Let’s just call it a lot of strokes. A trio of Canadians is planning to canoe 8,000 kilometers across from the Atlantic to Pacific this summer.
Will Vyse, Georges Kirijian and Nolan Aziz are the three friends at the heart of the Canada by Canoe project. With a cumulative 888 days of canoe tripping experience under their buckskin belts, as well as numerous accolades and certifications, the trio met in 2019 and have been canoe tripping together ever since. The last major project they did was the 2020 Canoe4Covid expedition, which made news headlines across Canada. On that trip, six high school students embarked on an ambitious project called Canoe4Covid, a 60-day canoe trip across Ontario to raise funds for COVID-19 relief. On that trip, they travelled over 2000 kilometers through the wilderness, documenting it on YouTube and Instagram. With an initial goal of $60,000, the trip ended up raising over $87,000 for Food Banks Canada.
This one is four times as long. “The unseen reality behind this epic adventure is obsessive preparation: studying 1800s fur-trade documents just to create 272 hand-drawn topographic maps, and spending three exhausting weeks hand-packing raw bulk ingredients to ensure a perfectly balanced 4,000 calories per day,” says ringleader Vyse, who began hatching the idea for a follow-up trip in the spring of 2021. “Hauling 125-pound backpacks takes a massive physical toll.”
Vyse’s idea: What if instead of crossing a single province, he could cross the country? The feat has been accomplished a handful of times, but he wanted to do it differently, avoiding busy waterways, large cities, and having to walk for days on highways to get through the Rockies? After a year developing a rough draft of a more northern cross-country route, he approached his friends Kirijian and Aziz. They quickly joined in and Canada by Canoe was born.
Meet the Team
Will is the founder of Canada by Canoe, and has 376 days of canoe tripping experience. He holds the Algonquin Park ‘Brent Run’ wooden boat record alongside Nolan Aziz. The pair completed the famed 162 km in 22h59m. He was the route-planner and navigator on Canoe4Covid and will continue to fill both these roles on this cross-Canada voyage. Will is completing a BMath at TMU, and he has his Bronze Cross, Wilderness First Aid, and Red Cross Psych certifications.
Georges has completed over 300 days of canoe trip, 60 of which were on Canoe4Covid. Outside of canoe trip Georges is an avid skier and has worked in the snow sports industry for the past three seasons. 
He is certified as a Wilderness First Responder, Tandem Canoe Instructor, Moving Water Canoe Instructor, Sea Kayak Instructor, Level 3 Swift Water Rescue Technician, and a Leave No Trace Master Educator.
Nolan has completed 204 days of trip, including the 60-day Canoe4Covid trip, a 19-day trip on the Kesagami River and a 21-day trip on the Moisie River. Nolan also completed the 22h59m record Brent Run with Will Vyse. 
Off-trip, Nolan has earned his BSc in Environmental Science from Dalhousie University. Nolan is Bronze Cross certified, Wilderness First Aid certified, and Red Cross Psych certified.
Follow CanadaByCanoe at https://www.canadabycanoe.com/home.
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