West and Jeff took a relaxing 17-mile run on the drought-ridden San Marcos River in central Texas to scout a section of the Texas Water Safari course.

The Arctic Cowboys are proud to announce a new partnership with Northwest River Supplies, better known as NRS, for our sub-freezing arctic kayaking apparel and dry bags.

Hell, I don't know! yet I'm giving a talk about what I've learned about planning a large scale, multi-month, multi-person, expensive expedition in some far away places.

Our goal, since the idea came across my mind back in 2019, was to be the first team to kayak the entire 2000+ miles of the infamous Northwest Passage, which wound its way through the Canadian [...]

West and Jeff were scheduled to fly out on Friday, August 26 at 9:30 am. They had requested I look for an earlier flight because, despite the hospitality shown to them in Arctic Bay, they were [...]

The Arctic Cowboys have enjoyed their time in Arctic Bay, Canada but are certainly ready to be headed home.

This morning, the team on the ground (West & Jeff), expedition logistics (Tom McGuire) and expedition management (Barbara Edington) along with GM of Arctic Bay Adventures (Mark Lewandoski) all [...]

West and Jeff crossed into Victor Bay by way of Graveyard Point on their way to Arctic Bay through the back door.  They were met there by Mark Lewandoski, a Southern Canadian guy that briefly [...]

Photo Credit: Keith Luke Day 15…241.5 miles Today, the Cowboys got an early start. They had a great night’s sleep, woke up a 6:00 am, had their breakfast and got on their way. They averaged their [...]

Day 14…211.5 miles After arriving to set up camp after 10:00 pm last night, the team stopped at a fresh water creek to resupply water.  Well…what they “thought” was a creek.  In the middle of the [...]

After four (4) days of waiting out the weather on the overlook of Bluff Head, the Arctic Cowboys finally made a move on Sunday, 8-14-22.  They paddled 26 miles across the northern coast of [...]

After all their hard work yesterday, the team was rewarded by being able to sleep in their long johns without socks.  That was such a bonus.  They said their temporary home was nice and cozy.  [...]

I got an evening update so I could hear what all the team did this afternoon.  They appeared to be super proud of all of their hard work.  So, we already mentioned that they hauled their boat and [...]

After much consideration, the team made the decision to use today to prepare for the bad weather coming.  High winds and rain was expected along with gusts up to 40 mph.  All of our indicators [...]

The Arctic Cowboys have paddled 163.0 miles, up to this point. As with all expeditions, you can plan…plan…and plan some more and there will be something you didn’t plan for. We planned for the [...]

The team started off this morning with a “sealed start”.  I’ve learned that, due to the large waves, they had to put their spray skirts on and get in their kayaks while on land, then scoot out [...]

The team got started a little earlier today, as the conditions were ideal. In fact, West was able to shed his shirt while setting up and taking down camp. The sun hitting the water made the [...]

The team got a later start today due to the 25 mph wind gusts that blew their tent around while they were trying to stow their gear in their boats. The winds in the area where they set up camp [...]

The team stayed up until midnight, reorganizing gear after the departure of teammate, Rebekah. They slept in this morning and took things a little slower.

It is with a heavy heart that I write this update. Due to some pretty intense nausea caused by sea sickness and anxiety, I decided to bow out of the expedition.

Since the beginning of the expedition, the team has endured high, gusting winds and 5 foot waves, at times. Yesterday was no exception. In fact, out of the 3 days, it was their most challenging.

Last night, they set up their bear fence. It took all three of them to ensure it was set up correctly. West brought up a good point: they won’t know if it works unless the line is tripped by a bear.

The Arctic Cowboys had a nice day of paddling with the wind at their backs. Final distance was about 13.7 miles They will head out early in the morning after a little re-working of gear weight [...]

The team strapped their 3 empty kayaks onto Titus’ boat, stored their gear in the center of the boat and stood up for the 2.5 boat ride to Button Point. There was not anywhere to sit, so [...]

After four days of waiting out gale force winds, the Texas-based trio of paddlers known as the Arctic Cowboys are poised to launch their attempt to kayak the entire Northwest Passage.

For our last night in Pond Inlet, we were invited to dinner with Chris Mutch, a wildlife biologist in his 3rd year in Pond Inlet. He’s lived a few other places throughout Nunavut/NWT during his [...]

