Since 1981, the Hide-Away Canoe Club has explored northern Canada by canoe. Retracing historic routes and forging new ones, the HACC has brought alive the stirring past of this nation. Our attitude can be summed up in our above motto from C.M. Thorington of the Alpine Club of Canada.

The HACC consists of a small group of paddlers who regularly get together, we specialize in combining history and canoeing. HACC members and their Club Titles are: Michael Peake, Governor; Geoffrey Peake, Chief Guide; Sean Peake, Director of Research; The Rev’d Canon Peter Scott, Chaplain; David Peake, Quartermaster (Ret’d); Peter Brewster, Piscine Director, Andrew Macdonald, Guide; Tom Stevens, Director of Golf, Tennis & Snowboarding, Dr. William Bensen, Chief Factor.

In 1985, as part of a 55 day, 1000 mile trip across the Northwest Territories, we named a river after canoeing legend Eric Morse. The Morse River, which flows into the mighty Back River was named while Eric was still alive-a rare honour. Since then the HACC has continued to paddle unique and exciting routes throughout the north. This includes three traverses of the rugged Ungava Peninsula and a crossing of the western cordillera via the McDougall Pass and a challenging trip across the top of Labrador and Quebec in Labrador Odyssey 2001.

Our most recent trip was 2007’s Northern Crossing, another in our series of online trips and can be found here.

The Hide-Away Canoe Club has slowly, methodically built its reputation and experience to become recognized as among the top in its field. We do what we do because we really want to-it is not our job but our love. Every HACC trip is carefully chosen to interweave history and adventure. We celebrate our past and acknowledge the future in our onriver.online series of trips which are carried live daily on the Web. We will continue to build on this base which began in 1981.

We know that the tales of adventure in Canada's north, are lively ones. The beauty of its land and the allure of its history attract a wide variety of people and there are few better able to combine that experience in words, pictures and deeds better than the members of the Hide-Away Canoe Club.

Major Trips and Expeditions

1981 Missinaibi RIver, On. Peterbell to Moose River Crossing.

1982  Rupert River, Que. Lake Mistassini to Rupert House.

1983  George River, Que. Cabot Lake to Kangiqsuallujjuaq.

1985  Journey Across the Barrenlands -A 1000 mile, 55 day trip that featured the naming of the Morse River, NWT

1986   Bay to Bay, Que. - Hudson to Ungava via Leaf River

1988   Povungnituk 88 - In the Footsteps of Flaherty across Arctic Quebec rediscovering Flaherty’s original route.

1989  Churchill River, Sask, Patuanak to Pelican Narrows.

1990  Across Ungava, First trip since 1948 to cross from Hudson to Ungava Bay via the Kogaluk and Payne rivers.

1991  Lands Forlorn - Great Bear Lake to Coppermine, N.W.T. retracing  the route of George Douglas (1911-12)

1992 Heart of the North. From Great Bear Lake to the mouth of the Coppermine River

1994  Across the Arctic Mountains-NWT Up the Rat

River and across McDougall Pass and down the Bell and Porcupine Rivers to Old Crow.

1995  Arctic Land Expedition-Lake Athabasca to Back River-The Lost Route of Dr. Richard King, R.N.

1997  North to Ungava - Onriver.Online - George River, Que.

1999  Winisk to the Bay - Onriver.Online. Down to Hudson Bay on Ontario’s Winisk RIver.

2001 Labrador Odyssey - Onriver.Online - From the Labrador Sea to Ungava Bay through the Torngat Mts via the Palmer and Korok rivers.

2007  Northern Crossing Sask, - Onriver.Online.- From Reindeer Lake to Stony Rapids via the Fond du Lac River.

Email: hacc@rogers.com

Photo captions (top to bottom); Esker into upper Thelon River; Rainbow in Quetico Park; George Douglas’ 1912 paddle found on the Coppermine River; Falls in Dickson Canyon on the Hanbury River; Nunavik’s Povungnituk

River in mid-July; Rapids on the Churchill River, Sask.