Robert,
I look forward to the trip report. I hope you come back in better shape than I assume your camera will.

: Greetings, Y'all,

: I know I have been doing a lot of talking about paddling to Hudson
: Bay for a few years now and it seemed as if something always got
: in the way of getting there. If it wasn't busting my kayak over
: a major rapid (2003), then it was bad weather (2005), divorce
: (2005) then it was a time and money consuming trip to visit
: Malcolm S. in his own territory, St Thomas (2010). That trip
: used up all of my holidays so I announced earlier that I
: couldn't afford to paddle to Hudson Bay this year: I put it off
: till next summer. I just got an offer which cannot be refused.
: Linda, the love of my life, has offered to make available the
: $$$ I need to get the trip done this summer (sugar momma?). She
: says she has an interest in seeing me get this trip off my
: chest. First, I talk about it too much. Second, she worries
: about me kayaking in the Canadian wilderness alone and wants to
: finally end that worry death by polar bear). Third, she accuses
: me of talking too much about the book I am writing and how I
: can't finish it until I get to Hudson Bay. Fourth...well, I am
: not sure there is a fourth but if there is, I will think of it
: sooner or later. Soooooooo, as soon as I get the ok from work to
: bugger off into the Canadian wilds for one month, roughly from
: June 21 - July 21, I will repair the VJ (new brass on the stern
: keel), inventory my gear, purchase what I need and prep for the
: drive to Winnipeg, where I will get set for the paddle of a life
: time.

: I have waited patiently for 7 years to get to this leg of the
: journey, been through a lot and fully expect to go through even
: more before I get to Churchill, Manitoba, located on the shores
: of Hudson Bay. There are a few unknowns I have to face and I
: look forward to meeting them head on, unless, of course, I have
: to meet them in a vertical position while seated in the
: VJ...then I will back off early enough to walk. I will have only
: 150-miles of bay shoreline to follow before I get to Churchill,
: but that shoreline has between 2-5 kms of tidal flats dotted
: with polar bears, seals, beluga whales and lord knows whatelse.
: I will get Linda to post messages as she receives them so that
: y'all know where I am at different times: assuming I have cell
: contact with the rest of civilization. If I don't have cell
: phone access during the trip, I will ask Ken S. to watch out for
: my smoke signals so that he can translate them into something
: you can understand. If you never hear from me again...I'll make
: sure someone can find my voice recorder so that y'all know what
: happened. That said, I will have thousands of pics to choose
: from for posting when I get back and one hell of a write-up. Be
: rest assured that, as I did in 2004 when I abandoned the trip
: due to incredibly crappy weather, I will not hesitate to abandon
: this trip if I have to for good reason...if I have to abandon, I
: want to return next year to try again.

: Robert N Pruden