Two women, one canoe, and 2,000 miles to the Arctic

After graduating from college, two friends set out to become the first women to paddle from Minneapolis to Hudson Bay in Manitoba, Canada.

It gives a whole new meaning to the phrase “senior send-off.” Following their 2011 graduation from Minnesota’s St. Olaf College, Natalie Warren and Ann Raiho paddled the 2,000 miles from Minneapolis to Hudson Bay in Manitoba, Canada, becoming the first  women to complete the trip. They were inspired by the 1935 book “Canoeing with the Cree,” in which author and journalist Eric Sevareid detailed his 1930 trip along the same route. In “Hudson Bay Bound: Two Women, One Dog, Two Thousand Miles to the Arctic,” adventure nonfiction meets a coming-of-age story as Warren recounts the duo’s expedition.

Warren and Raiho are longtime friends from paddling camp who had enough experience – and faith in each other – to attempt the demanding, three-month-long trip. 

For the most part, Warren allows her post-graduation troubles to melt away early in the trip, since, as she notes, “Anything that wasn’t a basic need or a life-threatening issue wasn’t worth a worried thought.” Still, her thoughts inevitably wander to her future. Concerned that the trip will create a gap in her résumé that would put her at a disadvantage in the job market, and that her post-trip plans were unsettled, she both anticipates and fears crossing the finish line.

The trip, however, proves to be an education of the experiential kind. Much of their route passes through Indigenous reservations; the pair takes the opportunity to stop and hear about pieces of regional history. They also witness firsthand the gradual northward shift of climate zones due to climate change, and the growing ecological problems in waterways adjacent to farmland.

No element of the trip – not even entering polar bear country – is as demanding as the water itself. Each day, the pair negotiates the eddies, rapids, and currents of the route. Warren describes the appeal of the water as a magnetic force that keeps them pushing forward. Each new body of water they encounter has its own distinct character, and if they don’t quickly adapt their paddling style, the results could be disastrous. The ability to respond to changing conditions becomes an apt metaphor for facing the uncertainties of the future.  

As they travel north, facing bad weather, rough waters, and frightening encounters with wildlife, they’re forced to use every tool in their arsenal – namely quick problem-solving skills and a staggering amount of physical endurance. The strength of their resolve (and also their friendship) is repeatedly tested, but by the end, they stand ready to take on the world. 

It’s no surprise that Warren and Raiho reach their destination, given their skill, their bond, and their determination. Nor is it unexpected that the trip had a profound effect on both women. At the end of the narrative, an engaging dialogue between the women allows Raiho a chance to share her perspective and establishes the trip as a watershed moment in their lives. The story of their impressive accomplishment, retold by Warren with affection, is an inspiration for young people everywhere to chart their own course.