Wabakimi and the Kopka River - Canadian Wilderness Camping and Canoe Trip
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- Опубліковано 16 лис 2023
- At the end of summer in 2023 I (Keenan) decided to head up to one of my favourite places to canoe and explore the wilderness in the Wabakimi area. In particular, I wanted to canoe the Kopka River, famous for its awe inspiring waterfalls and extremely rugged portages. All I will say is that this route is absolutely amazing. With pictographs, wildlife, rapids and huge dramatic waterfalls, I was in disbelief at points on this trip! What a magical place this is. And one we are so lucky to have living in Canada. This trip would be one of the most beautiful trips that I had ever been on!
Hope you guys enjoy the video and the longer edit. As always, Ashley and I appreciate your support very much. We always enjoy the comments. Many more canoe trip videos to come.
I also wanted to make a mention of "Wabakimi Canoe and Fishing Outfitters". Bruce, Margaret, and Lindsey were all extremely easy to deal with, including a last minute shuttle reservation and some inside information about the park. If you are considering heading to Wabakimi next year I would recommend talking to Bruce and the team as they certainly offer some great services and Im sure could make your trip easier and more enjoyable.
wabakimi.com
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“Walking around aimlessly with a canoe on my head.“
That would be a great book title.
I know I'd buy a book with that title!
A simply stunning video. Incredible scenery and beautifully shot, with thoughtful narration throughout. Thank you so much Keenan - I enjoyed every second of it
Thank you very much Esmond.
Your Kopka waterfall footage was awesome. Thanks Keenan for bringing us along on all your adventures.
Glad you enjoyed it Walt! Thank you!
Unbelievable. Love ❤ the trip and the entire video. One of the best canoe trips I ever watched. But I am absolutely not surprised you went back to Wabakimi after the first amazing trip. Thank you so much for sharing this Keenan 🙏
Thanks very much Jonas. Hard not to keep going back to a place like this. Planning another big trip there next summer. Can’t wait to go back. Appreciate the comment very much.
Man… I’ve be been looking forward to the next Canoe the North film and this did not disappoint. Outstanding filming and narration, just fantastic!
Thanks Keenan
Thank you very much James. Glad you enjoyed this one and thanks again for taking the time to leave a comment.
Thanks you very much Alison.
@@CanoeTheNorth Keenan, I’ll be going to Quetico. I’m interested in your recording setup. What cameras you use and how you record. Do you have that documented anywhere?
Nothing to say aside from this being as spectacular as always. I've never clicked one of your videos and been disappointed.
Thank you very much for the nice comment. Greatly appreciated.
A peacefully, beautiful trip Keenan. Breathtaking scenery, I love how much you enjoyed it and were taking everything in. So nice to have a new video to watch, they, and you guys, have been missed. Hope to see another soon🙂
Thank you Kathy. Lots more to come.
I met Bruce back in the days when he was a Member of Parliament. A lovely man, too good for that dirty business. It’s a bit of a shock to see him so frail, but age comes for us all, if we’re lucky. Glad he’s still doing what he appears to love.
He's still going for sure. His business is actually for sale now but I imagine for the next little bit he'll still be helping and or running the business.
@@CanoeTheNorthyou not tempted Keenan?! I think you and Ashley would make a great team running something like that. UA-cam is changing how these canoe trips are marketed, if you combined your knowledge, whilst working alongside Bruce for a few years I think WO could easily triple in size. You should seriously think about it, it's a solid opportunity. Have already sent a few ideas through to Lindsey there. The hardwork is done (by Bruce) just needs marketing and sales effort. Boom. Matt.
He was out on trip guiding a group this summer that got lost on Smoothrock lake. They went south and not north after getting dropped off. He had a bear incident in camp on an island. He’d brought in a chainsaw for portage clearing from what he said and he scared the bear off with the chainsaw! I think he said it was his first major bear encounter in camp. We got a big don’t camp here Bear Island when going over our maps prior to trip.
Group didn’t know how to read the compass and the Inreach they had was only for communication. Didn’t have gps. Bruce knew where they were but couldn’t get them lined up through Inreach messages. They eventually had to just fly in and guide them. I think Lindsey went with him on that trip. They went north on the Berg i think into Whitewater lake.
