Living Stories of the Landscape: Perception of Place through Canoeing in Canada's North

The paper examines the role of canoe tripping in creating, perceiving and sharing meanings of place and movement. Addressing concerns over the transitory nature of outdoor recreation activities, Ingold's dwelling perspective is used to draw connections between skill development and senses of place and movement. Narratives of place from an extended canoe expedition in northern Canada are presented and analysed in the context of the author's changing understanding of theory and practice. Outdoor recreation research has been criticized for framing landscape as a static backdrop. In response, landscape, environmental conditions and social interactions are shown to be co-influential and woven together through the practice of skilled activities. This approach highlights the importance of socially and ecologically situating human activity. Implications are discussed for those researching, developing and providing adventure tourism and recreation.