Paddlenorth

Adventure, Resilience, and Renewal in the Arctic Wild

Paddlenorth tells the riveting story of ’s 54 day paddling adventure on the Back River, in the northern wilderness of the subarctic, as she and her five companions battle raging winds, impenetrable sea ice, and treacherous rapids. The perils include rising tensions among the group, but these are tempered by grizzly sightings, icy swims, and the caribou’s summer migration.

Woven through this spellbinding narrative are the harrowing accounts of earlier explorers, some of whom perished, but whose traces along the river warn us against romantic notions of the wild. Paddlenorth paints an indelible portrait of the spectacular northern landscape and eloquently explores what wilderness means to us.

Published in partnership with the David Suzuki Foundation