ThePADDLER 22
Photo : Yan Kaczynski
THE TEAM : THE AUTHORS OF THE STORY
CHARLES FORTIN AKA ‘ THE WISE MAN ’
Instagram : @ theroamingbull He has a presence that demonstrates both strength and humility at the same time . Charles is a strong and complete paddler . Paddling with him inspired us a lot . His capacity for adaptation is phenomenal . Charles is also a great storyteller , and we could listen to him for hours . In 2018 , he was part of the Akor expedition and crossed northern Quebec and Labrador by canoe .
DANIEL BARRIAULT AKA ‘ THE DAN FACTOR ’
Instagram : @ danbarriault Dan is the perfect teammate . He ’ s skilled and distinguished by his involvement in logistics and quickly finding a solution to any problems . Dan never really did a long canoe expedition before this one . Believe it or not , he was like a fish in water . He became an efficient paddler , and when on a mission , there was nothing to stop him . In the past few years , Dan worked on different adventure TV shows and in 2019-2020 , he was part of a 45-day cycling expedition in South America .
YAN KACZYNSKI
Instagram : @ yankaczynski The human being in the context of nature is Kaczynski ’ s preferred subject . Through his work , he constantly attempts to display the human and the environment as a symbiotic whole . Both are not meant to be separated entities . Reestablishing this connection is Kaczynski ’ s way to help ensure our environment ’ s perennity .
His photography services provide a rich blend of authenticity and attentiveness to nature ’ s real feel and raw beauty . He collaborates with his creative process , work ethic , and selection of clients transcending the same strong values .
For Yan Kaczynski , it ’ s all about connecting with the human and non-human world and inspiring by
diffusing nature ’ s positive impact through immersive outdoor experiences .
MARTIN TRAHAN
Instagram : @ martin _ trahan _ canoeist I was born to canoe , craving for the unknown . I ’ m an adventurer and long-distance canoeist from Montreal who took part in the historical Royal Canadian Geographical Society ‘ Canada expedition of the year 2015 ’. My team paddled across Canada by canoe . This expedition started on April 25th , 2015 , in the icy waters of Lake of Two Mountains , Montreal and ended 7,000 kilometres away on October 16th , 2015 ( 175 days and 117 portages ) along the coast of the Mackenzie River in Inuvik in the Arctic Circle .
From May to July 2016 ( 70 days ), I was part of the ‘ Pull of the North ’ expedition that paddled by canoe the Yukon River – 3,200 kilometres from Lake Bennett ( British-Columbia , Canada ) to its mouth in the Bering Sea ( Alaska ). Ian Finch ( UK ) and Caroline Côté ( Canada ) were filming a documentary telling the story of the many native cultures that still live along the river and how the modern world and shifting environment was changing their traditional ways of living on the Yukon River . Jay Kolsch ( NYC , USA ) documented the expedition with his photography .
Then from April to November 2018 , I paddled by canoe across the United States of America , from the Pacific Ocean in Astoria ( Oregon ) to the Atlantic Ocean at the tip of Florida in Key Largo . As you can imagine , this trip took a gruelling 191 days to complete the 7,500 km from coast to coast . Inspired by Verlen Kruger , Bill Mason and Frank Wolf , this adventure took me across America ' s natural waters to pursue my dream of discovery , understanding and consciousness of the world around me . The expedition has been namedawarded ‘ America Dream Adventure of the Year ’.
In 2024 , I plan to cross Russia by canoe and travel 4,000 km in 130 days . My team will start at the border of Mongolia , on the Selenge River , which will bring us to Lake Baikal . After that , we will take the Angara River , which joins the Yenisei River a little further north . We will end up in the Kara Sea , in the Arctic Ocean .