'Most remote, toughest trip ever,' Winnipegger says of northern wilderness adventure

Their friends and family called them crazy, but a group of Winnipeggers returning from a 46-day canoe trip that included a trek through the wilderness say they wouldn't trade it for anything.

James Swan and six friends arrived in Churchill yesterday after making their way through Saskatchewan, the Northwest Territoriesand Nunavut before paddling back into Manitoba.

• James Swan and 6 friends to paddle the adventure of a lifetime

"It was the craziest trip I've ever been on," said Swan, 29, when reached by phone in Churchill Thursday.

"All of us have spent weeks and weeks of our lives canoeing in the summers, but this was by far the hardest, the most remote, the toughest trip we've ever done."

Swan hadn't talked to his family yet when he spoke to CBC News, but said they are likely still shaking their heads about thetrip, which started on a dirt road in rural Saskatchewan.

"I imagine they still think we're pretty crazy," he said with a laugh.

But crazy to Swan is the wildlife the group saw. Hundreds of seals splashing in Arctic waters, polar bearsand an unruly moose that decided to charge at the crew.

"One of the most exciting aspects of the trip was having the chance to explore the nature wonders of our own country. It turns out many of those blank spaces on our maps are packed with scenery and wildlife few get the opportunity to experience," added Ian Girard, who also went on the trip.

The "Know the North" groupdocumented their travels on social media wherever they could snag a good signal.

Swan said in total the group paddled over 1,400 kilometres through dozens of rivers on a route they believe no one's travelled before. They portaged through "no man's land" and paddled through grizzly bear territory.

But the hardest part of the trip? The wind.

"For a couple weeks, it didn't matter what direction we went. Whether it was north, whether it was east, whether it was south, we always had headwinds," Swan said.

Hadley Burns, Kira Burkett, Steve Kesselman, Augusta Stobbeand Paul Schram also went on the trip.

Localbusinesses including Wilderness Supply and Gorp Bars donated to the group to support the trip.