Exploring David Thompson
PHOTOS: THE DAVID THOMPSON BRIGADE; ILLUSTRATION: C.W. JEFFERYS, LIBRARY AND ARCHIVES CANADA—C073573
Clockwise from top left: A brigade logo; members of today's David Thompson Brigade; a sketch of the explorer using a sextant to take an observation; a section of the Columbia River; one of the many mountain passes Thompson travelled through.
In late June, as schools across the country closed for the summer and families prepared for their annual vacations, 67-year-old Norm Crerar planned to slip into an eight-metre (25-foot) wood-and-Fiberglas canoe with five other paddling enthusiasts at Canal Flats, deep in the southeast corner of British Columbia. Crerar and his team were to lead the David Tho...