An epic adventure: 100 days of paddling from Northwestern Ontario to Hudson Bay
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Emma Wehner had a unique and eventful summer.
The 24-year-old from Kenora, Ont., embarked on a paddling trip with her dog, Juniper, and a rotating group of friends that took her hundreds of miles as she traveled from at home in northwestern Ontario and Manitoba to reach Churchill.
The trip was one Wehner had planned years before, using satellite imagery to plan the route, with his own mental well-being at the forefront. When the COVID-19 pandemic hit, she found time to make it happen.
« It started during COVID. I lost my job and was trying to set goals and see where I could go with a student budget, » she said.
“Knowing myself, knowing depression was coming after I lost my job and COVID was going to hit hard, I was really trying to prepare something for my future.
It was an expedition that included rushing rapids, broken ribs, exhaustion, missing supplies, and unforgettable memories.
Wehner told his story to CBC’s Matt Fratpietro for three days on CBC Radio Superior Morning. Scroll down and click on the audio players below to hear him say it in his own words.
Location
Wehner and his brother, Alister, left Kenora in May. With the prolonged winter and the late arrival of spring, they encountered rain, snow and freezing water during the first days of their adventure.
Superior Morning7:22Emma Wehner: Backyard Beginnings Part I
100 days… 14 rivers… 30 km of portage… and too many lakes to count. Learn about Kenora’s Emma Wehner and her incredible summer trip… in part one of our three-part storytelling series. In the first part, Emma and her brother, Alister, leave their Kenora home in gloomy weather… Their destination? The Bloodvein River …which stretches from Red Lake in northwestern Ontario to the eastern shore of Lake Winnipeg in Manitoba…
Change of plan
Wehner made his way down the Bloodvein River into Manitoba. But then a series of problems began.
Superior Morning7:38Emma Wehner: Backyard Beginnings Part II
100 days… 14 rivers… 30 km of portage… and too many lakes to count. Learn more about Kenora’s Emma Wehner and her amazing summer trip…in part two of our three-part storytelling series.
Home stretch
Wehner and Juniper are back on track and have completed the fourth leg of their journey. The end is in sight as they head into polar bear territory and encounter beluga whales, but there are still challenges ahead.
Superior Morning8:45Emma Wehner: Backyard Beginnings Part III
100 days… 14 rivers… 30 km of portage… and too many lakes to count. Learn more about Kenora’s Emma Wehner and her amazing summer trip… in the latest episode of our three-part storytelling series. Emma and Juniper are back, healthy and have just completed the fourth leg of the journey that took them from South Indian Lake, near Thompson, Manitoba… …to the mouth of the Churchill River …their latest challenge. Here they reunite with the crew for the final leg of the expedition.
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