Sweltering up a steep, sun-exposed climb in western Guatemala, a realization dawned on me. I pedaled to catch up to Neon and shared that a longstanding inside joke might soon be true: “When we put our canoe in at Jasper, it really will all be downhill from there!” With this to look forward to, we are proud to announce the Her Odyssey team has successfully connected our South and North America routes and is ready to start the final leg of our journey! 

In 17,500 human-powered miles we have crossed 14 countries and over 100 degrees of latitude. We have contended with challenges such as the rapid shifts of climate crisis, bureaucracy, sexism, and a global pandemic. Perseverance, adaptability, and a community of good people have kept us forging forward through all of it. Humility has come along with the journey, as time and again we’re invited to step back from ambition and reconsider progress based on new information, then approach from a new perspective.

These adaptations led to the moment this April when, three years after putting kayaks in the water of Rio San Juan, we bikepacked over it on the Santa Fe bridge and interwove this thread into the tapestry of human story. Entering the last season and rounding out our seventh year, in summer 2022 we will add our final human-powered medium, canoeing the Arctic Drainage from Jasper, Canada to the Beaufort Sea and Arctic Ocean.

We anticipate launching mid May, as preparations and melt allows. Until that time we are posted up in Banff, packing and mailing resupplies, fixing up our third hand canoe, purchased from the local Boy Scout Troop, training, and still catching up on blogs from Central America! We are honored to have been featured in the local paper, the  Rocky Mountain Outlook, where Craig did a great write up. A couple days later, I got a call from the CBC show As it Happens and got to share for a few minutes on that national program (I come on at just after the 1 hr mark)! Also, this Friday we will be interviewed for CTV in Calgary.

As we begin the final segment, there are a few actions you can take as well.

First, make sure you are subscribed to the blog (on the right column or at the bottom of the page is a place to enter your email. We will never sell your information). This is our primary story-sharing platform, and there is still a lot more adventure to tell. This is also where future projects will be announced. While Fidgit is collecting the stories of Her Odyssey into a book, Neon is developing business plans to share her passion for both pottery and baking.

Secondly, if you wish to invest in Her Odyssey, there are several ways to do so. You can join our Patreon community and give $1-$50 on a monthly basis and get the behind the scenes and first looks at our progress. This has been what keeps us afloat and gives us something steady to count on. We also always appreciate the surprise of one time gifts coming in via PayPal or Venmo @Bethany-Hughes-26. Currently those expenses go toward covering cost of gear, resupplies, and lodging along route, and as always, 10% is given to local organizations at work on the ground.

On a final note, we are opening a Limited Speaking Series in Autumn 2023, offering first booking opportunities to you who have connected to Her Odyssey. Email: [Bethany Hughes 86 @ gmail . com] to request more information if you are interested in scheduling one or both of us to speak. We have experience sharing our story on podcast, radio, print, and in person with organizations in diverse fields ranging from education and business to conservation and humanitarianism.

We look forward to connecting in an authentic way that sparks curiosity, compassion, and growth even after the physical journey of Her Odyssey is complete.

Gratefully,

Bethany Hughes & Lauren Reed
The Her Odyssey Explorers

Our May Pay it Forward funds are going to the Banff Canmore Community Foundation in memory of Jim ‘Bucky’ Buckingham. Bucky had volunteered to help train and prepare us for paddling, even though he had never met us. It seems like everyone in town has a Bucky story. Attending his memorial celebration, it was stunning to stand at the back of a packed hall and when they called for everyone who had been taught how to canoe by this man, 80% of the hands in the room went up. It felt like we just missed an opportunity to meet an incredible individual and also, somehow, an honor to uphold a legacy that even after his passing the waves from his passion have touched our endeavor.