Did I make a Difference in the World from a Kayak?
by Dr. Monique Dubé, Canada Research Chair at the University of Saskatchewan
Monique prepping for the race
On July 18, 2011 I embarked at 11 am in Whitehorse, Yukon. The weather was unsettled but I was eager to get going after two years of preparation and training. The field was down from five boats to four after a last minute drop; myself as a solo kayaker, a voyager canoe with six paddlers, a tandem kayak and a tandem canoe.
The first 40 km to Lake Laberge was a dream and lovely warm up. Then we hit the Lake. Lake Laberge is known for its unique weather patterns and vast, relentless distance under ideal conditions. It is 50 km long. The weather quickly turned nasty with 1- 1.5 m waves and a northern headwind that paralyzed any forward movement. Within a few hours I had lost my rudder and shortly thereafter capsized in a storm like none of us had experienced before. I made it to shore, fixed my rudder, pumped my boat, changed and headed out when the winds calmed down. Then without warning we were in it again and the only way out was straight into the storm taking the waves head on. I compared it to the movie the Perfect Storm with George Clooney, less George Clooney!
For 9 hours I fought that lake until the end where at 11 pm I camped. The rain continued throughout the night and after a few hours sleep I started back on the river at 5 am on Tues. The wind had died down but I quickly realized that I had damaged my right arm in the capsize. I paddled the next 18 hours and 225 km and was delighted with my progress despite the increasing pain and swelling in my arm.
The next day I was off again at 5 am sharp to shoot two sets of rapids on the Yukon River; the only rapids in the long race. The rain continued as well as fairly strong head winds. I made it through the rapids with little incident although my entire right side was now nearly immobile with the pain and the medication I had been given by my physician for such occurrence in the wilderness, was not touching it. It was at noon on Day 3 when I had to make the devastating but responsible decision to end my quest. I know my physical and mental strength and am certain I could have struggled for the next 4 days to finish but I was also very aware of permanent and lasting injury. After all, my first passion is being a mom with 11 and 13 year old children and permanent injury was not in the cards no matter my strong desire to finish.
And so it goes…. I am home now and recovering from a hairline fracture to my right arm above the wrist. My friends and colleagues helped me raise $5,500 towards Canadian Women for Women in Afghanistan, funds that will go a long way to libraries and educational materials and training. While I am very saddened by the outcome, I also know I am not finished with the Yukon 1000. I need to rethink the mechanics for someone of my size and the possibilities for the future (lighter boat, strong man paddling partner, food drops, etc). I need more capacity to deal with the unexpected such as a wild storm as a solo kayaker with a defined set of only two arms! I will go back as THAT is what we as Canadian women do. We are strong, persistent, creative and determined to make a difference in the ways that we can as individuals and together. As Winston Churchill stated, “Success is the ability to go from failure to failure without losing your enthusiasm”. As Eleaner Roosevelt stated, “You must do the things you think you cannot do.”
I thank my supporters for their generosity. My Giving Page https://www.canadahelps.org/gp/13502 will remain active until the end of August 2011. Please give.
