N.L. man to trek 1,700 km across Labrador and Quebec wilderness

Justin Barbour is no stranger to lengthy excursions in the wilderness, but his past trips are just a walk in the park compared with what he's got planned this summer.

• 'It was a wild ride': St. John's man and his dog complete 700-km wilderness trek

In July, Barbour and his dog Saku will travel 1,700 kilometres from North West River in Labrador to the shores of Hudson Bay inQuebec, by canoe and on foot. He expects it will take about 90 days in total.

The teacher from Bauline was in the midst of a 700-kilometrehike across Newfoundland last summer, when he said he started thinking about how he could up the ante for his next excursion.

"It's become a bit of an obsession now," Barbour said.

"For me, it's just interesting and exciting and I love being out there. I crave that challenge, and this seems to be the perfect one."

What it takes to survive

Barbour said he's been planning and researching theroute for months.

"These trips, they don't happen overnight. I've been researching now since October, every little bit of information about this route, from the terrain, to the equipment needed."

The adventure will be a bit different this time around, however. Barbour said he'll be travelling mostly by canoe rather than hiking, and will have to travel against the flow of some rivers, something he hasn't done much of in the past.

He will carry enough food to sustain himself, and will supplement his diet by fishing and hunting game.

"This is not Survivorman, but I do rely on some fish and stuff for some extra calories," he said.

A four-legged best friend

Barbour said Sakuis a great partner on his adventures, for bothcompanionship and some extra protection.

"He loves it. He's an outdoor dog, he's a Cape Shore water dog.He's meant to be out on the land," he said.

"It's very important to have a dog there, and Saku's my best friendand he's adventurous."

And his human family is warming up to the idea as well.

"They have trust in me and they know I'm gaining experience at this type of travel," he said.

"But that doesn't mean that they're not nervous still. They're my biggest supporters, but they're also going to have some sleepless nights."

Barbour plans to leave North West River on July 26.

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