Down the Yukon to the Bering Sea

About us. Three months off and a trip of a lifetime: paddling on the Yukon River from near the source to the Bering Sea in Alaska. We are Philipp and Jan-Philipp from Heidelberg/Kassel in Germany and will undertake this expedition. Both of us are at the beginning of our thirties. And yes, we have a regular job… But what you may call a bold venture in the middle of nowhere is in fact our approach to discover nature and freedom in a way beyond comparison. This blog’s idea is to share this unique trip with you.PHOTO CREDITS: YUKON-BLOG.DE  

About the trip. Untouched nature and a river like no other: the Yukon. Our kayak trip will begin in June, 2015, near the source in Whitehorse/Canada and will lead us through Alaska before ending at the Bering Sea in September. 2000 miles, one arctic summer. We are dreaming of breath-taking nature and a unique river experience. We also expect difficult situations and a great deal of paddling. But whatever we will experience, you can be a digital witness of our trip: on a Google map with real-time tracking and with blog posts via a satellite connection.PHOTO CREDITS: YUKON-BLOG.DE, BASE: WIKIMEDIA, CC-BY-SA 3.0  

Our boat. The linchpin of our expedition is the Riverstar XXL kayak which has been manufactured by the Austrian boat specialist Grabner. It will serve us as a daytime-home. The Riverstar XXL is inflatable and has an overall length of 20 feet, intended to accommodate both of us and plenty of baggage in the mid-ship area. Through the rubber material and the high operating air pressure, the XXL should be stable and torsion resistant and therefore meet the demands of our Canada-Alaskan tour. And there is one overall advantage: It’s already stored in our basement. PHOTO CREDITS: YUKON-BLOG.DE  

Our equipment. When we are planning our multiweek kayak expedition, we take numerous pieces of equipment into consideration. A tent, pots, rain gear, food, a rod, bear-safe tons and much more. We would also like to take a lot of photos, videos and do some blogging in the wilderness. As we are facing a payload of only 700 pounds, there is no doubt that our equipment list will be rethought several times. But what can be taken for granted: the illustrated Lego-Native American will accompany us as a mascot.PHOTO CREDITS: YUKON-BLOG.DE