This is the story about our eighth paddling adventure in the far north, in 2005. The trip was 960 miles in length, and took us 39 days.

Starting in Yellowknife, Northwest Territories Canada, we paddled the Great Slave Lake, then carried our outfit over Pike's Portage, worked up to Clinton-Colden and Aylmer lakes, then paddled down the Coppermine River, and finished at the native village of Kugluktuk on the coast of the Arctic Ocean.

This time we resolved to be more self-sufficient, with no float plane fly-in to the start, or food drops or resupplies along the way. Instead we carried all our food and gear for the entire six weeks. It was an unforgettable experience and one of our very best trips yet.

Story of our 48-day journey in our home-made sea-kayak "Tempest" along the West Coast of Alaska. We started at St Marys Near the Terminus of the Yukon River, and paddled 100 miles down the Yukon River to Norton Sound. We then continued across the Bering Sea along the west coast of Arctic Alaska all the way around the sound to Nome, and farther to the Inuit village of Shishmaref.

We paddled a canoe across the Barrenlands of Sub-arctic Canada, From Sussex Lake, padding down the Back River, up the Meadowbank River, over the Divide and down to the hamlet of Baker Lake. From the book Canoeing Canada's Northwest Territories, "many experienced paddlers consider the Back to be the most challenging river in the NWT.

We paddled our homemade sea-kayak "Nunaluk" down Canada's Mackenzie River, 975 miles in 24 days from Ft. Providence to Inuvik. Then we float-planed to their turn-around point of the previous summer on the coast, then paddled to Tuk - 200 miles in 12 days. East of Tuk the ice was solid and looked like it would stay that way. So we went inland and paddled the Thelon river to Baker Lake.

A 100-Day, 3,300-mile Kayak Voyage from Anacortes, Washington Through the Inside Passage Along Coasts of British Columbia and Southwest Alaska - 1,100 miles to Skagway; then Portage the Chilkoot Trail to the First Ice-Free Lake, 100 miles total; then Paddle the Yukon River 2,000 miles to the Bering Sea, and 7 miles Back to Village of Emmonak.

After a year and a half of training and preparations, we went to Antarctica. Starting from near the coast, we skied 57 days to the South Pole. Along the way encountered fierce winds, ultra cold temperatures, and rough ice. We dragged our gear behind us in sleds containing enough food for a month. At the half-way point we resupplied with a food drop. Reaching the South Pole in another month, we flew back to the starting point.

Pearl Four: the story of our fourth long-distance thru-hiking adventure: the Appalachian Trail in 1993 - Springer Mountain to Katahdin. 2,100 miles in 2 months & 28 days. This was where we developed our home-made lightweight backpacks and camping quilt.

The book includes the history of the Ray-Way Tarp design, and explains why Ray and Jenny enjoy tarp camping so much. The book describes campsite selection and tarp pitching methods, and includes several photo sequences of knot tying for tarp pitching. There are chapters on bugs and critters and rain and wind - all the questions and perhaps reservations that a person might have in regards to camping with a Ray-Way Tarp.

Ray's book covers the essentials of Lightweight hiking, including packweight and equipment, clothing and footwear, nourishment and physical conditioning, and the myriad topics that contribute to these basics. There are chapters on the safety of lightweight hiking and on pack-weight evolution. There are several gear chapters, including the Backpack, Tarp, and Quilt. There are chapters on wilderness skills such as Stealth Camping, Campfire and Cook-fire, Knots for the Hiker. Jenny has written a chapter for women hikers, from a woman's perspective. There are chapters on foot care, creek fording, snow travel, snakes and bears, to name just a few.

Paddling the Coast of Arctic Alaska. Join Ray and Jenny as they paddle their home-built kayak 1,400 miles to the top of Alaska and beyond. You'll discover more about the Arctic coastline than any tourist ever dreamed of. But get ready to test your mettle: you'll find whales and caribou, tundra and grizzlies, permafrost and puffins, and a beauty and vastness that tugs at your heart.

The book that started the Lightweight hiking movement.

A story about Sailing Around the World aboard the ketch Suka (Seeking UnKnown Adventures). From San Diego we spent a year and a half sailing through the South Pacific to Australia. After sailing north behind the Great Barrier Reef, we crossed the Indian Ocean to South Africa. Then navigating across to South America and through the Caribbean, we passed through the Panama Canal and then followed the coast back to home port.