George Elson scans the route
Wednesday, February 29, 2012
Tuesday, February 28, 2012
Monday, February 27, 2012
Sunday, February 26, 2012
HANK
Fingers crossed for Hank as he meets with his academic advisor this week.
UPDATE 3/4/2012: Henry is onboard... but has to go to summer school. Yeah for Hank! Nerd loves books.
Bang & Go Back
We are currently finalizing the travel dates and transportation details of our trip. Lots goes into the planning and thankfully Zach Arem is a details kinda guy. For the past month he has been preparing quotes with various bush pilots in Labrador City and checking out the train schedule from Sept-Isles to Schefferville, Quebec.
Right now it looks like we are going to be doing most of our outfitting in late June out of Lakefield, ONT.
On July 4th we will be making the 18 hr drive to Sept-Isles, Quebec where we will catch the Tshiuetin Rail to Astray, Quebec.
The train takes about 10 hrs and basically get us to the middle of Labrador.
Getting off at Astray! Almost the end of the line.
We would then spend the next 20 days cruising down the George River, running epic sets and living the dream. Eventually ending in the village of George River (Kangiqsualujjuaq).
It currently looks like we are going to then catch a flight back via Air Inuit to Sept-Isles. The quotes we have been receiving from bush pilots in Labrador City have been incredibly expensive so this seems the best option.
Then another 18 hr drive back to Lakefield, ONT and we can enjoy a hot shower and "internets" again.
Hoping to make the train and plane reservations in the next couple days. Stay tuned.
Right now it looks like we are going to be doing most of our outfitting in late June out of Lakefield, ONT.
On July 4th we will be making the 18 hr drive to Sept-Isles, Quebec where we will catch the Tshiuetin Rail to Astray, Quebec.
The train takes about 10 hrs and basically get us to the middle of Labrador.
Getting off at Astray! Almost the end of the line.
We would then spend the next 20 days cruising down the George River, running epic sets and living the dream. Eventually ending in the village of George River (Kangiqsualujjuaq).
It currently looks like we are going to then catch a flight back via Air Inuit to Sept-Isles. The quotes we have been receiving from bush pilots in Labrador City have been incredibly expensive so this seems the best option.
Then another 18 hr drive back to Lakefield, ONT and we can enjoy a hot shower and "internets" again.
Hoping to make the train and plane reservations in the next couple days. Stay tuned.
Trippers!
I get by with a little help from my friends... even if they look like these guys. Although I am proposing this Kickstarter project around my photography project, the extreme nature of this canoe trip requires the support of several friends to help me reach my final destination safely.
On this trip I will be joined by 5 of my closest friends. People that I've grown up canoeing with at Camp Pathfinder in Algonquin Park. They are educators, adventurers, comedians and some of the best paddlers I know. I absolutely trust my life with them... don't judge.
Introducing:
Ryan Arthurs
Ryan is a 28 year old graduate photography student at MassArt in Boston, MA. He grew up in Youngstown, NY spending his summers guiding canoe trips across Ontario and Quebec. He attended Carleton College in Northfield, MN, graduating with a degree in Studio Art. After college, he spent 2 yrs working at the Gail Severn Gallery, in Ketchum, ID. In the fall of 2007, he moved to San Francisco where he continued working for artists and galleries before deciding to pursue his own photography full time.
Zach Arem
Zach is a 27 year old elementary Physical Education teacher. He originally grew up in Rochester, NY, but after receiving his degree from the University of Florida, he now resides in Orlando. He has been paddling and portaging the wilderness of Canada ever since he was in diapers. Beyond his love for canoe tripping, Zach is also an avid Handball player and bottle cap collector; though many of his friends and family do not understand his obsession for the latter. Zach sees the George River as the ultimate dream canoe trip and greatly looks forward to retracing the steps on Leonidas Hubbard, Mina Hubbard, Dillon Wallace, and George Elson.
Brent Hurley
Brent Hurley is a 33 year old teacher from Dwight, Ontario. Following in the family tradition, Brent has been paddling and portaging in wooden canoes since he was 7 years old. Brent has traveled the world, but he always comes home to Algonquin to canoe trip with his friends. Currently working as a teacher and head of residence at Lakefield College School, Brent has been tripping with his close friends in the summers after his 21 year career at Camp Pathfinder drew to a close. Rivers like the Kesagami, Moisie, and Missainabi have kept the spirit alive in recent years. Hurley is pumped to tackle the George River and follow in the footsteps of the Hubbards, Wallace, and Elson.
