In 1999, our team completed its biggest expedition yet; a complete unassisted crossing of the Ungava Peninsula in northern Quebec, Canada. We began our journey on the east coast of Hudson Bay at the mouth of the Richard River. This small river is located a few miles north of the mouth of the Nastapoka River; which we successfully paddled in 1996. We ascended the Richard, portaging and dragging the canoe a considerable amount of time due to unusually low water that summer, until reaching Lac Minto (Minto Lake). We battled high wind and waves on Lac Minto and eventually left the huge lake at its southeastern corner. Then began our stream and lake hopping over-land journey to Lac de Sem; the headwaters of the Riviere Aux Melezes (Larch River).
We descended the Larch River, passing its confluence with the Riviere du Gue. The Larch became the Koksoak River at its confluence with the Riviere Caniapiscau. Throughout much of the descent, the river was a long gradual ramp, which allowed our team the chance to make excellent time with minimal effort. Our 400-mile, 31-day journey began on July 9th and ended on August 8th with our arrival at the Inuit village of Kuujjuaq, located on the western shore of the Koksoak River, near the southern tip of Ungava Bay.
To see photos from the expedition click on the albums below:
Photo Album 1
Photo Album 2
Number of paddlers: 2