Episodes
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The wild lives of our urban neighbours with Dan Werb
“It is a raccoon city that exists in the city of Toronto.” Raccoons cracking raccoon-proof compost bins, coyotes finding refuge in city neighbourhoods, and giant Pacific octopuses making homes in discarded refrigerators. These are just a few examples of wildlife adapting to urban life in...
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Quest: Shackleton’s last ship, with John Geiger
“Emerging out of this darkness suddenly was the bow of Quest.” — John Geiger Nearly 400 metres beneath the Labrador Sea, John Geiger watched Sir Ernest Shackleton’s last ship emerge from the darkness. Two years after leading the expedition that discovered Quest, the Royal Canadian Geographical...
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Alan Doyle: Songs, stories and The Smiling Land
“We knew we had something that was ours and unique and different, and we figured we better shout it out loud.” - Alan Doyle For Alan Doyle, travelling the world has only strengthened the pull of home. Along the way, he takes us back to his childhood in Petty Harbour, where music filled the family...
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What black bears taught bestselling author Trina Moyles about coexistence
“I knew about bears in this abstract theoretical way, but I didn’t really know what it meant to live closely with them.” What happens when a mother black bear refuses to leave the hillside beneath your fire tower? For bestselling author Trina Moyles, the answer became the heart of Black Bear: A...
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The places that change us with Eric Weiner
“One of the main reasons we travel is to be different, hopefully better, versions of ourselves.” For Eric Weiner, travel has always been a way to pursue the big questions: What makes us happy, creative, wise, and fully alive? He has spent much of his career exploring the intersection of place and...
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Echo Maker: James Raffan on the people and stories behind the Historical Map of Temagami
“To be in a relationship with a place is a very complex and beautiful dynamic.” Bestselling author, explorer and master storyteller James Raffan returns to Explore to discuss his new book, Echo Maker: Craig Macdonald and the Lives That Produced One of Canada’s Most Significant Historical Maps.…
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Encore — Paddling the Peel Watershed with Bobbi Rose Koe
"In my mind, when I want to relax, I take myself back to the Wind River." Tetlit Gwich'in means people of the headwaters, and Bobbi Rose Koe is on a mission to live up to her people's name. Born and raised in the Tetlit Gwich'in community of Fort McPherson, on the Peel River north of the Arctic...
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Encore — Newfoundland, Cod Collapse and saving the North Atlantic right whale with Jenn Thornhill Verma
Raised on Newfoundland’s west coast, Jenn Thornhill Verma grew up immersed in the life and lore of fishing communities and the rhythms of the North Atlantic. She is the author of the bestselling book Cod Collapse: The Rise and Fall of Newfoundland’s Saltwater Cowboys, a contributor to Canadian...
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HMCS Canada: The forgotten ship that built a navy with Joseph Frey
What does a ship that sank a century ago off the Florida Keys have to do with the birth of the Royal Canadian Navy? Quite a lot, as it turns out. Before there was a Royal Canadian Navy, there was the HMCS Canada, a steel-hulled vessel that trained Canada's first naval officers, escorted First…
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The Guess Who's Burton Cummings and Randy Bachman on Canadian music, travel and the prairies
What do endless prairie highways, a runaway tour bus, a hockey stick used as cruise control, and one of the greatest Canadian rock bands of all time have in common? Burton Cummings and Randy Bachman have the stories. From overpacked motel rooms on the road, to their tour bus almost going off a...
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Sing Louder, Paddle Harder: Exploring Canada's Arctic rivers with Ted Johnson
In this episode of Explore, host David McGuffin sits down with lawyer, conservationist, former senior aide to Prime Minister Pierre Trudeau, and one of Canada's most accomplished Arctic paddlers, Ted Johnson. For more than two decades, Johnson and a remarkable group of friends, including…
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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 Forest In 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…
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Life at the edge of the world with Louise K. Blight
“There’s something really profound in being in such a vast landscape with nobody else around… You feel like such a diminutive thing in the landscape, really insignificant. Putting you in your place in the world.” - Louise K. Blight In this episode of Explore, host David McGuffin sits down with...
