Arctic Paddle

In 2017, I paddled the Race To Alaska, being the first and only person to complete the race on a SUP. That race was 750 miles, and I completed it in two weeks, averaging about 50 miles daily. Toward the end of that paddle, the day before I finished...the idea for this project came to me: to paddle unsupported a 1900-mile portion of the Northwest Passage in the Arctic Ocean on a stand-up paddleboard.

I prepared for the paddle and drove to Tuktoyaktuk, NT, in Canada the summer of 2019. I thought I was ready that year, but when I arrived and put my board in the water, I knew I had more to work on. I was physically prepared for the paddle but wasn't ready for the project logistically or personally. I came back home and committed to getting back to the Arctic the following summer.

Then, Covid came, borders closed, and (no spoiler alert here) the Canadian Arctic was closed to outside visitors for the last two years. Now, in 2022, five years after the idea came to me, I will be doing my best to become the first human to paddle a portion of the Northwest Passage on a SUP.

Although I'm doing this paddle on a bubblegum and duct-tape budget, I need to fundraise to cover my return home travel expenses and pay for the food drops. I used all past funds raised to purchase the gear and food I'll be using on THIS trip. Your generosity is traveling with me still.

I will be packing two weeks of food on my board (mainly freeze-dried meals and supplements), and at villages along the way that have small airports, I have partnered with an expeditor company to have new supplies dropped at these airports. Once I get to the end of my expedition, I'll need to fly myself and my board back home.

This paddle is vastly larger than me. The fact that I believe a single-season transit of the Canadian Arctic by Standup Paddleboard is possible is due, in large part, to Climate Change. The Arctic is changing much faster than anywhere else on earth. I'll be self-documenting the trip using GoPro cameras, iPhones and hopefully a GoPro360 to create VR and share this paddle with you.

THANK YOU.