Renowned explorer and geographer David Thompson travelled through the Canadian Rockies and Jasper 199 years ago. 

In 2011, a group of canoeists will celebrate the map-maker’s voyage through the site of present-day Jasper by launching their voyageur canoes from the banks of the Athabasca River for a four-day journey from Jasper to beyond Hinton. 

The Athabasca River Voyageur Canoe Brigade will launch on August 19, 2011 for a four-day paddle on the Athabasca River that once served as a major trading route.

“It’s to celebrate David Thompson’s travels through here in 1810 and 1812,” said Rick Zroback, who is organizing the event along with a group of volunteers.

The brigade will start with a camp-out at Whistlers Campground for all participants. That evening there will be a welcoming social at the Airstrip and a grand entry onto the Athabasca River by all those planning to paddle. 

The second day will start with the launching of the canoes for a 65-kilometre jaunt to Brule. The eight hour paddle will have two crew changes to ensure everyone can be involved. The first will be at the 12 Mile Bridge and the second at Disaster Point. The day will end with a tour of the Jasper House National Historic Site. 

On the third day, the paddlers will proceed to Brule Lake, where there will be a fun canoe race, followed by a 25-kilometre paddle to Hinton. There will be another camp-out at the junior forest warden’s campground, and social events in Hinton to coincide with the town’s 100th anniversary of its establishment. 

The fourth day there will comprise a 50 kilometre paddle to Emerson Creek. It is expected to take about six hours with a crew change at Obed Mountian Mine Bridge. 

A small ceremony will be held following the completion of the 140 kilometres at the mouth of Obed Creek. A social will follow at the Emerson Creek Bridge. 

“It’s going to be a good celebration,” Zroback said.

Paddlers are welcome to travel the entire way, but Zroback said the crew changes have been put in to encourage more participants. 

With the event just over a year away, there is talk of continuing on to Whitecourt. 

Already four local teams have been confirmed, from Jasper, Brule, Hinton and Parks Canada. Four other teams from Rocky Mountain House, Fort McMurray, Fort Saskatchewan and Moose Jaw will be participating as well. Zroback said the maximum number of teams will be about 15. 

The idea sprung from a 2008 David Thompson canoe brigade that travelled from Rocky Mountain House to Old Fort William, which is now Thunder Bay.

Zroback took part in that adventure, and wanted to hold a similar event to commemorate Thompson’s travels through the Rockies. 

“I really enjoyed it,” he said of the brigade. “It was really quite remarkable.”

The 2011 brigade will celebrate and honour the historic value of voyageurs like Thompson. In 2011 Parks Canada has many events planned to commemorate the famous surveyor. 

“The parks are really honouring David Thompson next year,” Zroback said. 

The brigade will also celebrate the Athabasca, and the fur-trading it supplemented, while bringing together the three communities along it.

“We have a pretty amazing river joining our communities,” Zroback said. 

It may be a year away, and Zroback said he and his volunteers have a lot to work on still, but the general plan is already in place.

“We’ve got a lot of work to do this fall,” he said. “We’ve got the building blocks of it.”

One of the things on that year-long list is to secure enough 25-foot canoes for all the paddlers. Zroback is asking anyone with such a canoe to contact him. They have secured a few already, and a commitment from a local canoe vendor will see a few available for teams, but more are needed. He can be contacted at 780-865-7681.

The Athabasca River Voyageur Canoe Brigade has partnered with the North American David Thompson Bicentennial Partnership, and the Voyageur Brigade Society. Help has also been pouring in from the Jasper-Yellowhead Museum, Parks Canada, the community of Brule, Hinton Creative Campus, Hinton Historical Society the community of Hinton, the provincial government and local business, said Zroback. 

“The number of enthusiastic people who have volunteered to help with this project in the three communities has been overwhelming,” he said. 

More information on the brigade, as well as volunteering opportunities can be found at www.arvcb.blogspot.com.