Northern Manitoba Northern Lights

I felt inspired to tell a story of one of my adventures to try and stimulate an idea for a blog. Hopefully this is just the beginning of several stories and adventures that I can pass along.

I was feeling impetuous one day and packed all of my gear into my car and took off for the airport. I kept my gear in crates - two - that had everything I would possibly need for an adventure.

I arrived at Los Angeles International airport and chose Air Canada as my airline of choice. That was because as a tour guide in my earlier years I used Air Canada many times (more stories). I walked into the terminal with my crates and looked at the flights available. Winnipeg, Alberta was the most convenient flight available. I had no clue what to do when I arrived there.

I arrived and deboarded the plane to be faced with a mural that was an advertisement for an outfitter company. I called them and asked them what they had to offer. They gave me several different ideas, however, they were for weeks or months from now! I asked them what about now? They advised me of a trip that was leaving the next day, but it was a program that was offered by the Canadian Government Office of Tourism (CGOT), and a unique trip and not open to the public. It wasn't full and I asked if there was any way they could get me on that trip. They called me back with an affirmative answer. I have worked with the CGOT before, so they knew me, and as a result they allowed me to go!

This was an usual trip! It involved a helicopter ride several hours into the backwoods of Northern Manitoba on the North Churchill River. They dropped us off deep into the woods, and kayaked back to the mouth of the North Churchill River. There, a helicopter would pick us up and bring us back to Churchill.

This sounds fun, if you're the adventurous type! It was an amazing trip by helicopter watching the wilds of Northern Manitoba (Canada) unfold below us! Going from the forests to the tundra and seeing many wild herds of animals! We landed and started our journey down the North Churchill River. It wasn't a difficult kayaking experience but physically challenging. Sometimes I would watch the shoreline as I was aggressively trying to kayak against the wind and it seemed like I was going backwards. Day 1 was amazing! It started out raining and cold, however it turned into an Indian Summer afternoon! When we reached our destination for the night, I decided to take a dip in the water. I was shocked! It was freezing cold but refreshing! When I got out, I was greeted by the biggest mosquitos on the planet, I am sure! The days were interrupted by the occasional moose and other wildlife. We had no phone service or internet service, only radio communication with our base in Churchill.

The remainder of the kayaking adventure was similar everyday, with the exception of the weather and wildlife. At times it was so cold and rainy, and other times it was perfect summer weather! I remember on about day 4, our supply float got caught up in rapids and was stuck. We were ahead by about a mile! Our guides were on that craft so we were on our own. We pulled off to the side of the river and made camp and started a fire. Of course, they had to rely on the 'boy scout' in our group (me) to figure out how to start a fire. I picked an area that was shielded from the weather of wind and rain. The group warmed themselves and then tried to come up with an idea of how to rescue our guides! Their intentions were good, but a really bad idea! They wanted to split up and go up river to rescue our guides. Logic prevailed and we stayed together. We were collectively warm and somewhat comfortable. Eventually, our guides were able to free themselves and their craft from the boulders and caught up with us. They were impressed with how we handled the situation! Our guides had all of the food, guns with ammunition, and the radio for potentially any endangering situation.

On day 6 we made it to our destination! On route we saw amazing wildlife! The variety was breathtaking! Moose, wolves, dear, bears are the exciting ones! However, we got to our destination and radioed for the chopper to pick us up. They couldn't find the pilots anywhere! The guide told them to look in the local pubs! Yikes, that's where they found our pilots! They were too drunk to fly! So we had to make camp again for the last night! The sunset was amazing though! A picture that I have used for my profile picture on Facebook even!

However, we had no food or even COFFEE!! OMG!! This was bad!! In the morning they picked up some very starving campers/kayakers and flew them back to Churchill, Of course, when we arrived at the restaurant in the motel we were staying at, it was closed! Too late in the morning! The owner of the motel opened the restaurant for us only and provided all of the food as much as we wanted, and would be at their expense!! A nice gesture since we were all starving!

That night we were provided with one of the most incredible sights of the north, the Northern Lights! This was nothing short of amazing!!

Imagine, if you will! We were escorted by helicopter to the deep wild of Northern Manitoba to kayak down a river to the mouth of the river, quite an exciting adventure by itself, and now the Northern Lights! Wow!! This was a fantastic trip already! However, more to come!

The next day we took a short sightseeing trip around Churchill followed by a boat rip to view Polar Bears in their natural habitat. Churchill is known to be the Polar Bear capital of the world! We saw many and took pictures of them! They seem to be quite playful. I even named two of them Fred and Ethel! The next morning we learned the art of dry diving. This came in handy because before our adventure ended, we were able to dry dive with the Beluga Whales at the mouth of the Churchill River! It's their natural feeding ground. Their food supply is from the fresh water that pours into the Hudson Bay. Dry diving is an experience. It involves you wearing your normal clothes covered by the 'dry suit'. They call it that because no water gets inside, and you are not exposed to the water directly. It is no longer allowed by the Government because of its unatural affect on the Beluga Whales. I had three layers of clothing on and then the suit itself. I was still freezing cold in the water and couldn't last very long with the whales. This was a perfect ending to a perfect adventure!

I am hoping that this can be duplicated with the exception of the dry diving. The Canadian Government prohibits any diving in the Hudson Bay but still allows kayaking in the bay to see the Beluga Whales up close.

Carpe Diem