The all-female team who call themselves the Hudson Bay Girls have completed their 80-day canoe expedition from Grand Portage on Lake Superior to Hudson Bay. Americans Olivia Bledsoe, Emma Brackett, Abby Cichocki, and Helena Karlstrom, all in their early twenties, arrived at their finish point of York Factory on August 13 after 1,900km of paddling.
The four began their journey at the end of May and followed traditional waterways first traveled by the Anishinaabe First Nations people, and later by French fur traders in the 18th and 19th centuries to connect remote trading posts across the Canadian backcountry.
Last month when we updated, they had passed through Voyageurs National Park, a region named for those fur trade routes. They then paused to resupply at International Falls, Minnesota, a border town on the U.S.-Canada border.
Before reaching their next waterway, called Lake of the Woods, they paddled most of the Rainy River, which forms part of the border. In two days, they covered a demanding 70km stretch through shallow water, followed by a shorter 53km push.
Pitstop at International Falls, Minnesota. Photo: Hudson Bay Girls
From there, they paddled north across Lake of the Woods, where they “learned the hardships of…a site that had over 200 ticks at it,” they wrote on social media. “We paddled some days with tough headwinds and even encountered a mama bear and her cub swimming right in front of us,” they added.
On the far side of the lake, the crew resupplied in the city of Kenora, Ontario. After months of expedition rations and long days, they treated themselves to “the best junk food, ice cream, and fresh fruits we could find. We even went crazy with a big tub of marshmallow fluff.”
The 1,900km canoe route.
Challenges on the Winnipeg River
Next came the Winnipeg River, but access proved complicated. Due to backcountry travel restrictions because of wildfires, the group had to wait 10 days for permits.
“We were not permitted to get off the water during the day, and we had to make it to each of our designated shorelines to camp at night,” they lamented. “Because of limited front country camping options, we spent up to 15 hours on the water every day.”
Despite the setback, they covered 320km in just four days to reach Lac Du Bonnet, a town northeast of Winnipeg, where they resupplied again.
After resting, they set out on Lake Winnipeg, the 11th-largest freshwater lake in the world. Their progress along its exposed eastern shore was relatively smooth, despite storms and an injury to one woman’s arm.
A calm Lake Winnipeg. Photo: Shutterstock
“We did our best to manage the hurt arm, battling high winds, major swells and rolling storms,” they wrote. “We got through massive water crossings and got a miraculous break in our biggest 6-mile crossing.”
Along the lake, they reported spotting bears almost daily. One evening, they frightened off a curious bear with their “classic clapping method.”
On another, they shared the shoreline with three moose, and one night they awoke to wolves. “We had the daylights scared out of us when a wolf howled right next to us in the middle of the night while we were in camp.”
Hayes River to Hudson Bay
After 17 days, they finished crossing Lake Winnipeg and turned onto the Hayes River, a 480km wilderness waterway flowing directly to Hudson Bay. The river tested their canoeing skills with low water levels, exposed rocks, and rapids.
“Shallow sections were riddled with canoe biters,” they recounted, using the paddlers’ term for rocks that can split open canoe hulls.
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“This often led to narrow technical lines and caused us to have to make quick decisions while running with plenty of bow steering,” they continued.
Although strong winds slowed them on the river’s lake expansions, generous locals lifted their spirits by providing food and shelter. One treated them to butter tarts, a rich Canadian pastry prized by backcountry travelers for its calories and flavor.
Final push to York Factory
Their final update before reaching Hudson Bay described tackling 45 marked rapids on the Hayes.
“Technical lines put our skill and decision making on the forefront,” the foursome reflected. They also came across the abandoned gear of a 2016 German expedition that had not made it through unscathed, including a “completely bashed boat.”
Finish line at York Factory. Photo: Hudson Bay Girls
Details of the last stretch remain sparse, but the team pushed through a 17-hour final day, covering 88km to York Factory, the historic Hudson’s Bay Company trading post at the mouth of the river, where they completed their journey.
