Last summer, Mark Sky and his partner, Malin Ek, went on a human-powered expedition that explored a huge portion of the Sea to Sky Corridor over a short three weeks.
Sky and Ek dubbed the trip the “Sea to Sky Infinity Loop” and it started and ended in Squamish but took them to Cypress Provincial Park, Whistler, Tantalus Range and elsewhere in the region.
Now, Sky is about to embark on his next mission, which will take him all the way from his home in Squamish to Mount Aconcagua in South America. But instead of three weeks, this one is expected to last about 20 months.
“I'm having a lot of mixed feelings right now,” Sky said, who is kicking off the expedition in just a few days. “I'm super excited, but I'm also really nervous and a little bit scared about the whole thing.”
Sky said the expedition begins by bicycling south and climbing many mountains along the way.
According to his , this includes the tallest peaks in each country and others. Once he reaches Panama on his bicycle, he will attempt to kayak over 300 kilometres to Colombia, which he believes to be the most difficult section as there will be a large open ocean crossing.
“Once I get there, if everything's successful, I think I'll just give the kayak away on the beach because I'll be so happy,” he joked.
After kayaking, the trip continues with bicycling and mountain climbing on the way to the final destination in Argentina. In total, it is estimated to be between 22,000 and 24,000 kilometres.
And Sky said Ek will join him for some sections of the endeavour.
Like the expedition from last year, this one also has an element of giving back along the way.
“All our expeditions that we're going to do are going to have some sort of element about either fundraising for charity or volunteering in one of the impoverished communities we go through or finding a way to use our expedition to give back to the communities in which we adventure,” Sky said.
The goal is to raise $24,000 and the option to donate will go live in a few short days on the website, said Sky. Right now, he and Ek don’t have a destination in mind for the money.
“We want to keep it open,” Sky said.
He added that maybe he could go through a “community that I kind of fall in love with” and they have an “amazing project” where he might be able to help. No matter what, he said he and Ek will be transparent about where the money is going.
Sky said that this donation aspect would be a part of the expeditions going forward, which was one of the goals when he and Ek started the Outdoor Adventurers Club.
Sky said he’s going to do his best to post weekly YouTube video updates and social media updates along the way. Once returned, he expects to share a film in the Vancouver International Mountain Film Festival.
For more information about this expedition or a past expedition, visit .
