Colorado Mountain College Alumni Canoe Entirety Of North America
DENVER (CBS4) - A group of six men are embarking on an adventure for the sake of adventure as they paddle across the continent of North America.
Beginning in the Gulf of Mexico and ending in the Arctic, the upstream journey is "expected to pose every possible challenge to traveling in a canoe," as their website says.
Two of the men, Luke Kimmes and Jarrad Moore, attended Colorado Mountain College, where Kimmes now teaches Outdoor Education. All of the travelers are extreme outdoorsmen and most are native Minnesotans.
The team has connected a route of 17 rivers that spans thousands of miles, the Mississippi alone making up 2,000 miles. They'll canoe through numerous lakes and have already passed dozens of cities on their way to Bathurst Inlet in the Arctic.
As stated on their blog, "We cover around 20 - 25 miles a day, which equates to anywhere from two bends in the river on a slow day to four or five bends on faster days."
They've paddled through gator-filled swamps of the Gulf, whitewater rapids, clouding fog and wind, past fishermen and hunting camps, observed beavers and carp, escaped winter storm Octavia within hours, and have been receiving generous hospitality all along the way.
'Rediscovering North America: A Journey from the Gulf of Mexico to the Arctic Ocean' was named Expedition of the Year in 2013 by Canoe and Kayak.
The crew began their adventure Jan. 2, 2015 -- early enough to beat the imminent ice that will be settling in the Arctic by the time they arrive.
Today is the 143rd day of the crew's journey, and finds them at the northern end of Lake Winnipeg in Manitoba, Canada. Two weeks ago they crossed into Canada via the Red River that splits North Dakota and Minnesota.
From there they will take the Sasketchewan River and criss-cross through Canada to the Arctic bay of Bathurst Inlet.
You can follow their adventures on the Expedition Blog.
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