Author Archives: Craig Johnson

Nels & Craig, Before & After Photos

“The road” takes it’s toll on everyone and in a lot of different ways. For us boys hygiene is often an afterthought, due to the extra effort required in grooming. So, we embrace our unshaven faces and unkept hair and try to look the part of the rugged wanderer. The following photographs reveal the physical results of the last 6-7 months of constant movement. Proceed with caution.

A Day on the Water (Part 3)

Seward, Alaska is on the famous Kenai Peninsula, a destination for all sorts of outdoor activities like salt water fishing for halibut, river fishing for different types of salmon, sea kayaking, and rafting. It’s impossible to do it all, so we decided to take our chances going after King Salmon on the Kenai River. Based near Soldotna, our host for the day was Chugach Backcountry Fishing, owned by Cory Hetrick.

A Day on the Water (Part 2)

There really is nothing like a day on the water. Boating, fishing, swimming, it’s all good to me. So when we got the chance to spend a day kayaking first on a lake, then on a river, and throw in some fly fishing for trout, I was more than excited. Our host for the day was Denali Southside River Guides, owned by Craig & Shelis Jorgensen. We would spend the day on Byers Lake, located inside the Denali State Forest, about an hour’s drive north on the Parks Highway from where we were staying in Talkeetna, Alaska. From there we’d head down the river flowing through the lake.

A Day on the Water (Part 1)

“Can’t beat a day on the water,” said Nels. I’m not sure which one of us was the first to say it, but it has become a common occurrence due to our many water based adventures lately. Recently, during our visit to Talkeetna, we had two such opportunities. The first was jet boating the Susitna River with Mahay’s Riverboat Service.

Photo of the Week: Itchy Buffalo

We saw a lot of buffalo while driving towards Montana through Canada. This fella was using a road sign to scratch an itch.

To the Rescue in the Land of the Midnight Sun

From finding a job to getting good seats to the game, many things in life come down to who you know. As most of our followers on the web remember, during our hiatus in Denver we put on a fundraiser for gas money to get ourselves to Alaska and beyond. In order to complete the last major milestone of the expedition, we needed to rely on the support of friends, family, strangers, and generous companies both local and beyond. One of Steven’s friends, Clint, works for the sunglasses and gear oriented company, Oakley.

Photo of the Week: Icy Wonderland

While visiting Valdez, our final destination in Alaska, we had the pleasure of sea kayaking near glacial icebergs with our host, Pangaea Adventures. The scenery and colors were out of this world.

The Alaska Sea Life Center

“It won’t be so funny if he starts courting you,” said the intern. Meagan and I were laughing because a puffin had just hopped on her leg. We were taking part in the Puffin Encounter Tour, one of the programs offered by the Alaska Sea Life Center in Seward, Alaska. This particular hour long tour involved learning about the sea birds on display and then getting a chance to interact and feed the birds. Apparently, feeding the puffins is serious business as the seemingly harmless birds can bite extremely hard; although there are two expert interns there to protect you.

Photo of the Week: Denali from the Sky

On one of our scenic flights with Talkeetna Air Taxi, the summit of Denali (or Mt. Mckinley) made a rare appearance.

Catching up in Fairbanks

Don’t get me wrong, I cherish these unique experiences and it’s one of the main reasons that I’m on the expedition. However, after the mad dash to the Arctic Ocean and back I think I speak for all of us on the crew when saying we were happy to have a host for a couple of nights at Pike’s Waterfront Lodge upon our return to Fairbanks.