Emma Wehner

Born in Kenora, Ontario Currently based in Squamish, BC

Day trips — Lower Gordon (Vancouver Island) A tight creek that runs best around 3 CMS, featuring a beautiful drop-and-pool sequence with excellent boofs and canyon walls towering all around. It’s a rain-fed Class III+ that comes in sporadically from October to April. Expedition — Churchill River to Hudson Bay The final 20 days of the Churchill River, paddling out into Hudson Bay, stand out as my most memorable expedition. You travel through the flooded landscape of South Indian Lake, with crossings so large that when the wind picks up, it feels like being on the ocean—or riding a massive wave train. The whitewater is big and demanding, requiring constant decision-making. There’s added risk due to polar bears, making a bear guard essential. Portages and bushwhacking around Class IV–V sections are intense and committing. The highlight comes at the very end. As you reach Hudson Bay, the current slows and the horizon opens up—it feels like the world just drops away. Then you look down and realize your canoe is being nudged by a pod of curious belugas. This stretch offers incredible landscape changes and a wide range of challenges—making it a true Type II fun expedition.

Expeditions — Canyon Tandem day trips — Pocket Canyon OC1 (steep creeks) — L’Edge OC1 (all-around) — Ocoee

As a kid on an expedition with a YMCA–YWCA camp, I remember sitting by the fire after a brutally long day—paddling from sunrise to sunset, with exhausting portages that left me completely drained. I sat there staring into the flames, soaking in the warmth, feeling humbled by the river and the weight of the day. In that quiet moment, something clicked: expeditions don’t break you—they shape you. That’s when I began to understand that every trip carries its own lessons. The river is always teaching, if you’re willing to listen. And if you keep coming back, keep putting your paddle in the water, you realize you’ll never stop learning. It’s something I still think about—whether I’m teaching, training, or just out on the water with friends.