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Into the Carpathians: Skiing Ukraine’s highest peaks with Laval St. Germain
“Even in the most peaceful village, you’re surrounded by fresh graves… and you know the war is still there.” What does it mean to explore a country at war? In this episode of Explore, host David McGuffin speaks with Laval St. Germain, a Canadian explorer who has just returned from a journey deep...
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Beneath the ice: The hidden life of Canada’s frozen lakes with Andrew Budziak and Andy Bramburger
The hidden life of Canada’s frozen lakes with Andrew Budziak and Andy Bramburger
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Searching for life beyond Earth with Sara Seager
What if life isn’t just “out there”, but closer than we think? For the first time in more than 50 years, humans have left Earth's orbit, marking a significant point in history. And as NASA’s Artemis II mission makes its historic journey around the moon, we explore the thought-provoking question...
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200 km across the Atacama: Ray Zahab on survival, heat, and the edge of human limits
"The thing about desert expeditions that really takes you by surprise is how quickly things can go off the rails. It goes from good to bad almost instantly. In those moments, I remind myself: I chose to do this." We’re excited to be joined again by Ray Zahab, an ultra-endurance athlete, public...
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Newfoundland, Cod Collapse and saving the North Atlantic right whale with Jenn Thornhill Verma
Raised on Newfoundland’s west coast, Jenn Thornhill Verma grew up immersed in the life and lore of fishing communities and the rhythms of the North Atlantic. She is the author of the bestselling book Cod Collapse: The Rise and Fall of Newfoundland’s Saltwater Cowboys, a contributor to Canadian...
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The life and death of an iceberg with Jill Heinerth
“You see these massive calving fronts breaking off icebergs… you hear it, you feel the vibrations… everything is just absolutely magical.” In this episode of Explore, podcast host David McGuffin welcomes back legendary underwater explorer Jill Heinerth to talk about her powerful new documentary,...
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Michael Palin on Monty Python, polar plunges and travelling with curiosity
“Always travel with a fish-slapping dance in your bag.” — Michael Palin What value does a fish-slapping dance have when travelling in authoritarian countries? Quite a lot, as it turns out… In this episode of Explore, founding member of Monty Python, acclaimed travel documentarian, author, and...
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Artemis II: David Saint-Jacques on Canada’s growing role in international space missions
In this special episode of Explore, Canadian astronaut, engineer, and physician David Saint-Jacques shares a rare and personal perspective on what humanity’s return to the moon means for Canadians and the world. On December 3, 2018, Saint-Jacques launched to the International Space Station, where...
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Storytelling at the edge of the world with award-winning filmmaker Trevor Wallace
Award-winning expedition filmmaker and RCGS Fellow Trevor Wallace joins Explore podcast host David McGuffin to talk about exploration, archaeology, and insights into his expeditions around the world. In this conversation, Wallace goes into detail about his decades-long career working in Greenland...
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Christmas at Devil’s Portage – Charles Camsell
“So does Christmas eliminate distance.” Happy holidays from Explore! For this Yuletide episode, we’re dipping into our Canadian Geographic files for the reading of a story written by RCGS founding President and Arctic explorer Charles Camsell who recalls a memorable Christmas he had on the trail…
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The Hudson’s Bay Company charter: "Interesting and problematic"
NOTE: This special episode of Explore is being re-released to mark an important moment in Canadian history: the original 1670 Hudson’s Bay Company Royal Charter is being sold at auction. But thanks to a joint purchase by the Thomson and Weston families, the charter will remain in Canada, ensuring...
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Run Like a Girl with Catherine McKenna
Few Canadians have been closer to the front lines of global climate action than Catherine McKenna, Canada’s former Environment Minister. And this week on Explore, she opens up about what she’s learned from the fight. Joining podcast host David McGuffin, McKenna discusses her new book Run Like a...
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Across Quebec's Ungava Peninsula with Dave Greene
On this episode of Explore, host David McGuffin is joined by Arctic explorer and elementary school teacher Dave Greene. Earlier this year, Greene completed his fourth RCGS-flagged expedition across northern Quebec’s Ungava Peninsula. As the leader of this ski expedition, Greene shares his...
