Veteran canoeist paddles the Klondike
OTTAWA,ON—Beginning in late June, Allen Macartney will embark on a 1,500-kilometres solo canoe trip, retracing the 1898 Klondike Gold Rush route, ending above the Arctic Circle.
Over eight weeks, he will hike parts of the Chilkoot and White Passes, camp in Klondike-era ghost towns, visit a paddle-wheeler grave yard, and participate in an archaeological dig for woolly mammoth bones.
"I'm going on this trip seeking silence and solitude, partly so I can have quality time to spend with God," Macartney says. "I find the constant noise and chaos of the 21st century drowns out the silence around us; silence that is necessary for a healthy life."
Paddling north from Whitehorse, Macartney is celebrating his 60th birthday by facing rapids, whirlpools, and extreme arctic wilderness, all in grizzly bear territory. He will move 120 tonnes of water, with his paddle, every day.
Sponsored by the <ahref="http://www.rcgs.org/">Royal Canadian Geographical Society, the trip has three official goals: shoot a documentary of the Klondike gold route as it appears today, photograph its ruins, and explore the physical and emotional limits that a reasonably fit senior can achieve.
Macartney, however, has another goal: seeking a closer walk with God.
"I find my crowded schedule doesn't allow for substantial time with God. All my prayers seem to be really short—arrow prayers. Those are okay, but we need deep times of prayer too, to establish our relationship with God. Prayer should not be just me talking. Jesus said, 'My sheep hear my voice,' but often, all the chaos drowns Him out."
Macartney describes this trip as "a sort of extreme retreat," adding, "I think everyone needs at least a weekend retreat to step out of our day-to-day life and get alone with God."
Macartney, a writer and photographer, has been taking solo retreats for more than 10 years, paddling lakes and rivers in Ontario and Quebec. He spends these retreats praying, listening to God's voice, repeating scriptures, and meditating on God's Word. Not surprisingly, he finds the trips have given him "a greater hunger to spend more time alone with God."
Dear Readers:
ChristianWeek relies on your generous support. please take a minute and donate to help give voice to stories that inform, encourage and inspire.
Donations of $20 or more will receive a charitable receipt.Thank you, from Christianweek.
