From time to time I read about others who take epic adventures and long journeys by unusual means and I think to myself that I would like to try something like that. I especially enjoy reading about canoe adventures in Canada. I have acquaintances who have paddled some of the great wilderness rivers in Canada and their reports of the peace and solitude are amazing and very attractive to me. There is, however, a part of me that knows that such trips are, for the most part, fantasy in my case. My vocation doesn’t give me multiple months away from work to pursue personal goals. The expense of some expeditions requiring flying into remote locations and flying out from remote destinations is beyond my means. And, quite simply, I’m not as young as most of the epic adventurers and I don’t have the stamina and energy that I once possessed.

This isn’t to say that I will never canoe in remote and isolated locations. I’m sure that there are some wonderful canoe trips ahead of me as I contemplate the possibilities of retirement. And, as professions go, mine is generous with vacation and sabbatical leave. So who knows? I may not travel the full length of the Yukon or cross Great Slave Lake, but I might dip my paddle in some of these waters. I may one day see the barren lands and even the Beaufort Sea.

One way to enjoy adventure is to read about the adventures of others. I have read extensively on the journeys of the voyageurs of the days of fur trading and exploration in Canada. I enjoy visiting the web sites of northern adventure companies. And, every once in a while I encounter some folks heading for an epic adventure.

Five-year-old Magali Berthiaume is going to be heading off on an incredible adventure next week. Fortunately for him, he is taking his parents along. Last summer, Magali and his parents canoed over 275 miles down the North Saskatchewan River. When the trip was ended, Magali declared that he wanted to canoe for the rest of his life.

The family lives in Edmonton, Alberta and Mali’s father, Ben has just completed his doctorate in Forest Ecology at the University of Alberta in Edmonton. Their original plan for the summer was to take a car trip from Edmonton to Montreal, crossing three-quarters of Canada from west to east. Both parents are originally from Quebec. There were, however, a couple of things that changed their plans. First of all their car is not in the best of shape and it has been determined that it isn’t up to the challenge of such a road trip. More importantly, Magali’s mother, Benoit, works at Mountain Equipment Company and keeps track of others’ adventures. When she learned of Mylene Paquete’s paddle across the Atlantic from Canada to France, she was inspired. The family launched the plan to canoe from Edmonton to Quebec.

They plan to leave on Tuesday. Their trip will take them on the historic voyageur routes. Starting on the North Saskatchewan river, they will head to Cedar Lake, portage through a long series of lakes and rivers. They will be paddling upstream on the Winnipeg and French rivers and will skirt the shores of Lake Winnipeg before making their way to Grand Portage on Lake Superior. Even sticking close to the shore, the journey on the Great Lakes will require considerable skill at handling the large waves that develop.

And, unlike the voyageurs, the family will have to come up with all kinds of entertainment for the young paddler, whose days will have to include long stretches of sitting in the bottom of the canoe between his parents while they paddle. There will be plenty of time for storytelling and opportunities to learn a lot of history. And Mali plans to try his hand at fishing with the outfit he has made from a twig. He plans to use raisins for bait.

Unlike the voyageurs, also, the family won’t have to take time to repair their canoe. They are traveling with a modern canoe designed to take the abuse of occasional rock strikes and the rigors of a long trip. It is much lighter than the traditional canoes of the territory. They also will have the latest in safety equipment with lightweight life vests and helmets for times when the water is rough. Their already considerable canoe skills will be honed with the wide variety of conditions they will face and by the time their four-month adventure has reached its conclusion they will have faced almost every kind of weather that a Canadian summer has to offer.

Camping with children is an adventure in and of itself. Camping with a child every night from May through August with no access to laundry facilities and limited access to medical care means that they have to be prepared to deal with a lot of different scenarios.

I don’t know how much of their journey I will be able to follow. It appears that they won’t have much opportunity to report along the way. But the journey should provide a good source of a story and theirs is likely to end up in a book some day. It is the kind of book that I like to read.

Unlike Mali, I am no longer at a life phase where summer seems endless and four months can become a lifestyle. I change slower and the months seem to stream by at an alarming pace. I can’t seem to figure out how to take four months for any adventure and I’m pretty sure my aging body wouldn’t find sleeping on the ground every night for months to be all pleasure. So I’ll live vicariously as I have done before. I’ll admire the sense of adventure and the spirit of rising to the challenge. And I’ll read their story for lessons that I can apply to my life.

Knowing I won’t be on that adventure, however, won’t keep me from putting my canoe into the water as often as possible to hone my paddling skills. You never know what adventure might present itself to me.

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