Nathan hails from North Vancouver in Squamish, Musqueam, and Tsleil-Waututh Nation territory. For as long as he can remember, he’s been drawn to adventure – first to the end of the neighborhood, then into the North Shore mountains, and finally out onto the Salish Sea. In 2015, Nathan completed a Certificate of Wilderness Leadership from Capilano University and has been working as an outdoor educator ever since. The focus of his work is delivering ecology, culture, leadership, and environmental stewardship focussed expeditions for youth. He’s currently working towards a sea kayak guide training certification so he can help contribute to the legacy of high-quality leadership on BC’s coastal waters.
In the spring of 2019, he embarked on his first ‘big’ personal expedition – around Vancouver Island in sea kayaks. Ever since then, he’s been dreaming of more until 2023 when he set out to paddle to Alaska with his high school friend Sanesh Iyer.
When he’s not paddling, Nathan spends his time cycling, canoeing, backcountry skiing, and practicing film photography. He also holds a degree of environmental planning along with certificates in geographic information science and Indigenous studies from Dalhousie University.
Nathan shares challenges and triumphs from his 140-day sea kayak expedition from Victoria, British Columbia to Yakutat, Alaska. What did we eat? Who did we meet? How did we manage a 20-day journey along the ‘Lost Coast’? Take home some of the valuable insights we gained from navigating our rugged and ever-changing coastline.
Picture yourself on a remote beach stretch of the BC coast – miles away from the nearest town – and you hear the dreaded crack of fiberglass on rock. Fear not, as Nathan will draw from his experience to guide you through the secrets of assembling a tailored repair kit and using it from the beach. Fiberglass repair, stove maintenance, leak-proof sewing; this workshop covers it all! He’ll also share stories of successful on-the-spot repairs that avoided disaster and allowed the expedition to thrive.
