Yukon 700 2024
04 April 2024
https://www.justgiving.com/page/yukon-expedition-1709645781561?fbclid=IwAR1aidf4PbNEDbPwLbLrVvuU_zzEt18h1JFK7bDz_Cnrc0LiPY4b-7xRKfI_aem_ATkfoxbCYn2Dw-ygjbzjsWu0IJ4qHCrDdM9mJTJKC2ro5Y6ejvLxs9hsrF_E-vkXcR1Hycca1fdqbe18HIXcXTIT
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Story
Yukon 700 2024 is an epic and ambitious adventure expedition, testing both physical and mental endurance. It will showcase the courage and fortitude of 5 Grenadier Guardsmen who were injured, both physically and mentally, whilst serving their country.
These wounded veterans served in numerous conflicts around the world, from Northern Ireland to Bosnia to Iraq and Afghanistan. All, and many others, will continue to require support on their recovery journey throughout their lives. The injured members of the group have suffered a variety of wounds, physical and mental, ranging from amputations to severe sight impairment and PTSD. They share in common not just the bonds of comradeship but a determination not to be defined by their injury or disability, and that - if well supported and motivated by all of us in the greater community - they can achieve great things.
Two successful expeditions took place in 2022 and 2023 with planning underway for 2024. The expeditions see a team of 8 Grenadiers, 5 of whom have life changing injuries, take to open canoes and paddle unsupported for 750km along the Yukon and Teslin Rivers in 7 days navigating their way through these waterways for approximately 16 hours per day, camping overnight on islands. The team follows the routes of the original settlers and prospectors who first ventured into this wilderness in the early 19th Century between Whitehorse, Johnson’s Crossing, Fort Selkirk and Dawson City in Northwest Canada. Using open canoes much like the first pioneers, although made of Kevlar not wood, the team is completely self-sufficient throughout, carrying everything its members need to survive.
It is well documented that such expeditions, by providing both an intense physical and mental team challenge, help the long-term recovery process of wounded soldiers taking part. The individuals involved feel part of a team again, often something missing after they have been discharged from the Army. Above all, the expedition gives give them a sense of real achievement that serves to reinforce their self-confidence and sense of worth.
Mounting these expeditions comes at a cost and we are always very grateful to our sponsors and supporters. A single seat in a canoe on the expedition for one of our veterans’ costs £3,000, with a total expedition cost of £25,000.