This is a story about the importance of knowing how to enjoy the suffer. All real adventures have real unknowns. Sometimes unknowns mean you end up doing things you were not expecting to. Sometimes that requires suffering. I’m a big…
Nine of us paddlers are on are way to Tena, the whitewater mecca of Ecuador. We found a driver whose vehicle used to be an old ambulance. Getting out with all our gear and avoiding the pick pocketing bus- station of…
In memory of Kevin Whiting Kevin Whiting was always intrigued by the potential for whitewater exploration in the Yukon. In January 2014, he emailed a group of us with his latest idea: to explore the O’Connor river. The O’Connor starts…
Step back August 1996, the Yukon College Renewable Resources students are hanging around Mayo for their annual field methods course. A dozen students and two instructors, enthusiastic about the outdoors and all the fun experience one can have. After a…
There was a shell to the man, long before I met him. It was etched on his face, plain for the world to see. There were cracks, occasionally, when he laughed. Or when he was concentrating hard. Otherwise, Zach’s face…
Never a dull moment: Takhini River ?! Bob a world class paddler, enjoyed outdoor education forays. For Bob, Yukon teenage youth could always present a challenge equal or greater than some of the most challenging whitewater. The group was either…
I will always be reminded of our white-water canoeing trips every time I buy a block of cheese or a slab of salami. Bob would be drifting by in the canoe munching one or the other and need no other…
This is a story of introduction to white water kayaking and how neglecting preparation can make for type-II fun adventures. When I introduced my partner Ruth to Quebec, we were looking for some outdoor adventures. The lack of mountains and…
Bob phoned and said a group of Israelis were doing the Alsek River and heli-portaging Turnback Canyon. This meant an empty helicopter ride for us back to Haines Junction and a relatively cheap trip. I wondered if I was good…
High school students canoeing on the South McQuesten River helped rescue a middle-aged couple stranded after their Zodiac’s engine breaking down. Fourteen students in Vanier Secondary School’s Grade 11 outdoor education class were on a five-day field trip led by…
One of the fun things about packrafting is that almost every flip is a swim. I think Bob always found it amusing to tally up the number of flips at the end of a river trip on his packraft courses.…
The Tatshenshini Expediting A-frame sign is a legacy memory for my family. Raft guiding was ‘Young Bens’ first job. Pictured in the raft is my father (Terry Sewell – front right) and my mother (Sandy Sewell – back left). A great…
