Adventurer calls off Labrador wilderness trek after 83 days

After battling freezing winds, forceful river currents andearly winter stormsfor 83 days, Justin Barbour has conceded defeat in his attempt to trek 1,700 kilometres across the wilderness of Labrador and Quebec.

The adventurer, accompanied only by his dog Saku, departed North West River in late July.He plannedto canoe and hike all the way toKuujjuarapik, a small community nestled on the Quebec edge of Hudson Bay.

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Barbour pulled the plug with about 700 kilometres to go, realizing he was far behind schedule, and winter already settingin.

"Idon't like leaving things unfinished,but it came down to a safety thing,"he said from his home in Grand Falls-Windsor, which now feels"luxurious."

Winds worse than imagined

Barbour has plenty of outdoors experience he spent the summer of 2017 trekking 700 kilometres across Newfoundland. Following that, hefeltprepared for his 2018 adventure,backed by big name sponsors like MEC.

But he was still caught off guard.

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"Iknew what Iwas in for with some of the paddling andthat stuff, but there was a lot of surprises," he said, adding he was particularly surprised by the raging westerly and northwesterly winds.

"They were far worse than Icould've imagined,so that cost me a lot of time," he said, recalling hoursspent sheltering from the wind, debating whether he could paddle in places like the Smallwood Reservoir.

"Iwas taking big chances,so Ihad a lot of delays," he told CBCRadio's Labrador Morning.

Barbour's risks didn't always pay off. Before reaching the reservoir, he canoed 170 kilometres upstream on the Red Wine River. The river,which rises 600 metres above sea level, was a particularly soggy slog.

"That's a big climbon a river, in very short distance. And it was very difficultandvery dangerous. There was times I was swept off my feet by the currents, up to my neck in water, dragging the canoe," Barbour said.

"My canoe was almost like a secondary life jacket. If Iwas swept off my feet, Ihad to hold onto my canoe to make sure i didn't go any further downriver."

Dog had 'time of his life'

Amid all his trip's ups and downs, Barbour estimated he only interacted with humans for about 24 hours of his nearly three months in the wild, although he did send internetupdates.

The rest of the time was far from lonely, however.He credits Sakufor being excellent company, unfazed by their circumstances.

"He was just chilling, having the time of his life," said Barbour.

Saku named for Habs legend SakuKoivu accompanied Barbour on his 2017 trek. A Cape Shore water dog, Barbour said Sakuwas at home in the bow of his canoe.

"He's built for the outdoors, built for that life. He had no issues," said Barbour.

No regrets

Ultimately, the onslaught of early winter weather, on top of the winds and wet, forced Barbour to realize he wouldn't make it to Hudson Bay.

He spent days waiting for clear enough weather for a helicopter to come pluck him from a snowy mountaintop, but has no regrets about any part of the adventure.

"If it's easy and it's not difficult for me, Idon't get that same joy from overcoming those mental and physical challenges. That's what it's about for me," Barbour said.

"When they work out, and you overcome them, [it's]extreme joy."

He added the entire experience has enriched his life.

"To be on your own, you gain a certain appreciation for life, and everything that we have, and the comforts that you cant get anywhere else," Barboursaid, recommending other people try something similar out in nature, albeit less extreme.

"Idon't think anyone needs to go for 83 days, but Ithink it needs to be at least a week. It doesn't have to be on your own, it can be with a group."

With files from Labrador Morning

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