Adventurous Couple Paddling to DC to Save Their Favorite Wilderness

Dave and Amy Freeman are quite the inspirational couple. Over the course of their adventures, they have traveled more than 30,000 miles (48,280 km) by canoe, kayak, and dogsled through some incredibly remote wilderness areas ranging from the Amazon to the Arctic. They've also covered some incredible distances on foot too. Last year, they wrapped up an 11,647-mile (18,744 km) expedition across North America, which earned them National Geographic Adventurers of the Year status. With that project behind them, you knew it was only a matter of time before the set out on their next journey, and in late August they did just that. The couple is now on another long distance journey, this time Paddling to DC to save one of their favorite outdoor wilderness area.

Dave and Amy are residents of the state of Minnesota, which is home to the Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness. This spectacularly beautiful and remote place is truly a fantastic escape for outdoor enthusiasts looking to get back in touch with nature. Surrounded by the Superior National Forest, it is a fantastic place for a paddling expedition by kayak or canoe. It is also being threatened by sulfide mining on its borders, which could have potentially disastrous consequences for the environment there. 

To protest this mining activity, and to celebrate the 50th anniversary of the Wilderness Act – which created the Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness – Dave and Amy have taken on a 100-day paddling journey from those waters, that will eventually end with their arrival in Washington, D.C. All told, they will cover approximately 2000 miles (3218 km) along the way, as they carry their important message about the dangers of sulfide mining along with them. 

So far, they have covered about 160 miles of paddling through the Boundary waters, and have now started to sail across a 200-mile section of Lake Superior. The couple are posting regular updates to their blog, and will be sharing stories from the journey at the National Geographic Adventure Blog as well. You can follow them as they paddle all the way to DC.

The video below explains a bit more about their cause.