Thanks Matt. We have definitely thought about it before. Honestly though we would have to give up all of our canoe trips in order to keep everything going which for us is a non starter. Great business but I’d rather be in the bush canoe tripping than running a business all summer.
@@CanoeTheNorth yep - can't argue with that!
Absolutely beautiful video Keenan. Thank you for sharing your adventure with us. The filming and narration is so well done. What a amazing trip.
Thank you so much Greg. Much appreciated.
time to catch up on all these gems!
When Bruce was talking at the end of this video and he mentions the preservation of these natural places, by doing so you also preserve your soul. Thank you again for taking me on another soul soothing adventure.
Well said! Thank you
Awesome Keenan 👌
Thanks Ray. Much appreciated. 🙏
Thanks for taking me on your journey . It was awesome. Cheers. Keep the videos coming pls
Thank you! Will do! Lots more to come.
4:30 what a nice little jam
Wow. Just wow.
Thank you 🙏
Been incredible discovering your channel and diving in and getting a chance to experience all these videos. This one hit me really hard when you mentioned your dad had passed. In the last video I watched you had called him before heading into Algonquin. Life is short. Thanks for sharing and getting out there to share how beautiful nature can be.
SO GLAD I FOUND YOUR CHANNEL!
We are glad you’ve found are channel as well!
Thanks so much my friend! Cheers and God Bless! @@CanoeTheNorth
By far the best canoe trip loved this ...
Amazing. Thank you!
Thank you!
You're welcome!
Thank you for this most beautiful video. Our beautiful Canada. How lucky we are.
We are very very lucky. Thank you.
Keep these video's coming! It makes getting through winter a bit easier.
Thanks Jay. Right back at you!!! We all need these videos to help take that edge of winter.
Just said this same thing to my hubbie😂 this documentary might just keep us alive through February 😂
I’ve been waiting for your next one. Thank you. I love the pace of your trips. Quality is constantly surpassing expectations.
Wow, thank you!
Magnificent Place ❤️😊
It really is!
Love it! Cannot wait to get back!
Most people in the wealthy parts of the world have indeed made their lives too easy in return for nearly all of their free time. They know how to do their one job well and they use money for everything else they need. Then more often than not, run out of that money. I'm not above this myself at all but I did notice how ridiculous my life was a few years ago and start trying to diversify my skills and rely on my body way more. Ultimately I want to live off the land and sea and find a small source of income doing something meaningful. Thanks for this video buddy you made my morning.
Thank you as well. Totally agree with what you’ve said in this comment. 💯
Fantastic trip K and a lesson for All . 🇨🇦
Thanks you very much.
Stunning Keenan, what a special adventure….
Thanks very much Jon.
You are extraordinary! I love watching your films. Thank you for sharing your life on the rivers.
Thank you very much! That’s very nice of you to say.
Fantastic canoe adventure video.
Thanks Michael.
I have watched hundreds and hundreds of UA-cam-videos of canoe trips. This one was top-3. The combination of amazing scenery and your comments really set the atmosphere. Tnx a million.
Well thank you very very much indeed for the nice words. Glad you enjoyed this video.
Awesome adventure, and a nice dose of solitude. Thanks for sharing.
Glad you enjoyed it. Thank you.
Ура, відосік!!)))👍
It's obvious that Wabakimi is your happy place 😊 I can totally understand why ❤
It’s a special place. Love it there.
Wow..🖐😎👍
Thank you! Cheers!
Awesome video and always worth the wait so THX Keenan. CHEERS!!!!
Thanks Ian. Glad you enjoyed it.
With winter here I've been hoping folks like you and Tumble Home would start putting together videos of the summer trips. Hope there's more coming.
Lots more videos to come. Just need a little time to do some editing.
Stunning, beautiful and awesome, from your presentation to narration and videography you make us feel like we're right there ! no one else on UA-cam comes close. Cheers from Cape Breton
So nice of you. Thank you very much for the really kind words. Appreciate it very much.
Beautiful video: enjoyed the sound track, good blend of different music that fit the screen views, Betty Lou, best portage navigator ever and camp pal, words of wisdom from Bruce. You took a few tumbles, I hope the bruises reminded you of the great trip and you heal quickly for the next one.
