David Delafield already knows what he’s going to say next September when one of his colleagues or students asks him what he did last summer. The assistant professor of outward pursuits at Canadian University College in Lacombe will look them straight in the eye and without a word of a lie will say, I paddled 2,900 kilometres from Jasper to Hudson’s Bay.

Delafield, his wife Naomi and six outdoor-loving friends put on their David Thompson hats and set out in canoes from Jasper on June 1. Their journey will take them along some of the routes the great explorer travelled along during his journeys, including the Beaver River, and will bring them to Lac La Biche on June 16-17.

We wanted a long-term trip, said Delafield, who first started bandying the idea about with his wife back in 2001. We wanted more wilderness, rather than paddling from city to city É The actual route was finalized in January/February of 2005. At that point, it was a dream. We wanted to do it.

The desire to stay away from the large metropolitan areas wasn’t the only reason for choosing the route. Delafield also wanted to travel along the Beaver River and experience Portage La Biche, the gateway between the Churchill and the Athabasca basins.

We came across the Beaver River, said Delafield last Tuesday before leaving for Jasper. It wasn’t known. Nobody has really paddled it. Between 1798 and 1825, it was an important fur trade route but it wasn’t for everyone.

It was certainly a different river, said Delafield. It was shallow and winding. It wasn’t suitable for the (larger) York boats.

The college professor plans to talk about the history of the Beaver River as well as the importance of preserving the Boreal Forest during the group’s stopover in Lac La Biche, which will include a visit to the Mission.

One third of (the forest) is in Canada and it’s being carved up as we speak, he said. How long can it last?

The travelling group, which includes two accomplished musicians, a chef and an experienced backpacker, will also hold a paddling and survival skills clinic for local Scout troupes.

On the Sunday we’re hoping to paddle from the Mission to the statue, said Delafield, where Portage La Biche leaves.

After they leave the Lac La Biche region, the group will head along the Beaver River to Saskatchewan, eventually portaging over to the Churchill River and travelling all the way to Churchill, Man. They hope to complete their trek by Aug. 21.

I have to get back by Sept. 1 to teach, laughed Delafield. There’s the crunch.

The travelling companions will stop at villages along the way but will also spend up to three weeks between re-supply stations. Not that Delafield, an experienced paddler, is worried.

Written by David Paul
This article appeared in the Lac La Biche Post newspaper.

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