Kayaking from San Juan Islands to Glacier Bay

GAIL L. RICHARDS

June 26, 2008 at 2:04PM AKST

Moved by a passion for the ocean, local Outward Bound employees Mik Jedlicka and Mark Dalpes — who have worked summers in Alaska for several years — craved a big adventure.

They wanted a journey so huge that it would be filled with surprise and adventure: the surprise of not knowing where they’d spend each night, and the adventure of what might be encountered during the day.

So in April 2007, the two kayaking experts set out for an 80-day paddling trip from the San Juan Islands in Washington to Glacier Bay, Alaska.

At 7 p.m. on June 28, they will be presenting a documentary about their trip at Resurrect Art Coffee House Gallery on Fourth Avenue.

“Kayaking the inside passage was so many things for us,” said Jedlicka, who teaches mountaineering and kayaking courses for Outward Bound. “We wanted to explore the Pacific Northwest, its people, flora, fauna and waters. We wanted to visit some of the First Nations villages, talk with people, share in their traditions and hear their stories.”

Traveling by kayak gave Jedlicka and Dalpes an opportunity to intimately explore the biologically diverse environment of the northwest coast, she said.

“We wanted to leave behind the phone, computer and vehicles in exchange for a slower paced human-powered experience,” she said. “The goal to use and promote human power was actualized in two ways: First, we raised some money for the Renewable Energy Alaska Project through a pledge letter sent to family and friends; second, we commuted to our summer jobs in Alaska from Washington using our own renewable energy.”

This is the kind of enthusiasm that puts a whole new light on one’s procrastination to ride a bike one mile to the market for groceries.

Jedlicka and Dalpes stopped about once a week to beef up their own groceries and supplies at accessible villages or towns along the way. The longest wait between resupply stops was two weeks, Jedlicka said.

“We also mailed a couple of boxes to ourselves so we could enjoy some yummy favorites toward the middle and end of the trip,” she said.

The adventurers saved money for two winters in preparation for the exploration that ended last July. They also benefited from the sponsorship of eight different companies that donated gear, including Outward Bound, a nonprofit outdoor educational organization with the mission to inspire character development and self-discovery in people of all ages.

To individuals with a notion to paddle in their wakes, Jedlicka advises potential adventurers to take more time than she and Dalpes did.

“There is so much to explore along the northwest coast,” she said. “There are an infinite number of coves, bays, beaches and adventures to be had. So, I would say take as much time as you can, plan on paddling 15 miles a day at the most and take lots of rest days.”

Gail Richards is a Seward artist and freelance writer. She can be reached at 224-2426 or gail@gailrichardsart.com.