So, what paddling trailblazer drops your jaw and WHY?

I love this woman!

I love her loyalty to her dead husband and that she smoked the man she saw as a braggart. I also love that in the "race," she still had time to witness and record what she saw and linked a watershed. Finally, I love that even after she lived in the big, fancy, English mansion, she returned to the woods and water.

Sounds like a true Renaissance woman - educated, adventurous, tough, resilient. Thanks for sharing missmolly. Now I'm gonna go down the rabbit hole for awhile and study some of these trailblazers.

Oh yes, the Hubbard expedition. That was a terribly sad story! I read the book. Heartbreaking. I didn’t remember much about Mina going to Labrador.

My favorite is Lewis and Clark. From St. Louis to Seattle and back in two years. no maps. 1804.

tumblehome: "My favorite is Lewis and Clark. From St. Louis to Seattle and back in two years. no maps. 1804.
"

I'll 2nd this. The Ken Burns PBS series on this is fantastic. I really need to see that one again!

I'll give a shout out to our very own BeaV on this board. In 2013 he got IMO an insane idea of paddling solo up, over, and around Alaska. He lived (barely) to tell the tale and post a video series of it. It dropped my jaw at the Chilcoot Trail but that was only the beginning. My jaw dropped several more times along the way. It still amazes me how he managed to live through this trip.

The video series can be found here in a private forum you need to sign up in. BeaV's Trip to Alaska

I still wonder if this itinerary will ever be duplicated. PBS or Discovery channel needs to get ahold of Beav. this footage needs a bigger audience IMO.

tumblehome: "Oh yes, the Hubbard expedition. That was a terribly sad story! I read the book. Heartbreaking. I didn’t remember much about Mina going to Labrador.


My favorite is Lewis and Clark. From St. Louis to Seattle and back in two years. no maps. 1804.


"

I often try to imagine myself in their shoes. The beautiful landscape, predators everywhere. Their adrenaline and senses must have stayed at a peak for days at a time.

The most jaw-dropping BeaV anecdote for me was when he was pinned by the wind to that river mouth where the brown bears had gathered and day by day, they grew bolder and bolder. So, because he couldn't paddle around a point because of the wind, he climbed a cliff, hauling his gear up with him, and then lowered it by rope to the leeward side of the cliff.

If I misremember any of that, BeaV, please correct me.

missmolly: "The most jaw-dropping BeaV anecdote for me was when he was pinned by the wind to that river mouth where the brown bears had gathered and day by day, they grew bolder and bolder. So, because he couldn't paddle around a point because of the wind, he climbed a cliff, hauling his gear up with him, and then lowered it by rope to the leeward side of the cliff.


If I misremember any of that, BeaV, please correct me. "

I think what impressed me the most was making the decision to keep going once he reached the Bering Sea from the Yukon River. Being solo and having been beat down by exertion and even starvation for maybe 4 plus months and then deciding to continue down the coast in an open canoe, not a kayak, and not give up. That takes extreme fortitude IMO. The odds of surviving that Bering Sea section were not in his favor. I remember reading the comments by local Alaskans on a bulletin board who didn't give him much chance of survival. What an adventure.

TomT: "

missmolly: "The most jaw-dropping BeaV anecdote for me was when he was pinned by the wind to that river mouth where the brown bears had gathered and day by day, they grew bolder and bolder. So, because he couldn't paddle around a point because of the wind, he climbed a cliff, hauling his gear up with him, and then lowered it by rope to the leeward side of the cliff.



If I misremember any of that, BeaV, please correct me. "

I think what impressed me the most was making the decision to keep going once he reached the Bering Sea from the Yukon River. Being solo and having been beat down by exertion and even starvation for maybe 2 plus months and then deciding to continue down the coast in an open canoe, not a kayak, and not give up. That takes extreme fortitude IMO. The odds of surviving that Bering Sea section were not in his favor. I remember reading the comments by local Alaskans on a bulletin board who didn't give him much chance of survival. What an adventure."

