Emails, injuries and Facebook marketplace
Everyone’s been on some kind of trip—whether it’s a sneaky weekend getaway with the family or a long-haul road trip crammed into the middle seat, wedged between backpacks, snacks, and a questionable playlist courtesy of your friends. No matter the journey, there’s always that shared buzz, that collective stoke.
For us, after months of planning, endless email chains, and heated debates over routes and gear, we’re inching closer to the big moment—the one where we push off for the first time, wondering what have we gotten ourselves into? What will our first campsites feel like? Our first storms? Our first sunrises? And, more importantly… what does paddling 800km actually feel like?
But before we even get to the water, we’ve racked up at least 100 hours on Facebook Marketplace, scavenging for kayaks, dry bags, hammocks, and every other "this-might-be-useful" knickknack. Our group chat is a wild mix of garage sale listings and urgent bear-related debates. (If anyone has definitive proof that a bear cannot break into a kayak, please let us know. We are, unfortunately, not convinced.)
This trip still feels like a fever dream. Over a year ago, we threw the plan on the calendar, half-expecting life to get in the way. Surely, five people wouldn't all be free for an entire summer, right? But here we are—somehow, against all odds—pulling it off.
Meanwhile, I’m writing this from Japan in the middle of spring, contemplating how to ship three months’ worth of food up the Canadian and Alaskan coastline. I have partially torn my ACL skiing. So, while I can’t polish off my work season, I can send an excessive number of emails, complain about not skiing, and embark on long, soul-searching drives to nowhere. If anyone has tips on how to survive a ski town without skiing, I’m all ears.
But here’s some good news: some incredible companies have stepped in to support us! GearLab Outdoors, a leading Greenland paddle company, has hooked us up with paddles and deck bags. As a team of smaller paddlers, lightweight and efficient paddles were a no-brainer. These sleek carbon-fiber paddles are designed for endurance, reducing strain while maximizing efficiency—exactly what we need for a 1,200km journey. We’ll be testing them out and sharing updates as we get warmed up!
And then there’s food—because fueling five paddlers (including two vegans) for three months is no small task. With resupplies possibly 12-14 days apart, we need serious planning. Thankfully, TrailFare and FreshTrek have stepped up with great recommendations and a sweet discount on some top-tier freeze-dried meals. The cold waters of the Inside Passage will help keep our hulls chilled, but we’re still figuring out how to make it all work. If you’ve got backcountry nutrition hacks, drop them our way!
For now, we keep prepping, planning, and mildly panicking—but mostly, we’re stoked. Stay tuned for more updates as we get closer to launch!