Musician Sam Polley’s first canoe trip was with his dad, Blue Rodeo’s Jim Cuddy, his mom and siblings. He doesn’t remember much about it, but he clearly got hooked. All these years later, he’s still an avid canoe tripper with a love of the lakes and rivers in northern Ontario. Sam is best known for his rockabilly band Sam Polley and The Old Tomorrows and playing with The Jim Cuddy Band, fronted by his father. When Sam isn’t touring or in the studio or writing songs, he likes to feed his muse by taking off on canoe trips into the wilds north of Toronto. We’re into September now. Summer is drifting away, there’s mist on the water in the morning and a nip in the air, even when the sun is out. One of the things we get into in this conversation is Sam’s love of autumn canoe tripping. The lakes and rivers are largely empty of people and along with all that space and peace — and your pick of campsites — there’s also no bugs. And while Sam is a self-confessed Toronto boy through and through, he is proof that even if you live in the most densely populated city in Canada, amazing canoe tripping adventures are still accessible. We get into his trips in Algonquin Park, Killarney and Temagami. It’s a fun romp spiced with his own music.

With a passion for learning and a love for teaching, the Indigenous northerner talks about her experience guiding canoe trips and paddling through lands that her family has known for generations

Journey around the planet in this Explore episode with stories and insights from one of Canada’s most well-travelled wilderness adventurers

The RCGS Fellow and extreme adventurer talks about his epic journeys across the globe from the middle of the Atlantic Ocean to the top of Mount Everest

Inuit youth from Canada’s most northerly community share their stories using their own voices and words

In this episode, we're back in Taloyoak, Nunavut, mainland Canada’s most northerly community, to talk with Joyce Ashevak, Martha Neeveacheak and Roger Oleekatalik. They are three of the students who took part in Canadian Geographic’s Passing the Mic program, which aims to give Inuit youth the tools to share their own stories with the world. Joyce and Martha are both throat singers, a unique and incredibly powerful Inuit vocal art form. And Roger is one of the leading young hunters in this community, which sits on a peninsula jutting out into the Arctic Ocean, west of Hudson Bay. I got to spend an amazing week with them and 15 other students at the Netsilik School last October, teaching them interviewing, storytelling and podcasting. We’ll hear many of their stories over the next two episodes. I started with these three young people because their stories are rooted in the land and in Inuit traditions and you can sense the positive impact this has had on them. A strong connection to culture has been proven to be important in overcoming challenges around mental health and addiction, which are major issues in northern communities. Martha and Joyce have been throat singing for several years. It is an amazing thing to witness and it was a pleasure talking to them about how powerfully it changes them and their lives. We actually met Roger’s grandfather Jimmy on this podcast last fall, in an episode focused on Jimmy‘s effort to create the first Inuit-led conservation area around Taloyoak. Go check that out if you haven’t already. It’s amazing. Roger is a chip off that block, for sure. In his last year of high school, he spends as much time as he can on the land, hunting to provide for his family and the community. It's an occupation that brings him both pride and joy. I hope you enjoy these conversations, and the singing! Passing the Mic is made possible with the support of Polar Knowledge Canada. And also by listeners like you who donate to the RCGS Polar Plunge Fundraiser. The 3rd annual Polar Plunge is taking place March 4 in rivers, lakes and oceans across Canada. To find out how you can participate and donate, go to RCGS.org/polarplunge. You’ll be helping make this kind of unique Canadian Geographic storytelling possible.

In the first of three episodes from Taloyoak, podcast host David McGuffin speaks with Mayor Lenny Panigayak, who shares stories about embracing traditional Inuit life, his social media platform, being out on the land and more

Veteran sailor and polar explorer Ken Burton discusses the story of RCMP’s Henry Larsen and his journey through the Arctic

Podcast host David McGuffin reads the story of Arctic explorer Charles Camsell, recalling a memorable Christmas along the trail to the Klondike in the 19th century

The award-winning Canadian filmmaker, photographer, author and multimedia artist discusses her epic six-year journey across the world's longest hiking trail 

The Inuit-run conservation zone is already being patrolled by locals and will provide important denning and winter habitat for Arctic mammals like polar bears and muskox

The best-selling author and award-winning investigative journalist discusses her new book, which explores the history and complex story of the magnificent bluefin tuna

The canoeing legend discusses his Canada-wide paddling adventures, connection with First Nations communities and a record-breaking feat 

The scholar, filmmaker, author and explorer discusses his documentary work, experience in the polar regions, climate change and more 

The polar explorer and endurance athlete discusses what kept her going during her record-breaking expedition, challenges she faced, and her favourite place in Canada 

