The Great Portage

S1 E3: In this five part "living history" series about eight "average people" (7 men and one women) who volunteer to relive an adventure. The epic 1200 kilometer journey by the Hudson's Bay Company fur traders of 1840s from Winnipeg, to the Hudson Bay. They undertake this grueling and difficult journey through the heart of the Canadian wilderness in a historically accurate York Boat. Rowing 12 to 14 hours a day, carrying 180 lb. packs, shooting the rapids, and covering over 1200 kilometers, the trip will take eight to twelve weeks. In Episode 3 "The Great Portage" the crew leaves the security of Norway House, as the York boat sets out into the northern wilderness. They fight their way over barricades of beaver dams and drag the boat through the leech-filled sloughs of the Echimamish River before reaching the arduous 1600-meter Robinson Portage. The spirit of the group cracks under the intensity of the portage as the good weather turns to a torrential rain.