paddlers are rockin'! just outside of eshamy bay when the SPOT signal came in tonight. all signs say they'll be to whittier by sunday. WOW!
tomorrow is solstice, the longest day of light! live it up and enjoy amigos.
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19 June 2008
day 27 - eshamy bay
18 June 2008
day 26 SPOT signal 4:16pm
the paddlers reached the end of bainbridge passage today at this rate it looks like
they may have 4-5 days more of their trip. amazing!!!
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17 June 2008
day 25 - auk bay
truly truly incredible progress as the team now enters yet another breathtaking area on the final stretch of this journey.
a note from matt's mom...
Hi, all
The paddlers are at Auk Bay in Bainbridge Passage. That means they're in Prince William Sound, so going should be good. Steve thinks that they could be in Whittier as soon as Sunday.
We'll be standing by for pickup services then, and wishing them a safe trip.
Love, Noël
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16 June 2008
day 24 - whidbey bay 4:28 pm
a note from matt's mom (matt's parents were able to join the crew in seward and see them off).
Hi, all
Tonight's SPOT is at Whidbey Bay, on the Gulf of Alaska coast on the way to
Port Bainbridge. They're about 30 miles from the entrance to Prince William
Sound. They made 28 miles today. Once they enter PWS they will be on a
less exposed shore with lots of places to land when they need/want to.
Again, I'm sad that we're not with them. Tomorrow they should get into even
more beautiful country. Once while we were going through Bainbridge Passage
a porpoise was swimming along with us on the bow and was so close I could
almost touch it. I tried hanging my arm over the side, but it was just
about 6 inches too short. We've seen lots of wildlife along the
passage--porpoise, whales, bear (once Steve and Matt saw a black bear
swimming across!).
We'll get our turn in August, I hope.
Wishing them calm seas, light winds, currents in their direction, and
another great traveling day.
Love, Noël
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15 June 2008
14 June 2008
resupplied in seward
hola all! we are in Seward. got here late friday afternoon, spent the eve and day resupplying and visiting with Matt's Mom and Dad. Steve and Noel have made this journey comforting, and fattening. ;) they are special.
tomorrow early we leave for our final leg to Whittier, about 120nm. our initial forecast is very favorable with N winds in the mornings and SW in the afternoon. we have a great shot to be into Prince William Sound in 3 days. from there we're less exposed and will have the most flexible planning of the entire trip - minimal currents, seclusion from strong weather.
it's been bittersweet realizing we are in reaching distance of our goal from a start that seems so long long ago.
thanks for the new donations.
best.
matt, djuna, mathew.
13 June 2008
day 21 seward!!! 6:26 pm ADKT
so incredible - the paddlers made it to seward in 10 days. looks like they are near (or in) the ferry terminal.
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12 June 2008
11 June 2008
day 19 - granite island (5:30pm ADKT)
they are making incredible progress. the weather looks to be in their favor. 3 rock stars!
here are some NOAA satellite images of 
where they are camped tonight, along with the map link 
to google from SPOT.
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10 June 2008
09 June 2008
day 17 - same place at 4:38 pm ADKT
the paddlers remain in the same place as yesterday per the SPOT signal.
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08 June 2008
07 June 2008
06 June 2008
05 June 2008
04 June 2008
03 June 2008
the crossing - day 11 peterson bay
SPOT says the paddlers are safe at camp at 8:39 pm alaska time (ADKT). today they crossed kachemak bay...thinking of them and how good it must've felt to be back on the water after the well-deserved respite in homer.
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impressions
We are too pressed for time to give an accurate, chronological account of our trip so far, and that could get tedious for others as well, so here are some mental snapshots out of my memory...
