Meet Derek, one of the owners of Paddle Sports by True North AK. Derek wanted to spend more time with his family, and with a little push from the Covid pandemic, he decided to start his own business renting out SUP’s and kayaks. By 2022, Paddle Sports by True North AK was born. Scroll on to hear what it takes to run a paddle sports business in Alaska, and what keeps the team clicking to provide the best experiences possible.
How did you get into guide work?
As a teenager, I spent my summers working at a 10 week summer camp operation. In that camp setting I was a camp counselor/guide and loved every minute of it. I knew that what I wanted to do with my life was to both lead and coach others on outdoor recreation activities. I spent my time working on the waterfront of camps, teaching everything from swimming, to how to kayak, to leading guided small boat sailing trips. So you could say that I caught the guide bug at an early age.
RUN ME THROUGH A TYPICAL DAY with Paddle Sports by True North AK. WHAT CAN YOUR GUESTS EXPECT?
A typical day with us starts with us greeting our guests at the bottom of the river. Here we meet them and go over a safety brief for the day, as well as reinforce what trip they have booked/what they can expect to see. From there we load into the vehicle and drive up the river valley to our put-in location for the day. While there we get them loaded up with snacks, safety equipment and extra courtesy equipment, such as binoculars and waterproof cell phone cases etc. We then begin our kayaking adventure though the Alaska Wilderness, which includes portages, glacier views, mountains, and seeing wildlife such as moose, beavers, ducks, eagles, fish, mountain goats etc. Our guides and clients work their way down the river system back to their parked cars.
Why should I take a trip with you?
Yes, the areas we use for our trips are all on public land so anyone could do our tours by themselves; however, we provide you with the equipment and planning for your trip. Furthermore, what we bring to you is a knowledge of the area and safety considerations to be aware of that comes from doing this as often as we do. We also bring a local perspective on the area you are paddling through, such as the type of trees you see, the geology of the area, the local culture and history, etc.
What’s the best part about owning Paddle Sports by True North AK? THE PART THAT KEEPS YOU COMING BACK?
As a guide there are certainly a lot of things that keep me coming back to this. It is hard to pick just one but these are the top reasons why I keep coming back to being a guide: the water, the nature, the wildlife, the geology, and the adventure.
WHAT’S THE WORST PART? THE PART THAT FEELS LIKE WORK?
The behind the scenes is the work, for example the logistics of a trip, such as planning, marketing, preparing equipment. That is all work and no play, once we are out on the tour all that work melts away and it is truly an adventure!
WHAT WOULD YOU TELL SOMEBODY WANTING TO GET INTO GUIDE WORK?
Give it a try, find a tour company or a summer camp and apply for one of their open positions. Try it out for a summer season to see if this type of lifestyle is for you. It’s like trying to describe what it’s like to be a parent to someone who has never been a parent. We can tell you all the wonderful things and all the challenges but until you actually experience a child come up out of the blue and give you a big hug and say I love you daddy, or cough in your face (sometimes both in the same moment) you truly don’t know what its like until you have those moments that say “wow this is amazing.” Guiding and parenting is hard work, its adventure and you never know what is coming around the corner next, but the adventure is worth your time.
Paddle Sports by True North AK is the way to go when booking your next trip to Alaska.
You can find True North AK at their website and by following them on Instagram.
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