Sunday, June 21, 2015

Bellingham or Bust Episode One: Por Que Adventure?

[Though the Yukon series is already begun, and not yet finished, another series calls louder for explication. One year ago from tomorrow, construction of my kayak had just been completed and I was camped on Bainbridge Island, awaiting the rising sun to herald the start to a 130 mile solo paddle to Bellingham. 

In five parts (give or take a handful), please welcome Bainbridge to Bellingham or Bust - culled and edited from journals written in early-to-mid 2014, prior to and during the trip.]

14.May.2014 | Ketchikan, Alaska

​"When the great innovation appears, it will almost certainly be in a muddled, incomplete and confusing form. To the discoverer himself it will be only half-understood; to everybody else it will be a mystery. For any speculation which does not at first glance look crazy, there is no hope."
-Freeman Dyson​

Monday, June 8, 2015

Close Encounters of an Alaskan Kind: Two Early Outdoor Tales

Way back in 2012, I had the opportunity to ramble quite a bit, despite being deeply mired in the morass of graduate school. After a summer working on the Blackfeet Reservation (a story for a later installment), I flew to Fairbanks, Alaska in mid-August, where I would be working through December.

Wednesday, June 3, 2015

Anton Larson Paddle and Old Woman Loop Hike

John Cannon photo of a segment of Anton Larsen Road. More of his work here.
Yesterday, Tuesday here in the Emerald Isle, the sun was in full-bloom. I skipped the afternoon hours of labor to take full advantage of this rare flower of light. After strapping the boat down and tossing gear in the car, the 16 partly graveled miles out to Anton Larsen bay went by quickly.