Sunday, December 7, 2014

37 years, 100 trips, 14,500 miles, and 850 days (or so)

It's been most of my life and I may have missed some but these are the big lines (over a week or 55 miles), the important ones, and the little ones that matter.

By foot, ski, skate, paddle, and pedal.

With my wife, our kids, my friends, and on the multi-day/multisport races my rivals, and sometimes just myself.

From 1977, as a 16 year old solo hiking from Eielson Visitor Center to the Igloo over Anderson Pass, to a couple weeks ago, when Luc and I nordic skated from Selawik to Kotzebue.

From Kaktovik to the Kigluaiks, from Umnak to Yakutat.

Sure, they're not all connected (yet), but I have a few miles left in me to see the wonders of Western Alaska, float the Yukon, pedal and paddle from Cordova to Yakutat, cross from Cordova to Seward with a packraft, link Aniakchak with lake Clark. Plenty to do!

One thing to know is that many routes I did more than once, especially the Wilderness Classics. Another is that these are just quick sketches with the path tool in Google Earth. Don't use them for navigation, please!

You can also see my favorite places: Kenai's Harding Icefield, Hayes Range, Arrigetch Peaks and South-central's whitewater.

It's impossible to ever be satisfied with these "lines-on-the-map". While satisfying to draw the last trip in, like Bono says, "It's no secret that ambition bites the nails of success", and planning for the next link-up of old lines or fill-in of blanks spots (can you spell K-O-B-U-K?) is the grist of life: hope for what the future brings.







Thanks to Hig for asking for the lines on Google Earth for Erin's story in Alaska Dispatch -- otherwise they'd just hide on the Raven Map of Alaska that leans against a wall in my office....


9 comments:

  1. Impressive, Roman. Yet at the same time awe-inspiring as to just how many gaps could still be filled.

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    1. so true Sam.

      one lifetime just isn't enough

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    2. And to think that this is only one small corner of the world. Well done, I hope to have lines like that myself at your age.

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  2. Replies
    1. Alastair, you have a bunch of long lines, too, but cris-crossing the globe, I believe. I'd like to see them.

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  3. Thanks Roman for sharing this information. It's exciting. A great way to live.
    www.planetapackraft.com

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    1. An aesthetic voyager whose home is the road. Alexander Supertramp.

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  4. I love the representation on the map. Although I had done a lot of adventures over the state by the time I made it you of high school, your adventures and advice on our first packrafting trip in the Alaska range in 1998 was a huge inspiration for me. Sarah and I are planning on being in AK for some adventuring this summer and I've got a few ideas from long ago that we should chat about. Have fun on the Grand Canyon with Mike and Doom.

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  5. Your little red lines inspire so many of us! That is an amazing map!

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