Canadalaska, a dream of the Great North

Dec. 06 2013
by Marc Dedonder

Sylvain Barrier is about to embark on an extraordinary adventure: crossing the Great North by sled, then alone on foot, on horseback and in a canoe, over 8,000 kilometers and for more than 6 months, from Canada to the Bering Sea in Alaska.

At 23 years old, Sylvain is passionate about Jack London's novels and the travel stories of the adventurer Nicolas Vanier, who has just given him his support in this adventure. Originally from Orleans, this is not his first exploit. In 2008, when he was only 17 years old and had just graduated from high school, he had already gone on an expedition to Lapland for his first adventure on foot.

Now a graduate of a journalism school, after having been a volunteer firefighter in Orleans for 3 years, he wants to resume the adventure and discover the Canadian Great North and its virgin territories.

The first stage ofCanadalaska will take him from the Quebec-Labrador Peninsula to the south of Hudson Bay, 2000 km by dog sled. The second stage, of 4 months, will be done on foot and on horseback towards Manitoba, the Northwest Territories and the Yukon. Finally, the third and last stage of 2000 km will be done by canoe on the Yukon River through Alaska to the Bering Strait.

In addition to the sporting dimension of this challenge, his approach aims to produce educational materials (photographic reports, production of a documentary film, writing of andocumentary film, writing an account of the trip) and to share them with as many people as possible through numerous media and social networks.

Sylvain now needs a helping hand to finance this intense adventure. He therefore launched an appeal on the Ulule platform and has already reached his first goal: to raise 1,500 euros. If you want to participate in this adventure, you just have to go on the Ulule website and make your contribution.

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