Gear list and thanks...We leave tomorrow!

Tomorrow we set off on a three day long ferry trip from Bellingham to Juneau and then hop on another one over to Gustavus, AK at the mouth of Glacier Bay. We have checked and double checked our gear, organized it so that it can be easily (relatively) transported on and off the ferries, practiced packing our boats, and said most of our goodbyes. Which is a good time to say, if we didn't see you before we left, we wish we had! There is just not enough time in a day and too much to do.

I think I'll just play guitar like this the whole trip while Kelly tows me.

Trial run of boat packing...it all fit.

Sunshine the day before we leave!

I thought before we set off we should thank everyone for giving us so much support and guidance along the way. Camp Orkila (where we have worked the past four years as most of you know) has been instrumental in making this trip happen. Giving us a place to live and build our boats over the winter has been amazing and I know everything would not have been as easy as it was to make this trip happen. They just put a post about us on their blog too. Obviously we want to thank Pygmy boats out of Port Townsend for creating an awesome kayak and helping us with advice and materials all winter to make the vessels that will transport us so long. Both Shearwater Adventures [Jeff and Tom] (where we worked as kayak guides last summer), Body Boat Blade [Shauna and Leon] (who we have had a training or two and kind words with over the years) and our friends James (taught me how to roll and run a river) and Ted have helped us with advice and hard paddling skills the last few years. There have been many blogs that we checked out to help us plan, but the main one we read was one by this couple who did a very similar trip in 07, peacenic.blogspot.com. And of course to all of our friends and family (my mom is going to be sending our resupply packages over the summer), we love you all very much and we have endless thanks!

And now our gear list! (minus Kelly's clothes).
I am sure we will amend this as the trip goes on and we realize what is actually useful and what isn't.

Paddling Gear

Pygmy Coho

Snapdragon Ocean Tour EXP

Reinforced Spray Skirt

Werner Ikelos Bent Shaft 210 Paddle

Kokatat Ronin Pro Rescue Vest

Spare Paddle

Deck Bag

PFD pouch with emergency gear in it (matches, iodine, petroleum-soaked cotton balls, emergency blanket, metal water bottle, duct tape, ibuprofen, etc…)

Paddling Clothes

Kokatat GFER Gore-tex Drysuit

Kokatat Seeker Neoprene Booties

OR Coastal Sombrero

Kokatat Lightweight Gloves

Polarized Sunglasses

NRS Heavyweight Gloves

Balaclava

Safety Gear

Kokatat Waist-mounted Touring Tow

Tether

Seal Line Paddle Float

Gerber river shorty

Whistle

Signal Mirror

Horn

Bear Spray

Bilge Pump

McMurdo Fastfind 210 PLB

iCom floating, submersible VHF

Spare VHF

Strobe

Flares

Iodine tablets

Bailing Sponge

SPOT GPS Messenger

Bear canisters

Emergency blanket

Spare Batteries

Sunscreen & Chapstick

Kitchen Gear

MSR Dragonfly Stove

Simmerlite stove

MSR Hyper Flow Water Filter

Spoon

Fork

MSR Mugmate Coffee Filter

Waterbottle

MSR Dromedaries

MSR Fuel Bottles

Dish soap

Scrubbie

MSR Plates

MSR Pots

MSR Mugs

MSR Spatula

Saute Pan

Shelter

Spice containers (small nalgenes)

Leftover containers

Hand sanitizer

Ziplocks and scent proof bags

Camp Gear

REI Halfdome 2 Tent

Thermarest Prolite Plus Pad

Thermarest Packable Pillow

Marmot Sawtooth Membrain 15 Degree

Sleeping Bag

Thermarest Compack Chair

Tarp

Dry Bags

Small pruning saw

Small collapsible shovel

Ikea Bags

Navigation/Library

Historical Atlas

Hand Compass

Wild Coast Atlas

Wild Coast Guidebooks

Miller Guidebook

NOLS Cookery book

Navigation book

WFR Book

GPS – Garmin 76Csx + manual

Topo Maps (1/250,000)

Deck Compass

Charts

Chalk pencils

Water proof notebook

Tide Tables

Clothing

Marmot Fleece Beanie

Smart Wool Beanie

Marmot Nano Rain Jacket

Marmot Cauldron Synthetic Down

Jacket

Marmot Powerstretch half zip

Melanzana Fleece Hoodie

Solstice Fleece

Synthetic/Merino T Shirt (2)

Smartwool Baselayer Top

Redram Baselayer top

Kokatat top

Marmot Glove Liners

Marmot Rain Pants

Carhardts

Smartwool Baselayer Bottom (2)

