Art Karts Huseonica is planning a big summer of 2024. He has confirmed plans to complete his delayed Yukon River expedition. Immediately after, he will join the Northwest Passage expedition to complete an ocean row of the Northwest Passage led by record holder rower Leven Brown of Scotland. More details will be forthcoming. Meanwhile, here is the link to the Northwest Passage expedition: https://nwpexpedition.com/
Northwest Passage’s the Last Great First record-attempt
As I look forward to 2024, I am reminded of my major disappointment in not completing my Yukon 2020 expedition to paddle the length of the Yukon River in 2023. Stopping short 100 miles/160km from the Bering Sea hit me hard mentally because I always finish what I start. My U.S. Coast Guard contact reminded me that, "It's better to return home defeated than in a body bag." I suppose that I need to be happy and bank what I was able to accomplish.
Paddling on the Yukon River in Alaska in June 2023.
I have no immediate plans to return to the Yukon River in 2024 due to finances. I'm still paying off this year's expedition costs. Ugh. I've certainly been invited to participate in numerous adventures and expeditions in 2024, but the monies simply aren't there. I'll keep my options open as do regional hikes and mini-adventures solo and with a few select friends.
I'm staying very busy with training hikes, volunteering on various projects, and catching up on my reading. Subjects include adventures, biographies, and self-help books from eclectic authors. Refocusing on staying in touch with friends and family is helping to keep my mind off the Yukon. Of course, there is pressure from a lot of folks for me to write my memoirs. We'll see.
I will always greatly appreciate your support and encouragement. Be well my friends.
As Karts paddles down the Yukon River, it’s imperative that he is always respectful of the peoples and lands he’s passing through. He is guided by the Indigenous Yukon’s 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.
Respect not only includes the water, air, and wildlife but also the culture. For this, Karts has frequently spoken of culture appropriation. Key consideration here is that culture is not for sale. Culture belongs to family members, clans, and communities.
Karts paddling on Bennett Lake as he approaches the Yukon River in May 2022.
Art “Karts” Huseonica announced that he is going to dedicate his Yukon River expedition to his brother Joe Huseonica.
On Christmas morning, the Huseonica family lost Joe. He was born in Lucerne Mines, Pennsylvania, USA in 1944 and has always provided enouragement and support for Karts.
Karts believes that Joe is going to be on the river with him, guiding and protecting him with every paddle stroke. The expedition canoe will have decals remembering Joe. In addition, all relevant YouTube videos and the expedition’s documentary film will also be dedicated to him.
Joe Huseonica, 1944-2022
Here’s a YouTube video that Karts made to share his heartbreak explanation of why he had to stop his Yukon River expedition. He has solid plans to reboot the expedition on May 28, 2023.
Click here to watch the short video.
Yukon River’s exteme flooding at Carmacks, Yukon Territory, Canada
It was a fabulous expedition until I rode the crest of the flooding into Carmacks. I was doing 50 miles/82km per day easily. The river rose every day after that and submerged the few available camps down river and making it impossible to reach streams with fresh water entering the river. The amount and size of debris was according to local residents, the worst they'd ever seen. Carmacks officials called it a 50+ year event.
I had the gear, supplies, and skills to navigate a flooded river, BUT local and regional authorities advised me from continuing on. This included the Royal Canadian Mounted Police and the First Nations. I had to consider this because if I continued and something happened that it would come back to bite me and reflect poorly on my expedition, aka, the Kindness Expedition.
Karts paddling on Marsh Lake in early June 2022 With Donna Johns
The First Nations hold the river sacred, and see it as a connection to all life. To continue on would disrespect that belief and bring discredit to me and the expedition.
Right now I'm totally gutted. I had this, I was strong and healthy but a very quick spring thaw sent the feeder rivers into flood stages which poured into the Yukon River. I could have sat it out two or three more weeks until the flooding receded, but that would put me past my August 15th deadline to be back up river out of the Bering Sea. The weather there gets really bad after August 15th. Plus, there's very limited and costly extraction areas further into Alaska.
Everyone tells me that I made the right decision, but still. Ugh. This included my international counsel and my Native American liaison. Obviously, it's a costly decision to have to reboot the expedition next year. But, I can't forget the experiences I had with my First Nations' interactions and the many people I met and who I paddled with.
Karts paddling north of Whitehorse Yukon Territory with Coralee Johns
(Sun City, Arizona, USA) Yukon 2020™ expedition leader Art “Karts” Huseonica is excited to announce that his expedition canoe will be christened COQUETTE. It is an 18’ open canoe with two seats. Although this is technically a solo expedition, Karts will have several indigenous peoples joining him for river segements in the Yukon Territory and Alaska.
The expedition canoe, manufactured by Nova Craft Canoe, is made from a specialized blend of composite materials designed to withstand an arduous journey. It also has a unique paint scheme unlike any other canoe.
The canoe is named in honor of Robert W. Service’s canoe COQUETTE. Robert was a British-Canadian poet, writer, adventurer. He worked and wrote for several years in the Yukon Territory of Canada, garnering himself the nickname “The Bard of the Yukon.” Karts will visit many of the places recognizing Robert in Whitehorse and Dawson City, Yukon, Canada.
Robert W. Service (1874-1958) is pictured here in 1911 in his birch bark canoe COQUETTE. He journed far and wide in northwestern Canada, including the Yukon River.
Photo courtesy of Charlotte Longepe
The naming process was the result of a collaboration between Karts and the estate of Robert W. Service. Karts had been searching for a name for many months. This seems to be the perfect fit. COQUETTE is French from the late 1700’s and means a flirtatious lady. Click HERE for Robert’s Facebook page.
