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 Water Quality of Lake Winnipeg: Paddling Through Pea Soup
Water Quality of Lake Winnipeg: Paddling Through Pea Soup
Friday, 16 September 2011 19:00
Student Response Worksheet (Lower)
Student Response Worksheet (Upper)
In last week's Cast YOUR Vote, students have voted for us to investigate the water quality of Lake Winnipeg. I have done some basic research. If you are curious about this topic, I encourage you to check out the additional resources at the end of this article in order to learn more!
Dave and I just spent the past two weeks paddling on a very sick lake. Basically, Lake Winnipeg has too much phosphorous and nitrogen in it. The phosphorous and nitrogen come from farm fields and towns. Water running off farm fields contains fertilizers and manure from livestock (cows, chickens, or pigs). The water flowing past towns ends up with detergents and sewage in it. The Red River flows past many farms in the United States before it flows into Lake Winnipeg. The Winnipeg and Saskatchewan Rivers also flow past towns and farms. According to the Lake Winnipeg Foundation about 8,000 tonnes of phosphorous enter the lake, but only 2,500 tonnes flow out of the lake each year. That means a lot of phosphorous stays in the lake.
What happens to all that phosphorous? Algae need phosphorous and nitrogen to grow. So algae thrives in this lake full of excess phosphorous and nitrogen. This is why Dave and I spent most of our time paddling through water the color of pea soup. We witnessed a huge bloom of blue-green algae (also called cyanobacteria). This algae coating the surface of the water is more than smelly and unpleasant.
It can affect fish and plants in the lake in several ways. It can block the sunlight, preventing other plants from growing. When the algae dies and decays, it can reduce the amount of oxygen in the water. The algae can also produce toxins that are harmful to animals and humans. Dave and I did not want to drink the water in Lake Winnipeg because we learned that one of the toxins made by the algae can actually harm your liver. This toxin has been found in water samples taken throughout the lake.
The good news is that progress is being made to make Lake Winnipeg healthy again. It will probably take a very long time. The first step has been to study the lake and learn about its past and current state. Sources of the excess phosphorous and nitrogen have been found. Now, many people need to work together to reduce the amount of phosphorous and nitrogen that get washed into the lake.
Dave and I are wondering what we can do to help keep the lakes and rivers near you healthy. Do you have any ideas?
Additional Resources
June 2011 issue of Canadian Geographic:
http://www.canadiangeographic.ca/magazine/jun11/lake_winnipeg_algae.asp
Challenges facing Lake Winnipeg: http://www.lakewinnipegfoundation.org/lake-winnipeg/challenges/
Quick facts about Lake Winnipeg: http://www.gov.mb.ca/waterstewardship/water_quality/lake_winnipeg/facts.html
Lake Winnipeg Teacher Resources: http://www.edu.gov.mb.ca/k12/esd/resources.html
Happy Trails!
Amy
Fennel's Field Notes
I have spent the past few weeks enjoying my time, lying in the bottom of the canoe. We had a great routine. I would get in the canoe in the morning and nap. We would stop for lunch. I would run around for a couple minutes and then nap. Then I would get back in the canoe and nap until Dave and Amy found the spot to camp for the night.
Well, that routine has changed. Now that we are on the Winnipeg River, I have to work again! Dave and Amy paddle for a while and then we come to a dam. They strap my pack on my back and make me carry my dog food from the bottom of the dam to the top. Sometimes we have to portage around multiple dams in one day. I thought I was all done with the portaging thing weeks ago! Guess I was wrong. At least the day ends with my favorite part of the old routine – eating dinner!
Daily Data
Date, miles traveled, and animal sightings
9/9 - 27 miles 16 pelicans, 3 otter, 2 eagles
9/10 -18 miles 23 pelicans, 3 eagles, 1 beaver
9/11- 58 miles 18 pelicans, 2 moose, 2 otter, 1 eagle
9/12 - 6 miles 4 pelicans
9/13 - 0 miles We spent the day resting and didn’t see any animals.
9/14 - 15 miles 1 otter, 1 beaver, 3 eagles
9/15 - 16 miles 2 otter, 2 eagles, 1 pelican
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