Since the age of about 12 I have known that one day I would paddle to Alaska. 16 years later I finally embarked on that journey, a journey that has evolved over the 16 years as I gained perspective and experience, leading me to my paddling partner, trip plan and destination. At the age of 12 Alaska was likely the farthest conceivable destination and required no quantification as to how far in Alaska I intended to go. It was simply Alaska! For the 12 year old in me... we have spent the past 2 months kayaking to 'Alaska' and on June 29th we crossed the watery line that separates Canada and the US. We spent our first night illegally landed in the US and the next week until reaching Ketchikan where we officially checked in with customs and declared that we were in fact in Alaska.
Our journey through Canada was one of space and freedom. It was a journey of discovery as we saw for the first time our coast... I didn't know such expanse existed, I didn't know there were miles of white sand beaches and I didn't know I could feel so completely alone. Alone, but alive, content and at peace. We had the ultimate privilege of traveling by kayak up the outside coast. A wild and rugged coastline exposed to the open seas and the lashings of the Hecate Strait, a coastline that has claimed the lives of many. The ocean embraced us, the weather smiled on us and we were spared the terror. We drifted up and down the huge swells, bounced amongst the refracting waves and cut through the glassy surface of the early morning calm. We traveled miles of harsh coastline, completely un-landable. We paralleled black jagged rocks, frothing with crashing waves, spray shooting 10's of feet in the air with the shear force and power in which it was slammed against the rocks. We navigated through boomers, rocks that sit just below the waters surface creating huge dumping waves as the swell traveled landward. We felt the force, saw the potential and thanked the surfless beaches that provided refuge. It was more than a dream.
Prince Rupert marked the completion of our journey through Canada, it marked a halfway point and it marked the embarkation of the Alaskan portion of our journey. We are two months in... this is Alaska... and our dream is becoming a reality.
The Dream
If there is one thing we can all relate to, it is the notion of a dream. An aspiration that consumes us and leaves us with no choice but to follow through, making that dream a reality. Those of us that share a great love for the outdoors and the wild spaces still left on this planet understand the need to be out there. We understand that sometimes a dream is more than just a desire; sometimes it is a necessity of life.
On a quest to fulfill our need to be out there we have pursued successful careers in the outdoor industry, pouring in the same passion we have for those wild spaces in search of a purpose that will connect us. But we know that lifestyle isn’t enough, something still calls to us and when we can, we answer. This is an answer that has been 15 years in the waiting. This is an expedition that reminds us of how we got here, keeps us going through the dry times and fulfills that empty space within us all labeled ‘purpose’. This is what we live for.
On a quest to fulfill our need to be out there we have pursued successful careers in the outdoor industry, pouring in the same passion we have for those wild spaces in search of a purpose that will connect us. But we know that lifestyle isn’t enough, something still calls to us and when we can, we answer. This is an answer that has been 15 years in the waiting. This is an expedition that reminds us of how we got here, keeps us going through the dry times and fulfills that empty space within us all labeled ‘purpose’. This is what we live for.
On May 4th 2009 we will depart from Galiano Is (BC, Canada) in two single sea kayaks headed north for Glacier Bay (Alaska, US). We are two able, confident and experienced women, seeking to challenge our experience as guides through our own expedition of the entire coast we love and work on.
We aren’t heroes and we aren’t breaking new ground. We are simply two women following our dreams and in turn hoping to inspire a few other people to do the same.
We aren’t heroes and we aren’t breaking new ground. We are simply two women following our dreams and in turn hoping to inspire a few other people to do the same.
This is how we live our lives the way we have always dreamed...
It's about more than an expedition, it's about more than a sport, it's even about more than a lifestyle. This is about dreams, this is about passion, this is about listening to that need to be out there. It's about learning how to 'fly'.
We're calling it 'Crossing Borders'
Sunday, July 5, 2009
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