Yukon Expedition 2022

In 2022, I am joining the British Exploring Society, and training to become an expedition leader and photographer.

 

*Before you carry on reading - If you're more of a visuals than words person then check out this slideshow instead!

The British Exploring Society is an awesome youth development charity which supports young people from diverse social, cultural and economic backgrounds to go on expeditions to remote locations around the world, and in doing so empowers and equips them with the courage, resilience and determination to make the most of their future.

 

By volunteering and training with the British Exploring Society, I will help lead a six-week expedition in the First Nation Territory of Na-cho Nyak Dun, in the Yukon in July 2022. The area has a long and fascinating history, having been inhabited for millennia by the Na-cho Nyak Dun people who continue to reside there today. The area was also key site during the 19th century gold rush era, the remnants of which remain and are now slowly being reclaimed by nature.

 

As a trainee leader, I will support a diverse group of young people on this hiking and canoeing expedition where they will gain skills, learn about themselves, each other, and the fragile environments that we will explore.

 

I am beyond excited. Not only will this help with my career aspirations, but this expedition is a great initiative to enable young people to explore and experience the outdoors, many of whom likely wouldn't have had the chance to do something like this before. Also, I’ve personally wanted to visit the Yukon for as long as I can remember. Finding this opportunity felt like fate.

 

Why?

 

Well, a quick browse of my photography portfolio will tell you just how much I love exploring and photographing the outdoors. It’s always been a big source of inspiration for me, but during lockdown I came to realise just how much I truly value it.

 

Through directly experiencing the natural world we begin to understand its therapeutic influence. It can be a great way to process our thoughts and feelings away from the stresses of every day life. It has been an effective way for me personally to maintain good mental health during the last few years, and I know I'm not alone in that.

By exploring the outdoors with other people we also learn more about who we are as individuals and as a society, and how our actions impact each other and our wider ecosystem - something which can be all too easy to forget.

I want to help more people experience the outdoors and get inspired to take action to protect it. I'd also like to help build connections between people from different backgrounds, so they can inform and shape each other's worldview, and go on to make the world a better place.

That's why I’m joining the Yukon expedition as a trainee leader. To better learn how to survive and safely navigate the remote wilderness, but above all to help others do the same. I'd like this to be a bigger part of what I do going forward, and I'm excited to connect that aspiration with my passion for documenting and photographing the wilderness. 

 

Before anything though, my first step is to fundraise. I need to meet a goal of raising £6500, which includes funds for the charity, as well as the cost of flights and gear. And if you can, I need your help.

 

How can you help?

 

1) I’ve set up an online print shop which features some of my favourite photos that I've captured during the last few years (with more being added over the next few months). The prices listed factor in the production cost on high quality prints (roughly 50%). I'm conscious that some people may not want a print, but may still want to contribute something - and if so then that's okay!

 

2) I've set up this GoFundMe as an alternative donation option. Through this platform you can donate however much you like. No matter the amount, everything helps and it will be very much appreciated! 

 

What Next?

 

From now until July I and all other expedition participants will be taking up a rigorous strength and endurance training routine to ensure we are expedition fit by the time we are ready to depart. 

Myself and the other trainee leaders will also be completing various modules over the next six months, including training in navigation and risk assessment, expedition first aid, and mountain leaders training at Plas y Brenin, Wales. 

I will be charting my training and preparation regularly using my outdoor photography Instagram , so make sure to follow me if you want to stay updated on my progress!

We then embark on the expedition at the end of July, flying to Whitehorse via Vancouver. From Whitehorse we'll travel by road up to Mayo, the capital of the First Nation of Territory of Na-cho Nyak Dun, and then on to Keno City. From Keno we set off on foot and set up base camp, from which the expedition will be conducted over the course of six weeks.

 

Of course I will also be bringing my camera on the expedition with me and I will use it to document the whole experience. This will include activities like canoeing down the Yukon river, mountaineering and exploring abandoned gold mining towns and possibly even seeing the northern lights.

After the expedition is complete, we will return to the UK ahead of our Next-Steps event in November, where everyone from the expedition will reconvene in London to reflect on the experience, and share what we will be doing next.

 

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If you've made it to the bottom of this, then thank you!

Any and all help will be appreciated as we set out on this fantastic adventure, and I can't wait to share the highlights (including photographs) with you when I return.