During stage 1 we will kayak 1,400 miles from Seattle, Washington to Skagway, Alaska. The Pacific Northwest is home to a wide range of aquatic and terrestrial animals. We will be studying whales and other marine mammals, kelp forests, salmon, and many other species.
The Pacific Northwest is home to a variety of large land mammals including Grizzly Bears, and Black Bears. Above and below the surface we are sure to find plenty of things to learn about. Many of these large mammals need large undeveloped spaces to thrive and the roadless sections of British Columbia and Alaska provide the perfect habitat.
From Skagway, Alaska we will hike over the Chilkoot Pass in the footsteps of thousands of gold seekers who struggled across the pass to reach the Klondike. Many of artifacts remain from those early days, and we will follow their path all the way to Dawson City along the mighty Yukon River.
From Bennet Lake on the eastern side of the Chilkoot Pass we will canoe through a chain of lakes that form the headwaters of the Yukon River past White Horse and down the swift flowing Yukon River to Dawson City. 
From Dawson we will hike 100 miles through the mountains to the headwaters of the Blackstone River. The Blackstone flows into the Peel River, which flows in the McKenzie River, which will lead us to the Arctic Ocean. The rivers flowing through these rugged mountains as some of the most pristine wild rivers in North America, with hundreds of miles of flowing waterways between towns or roads.
After over 2,600 miles of paddling and hiking we hope to reach the Arctic Ocean before freeze up. We will spend the month of October,2010 training our dogs, and learning about native life in the Arctic. In November we will head south along the McKenzie River by dog team, crossing 1,800 miles of frozen wilderness. There are many remote native communities along our way and we are sure to learn a lot from the people we encounter.
When the ice melts in the Spring of 2011 we will transition from dogsled to canoe and paddle 2,300 miles along the historic travel and trade route pioneered by Alexander McKenzie, Samuel Hearne, and other Canadian Explorers in the 1700's. We will finish this stage of our journey in the fall of 2011 by completing the 8 1/2 mile Grand Portage which will lead us to the rock shore of Lake Superior.
After spending the winter giving presentations and making final preparations we will begin 4,800 mile kayak journey from Grand Portage, Minnesota to Key West, Florida. The first 2,200 miles will take us through the Great Lakes and out the Saint Lawrence Seaway. 
During the final stage of our journey we will kayak the length of the Atlantic Coast from the Saint Lawrence Seaway to Key West, Florida. We will be following the seasonal whale migration from the Bay of Fundy in Maine to the warm clear waters of the Gulf of Mexico. Along the way we will visit cities large and small, and study a variety of ecosystems and environmental topics. We also plan to take side trips into the cyprus swamps and Everglades National Park looking for Alligators, birds, and other critters.
Press Release
Monday, 04 May 2009 01:28 Last Updated on Wednesday, 22 July 2009 14:36
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Wilderness Classroom Organization
4605 Grand Ave
Western Springs, IL 60558
Contact: Amy Voytilla
North American Odyssey Begins
On Earth Day, April 22, 2010, Dave Freeman and Amy Voytilla of the Wilderness Classroom Organization will begin an 11,000-mile expedition, traveling across North America by kayak, canoe, and dogsled. The journey begins by kayak on the Pacific Coast studying temperate rainforests and marine life of the Pacific Northwest. This is just the first in a series of eight online adventures highlighting North America's wildest places. Between April 2010 and March 2013, Wilderness Classroom team members will traverse over 11,000 miles of North America’s lakes, rivers, and coastlines. Through daily web updates, students will learn alongside the explorers.
After kayaking 1,400 miles from Seattle, WA to Skagway, AK, the team will progress over the history-studded mountains in the footsteps of the Klondike Gold Rush, to the home of the Inuit along the Arctic Ocean where polar bears roam. From the Arctic Ocean they will dogsled and canoe south through central Canada, kayak across the Great Lakes, then follow the annual whale migration past the salt marshes and sea turtles of the Atlantic Coast, finishing in the mangroves and coral reefs of the Florida Keys.
Dave and Amy will not be alone on their journey . . . Students, teachers, and learners of all ages will participate daily in the live expedition as photos, videos, and text are posted to www.NorthAmericanOdyssey.com via satellite. Students can communicate with the expedition team through email, online polls, and live chats. These interactive features give students the power to help make day-to-day decisions for the team and learn about the ecosystems of North America.
The Wilderness Classroom started with a simple idea: to show students from around the world the wonders of exploration and wilderness travel. Six years and ten expeditions later, the Wilderness Classroom is a 501(c)3 that reaches over 60,000 students around the globe. Their goal has never changed: seeking to instill a lifelong appreciation of wilderness in young people by highlighting the joy of discovery.
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