Paddlers embraced by elders after 35-day canoe trip from Yellowknife to Nunavut

As Frank Wolf and Ryan Bougie reached the finish line of their 1,800-kilometre canoe trip from Yellowknife to Gjoa Haven, Nunavut, they were greeted with a pleasant surprise a kind, elderly couple camping out on the land.

It had been 35 days since the travellers interacted with others humans.

"We came upon an Inuit encampment," recalled Wolf, a self-proclaimed adventurer who's travelled wilderness around the world. The remote camp was near Chantrey Inlet, south of GjoaHaven.

Elders Jacob and Martha Atqittuq from Gjoa Haven received the strangers.

"He just welcomed us with open arms and his wife Martha, they fed us," said Wolf, whose trip concluded on Aug. 2.

Eventually, Wolf and Bougiegot a ride to town and stayed with the Atqittuqs in their home.

For the next five days, the travellers, elders and their family members shared stories, food and games. Wolf said the smallest child to the oldest elder spoke Inuktitut, and he saw the family had a strong sense of connection to their culture.

"Everyone kind of came over, then they shared with us their traditional food fermented seal meat, all parts of char, lots of caribou, narwhal," said Wolf.

"[They] really gave us a really intimate experience on how they lived."

Wolf said he learned that the 75-year-old Jacob grew up in the Back River area in skin tents and igloos, hunting caribou. He said Jacob's knowledge of the land was impeccable the elder could tell what's safe drinking water just from the tide levels.

"He knows where all the fish are. He knows where every single rock is in the area," said Wolf.

Jacob's benevolence was overwhelming, especially when hekicked some family members out of their beds for the two paddlers.

"We felt kinda bad," said Wolf. "We said, 'no don't give us their beds,' but he insisted that we take the beds."

Wolf said he left Jacob his canoe.

Animals like 'ephemeral giant ghost'

Wolf said the trip was also memorable for some rare encounters with animals.

A curious wolf wandered into their camp one day, then scuttered away.

Curious wolf passes by camp in Nunavut

6 years ago

Duration 0:11

A wolf passes by Frank Wolf and Ryan Bougie's camp during their 1,800-kilometre trip from N.W.T. to Nunavut.

Wolf's birthday fell in the middle of his trip, and nature gifted him a nice surprise.

"We happened to just come around the corner on the Back River, and it looked like the whole hillside was moving," said Wolf.

At first, he thought it was molting geese. Instead, it was herd of caribou.

"Then all of a sudden this kind of mist just rolled in over the river, and then literally [they] disappeared like an ephemeral giant ghost in to the mist."

Wolf was named one of Canadian Geographic's top 100 explorers in 2015.

"I think that's a label that they use to kind of make it more sexy, maybe, to be someone in the outdoors," said Wolf.

"But I'm just a traveller really."

Though he vows to never repeat a trip, Wolf said he plans on coming back to Canada's North soon for another adventure perhaps to the Coppermine areaor up the Yellowknife River.

With files from Lawrence Nayally

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