This Sunday will see the launch of an epic journey that will have two Minnesota men testing their endurance, ability and strength.

Scott Miller from St. Paul and St. Cloud resident Todd Foster will be starting a journey of more than 2,200 miles from St. Cloud to Hudson Bay in northern Canada.

The trip will launch from Foster's backyard and will end at York Factory on the shores of Hudson Bay. The catch? They're canoeing the entire way.

"Because we made the decision a year and a half ago, I am excited to finally get going," Miller said. "The cool thing is being able to go from a familiar area to an exotic area all by canoe. From skyscrapers to polar bears, all by following the river."

The trip will trace the original voyage of Eric Sevareid and Walter Port, who paddled from Minneapolis to Hudson Bay in 1930. This year marks the trip's 75th Anniversary.

"I first read the book in October of 2003," Foster said. "Then I proposed the idea to Scott and we have been planning it ever since."

Although Foster said doing the trip on the 75th anniversary does help with media and sponsors, they had planned to do the trip anyway.

"We had planned to do this trip last summer but then we realized that (2005) was the 75th anniversary," he said. "Although it's not that big of a deal, it did give us a catch for the media and sponsors."

The duo has been planning this trip for a year and a half and, along the way, have met some interesting people and also got quite a few sponsors.

Along with the time invested in planning and preparing for the trip, the duo have also been going around the state giving presentations on topics that include canoeing, camping in the wilderness, expedition planning and caring for the environment.

"It's another challenge," Miller said about giving presentations. "(The challenge) is making something interesting and exciting for people. We want to share our story and inspire people to live their lives how they want to and follow their dreams."

Throughout the trip, they plan to give live updates on their Web site, hudsonbayexpedition.com, and an electronic journal so people can see and interact with them as they make the historic trek.

"I hope this inspires people to do things," Foster said. "We encourage people to follow their dreams. It doesn't matter if their dream isn't a 100-plus day canoe trip, it can be anything."

A party to raise funds is planned from 11:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. May 7 at Fort Snelling State Park.