Thank you Bruce. Yes I did have a couple slip ups there. All good here though. Lots more videos to come.
A beautiful trip and a beautiful video. May your grandfather rest in peace.
Thank you so much.
So happy to see you back! That pointed thingy/artifact was the business end of a Pike-Pole, used for grabbing logs usually on river drives. As far as falling in, like my friend always said; "If you don't fall in, you're not trying hard enough"-lol. And now back to the show I just don't understand how you can eat all that food........without Ketchup!!!! lol.
Appreciate the info in the artifacts. Very cool. No ketchup for this guy 😂. Thanks very much Paul.
Excellent stuff! Thanks for taking us along
Thanks Brent.
Marvelous, simply marvelous... What a trip, thanks for sharing with us all.. you do one heck of a job filming and putting it together
Thanks very much Tom. We've still got a lot to learn when it comes to filming and editing but each one we learn something new. Appreciate the comment very much!
Thankyou for sharing such a beautiful part of the world. Magic! Greetings from Aus
Thanks very much 🇦🇺 🇨🇦
Thank you for sharing !
My pleasure!
One of your fabulous videos. Truly stunning. Thank you for sharing. Spectacular.
Thank you very much!
Sitting by the fire at deer camp. Your adventure tops the evening off !
I just got back from deer camp a few days ago and we all had a blast. Hope you guys are having fun and seeing some deer.
@@CanoeTheNorth No deer but always a good time. Family
Nice to see someone who appreciates what they see.
Absolutely. Hard to not appreciate that amazing part of Ontario.
Spectacular, best documentary and footage i've seen in a long while!! Totally enjoyed this.
Wow, thank you! That’s incredibly kind.
Enjoyed this one! And brother, great shooting. Whatever you're capturing this with + processing is looking crisp
Glad to hear it! Thank you very much.
Your videography is second to none! The video quality too man is gorgeous. Stick with it. What a joy.
Thanks a ton! Appreciate it very much.
Good afternoon from a dreich and rainy Scotland. Thank you so much for this video and for ending it with thoughts of your Father and those words from Bruce.
Thank you very much for taking the time to leave this nice comment. Appreciate it very much.
Awesome trip. Thanks for introducing me to Bruce. What an amazing guy. I totally agree with his outlook on life as I do yours. Wabakimi has always been on my bucket list to see and explore. Betty Lou is such a great traveling companion, I love the way she gets excited when you catch a fish which makes me ask, did you eat that same damn pasta thing every night for dinner when you were catching walleye? Thanks for sharing and you are an excellent photographer.
Thanks very much Paul. You’ll have to get up to Wabakimi at some point. Very beautiful place to explore. No walleye for for on this trip. Caught them all to early in the day. Appreciate the comment very much and happy paddling!
Feel privileged to land on your channel. Thank you
Ah we love to hear that. Thank you for leaving this nice comment. Glad you've discovered our channel.
I was watching the Discover Channel - thanks for sharing brother!
44 seconds in and I'm hooked👍 it's going to be a good one
Hopefully it was. Thank you!!!!
Just finished the video! Fantastic job! Unbelievably beautiful and I know videos still don't do that beauty justice!
Thank you! Ya the videos never really do justice do they. Thanks again for the comment.
How many times can one canoeist say “unbelievable?” About a million I think. Believe it! The best part is that it is real. Thanks for sharing.
Thank you Saul. I actually laughed when I was editing this video at how many times I said unbelievable on this trip. Appreciate the comment very much.
Wonderful. Simply wonderful.
Thank you 🙏
AMAZING as always..thanks for sharing..seems like i was there too watching this video..
So nice of you. Thanks for watching and leaving the comment!
another beautiful adventure. Thank you for sharing. Made my day...
Our pleasure! Glad you enjoyed this one.
Wonderful! Thank you for sharing!
Glad you enjoyed it! Thanks for the comment!
Thanks for sharing this epic trip where the reward for hardships endured were certainly felt by me through your narration and photography. A great start to the trip speaking with Bruce followed by a nice flight in a Turbo beaver. You must have slept well that first night. Sage words at the end by Bruce as well we all need to heed. Happy trails and hopefully your canoe is recovering from the Kopka rash!
