Don Starkell (December 7, 1932 – January 28, 2012) was a Canadian adventurer, athlete and author who lived in Winnipeg, Manitoba.
He took up canoeing in his teens winning many competitions. He competed professionally as a canoeist and in 1967, his team from Manitoba competed in the Expo 67 Centennial Voyageur Canoe Pageant race from Rocky Mountain House, Alberta to Montreal, Quebec winning the race.
After completing the Amazon trip he later paddled to the Arctic across, “The roof of the world” through the historic Northwest Passage when he nearly froze to death in his kayak. It was the longest self-propelled kayak trip in Canadian Arctic history.
He counts his children as his greatest success.

Dana Starkell is a professional musician well recognized for his skills as a classical guitarist. His education into classical guitar began when he brought a guitar on the Amazon trip. Miraculously it survived the many mishaps they encountered.
He has received numerous awards as a special events performer and has held concert performances in the USA, Canada, Trinidad, and Brazil.
Dana Starkell is a motivational speaker and music publisher who has recorded 7 classical guitar albums and published 7 guitar books
Dana is based in the Quad Cities, Iowa with his wife Stacey and son Davie and performs throughout the Midwest.