The Gods Churchill and Yukon by Canoe

In 1967 seven guys set off into the wilderness of Canada, paddling from Lake Winnipeg to Hudson Bay following Eric Sevareid's book Canoing with the Cree. They were greeted by mosquitoes, black flies, wild rapids, and polar bears. They caught fish, visited remote lodges, Indian villages and explored historic Hudson Bay Posts facing challenges that threatened long time friendships and even their survival in the far north. After the trip, eager for more canoe adventures in the north, Rollie and Martha Nelson with Wally Peterson set out for the Churchill River in Northern Saskatchewan. All three were in one 18-foot canoe. Inspiration for this trip was The Lonely Land by Sigurd Olson with its lyrical descriptions of following fur traders and Voyagers across the northern waterways of Canada in the 1700s. This trip inspired even more wilderness adventures steeped in history. In 1970, Rollie, Martha and Wally followed the 1899 gold rush along the Yukon River to Dawson City. To add authenticity, they trekked over Chilkoot Pass, of gold-rush fame. This trip, in 1970, fostered a lifelong love of the far north's wilderness and amazing history.