The former Mayor of Cambridge Bay and Canadian politician speaks about her experience being taken away from her home at four years old and the impact of Residential Schools on the Inuit

We're thrilled that Gary and Joanie McGuffin are joining us for this last episode of our 2023 Summer Canoe series. Be sure to check out the previous two, with Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and RCGS Explorer-in-Residence Adam Shoalts. Arguably no couple has paddled more of Canada's waterways than Gary and Joanie have together, and it all started just over 40 years ago when, as newlyweds, they turned their honeymoon into a canoe trip from the Atlantic Ocean, across Canada and up into the Arctic Ocean. That trip inspired the best-selling memoir Where Rivers Run, which was followed by many more paddling adventures and best-sellers. Their documentary, Painted Land: In Search of the Group of Seven, about their efforts to track down, by canoe, the exact sites of famous Group of Seven paintings in Northern Ontario, won a Canadian Screen Award. They are the founders of the Lake Superior Watershed Conservancy and their current project is a Smithsonian exhibit, traveling through Canada and the U.S., called Stories of the Boreal Forest. Gary and Joanie have a lot of great stories from their many paddling adventures and there are a lot of great nuggets of advice in here for young explorers, including how to get started and how to canoe long distances as a couple, and then with a child, and then with a dog. It’s a fun and inspiring conversation. Enjoy!

The Westaway Explorer-in-Residence discusses his newest book "Where the Falcon Flies: A 3,400 Kilometre Odyssey From My Doorstep to the Arctic" and more!

Podcast host David McGuffin sits down with Prime Minister Justin Trudeau to discuss his passion and history with canoeing, including childhood trips and being taught to paddle by canoeing legend Bill Mason 

The lifelong friends sat down for a fireside chat at the RCGS headquarters to discuss exploration, how the two undersea explorers met and more

Breaking into the business of wildlife photography is no easy task, but Ryan Tidman has experienced great success through his work photographing Vancouver Island's iconic mammals — bears, sea wolves, marmots and more

The accomplished winter and cold weather explorer discusses her latest High Arctic expedition covering 650 kilometres in seven weeks

RCGS Explorer-in-Residence Jill Heinerth discusses the discovery of a Second World War-era bomber 50 metres below the surface in Gander Lake, Newfoundland

World-renowned shipwreck hunter David Mearns and lead researcher for the RCGS Shackleton-Quest Expedition Antoine Normandin take us behind the scenes of the search for Quest

The Canadian adventurer discusses his experience battling cancer and traversing across the Paalik Valley in February 

Take a step inside Mount Meager to learn all about this volcano that last erupted 2400 years ago, plus testing space probes that could be used in the search for life on one of Saturn's moons

Set off on some incredible adventures with George Kourounis as we explore icebergs in the North Atlantic, Africa's most active volcano and more 

“If you want to understand what it means to be fully human, go to Africa.” Mario Rigby’s claim to fame is an impressive one. The RCGS Fellow was the first person to walk from Cape Town to Cairo solo. A Toronto based eco-adventurer, focused on sustainable travel and transport, Rigby covered 12,000 kilometres over two-and-a-half years and had a lifetime’s worth of adventures along the way. He was robbed of most of his money on just his second day out; he was attacked by wild dogs, pinned down under gunfire in a war zone, turned away at borders and detained by police multiple times. But mostly what he remembers is the incredible warmth and hospitality of the people he met along the way — that sense of community, ubuntu, that transcends African borders. It was a journey that he says fundamentally transformed him as a person and how he interacts with the world. He has since focused on being a positive and vocal advocate for diversity in the outdoors, encouraging people of colour to get out and explore nature. As part of that, he cycled across Canada. This fall, he’s spending a month travelling across the islands of the Bahamas using only human power: walking, swimming and paddling. He’s about to start a new adventure TV series with a focus on eco travel, working with the late Anthony Bourdain’s producers. And he’s working on a memoir about his African walkabout. That is the focus of this conversation. As well as amazing travel stories, there are a lot of great tips for young explorers in here, from what to wear on your feet to how to introduce yourself to new communities, learning to accept help and funding expeditions.

Inuit Knowledge Keeper George Angohiatok explores stories from his unique childhood and shares his life mission of teaching the skills and traditions he learned from his family to younger generations 

Students Tyler Agligoetok and Sinclair Lyall from the Canadian Geographic Podcast Worksop discuss favourite hunting memories and time spent on the tundra of Victoria Island

Join podcast host David McGuffin in the first of three episodes exploring the Inuit Community of Cambridge Bay, Nunavut and the new Canadian High Arctic Research Station. In this episode: Arctic research and the blending traditional Inuit knowledge with science and more.

