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.
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Expedition Blog Saint Alexandre
Expedition Blog Saint Alexandre
Saint Alexandre
Tuesday, 07 August 2012 06:58
Yesterday morning we said goodbye to Kate and launched our kayaks as the tide began to fall. The water felt cold on our feet for the first time since leaving Lake Superior in June. The cold ocean water was full of kelp and other sea life. After a few hours of paddling Amy noticed something bobbing in the water. As we paddle closer to investigate we realized it was a seal! Soon more than a dozen seals were watching us and swimming behind our kayaks.
At low tide we reached the mouth of the small creek that we needed to paddle up to reach the road to start a 27 mile portage to the Saint Francis River. The Saint Francis River flows into the Saint John River, which will take us to the Bay of Fundy. Unfortunately we were stuck a mile from the road because the creek was dry. With time to kill we decided to sit on a small rock and eat lunch. The water crept around our feet and eventually up to our knees. After about an hour the water was high enough for us to paddle and drag our way up the creek.
By 4 PM we had our kayaks loaded on our carts and began our long portage. We slowly worked our way out of the Saint Lawrence River Valley, straining as we pulled our heavy loads up the steep hills. Several cars stopped to ask where we are going and to joke with us. Unfortunately, all we can do is laugh, smile, and explain that we don't speak French. If all goes well we should finish our portage and paddle into Maine tomorrow!
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