Thanks very much Mark. The old canoes resting up this winter getting ready for more rash in the spring. Canoe season can’t start soon enough.
On my bucket list. Last year fell through. Next year! P.s. your dog is just the best! Love her.❤
Hope your trip works out this coming canoe tripping season. Betty Lou is a perfect partner out there. She’s a great dog. Thanks Jamie.
Well done!
Thank you!
Epic footage !
Thank you!!!
Fantastic. Always a great video. Thanks.
Glad you enjoyed it. Thank you.
This was such an enjoyable watch 👍 👌 the untouched wild nature was breathtakingly beautiful ❤
Glad you enjoyed it. Thank you
52:08 that mink was so cute ❤
Merci pour ce magnifique moment de partage
Merci beaucoup!
what a wonderful video ! i could almost feel like i was there. also you could put on a clinic on how to incorporate background music to videos. the words at the end were inspiring . thank you bill😊
Thanks very much Bill. We spend a lot of time adjusting the volume of everything, and choosing music so this is a much appreciated comment.
Very cool! Very beautiful place. Definitely on my bucket list to see Wabakimi one of these years.
Hope you get there soon....maybe next spring. Thanks so much for the comment.
My new favorite channel.
Awesome!!! Thanks so much and we're glad you found us!
One of your best releases, from the plane flight in, the cliffs, the views to the water falls. Your ability to capture the natural feeling of the places you adventure into so calmingly real. It brings back memories of trips taken. Funny note I was on a solo trip this fall came across two young fellows, we shuttled through the portage passing each other. They had too much gear, and I was travelling light as usual and just before they got into the canoe to strike off they came over. I hope you are not offended but how old are you? A strange question but I answered 67. They both stated wow you made that portage look easy. Just like you do in this video jumping from rock to rock recovering from slips I used to do that! Keep up the good work enjoying the great wilderness. Brian
Awesome comment Brian. Glad to hear you're still out there paddling and portaging, showing those younger guys how it's done well into your 60's. That's awesome. Made my morning.
Yay! I've been waiting for months!!! I hope you guys have had a great summer and I am excited to see this trip vid!
We had an amazing summer. Lots more videos to come. Hope you had a great summer as well.
Thank-you for another wonderful film. Bruce is right. I'll never forget going into the Quebec North - it's one of my best memories. Now, tree cutting and creating dams is what's happening where I went. My father-in-law sold before too many humans invaded the area with their trucks, snowmobiles, racing ATV's, etc etc. After a late aft of fishing and coming back to the cabin with woodcocks whirring next to the ATV, we had our walleye for supper at 9PM🙂No one on the lakes, except one time we were surprised when Fish and Game Wardens popped out of the bush to see if we had our fishing licenses hahaha. I was always extremely sad to come back to the dirty city of Montreal. Bleah.
Northern Quebec is a place we would love to explore. Thank you as always for your nice comments.
Awesome! Keenan,Ashley can't wait I Am Very Greatful for All you and Ashley go through to take me on these Amazing Adventures, as I snuggle back by a warm fire and stay glued to everymonent so I don't miss a word of History, picture graph ,animals,waterfall , or you fall😮 i am set for the winter here in the south carolina mountains watching my Favorite UA-cam channel ❤❤❤
Incredible work. Thank you.
Our pleasure! Thank you.
Very nice bud. Never saw your vids till now and I subscribed. It is the kind of content that is worth taking my time to watch.
Thank you very much for the comment and support. Greatly appreciated.
The Kopka looks like a great river for standing and poling, which will save on the boat some.
Yes, in water levels like this you're probably right.
Amen Bruce and what a jaw dropping trip Keenan! Again so much appreciation for your work and sharing with us. I would especially like to thank you for the loon footage but all the wildlife is such a treat to see through your lens. I refer to these as “ thin places, locales where the veil between this world and the other world is porous, where there is mystery in the landscape”. Your grandfather was no doubt with you 💜 I also wonder how different these solo trips would feel without Betty Lou accompanying you. The connection between you two has to add such a special dynamic that makes the journey so much better! Thank you 💜 Barret And best to Ashley!
Really really nice comment Barret. Thank you for writing this. These trips would certainly be different without Betty-Lou. She's such a great little tripping partner. Always on alert and never goes anywhere other than right beside me. Thank you once again.