The Director of the Indigenous Leadership Initiative discusses COP15, the importance of the boreal forest and the vital role of Indigenous-led conservation and stewardship

Hop aboard the Polar Prince with David McGuffin as he sails Atlantic Canada's Bay of Fundy with the scientists, students and researchers that make up this Students on Ice conservation expedition 

John Robinson of Parks Canada talks about the work being done to help bring back Fundy Atlantic salmon populations from the brink of extinction

The expedition leader and CEO of the Royal Canadian Geographical Society recounts the historic discovery of Quest, found hundreds of metres below the surface off the coast of The Labrador Sea

Join Students on Ice President Geoff Green aboard the Polar Prince as he discusses his experience as an expedition leader and how he built Students on Ice to be the vital force that it is today.

Join fungi expert Keith Seifert and podcast host David McGuffin on an educational mushroom and fungi walk through Ottawa's Gatineau Hills

The actor, playwright and author discusses her upcoming play about the young women who kept Ontario's farms running during the Second World War

Bestselling author Bill Arnott discusses his work as a writer tracing the voyages of Vikings around the world 

Commander Chris Hadfield is arguably Canada’s most famous astronaut. There was even a time, during his 2013 mission aboard the International Space Station, when he was quite possibly our most famous Canadian, appearing as a guest on talk shows and capturing the imaginations of millions with his viral dispatches from life in orbit. A veteran of multiple missions to space with the Canadian Space Agency, NASA and the Russian Space Program, he was the first Canadian to do a space walk, was commander of the ISS, and spent five years as the NASA representative to the Russian Space Program based in Moscow, becoming a fluent Russian speaker in the process. It’s fair to say that Hadfield knows a thing or two about space, so when it came time for him to write his first ever novel, he turned for inspiration to the cosmos and the heyday of the Space Race, particularly the Apollo Missions to the moon in the 1960s and ’70s. Out next month, The Apollo Murders is a classic Cold War-era spy thriller. In this fascinating conversation, we discuss the moments in his own career that inspired a novel that now has leading Hollywood figures like James Cameron and Ryan Reynolds exploring turning it into a film. “I thought trying to write a fiction book that would really give people a feel for what space flight is like, not only would that be an interesting personal challenge, but also once people have read this book they'll have almost an intuitive feel for what those various things are,” says Hadfield. “It gave [me] another avenue to share those extremely rare experiences that I've been lucky enough to have.”

The executive director and curator talk about canoes, kayaks and a stunning new location for The Canadian Canoe Museum in Peterborough, Ont. 

“Colombia is a place where magic seems to happen every moment and I would argue that only a people like the Colombians, with their enduring spirit of place, their indescribable capacity for joy, could have endured the agonies of the last 50 years.” Wade Davis says his latest book Magdalena: River of Dreams is a love letter of sorts. Colombia, he says, is “a nation that allowed me to dream, that gave me my wings to fly.” His love affair with Colombia began as a 14-year-old in the late 60s, when he went on an exchange from suburban Montreal. He has been returning ever since, as a writer, botanist, traveller, and scholar of Indigenous religions, captivated by the unbelievable range of history, cultures, environments, climates, and people that exist in this diverse South American nation. In this interview, Davis discusses the five years of travels he undertook along the Magdalena River, “a corridor of commerce and a fountain of culture, the wellspring of Colombian music, literature, poetry and prayer,” as the nation emerged from decades of civil war and drug cartel violence. He reveals a resilient, vibrant Colombia, a country where almost every ecological zone found on the planet can be reached within a day’s travel, from Caribbean beaches to snow-capped mountains, rainforests to deserts; a country of literally a thousand musical rhythms, where Indigenous cultures continue to thrive, and where the magical realism of Gabriel García Márquez is “just journalism” — a cataloguing of the magic that unfolds on a daily basis.

One last trip into the HBC vaults at the Manitoba Museum with curator Amelia Fay.

Amelia Fay, Curator of the HBC Collection at the Manitoba Museum and Archives

RCGS founding president Charles Camsell on his 19th century childhood at an Arctic HBC post

How The Métis Nation was born from the Fur Trade and the HBC

The impact of legendary HBC Governor Sir George Simpson

Adam Shoalts on early HBC Explorers and their impact on mapping Canada

A look at the impact of the Hudson's Bay Company as it turns 350 years old, by visiting the first ever HBC Trading Post, in the Cree community of Waskaganish.