As a youth I enjoyed outdoor pursuits and would read every outdoor publication that I could lay my hands on. Each page was rich with the details of his enviably adventurous life in a dramatic and larger than life land with a beautiful name. Perhaps most importantly I would not have imagined the impressive group of fellow guides who would return season after season to lead the best river expeditions stretching from Alaska to Nunavut, nurturing the dreams of our guests who would return year after year for yet another adventure in the most exotic regions of the planet. Looking back it was a modest beginning. Canoe building, creating the prototype of our sectional voyageur canoe.
Young apprentice keeps watch.
Although I didn't know it at the time, this was likely one of my luckiest breaks. I realized that if I wanted to fulfill my dreams I would have to start my own company. In the shoulder season I even taught moccasin and mit making. I was content. I turned my parents garage into a canoe factory and managed to destroy their lawn with the many canoes and kayaks that emerged from late night building forays with my paddling friends.