Challenge of the Ice: A Canoeing Adventure in the Wilderness of Northern Canada (Paperback) (ISBN-13: 9798869344533)

This book is about a canoeing adventure in the far north wilderness of Canada and tells how the adventure was planned and executed. It describes how the canoeists worked their way seventy-five miles overland from the Thlewiaza River to the Seal River and then south on Hudson Bay to Churchill in a storm. The story tells of the many difficult portages on ice and snow, of running extreme rapids on near-freezing water, waterfalls, encounters with bears, and cold rainy days mixed with warm beautiful days. You can also enjoy the adventure, but in the warmth and comfort of your home.

The author participated on 19 canoe trips in the wilderness of northern Canada. The trips ranged from 11 to 36 days and totaled about 4,500 miles. The trips typically started by flying to the headwaters of a river and ended at either the Arctic Ocean or Hudson Bay. This book is about one of these trips that is better described as a canoeing adventure rather than a canoe trip.

The six canoeists who participated in this canoeing adventure planned a 450 miles trip down the Thlewiaza River to the Hudson Bay and then north on Hudson Bay to Eskimo Point (presently Arviat). However, upon arriving at Nueltin Lake, they found that it was still covered with eighty miles of iced because it had been the coldest winter in forty years. Consequently, the canoeists worked their way seventy-five miles overland to the North Seal River and then south on Hudson Bay to Churchill. Read about how the canoeists endured 16 hours on Hudson Bay without a meal or water battling six-to seven-foot wind and rain driven waves.