Charlie Katrycz
Few things in life are more satisfying to Charlie than floating in a canoe, and none have been more formative for him than that. He just graduated from McGill University with a degree in physics, and his studies have been inspired in no small part by the stroke of a paddle. At school he worked in residence as a don and during the summers he has guided canoe trips with Camp Pathfinder. Algonquin has been home to him all his life; winter spent away for him, is time in waiting. He is now preparing for the trip of a lifetime with his savvy companions, to venture above the tree line on Ungava's rocky peninsula and down the George River into the icy Arctic Ocean.
Brian Brunsing
Brian is a 22 year old recent college graduate working in the field of Sustainability Consulting. Originally from Buffalo, NY, he transplanted West after high school to attend the University of Colorado at Boulder. Canoe tripping the lakes and rivers of Ontario and Quebec has been a passion for Brian for many years developed through a decade of summers spent in Algonquin Park. Beyond canoe tripping, he enjoys kayaking, snowboarding and dogs. Brian does not like cats very much. For Brian, the George will be a dream come true combining and incredible route with amazing people.
and the Henry Shepley
Henry R. Shepley, referred to as Rutledge H. Shepley throughout most of North America’s uncharted waterways, is considered to be ‘The Intercontinental Man of Mystery’. Rutledge was first introduced to canoe tripping by long time Algonquin Legend, as well as internationally recognized heartthrob, Brent Hurley during the summer of 2000. Brent is responsible for the man Rutledge is today. Having been instilled with a tremendous love and respect for canoe tripping at an early age, travel and adventure play a huge role in who Rutledge is today. Wrapping up his Junior year at University of Vermont, Rutledge focuses his energy on scholarly pursuits in the field of Environmental Science with an emphasis on Ecological Design. When Rutledge is not eating, studying, or holding open doors open for women, he enjoys kayaking down New England’s vast river systems. In previous summer months he has worked as a member of a league of extraordinary canoe tripping guides at Camp Pathfinder, in Algonquin Park. His career at Pathfinder gave him the opportunity to be apart of many trips throughout Manitoba, Ontario, and Quebec. This past fall Rutledge has kept himself busy by designing and building a 227 square foot tiny house as well as spending 25 days this winter kayaking down the Colorado River through the Grand Canyon. With spring peeking around the corner and the lure of Labrador intensifying, Rutledge will be selling his body in order to be a member on the grandest adventure of all, 25 days down the George River.
On this trip I will be joined by 5 of my closest friends. People that I've grown up canoeing with at Camp Pathfinder in Algonquin Park. They are educators, adventurers, comedians and some of the best paddlers I know. I absolutely trust my life with them... don't judge.
Introducing:
Ryan Arthurs
Ryan is a 28 year old graduate photography student at MassArt in Boston, MA. He grew up in Youngstown, NY spending his summers guiding canoe trips across Ontario and Quebec. He attended Carleton College in Northfield, MN, graduating with a degree in Studio Art. After college, he spent 2 yrs working at the Gail Severn Gallery, in Ketchum, ID. In the fall of 2007, he moved to San Francisco where he continued working for artists and galleries before deciding to pursue his own photography full time.
Zach Arem
Zach is a 27 year old elementary Physical Education teacher. He originally grew up in Rochester, NY, but after receiving his degree from the University of Florida, he now resides in Orlando. He has been paddling and portaging the wilderness of Canada ever since he was in diapers. Beyond his love for canoe tripping, Zach is also an avid Handball player and bottle cap collector; though many of his friends and family do not understand his obsession for the latter. Zach sees the George River as the ultimate dream canoe trip and greatly looks forward to retracing the steps on Leonidas Hubbard, Mina Hubbard, Dillon Wallace, and George Elson.
Brent Hurley
Brent Hurley is a 33 year old teacher from Dwight, Ontario. Following in the family tradition, Brent has been paddling and portaging in wooden canoes since he was 7 years old. Brent has traveled the world, but he always comes home to Algonquin to canoe trip with his friends. Currently working as a teacher and head of residence at Lakefield College School, Brent has been tripping with his close friends in the summers after his 21 year career at Camp Pathfinder drew to a close. Rivers like the Kesagami, Moisie, and Missainabi have kept the spirit alive in recent years. Hurley is pumped to tackle the George River and follow in the footsteps of the Hubbards, Wallace, and Elson.
