Grab a paddle and join Natalie Warren on her journey to become one of the first two women to paddle over 2,000 miles from Minneapolis to Hudson Bay. This talk goes beyond day-to-day life on trail – wildlife encounters, fierce weather, struggles in an enduring friendship, a furry addition to the expedition team, and a polar bear sighting – to ponder how we come to know and care for places threatened by rapidly changing physical, social, and cultural landscapes. Through music, storytelling, and poetry, Natalie inspires listeners to consider: What can water teach us about interconnectivity? As harmful repercussions of human actions are unveiled, what can water show us about resilience, reciprocity, and hope? Get excited for your next adventure with a desire to feel, know, and breathe in the complex world around you.

NPL's Nonfiction Book Group will discuss Hudson Bay Bound on May 24 at 7 p.m. Join us for both events! 

The Book

THE REMARKABLE EIGHTY-FIVE-DAY JOURNEY OF THE FIRST TWO WOMEN TO CANOE THE 2,000-MILE ROUTE FROM MINNEAPOLIS TO HUDSON BAY

Natalie Warren and Ann Raiho take a 2,000-mile journey by paddle from Minneapolis to Hudson Bay, giving readers an insider view from the practicalities of planning a three-month canoe expedition to the successful accomplishment of the adventure of a lifetime.

Unrelenting winds, carnivorous polar bears, snake nests, sweltering heat, and constant hunger. Paddling from Minneapolis to Hudson Bay, following the 2,000-mile route made famous by Eric Sevareid in his 1935 classic Canoeing with the Cree, Natalie Warren and Ann Raiho faced unexpected trials, some harrowing, some simply odd. But for the two friends—the first women to make this expedition—there was one timeless challenge: the occasional pitfalls that test character and friendship. Warren’s spellbinding account retraces the women’s journey from inspiration to Arctic waters, giving readers an insider view from the practicalities of planning a three-month canoe expedition to the successful accomplishment of the adventure of a lifetime.

Along the route we meet the people who live and work on the waterways, including denizens of a resort who supply much-needed sustenance; a solitary resident in the wilderness who helps plug a leak; and the people of the Cree First Nation at Norway House, where the canoeists acquire a furry companion. Describing the tensions that erupt between the women (who at one point communicate with each other only by note) and the natural and human-made phenomena they encounter—from islands of trash to waterfalls and a wolf pack—Warren brings us into her experience, and we join these modern women (and their dog) as they recreate this historic trip, including the pleasures and perils, the sexism, the social and environmental implications, and the enduring wonder of the wilderness.

Reviews

“Ann and Natalie would be heralded for showing that adventure can still be had in a changing environment, and that women have not only a place in the landscape of adventure, but an important voice that needs to be heard. Their journey illuminates the physical landscapes, hardships, and human encounters; it also uncovers the heart of any good journey, the human spirit.” - Ann Bancroft