Fred Nelson

The Thlewiaza-Seal Rivers Fred Nelson

The author participated on 19 canoe trips in the wilderness of northern Canada. The trips ranged from 11 to 36 days and totaled about 4,500 miles. Most of the trips ended at either the Arctic Ocean or Hudson Bay. This book is about one of these trips that is better described as an adventure rather than a trip. You can read about the adventure in the warmth and comfort of your home. The six canoeists who participated in this canoeing adventure planned a 450 miles trip down the Thlewiaza River to the Hudson Bay and then north on Hudson Bay to Eskimo Point (presently Arviat). However, upon arriving at Nueltin Lake, they found that it was still covered with eighty miles of iced because it had been the coldest winter in forty years. Consequently, the canoeists worked their way seventy-fi ve miles overland to the North Seal River and then south on Hudson Bay to Churchill. The story tells of the many diffi cult portages, running extreme rapids in near freezing water, encounters with bears, and a night in a storm on Hudson Bay.