Boundary Waters Quetico Forum :: Listening Point - General Discussion :: BeaV's Journey To, Through and Around Alaska
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golanibutch |
Incredible feat. Butch |
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OCDave |
I am dumbstruck. |
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TomT |
OCDave: "I just finished Part 6; Over the Chilkoot Pass. We also have to realize that he walked this more than necessary to document with the video camera. There was no film crew. That's dedication. I remember watching a reality TV show (Goldrush something or other) not that long ago where the "participants" portaged this but only with packs. The canoes were already at the lake on the other side waiting for them. But what amazed me was the amount of griping and moaning and groaning about doing this. After seeing what BeaV did I couldn't watch these putzes. I was repulsed by them. |
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TomT |
boonie: "OCDave: "I just finished Part 6; Over the Chilkoot Pass. But the most dangerous part was near the end after going through all he had been through he decides to take on the Bering sea and the mud flats in a solo canoe. I'd say the odds were very low of him surviving that. He almost didn't. I wonder if anyone who has watched these videos said to themselves - "I'd like to do that trip sometime!" Will this route ever be attempted again? Maybe there will be a group of 2 or 4 people who attempt it, but IMO no way solo with no outside help. That's a one and done kind of trip. It's mind blowing really. |
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boonie |
OCDave: "I just finished Part 6; Over the Chilkoot Pass. You think that's something - wait until you get to parts 8 and 9! |
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TomT |
OK, OK, I guess everybody likes bear stories...but first a little background on my take on bears. As you can probably tell from the videos, I kind of make fun of peoples' fear of bears:) I poke fun at my Dad too cuz he doesn't like spiders. I am not afraid of bears but I do respect their power and what they could do if they wanted to. Brown bears (grizzly and Kodiak) can be of giant size but generally don't like to eat us. Black bears living in remote areas (Alaska as an example) sometimes never learned that humans should be feared and occasionally will decide to eat one of us! So, up there, both species of bear needed my respect. Chilkoot Trail Bear Story: Late May on the trail and I just portaged my third load of gear to my Lake Lindeman camp. I was sitting down taking a breather when I see a average sized black bear approaching my camp walking on or near where I had just walked- red flag #1. It gets within 40 feet of me and I tell it "that's close enough, get out of here!" Bear stops and looks at me- red flag #2. I continue my arguments with the bear as I realize my shotgun is halfway between us. I stand up and slowly walk toward the bear and my gun, knife on my side. I'm thinking "oh man, this ain't good". I reach my gun and bear still looking at me now only 20 feet away- red flag #3. Now with the power of the gun in my hands, I began loudly yelling at the bear probably throwing in some curses for good measure. It turns and grudgingly starts to walk away. Not satisfied with it's effort, I pursue it with increasing speed until it runs faster than I could. Returning to camp, I begin simmering my soon to be rehydrated meal and thinking to myself that maybe I should have shot that bear and had some fresh meat for supper. 1/2 hour after our confrontation, here it comes again now with it's nose in the air sniffing at the scents of my soon to be supper- red flag #4. As it walks straight toward me, I'm yelling my displeasure at it once again. Does not slow down it's approach- I'm out of red flags now:) It veers slightly and begins to circle me at 30 feet away. I am ready to shoot if it gives me the slightest reason to. It walks through a patch of spring grass shoots and grabs a couple mouthfuls, lowering the tension of the moment. I take my finger off the trigger. A truce is called. Cook Inlet Bear Story: "Kodiak bears are the largest bears in the world. A large male can stand over 10' tall when on his hind legs, and 5' when on all four legs. They weigh up to 1,500 pounds." source Alaska Fish & Game The experts advice with brown bears is to not show aggression towards them and never threaten their cubs. WWBD, though? September on the Cook Inlet. After a long days paddle, I approach a fresh water stream dumping into the Inlet. I need water but usually avoid camping near a river such as this (salmon running) for respect of these big bears that crowd to the rivers to feast. But tonight I'm hankering for a fresh salmon for supper so figure I'll risk it tonight and I'll be gone by tomorrow morning anyhow. I set camp about 200 feet from the stream, hurry to the stream, and fail to catch one of them delicious looking fish schooled just out reach. Next day finds the winds blowing way to hard to attempt a launch- windbound. Scout around the area and find bear paths beaten into the earth. Spend the whole day attempting various methods to secure a fish. No luck but I do see the first bears here- a sow with 2 cubs walk 80 feet from camp. Next day- windbound again! More failed attempts to get the salmon and more bears and some big boars too. No problems but I don't like how the bears are becoming less concerned of my presence here. Late afternoon finds me standing in the freezing cold stream waiting for a fish to approach too close when I see a sow brownie with 2 cubs heading for my tent and food. In a reaction to protect my tent and food, I charge the bears and successfully scare her away. I decide I better stay in camp and let the bears have the stream. Just before dark and bedtime, a big boar comes out and looks for salmon in the shallows. It's closer than I want so I again use poor brown bear etiquette and threaten said bear. It didn't work. He comes my direction, I grab the gun, and continue my verbal assault. His reaction to my attempt to "get away from me" argument was nonexistent. He walked past camp at 40 feet never listening to my protest and didn't even acknowledge my existence as if to say "you don't impress me at all BeaV". Humbled by this, I climbed into the tent with gun and flashlight close by and fell to sleep hoping for less wind tomorrow. Food packs tethered to the tent, as was normal procedure, I don't remember how I slept. |
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BasecampMom |
I respect BeaV's descision, but he could sell this to Nat Geo easily. I've watched it through-through twice, and now want to watch it again. Mr. BeaV - you are tough beans. |