Charlie Katrycz
Few things in life are more satisfying to Charlie than floating in a canoe, and none have been more formative for him than that. He just graduated from McGill University with a degree in physics, and his studies have been inspired in no small part by the stroke of a paddle. At school he worked in residence as a don and during the summers he has guided canoe trips with Camp Pathfinder. Algonquin has been home to him all his life; winter spent away for him, is time in waiting. He is now preparing for the trip of a lifetime with his savvy companions, to venture above the tree line on Ungava's rocky peninsula and down the George River into the icy Arctic Ocean.
Brian Brunsing
Brian is a 22 year old recent college graduate working in the field of Sustainability Consulting. Originally from Buffalo, NY, he transplanted West after high school to attend the University of Colorado at Boulder. Canoe tripping the lakes and rivers of Ontario and Quebec has been a passion for Brian for many years developed through a decade of summers spent in Algonquin Park. Beyond canoe tripping, he enjoys kayaking, snowboarding and dogs. Brian does not like cats very much. For Brian, the George will be a dream come true combining and incredible route with amazing people.
and the Henry Shepley
Henry R. Shepley, referred to as Rutledge H. Shepley throughout most of North America’s uncharted waterways, is considered to be ‘The Intercontinental Man of Mystery’. Rutledge was first introduced to canoe tripping by long time Algonquin Legend, as well as internationally recognized heartthrob, Brent Hurley during the summer of 2000. Brent is responsible for the man Rutledge is today. Having been instilled with a tremendous love and respect for canoe tripping at an early age, travel and adventure play a huge role in who Rutledge is today. Wrapping up his Junior year at University of Vermont, Rutledge focuses his energy on scholarly pursuits in the field of Environmental Science with an emphasis on Ecological Design. When Rutledge is not eating, studying, or holding open doors open for women, he enjoys kayaking down New England’s vast river systems. In previous summer months he has worked as a member of a league of extraordinary canoe tripping guides at Camp Pathfinder, in Algonquin Park. His career at Pathfinder gave him the opportunity to be apart of many trips throughout Manitoba, Ontario, and Quebec. This past fall Rutledge has kept himself busy by designing and building a 227 square foot tiny house as well as spending 25 days this winter kayaking down the Colorado River through the Grand Canyon. With spring peeking around the corner and the lure of Labrador intensifying, Rutledge will be selling his body in order to be a member on the grandest adventure of all, 25 days down the George River.
Rewards
For your support, I would like to offer the following rewards;
With a pledge of $1 you will be added to my email list and receive a link to Lure of Labrador blog featuring updates on trip planning, details of canoe route, photos and other daily inspirations.
With a pledge of $5 you will be added to my spot pager list and receive GPS location updates while I am paddling the George River. Spot pager coordinates with Google maps showing progress.
With a pledge of $10 you will receive a limited edition photograph as a postcard mailed to your home address.
Postcard to be mailed: View of Labrador City, 2011
With a pledge of $25 I will travel the George River with one of your personal photographs (maybe of someone you love). I will use those photographs as inspiration during my trip. Due to limited space, photos should be approx. 2x3" in size and emailed to me unless you want me to have original photograph. I will laminate all photographs to ensure they remain undamaged by water.
For $50 you will receive a signed copy of the book and a limited edition 8x10" photograph (image below).
8x10" archival inkhet print: Leaving Lake Melville, Departure Point of Hubbard Expedition, North West River, 2011.
For $100 you will receive a signed copy of the book, with your name added to the Acknowledgements section, and an 11x14" limited edition photograph (image below).
11x14" archival inkjet print: Lone Pine, Labrador, 2011.
For $200 you will receive a signed copy of the book, your name added to the Acknowledgements section, and an 11x14" limited edition photograph and your name will be added to my canoe tripping shirt listing you as an expedition sponsor. My trip shirt will be photographed every day on the river in front of various scenic locations showing your support.
For $500 you will receive a signed copy of the book, your name added to the Acknowledgements section, your name will also be added to my tripping shirt and you will receive a limited edition 20x24" photographic print.
20x24" archival inkjet print: Forest Fire, North West River, Labrador, 2011.
For $1000 you will receive a signed copy of the book, your name added to the Acknowledgements section, your name will also be added to my tripping shirt and you will receive a limited edition 20x60" photographic diptych print.
20x60" archival inkjet print: Lake Melville View (diptych), North West River, Labrador, 2011.
Detail of fisherman from Lake Melville View (diptych)
With a pledge of $1 you will be added to my email list and receive a link to Lure of Labrador blog featuring updates on trip planning, details of canoe route, photos and other daily inspirations.
With a pledge of $5 you will be added to my spot pager list and receive GPS location updates while I am paddling the George River. Spot pager coordinates with Google maps showing progress.
