My Bucket List of Adventures

I think adventurers are dreamers. Add to that an inquisitive nature, wondering what is around the bend or over the next mountain. The type of weather will we have to endure, the wildlife we might encounter, or the reception afforded us from the local indigenous people, are thoughts that cross our mind as we contemplate our next adventure. This is a very basic fabric within the personality of an adventurer or explorer.

As 2023 faded into the sunset, January, here in Texas started out with a bang. We broke some records and recorded very low temperatures for central TX. Then after a few days of sunshine, the rains set in. Being housebound gets one to thinking and to dreaming……Where to go next? What adventures do I long for. So, why not share my bucket list?

A reader of my website is first introduced to the geography I crave to explore: Starting in the Pacific Northwest and the inside Passage (Washington State, The coast of British Columbia and all the way north into southeast Alaska), marks the western most part of my dreaming to explore. Alaska, the Yukon, and the Northwest Territories provide more remote areas than one could explore in a lifetime. Lastly, I crave an opportunity to travel and explore Nunavut and the communities along the Northwest Passage from Pond Inlet (Mittimatalik) to Tuktoyaktuk.

Here is my list of dream adventures: The first two would allow me to complete my explorations of the Inside Passage. Numbers two and three would take me through southeast Alaska. 4-6 would take me into the northern Canadian provinces, while 7-9 would give me a taste of the Arctic. 10 brings me back home to Texas.

1. Continuing my exploration of the Inside Passage – Haida Gwaii – Another adventure in British Columbia and further up the Inside Passage, would be to explore Haida Gwaii formerly known as The Queen Charlotte Islands. If I thought Desolation Sound was remote and hard to get to, then Haida Gwaii makes Desolation Sound seem like a piece of cake. The archipelago of Haida Gwaii rises from the outer edge of the continental shelf along British Columbia’s northwest coast. These are the most remote islands on BC’s coast as no other island group anywhere in Canada is so distant from the main continent. A broad and treacherous inshore channel called Hecate Strait separates them from the main continent and the huge gap from Dixon Entrance on the north separates Haida Gwaii from the islands that form the Alaskan panhandle.
2. The areas around the towns of the Alaskan portion of the Inside Passage – Wrangel, Ketchikan, Juneau, Skagway, and Sitka. Stopovers are Glacier National Park and Gustavus. – I could kayak some portion of this part of the passage or simply take a ferry from Bellingham, Washington all the way through the Inside Passage and stop at these quaint towns in Southeast Alaska.
3. Watching the grizzlies fish at Katmai National Park, Alaska – Katmai is one of the premier brown bear viewing areas in the world. About 2,200 brown bears are estimated to inhabit the park, and more bears than people are estimated to live on Alaska Peninsula. Each year, during the salmon season, bears congregate to fish, and for that only time of the year, they are able to be viewed and photographed without risk (providing you don’t get too close).
4. Visit the Yukon and it’s capital, Whitehorse: The Yukon, a territory in northwest Canada, is wild, mountainous, and sparsely populated. Kluane National Park and Reserve includes Mount Logan, Canada’s highest peak, as well as glaciers, trails, and the Alsek River. In the far north is Ivvavik National Park, with protected calving grounds for Porcupine caribou. In the south are numerous glacier-fed alpine lakes, including boldly colored Emerald Lake.
5. Yellowknife, NWT – Thaidene Nene and the Great Slave Lake: Thaidene Nene National Park lies a short distance past the tree line (edge of the forest) in the Barren Lands, west of the Thelon River headwaters. Although tundra predominates, it is technically within the “transition zone” between the boreal forest and the tundra. Thaidene Nene National Park is uninhabited and remains of the most remote areas of pristine wilderness left in the world. The nearest towns and villages lie hundreds of miles away in every direction. Chances of seeing anyone else are extremely remote. There are many opportunities to discover archaeological material – primarily arrowheads, spearpoints, and stone knives, some of which may be thousands of years old.
6. Canoeing the Thelon River, NWT: The-lew-dezeth (Thelon River), the largest river in the Barren Lands and easily the most magnificent. The Thelon is, without question, the most remote and the most pristine wilderness river of any considerable size left in North America. The 120 mile (193km) long route is 80% river paddling. There are eight rapids along the route but no portages at all. Our entire route is on the tundra, south of the Thelon Wildlife Sanctuary, and is one of the most remote places left in the world. Wolves, muskoxen, grizzlies, and moose are some of the large animals that inhabit the area as well as wolverine. Birds of note include jaegers, bald eagles, osprey, many species of ducks, large numbers of Canada geese, and several species of loons. Archaeological sites are abundant on the Thelon river where ancient hunters waited for the Beverly caribou herd to cross these rivers on their summer migration.
7. Swimming in the Arctic Ocean, visiting Tuktoyaktuk, and driving the Dempster Highway, Northwest Territories – Tuk as it is commonly called sits at the end of the Dempster Highway, which is the northernmost road terminating on the shores of the Arctic Ocean. It is Canada’s only all-season public road to cross the Arctic Circle and is 740 km (458 mi.) of unpaved road that traverses some of the most beautiful scenery on the planet. It starts near Dawson City and heads due north to Inuvik in the Northwest Territories. From there it is another 152 km (`95 miles) to Tuk.
8. Visiting Cambridge Bay (Iqualuktuuttiaq), Nunavut – is an Inuit community midway through the Northwest Passage. Why Cambridge Bay? Take a look https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ScJ0HrTXmwo&ab_channel=CanadaC3
9. Visiting Pond Inlet (Mittimatalik), Nunavut – is an Inuit community at the easternmost entry (within Canada) to the Northwest Passage.
10. Touring Shumla and the Seminole Canyon pictographs, Comstock, Texas, and Val Verde County – Shumla is a scientific organization that is focused on rock art research and education. Using advanced science and technology to preserve the information held in the oldest “books” in North America — the endangered murals of the Lower Pecos Canyonlands of Texas. They conduct private tours of the rock art of ancient indigenous peoples on private ranches, Seminole Canyon state park, the research center.

As a footnote: I would also love to paddle and explore the San Juan Islands in Washington State with my friends and members of the @NSSKA (North Sound Sea Kayakers Association).