Retracing a historic fur trade route across Quebec with Bruno Forest

"There's a humility in this kind of travel. You don't pretend to adapt the world to you. You adapt to the world." — Bruno ForestIn the summer of 2025, Bruno Forest and his team of five others pushed their canoes into the waters of the Saguenay Fjord, setting out on an extraordinary 1,200-kilometre journey, paddling from Tadoussac on the St. Lawrence River to Waskaganish on James Bay.But this wasn't simply a wilderness expedition.Travelling in hand-built cedar canvas canoes by Forest and veteran artisans, he and his crew retraced a route that stretches deep into North American history — following waterways used by Indigenous traders for centuries before becoming part of the European fur trade networks.The journey demanded weeks of hauling canoes upstream through powerful rivers, reopening forgotten portages swallowed by the forest, and crossing some of Quebec's most remote landscapes. Along the way, the expedition connected with Innu and Cree communities whose histories remain deeply intertwined with these waterways.In this episode, Forest shares stories of building the expedition's canoes alongside some of Quebec's last traditional canoe builders, encountering woodland caribou and wolves in the north, and discovering what happens when travel slows to the pace of a paddle.More than an adventure story, this is a conversation about memory, place, and why the canoe remains one of Canada's most powerful symbols.In This EpisodeA 1,200-kilometre canoe journey from Tadoussac to James BayBuilding traditional cedar canvas canoes for the expeditionFollowing ancient Indigenous trade routes and fur trade corridorsReopening long-forgotten portages in Quebec's interiorEncounters with Cree and Innu communities along the routeWildlife, wilderness, and life on the waterThe philosophy of canoe travel and adapting to the landAbout Bruno ForestBruno Forest is a Quebec-based canoe and kayak guide, filmmaker, author, and expedition leader. In 2025, he led the Royal Canadian Geographical Society's Expedition of the Year, retracing a historic route across Quebec from the St. Lawrence River to James Bay in traditional cedar canvas canoes. Based in Tadoussac, he is also documenting the expedition in an upcoming feature-length film. For updates on the documentary, follow Bruno on Facebook @alamerdunord.2025