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Beth Johnson |
Noatak Wild: America’s Ultimate Wilderness River Adventure, presentation by Beth Johnson.
In 2003, Beth Johnson organized an exciting “passage to the interior” (translation of “Noatak” in Inupiat) with three fellow Texans to paddle 436 miles of Alaska’s Noatak River from near its source deep in the Brooks Range’s vast grandeur to its mouth at Chukchi Sea tidewater on Alaska’s west coast. Beth will take us on a photographic journey on what Beth considers America’s “ultimate, perfect wilderness river adventure” that included 30 days in the Land of the Midnight Sun above the Arctic Circle in what has been called the “ultimate mountains”—the world’s northernmost major range; spectacular mountain scenery nestled into the gentle gradient of a low-elevation glacier-carved valley with easy Class I and II rapids; immersion deep within the heart of one the world’s largest parkland areas and finest remaining vast wilderness areas—Gates of the Arctic National Park and Noatak National Preserve; untrammeled wilderness where one can paddle for weeks without seeing anyone; paddling America’s longest designated Wild River segment and longest floatable mileage of American Arctic rivers; an incredible bush-plane put-in flight through spectacular snow-dusted Brooks Range peaks; and a mishap-filled takeout at Kotzebue – one of Alaska’s oldest and largest Inupiat Eskimo villages. Beth will also include highlights from her 13,000-mile, 7-week round-trip truck-driving/camping trip from Dallas to the Arctic Ocean in connection with the paddling trip.
A Dallas flat-water paddler known for her multi-week adventures throughout North America, Beth is back for an encore presentation after last year’s “Yukon Wild” presentation about her 1982 three-month, 2,000-mile canoe trip down the length of the Yukon River through Canada and Alaska. Beth will autograph and sell copies of her 1984 collector’s-item “Yukon Wild” book ($25, 400 pages), as well as a 50-page Noatak River info/logistics summary ($10, or free if bought with Yukon Wild). For more photos and captions from the trip: www.bethjohnson.com/rt_soar_noatak_slide_show
Beth Johnson worked professionally for 29 years for Sierra Club and other environmental advocacy organizations from Texas to Washington, D.C. Specializing in green building since 2005, she is the planet’s first Realtor to earn the “Quadruple Crown” of green building credentials. She has paddled over 7,000 miles, including 400 river overnights (including 50 solo). Her wanderings have included 3-to-4-week paddling trips on the Sabine, the Suwannee, Canada’s Peace and Red Deer Rivers, and a 3-month Canada-to-Florida solo van-camping trip.
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