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 Welcome to Alaska, where's the sign?
Welcome to Alaska, where's the sign?
Thursday, 10 June 2010 00:00 Last Updated on Tuesday, 16 November 2010 03:35
We have become accustom to hearing “Gale Warning in effect” when we turn on our VHF radio to listen to the weather forecast. The Dixon Entrance is a 40 mile long section of coastline that is missing the protective outer islands that keep the full brunt of of Pacific Ocean's storms from reaching the mainland. The British Columbia/Alaska Border runs right down the middle, and we were not sure when Mother Nature was going to allow us to pass.
Before leaving Prince Rupert, BC, we called the US customs to let them know we would be crossing the border. The first person I talked with said that is was impossible to cross the border by kayak and that we would need to drive across the border, clear customs, and then start kayaking. Since we don't have a car, and there are no roads in this area we decided to try and different number, hoping for a second opinion. Luckily the customs officer in Ketchikan was very friendly and instructed us to check in at the customs dock when we arrive in Ketchikan. Ketchikan is about 65 miles from the border, and he wished us luck and added that it might take us a while with the strong winds that are being predicted.
With the customs officer's blessing we paddled hard for the Dixon Entrance, racing a large storm that was moving in from the northwest. Half way through our exposed crossing of the Dixon Entrance we camped at Cape Fox. Rounding Cape Fox is the crux and it felt a little strange to be camping in the shelter of a tiny island in the middle of this exposed coast. We pitched out tent in the shadows of towering old growth cedars and fell asleep listening to the ocean waves crashing on the exposed white sand beach next to our campsite.
The next day, everyone was up early listening to the weather forecast. The seas were calm, but the winds were expected to reach 45 knots by evening. We quickly packed our kayaks and hurried north, hoping to reach the relative protection of Foggy Bay, 15 miles to the north, before the gale closed in.
As we bobbed in the swell, Clayton remarked that we hadn't scene any Orcas yet, and talked about how much he wanted to see one. With in minutes the characteristic long black dorsal fin of an Orca broke the surface 100 yards off shore. Three Orcas swam past, our official welcome to Alaska. 
We pulled into Foggy Bay at 11 AM and contemplated continuing on since it was so early, but the winds were showing signs of picking up. The thought of the coming storm prompted us to seek shelter on a small island ringed with white sand beaches. A couple hours later the gale arrived. Bringing rain and wind that has pinned us down for 24 hours. Winds over 40 knots and 22 foot seas are predicted for tonight in the Dixon Entrance. We feel lucky to have made it to Alaska and hope that Mother Nature will allow us to continue north to meet up with the friendly customs agent in Ketchikan soon so that we can make our entry into Alaska official.