For years, backpackers have challenged themselves on North America’s Triple Crown of long-distance trails. Meanwhile, sea kayakers—whose adventures often demand greater skill—have watched from the sidelines as backpacking gets the pop culture recognition.
Backpackers have movie deals—like Wild and A Walk in the Woods—based on bestselling books and endless media coverage. The result is that long-distance backpacking looks cool and has grown from a fringe activity to more than 3,000 people a year attempting to thru-hike the Appalachian Trail.
To help sea kayaking become North America’s coolest outdoor sport, I propose we create our own Triple Crown.
Sea kayakers deserve their own Triple Crown
What’s a Triple Crown? It’s a collection of three classic challenges that define the pinnacle of achievement in a sport. Backpackers have the Appalachian Trail, Pacific Crest Trail, and Continental Divide Trail. Bikepackers have the Arizona Trail, Great Divide Mountain Bike Route, and Colorado Trail. Even horse racing has the Kentucky Derby, Preakness Stakes, and Belmont Stakes.
For sea kayakers, our Triple Crown should test seamanship, endurance and adventurous spirit across some of North America’s most ambitious waterways. To be considered, a route must meet several key criteria. It needs to cover a significant distance or be remote enough that the isolation amplifies the challenge—700 miles is a good baseline. Every section must be completed under human power, with no motors allowed. The route should have clout, meaning it’s already paddled annually and has at least one book or movie documenting a previous journey. It should be tough but achievable, doable by motivated paddlers and not just elite athletes. The trips must also be independent, meaning they aren’t undertaken as part of a race or organized event. And finally, they must be continuous, completed as a thru-paddle in a single push.
With that in mind, I propose the following trips to form the Triple Crown of sea kayaking in North America.
The Mississippi River
At over 2,300 miles, the Mississippi is North America’s longest river, flowing from Minnesota to the Gulf of Mexico. Many aspire to paddle its full length, and every year, several parties achieve this goal. There are records for oldest, youngest, and fastest descents, among others. The river varies from a small stream interspersed with large lakes near the source to a massive river full of freighters near its mouth.
Lake Superior
A sea kayak circumnavigation of Lake Superior—the world’s largest freshwater lake by surface area—spans Minnesota, Wisconsin, Michigan, and Ontario. Clayton White and Duane Klinge hold an unofficial speed record tie at 29 days and 926 miles. As Reverend George Grant wrote in 1872, “Though its waters are fresh and crystal, Superior is a sea. It breeds storms, and rain and fogs, like the sea. It is cold in mid-summer as the Atlantic. It is wild, masterful, and dreaded as the Black Sea.”
The Inside Passage
A 1,300-mile coastal route from Washington to Alaska. It’s so classic there’s even a guidebook about kayaking it, which describes the route as “a holy grail for contemporary sea kayakers.” It’s widely recognized as one of the most scenic and challenging paddling trips in North America. (Interested? Read more on page 86.)
A Triple Crown of the Mississippi River, Lake Superior, and the Inside Passage offers a river trip, a big freshwater trip, and a challenging saltwater trip. Tough? Absolutely. But each of these trips is achievable in the same way that the AT, PCT, and CDT are for backpackers. Paddlers who accomplish all three could be crowned as some of the best around. So far, I know of just one person who has done all three. Dave Freeman thru-paddled these routes. He and his wife, Amy, have written two books about their paddling experiences.
Could a kayaking Triple Crown inspire a new generation of paddlers? I think so. There’s something about official challenges that sparks the imagination. Give people a crown to chase, and more just might pick up a paddle.
Think we missed a worthy route? Send us your nominations at editor@paddlingmag.com.
This article was first published in Issue 73 of Paddling Magazine. Coming soon to a theater near you. | Feature photo: Gary Luhm
