Booze Provokes Unfit Man to Paddle Entire Yukon River

[Glenn MacGrady]

"Sixty-one-year-old Dermot Higgins got the idea to canoe 3,150 kilometers along one of North America’s remotest rivers from a drinking buddy.

"The rest — Higgins’ 'seriously overweight and quite unfit' condition, nude paddling, a bear attack, and his fraught personal history — is history."

Beer Run: Bar Encounter Provokes Average Man to Paddle Entire Yukon River » Explorersweb

Dermot Higgins, 61, paddled all 3,150 kilometers of the Yukon River this summer — with virtually no prior experience.

explorersweb.com

 

[Glenn MacGrady]

This is an even more complete article:

Paddling the Yukon River on a whim, an out-of-shape Irishman was kept afloat by good luck and true grit

At 61, Dermot Higgins canoed through 3,150 kilometres of Arctic country with few supplies, little training and only a rough idea of how to reach the Bering Sea from Whitehorse. How did he succeed?

www.theglobeandmail.com

"His back was shot and he was battling arthritis, but he had managed to cobble together $6,000 – enough to cover his airfare, a GPS tracker and a stack of paperbacks from a second-hand bookshop in Whitehorse.

"The canoe – an aluminum, 17-foot Grumman – he bought used from 'a real-life Grizzly Adams character named James,' he says."
. . . .

"He had by then been diagnosed with bipolar disorder. Three years ago, he nearly died from a suicide attempt following a profound depression."
. . . .

"Early the next morning, he awoke to feel something large and angry swatting his shoulder. Peering through the nylon mesh, he saw a black bear – so close he could smell its ripe, pungent odour. He blew furiously into a tin whistle – 'not very melodically.' The bear grew angrier, charging his tent, growling and snorting. Mr. Higgins pulled out a can of bear spray, dispensing it through the mesh. When the orange cloud hit the bear, it recoiled, then staggered backward. The cloud hit Mr. Higgins, too, and he was 'blinded and couldn’t breathe.' He began to retch and passed out.

"He came to 30 minutes later, around 7 a.m., covered in vomit. The bear was gone."

 

[Alan Gage]

That was a good read. Entertainingly written and I couldn't help but like the guy, which is not what I expected when I began.

Alan

 

[MrPoling]

"Freedom is another word for nothing left to lose"

What a great story. It's good to know if everything else falls apart I can go paddling.

I think an old Grumman would be fine for this trip, although chewing gum isn't the ideal patch during a long voyage.

I read "Kings of the Yukon" last summer. It was another journey along the Yukon, but with a focus on Salmon as well as the people.

 

[Sweetfancymoses]

In defense of alcohol, I did a lot of stupid things being perfectly sober.

 

[memaquay]

Great read! Some of my best trips were in an old Grumman, beat up old canvas bags, an old 30 dollar Canadian Tire tent, and several packs of Kraft dinner.