They dipped their hands in the cold waters of Lake Superior. Words of gratitude were shared. The group of four considered it a baptism. Above them, clouds of black flies swarmed. This will be their reality for the next several months. Beauty, and discomfort.  Natural majesty beyond words, and suffering.

The Hudson Bay Girls are now paddling and portaging. The journey started at Lake Superior Monday, May 26, near the iconic Grand Portage that leads to the interior lakes.

Photo by Joe Friedrichs

As Paddle and Portage previously shared, the Hudson Bay Girls is an all-female canoe team paddling a historic Voyageur Fur Trading Route. The expedition will take them on a 1,200-mile journey from Lake Superior to Hudson Bay, Canada. Along the way, they will share their story to raise awareness about the importance of environmental stewardship, outdoor education, and gender equality in outdoor spaces. After unveiling their plans for this journey during the winter that only recently has come to an end in many of the areas they will paddle across, the group has received tremendous support from peers, professionals, and organizations involved with the paddling industry.

Abby Cichocki, one of the group members, said the notoriety the Hudson Bay Girls have gained in recent months did not add a sense of pressure to the expedition.

“The support has been tremendous,” she said. “It’s uplifting. We don’t feel pressure to succeed. We only feel supported.”

With a combined total of over 4,000 miles paddled and eight years of professional canoe guiding experience in the Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness and Quetico Provincial Park, the Hudson Bay Girls say they are determined to break barriers and highlight the rich history of this iconic route.

“We want to raise awareness on the benefits of wilderness travel,” Cichocki said, moments before lifting a canoe on her shoulders and starting up the Grand Portage. “And yes, certainly we’re hoping to do that for women, but really for everyone.”

The other group members who stopped at the Paddle and Portage headquarters in Grand Marais Monday morning before starting their trip an hour later in Grand Portage include:

–Olivia Bledsoe, a former Girl Scout who works as a wilderness canoe guide. Bledsoe has worked for Northern Lakes Canoe Base and Northern Tier in northern Minnesota for several seasons. Olivia started the trip carrying a Northstar canoe.

–Emma Brackett has guided wilderness canoe trips for two seasons with Northern Tier High Adventure Canoe Base in Ely. Additionally, Emma worked as a trail maintenance foreman in Quetico Provincial Park. Emma started the trip shouldering the heaviest pack the group is taking.

–Helena Karlstrom, a guide on many BWCA trips through Ohio University. Helena carried the largest pack Monday when the group started on the Grand Portage.

As it goes with many things in life, the journey of the Hudson Bay Girls will include many amazing things, and some that are dreadful beyond almost all comprehension that last phrase seems a bit over the top…. There will be sunsets far superior to any human artwork. And there will be bugs so thick in the air it will be hard to breathe. There will be warm and pleasant days. And there will be cold and windy days. It will be this, and that.

The Paddle and Portage team were on site for the start of the Hudson Bay Girls’ journey north. See this media production from M Baxley with Bear Witness Media for more on the start of the Hudson Bay Girls.

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