Playing Voyageur in a Hudson Bay-style canoe

I poked along the Bow River at sunrise. The original voyageurs paddled 60 strokes a minute for 12 hours a day, but we struck a more leisurely pace.

The Hudson Bay Company generally hired expeditioners who couldn't swim. "They wanted to keep the canoes upright and the cargo intact," says our guide Chris. "They figured men afraid of the water would work harder not to tip over the boats."

Voyageur Canoe Tour on the Bow River, Banff, Alberta.