Canoeing across Canada for a cause

By Jack Elliott
Contributor

What’s pointed at both ends, has two wheels under it, and a CN logo on the front? Why it’s a canoe of course on a portage retracing the voyager route from Vancouver to Montreal.
Father and son, Dave and Matt Turgeon of Hornpayne, ON have been on this excursion of a lifetime leaving from Vancouver on April 13 and expecting to arrive in Montreal early this fall.
“We paddled up the Fraser only to Chilliwack, BC, and with the strong, treacherous current in the Fraser we then put on the wheels and walked overland to Kamloops,” explained Dave detailing their route. From there it was onto the South Thompson, across the Shuswap Lakes to Sicamous and then walking to Saskatchewan River Crossing in Alberta, the headwaters of the North Saskatchewan River Down this river through Rocky Mountain House, Edmonton, North Battleford, Prince Albert, The Pas, Grand Rapids, Lake Winnipeg, Lac du Bonnet, the Winnipeg River, and Lake of the Woods. Sunday evening at dusk they rolled their canoe the last mile into Rainy River where I encountered them looking for a campsite and a corner store.
Monday morning they were bright eyed and bushy tailed and ready to push on east.
Why and how would anyone do this?
“It is the experience of a lifetime to see this country,” explained Matt who has been canoeing with his Dad his whole life. He added it was difficult to pick out a most memorable incident, there were so many of them including the people they met along the way.
“The scariest was probably on Lake Winnipeg where we hit a couple of really bad storms,” he added
“We didn’t really plan our stops, just pulling up when it suited us,” said Matt adding what was around the next corner was always an adventure. The pair is travelling unescorted without a road support team that is the hallmark of many cross country trippers.
“When I was a young man, I broke my hand and in hospital because of space limitations, I wound up in the children’s ward. I was amazed and humbled by those kids circumstances and courage,” said Dave explaining this trip was a way to support sick kids. They have a website set up, www.canoeacrosscanadaforsickkids.com. There is a link on their home page that will take you to an official sick kids site where individuals may make a donation and receive a charitable tax receipt. Dave is a CN employee on leave of absence for the duration of the adventure.
So as they head east through Rainy River, Rainy Lake, up the Seine, Atikokan and Thunder Bay watch for them. Or catch them on Superior, Huron, Georgian Bay and down the Mattawa/Ottawa system onto Montreal.