Q - How, when and why did you get into canoe tripping and how much did it change your life?
A - My father was filming survival movies for the Department of Lands and Forests and using elder woodsmen from the Curve Lake Reserve who taught me how to canoe and orientation in the bush at age six. I was hooked from then on; I wanted to be an Indian. I was a loner and always questioned authority – freedom was important to me – canoeing I thought, was the only way to pacify that passion.
Q - In those first few years of tripping, what is one memory that stands as your “welcome moment” to the bush and true wilderness?
A - I have many memories. At 16, I did a five-week trip with three friends, limited supplies and gear - simple, tough. At 18, I did my first solo trip into Temagami. It was May, ice just out (mostly) and it snowed heavily. I came across Cabin Falls and met the owner who said I could use the cabin anytime.
Q - Who was your biggest influence growing up and why?
A - I didn’t really have any heroes aside from Canadian “Indians” and their lifestyle. Grey Owl, his writing and the way he described the landscape and lifestyle.
Q - Tell us a story of how northern Ontario got its hooks into you and never let go?
A- In 1972, when the Ontario government wanted to build a ski hill on Maple Mountain I got involved in the environment movement. I saw a lot of injustices to the people and the land.
Q - You have strong bonds with the Temagami region. What did it mean to you in your life to go to this region and keep going back?
A - It’s the backbone of the province – the “Rock Knob Uplands” the beauty and rugged landscape, pines, but more - the need to fight for something important.
Q - Aside from Temagami, what place/experience in northern Ontario holds a special place in your heart and why?
A - The Missinaibi River – doing the research into the 34 deaths and writing the guidebook, knowing no more deaths occurred after the book came out. The spiritual nature of the river, the archaeology and history.
Q - In your heart and mind, what makes northern Ontario an amazing place?
A - It’s part of the world’s largest, still intact aboriginal trail system – canoe routes dating back thousands of years – the ‘onigum’ or ‘nastwagan’ trails.
Q - What can you say about the people of northern Ontario and their character?
A - Whites are hard workers, but mislead with thinking the resources belong to them and not anyone else in the province or country; indigenous people are torn between protecting traditional territories and usurping the riches within for profit. The north has been seriously mismanaged. Most northerners are “polarized” and focus too strongly on what they see in the “now” without looking into a sustainable future – they resist change.
Q - Last year you published two books – River of Fire and Lake Superior to Manitoba By Canoe. What has the long-term response been to the books and what does it mean to you to share these experiences?
A - I try to convey a strong environmental message in everything I write. People need educating when it comes to environmental protection. The canoeing fraternity (loosely put) has not been engaged in a collective voice when it comes to issues.
Q - You’ve paddled more than 60,000-km across Canada. What has stood out the most to you and why? A - The reality is that almost one-third of that distance is portaging heavy gear, so the aches and pains are an accumulative archive of past adventures. It’s not so much the distance, but the gratitude of living this life the way I have chosen.
Q - You’ve been building trails and routes for years. This must have lead to building friendships and memories. What defines this aspect of your life?
A - Trails take us to places we wouldn’t normally venture into, and yes, I have met many good people and unsung heroes.
Q - There are more than 300 expeditions under your belt, books published, fantastic art, people you’ve taught and passed on your passion to and fought for nature against its destruction in your life. What does this mean to you?
A - It’s my legacy, I suppose, putting something back into this world when so many take from it.
Q - What is it like to share your work and life with Andrea and your family? What do they mean to you? A - Andrea and I have what some would say, the perfect, soulful and respectful marriage. My kids as teenagers are just realizing the skills they have and the love of the outdoors they were brought up in.
Q - When you are out in the wild in your canoe, what does it do for your spirit, mind and body?
A - The wilderness makes you humble, in the greater picture, it is also the perfect ‘equalizer’ where there are no lawyers, no bankers or politicians...you are part of the cyclical nature of Nature.
Q - The canoe. Give the readers a quick good, bad and ugly experience you’ve had with the boat.
A - Making it down all the rapids on the Coppermine without portaging; having to portage the canoe for several miles over the tundra in strong winds (90lb. Canoe); having to cut my old cedar-canvas canoe in half for bookshelves.
Q - What is one thing you still must do no matter what and why?
A - My best book hasn’t yet been written. Maybe my own love story as an inspiration to all the lonely people who need to know that there is someone out there waiting to be found?