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Paddling the Yukon River, Alaska     July, 1999

Dear Alv,

I just had to write and let you know how well our adventure on the Yukon River in Alaska went this summer. First of all, our 17' PakCanoe was the star of the trip. We started out from our home in Michigan, flew to Fairbanks and caught a shuttle flight to Eagle on the river, all in the same day. It was very nice not having to make arrangements to rent a canoe and then have it transported to the river. We simply checked our PakCanoe as baggage and were on the river the same evening.

We spent a total of 20 days on the river. Paddled and floated a distance of 420 miles. Traveled through two national preserves (Yukon-Charlie and Yukon Flats). We crossed the Arctic Circle at Fort Yukon. Saw brown and black bears, moose and even a wolf. Our PakCanoe provided us with a very stable platform from which to shoot much of or video. We carried an additional 75 lbs. of cameras and tripods and the boat handled the extra weight with grace.

On several occasions, we caught up to other paddlers in a variety of inflatable boats. In each case, we were able to outdistance them as our PakCanoe paddled much faster with less effort. Many of the other paddlers were surprised at its speed.

We were able to gather a great deal of video footage and are now back in the studio editing. I'd rather be in the canoe on some distant wilderness river. The video on our trip should be done sometime in December. The theme will center around our ability to adventure travel with the right gear. Our PakCanoe was instrumental in this cause. I will send you a copy as soon as it is finished.

Our plans for next summer's adventure include a paddling trip to northern Scotland. We will be traveling, of course, with our PakCanoe.

Sincerely,
Tim Kasten

Related articles:

• Packing for your next big adventure, by Alan Kesselheim