Martin Trahan

Montreal, Qc, Canada

Yukon River In 2016, I was part of the Pull of the North expedition. We paddled the mighty Yukon River (3200 kilometers - 2000 miles in 70 days) from Lake Bennett (British-Columbia, Canada) to its mouth in the Bering Sea (Alaska, USA). The team was documenting the story of the many native communities that still live along the river and how the modern world and shifting environment were changing their traditional ways of living on the river. The Yukon River provided majestic scenery and landscapes of great beauty. The snow-capped mountains, the clear water, the lush fauna and flora have made me experience strong emotions. What we saw after each bend was always a surprise and wonderful. I loved the sense of freedom of being out there in the wilderness in a very remote place. Life on the Yukon River was so easy, and I miss it. The glorious midnight sun allowed us to travel any time of the day. We were never stressed to find a camping spot before night falls. There were lots of grizzly bears and the most vicious mosquitoes and black flies, but we got used to it.

Prospecteur 17 or Miramichi 18

In 2015, I took part in the historical Royal Canadian Geographical Society «Canada expedition of the year : Les chemins de l’or bleu». I had the privilege to paddle across most of Canada by canoe with 5 teammates. This expedition started in the icy waters of Lake of Two Mountains in Montreal and ended 7000 kilometers – 4400 miles away from its beginning journey (175 days/117 portages) along the coast of the Mackenzie River in Inuvik in the polar circle. This incredible six-month journey empowered me to engage in a close relationship with nature while retracing the legendary explorations of many historical voyageurs such as Alexander Mackenzie as well as following the traces of America’s First Nations. The many encounters with the people were rich and valuable. They were extraordinarily kind and extremely generous. They welcomed me with great hospitality, treating me as if I were part of their family. The memories related to these river angels will forever be engraved in my memory. All this gives me faith in humanity.