Held up a few days in Pond Inlet by bureaucracy and now weather, we’ve definitely caught up on sleep and any calories not previously crammed into our formerly fit frames. One upside is that for a [...]

THE FIRST KAYAK DESCENT OF THE VOLGA RIVER Making our way up to the Canadian Arctic, we’ve been met with several reporters, government officials and regular folks who have questioned, [...]

Yesterday, we feared a possible eviction from the apartment in Pond Inlet where we've graciously been given refuge while awaiting our launch, so in the middle of what the rest of the world (the [...]

Unfortunately, the weather will be unfavorable to launch in the next day or so. Headwinds up to 20 miles per hour are expected, bringing some discussion on whether to wait until the winds pass. [...]

The team headed over to the Parks Canadian office today in order to take a required orientation regarding information about camping in the national park with an unloaded, locked firearm. The [...]

The Northwest Passage’s days as a mysterious, notoriously difficult arctic sea route might be numbered. The world is warming and the passage connecting the Atlantic and the Pacific is opening for [...]

After departing Austin, Texas, USA in my pickup truck with all our gear, food and kayaks for the expedition, we drove for three hard day across the country to Ottawa, Ontario, Canada, somehow [...]

Last day in Ottawa. It was rainy and we mainly hung out in our comfy hotel room, enjoying the soft beds and indoor plumbing while we still can. I almost wore my cowboy hat out but I just couldn’t [...]

On Saturday, we got to spend some quality time with Sean Rowley and Derek Specht who drove down from the Toronto area to hang with us. They host the podcast, Paddling Adventures Radio, and [...]

We explored Ottawa today! After a calorie packed breakfast and a bit of house keeping. I peeled off for an afternoon of sight seeing through downtown Ottawa that included a veggie burger, French [...]

Trio of Texans planning to kayak from Pond Inlet to Tuktoyaktuk

A Texas trio are about to attempt to kayak across the Northwest Passage, setting out from Pond Inlet, Nunavut, and paddling all the way to Tuktoyaktuk, N.T.

My sister and Expedition Manager, Barbara Hansen Edington joined us along with my niece, Lauran Edington for a few days during our week-long layover in Ottawa on the way to the Arctic, so we did [...]

The Arctic Cowboys are temporary stuck in Ottawa. My best-laid plans have been bumped askew a bit. The months leading up to our Northwest Passage kayak expedition I was on the phone with Canadian [...]

In this episode, we talk story with the Arctic Cowboys, a team of experienced paddlers from Texas who are about to embark on a expedition of a lifetime.

Want to see what it’s like ramping up to an expedition with a goal to do what has never been done? Rebekah Feaster, Jeff Wueste and I spent the last two weeks in a whirlwind of activity [...]

The Northwest Passage is a contemporary folk song that was written by Stan Rogers in the 1980’s. I has since become the unofficial anthem of Canada and discusses the attempts to discover the [...]

Lessons in irony: typing an extensive blog about being weary, only to have a computer glitch that erases everything I typed, so I have to type it again (sigh). Opportunities For Growth abound. [...]

I’ve been on the phone off and on for the past three years with the extremely kind staff at Canadian North Airlines to plan for our expedition. They’ve been extremely helpful and very [...]

Gathering, sorting, organizing and storing gear is far more exhausting than actually kayaking 2000+ miles during an expedition. Fortunately, I’ve got my beautiful and tolerant bride to help [...]

With 21 days remaining before our team drives out of Texas for Ottawa, then a flight to the Arctic, things are tense. Frequently, I’m asked by a reporter or someone curious about our [...]

Ironman Switzerland 70.3 was a long and hot slog fest. The mountainous terrain around Rapperswil-Jona in 96F heat is nothing to be scoffed at and I was humbled by how difficult I found the [...]

“If I had a rocket launcher. If I had a rocket launcher. If I had a rocket launcher.” -Bruce Cockburn We’ve acquired these shotgun shells that are similar to bottle rockets on [...]

“I went home with a waitress, the way I always do. How was I to know she was with the Russians, too?” -Warren Zevon We’re getting down to the final weeks of preparation for the [...]