Saying goodbye to my mom and dad, wondering if they truly believed that we knew what we were getting into. Chocolate-brown water, churned by current, pulled into the steepest standing wave train I've ever seen. Continually checking depth with paddles as we "paddled by brail" in Turnagain Arm. The collage of sound created by the shore and the elements, are boats being disturbed by bear? are there people out there conversing in a different language? has the tide gone out a mile from camp? Bivvying for 6 hours on a bluff, unable to sleep because the scene above my eyes was too beautiful, and my mind is empty. Paddling among giant glacial erratics (boulders left by a melting glacier) with eddies behind each one--a bizzare moonscape flooded with water. Accepting a change in current (which seemed early to us) and letting go of the goal for a while--a healthy check-in to remain flexible, and take it as an opportunity. The deep resonating rumble of offshore oil-drilling rigs on day 4/5, one of many ugly sides of our addiction to oil vibrating me to my core. Watching the transition of the water color from brown to clear jade green, and with it, the abundance of wildlife and diversity. Thoughts of deep gratitude for all the people who have made this adventure possible for us, who have helped us along the way, and who we'll meet in the coming days. It's certainly not just our own two hands...
leaving Homer, headed for Seward
wish we had more time to write, there's so many incredible things we saw in the Cook Inlet, but today we're headed to the other side of Kachemak Bay to begin our outer coast journey to Seward AK. all 3 of us are really excited for the outer coast which will be the section least traveled by others. we're expecting to see an increase in wildlife, ocean swell, potential storm weather, great campsites, big mosquitos and much more marine life. we would expect to be in Seward 10-15 days, total weather dependent. we SPOT update every night when we set up camp, so the same map update would mean we're sitting, happily. :)
the Cook Inlet portion was fantastic though. overall we had exceptional weather which gave us great daily mileage of about 23 miles per day (mpd). we're expecting 15-20 mpd in the next leg. as Djuna described all the paddling was totally tidal dependent, which meant we paddled when the tide was going out. this forced us to be in tune with the moon, the marine life, the bird feeding times as the beaches were exposed on the big ebbs, the fisherman who went out at slack, the wind which was more so in the afternoons, and the sun which was in your face in the afternoons as well. we got 2 night legs in usually on the water from 3a-9a. we all loved this serene time on the water. this section turned out to be great prep for us physically, finding all the right places for things in our boats, and for our team communications and strategy on water. it was very valuable, beautiful and we're so glad we paddled the Cook Inlet and Turnagain Arm waters.
there's so much more to share, write, etc.. for now here's a picture from yesterday when we met the Cook Inlet Keeper crew who we are raising funds for.
02 June 2008
Living on the ebb
Coming around Bluff Point we began to see the Chugach mountains again- the range that in a sense we have been paddling around the whole trip. We also began to see loons, seals, sea otters, and other sea birds everywhere as we entered the rich waters of Kachemak Bay. We soon could see the Homer Spit, Sadie Peak, and China Poot peak across the bay. It felt wonderful to return to a place that Matt and I both love and became familiar with six years ago when we lived and worked in this area.
Scott and Susan were a welcomed sight when they returned home from work to find us at their place on Kachemak Bay road. We worked for them as kayak guides seven years ago and lived on their land on the other side of the bay. It was because of their trust in us and inspiration that we first kayaked. Now we return to share adventure stories. Last night we drank three bottles of good wine, ate a delicious meal of fresh greens and pasta and felt like it was just yesterday that we last saw each other.
It seems like we have been gone for ages, when it has only been one week. I think the highlight for me has been living by the ebb tides. We could only travel on the ebb because of the strength of the currents, so we sometimes would get off the water for just six hours, eat, nap on the beach and get back in the boats for the next ebb. Even if the next ebb started at 2:00 am. Sleeping on the beach without a tent makes me feel even more connected to this place and so mobile, agile.
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I began paddling in the waters of Cook Inlet, working as a guide in Kachemak Bay. Since then, my husband Matt and I have moved to Orcas Island Washington and work with Body Boat Blade. We are passionate about paddling in dynamic waters and living adventurous lives. The Kenai is so diverse and wild, it’s a place I love to know exists on this planet.
