At the end of Karl’s previous interview, we had to stop right in the middle of one of the most fascinating stories ~ the advice an Inuit man gave Karl before he began his solo paddle of the Canadian Arctic’s Northwest Passage:
Make SURE you talk with the ancestors.
Karl’s reply…
He’s not wrong…That was an absolute quantum leap beyond where I thought I was gonna be, but wasn’t he right!…I was not going to succeed without doing so…I am simply not enough alone…There is no veil between this world and the next.
We could not stop there!
Listen to 102.3 FM KIXP either on your radio or online at kixp.org and press the play button at 10 AM to hear the next interview with Karl Krüger.
As his website says,
Karl Krüger is an American adventurer, sea captain, and paddler whose life is deeply rooted in wilderness, spirituality, and exploration. Taught to paddle by his father at age three, he went on to windsurf at 12, teach sailing by 17, and today holds a U.S. Coast Guard 100-ton Master’s License with sail and tow endorsements.
In 2017, he became the first person to complete the Race to Alaska on a stand-up paddleboard (SUP), covering 750 miles of the Canadian Pacific coast in just over two weeks. By 2023, Karl had shifted his focus to polar exploration, paddling 877 miles along the Canadian Arctic coast, unsupported, as part of his multi-season Northwest Passage journey.
Karl is the founder of Krüger Creative, a nonprofit dedicated to wilderness exploration, personal growth, and environmental awareness. Under its umbrella, Krüger Expeditions offers day sails and multi-day “sail-to-ski” or “sail-to-surf” journeys aboard SV ANIMUS, a 64’ steel cutter, immersing guests in Karl’s world. These adventures draw on his 20+ years of west coast charter experience and over 40 years of water and wilderness expertise, with all proceeds supporting the nonprofit’s mission.
Karl is embarking on the third and final season of his paddle of the Canadian Arctic’s Northwest Passage. In 2022 and 2023, he paddled solo and unsupported nearly 900 miles on a stand-up paddleboard (SUP), gaining a deeper understanding of, and respect for, the Arctic.
In 2027, Karl will complete the final leg of the Northwest Passage in a Holopuni outrigger sailing canoe, a traditional South Pacific canoe that can be paddled or rigged with a small sail. This transition allows him to carry more food and water, increase safety, and stay close to the water and the environment.
He will start in Tuktoyaktuk, retrace the coast he explored on his SUP, continue past Kugluktuk—his furthest east point from previous seasons—and finish in Pond Inlet, Nunavut.
This episode will appear on the Life on Orcas Island with Edee Kulper podcast after it airs on the radio. You can also find each weekly episode online on Amazon Music (tell your Alexa: “play the podcast Life on Orcas Island with Edee Kulper” and the latest episode will begin playing), ApplePodcasts, Spotify, iHeartRadio, PlayerFM, Podchaser, BoomPlay, and PodBean.
Enjoy!
