Michelle Martin, 30, and Heather Grant McLoughlin, 27, are more than two months into a kayaking expedition from Vancouver Island to Glacier Bay. The Canadian women have paddled hundreds of miles through the Inside Passage, entirely self-supported.
“We’ve just had our kayaks and our [gear] … and each other,” said Martin.
The two friends, who are professional outdoor guides, rested in Petersburg about 70 days into their journey along the coastline. At more than halfway through the thousand-mile expedition, Martin said they’ve experienced a bit of everything during their time on the water.
“The mundaneness, the highs, the lows, the epicness,” she described. “There’s everything in a week, sometimes everything within a day.”
While kayaking wasn’t new to them, an expedition on such a large scale was. They said this journey was a year and a half in the making.
The pair teamed up with three women from New Zealand for the trip. However, the New Zealanders had visa troubles at the U.S. border and could not cross into Alaska; they stayed in Canada to kayak around Haida Gwaii, while Martin and Grant McLoughlin continued paddling up the panhandle.
Grant McLoughlin said the distance wasn’t the only major part of this journey.
“It was a group of five women in an expedition space, which is really starting to be more common, but still quite not as heard of,” she said. “So it’s been really special.”
They started this trip with concerns around paddling through bear country, unsure of what could happen.
“Alaska is a bit of a buzzword when it comes to bears,” said Grant McLoughlin, “I met some people over the winter who were from Alaska and they were like ‘Oh, do you have a gun?’ and I was like, ‘No! Do I need one?’”
Luckily, the duo hasn’t had any bear problems. In fact, Martin said experiencing wildlife from their kayaks has been a major highlight.
“Something I really appreciate from kayaking … is getting those moments with wildlife where they accept you as wildlife, you know, like you are nature in nature,” she said.
Both kayakers said that another highlight has been the people they meet along the way — Petersburg locals included.
“In Petersburg, it’s just been insane how many people have offered their time or their kindness to support us,” said Grant McLoughlin. “It’s been a really empowering and epic community to be in.”
Petersburg residents convinced the duo to stay an extra day specifically to experience the popular local bakery, Salty Pantry.
“It’s kind of the talk of Southeast, eh?” Grant McLoughlin said with a laugh. “So many people have told us about it.”
While the duo has traveled a long way to get to Petersburg, their expedition is still far from over. Martin and Grant McLoughlin estimate it’ll take about three more weeks of paddling to reach their final destination at Glacier Bay.
They’re not sure where the journey will take them once they get there, but for now, they’re moving forward one stroke at a time.
You can follow Martin and Grant McLoughlin’s journey at thepassagepaddle.com.
