Early September 2022 – The night I reached my abandoned canoe after paddling, portaging and lining 100km in 5 days far away in the Northern Quebec wilderness. It had been stashed for 4 years in that harsh environment. Over 200km as the crow flies from the nearest community of Schefferville.
Before this Northern Lights show, due to cloud-covered skies, I hadn’t seen a star for a week. Nature has a strange way of making magic at the most interesting times. As always I took it as a sign that I was in the exact spot I needed to be in life. Though I have witnessed Aurora Borealis dance before, it’s still the most beautiful, captivating, and empowering sight I have ever seen.
If you look closely, you can see a contented Saku by the glowing blaze. All said and done together we drove 8000km and canoed 200km in 24 days. It was a long haul hoping for a salvageable canoe but after what I went through with it in 2018 I would have gone to Timbuktu to get it back. I was simply taking care of some unfinished business.
In case you missed it – for more info on why I ditched the canoe you will have to watch the ‘Across Labrador’ series playlist where I attempted to cross Labrador and Northern Quebec from the Labrador Sea to Hudson Bay in 2018: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLHfA8Z4nZrxWyxHGC_Fb6maQ2M3SDS7Ah
As for the state of the canoe, I won’t reveal its condition until I release the show on YouTube in the coming weeks. In my eyes, surprises are rare these days so the least I can do is give you a little one – whether you care or not. On my way in I had no idea how the canoe would be holding up. Severe weather, Bears, Porcupine and more could have easily demolished it. I felt some suspense, conveyed it to my camera, and want you to feel a bit of it too. So time will tell the tale.
And that will set the stage for an exciting Fall where I will be airing 3 series on my YouTube channel:
1. 10 Days/200km Retrieving my Abandoned Canoe (2022)
2. 26 Days/220km Backpacking NL’s Great Northern Peninsula (2021)
3. 43 Days/200+km Snowshoe/Toboggan in Labrador’s Interior (2022)
They will be the best thing since sliced bread.
More on it all to come soon. Stay tuned & happy adventures!
Thank you for the kind words and continued support!
Justin
Can.’t wait to see the new videos! Good job mate.
Thanks a lot for the interest Dave! Atb
My wife and I are anxiously awaiting your next video.
Love Saku and the origin of his name, we have watched his brother Mikko for many years.
Go Wild
Thanks a lot Ross I appreciate you guys supporting. You must be in Minnesota. Mikko will be the name of my next dog. Atb
Dude, I’ve watched tons of YouTube channels and I’ve seen many adventurers over the last few years. No one comes close (by light years) of the stuff you put yourself through. I can’t understand why you haven’t garnered a million subs on YouTube. Please keep at it! And please keep doing the stuff that no one else would dare to do. Crossing Newfoundland was absolutely fantastic! Crossing Labrador was fantastic too! Maybe you can do something more like that? Maybe you can go retrieve your canoe? Maybe you can hook up with one of those other guys on Alone or on YouTube, to make another long term adventure? You are a true adventurer, in any sense of the word, and watching your true grittiness is amazing to see. I’m guessing that better marketing would show the world how marvelous your adventures are.
Keep on,
John from PA, USA
P.S. I’m not a marketing guy. Just a machinist, manager, and a huge fan of great adventurers in great environments.
P. P. S. My dad shot a moose in Newfoundland many years ago (1973). Was his greatest adventure. And my brothers and I enjoyed doing moose burger cookouts, in the woods for a few years afterwards. God bless Newfoundland!
Hey John really appreciate the message and support man! I am growing bit by bit that’s what counts. It always works out if you keep plugging. I just love being out there. Anyways cool to know you father had a Moose hunt up here. The NL hunt attracts many Americans. Moose, Caribou and Black Bear (The biggest in North America) All the best man! Justin
Hey Justin! Glad you got your canoe back! It was very enjoyable to watch you get it. I am looking forward to watch you finish your journey across Labrador (in the future, of course). I’m guessing you’ll use your original canoe? But I gotta say, that Ally canoe looks like a sweet ride! Wouldn’t blame you if you used that to get to the bay.
Merry Christmas, Happy New Year,
God bless, and Keep On,
John in PA