Well, I am almost ready for my departure.  That is, as ready as one can be when you are about to depart on a 4000 mile trip, up the coast of North America, living entirely out of a 17.5 foot orange kayak, totally unsupported.....  Wow, when I say that it gives me goose bumps.  I am incredibly excited about this expedition as it is such a critical body of water and coastline too not only the eastern United States and Canada, but to the entire country. 

Not many individuals get the opportunity to traverse this entire body of water in one continuous trip.  I will get the opportunity to document things like marine life (whales, crustaceans, porpoise, etc.), bird populations and migrations, cities and towns, shipping, fishing, and recreation. All of these, and more, coexist along the coast, sometimes peacefully and in harmony, other times in conflict.  Their are good stories to tell and bad ones to document.  Areas where urban planning has been successful and areas that need work.

I look forward to this work, to this challenge that I have laid out for myself and for those that have chosen to support me.  I believe that we can do great good from this trip and am extremely excited about those opportunities.  One area that stands out loudly is the effort of The Wilderness Classroom.  This organization is dedicated to helping children learn about our environment through the eyes of Adventure Travel.  This year, I am pleased to be partnering up with them so that these same students can follow along with my journey.  I hope that my stories and my images can not only show them the beauty of these waters, but to impress upon them the benefit to all mankind in being good stewards of our lands and our waters.

We have several other partners that will be announced in the upcoming weeks and we are working hard to create new relationships that will help to support the overall mission of the One Ocean Project.  If you are interested in joining this great adventure, please contact us for more information and details.

Stay tuned, the Odyssey begins in a week.

Wow, I can't believe that I am 3 weeks away from the Odyssey.  It is really going to be an epic trip.  I have been so busy planning and training that this section of the site has been neglected.  Over the next three weeks I will be updating this with more details on the trip and how you and especially your kids can follow along.  I am extremely excited about collaborating with the Wilderness Classroom and equally excited about the media coverage that I will be getting.  At this time we will be blogging with Canoe & Kayak and Adventure Kayak magazines, two of the great publications dedicated to the sport of Kayaking and Canoeing.  As I finalize the details regarding these efforts, I will update the site accordingly.

In addition, since this is such a long expedition, over 3300 miles and most likely more than 6-7 months, I look forward to the support and friendship of those I meet along the way.  If you are located on the Atlantic Coast and would be interested in providing any type of logistical support or if you would just like to join up with me for a day or days of paddling, please drop me a note so we can exchange contact information.  My support team back home will be able to monitor my progress and help to coordinate any of these efforts when I am unable to get web/email access.

Lastly, I would love the opportunity to speak at places such as Schools, Civic Groups, Churches, etc., regarding my adventures as well as to present slide shows of either this journey or of the Inside Passage expedition that I recently completed.  If you would be interested in arranging such a visit, please drop me a note and we will work it into my schedule.

3 weeks, 19 hours, 58 minutes.....