{"id":23947,"date":"2020-11-10T17:00:40","date_gmt":"2020-11-11T01:00:40","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/community.nrs.com\/?p=23947"},"modified":"2020-11-10T12:54:49","modified_gmt":"2020-11-10T20:54:49","slug":"redefining-whats-possible-on-the-bloodvein-river","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/community.nrs.com\/duct-tape\/2020\/11\/10\/redefining-whats-possible-on-the-bloodvein-river\/","title":{"rendered":"Redefining What’s Possible on the Bloodvein River"},"content":{"rendered":"

Paddling as a sport is progressing more than ever. Paddlers are redefining what’s possible, running harder whitewater, doing bigger tricks and exploring more remote places. The sky is the limit as skills and gear continue to evolve to meet our growing ambition. What if, however, we challenge ourselves to progress in a new direction. Redefining what\u2019s possible by asking, not what<\/em> or where<\/em> we<\/strong> can paddle, but who<\/strong> can paddle?<\/p>\n

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Colin and I unload our dry bags, food barrel and paddles from the truck and onto the gravel parking lot of the floatplane base in Bissett, Manitoba. The volume and weight of two weeks’ worth of food and gear looks impressive, but the prospect of fitting it all into a 17-foot whitewater canoe seems nothing short of daunting.<\/p>\n

As the dockhand helps us move our gear toward the ramp, he skeptically asks, \u201cYou aren’t actually taking that guy down the river, are you?\u201d He points to Rick, the 78-year-old man sitting in a chair on the deck of the float base. The dockhand has just watched us lift Rick out of the truck and support his weight on either side as he shuffled his way to his position.\u00a0 We smile and nod, \u201cYeah man, he\u2019s showing us down the Bloodvein River.\u201d<\/p>\n

The Bloodvein River is revered as one of the best whitewater canoeing rivers in Manitoba. It\u2019s accessible via a floatplane flight to Artery Lake. It\u2019s a Canadian Heritage River and forms part of the Pimachiowin Aki UNESCO World Heritage Site, acknowledged for its stunning natural beauty and cultural significance.\u00a0 The river flows 225 kilometers from the Ontario border and cascades over approximately 80 rapids through wild and rugged boreal forest.<\/p>\n

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This may not sound like a place to be taking a 78-year-old man, but you see, Rick is not your average senior citizen. Rick has lived a life of adventure. Born and raised in Detroit Michigan, Canada has infatuated him since he was a kid. So much so, that he became a wildlife biologist and moved to Canada at the age of 25. His research has taken him all over the Canadian Arctic and Northern Russia, where he lived traditionally with Inuit people for years. He has lived in igloos and caribou skin tents while traveling with hunters on the land studying their ways of life. He has lived a lifetime of adventure and has more than enough incredible stories to fill more than a few books.<\/p>\n

Just over a decade ago, Rick was diagnosed with Parkinson\u2019s; he now finds it hard to talk and difficult to walk, yet he hasn\u2019t let that slow him down. He and his wife Jill are committed to keeping the adventure going despite the disease. That\u2019s where Colin and I come into the picture, as guides\/caretakers we have been adventuring with Jill and Rick for almost four months now. The Bloodvein River, however, is our greatest undertaking yet.<\/p>\n