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BeaV |
OCDave: "TomT: "But the most dangerous part was ..." Glad you enjoyed it OCDave, thanks for the tip of the cap. |
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DeanL |
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boonie |
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Grandma L |
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ozarkpaddler |
TomT: "I consider it one of the greatest solo canoe trips in modern history. One that would never be duplicated. " I agree, I've read about many but his.... As I'll be housebound navigating this upper respiratory crud this week, I think it's time to re-watch it. And with the cold weather, I believe it's time to pull out "The Long Winter" for my annual wintertime reading too. |
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DrBobDerrig |
TomT: "Yeah Wally13, I don't start watching this trip unless I have hours available. I'm like you, once I start I can't stop watching. I still hope one day some TV channel will do a mini series with all this great footage. What you see on you tube doesn't really compare to the HD quality he shot it in. Beav was kind enough to send me blu ray discs of this trip and it's truly incredible. Someone should clue PBS to take a look at his stuff... dr bob |
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TomT |
I think if PBS or the Discovery channel got a hold of this they would cut it way down. I like the extended raw footage of BeaV "paddling harder!" on the Yukon when the wind whips up. The pulling of the boat with the heavy metal soundtrack in the very shallow river bed. These are long video takes and you really get a sense of what he went through. Then there's the Chilcoot portage footage. Well, that has to be seen to be believed. Every time I start bitching to myself while on a hard portage I just think about what BeaV went through and I suddenly feel ok. |
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OCDave |
While I typically fast forward through trip videos, I can't miss a second of this. I have binge-watched shows on Netflix that were not half as capitivating as BeaV's Adventure. Back for more today. |
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Basspro69 |
TomT: "What strikes me also is the lack of "modern" camp gear. Sure, he's got a nice tent and a carbon fiber paddle but enamel cookware and coffee pot? And those green pants look like something out of the Sears catalog in the "working mans" section.+1 million |
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bfurlow |
Discovery or PBS may work for this, but I wonder how much it would get cut down. For me, the length of the videos gives me a sense of scale for the undertaking. I am sure that a skilled editor could bring it all together in a cohesive way. One option for a first pass may be a local college with video editing equipment/classes. Kids there are dying to get a chance to work on footage other than the stock junk the school gives them. Taking the video down to a 2 hour cohesive story could be a heck of a class project for someone! |
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Laketrout58 |
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DrBobDerrig |
boonie: "I think it's important to remind everyone talking about PBS, Discovery, publicity, etc. that that is specifically what BeaV does NOT want. " It is an incredible story though dr bob |
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ghamer |
Thanks again to BeaV for sharing his adventure and also to those who helped with the production of the videos. Here is the link BeaV's Adventure There are 14 videos, each of which is about 30 minutes. |
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TomT |
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Wally13 |
I started watching the video's of Beav's journey after supper one night ... I could not get enough ... I went through all 14 video's until the wee hours of the night. My wife asked me what I was watching and I remember telling her I was watching one of the most incredible solo paddle journey's anyone has ever done ! ghamer ... thanks for reposting Beav's adventure. |
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TomT |
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awbrown |
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missmolly |
BeaV uses Chuck Norris like a toothpick to clean his teeth. BeaV uses black mambas to floss his teeth. BeaV gargles with gravel and rusty bolts. |
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TomT |
You look at modern adventurers on TV shows and there's neon green and orange and all sorts of clothing logos. BeaV is refreshingly old school and didn't compromise. The dude's the real deal that really appeals to me. |
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rtallent |
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pamonster |
I've watched them twice already, I'll be starting round 3 now :) |
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missmolly |
"I could have swum it," he said, "but the more you work, the more something's worth." Don't worry, folks, he rebuilt Denali. |
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TomT |
Once committed to going to the next protected spot on the water there's no going back or even turning to the near shore because that would put my boat broadside. Anyway, I thought of BeaV on the Inner Passage, the Yukon River, and the Bering Sea and his cry of "Paddle Harder!" So I adopted that mindset and actually repeated that phrase to myself. I channeled a little of BeaV there and it got me through it. I know BeaV doesn't want to see his videos reach a mass audience but I think a lot of people could be inspired to do more than they think they can. People can learn what commitment and perseverance is all about no matter what the undertaking. |
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OCDave |
TomT: "But the most dangerous part was ..." I finished the series last night. With regard to the most dangerous part: I feared he'd break an ankle, or at minimum his canoe on the rocks of the Chandalar. I was certain he'd loose something shuttling across the tundra to Koyukuk, most likely a will to keep going. To me, it seemed the highest risk was anytime he was not in his canoe. Anything that went askew away from the water seemed like he'd be stranded where no one will likely set foot again for a very long time. I recall he mentions in one of the videos "What one man can do, another can do." I am not sure that would apply to this particular trip. BeaV- I tip my cap to you. |
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Thwarted |
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Grandma L |
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