So, why Alaska and how did this all start?

Well, in 1992 I went to work at Glacier Bay National Park's Lodge as a bartender. I was originally from Texas. I had recently moved to Seattle and this was a chance, for me, to continue north. Far north. And Alaska was sounding like a great place to go after a taste of the Washington area.

My stay in Alaska may have been great, but it was too brief. Believe it or not though, at one point while working there, I traded a six pack of beer for 3 days at Pt Adolphus with a kayak. Wow. Now that was a barter.

Having to return to Seattle for the winter, I wished I could have found a way to stay in Alaska, so I had to set forth a plan to get back. As I was reading a lot of John Muir's work at the time, and how he and a few others canoed to Glacier Bay, I thought why not kayak his route. Of course, I didn't have a kayak nor much experience but after all - what are adventures built from... experience along the way!

Images of my first expedition in 1994

I spent all of 1993 raising $14,000 in sponsorship to go to Alaska and actually kayak what I believed was John Muir's route. And I guess if there are 15 minutes of fame, this was part of mine, as the Seattle Times newspaper picked up the story; as well as a few magazines, tv programs, and radio stations. And off I went...

Still today, I remember paddling each day over 5 months to eventually accomplish paddling some 1000 miles alone. I lived on the shorelines, in a tent, usually wet, cold, and tired. I can still remember the 35 day stretch I had no human contact. And the storms that held me up or damn near killed me. And that dehydrated food. That's a taste you won't soon forget. Albeit nurishment, after five months of only 8 varietys, one does tend to get bored and tired with their food. And I did.

Finally a day came whereas I was suppose to continue into Sept and Oct and maybe even Nov as I kept paddling stroke by stroke my way down to Seattle. But after five months and a thousand miles and completing what I had intended, I stopped. One of the hardest decisions I've made in life.

So eventually with that haunting decision, I wanted yet again to go back. To explore. To kayak this time a new route for me, and to visit the outside of the Inside Passage, thru Sitka and the outside of Baranof and Chichagof Islands. Now there I thought was another adventure.

Back to my old maps, Gazatteere, and charts to plot a new course; I searched the internet for any information and especially images of this area I could find. Problem was... and still is... there's just not many images to show or see. And then it hit me, the AHA moment. Why can't I go up there and circumnavigate all of SE Alaska and create an interactive map. Why that should keep me busy and take years. Boy, has it.