This Veteran Has Set Himself an Epic Challenge in the Canadian Wilderness
This summer, a veteran from Belford is hoping to become the first person from the UK to paddle 500km solo along the Hess River in the Canadian wilderness
Originally from Stanley, Dan joined the army when he was 18. ‘During that time I was a physical training instructor as well as being in The Royal Artillery,’ he explains. ‘I got my love of the outdoors and physical training through the military.’
When Dan left the army, his love of the outdoors continued and (along with his wife) he co-founded businesses Northern Outdoor and Northern Bootcamp. ‘But a few years after leaving I was yearning for a challenge,’ says Dan. He also wanted to raise money for charity. ‘I started thinking about what I could do that hadn’t yet been done,’ he continues. ‘It’s quite hard. Kayaking, canoeing and being in the water is my thing, and no one had kayaked through the UK from the top of Scotland to the English Channel [the full length of Great Britain] so I started exploring that idea and discovered there was a route, which I named the Paddle of Britain.’
Dan completed his 998-mile Paddle of Britain in 2018 (the year which marked 100 years since the end of the First World War) and, totally unsupported and self-propelled, raised an impressive £27,000 for the Royal British Legion.
He described his challenge as ‘epic’. ‘It empowers you into thinking what else you can do,’ he admits. ‘I realised I wanted to do something different, so I decided to go to Canada. There’s a really remote river which I’d had my eye on that I wanted to paddle and I decided I’d do that solo. So here we are. I’m going to paddle the Hess River solo – a lesser paddled river than the Yukon River – I’ll be paddling for 500km in the wilderness but the difference with this challenge is that it’s totally remote. I’ll be totally on my own. I’ll be airlifted into the mountains and have to make my way alone.’
Dan’s biggest focus has been paddling his canoe and getting used to operating it with his full expedition kit. ‘This time it’s a canoe rather than a kayak, but it’s an inflatable one, a bit like a single-person raft, which will be much more forgiving in the rapids because they’re going to be pretty full on,’ he says. ‘I want something I’m not going to capsize in.’
He’s spent a lot of time recently training on the River Tees, where he learnt to paddle when he was younger. ‘It’s my old stomping ground and there’s some good sections of river up from Barnard Castle, but I’ve been confronted with this really hot spell recently so it’s been tough in a way,’ he says. ‘I’m heading up to Scotland next and I’ll hopefully jump on the Tees before I leave in July. In between all that, I’ve been getting my kit and equipment together with my sponsors: my satellite phone and getting my Garmin inReach, should I need rescuing or communication with the outside world. It’s the logistics of the trip – but it’s all going to plan.’
Of course there are plenty of challenges that Dan could face on his sub-Arctic adventure. ‘The climate is hot,’ he says. ‘In summertime it gets up to 25 degrees and only down to 22 degrees at night, but of course there is no night because it’s the Land of the Midnight Sun. But I’m still in the mountains so storms could come through. It will be quite extreme I think.
The biggest challenge is probably going to be the white water in the upper stretches on the first few days because, as I’m descending the river, I’m going to navigate rapids and will have to make some good judgement calls as I’m by myself. I haven’t got my buddy at the bottom with a throw line, so do I paddle the rapid or do I walk around it?’
Amongst his kit, Dan will have to carry a shotgun to defend himself against potential bear attacks. ‘I need to do everything in my power to keep away from them, and make sure I’m not a target,’ he explains. ‘Maintaining good camp hygiene is a big one (not leaving any food around when I pitch up at night, not even toothpaste by my tent). I’ll always have bear spray on me and at close access so I can just pull it and spray it. I’ll have a few days beforehand to practice and I’ll have target practice with a shotgun as well. That’s the last-case scenario. I don’t want to have to kill a bear, but at least I’ve got that option for peace of mind.
‘Apart from that, the whole drop shock thing can be a big one. I’ve never been dropped off in the wilderness before so that could be a weird feeling and it can affect people. I’ve been playing out that scenario in my head, and how I’m going to deal with it when the plane goes. But of course I wouldn’t have put myself in that position had I not wanted to. I’m actually looking forward to it!’
It’s estimated that it could take Dan around 14 days to complete this mission. He’ll be the first person from the UK to do it, but he has managed to speak to someone who completed it within 11 days. ‘It all depends on how much I want to push myself,’ he explains. ‘I’m hoping to travel around 20 miles a day but it really all depends on what happens out there. What’s going to be in the river? Who knows. Every year it totally freezes up and when it melts it pulls trees in with it. You just never know. I’ve got 14 days and plenty of spare time after that – just in case.’
Once again Dan will be raising vital funds for charities close to his heart – veterans charities Launchpad and Team Forces. Dan is an ambassador for Launchpad, a charity providing accommodation and support to veterans experiencing homelessness and unemployment, which has houses in Newcastle and Durham. ‘Going from military life back to Civvy Street can be tough,’ says Dan. ‘They’re a small-ish charity and they need all the help they can get. They do amazing things. I’ve seen the whole process of getting a veteran off the street and back into a stable life.’ Team Forces fund military and sporting events and adventures and have helped to fund Dan’s challenge. He will set off in July, and hopes to raise £30,000.
We wish Dan the best of luck on his adventure!
