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Platinum Sponsors

Wenonah Canoe Company has been supporting the Wilderness Classroom since 2002. Their canoes have allowed us to travel safely down the length of the Mississippi River, 3,000 miles across the Amazon, and on countless shorter adventures throughout the US and Canada. In 2006 when we were looking for kayaks up to the challenge of a late season circumnavigation of the largest lake in the world, Lake Superior, the Current Designs Solstice was the clear choice. During the North American Odyssey, we will spend over 9,800 miles in our boats traveling up and down foaming wilderness rivers, across placid lakes, and wind-whipped seas, eventually dipping our paddles into the three oceans that surround our continent. During a long arduous, journey your boat is your home. You can't risk settling for anything but the best. Wenonah canoes and Current Designs kayaks have proven to be ruggedly build and thoughtfully designed, making them our clear choice for short paddles in our backyard, and our home away from home

Gold Sponsors

alt Go Macro is donating 1,800 bars for the North American Odyssey! MacroBars are macrobiotic, vegan, energy and protein bars that are made fresh daily on a rural farm in S.W. Wisconsin. Minimally processed and certified organic, the bars utilize simple healthy ingredients to boost your immune system and help provide your body with essential nutrients. With tasty flavors like Banana Almond and Tahini Date, we love this delicious and nutritious food source.

North Water is keeping us safe on the water. Their donation of canoe spray covers, kayak deck bags, plus canoe and kayak rescue equipment definitely brings us peace of mind, whether we're in the tidal current of the Inside Passage or the rapids of the Yukon. North Water designs and builds paddle sport products to promote safety, comfort and organization. We take the selection of our rescue equipment very seriously, which is why North Water is the only company we would ever trust with our on-the-water safety.

Silver Sponsors

We wore ExOfficio's Insect Shield Halo shirts and Insect Shield convertible pants everyday on our 3,000 mile paddle across South America. Their clothing does an amazing job of protecting us from insects and the sun, plus we sure look stylish in it. We are looking forward to using ExOfficio clothing in a variety of climates and conditions from the tundra to the Keys. Wherever we encounter bugs and sun, ExOfficio clothing will help keep us comfortable.

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Granite Gear is our official drybag and backpack sponsor. They have outfitted us with Air Vent HD Reduction Dryblocs for kayaking, backpacks for hiking (Stratus Latitude 4800 for Amy and Stratus Access 5500 for Dave), and Immersion packs for canoeing. Granite Gear makes innovative, functional, and durable gear. They are all about building gear that will last. When you consider how much energy and resources it takes to replace a product, this seriously lightens our footprint. We also love their company because all of their products are PVC free, packaging is minimized, their catalog is printed on recycled paper, and their headquarters is powered by reusable energy.

alt MTI Adventurewear is our official PFD sponsor. They make a variety of personal floatation devices that are great for kayaking and canoeing. During the Trans-Amazon Expedition, we wore their Riptides-- and Amy wore the PFDiva. We also used their inflatable PFDs for those swelteringly hot, tropical days. All we had to do was strap on the Zyphr or the Helios. We also have the Big Buoy, Velocity, and Maya.

Palm Equipment has donated several dry suits and paddle jackets over the years. We are happy to have their continuing support. The Torrent, Stikine, and Element dry suits are have kept us safe and dry on the water. The Caspian and Venture paddle jackets protected us from rain in the Amazon. The latest Palm apparel that we are enjoying are the Sidewinder Bibs.

alt Mitchell is our official paddle sponsor-- and has been for years. We used their bent-shaft Leader canoe paddles in the Amazon. They are also our paddles of choice for the flatwater sections of the North American Odyssey. We have their Premier for the whitewater canoeing legs of the journey. They make great kayak paddles too! When paddling kayaks for 6,300 miles, lightness, efficiency, and ergonomics are key!

Bronze Sponsors

Katadyn has been producing high quality portable water systems since 1928. Their history has been one of innovation and durability. Katadyn products are used by the military, health organizations and outdoor adventurers world-wide. No other water system provides higher quality or longer lasting performance. Katadyn provided us with a Base Camp filter and an ample supply of Micropur tablets, which we use to purify all of our drinking water.

