How Trump got in the way of an American’s dream of paddling across Canadian Arctic
Karl Krüger working toward his goal to paddle across the Northwest Passage
Karl Krüger makes a camp on his way to Kugluktuk during a paddleboarding trip in summer 2023. (Photo courtesy of Karl Krüger)
Right about now, Karl Krüger should be roughly halfway into his four-week, 965-kilometre paddleboarding trip from Kugluktuk to Gjoa Haven.
With his gas-powered stove, pyramid tent, binoculars and a shotgun, Krüger, 53, a New Yorker residing in Alaska, would have been continuing his long-time dream of paddling solo for roughly 3,000 kilometres across the Northwest Passage.
But the whole thing fell through on Nov. 5, 2024 — the day Donald Trump was elected to his second term as president of the United States.
Karl Krüger starts the first stretch of his approximately 3,000-kilometre paddleboarding trip through Northwest Passage in Tuktoyaktuk, N.W.T., in 2022. (Photo courtesy of Karl Krüger)
“I don’t want to go up there and be viewed as an entitled American who thinks they can do whatever they want, despite the fact that our president is an idiot,” Krüger said.
A lifelong paddler and a founder of a non-profit organization that hosts expeditions in Alaskan waters, he embarked on his Arctic mission in 2022 with a two-week, 675-kilometre trip from Tuktoyaktuk, N.W.T. to Paulatuk, N.W.T.
Then, in 2023, he carried on with another two-week, 784-kilometre stretch from Paulatuk, N.W.T., to Kugluktuk.
Doing roughly 50 kilometres a day, there were many things he needed to consider but ultimately only one rule: “Keep paddling, and don’t do anything stupid.”
“I didn’t want to be the guy who needed a rescue helicopter because I stubbed my toe or something,” he said.
Krüger had to deal with grizzly bears coming close to his tent and “giving him the eyeball,” and fungi that grew over his clothes and skin.
And during one of the many “‘what the hell’ moments,” a walrus popped its head out of the water next to his board about 240 kilometres away from Kugluktuk.
But Krüger says the most meaningful part of the trip was meeting the Inuit of Kugluktuk — the strangers who welcomed him to their home on the “edge of the planet.”
“They fed me and talked to me about their stories — they were just warm and welcoming and loving,” he said.
Even a “hateful little man” like Stephen Miller — the White House deputy chief of staff, and Trump’s former speechwriter — would have been changed by that experience, Krüger said.
“If that incompetent little wretch had clawed his way over the horizon and found himself there, I guarantee you he’d humble,” Krüger said.
He said he is still up for the challenge, but plans to lay low for now.
“With the whole political scene the way it is now, with freaking Trump messing up the whole wide world, I just didn’t feel right,” he said.
“There was just some part of me that said maybe I should just give it a year and wait and see.”
Krüger said he accepts that not every aspiring Arctic paddleboarder would want to push themselves to a journey of this magnitude. But he feels that if more people put themselves in that position, the world would be a better place.
“Every day reminds you just how fragile and inconsequential your time on this planet is,” he said.
“You’re forced to be brutally honest about your weaknesses and strengths.”
Karl Krüger’s paddleboarding journey from Tuktoyaktuk to Pond Inlet is roughly 2,424 kilometres long. (Graphic courtesy of Karl Krüger)
Man, when we think Canadians are polarized Americans are on a whole different level.
No one cares about your politics up here. American politics are rarely even a talking point in the North and no one cares that you’re an American.
If you’re polite to people in each community you stop in, you will receive the same back for the most part, and if you need help, those people near by who are going to help you won’t recall the “stupid American” but the nice guy who was trying something daring and ended up in a bad situation because bad things can happen even to those who are most prepared.
Now obviously if you were unprepared, under-trained to go through and it was your under-preparedness that caused SAR to have to risk themselves to go get you that’s an entirely different story.
I’d say just drop the divisive political thinking mindset and just do you.
In nunavut communities ,whoever shows up paddling any kind of boat is always welcome inuit are kind and dont care about politics. You are in the middle of nowhere and having the best days of your life doing what millions of people dream of ! Seeing the lands of the inuit in realtime ! Keep going ! You will make it .
This might be the most american thing ive ever seen. Honestly what do politics have to do with achieving personal goals?
I’m sure if you go into communities and start talking trump this and trump that you might get some funny looks, but if you just go about being you, smiling and being humble, nobody cares where you’re from or who your president is.
either way, trump or no trump, solo paddling on a paddleboard the northwest passage is insane
Orange man bad! Don’t do anything when he’s in power!
FYI, despite what Trump may say or think, Canada is NOT and will never be the 51st state and Trump is NOT our president. Keep calm and carry on…
Inuit are a great tool for conversation when abroad in cheaper countries and will attract attention anywhere basically. Be careful out there as Inuit for some