Robert’s biographical work by his great-granddaughter Charlotte has been an insipration for Karts. The book will be featured in the expedition’s documentary film.
Yukon First Nations’ paddler Donna Johns will be paddling with Art “Karts” Huseonica on a segment of the Yukon River this summer. Karts’ expedition, Yukon 2020™ is frequently referred to as the “Kindness Expedition.”
Donna Johns paddling Bennett Lake, near Karts’ insertion location for his put-in.
Donna is an experienced paddler, canoe racer and her Nations’ canoe leader, community activist, and catalyst for building a healing camp in the Carcross/Tagish First Nation. Karts will spend two days with Donna learning about her ancestors, culture, and challenges for First Nations People. After a visit to Carcross and the Nation’s community and cultural center, they will camp at the site of a future healing camp being designed and developed with Donna’s assitance.
The Carcross/Tagish First Nation logo
Karts is very grateful for this unique opportunity, something that hasn’t been experenced in modern history of Yukon River expeditions. Having Donna along to paddle through her Nation, Karts will have a very unique opportunity to learn about her people’s history. Donna is a member of the Killer Whale clan and is a mother and university student.
Donna Johns in the attire of her Nation
Represenatives from select First Nations in the Yukon Territory will paddle segments of the Yukon River with Art “Karts” Huseonica. The river passes through indigenous territories of five of the fourteen Yukon Territory’s First Nations. Mr. Huseonica believes that it’s very important to respect the lands, peoples, and cultures of the regions he passes through on his record-attempt expedition. Having members of the nations with him will help to educate him on the many nuances of the indigenous areas that border the Yukon River.
One paddler, Coralee Johns is a citizen of the Ta’an Kwäch’än Council. Ms. Johns has an extensive background in the fisheries and is very familiar with the depletion of salmon in the Yukon River. Her passionate advocacy is admired throughout the Territory.
Coralee Johns at the Yukon Transportation Muesum
A member of the Wolf Clan, Ms. Johns’ heritage includes relatives who were honorary chiefs, hunting and fishing outfitters, and guides for the building of the Alaska Highway during WWII. She’ll spend time with Karts on Lake Laberge and nearby salmon spawning grounds which the Yukon River flows through. This is the first time in modern recorded history that First Nations citizens will join a Yukon River expedition.
The Yukon 22020™ team will be paddling through the area inhabited by the Kwanlin Dun First Nation. Click here for a YouTube video about the Nation and images of some of the areas that the team will paddle through. Also known as the “river people,” the Kwanlin Dun take their name from the Yukon River near Whitehorse Yukon which means “water rushing thourgh a narrow place.” They refer to the Yukon River as Chu Niikwan. This is one of five First Nation territories that the Yukon River passes through.
The pitch deck (presentation) for the Yukon River’s Yukon 2020™ expediton documentary film is available upon request from Art “Karts” Huseonica. You can contact him at arthuseonica@gmail.com. The pitch deck outlines the goals for the film and important contact information. Bottom line is to create a quality film for streaming from major outlets, including PBS and Amazon Prime.
To support the expedition’s resupply costs or to sponsor the expedition and get naming rights to the expedition’s custom canoe, you can visit Yukon 2020™ GoFundMe.
A documentary film crew is joining Karts for the start of his expedition.
The Yukon 2020™ team has put together a First Nations Interaction Safety Plan. Here is a link to the Karts’ personal Blog post: First Nations' Interaction Plan. After being twice postponed due to international border closures, the outlook is excellent for 2022.
Yukon Territory’s First Nations branding logo
(Sun City, Arizona, USA) Here’s the link to a Blog post from Karts Huseonica’s personal Blog: Yukon 2020™ Update which has some good news and also some sad news. The international borders have opened up so the prospects for getting the expediton started is excellent.
Sadly, our Yukon 2020™ expediton has been postponed due to the ongoining COVID-19 pandemic and the resulting international border closues. For more on this, please vist our Blog post.
The expedition team members will be focused on adhering to the Leave No Trace principles on their Yukon 2020ne™ expedition. Here’s a relevant Blog post from Karts Leave No Trace.
Mr. Huseonica is working to secure two theme songs for the expedition. Although this is not a commercial expedition, permission will be sought to use the songs as background music for videos and in expedition promotions. It’s a lot of fun to have songs or instrumentals associated with such an endeavor, and helps to create more interest for the expedition and more publicity for the selected recording artists. The team was excited to announce that they secured the right to use folk singer Jennifer Berezan’s song YUKON RIVER. It is well-suited because of the song title and lyrics. All the more appropriate, Ms. Berezan is a Canadian-born singer/songwriter. You can listen here. The song is cued to start at :54. PC: Jennifer Berezan.
Hey Everyone!
Thanks for taking the time to check out our NEW website! It's so exciting to have the Yukon 2020™ Website live!
We feel the the purpose of this website is a crucial tool in connecting all of our wonderful supporters to our epic adventure we are taking on this summer. In addition, we feel the website will be beneficial to any potential sponsors that would like to help contribute to our success.
Lauren "Lolo" Sherwood coordinated the site's design, development, and publication with her good friend and expedition supporter, Jonathan Pierson. Lolo is extremely appreciative of her friends that wish to see her thrive by offering their time and skills to nurture her goals. Thank you to the Bering Sea and back, JP! You’re the real MVP.
A huge thank you to everyone who has already contributed to our record-setting attempt of the 2,000 mile long Yukon River. Everything helps more than you know. All contributions go towards resupplying on the river. Reportedly, a bag of Doritos costs $12 in the tiny resupply villages we’ll be stopping at.
Please feel free to reach out to Karts and Lolo with questions, comments, concerns, tips, advice, sponsorship leads, etc. We’d love to hear from you and connect!
Phone: 443-254-5730
