On any given day, Kalin Pallett can be found traversing the wilderness trails and mighty peaks of Canada’s Yukon Territory on foot, MTB or skis. His first and greatest love, however, is whitewater paddling – a pursuit he credits with saving his life.
“Outward Bound saved my life”
Born and raised in Mississauga, west of Toronto, Canada, Kalin was introduced to canoeing during a camping trip in Algonquin Provincial Park, famous for interconnecting lakes and rivers set amongst sprawling coniferous and deciduous forests.
“As a teenager, I instantly fell in love with the feeling of being on the water, outside in nature,” says Kalin.
But life isn’t as simple as that. Like a typical whitewater route, Kalin’s early journey of self-discovery was littered with conflicting currents, hidden obstacles and a profound sense of anxiety about where he was headed.
“I participated in a 22-day Outward Bound journey in northern Ontario when I was 21 and I truly believe it saved my life,” says Kalin. “I’ll spare you the gory details but suffice to say, I was headed along a dangerous path. The experience of Outward Bound triggered profound growth – my confidence grew, and my personality developed in a positive way.”
This formative experience sparked a passion for being in wild places and, 30 years later, Kalin remains committed to spending as much time outside as possible.
“How far can I go without leaving the country?”
If you’ve ever been to Canada’s vast, north-western Yukon Territory, you’ll understand why an impressive portion of its tiny population (we’re talking 45,750 in an area more than twice the size of Victoria) consists of residents who come from other parts of Canada and the world. With multiple national and territorial parks, potent rivers, roaming wildlife and Canada’s highest peaks, the Yukon is often love at first sight for outdoor adventure athletes and enthusiasts.
However, Kalin’s decision to move to Yukon’s capital city of Whitehorse 20 years ago was born more from a cerebral ‘pros and cons’ list than an emotional longing.
“I was frustrated with my life,” says Kalin. “I’d hit a career ceiling, my relationship failed, and I knew I needed to get away for a couple of years and experience something new. I asked myself, how far can I go without leaving the country? With its proximity to endless outdoor pursuits, Whitehorse ticked all the boxes.”
Two years turned into 20 and Kalin, now a bona fide Yukoner, runs Eddyline Outdoors, a boutique tour operator providing bespoke outdoor adventures of all kinds. He guides canoeing, kayaking and paddle boarding trips, volunteers for numerous local conservation and tourism organisations (he’s the long-standing President of the Wilderness Tourism Association of the Yukon), and, of course, makes the most of all those irresistible waterways.
“I’ve never conquered a river”
Since discovering his happy place on the water, paddle in hand, Kalin takes advantage of the Yukon’s myriad rapids, each one presenting its own unique challenges. He has raced whitewater slalom canoe and braved remote wilderness waterways only accessible by air. But, when asked to name some of the rivers he’s mastered, Kalin is quick to correct.
“I’ve never conquered a river,” he says, passionately. “I’ve been granted safe passage, but I never use words like ‘conquered’ or ‘defeated’. To me, those words reflect a certain toxic masculinity. I approach every paddling experience with a mindset of humility and gratitude and, if I’m lucky, I get to experience it and come home safely.”
Paddle in hand, Kalin has been granted safe passage through the Yukon’s Snake River, known for its rock gardens, canyons and tight corners, located in the remote Peel watershed, along with the Wind River, Hart River, and the Tatshenshini River, a truly spectacular waterway that cuts through the largest protected biosphere on the globe, taking in dramatic mountain ranges, waterfalls and ancient glaciers.
“If memory serves me correctly, I was the first person to ever successfully navigate Ontario’s Shekak and Nagagami rivers in a C1 decked canoe around 25 years ago,” says Kalin. “I never stop looking for that next challenge.”
Enter: The Yukon River Quest.
“I didn’t want to finish dead last”
River marathons are not for the faint-hearted at the best of times, but the Yukon River Quest falls into a category all its own. As the world’s longest annual ultramarathon paddling event, the “Race to the Midnight Sun” attracts hundreds of canoeists, kayakers, paddleboarders and spectators from around the world every year.
“Prior to Covid, I had unwittingly become complacent, and I needed a goal,” says Kalin.
“Even though paddling has been the central focus of my life, I’d never done a marathon when I entered the 2022 Half Quest race from Whitehorse to Carmacks.”
Kalin trained relentlessly for a year, alongside a paddling coach, visualisation coach and physiotherapist, with the aim to finish in the middle of the pack.
“I just didn’t want to finish dead last,” laughs Kalin.
The outcome? Kalin and race partner, Brian Groves, finished the gruelling 301-kilometre race in 24 hours and 38 minutes, setting a course record and taking not only first place in the Men’s C2 category, but first overall.
“You can still accomplish amazing things”
“After the Yukon River Quest, I was riding a natural high,” says Kalin. “My question now is always, what else can I do?”
In a place like the Yukon, the options are endless. Kalin’s current ambitions include hiking the 53-kilometre Chilkoot Trail in a single day, and competing in the Kluane Chilkat International Bike Relay, an eight-leg road race that runs from Haines Junction, Yukon, to coastal Haines, Alaska, traversing alpine passes and coastal flats along the way.
“Living where I do, it would be sacrilege not to make the most of it,” says Kalin. “But the goal is almost irrelevant. People get to a point where they figure the best years are behind them and they ride a wave of complacency all the way to the grave.
“If you’ve got the right attitude, you can still do amazing things. My goals are athletic because when I feel good physically, I feel good mentally, but the important thing is to keep having goals, whatever they are.”
“Check the ego and check the attitude”
Whitewater paddling is often unfairly stigmatised as a sport reserved for thrill-seeking adrenalin junkies, but Kalin’s approach is one that feels accessible to almost everyone and it starts with being clear about your intentions.
“Maybe some people do it for Instagram, but for me, it’s about personal accomplishment and connecting with forces much bigger than me,” says Kalin. “My brain can be a little scrambled, but at the top of a complex route, I get very calm, very present and in the moment.”
His advice for paddlers of all levels of abilities is to stay humble.
“You need to check the ego and check the attitude,” says Kalin. “You can tap into the energy of the river temporarily and use it to navigate the route but remember, there’s no beating that river.”
“It’s good to push yourself out of your comfort zone. That’s where the growth happens.”