Smartwool Socks (4)

Wellies

Chacos

REI Classic Fleece Pants

Merino Underwear (4)

Repair Kits

Spare Neck Gaskets (2)

Spare Wrist Gaskets (4)

Drysuit Repair Kits (2)

Stove Repair Kit

Water Filter Repair Kit

5 Bottles of Aquaseal

Zip Tech

303 Protectant

Multi tool

Swiss Army Knife

Boat Repair Kit

First Aid Kit

Extra Stuff

Camera w/ Spare Battery & Charger

Toiletries

Book

Journal and Pens

Cribbage

Boat locking cable

An Inside Passage FAQ...and some tooting of our own horns...

Mike and I finished up our last day of work at Orkila on Friday, and are getting ready to start our big adventure on the 17th! The fact that we're leaving jobs that we love in a place that we love with people that we love hasn't quite set in yet, and neither has the fact that we're actually going to go on this trip that's been tumbling around in our heads for over a year. We're super grateful to have so much support from friends and family for this crazy adventure, and we hope to keep updating you along the way!

We've spent our free moments of the last couple months packing, researching, organizing, tweaking our boats, buying food, sorting food, packing food, waterproofing charts, and getting buried under a mountain of gear and supply boxes that has been taking over our room. We also managed to squeeze in a little bit of actual kayaking (not as much as I had hoped for) with some skills sessions at the lake and an overnight trip to Sucia Island. Our gear has been (mostly) tested, and I think we're just about as ready as we can be! Weird.

waterproofed charts drying in the marine center

granola town


resupply boxes

boats packed to head to Sucia Island

Lots of people have been asking questions about the details, and here are some answers:

1) When are you leaving/where are you going/how are you getting there?
On Friday, June 17th, we'll be taking a ferry from Bellingham, WA to Juneau. It'll be like a mini cruise! We store our kayaks down with the cars and camp on the deck/in the solarium. We'll get to Juneau early Monday, then hop on another ferry to Gustavus, AK, then take a taxi to Bartlett Cove in Glacier Bay National Park. We'll paddle up to Muir Glacier, then start heading south. Down the Inside Passage. Back to Orcas Island (or Bellingham or Port Townsend).


2) How long does that take?
Three-ish months. We hope to be back in late September.


3) What will you do about food?
We'll be stopping in towns every 10-13 days or so to buy groceries/do laundry/take a shower/sleep in a bed/etc. We're also sending ourselves re-supply boxes of things we want but might not always be able to find in grocery stores. Like quinoa. And dehydrated potato beads. People have wondered about fishing along the way, and I don't think that's going to happen an awful lot. We haven't really looked into permits or gear, and don't really want to attract bears with fishy goodness. This could change, but no fishing for now.


4) What about bears?
Here are the facts: a) The Inside Passage has bears up the wazoo. b) I am afraid of bears. c) I am also afraid of guns. d) We have bear spray, extra SOLAS flares specifically for bears, a bear hang system, and two half-size bear canisters. e) That should just about do it...plus safe/clean camping practices and all that jazz.


5) What if there's an emergency?
In addition to all of the standard kayaking safety items (flares, horn, signal mirror, beacon, VHF, paddle float, tow belt, etc.), we also have a personal locator beacon that will signal our location in an emergency, as well as a Spot GPS messenger, which will do the same thing plus send out check-in messages along the way. Our PFDs also have little emergency "backpacks" which have survival essentials incase we somehow got separated from our boats. Perhaps most importantly, we're taking along a healthy supply of humility and caution, as well as a very conservative approach to calculated risk taking.


6) Where will you be stopping/can I send you things?
Here's a list of towns where we plan to pick up mail and approximately when we plan to be there. If you want to send something, we would love it! But don't feel like you have to...Everything should be sent parcel post to the US, and priority mail to Canada. Allow up to two weeks for delivery and address like this:

Mike Mills and Kelly Vogel
General Delivery
(Fill in address as below)

July 4th:
Juneau, AK 99801-1807

July 16th:
Wrangell, AK 99929

July 26th:
Ketchikan, AK 99901-9998

August 5th:
Prince Rupert, BC V8J3P3
Canada

August 18th:
Denny Island, BC V0T 1B0,
Canada

August 31st:
C/O Telegraph Cove Resort
Box 1 or #5 Telegraph Cove Rd.
Telegraph Cove, British
Columbia, V0N 3J0, Canada

September 11th:
Powell River, BC V8A 5K9,
Canada

And then back around September 20th!