Allen and I are headed to the Yukon this afternoon to paddle in the Yukon River Quest.

Our iPods are loaded up with plenty of Skynyrd, Steve Earle and Allman Brothers tunes. We're triple checking our gear list now, and making sure we know which planes to board. Then it's off to the area of the Klondike gold rush. We should arrive in Whitehorse, Yukon Territory, the race start, on Sunday.

Thanks so much to our wives Lisa and Mel for helping us start this adventure, and another huge thanks to Jake at Numa for sending me a new pair of Numa shades in time for the race!!

Some teams -- including us -- will be carring SPOT devices. You should be able to track us here. Hopefully, you'll see us go the right way -- literally -- as we approach Five Finger Rapids (pictured).

I don't generally fret over huge distances in long expedition adventure races. But, the prospect of sitting in a boat for 460 miles certainly has me wondering. But, I'm sure by the finish line I'll have a smile on my face and WAAAY more knowledge of 20th Century world history than I had at the starting line (Allen is a history teacher, and rarely at a loss for words).

Wish us luck, and follow our teammate Patsy as she's racing in the Primal Quest this week!

- Paul