Hap Wilson

International Fellow of the prestigious Explorer’s Club, fellow of the Royal Canadian Geographical Society, recipient of the Bill Mason Award for lifetime achievement in river conservation, co-founder of the environmental group Earthroots, author, artist, wilderness guide and photographer, Hap Wilson has paddled more than 60,000 kilometres across Canada. Often referred to as the modern day “David Thompson” Wilson’s artistic maps and explorations have covered more than half the country, brought alive in his best-selling guidebooks and short stories. Wilson has more than a dozen books to his name, including “Voyages” – Canada’s Heritage Rivers, which won the Natural Resources Council of America Award for best environmental book in 1994. His current book, “Mapping Canada’s Canoe Route” (Firefly Books), traces a 1,200km. Trans Canada Trail canoe path across northwest Ontario, from Thunder Bay to Manitoba. On the lighter side, Wilson taught Pierce Brosnan how to paddle a canoe and throw a knife for the movie “Grey Owl” – a Richard Attenborrough production. He lives in Rosseau, Ontario, with his wife Andrea and Oban (collie named after their favourite scotch).