Former Grand Forks woman Madison Eklund completes solo kayak trek to York Factory on Hudson Bay – Grand Forks Herald

GRAND FORKS – There were plenty of dicey moments – floods, storms, tornado watches, heat, isolation and rough water among them – but Madison Eklund in late August completed a 1,600-plus-mile kayak trek from the Twin Cities to York Factory, Manitoba, on Hudson Bay.

In the process, the former Grand Forks woman became the first person – male or female – to complete the expedition alone. Paddling through the mouth of the Hayes River – a river that required navigating or portaging 45 sets of rapids – into Hudson Bay late Aug. 25 culminated a dream that was years in the planning, Eklund says.

“Nobody has done it solo that I’m aware of – male or female,” Eklund said Wednesday in a virtual chat from her home in Rosamond, Calif. “So I’m the first one. And as far as kayaks go, I don’t think anybody’s done it in a kayak.”

Eklund, who grew up in upstate New York, lived in Grand Forks from 2018 until late August, when her husband, Ryan, transferred from Grand Forks Air Force Base to Edwards Force Base in California.

Hiking, fishing, ice climbing and kayaking were a way of life growing up, she says, and paddling to Hudson Bay was a way to stay connected with the outdoors.

Upon learning of the route from the Twin Cities to Hudson Bay, Eklund connected with Natalie Warren, who with Ann Raiho paddled a canoe from Fort Snelling to York Factory during 85 days in 2011. They were the first women to complete…