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 Updates Planning and Logistics Join us at the 11th Annual Midwest Winter Camping Symposium
Join us at the 11th Annual Midwest Winter Camping Symposium
Wednesday, 14 October 2009 01:19 Last Updated on Friday, 16 October 2009 15:46
Dave and Amy will be speaking and teaching classes at this year's Midwest Winter Camping Symposium, from October 23 to 25 at Camp Iduhapi (near Minneapolis, MN). The event will feature winter outdoor camping films, skills presentations,work shops, winter tent tour, cooking demonstrations, equipment discussion, and equipment swap. Participants can simply drop in to attend a few indoor presentations or camp for the entire weekend. Admission to the symposium is $10.00 adults, $25.00 family, and $5.00 students.
The symposium is designed for beginning winter campers to learn the basics as well as for old sourdoughs to hone their skills and share their camping wisdom. Sessions include warm tent and cold tent camping, solo winter travel in the BWCA, snowshoeing, skiing, dog trips, toboggan pulling, safety, and winter camp craft. Participants may also sign up for special workshops involving building a sled or practicing outdoor culinary skills.
Friday and Saturday night trip narratives and films will be presented inside Camp Ihduhapi's spacious modern Welcome Center. Saturday evening's keynote presentaters are Dave and Amy. They will share tales of their previous adventures in the winter woods in addition to unveiling their upcoming Wilderness Classroom adventure. Retailers such as Midwest Mountaineering, Empire Canvas, Snowtrekker Tents, and Ski Pulk will demonstrate the latest in traditional and high-tech winter gear.
Staying at Ihduhapi the whole weekend offers a couple of options. Campsites (either nearby the heated buildings or tucked away in the woods) are available for $10.00 for the weekend. Heated showers are part of the deal. Overnight bunkhouse lodging is also available for $10.00/person for the weekend. On-sight food is available for purchasing.
To find out all of the details, go here:
http://www.wintercampingsymposium.com
To register contact Ed Bouffard: This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it , 320-253-4573, EWS, 708 S. Park Pl., St.Cloud, MN 56301
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