Paddling Blind - Blind explorer, Erik Weihenmayer paddles Alaska for Welcome to Earth
Alpacka Raft was lucky to be a part of the new NatGeo and Disney+ series, Welcome to Earth. We teamed up with blind explorer Erik Weihenmayer and his team (Skyler Williams and Harlan Taney) to help Erik on a paddling expedition for the series.
It started with brainstorming ideas and gear and it morphed into providing the perfect vessel to take Erik and team on a hiking and packrafting source to sea expedition in Alaska. This expedition was all part of the Welcome to Earth series that takes adventurers like Erik and actor, Will Smith into the elements of the earth and on outdoor adventures that he has never dreamed of. In addition to this trip, Erik also ropes up with Will for multi-sensory adventures around the world, including our descent into Mt. Yasur an active volcano.
You can watch the full series on NatGeo and Disney+. Check out the trailer below.
Erik and team shared some great photos before and during the trip. Get a behind the scenes look at the photos below.
Behind the scenes footage. Mounting cameras on the packrafts to catch the moment.
Pre-trip covid testing. The new normal.
Erik Weihenmayer, super human adventurer.
The fly in to the remote Alaskan river.
Hiking to the river.
Skylar Williams, Erik Weihenmayer, and Harlan Taney before they took off.
Getting set up in their packrafts.
The beauty of Alaska in packrafts.
Paddling blind.
The georgeous river paddled for the adventure.