Sun City resident Art “Karts” Huseonica, 73, is back on track in his preparations for his Yukon River expedition Yukon 2020.

Last year he paddled all but 100 miles/160km of the 2,000 mile/3,200km Yukon River route from a source lake, being thwarted by high winds. Waiting for a week onshore for the weather to improve was futile, so he abandoned this attempt. In 2022, he paddled 250 miles/400km until a 100-year flood event forced him off the river, buttressed by the urgings of the Royal Canadian Mounted Police and First Nation elders.

But now he has definitive plans to return to St. Mary’s, Alaska to continue his journey. Currently, his 18’ canoe is buried under six feet of snow and ice, waiting for the spring thaw and his return to where he abandoned his attempt last year.

Huseonica’s friend, author and videographer Jean Aspen, has always encouraged him to follow his heart in search of unexpected opportunities that he’d not have if he stayed with the known and the pragmatic.

In his return, Huseonica will paddle the remaining miles solo except to have a local fisherman out of Emmonak, Alaska tow him back up river from the Bering Sea. Emmonak is approximately 12 miles/19km inland from the Bering Sea.

Huseonica’s canoe, COQUETTE, is named after the canoe of poet and author Robert William Service. His writings have provided Huseonica with inspiration, thoughtful reflection and a renewed focus on Service’s work.

Dangers facing Yukon paddlers, in addition to hypothermia, are wolves, mosquitoes and brown and black bears. To help deal with the threats, Huseonica noted he uses mature decision-making skills and risk management assessment, in addition to an air horn and bear spray; two of each.

During earlier attempts to paddle the Yukon River, Huseonica had paddlers join him from the Carcross/Tagish First Nation, Metis Nation of Canada, and the Ta’an Kwäch’än Council. The expedition is frequently referred to as the “Kindness Expedition” because of how Huseonica wants inclusivity of team members and his desire to learn more about indigenous peoples of Canada and Alaska.

In support of this, Huseonica is guided by the Respectful Travel guidelines published by the Yukon First Nations’ Culture and Tourism Association. The guidelines were developed by the village elders and First Nations’ Knowledge Keepers.

Respectful Travel not only includes the water, air and wildlife but also the culture. A key consideration for Huseonica is that culture is not for sale. Culture belongs to family members, clans and communities. He never assumes or applies any culture to his expedition, such as wearing indigenous articles of clothing.

Before visiting a river village in either Canada or Alaska, he always obtained permission from the village elders. In preparation for this, he will learn as much as he can about the specific village’s culture, peoples and what challenges they are facing. Sadly, not all of his visits were approved.

Huseonica remains humbled, dedicating his Yukon River expedition to his brother Joe Huseonica who passed away on Christmas morning, 2022. In addition, the expedition’s charity of choice is Beads of Courage, an arts-in-medicine program for children. Expedition supporters include Cheryl and Jim Conrad, Joe Gruber, David Bell at Advant-Edge Pools & Landscaping, ArmaSkin socks based in Australia and Off the Trail Recreation located in Goodyear.

After Huseonica completes his Yukon River paddle, he isn’t done. Immediately after returning to Emmonak, he will travel by regionally operated airplanes far above the Arctic Circle to the hamlet of Cambridge Bay, Victoria Island, Nunavut, Canada. There, he’ll join the Northwest Passage expedition to complete an ocean row of the Northwest Passage skippered by record holder rower Leven Sinclair Brown of Scotland.

Frequently referred to as the Expedition of Our Time, the record attempt in the ocean rowing boat Hermione will face extreme weather, ice flows, polar bears and hypothermia.

Similar to Huseonica’s Yukon attempt, the ocean row was pushed ashore last year by unusually strong winds, making it too dangerous to continue. Like all major expeditions, risk management must be an innate trait of all leaders.

Because of the expedition reboot and outrageous inflation, Huseonica continues to raise funds to meet the increasing costs of such an expedition and to be the oldest person to open canoe the entire Yukon River.

Major contributors will be honored along the route and also on YouTube videos showing highlights from key points of the expedition. They’ll also be recognized in the expedition’s documentary film.

Everyone can follow Huseonica in real time through his GPS tracking link, which he’ll publish at the start of the expedition on the expedition’s website. His GoFundMe link and sponsorship details can also be found there.

Visityukon2020.com.