Trip of a Lifetime: Two Minnesotans Canoe from MN to the Arctic Circle

I love getting outdoors, and I wish that I had the ability to do more outdoorsy things. For example, one day I'd really like to go backpacking in the Boundary Waters.

Some other people who also really love the outdoors are these two guys from Minnesota. But they went on an adventure that I would likely never be able to do and I think most people would never be able to do it in their lifetime.

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Two Minnesota Friends Plan the Trip of a Lifetime

These two are named Zach and Taylor. These guys met in high school in St. Cloud doing programs through Les Voyageurs Inc. Through this program, they would go on 30-45 day canoe trips.

They both enjoyed getting outdoors and out on the canoe. And then, in 2022, Zach came up with an idea: to canoe to the Arctic Circle and he asked Taylor to go with him.

Taylor talked to MPR about the proposal, which he said he was hesitant about. But then he decided "this is the time to do it".

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So over the past year, Zach and Taylor have been preparing, buying food, preserving food, and planning their route. They planned stops along the way to restock on supplies, and also to give themselves a break.

And then, they were off.

Canoeing from Minnesota to the Arctic Circle

They started their journey at Zach's family cabin in Big Falls, MN. MPR writes that the two "went through dozens of historic and little-known waterways".

I'm sure it was an incredible experience. Although, they did say that it was difficult at times. Zach said that "'lots of times the water was either dried up or we had a lot of portaging'".

At the end of it all, they ended up in the little Inuit community called Gjoa Haven.

In total, they traveled 2,700 miles. They expected the trip to take them 130 days, but they did it in 105. Impressive!