Cameron Penney
Local resident and world traveller Joshua Henry has a new title to add to his résumé: “Canada’s Greatest Explorer.”
Henry captured the title—and the $25,000 grand prize—after topping Aaron Lauritsen of Cochrane, Alta. in a 15-km rafting race along the Red Deer River in the final challenge of the eight-episode competition that aired online at WoodsExplorer.ca
“It feels amazing,” Henry said in a phone interview yesterday.
“It feels really, really good to finally be able to say it and talk about it,” he enthused.
While people here only found out yesterday that “Canada’s Greatest Explorer” calls Fort Frances home, Henry has known since late June.
That’s because filming of the competition ran from May 17-June 24, with the first episode airing back on June 10.
“It’s been really tough,” Henry said of keeping his title a secret.
“Most people [didn’t] ask me straight out whether I won or not, which was nice.
“It’s been tough to keep it hush-hush and go about the daily routine, and know that I had the title and the prize” he admitted.
“I’ve had a great summer.”
In the final episode, Henry and Lauritsen built rafts using locally-sourced materials before racing down the river.
“I started off really quick off the start,” Henry recalled.
“I had a good lead on Aaron, he was a couple hundred metres back on me, and then he just really dug deep,” he added.
“And he came right up and passed me probably around the halfway mark.”
Henry said the race was neck and neck from that point onwards—until Henry regained the lead for good with about two km to the finish line.
He completed the race in 3:28:30 while Lauritsen finished at 3:31:31.
While each of the eight episodes showcasing the challenges only were seven-10 minutes long, Henry said there was plenty going on behind the scenes.
“It’s much different experiencing it live, of course,” he remarked.
“A lot of the emotions that all of us ‘explorers’ went through maybe weren’t shown as much as we really felt,” he added, citing days when competitors were eliminated as moments when emotions were high.
“It was really always a tough thing to see people go,” Henry said.
“We got so much footage . . . so there was lots of stuff in the background that people didn’t see,” he explained.
“But the camaraderie and the intense competition was real.”
Throughout the eight challenges, Henry found himself at both ends of the spectrum.
Henry placed first in both of the last two challenges but was teetering on the verge of elimination before the third one.
He added there never was a time when he believed there was no chance of being ousted from further contention.
“You went in 24 hours ahead of time, not knowing what you were going to do,” he recalled.
“You didn’t know any of these guys beforehand so you didn’t know anyone’s strengths or weaknesses.
“It was always just, ‘Am I going home today,’ was really the thought,” he stressed.
“Am I sticking around or am I going home?”
Henry also noted the challenges that were judged by an expert were particularly difficult.
“It was a real ‘hold your breath’ moment every time it got down to who was staying and who was going,” he remarked.
Despite the stresses of competing for $25,000, Henry found a way to enjoy each challenge.
“I really enjoyed them all, to be honest,” he said.
“The survival in Quebec was just something that you kind of always thought would be a cool thing to do [but] you just would never maybe put yourself through that,” he reasoned.
“So being forced to, and seeing how you stack up, was really exciting and I really enjoyed that one.”
Henry also enjoyed the photography challenge, which he won.
“It was great to be out in the mountains . . . being as creative as possible and just enjoying the scenery,” he enthused.
“Being out there by yourself was special.”
As for his immediate plans, Henry plans to continue doing what he enjoys most: travelling.
“I’m just about done my season as a guide so summer’s winding down,” he noted.
“I’m just going to take some time to relax and do some travelling here in Canada, as well as planning some trips overseas.
“I’m also looking at spending a little bit of the money towards funding the costs for my charity, the ‘Giveback Giveaway,’ which is going to be happening in December,” he added.
While reflecting on his experience, Henry was appreciative of the support he received from local residents along the way.
“I had so much support from everyone back in Fort Frances cheering me on and congratulating me so far,” he said.
“Really proud moment to be from Fort Frances; to be able to showcase a tiny little town.
“I just want to say thanks to all the people there that voted for me and supported me along the way,” Henry added.
“It’s been really special.”