Great trip , loved watching , thanks for sharing .
You’re more than welcome to thanks for watching and leaving a comment!
The plane take off montage was SICK cinematography... what a good song choice as well. Your technical talents are amazing
Btw, the song is Sandy Band-Aids by Jesse Woods if anyone wonders
THE SHOT OF THE TRAIN!! SOOOOO SICK
Thanks for that. I love that song as well. When I heard it I thought it would go great with that footage so I’m glad you enjoyed it.
Yet another of your trips I just loved! You two are the sweetest and work so well together in the rapids. Thank you so much for sharing this with us. 😊
Our pleasure! Thank you! 😊
Wow, what an amazing canoeing/camping adventure :)
Thank you! It was one of my favourite trips to date.
Oh my, I'm so glad to see you again. Will have to watch it later in its complete. Excited about it. Love you. I got to see this in full. It's such a great time, glad to watch it again. Thank you for sharing your time with us. 😊❤😊
Hope you enjoy it Terry. Thanks very much.
You are just so skilled. Love the video and narration. I thought a lot of Wabikimi burned. Not this section. Wow. The beauty is amazing! Thanks so much!!
Thank you! Yes there was some fires there this summer but this section was untouched thankfully. Beautiful park.
Awesome trip. I think that axe head is considered an artifact at this point. 😊
Thanks very much for watching Steve. Artifact...thats the word I was looking for!
Absolutely gorgeous film. This is a documentary, not just a canoe trip. The photography puts me right there. Thank you for the time and effort. Safe journeys!
Our pleasure John. Happy to hear you enjoyed the video. Thanks very much for the comment.
Absolutely stunning wilderness and your footage captures it spectacularly. The nature there reminds me so much of Scandinavia
Thank you very much! Scandinavia is a part of the world we would love to explore someday. Appreciate the comment very much.
Gorgeous film, gorgeous river. Thank you for taking us along. Those portages !! As always, excellent
Thank you very much Vicki.
Gorgeous, gorgeous video 😊
Thank you!! 😊
Sure is a beautiful part of Ontario
It certainly is!
Awesome trip mate, amazing country and these places must be preserved.
Thanks Mark. Much appreciated.
Soon as I seen you posted a new video, I was on it, and not disappointed !!! Thank you, it's beautiful out there. Looks like you had an absolutely great time.
It was a fantastic trip. Thank you so much for watching and leaving this great comment.
Hi, I just discovered your channel today while doing some hand stitching, and I've been watching your gorgeous videos all afternoon! The work you put into making your videos shows in the quality! Thank you for sharing the beautiful places and wildlife. 💙🕊
That's nice of you to say. Glad you found our channel and happy stitching!
Huge effort. What a great adventure. Well done.
Thank you very much!
I always look forward to your videos. Maybe Ashley can come on the next one. Is that Betty-Lou? I thought she was much smaller. Maybe she was last summer...😀🐶🛶
Thank you very much. Ashley went on a few trips with me this year so she will be in some upcoming videos. That is Betty-Lou. She's been around 50lbs for quite sometime now. Maybe she just looks smaller next to our Newfoundland dog Hugo. Thanks again for the nice comment.
Of course. I had forgotten her big friend, Hugo! @@CanoeTheNorth
Thanks for making the steep portage look so easy. Helps to guide my prepping for St.Raphael.
Those ones are STEEP! St Raph.....thats a very cool park. Portages there are a walk in the park compared to the Kopa. Just working on a video right now of a trip last summer around St. Raph. What a place.
Thank-you. I am thinking of prepping to check out the parks in that area 2026, so that I know better what to plan for then I go in the "bush".@@CanoeTheNorth
Excellent, excellent, superb video. I was captivated the whole way through a 1:18 video and could've watched longer. Thank you for sharing and taking the time to create this! Gives me so much to think about and hope for in the future. Those portages set the bar pretty high, even with mostly pristine weather.
Thank you very much for the comment. Glad you enjoyed this video. The portages there were certainly interesting and kept you on your toes. Gorgeous park though. Thanks again for the comment.
Amazing work! Your cinematography work is always great!
Thank you very much Ashley.