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< NovDec 2000
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Expedition News

Tackling the Nuggets of Norway
Necky paddler Polly Green was the lone American on an exploratory journey to Norway last summer, joining Brit Andy Phillips, Norwegian Erik Martinsen and host of Germans, including 1995 World Freestyle Champion Ollie Grau and 1999 Women’s World Freestyle Champion Deb Pinniger. The group started their trip on the Class IV-V creeks of the Sjoa River Valley before heading to the west coast and the fabulous ferry-accessed coastal runs. The international paddling crew then headed inland, hitting the Ulvaa, the Class V Rauma and the Valldalselva--a high alpine creek reminiscent of those found deep inside the boundaries of many Western U.S. Wilderness Areas.
“Norway is a combination of Alaska, Scotland, Washington State and New Zealand,” Green says. “I would have been happy most of the time just sitting and staring at the beauty--kayaking was just a bonus.”
--tb

Sea Kayaker Completes Tour of British Isles
The sun never sets on the seas that Chris Duff has paddled. Last spring, Duff finished a solo circumnavigation of New Zealand, completing his Millennial Paddle Expedition and making him the first person to sea kayak around all the British Isles. To accomplish this feat, Duff paddled more than 15,000 miles, with the New Zealand leg proving far more difficult than his paddles around the previous islands. “It turned out to be the most challenging expedition I’ve yet attempted,” says Duff, sponsored by Werner Paddles. “In addition to facing fierce paddling conditions, I had to replace and repair several pieces of surf-ravaged equipment and spent a day half-stranded before I was rescued by a helicopter. After repairs to my boat I was able to complete the trip.” Duff has written about his adventures, recording his ruminations while alone at sea, and telling about the people he has met along the way.
--Nate Johnson

Intern Paddlers
Not all college kids head to the Rockies to tend bar or Boston to intern with an investment firm between semesters…some plan canoe expeditions. A case in point: a group of Canadian co-eds who paddled their way through six rivers in the Yukon, Northwest Territories, and Alaska. The Northern Currents Team is combined their wilderness and paddling experience with a desire to foster educational opportunities and pass along environmental stewardship, with a Web site including field reports. The rivers they paddled--the Bonnet Plume, Peel, Mackenzie, Rat, Bell and Porcupine--cross vast wildlife habitats and diverse ecosystems. The group’s mission is to educate others about the land and people of the north and the threats surrounding them. “We’re not trying to hug every tree,” says Katherine Stewart, environmental liaison for the group. “We’re just trying to raise awareness of the issues.” Through their paddling and Web coverage, the group looks to help preserve connected tracts of wilderness and promote the intrinsic necessity of wild places. The trip ended in Fort Yukon, Alaska, Aug. 20, but their site will remain through the year. Visit them at www.adventurejournal.com.
--Dan Berger