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Frozen fjords and first ascents: Shira Biner’s Baffin Island odyssey
In this episode of Explore, podcast host David McGuffin speaks with Canadian climber and expedition leader Shira Biner, who led the first female-plus team to establish a new 600-metre route on Eglinton Tower in the remote fjords of Baffin Island. Biner recounts the 2025 expedition, which was…
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Gales of November: John U. Bacon on the untold story of the SS Edmund Fitzgerald
“From 1875 to 1975, there were 6,000 shipwrecks on the Great Lakes — one a week for a century. Everyone remembers one: the Edmund Fitzgerald. And that’s because of the song.” — John U. Bacon, Explore Podcast This year marks 50 years since the sinking of the Edmund Fitzgerald, the most famous...
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Vanished Beyond the Map: Adam Shoalts on the mystery of lost explorer Hubert Darrell
" Hubert Darrell is the greatest explorer of all time that no one has ever heard of. The Norwegian great Amundsen, the first to the South Pole and first person to sail through the Northwest Passage successfully, actually met Darrell in the Arctic. He was in awe, and he wrote that with men like...
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The future of exploration with Richard Wiese
“I think in any exploration there’s a nobility of purpose — it’s more than just pounding my chest and saying, ‘Hey, I’m on top of Mount Kilimanjaro.’ It’s about filling a knowledge gap or serving the greater good.” — Richard Wiese, President, The Explorer's Club Join us for a fascinating...
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Water Borne: Dan Rubinstein’s 2,000-kilometre paddleboard adventure
Journalist and author Dan Rubinstein joins the Explore Podcast for the second instalment in our annual canoe/paddling series to share the story of his epic three-month, 2,000-kilometre paddleboarding journey, which took him from Ottawa to New York City and back via the Ottawa River, the St....
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Is a River Alive? with Robert Macfarlane
“Days on the water have produced in me the intensifying feeling of somehow growing together with the river: not thinking with it, but being thought by it.” - Robert Macfarlane, Is a River Alive? This episode of Explore was recorded live in May 2025 at the Ottawa International Writers Festival....
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Learning from water with Leanne Betasamosake Simpson
Leanne discusses her latest book, The Theory of Water: Nishnaabe Maps to the Times Ahead, a genre-defying work that weaves together traditional storytelling, theory, and land-based knowledge. Through various lenses — skiing, eels, beavers, canoes, shorelines — Simpson reflects on the...
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I Interviewed The Beaverton's Luke Gordon Field. He Replied in Headlines (Kidding! This is a fun conversation)
Canada does funny really, really well. So today we're poking that Canadian funny bone in conversation with Luke Gordon Field as he discusses his journey and experiences as Editor in Chief of The Beaverton, a popular Canadian satirical news site. Over 15 years, Field and his team transformed a…
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The Open Road: George Stroumboulopoulos on Music, Motorcycles, Movies and Canada
“It's the reason why this Canadian Geographic thing means a lot to me. It’s about people and how they live and how we interact and celebrate how beautiful and natural this life can be.” We’ve got a new honorary RCGS Fellow on Explore today! George Stroumboulopoulos is one of Canada’s great...
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Return to Ellesmere Island with Ray Zahab and Kevin Vallely
"It was brutal again. There was a very good chance we wouldn't succeed. And if it's a foregone conclusion that you're going to be successful, is it really an adventure?" - Kevin Vallely RCGS Explorer-in-Residence Ray Zahab and his exploring partner and RCGS Fellow Kevin Vallely have just…
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Singing Back the Buffalo with Tasha Hubbard
"Buffalo are renewal. We know that — it’s baked into who we are." This week on Explore, David McGuffin sits down with award-winning filmmaker, scholar, and advocate Tasha Hubbard to discuss her latest documentary, Singing Back the Buffalo. This powerful film delves into the deep, sacred...
