IN THIS EMAIL:
 

- Listen to our latest Explore podcast episode with John Geiger, who discusses the historic discovery of Quest and Shackleton's legacy  

-  Remembering Natalie Gillis, a talented photographer, adventurer and Fellow of the RCGS who showcased the natural beauty of Canada's cold and wild places  

- Read about Prime Minister Justin Trudeau's love of canoeing 
- Learn about the SS Keewatin, an Edwardian-era steamship moored in Kingston, Ont. 

- Looking for your next adventure? Discover more about Nahanni River Adventures and their exciting journey rafting the Firth River  

EXPLORE PODCAST
 

Finding Sir Ernest Shackleton‘s last ship with John Geiger

The expedition leader and CEO of the Royal Canadian Geographical Society recounts the historic discovery of Quest, found hundreds of metres below the surface off the coast of the Labrador Sea

“That’s it!” exclaimed John Geiger as he caught the first glimpse of Quest, the last ship of legendary polar explorer Sir Ernest Shackleton. Now resting 390 metres below the surface off the coast of Labrador, Quest was Shackleton’s last ship and the vessel he died on. 

Geiger, CEO of the Royal Canadian Geographical Society, is our guest on this episode of Explore, in which he tells the riveting story of the epic hunt for Quest and Shackleton’s legacy. 

Our Country: Justin Trudeau on his love of canoeing
 

Prime Minister Justin Trudeau sings the praises of paddling

As told to David McGuffin  

My favourite place in Canada is in the stern of any canoe I happen to be in, anywhere. I can’t tell you my favourite place because there are so many more lakes and rivers that I hope to paddle — maybe the next one will be my favourite!

But if I’m describing the perfect stretch, I picture not full-on rapids. It’s ripples. Nice rapids around the bend, but we’re not quite there yet. I don’t see any signs of habitation. I’ve got packs in front of me and I’m in my canoe with someone I love. Maybe my daughter in the bow. And we’re excited about what’s around the bend and looking forward to whatever it is we’re going to mess up on the campsite for dinner that night.

The magnificent inland voyage of an Edwardian-era steamship

SS Keewatin may be moored in Kingston, Ont., now, but the stylish steamship used to offer a lavish lifestyle while cruising the Great Lakes

By Mark Bourrie 

Extravagant, glamorous and, above all, luxurious, in 1908 the Edwardian-era steamship SS Keewatin embodied the romance of travel by water.

Commissioned by the Canadian Pacific Railway to cruise the Great Lakes, the lavish liner was the subject of much hyperbole, with ads extolling the virtues of “the thrill of steamship life … the romance of cruising the world’s largest lakes … historic sites … long, lazy, brilliant days … cool nights with stars swinging low … pleasant nights … ship-board life the Canadian Pacific way.”

While the golden era of the lake liner has long passed, the SS Keewatin has cemented its place in history as the last remaining Edwardian-era ship in the western hemisphere. It also has a new home — in Kingston.

Canadian Geographic Adventures
 

Issuing forth from the north-western corner of the Yukon, the Firth River embraces a spectacular natural region on the continent’s north slope and is the core of Ivvavik National Park. The river flows from the British Mountains on the Alaska/Yukon border, north to the Beaufort Sea, and is incised into a spectacular canyon for half its length.  The valley hosts a range of habitats from tundra meadows to rich bench lands, and from rocky alpine ridges to lowland delta and coastal lagoon. A variety of wildlife species live in or migrate through the Firth valley – musk oxen, Dall sheep, grizzly bear, wolverine, wolf, gyrfalcons, rough-legged hawks, snow geese and tundra swans to name a few. Join us on this spectacular once-in-a-lifetime journey.