I'm putting feelers out there for a small expedition team

[Dagon]

Everything is currently in the "feeler" stage. Routes, logistics, and timing are all open for collaboration. If you have the drive, the patience for a long-term goal, and a desire, I’d like to hear from you.


Goal: When I finally meet my ancestors, I want to be invited to sit at the big kid table. I want them to look down from above and say "look at that guy, doing and learning something meaningful in a world gone to hell". I want to connect with nature. Live on her terms. Not on mans terms. I want to experience the weather. Experience my body being the only motor I can rely on. I want to experience true team work. It's not a requirement for others, but I will also blend a mix of traditional, native, and "bushcraft" living skills in my day to day life on the water. I'm also open to the idea of dedicating the voyage to some type of awareness or charity. On the scale of good to bad, its good to do something not for yourself, but to sacrifice for others.


When do we hit the water? No earlier than 2028, no later than 2029. Planning and training phase until then.

The Parameters:

• Duration: 2-3 Months. I'm seriously flirting the idea of doing a 6-12 month voyage if a couple shorts ones go well
• Location: North America (USA or Canada)
• The Route: Current contenders are Mackenzie, Yukon, or Thelon Rivers. (I'm open to all other suggestions). These locations were picked based on their lack of portaging, lack of rapids, size, remoteness, and fishing opportunities.
• The Travel: Focus on flat-water travel remoteness over adrenaline. Little to no portaging.
• The Crew: No more than 6 souls. Ideally, 4.

I understand that good "expedition behavior" plays a huge role in a successful voyage. In many cases, even more so than the hard skills themselves. There is no way to determinant if individuals will get along via a bit of communication online. So I'll be hitting the waters on numerous other small trips before then. If you want to come along, or have a trip that you would like me to attend, I have a flexible schedule.

If this sounds of interest, reach out.

 

[ppine]

I regret never having time for a trip longer than about 10 days. Your ideas are worth pursuing.
The first challenge is finding a crew of skilled people that get along together, and can take long periods of time off.

If you can do that then route finding, logistics, shuttles, taking time off, etc can all be overcome.
Best of luck in your endeavors.

I remember reading Colin Fletcher's concept of different thresholds in the outdoors and their affect on the human psyche.
After 3 days you begin to cast off your normal routine.
After 2-3 weeks you slow down and start to live in a Natural Rhythm.
After 3 months you are part of the landscape and live within it.

Cat Clifford a Lakota from Pine Ridge, once told me if you stay out there long enough you can summon elk with your mind.

 

[Alan Gage]

I'm not sure what your reasons are for trying to avoid portages but if they're not physical reasons then I would recommend reconsidering some of your options.

I, and I'm sure many others, began our tripping careers exploring canoe routes with the idea of avoiding routes with portages. It very much limits where you can go and what you can do and it's difficult to get away from roads, towns, and people.

What I ended up finding out was that portaging really isn't bad at all (ok, some of them really suck) and it adds a lot to the trip. They help break up the days and offer some variety. I get a fuller sense of accomplishment and it's a neat feeling to move from watershed to watershed. I often look forward to them throughout the day.

Since you're looking at a 2-3 month trip I'm not really sure what you could do that doesn't involve portaging unless you're planning to spend days or weeks at a time in camp. But if you throw portage trips into the mix then the options are truly limitless and you can plan a trip where you won't see people for weeks or even months at a time.

Alan