In April of 2014, Mike Ranta and his dog Spitzii set out on an 8,000 km canoe expedition from Vancouver to the Cape Breton Islands. They crossed over three mountain ranges which included portages over 100 km. Mike’s main goal is to inspire the kids of his hometown of Atikokan that anything is possible if you set your mind to it. He is also trying break the Guinness world record for the longest solo canoe trip and you can learn more about his adventure at his facebook page by searching for Mike Ranta’s Paddle. Mike Ranta, welcome to The Pursuit Zone.

In her book, Paddlenorth: Adventure, Resilience, and Renewal in the Arctic Wild, Jennifer Kingsley tells the story of her 54-day canoe journey on the Back River to the Arctic Ocean in Canada’s Nunavut Territory. With 3 canoes and 5 companions, the team struggles with the river rapids, the weather, and group dynamics. You can learn more about this 1,000 km canoe expedition at her website jenniferkingsley.ca. Jennifer Kingsley, welcome to The Pursuit Zone.

Canoe photo by Tim Irvin.

Emma Burgeson and Mitzi Peine were the first female team to compete in the Yukon 1000. It’s the world’s longest paddling race on the Yukon River from Whitehorse, Yukon to a remote Alaska Pipeline crossing near Fairbanks, Alaska. The two are avid paddlers and explorers of the wilderness and met four years ago on a 6-week canoe trip on the Anderson River in the Canadian Arctic. Competing in the tandem canoe category, their team name was The Paddlin Madelines and you can learn more at their Facebook page mitziandemmayukon1000 and at yukon1000.com. Emma Burgeson, welcome to The Pursuit Zone.

Pete Marshall and Andrew Morris set out in June 2014 to recreate Mina Hubbard’s 1905 canoe expedition through Labrador in Canada. It was an adventure to both retrace the route and relive the experience of canoeing with vintage, handmade equipment. Pete is co-producing a film of the expedition called Labrador Passage and you can learn more at labradorpassage.com. Pete previously appeared in episode 2 of The Pursuit Zone to tell the story of his 2012 Trans-Territorial Canoe Expedition . Pete Marshall, welcome back to the show.

For Julie Buckles and her husband Charly, their honeymoon plans consisted of building a wood and canvas canoe, paddling 1,700 miles from Lake Superior to Northern Saskatchewan, wintering over on Wollaston Lake, then paddling 1,100 miles to Gjoa Haven on the Northwest passage of the Arctic Ocean. It’s an adventure she writes about in her book Paddling to Winter and you can learn more at her website juliebuckles.com. Julie Buckles, welcome to The Pursuit Zone.