The 411

WHEN:

March 14th through August 7th 2010 (Rough Estimates)

start:

Seattle, Washington

finish:

Anchorage, Alaska

Distance:

Over 2,500 miles (4,023 km)

comparable distance:

Driving from Los Angeles, California to Charleston, South Carolina

Duration:

5 months

GPS TRacking:

Using GPS SPOT transmissions and Google maps, the map above shows expedition donors and fans Conor’s daily progress up the coast from Seattle, Washington through the dramatic scenery of British Columbia, the Alaskan Inside Passage, Prince William Sound, and finally around the Kenai Peninsula to Anchorage. 

Expedition Route:

Leg 1 (Purple) -     Seattle, WA to Port McNeill, BC.

Leg 2 (Blue) -        Port McNeill, BC to Ketchikan, AK.

Leg 3 (Aqua) -      Ketchikan, AK to Juneau, AK.

Ferry (Yellow) from Juneau to Cordova, AK.

Leg 4 (Orange) -   Cordova, AK to Seaward, AK.

Leg 5 (Red) -         Seward, AK to Anchorage, AK.  ROYGBIV thermometer till summer in Anchorage!

trip itinerary:

See CauseToPaddle_Expedition_Itinerary_rev4.xls for detailed itinerary and destination resources.

Float Log:

See the Float Log CauseToPaddle Rev2.xls for an update of travels to date.

Leave-no-trace principles:

The beauty of sea kayaking and leave-no-trace camping is that having a low impact on the environment maintains the true character of the wilderness experience for generations to come.

equipment and supplies:

Click CauseToPaddle_Equipment_and_Supplies_List_rev4 Gear.pdf.

Food Plan:

Click Food Plan Rev2.xls.  Final fiber rich menu.

Communications plan:

Through satellite phone texts and Twitter, Conor can keep you informed with daily adventures here. 

While in cities, Conor will have access to email and his cell phone, 310-740-073(four).  While in remote areas, however, Conor can be reached when he checks his satellite phone (roughly daily).  Incoming texts are free which will be useful for receiving daily automated weather texts.

To Email a TEXT (SMS) message to Conor, send email to this address: 881622417113@msg.iridium.com

Or text Conor via SMS to sat phone number: 881622417113 or click here.  Only 160 characters are possible and after that messages are truncated.  For other rules, see Iridium FAQ.

Please see my Communications_Plan_CauseToPaddle rev1.pdf to view frequency and descriptions of all modes of communication.

RISK ANALYSIS:

Click CauseToPaddle Risk Assessment rev1.xls.  This is a draft and will continue to be improved.

Links:

Inside Passage Registry - http://sites.google.com/site/insidepassageregistry/home#Trips

Kayaking Expeditions (Sean Morley’s site) - http://www.expeditionkayak.com/content/?page_id=260

WEATHER:

El Nino - 2010 is predicted to be a moderate El Nino year. The Climate Prediction Center’s seasonal outlook for the winter of 2009 - 2010 in the Pacific Northwest shows an increased chance for above normal temperatures and below normal precipitation which should be good for my early start date. This seems to be true in about 75-85% of the El Ninos over the past 23 years.  Typically this means more precipitation and cooler weather in the Southern US but less precipitation and warmer weather in Alaska and Canada.  I’ll be following this for the next few months!!

1. -http://www.cpc.ncep.noaa.gov/products/predictions/90day/fxus05.html
   

2. -http://www.noaanews.noaa.gov/stories2009/20091015_winteroutlook.html
   

3. -http://rredc.nrel.gov/wind/pubs/atlas/maps.html
   

Precipitation - Yep, this is going to be a very wet and soggy trip for March-May and hopefully more dry till August.

- http://www.alaska.com/about/weather/story/1923.html

1. -http://www.alaska.com/about/weather/story/1922.html
   

2. -http://www.uswx.com/us/wx/
   

3. -http://www.arh.noaa.gov/
   

Tides and Currents:

Except for the Kenai penninsula and the exposed British Columbia coast, the flow of water through the Inside Passage is largely dominated by the tidal ebb and flow which can be read from Tide Charts.  This local flow also supports my paddling direction northbound made mostly to get the best of the seasons, although in some sections, the current actually flows to the northwest from Yakutat towards Cordova.

-http://co-ops.nos.noaa.gov/tides09/tab2wc2a.html#143

-tidesandcurrents.noaa.gov/gmap3/

-http://www.nws.noaa.gov/om/marine/zone/west/loxmz.htm

Back-Up Plans:

1.) Take AMHS ferry or British Columbia ferry if in need, which are never too far from my route.

2.) Leg 5 around the Kenai peninsula can be postponed if needed so that I can make it to Anchorage mid-August by crossing from Whittier to Anchorage.