PADDLER 32
PADDLER 32
FOLLOWING WEST AND JEFF
But now we had a plan . We committed to following West and Jeff . Eileen and I had been kayaking as a pair for almost 100 days , and in this moment , all our shared experiences mattered . We focused , relying on each other . We had no choice but to trust each other absolutely . We paddled hard and surfed in an exciting melee of white water and crashing waves .
The Northwest Passage had required a great deal of grit and determination . This was the first moment it required a high degree of skill and concentration . Even in these last seconds , completing the passage would take work .
103 DAYS AND 2,000 MILES OF PADDLING
It was 103 days since we were dropped at the ice edge . It was almost 2,000 miles of paddling . The news caused a sensation in the UK , where the Northwest Passage had been a national obsession in the 19th century . I was on the BBC , ITV , the Times and hundreds of other outlets . I was even awarded European Adventurer of the Year : https :// paddlerezine . com / mark-agneweuropean-adventurer-of-the-year /
WE HAD DONE IT
We sped down the waves and exited the passage . We had done it . We were the first to kayak the Northwest Passage and complete it by human power , with no motors or sails , in a single season .
As I cried , it was not for the adrenaline of the last few moments . It was for the years of dreaming and planning , the months away from my wife and kid , and all the times I never thought I ’ d start the Northwest Passage , let alone finish . It was catharsis .
We then kayaked another 16 miles to a campsite . We experienced a storm . I had to dig the back of our tent out from the snow in the pitch dark . We then kayaked another 34-mile crossing to an abandoned airport to be picked up and to end the expedition .
I am booked up with talks to corporates , schools and kayak clubs nationwide .
The validation feels great , but it is fleeting . When the media moves on , only three other people will truly understand what it was like up there – West , Jeff and Eileen . Without them , I may have never started the Northwest Passage , and I certainly would never have finished . If I put too much emphasis on the world first and the expedition ’ s outcome , my joy would come and go until the next success . If I remember that adventure is about being in nature and sharing those experiences with my teammates , my fulfilment will last a lifetime .