During stage 1 we will kayak 1,400 miles from Seattle, Washington to Skagway, Alaska. The Pacific Northwest is home to a wide range of aquatic and terrestrial animals. We will be studying whales and other marine mammals, kelp forests, salmon, and many other species.
The Pacific Northwest is home to a variety of large land mammals including Grizzly Bears, and Black Bears. Above and below the surface we are sure to find plenty of things to learn about. Many of these large mammals need large undeveloped spaces to thrive and the roadless sections of British Columbia and Alaska provide the perfect habitat.
From Skagway, Alaska we will hike over the Chilkoot Pass in the footsteps of thousands of gold seekers who struggled across the pass to reach the Klondike. Many of artifacts remain from those early days, and we will follow their path all the way to Dawson City along the mighty Yukon River.
From Bennet Lake on the eastern side of the Chilkoot Pass we will canoe through a chain of lakes that form the headwaters of the Yukon River past White Horse and down the swift flowing Yukon River to Dawson City. 
From Dawson we will hike 100 miles through the mountains to the headwaters of the Blackstone River. The Blackstone flows into the Peel River, which flows in the McKenzie River, which will lead us to the Arctic Ocean. The rivers flowing through these rugged mountains as some of the most pristine wild rivers in North America, with hundreds of miles of flowing waterways between towns or roads.
After over 2,600 miles of paddling and hiking we hope to reach the Arctic Ocean before freeze up. We will spend the month of October,2010 training our dogs, and learning about native life in the Arctic. In November we will head south along the McKenzie River by dog team, crossing 1,800 miles of frozen wilderness. There are many remote native communities along our way and we are sure to learn a lot from the people we encounter.
When the ice melts in the Spring of 2011 we will transition from dogsled to canoe and paddle 2,300 miles along the historic travel and trade route pioneered by Alexander McKenzie, Samuel Hearne, and other Canadian Explorers in the 1700's. We will finish this stage of our journey in the fall of 2011 by completing the 8 1/2 mile Grand Portage which will lead us to the rock shore of Lake Superior.
After spending the winter giving presentations and making final preparations we will begin 4,800 mile kayak journey from Grand Portage, Minnesota to Key West, Florida. The first 2,200 miles will take us through the Great Lakes and out the Saint Lawrence Seaway. 
During the final stage of our journey we will kayak the length of the Atlantic Coast from the Saint Lawrence Seaway to Key West, Florida. We will be following the seasonal whale migration from the Bay of Fundy in Maine to the warm clear waters of the Gulf of Mexico. Along the way we will visit cities large and small, and study a variety of ecosystems and environmental topics. We also plan to take side trips into the cyprus swamps and Everglades National Park looking for Alligators, birds, and other critters.
Expedition Blog Animals Abound on Lake Winnipeg
Animals Abound on Lake Winnipeg
Saturday, 10 September 2011 17:58
Student Response Worksheet (Lower)
Student Response Worksheet (Upper)
In last week's Cast Your Vote, the winning topic was animals of Lake Winnipeg. Dave and I are excited that this topic was chosen, because we have been able to observe quite a few animals while we paddle down the length of the lake.
Boreal forest surrounds the lake, so the classic Boreal forest-dwelling animals can be found here. We were fortunate enough to see a couple of the larger mammals of the Boreal forest. Just a couple of days ago, we saw a young bull moose eating vegetation along the shore of a rocky point. Moose are quite common in this area and we are hoping to see more.
We have also spotted black bears on two different occasions. Both times, they were walking along sand beaches looking for food. The American black bear is an omnivore, so it could have been looking for berries, plants, or animals to eat.
The forest along the eastern shore of Lake Winnipeg is home to Woodland Caribou. They are medium sized members of the deer family. They grow thick coats to keep them warm in the winter. Both males and females have antlers. These caribou have smaller antlers than their northern relatives, the Barren Ground Caribou. Woodland Caribou also travel in much smaller herds. This makes them harder to spot. We have seen two Woodland Caribou so far, but they were not near Lake Winnipeg. We will keep looking for signs of these mysterious and rare animals.
The Red-Sided Garter snake can also be found in the forest. Apparently there is a place along the western shore of Lake Winnipeg where they gather in massive numbers to den for the winter in holes and crevasses in the limestone. As many as 65,000 snakes have been seen together!
Life can be found below the water surface too. Walleye (also called Pickerel) are the most popular fish in the lake. Commercial fishermen set nets to catch them. Whitefish, Perch, Burbot, Northern Pike, Suckers, and Sturgeon can also be found in Lake Winnipeg. We have also seen a mammal in the water quite frequently – River Otters.
There are many birds that depend on the fish or plants in the lake for food. Dave and I really enjoy watching the American White Pelicans catch fish. They dip their heads underwater and catch fish in the expandable pouch in their bills. They are large birds, growing to be about four feet tall with a wingspan of nine feet!
Other birds found along the lake include Piping Plovers, Canada Geese, Bald Eagles, Golden Eagles, Turkey Vultures, Common Terns, and several different types of gulls and ducks. We have been lucky enough to see all of these different birds. The geese seem to be getting ready to migrate. We have seen them in large groups along shore or flying in V formation.
These are just a few of the animals that call this area home. As you can see, wildlife here is abundant. If you are interested in any of these animals, I hope that you take the time to learn more about them.
Fennel's Field Notes
I met a lot of new people a couple of days ago. Dave and Amy paddled to a place called Loon Straits. First I saw a few cabins, so I knew there would be people there. They talked to a woman who was sitting out in front of one of the cabins and she invited us to land our boat.
Soon more people arrived. I got pets from Lynda and Richard, who own the cabin where we stopped. I also met Edgar and Doreen. Apparently Dave knew Edgar and Doreen already. He had stayed at their house eight years ago when he was on a trip in the winter with Eric Frost and my two brothers Lichen and Saylix. Well, any friend of theirs is a friend of mine (especially since they gave me dog biscuits.)
Oh – I almost forgot to mention the best part. Richard built a fire and then brought a plate full of hot dogs out of the house! I was hoping that he would feed them all to me, but he and Dave roasted the hot dogs and all the people ate. Luckily, there were a couple hot dogs left over after everyone was done eating. Guess who got to eat those!
Thank you to everyone at Loon Straits for a wonderful time. I was happy to get the dog biscuits and hot dogs and I think that Dave and Amy were happy to get the water, dinner, a great place to camp, breakfast, and even a bag full of fruits and vegetables.