Paddlenorth tells the riveting story of Jennifer Kingsley’s 54-day paddling adventure on the Back River in the northern wilderness of the Arctic as she and her five companions battle raging winds, impenetrable sea ice, treacherous rapids, and agonizing sores and blisters while contending with rising tensions among the group. But they also experience the lasting joy of grizzly sightings, icy swims, and the caribou’s summer migration.

Woven through this spellbinding narrative are often-harrowing accounts of the journeys of earlier explorers, some of whom never made it back home. Paddlenorth paints an indelible portrait of the spectacular Arctic landscape, rendered with a naturalist’s eye and an artist’s sensibility, and offers an eloquent exploration of how wilderness changes us.

Published in Partnership with the David Suzuki Institute.

Jennifer Kingsley holds a degree in biology and a Master of Fine Arts in Writing and has worked as a guide and naturalist for more than a decade. Her writing and radio stories have been featured nationally and internationally.

Jennifer Kingsley's profile page