Lieutenant-Colonel Paul Kernaghan served in the Canadian Armed Forces and in Special Operations as a combat engineer. He was deployed to Bosnia as part of Operation Palladium and to Afghanistan as part of Operation Athena. In August 2024, he will be retiring from the CAF after nearly four decades of service.

In 2023, Kernaghan took part in True Patriot Love’s expedition to Mount Barbeau on Ellesmere Island in Quttinirpaaq National Park. The peak is Canada’s most isolated, and at 8,583 feet (2,616m) it is the highest mountain in Nunavut, the Canadian Arctic, and all eastern North America.

The expedition team met unforeseen bad weather after reaching the first camp, and made the difficult decision to turn around to prioritize safety. But in spite of the challenges, the team successfully conquered an unnamed peak in the range, marking a remarkable first ascent.

True Patriot Love caught up with him recently to hear about the impact of his expedition one year on, what he learned about himself and what civilians can learn about the bond between soldiers.

What memory from your expedition stands out for you?

For a memory of the expedition, you were probably thinking that I would recall a specific place or event; however, what stands out for me is people commenting that I look happy. I don’t know how devoid of emotion I appeared before the expedition, but it must have been significant. It brought out a sense of life enjoyment that I hadn’t experienced in a long time.

What did your expedition mean to you? 

The expedition was an opportunity for me to disconnect from the challenges that I was facing or had conceived in my life. It allowed me to live in the moment, connect with others, and go with the flow.

What advice would you give someone embarking on their first expedition?

Let things unfold naturally. Soldiers are taught to control their environment, because that’s what an army does. The real world doesn’t work like that, so this is a good opportunity to let the experience unfold for you.

What did you learn about yourself while training and then trekking?

I learnt that the greatest experiences come from listening and taking time to appreciate your surroundings. I wasn’t doing that; I wasn’t able to just let things unfold. I was much too intense (even though I thought I had mellowed).

How does your life look different now than it did before you went on your expedition?

I have become much better at identifying what I like and that I should pursue more of that in my life. I have told many people, “The army tells you where you’ll go, what you’ll do, and that you will like it, so you say ‘yes, sir’ and then find some meaning in it. One of the hardest things after almost four decades in uniform is to figure out what I actually, truly enjoy.” The expedition was a big step in that process for me.

What did you learn from the civilian mentor(s)?

There is love in this world and a lot of people who want to help us. I still need to learn how to ask for help, because asking for help is a sign of weakness in the military. I also learned about what motivates and fulfills me.

What do you think they learned from you?

I don’t know. Perhaps that there is an incredibly deep bond between soldiers, that we can be complete jackasses at one moment and embrace each other’s pain a moment later.