Petzl has been our headlamp sponsor since their initial donation of six MYO XPs and e+LITEs Trans-Amazon Expedition. Whether we're cozy in our tent--typing away on our laptop to produce the latest website update, or lengthening our day of dogsledding--traveling into the long Arctic evenings in subzero temperatures, Petzl has the right headlamps to get the job done.

Mmmm . . . peanut butter. We are proud to have Justin's Nut Butters as our official nut butter sponsor. This isn't your ordinary peanut butter. They also make almond butter, hazelnut butter, chocolate peanut butter, honey peanut butter, and even maple almond butter! Their nut butters are made in small batches to preserve premium quality standards and fresh taste. They use thehighest quality natural and organic ingredients that are sustainably harvested and found as locally as possible.

Pelican Products Inc. has donated a variety of their amazing dry cases over the years, which we use to keep our cameras, computers, and other electronics safe and dry.

Midwest Mountaineering is our favorite outdoor gear store. Locally owned and operated since it's beginning in 1970, this place is what all outdoor stores should strive to be. They provide all top-notch products and incredible customer service. We've spoken at many of their Outdoor Expos over the years, relating stories about kayaking around Lake Superior and canoeing the Amazon. We're happy to continue the tradition, sharing tales from the North American Odyssey!

Dermatone donated a variety of their sun protection and insect repellent products to keep us sunburn free, bug bite free, and fully protected from UV radiation during our extended outdoor travel. SPF 45+ Endurance Dry Gel Sunblock, Medicated Lip Balms-- including Green Tea flavor, Face Protection Creme, and Herbal Insect Repellent with Bite Blocker are a few of the Dermatone products we use.

With over 30 years of experience, the Forty Below® line of products continue to be trusted and used on the most challenging of cold weather expeditions. Their goal is to provide functional insulative products for extreme environments.
They also make Forty Below® Brand insulated covers for bottles, specialized clothing, and a line of Forty Below® insulated covers for brewing products. All of our products are carefully designed, and proudly crafted in the U.S.A. We are using their camp booties, which are by far the best we have found on the market.

Crapola is an amazing Cran/Apple Granola that is made is small batches in Ely, Minnesota. Getting out of our sleeping bags on a 40 below zero morning is no fun. Luckily we each a bowl of Crapola waiting for us on those extra cold mornings to give us the kick we need to start our day off right.

Cabot Creamery is a 1,200 farm family dairy cooperative with members in New England and upstate New York. We value our roots as a cooperative ~ and as a way of doing business. They produce a variety of amazing cheddar cheeses and we all anxiously await our daily 1/8 pound cheese ration. Their extra sharp cheddar is number 1 in our book.

Steger Moosehide Mukluks are twice as warm and less than half the weight of traditional winter boots. They are made in the Northern Cree Indian style and have durable, flexible, treaded rubber soles. They use the best moosehides available, which means that your mukluks will remain supple and flexible through the years. With each pair you receive the best wool felt liners and insoles they can provide. Mukluks are the clear choice for us because they are extremely warm, but light weight that we run and maneuver our dogsleds.

hodgson-mills125 Hodgson Mill is a family owned company with more than 125 years' experience producing delicious stone ground, whole grain and organic foods made from premium quality, whole grain, including flours, corn meals, cereals, baking mixes, pastas and more. Since 1882, their family of employees has been grinding 100% whole grain to create wholesome, naturally healthy food - with no artificial preservatives, additives or colorings. This is just they type of healthy, tasty food we need to keep us going for months at a time during our trek across North America.

Clif Bar started on a bike ride when Gary, the founder, took a bite of another energy bar and thought to himself: “I could make a better bar than this.” Today they still want to make things better, their food, their company, and even our planet.

Action Wipes™ are a product of Life Elements, Inc. A company created in 2005 with the idea of developing cool, natural products for the entire family. Today, Action Wipes are the most popular shower alternative on the market. They have many uses for active people, but they really shine when you have to go days, or weeks with out a shower, like we often have to do.