Currents
N E WS
PADDLE LIKE IT’S 1905. PHOTO: COURTESY PETER MARSHALL
EXPEDITION USES ONLY TURN-OF-THE- CENTURY GEAR ON HISTORIC ROUTE
LABRADOR PASSAGE
This summer two men will embark what might be the most remarkable canoe expe- dition of the year. Using only non-synthetic equipment,
the paddlers will retrace a 600-kilometer historic route through Labrador, a remote province on the eastern coast of Canada. The turn-of-the-century equipment, in-
cluding a waxed canvas tent, tin-cloth rain gear and a cedar canvas canoe, will drasti- cally increase the weight of gear on an al- ready treacherous route. Trip leader Peter Marshall, who has
paddled more than 10,000 kilometers in Canada’s north, had been looking for a new kind of trip when this route caught his eye. “On all long trips, I’ve been equipped with big Royalex canoes, GoreTex nylon, the most lightweight material and top- of-the-line tents. When I read about old times, I can’t help but feel as if I’m cheat- ing,” admits Marshall. “It’s very suiting that this trip with a tra-
ditional aesthetic is a historic route as well,” he adds.
20 PADDLING MAGAZINE
Setting out in June, Marshall and trip mate Andrew Morris will retrace Mina Hubbard’s historic 1905 canoe journey through Labrador, filming a documentary along the way. Mina had set
out to complete the
doomed 1903 exploratory canoe journey of her husband, Leonidaes. “Her husband’s team had paddled up the wrong river and it turned into a horrible ordeal for two and a half months. It’s an inhospitable and hilly wilderness with long portages,” says Mar- shall. Leonidaes died of starvation while awaiting assistance. Two years later, Mina was successful in completing his planned route from Lake Melville to Ungava Bay in just two months. For Marshall and Morris to outfit themselves with authentic gear, much of the equipment had to be handmade by local craftspeople. “That was one of the ways the trip evolved, we realized that we couldn’t go to REI and buy this stuff, so we’ve reached out to people who still make it,” says Marshall.
The expedition’s waxed canvas tent will
weigh between 30 to 40 pounds—four times as much as a four-season tent, Mar- shall points out. After a rainy night, it will weigh even more. The cloth rain gear used will be much different than the ultra-light- weight breathable nylon commonly used on expedition, he adds. The two men will do their cooking
over a campfire stove that Marshall made himself at a welding shop. A cobbler us- ing traditional techniques even made their leather shoes. The exception to tradition will be in the
safety gear. “We both have serious girl- friends and mothers who want us to come back,” jokes Marshall. Their first aid kit will be full of modern supplies and they’ll bring a satellite phone and SPOT messen- ger to check in as well. Their PFDs will also be 21st century
technology. “No cork life vests, I looked into it but it didn’t seem like it was going to work,” adds Marshall. He expects the route will take 40 to 45
days to complete, however they’re packing for 50 in case filming or the added weight in equipment slows them. Learn more about the expedition at
www.labradorpas-
sage.com.—Kaydi Pyette
t» DIGTAL EXTRA: Click here to watch a easer for the documentary.
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