Madigan Cotterill

Toronto

Digital Content Editor at Canadian Geographic

Digital Content Editor at @CanGeo and @CanGeo_Travel | Wannabe world explorer. Big fan of sharks.

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Articles

From the mountains, for the mountains: Arc’teryx returns to its roots

1 month ago | canadiangeographic.ca | Madigan Cotterill

“You lifted your hand again,” Will Gadd says to me, calmly but firmly, as he grabs the bright blue rope attached to my fellow first-time ice climber about six metres above us. I apologize (for a second time) and promise it won’t happen again. Belaying, I’m learning, is not as easy as it looks. But then again, neither is ice climbing. Thankfully, I’m being guided by one of the best in the world, while wearing gear built precisely for moments like this.
Echoes in the ice: Inuit knowledge and the changing Arctic

1 month ago | canadiangeographic.ca | Madigan Cotterill

“Hellooo, Ocean Endeavour!” The voice of Adventure Canada expedition leader John Blyth echoes over the ship’s intercom. “We have a polar bear sighting port side. I repeat, we have a polar bear sighting port side.”In the fraction of a second it takes for the words “polar bear” to register, the atmosphere in the Compass Club, the ship’s cozy, book-lined library, changes from relaxed to electric.
Steps towards tomorrow: a solo hike along Japan’s Tōhoku Region

2 months ago | canadiangeographic.ca | Madigan Cotterill

By the time I had finished walking through the sprightly streets of Fudai, I was stuffed. I knew Japan was world-renowned for its cuisine, but the dishes I consumed in this small village on Honshu Island’s northeast coast were, by far, some of the most mouthwatering meals I have ever had. “Oishii,” I say to Hidenobu Nakamura, a local shopkeeper who has generously gifted me a red bean taiyaki after I wander into his pastry shop.
Face to face with a century-old giant

2 months ago | canadiangeographic.ca | Madigan Cotterill

“Tortoise on the right!” Our naturalist guide Dennis Ballesteros shouts from the front of the van. I’m sitting on the edge of my seat, camera held high, ready to capture the giant. “He looks young, maybe 40 or 50 years old,” says Ballesteros. I look out the window, and sure enough, the rock-like animal is sitting just off the side of the road, partially hidden under a vibrant hibiscus bush.
The rare native plants of Newfoundland’s barrens

2 months ago | canadiangeographic.ca | Madigan Cotterill

It’s a wonder any life can thrive here on the grey swath of windswept stones near Sandy Cove, northwestern Newfoundland. And yet, shooting up between cracks and crevices are three endemic plants found nowhere else on Earth: Long’s braya, barrens willow and Fernald’s braya. Their hardiness, says plant ecologist Luise Hermanutz, is that of “a true Newfoundlander.” Map: Chris Brackley/Can Geo.
Six non-negotiable items to pack for Mount Kilimanjaro

Mar 19, 2025 | canadiangeographic.ca | Madigan Cotterill

It’s day five of our Kilimanjaro trek, and we have just arrived at Karanga Camp (3,963 metres elevation). For the past four hours, the sound of rain hitting the hood of my jacket has been so persistent that when I finally take cover in my polyester home for the night, I am shocked by how quiet the world is. I sit in my tent for just a moment, staring at the rain outside while dreading to take off my jacket to expose more damp layers.
The Essential Itinerary: Springtime in Banff, Alberta

Feb 5, 2025 | canadiangeographic.ca | Madigan Cotterill

“Yeah, I could live here,” my brother Oliver says after just two hours in Lake Louise. It’s raining and a bit chilly (it is spring, of course). Still, our spirits are high after a day walking the Athabasca Glacier, driving the iconic Icefields Parkway, impromptu cold plunges in Bow Lake and a decent amount of sibling banter. My three brothers and I have been in Banff for nearly a week and have collectively agreed it is one of the most scenic places in Canada we’ve ever been.
Inside one of the world’s major francophone marine science centres

Aug 21, 2024 | canadiangeographic.ca | Madigan Cotterill

PlacesAs climate change continues to heat Canada’s waterways, researchers at the Maurice Lamontagne Institute are working to safeguard marine healthAug 21, 2024904 words4 minutes A difference of 2.5 degrees Celsius may not sound like much, but it can be catastrophic for a deep-water-dwelling organism. Many marine species have adapted over millions of years to the deep-sea environment in the Gulf of St. Lawrence.
Melissa Hafting on the healing power of birds

Aug 7, 2024 | canadiangeographic.ca | Madigan Cotterill

On what people can do to help birdsI think people can try to reduce their plastic use. Try to write their government officials to protect certain areas in their communities so that they don’t get destroyed. We’re losing so much critical bird habitat. I think just getting out there and looking at birds and supporting these green spaces that we do have in place so that these birds are protected for future generations because many of them are declining — most of them.
Caving in the Canadian Rockies

Jun 10, 2024 | canadiangeographic.ca | Madigan Cotterill

TravelAn unforgettable spelunking adventure through Alberta’s Rat’s Nest Cave, Canada’s fourth-largest cave systemJun 10, 20241,442 words6 minutes I’m holding my hands inches away from my face but can’t see anything. I wiggle my fingers (protected by two layers of gloves), thinking I might be able to distinguish their shapes in the darkness, but still nothing. It doesn’t matter if my eyes are open or closed because pitch black surrounds me without the artificial light of my headlamp.