Another stunning part of the Bering Sea saga was having to paddle so far from shore to gain enough depth for easy paddling. Then the tide would go out, stranding him in the mud. He'd nestle into the hull of his boat and wait for the water to return. Cold, but patient and determined.

I am fascinated thinking about the natives that used the same rivers that I paddle on today. For example we live close to this site that has evidence of occupation for over 8000 years!

Moccasin Bluff

As far as trailblazers, if you go upstream another five miles or so from Moccasin Bluff, the St Joseph River crosses the Sauk Trail which was used by natives (and later fur traders) but they suspect that the natives were just following the mastodon trails. :)

Sauk Trail

If you are reading this and you haven't watched Beav's epic adventure, buckle up and do it soon.

Here's another amazing woman.

What do I love about her journey?

Two words: Cape Horn

And one number: 60*

*(knot winds)



Here's another, a couple guys this time.

I love this line from their story: “We learned how to be uncomfortable every single day,” says Casey. From rotator cuff problems, lower back pain, compressed spines, not getting enough protein and nutrients and hypothermia, Ryan and Casey went through it all.

Interesting story. Then she gets hit by a train crossing the tracks at age 86. Ouch babe.
I’ve heard about the Beav story for a bit now. Where can I find that. Oh now I see TomT posted a link so I’ll try that first.

Here's a 12,000-mile trip.

They were shot at, robbed, and jailed and those were the good days. Be sure to watch the video in the link.

I did a story about one of these guys. Jon Turk lost his wife on a mountain to an avalanche and buried other friends. Jon said that surviving a trailblazing paddle or climb was as much luck as skill. The face-to-face polar bear event that he foreshadows in the coming link happened when a polar bear stuck her head into his tent with her big cubs behind her.

Ice and ice bears

It wasn't the ice bears that scared Jon the most. It was the wind pushing them into a shoreline where they couldn't land. The thing I loved about Jon was his considerable courage didn't veneer over his enormous fear. He was brave enough to be afraid. One time he and his paddling partners were in enormous swells. The wind was howling, so they had to yell.

"How are you?!"

"I'm f***ing terrified!"

Look at that first photo, where it's calm, and if you can't share his fear, you ain't alive.

The late Verlen Kruger, an ultra marathon canoeist. Look him up.

deerfoot: "The late Verlen Kruger, an ultra marathon canoeist. Look him up."

I met him. He was the real deal.

I read the big hardcover biography of Verlen. It’s amazing the trips he took. But- it came as a sacrifice to his family. Lots of drama in his personal life so that might not be a great book if you only want the paddling stuff.

Yes, Verlin's personal life made the soap operas look tame. I have more admiration for his paddling partners on the epic trips, Steve Landick, and Clint Waddell. They were more humble, in my opinion.

missmolly: " Here's a 12,000-mile trip.


They were shot at, robbed, and jailed and those were the good days. Be sure to watch the video in the link."

Those guys were crazy! What a feat!

Waters Beneath My Feet is worth a read, quite an impressive journey.

fadersup: "

missmolly: " Here's a 12,000-mile trip.



They were shot at, robbed, and jailed and those were the good days. Be sure to watch the video in the link."

Those guys were crazy! What a feat!

Waters Beneath My Feet is worth a read, quite an impressive journey. "

Yes! Epic book. His might be the most impressive because he was solo. Going upstream on the Mississippi might not have been the best decision. He started in Louisiana and paddled to Nome Alaska. And he wintered over twice in crazy circumstances. Amazing book that everyone who appreciates adventure needs to read.

Voyager: "Yes, Verlin's personal life made the soap operas look tame. I have more admiration for his paddling partners on the epic trips, Steve Landick, and Clint Waddell. They were more humble, in my opinion."

Another paddling partner was Valerie Fons, his partner in paddling and also in life for awhile. She resides on Washington Island in northern Lake Michigan and operates a restaurant - Bread & Water. Her business also rents kayaks and canoes.