Looking Back on the Quest

I’ve been back home in Falmouth, Maine for a few weeks now. It was hard to get back into my “normal life” routine of balancing work at Adventurous Joe Coffee, risk management work, household responsibilities, responding to media inquiries and answering people’s questions about the expedition, the gear I used and my appraisal of it.

Whenever I leave for an extended period of time, I return to negotiate a period I call “re-entry.” In some ways I feel like an alien traveler that has just landed and needs to get acquainted with everything for the first time. I had times when I was totally overwhelmed with my To-Do List, about as long as my leg, and just wanted to take a nap, but I soldiered on. It has been a bit of a challenge, but it’s all good!

PaddleQuest 1500 is “an Expedition to Inspire Outdoor Desire,” so I am stoked that my 75-day (70 of it, paddling), 1500-mile expedition has sparked interest in our water trails and has motivated people to get out there! I’m excited by the stories of how what I was doing and what I have done has inspired people to get out into the woods and waters with friends, family and even by themselves. This is extremely rewarding.

I really do want people to get off the couch and out from behind screens; get out there and have exactly the kind of adventures that are right for them. When people get outside, they love the places they go adventuring and want to preserve and steward them for future generations. This is super important and is what motivates me to keep the PaddleQuest 1500 Expedition alive and to reach more people with it!

I have television segments speaking engagements scheduled in the coming weeks and I hope to get going on the book and film, soon. It is very exciting being able to share the story with everyone!

Here is the recent Intrepid Northeast podcast with Gregg Squeglia where I talk about how I planned and executed the journey. I get into some of the nuts and bolts of completing a venture of this magnitude, and also how it affected me and how I hope it affects you. Enjoy!