What is better than a little weekend canoe trip with some friends? How about a 6 months, 4,300 mile journey across all of Canada! The college age group of six friends spent a year paddling the ambitious quest. Karine Houde, Katya Saulnier-Jutras, Xavier Giroux-Bougard, Ellorie McKnight, Dalal Hanna and Nicolas Desrochers dubbed the journey Team Trans CanEAUda (a play on words in French and English meaning “across Canada by water”). The team paddled 6 – 9 hours a day often covering 55 – 70 miles and camped out along the rivers and lakes across four Canadian provinces and one territory. Racing again the inevitable freezing temperatures the team paddle the last 2 weeks of their journey in snow and ice. “The cold is a very good motivator,” laughed Giroux-Bougard in a telephone interview with Canoe & Kayak from his home in Quebec. “We knew that winter was looming and we were going to cut it pretty close.” The team quest was in the name of watershed and wilderness preservation by supporting the nongovernmental environmental organizations Canadian Parks and Wilderness Society and Ottawa Riverkeeper. This adventure really fascinated me for a number of different  reasons. First off they had a few good instruments along (fiddle, guitar) and looked to have a great time on a low budget adventure. Secondly they camped much of the way going through some very desolate stretches! (Hardcore) Below are a few pictures from the team’s journey across Canada. I also emailed them a few Q&A’s so I will post those if they get back to me!

View many more pictures on the teams Facebook Page and check out the teams website.