Paddling the Yukon in 2025!

Hi everyone! It’s Lucy here. I am really excited to be writing another blog post here after a number of years away. Mathilde and I have been having many mini adventures since our epic journey in 2018. A lot of trips here in Queensland climbing and camping. Mathilde and her partner Dan recently bought a 40ft yacht called Star of the Sea and are planning some grand adventures. But for me, I am planning a big adventure of my own! Paddling from source to sea down the Yukon River.

Earlier this year I decided I would finish up in my role as the Director of the Cairns and Far North Environment Centre and take some time to embrace my adventure side again! I am so ready for another big adventure. Out in the wilderness, for months at a time, where all I have to achieve is getting from A to B each day. I was keen to another multi month trip, but this time on a river. After some research and a bit of Inspiration from Martin Cohen, a fellow paddler who had shared some his on stories of the Yukon, I decided to head back to North America.

Reading the book ‘Paddling the Yukon and its tributaries’ has both been inspirational and informative. Even though it’s a little dated now, it’s full of amazing tips, ideas and notes about the river. Paddling down a river is simpler in many ways than the trip that Mathilde and I did in 2018. No tides, no dreaded intertidal zones, not as many impenetrable coastlines to navigate and a current with me along the way. However, this time I am doing it solo, which will be a challenge in itself. I am going to canoe instead of kayak which has its pros and cons. Lastly there will still be big weather systems, potential icy parts, bears, currents, sloughs, and more to contend with. It will still be a grand adventure.

Another big change since the trip in 2018, is that I have been diagnosed with stage 4 endometriosis. Many people express great sympathy when I share this, but honestly have an answer to a lot of the symptoms I have experienced for many years is a huge relief. During the expedition through the Inside Passage in 2018, I was undiagnosed and had a lot of pain and other symptoms including periods that lasted 2-3 weeks. It was incredibly difficult, and not something I understood well or felt was something to share. Now I am doing much better. While there isn’t a treatment for endometriosis, or a cure, there are many things you can do to manage your symptoms and this paddle is going to be an incredibly different experience as I am managing my Endo much better.

I hope this paddle can serve as inspiration for the pure adventure it is, to help more people learn about endometriosis, and for those who also have the condition to find a hopeful and positive story about how you can pursue your adventures despite the challenges!

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