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Dam proud: How the beaver has shaped Canada's environment
In this episode, Explore host David McGuffin is joined by Glynnis Hood, one of the world's leading beaver experts, to mark the 50th anniversary of the beaver as Canada’s national animal. This conversation focuses on this iconic Canadian animals significance in our country’s history. Hood shares…
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Elbows Up! Hockey, politics and patriotism with Roy MacGregor
In this special episode of the Explore Podcast, we delve into the current and unique intersection of hockey, politics, and patriotism in the wake of U.S. President Donald Trump's tariff war against Canada. Featuring an insightful discussion with Roy McGregor, award-winning Canadian journalist and...
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Episode 100: Diving into the Darkness with Jill Heinerth
In this milestone 100th episode of the Explore Podcast, host David McGuffin welcomes back world-renowned cave diver and RCGS Explorer-in-Residence Jill Heinerth. This episode dives into Heinerth’s experiences, including her new, award-winning documentary Diving into the Darkness, her…
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Exploring the depths of sperm whale communication
In this episode of Explore, we dive deep with Canadian whale biologist Shane Gero, who shares his journey from a landlocked childhood in Ottawa to becoming a leading researcher in whale communication and conservation. Gero discusses how his early fascination with whales began, his fieldwork in...
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The core of the mountain with Alison Criscitiello
Few people have been to the summit of Mt. Logan, and even fewer people have been to the summit and stayed for more than 24 hours. But for the sake of science, RCGS Fellow and world-leading ice core scientist Alison Criscitiello and her team took 10 days to summit Canada’s highest peak, where they...
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Journey of resilience: Jillian Brown on water, wilderness, and healing
Welcome back Explore listeners! We are thrilled to have award-winning photographer and explorer Jillian Brown as our first guest of 2025. Based in Squamish, B.C., Brown has an epic list of adventures. She was the first Canadian to paddle across the continental US, from Oregon to Louisiana and the...
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Encore Presentation: Sugarcane — the Oscar-nominated documentary of St Joseph's Mission Residential School with Julian Brave NoiseCat
Oscar nominated! Congratulations to Canadian Geographic Contributing Editor Julian Brave NoiseCat for his and Emily Kassie's Best Documentary Academy Award nomination for their film Sugarcane. Please enjoy this encore presentation of NoiseCat's interview with Explore, which was originally posted…
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Christmas at Devil's Portage - Charles Camsell
"So does Christmas eliminate distance." Happy holidays from Explore! For this Yuletide episode, we’re dipping into our Canadian Geographic files for the reading of a story written by RCGS founding President and Arctic explorer Charles Camsell who recalls a memorable Christmas he had on the trail…
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Laval St. Germain’s journey to Afghanistan’s highest mountain
Laval St. Germain’s journey to Afghanistan’s highest mountain Today’s conversation with extreme athlete and adventurer Laval St. Germain is fascinating as we journey through Afghanistan to its highest peak, Mt. Noshaq, which stands at 7,492 metres. On the way, St. Germain reveals the current…
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Running solo across Death Valley with Ray Zahab
I’m thrilled to have Ray Zahab back on Explore. Many of you know Ray as an extreme adventurer, Royal Canadian Geographical Society Explorer-in-Residence and friend of this podcast. Ray joins me to talk about his gruelling solo run across one of the hottest places on earth, Death Valley…
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Manitoba's historic Dawson Trail with Pierrette Sherwood and Mimi Lamontagne
More than military conquest: Manitoba's historic Dawson Trail with Pierrette Sherwood and Mimi Lamontagne We do love history here on the Explore podcast, and one of the reasons is that the more you poke around, the more you dig, and the wider you cast your research net, the richer the story that...
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Our Green Heart - The Soul and Science of Forests with Diana Beresford-Kroeger
There are few greater champions of our trees and forests than Diana Beresford-Kroeger. From her base in her forest reserve in Eastern Ontario, the Irish-born Beresford-Kroeger has led a decades-long campaign to save our planet’s forests and trees, while working in the fields of medical...
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Storm chasing with Jaclyn Whittal
It is definitely hurricane season, so what better time than now to sit down for a conversation with one of the world's leading storm chasers, Jaclyn Whittal. You probably know Whittal as the long-time co-host of Storm Chasers, where you’ll regularly find her reporting from Oklahoma's Tornado…
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