A group of volunteers braved the frigid, rushing water of Maligne River, June 8, to train for an upcoming trip down the Yukon River with a group of disabled war veterans.
The adventure is being organized by Pilgrim Bandits, a U.K. based non-profit organization that helps disabled war vets continue to have a full and engaged life after retiring from active duty by taking them on expeditions around the world.
“It was formed by some British Special Forces soldiers who felt there was a need to take injured veterans and place them back in challenging and demanding environments,” said Dave Stanford, the founder of the Canadian chapter and a former U.K. Special Forces commando.
In September, two groups of injured soldiers from Princess Patricia’s Light Canadian Infantry will travel down the Yukon River.
The first team will travel from Whitehorse to the village of Carmacks, covering a distance of 320 kms.
The second group will then continue from Carmacks to Dawson City, covering a distance of 416 kms.
The entire trip is expected to take about two weeks to complete.
Each team will consist of four veterans, in two twin kayaks, and two rescue members in their own kayaks. A rescue boat with two rescue members will also accompany each team to ensure the expedition is safe.
“The unique thing about the Pilgrim Bandits is everyone on the expedition is part of the expedition. No one is along for a vacation, so you’ll be expected to look after yourself as much as possible and make decisions concerning the expedition,” said Stanford.
He said the Yukon River is a calm, but very fast moving river, increasing the likelihood the team may get split up or someone may miss the campsite and get swept down river.
For three days, volunteers trained in Jasper to improve their teamwork and practice different rescue scenarios, such as dealing with logjams or rescuing kayakers who are missing limbs.
“The first couple of days of training we looked at the kind of scenarios they might end up in,” said Joe Storms, an instructor with Rescue Canada, which provided funding for the swift water training.
“Obviously the best rescue option is the one you don’t have to do,” he said.
“It’s about preparation in making sure the participants are aware of the hazards and know how to avoid those hazards, but, if due to uncontrolled circumstances, something does happen then they need that other plan and that’s where Dave’s rescue team comes in to deal with those situations,” he said.
All the Pilgrim Bandits’ volunteers have a background in wilderness survival or rescue environments, explained Stanford, who works for Emergency Management B.C.
“It’s quite a unique group of people that we bring together on these expeditions,” he said, explaining a military paramedic will also be joining the teams.
The expedition down the Yukon River is set to coincide with the official launch of the Canadian chapter of Pilgrim Bandits in September.
Anyone interested in volunteering or donating money to the organization can contact Stanford at [email protected] or visit
www.pilgrimbandits.org.
Paul Clarke
[email protected]
