Final words from Captain Brett…
The trip is over. It is hard to beleive that I do not live on a raft anymore, that I can eat other breakfast foods other than oatmeal and I can actually shower when I need too. Yet with all the comforts of home at my finger tips I already miss the simple and unasumming life of rafting. Infact if I could leave next week to take on my third river I would, but I know that day will come soon enough.
This summer I experinced every emotion possible, from the highs of setting sail for the first time to having my go to camera breakdown. Yet that is what makes adventure travel so appealing to me you never know what is going to happen and it is the hard, trying times that you cherrish most when everything is all said and done. Well it is done and I would like to congradulate the team for joining me on this epic journey in which we accomplished all of our objectives.
Let me do a brief recap of some of the highlights of the summer.
- We rafted over 3000 km with no motor, no gun and no maps for the last 1700 km
- Our rafted covered a greater distance than it is to fly from Toronto, Ontario to Kingston Jamacia
- The trip was a fundraiser and public awareness campaign for Alzhiemer’s research
- We started with 9, then Kari left after 12 days on the water. We thought that was it, but many weeks later a freak accident saw our beloved Scott depart via the US ARMY in a blackhawk chopper.
- We basically ate a veggie diet other than the fish that was given to us by Natives
- Our greatest day of travel we traveled 200 km in under 24 hours
- Our slowest day(s) of travel we didnt move, actually we moved backwards slightly
- We found a dead body under the raft
- The raft got beached when the water dropped forcing us to cut 1/3 of the raft inorder to salvage the trip
- The Yukon flats were slow… and we took every long cut possible down every slough
- We attended Johnathan Solomons (the Traditional Chief of the Gwich’in people) funeral in Fort Yukon and were treated like family by the entire town
- Rafted into the Arctic
- Got stuck more than I can count but we always got out by human power
- We made it to Emmonak and jumped into the Ocean.
Of course I could go on and on but it will be much easier for you to see the movie to learn more. Check out www.intothemidnightsun.org for more information.
Finally advice to anyone thinking about doing anytype of adventure: GO FOR IT! But remember… people who are not goal oriented will not support you, and in many cases will actaully try to dissuade you from taking on the impossible. Follow your inner calling and surround yourself with successful, motivated people because anyone who thinks adventure is a waste of time, is a waste of time themselves. Rock on and keep it real,
Brett Rogers
1 comment September 22nd, 2006