Paddling from the Gulf to the Arctic

Six friends embarking on nine-month expedition will canoe on Lake Winnipeg this week

EXPRESS PHOTO BY AUSTIN GRABISH

Jarrad Moore, Adam Trigg, John Keaveny, Winchell Delano, and Luke Kimmes are travelling on a once-in-lifetime 5,200-mile trek to the Arctic Ocean, and are scheduled to paddle across Lake Winnipeg this week. 

By Austin Grabish, The Express Weekly News

Being exposed to frigid temperatures, fierce currents, and alligators all while paddling upstream would probably be enough for anyone to pull the plug on a canoe trip. 

But for six American boys travelling to the Arctic, it’s just a part of the once-in-a lifetime journey they are embarking on.

No, these Minnesota and Iowa boys aren’t raising money for a cause or trying to break a Guinness World Record – they’re paddling just for the fun of it.

And Jarrad Moore, Adam Trigg, John Keaveny, Winchell Delano, Luke Kimmes, and Daniel Flynn weren’t showing any signs of slowing down when they arrived in their three canoes on the banks of the Red River in West St. Paul last Thursday.

The men started planning their trip sometime about a year ago and have been canoeing upstream since Jan. 2, when they started their nine-month journey in the Gulf of Mexico.

Dubbed the Rediscover North America crew, the boys, if successful, will travel 5,200 miles after paddling through 11 rivers in 10 different states and five provinces.

Moore believes he and his friends are the first to embark on such a journey.

“All the separate pieces have been linked up, but together it’s never been done as a full route,” said Moore.

None of the men have attempted a journey like this before, but all are familiar with the outdoors, which is why camping on riverbanks every night hasn’t been a problem.

But the boys were all smiles when they arrived at the Royal Manitoba Yacht Club in West St. Paul last Thursday.

While there, they were treated to hot showers, beers, and a warm meal, a sure luxury for anyone who has been eating pre-packaged meals three times a day.

Keaveny said the trip is just for the “spirit of adventure,” and Moore said it’s been nice to go on a journey just for fun with no strings attached.

“It’s been kind of cool to see the support we’ve actually gotten just doing an adventure to do an adventure,” Moore said.

He added he is relishing the opportunity to travel across Canada.

“As you start, especially in the Gulf of Mexico, you’re like ‘nah we’ll never get to it’. Canada? We’ll talk about that when we get there, that’s like four months away.

“Now that we’re here it’s pretty exciting,” Moore said.

The voyageurs are slightly past the half way point of their trip and expect to arrive at Kugluktuk Nunavut, their final destination, at the end of August or the beginning of September.

Once there, the plan is to sell their canoes and catch a flight back home to Iowa or Minnesota.

This week they will continue to paddle upstream on Lake Winnipeg.

“Right now we’re doing really well. We’re ahead of schedule, but Lake Winnipeg’s a huge variable just because of wind,” Moore said. 

The guys must travel 300 miles on the lake and plan to do it over 10 days. 

They started on Saturday, but fierce winds caused the boys to have a layover near Riverton on Sunday.  

“With the winds that could blow us off the lake. We’ve packed 21 days worth of food and we’re hoping to do it in two weeks,” Kimmes said.

Mother Nature dictates everything on these boys’ journey, and she’s thrown many hurdles at them so far including snowstorms, rain, and ice.

Keaveny noted while still in the States, the group had to walk eight miles on frozen ice, which they also fell through, before they could start paddling water again.  

“You get to open water, you paddle,” Keaveny said.

And then there’s seeing alligators and dealing with unexpected water that’s seeped through holies in their canoes, but no one was dwelling about problems like that last Thursday.

After all, these boys planned this trip a year in advance and knew it wouldn’t all be smooth sailing.

SUBMITTED

Luke Kimmes, John Keaveny, and four friends have been paddling their way upstream to Nunavut since January 2.

 -- First published in the Express Weekly News print edition May 21 2015 p.2 and the Selkirk Record print edition May 21 2015 p.6