With a pledge of $10 you will receive a limited edition photograph as a postcard mailed to your home address.
Postcard to be mailed: View of Labrador City, 2011
With a pledge of $25 I will travel the George River with one of your personal photographs (maybe of someone you love). I will use those photographs as inspiration during my trip. Due to limited space, photos should be approx. 2x3" in size and emailed to me unless you want me to have original photograph. I will laminate all photographs to ensure they remain undamaged by water.
For $50 you will receive a signed copy of the book and a limited edition 8x10" photograph (image below).
8x10" archival inkhet print: Leaving Lake Melville, Departure Point of Hubbard Expedition, North West River, 2011.
For $100 you will receive a signed copy of the book, with your name added to the Acknowledgements section, and an 11x14" limited edition photograph (image below).
11x14" archival inkjet print: Lone Pine, Labrador, 2011.
For $200 you will receive a signed copy of the book, your name added to the Acknowledgements section, and an 11x14" limited edition photograph and your name will be added to my canoe tripping shirt listing you as an expedition sponsor. My trip shirt will be photographed every day on the river in front of various scenic locations showing your support.
For $500 you will receive a signed copy of the book, your name added to the Acknowledgements section, your name will also be added to my tripping shirt and you will receive a limited edition 20x24" photographic print.
20x24" archival inkjet print: Forest Fire, North West River, Labrador, 2011.
For $1000 you will receive a signed copy of the book, your name added to the Acknowledgements section, your name will also be added to my tripping shirt and you will receive a limited edition 20x60" photographic diptych print.
20x60" archival inkjet print: Lake Melville View (diptych), North West River, Labrador, 2011.
Detail of fisherman from Lake Melville View (diptych)
The Project
Moisie River campsite, Labrador, 2011.
Having grown up canoeing throughout Ontario and Quebec and completing similar long expeditions, I am fascinated with the Hubbards' story. I find it to be one of the great true adventure stories of our century and yet at the heart of it, it is also a love story. The idea of following the footsteps of someone you love to be closer to them I find beautiful and haunting. I hope to incorporate these ideas into my photographs.
With that in mind I am setting out to this July 2012 to paddle the George River from Schefferville to the village of George River, off of Ungava Bay. I will be following much of Hubbards' route and am looking to self-publish a book of the resulting photographs.
The trip will take approximately 24 days. 20 days to paddle the river and 2 days of travel to get there and back.
I am looking to raise $12,000 to help self-publish my book, cover my film, travel, food and other various costs of the trip, including my return from the village of George River (Kangiqsualujjuaq) via sea-plane.
Also, as part of my project I am arranging to have my canoe donated to a school in Kangiqsualujjuaq. Currently trying to reach out to the community and arrange this donation.
The Hubbard Expedition
Before I state the goals of my Kickstarter proprosal I would like to share a brief story that is an important influence on my project
Hubbard expedition leaving Lake Melville, North West River, Labrador, 1903
In 1903, Leonidas Hubbard, Dillon Wallace and George Ellison departed North West River (A) with the goal of paddling and portaging across Labrador to the Ungava Bay (B) to the north.
But plagued by poor judgement and bad luck, his party turned back and Hubbard died of starvation just 30 miles from camp.
Two years later, in the summer of 1905, his widow, Mina Hubbard, completed the journey across Labrador.
Hubbard expedition leaving Lake Melville, North West River, Labrador, 1903
In 1903, Leonidas Hubbard, Dillon Wallace and George Ellison departed North West River (A) with the goal of paddling and portaging across Labrador to the Ungava Bay (B) to the north.
But plagued by poor judgement and bad luck, his party turned back and Hubbard died of starvation just 30 miles from camp.
Two years later, in the summer of 1905, his widow, Mina Hubbard, completed the journey across Labrador.
Launching
Welcome to the Lure of Labrador blog! A blog that I've created to track our canoe trip planning and Kickstarter fund raising progress.
My cedar canvas canoe, Algonquin Park, ONT
My name is Ryan Arthurs and I am a photographer and a canoe tripper. I am currently living and working in Boston, MA as I am completing my MFA at Massachusetts College of Art & Design (MassArt).
My Busch Pressman 4x5 camera
My cedar canvas canoe, Algonquin Park, ONT
My name is Ryan Arthurs and I am a photographer and a canoe tripper. I am currently living and working in Boston, MA as I am completing my MFA at Massachusetts College of Art & Design (MassArt).
My Busch Pressman 4x5 camera
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