Aleutians 2011 Expedition

Extended Expedition along the Alaskan Aleutian Islands in 2011, using sea kayaks as the primary means of journeying & gathering information.

 View Google Map of the Expedition route

After two years of initial research and discussion (preceded by many years of formulating the plan and the team) we are preparing to go public this summer.
 

Expedition Outline

"Culturally and environmentally sympathetic expedition, with the overall goal of discovery through journeying, exploration and challenge!"
Estimated 3 months maximum duration

Using sea kayaks as transport, an expedition of discovery along the Aleutian volcanic chain of islands, as far as necessary to gather the data we require.

Expedition Team - Keirron Tastagh, Sam Murphy and George Shaw

Scientific Research

Main study; the Origin of kayaking - 'The Aleut Story'
There is much evidence that kayaking origins came from the Aleuts as well as the Inuits. The main study will be to discover and record the Aleuts way of life by journeying and learning by practical experience. Research, counts and study of local wild and marine life will be used to prove and illustrate this research.

Other Studies

Sam is presently reading for his degree in Sports Science at Bangor University. Sam is utilising his final year of university to conduct research into ways to increase insulin sensitivity, and endurance over relatively short periods of time. The results will be discovered late next year, and if successful could provide radical ways to improve endurance performance over and above the adaptations caused purely from kayaking. Further research will be conducted during the (maximal) 3 month expedition and potentially lead him into his masters degree research.

Keirron will also be collating notes on motivation and leadership in challenging conditions

The whole team will be studying and living alongside local volcanic activity, abundant marine life and predatory wildlife

Beginning June 2011

We will be using the previous Vancouver Island Record Blog -http://horrendousexperiences.blogspot.com - leading up to and whilst on the Aleutian Isles 2011 Scientific expedition.

Photography and Video footage will be captured along the route. To view footage and photos from the 2007 Circumnavigation Record, and other expeditions, visit the Adventurous Experiences youtube channel.

Sponsors

• Kokatat                        Drysuits, thermals, and protection from the elements! 
• Sea Kayaking UK         The ultimate Expedition Sea Kayaks
• Lendal                          Rebranded under 'Celtic Paddles' Carbon performance Paddles
• Snapdragon                  Spray Decks

• Adventurous Experiences
• Studio 1 - Isle of Man

Brief description of the environment

The Aleutian Islands are a chain of more than 300 small volcanic islands forming a volcanic arc in the Northern Pacific Ocean, extending about 1,200 mi (1,900 km) westward from the Alaska Peninsula toward the Kamchatka Peninsula. Crossing longitude 180°, they are the westernmost part of the United States. Nearly all the archipelago is part of Alaska and usually considered as being in the "Alaskan Bush", but at the extreme western end the small, geologically-related, and remote Commander Islands are in Russia. The islands, with their 57 volcanoes, are in the northern part of the Pacific Ring of Fire. The Alaska Marine Highway passes through the islands.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Aleutian_Islands