RCGS. Canoe North Adventures Alumni, Wendy Cecil is currently serving the RCGS as Vice-President and is seen here with Lin and Al at the Fellows Dinner, held at the Canadian War Museum, Ottawa.

The College of Fellows

Considered the governing body of The Royal Canadian Geographical Society, the College of Fellows brings together individuals who share the Society’s abiding commitment to Canada, who support its mandate of making Canada better known and its educational mission of expanding geographic knowledge and literacy. Once a year, Fellows are called upon during their Annual General Meeting to receive and approve reports from the President and Treasurer. They also elect Officers and governors of the Society and, later the same day, come together at the Annual Dinner of the College of Fellows in a celebration of the Society’s accomplishments. Year round, Fellows raise the profile of the Society in their respective communities, offer guidance and advice to the Society and, however they are able, help organize and participate in the Society’s programs and activities. Engagement on the part of Fellows takes many different forms, and supporting the Society financially is but one of them.

A brief history of the College of Fellows

As an educational organization, the Society looked to the academy and elected university presidents and chairs of science departments as Fellows. The Society has a great affinity for explorers, and Vilhjalmur Stefansson, Lord Edward Shackleton, Henry Larson, Rosita Forbes and Diamond Jenness were some of its first Fellows. In the same vein, the Society currently counts among its Fellows astronauts Steven Maclean, Jeremy Hansen and Roberta Bondar, and explorers Bernard Voyer, Wade Davis, Jill Heinerth and Sir Christopher Ondaatje. The College of Fellows encapsulates important values: the determination to build, the courage to explore new avenues and the steadfast love of country. In 1930 the Society named its first Fellows. Among the earliest were Frederick G. Banting, Diamond Jenness and A.Y. Jackson. They were joined by Canada’s foremost scientists and researchers in geography, anthropology, engineering and history, in both private and public sectors.

RCGS Website

Peter Mansbridge was the Keynote Speaker at the 9th Annual Beaver Club Gala, a fundraiser hosted at the Canadian Canoe Museum in Peterborough. He was presented with an Al Pace stoneware “Canoe-Vessel” after his speech and is seen here with Al & Lin in full buck-skin attire! During the Live-Auction portion of the evening, CNA Alumni, Bill & Gail Lockington posted the winning bid on a  Yukon River Canoe Expedition donated by Canoe North Adventures for a 2017 trip. Congratulations to Bill & Gail!

We are extremely pleased to be able to contribute to this wonderful cause and this year the Museum expects to gross over $130,000 in support of their education and public programs – the highest amount raised in the history of the event!

For more information about the Canadian Canoe Museum and the Beaver Club Gala you can visit their website.

INTO THE WILD by Liz Schaffer

In March 2016, Canoe North Adventures was sponsored by the Canadian Tourism Commission, Destination Canada to attend their Travel Trade event, Canada Shared, featured at Canada House in London UK. At this event, we met Lucy Howard-Taylor, a writer for a well-known UK travel publication. Through this introduction, Canoe North Adventures was invited to be part of a new book … Lodestars Anthology Canada. The book was released in October of this year. Destination Canada sponsored this publishing company to spend two months in Canada researching the contents. The Lodestar team travelled to places like Fogo Island;  a boat tour around the Avalon Peninsula in Newfoundland; a culinary tour of Vancouver; an immersion in Niagara wine country; kayaking at Clayoquot Wilderness Resort; VIA Rail’s The Canadian; a visit to Anne of Green Gables; lobster fishing in the Bay of Fundy; and city tour of Toronto to name a few. As well, Liz Schaffer, a photojournalist and the owner of the publication, paddled with us on the Keele River.  Her experience was profound and life-altering. Her introduction to the book confidently states that if you truly wish to understand what it means to be Canadian, you must paddle the Keele River in the Northwest Territories. We are proud to part of this publication … it is a beautiful and insightful representation of what a traveler could find off the beaten track in Canada.

Follow the link to read about Liz’s adventure on the Keele River!

Into the Wild by Liz Schaffer

The 2016 Mike Stilwell Lifetime Achievement Award

Presented to:  Allan Pace

Presented by: Spectacular Northwest Territories

‘This individual has had a significant impact on the development of the tourism industry, past and present. He has provided longstanding and exceptional service, has demonstrated leadership and integrity, has left a strong legacy, and has gained the respect of those in the tourism industry. ‘

Response From Al:

Last week I was deeply honoured to receive the Mike Stilwell Lifetime Achievement Award from Northwest Territories Tourism. My love affair with the north began on July 6, 1977 while aboard a Wardair Twin Otter destined for Point Lake and the Coppermine River. I grew up in a canoe tripping family and explored many regions of the Ontario wildlands – but flying over the tundra for the first time as an 18 year-old school boy captured my imagination and fueled my desire to explore countless northern rivers over a 40 year period. In 1987, my wife Lin Ward and I founded Canoe North Adventures and began sharing our love of wilderness river adventures with Canadians – mostly from Ontario.

With almost 170 canoe expeditions under our belts, many tripping clients ask me “what is your all-time favourite river” and my response has always been the same – I have favourite places on many different rivers. What brings me endless joy and satisfaction in each expedition, is the passion and spirit-of-adventure our intrepid tripping clients bring to each adventure. As we approach Canada’s 150 Anniversary, I have never felt more pride in being Canadian and more privileged to have the freedom to share my canoe with fellow Canadians who want to fully embrace their wild side, often stepping way outside of their comfort zone. And to be able to explore and paddle freely on the ancestral lands and rivers of the Mountain Dene in the Mackenzie Mountains or the Inuvialuit Region – I feel privileged and truly grateful. My Dad always taught me to respect the wild rivers and lands and leave each campsite as nature intended – with just footprints left behind – and this fatherly advice has been the hallmark of our Canoe North Adventures legacy.

I want to thank the following northerners and fellow adventurers for helping guide my canoe on my life journey over sometimes rough and stormy waters. I am grateful for your wisdom, guidance, friendship, support and campfire stories. Walter Brennan & Anne-Marie da Silva, Mark Stenzig, Warren & Carolyn Wright, Nick & Liz Dale, Dave & Jennifer Thompson, Terry & Sue Guest, Donald & Marsha Grant, Dave & Sylvia Hodgetts, Rick & Vaila Hagg, Bob McLeod, Andy Short, Jess Fortner, Richard Zieba, Travis & Sue Wright, Michele McKenzie, George Tuccaro, Kelly Kaylo, Gloria Loree, Marion Lavigne, Ronne Heming, HRH The Duke of York, Wendy Cecil, Fran Pilon, Gord Burke, Beth Grant, Laurie Smith, Alison de Jong, Maurice Mendo, Peter Scott, Deb Simmons & Morris Modeste, Alex Von Bibber, Eddie Hodgson, Ethel Blondin & Leon Andrews, Ron & Wendy Oe, Everett & Peggy Pouw, Dianne & Andrew Bailes, Ann Voyame & Harry Feinig, Susan and Matt Casson, Carl & Jan Feairs and Jamie & Cathy Macdonald. Special thanks to my Mom & Dad and my sister Carla who paddles a canoe better than I do! My son Taylor who finds sweet lines through every rapid and is truly “at home” in the wilderness – thanks for inspiring me to discover rivers less travelled and to Lin, the love of my life, for sharing my tent and for putting your love of horses on hold to follow your heart north.