Canadian paddlers Will Vyse and Nolan Aziz — reduced to a twosome after Georges Kirijian left the expedition with an injury — are entering the final stretch of their mammoth 8,000km expedition from Tadoussac, Quebec, to Vancouver, British Columbia, on the Pacific Ocean.
The full route. Photo: Canada By Canoe
After 184 days, including 34 days in Alberta, they crossed into British Columbia on October 10. This marks the final province of their trip. They have recently been paddling up the Peace River, which they describe as “long and arduous.” The canoeists have covered well over 6,000km, and both they and their gear look suitably disheveled:
Once they finish with the Peace River, they have a meaty 17km portage to Williston Lake, the largest lake in British Columbia, before taking the southern branch of the Crooked River. After crossing the Continental Divide and completing the Giscome Portage between Summit Lake and the Fraser River, they will take the Fraser through Prince George and down to Vancouver.
A new finish line
Vyse and Aziz originally planned to end their trip in the town of Prince Rupert, but have since altered their route to finish at Vancouver’s Wreck Beach.
“Our reroute maintains a total expedition distance of over 8,000km, and upon completion will still be the longest ever recorded single-season canoe trip,” Vyse and Aziz wrote on social media.
