TE Exclusive: Dave Cornthwaite of Expedition 1000
A thousand miles holds many different meanings. It might mean geographical separation for some and a daily commute for others. But for British adventurer, Dave Cornthwaite, 1,000 miles means a satisfactory trip by non-motorized means, and he plans to accomplish 25 of them. Five years into his Expedition 1000, Dave has skateboarded, kayaked, SUP’ed and tandem biked; all over a thousand miles.
Your goal for Expedition 1000 is 25 non-motorized trips over 1000 miles. How did you convince yourself to undertake this challenge?
DC: My first two expeditions were very formative for me but I had no plans for the aftermath, so I ended up wasting time. I needed a long-term focus to solidify what I was doing into a meaningful project, rather than a bunch of alien, one-off expeditions. I wanted variety because I’m not particularly attached to any part of the planet, or especially good at any sport or mode of transport, so Expedition ticked all of my boxes. It’s an extreme bucket list of sorts, but as soon as I made it my career took off.
What was your approach to gear selection and packing when you prepared to paddle 2,400 self-supported miles on and SUP?
DC: There’s nothing worse than carrying too much when you’re plugging away under your own steam but only experience teaches you to be sparing when it comes to packing for an expedition. If you’re going to do something do it properly, and when travelling on water the key elements are safety and protecting your gear from the wet. Aquapac make a range of functional waterproof products that protect electronics without compromising usability, so they looked after my laptop, phone, GPS, ipod and SPOT tracker. SUP is a wonderful way to travel, so simple, everything I needed for three months rested on top of my board.
Did you reach the point where you wished it wasn’t called Stand-Up Paddling so you could sit down guiltlessly?
DC: Haha, I’d be lying if I said I didn’t sit down for the occasional snack, or even to conduct a telephone or Skype interview whilst on my board. I set my own rules on my expeditions because I’m travelling ultimately for the passion of it rather than competing in a race or for a record, so I sat down without guilt! That said, standing up is so much fun. It’s great for core strength and the enjoyment factor of paddling rises with such a view!
Having skated Australia, would you promote the skateboard as a practical mode of travel?
DC: Absolutely. Of course, there are more practical modes of transport for long journeys but we’re surrounded by concrete so longboarding makes a great urban commute. Imagine surfing to work everyday, it’s magic. Travelling on a skateboard offers its own pleasures, you experience new roads and downhills everyday (hopefully) and you could easily cover upwards from 50km per day without huge effort.
Was one leg noticeably stronger than the other after the skateboarding expedition?
DC: Oh yeah, my right leg was my party trick after 4500 miles in 8 months. I’d only just taken up skating when I decided to do the trips, so I used one leg all the way. Right calf was Popeye, left calf was Olive Oil
Is there a non-motorized mode of transportation you’ve considered but believe is unrealistic?
DC: There are a few. Pogo stick, Space Hopper and Aquaskipper are brilliant short-term options but completely impractical for a 1000 mile journey. Basic planning for a journey revolves around the possibility for solo travel, so if you can’t carry much gear then the mode of transport is probably a bit too niche to consider.
Might that be more reason to attempt it?
DC: It depends on the reason. I’m not out to break records for the sake of breaking records, or to prove that I’m nutty enough to doanything, so rule No. 1 is assessing whether an expedition will be fun and enjoyable. Pogo sticking for more than 10 minutes would make me dizzy, so I’ll leave that to someone else!
You tandem biked from Vancouver, BC to Las Vegas, did you and your partner, Sebastian Terry, flip a coin for the front seat?
DC: Haha. For the first 1000 miles we took it in turns, neither of us were too keen to stare at the other’s butt for long periods. Then just outside of Reno we buckled our rear tire. With no chance for replacement I stayed on the back, because Seb’s a bigger guy than me and the poor wheel wouldn’t have coped with his weight!
When kayaking the Murray River, you investigated what is impeding its flow to the sea. What did you discover?
DC: At the end of 2009 the Murray was suffering considerably after a 9 year drought so I thought it would make a nice story to travel the river and understand what was going on, and assess any solutions. My main discovery was that the river could be managed much more effectively if the three Australian States with an investment in the river communicated with each other, but instead it was like a High School playground. Quite amazing. Typically, as soon as I finished my paddle it proceeded to rain for several months and flood the entire country, so my ‘research’ proved to be quite irrelevant!
Is there a particular piece of gear that’s been with you on every Expedition 1000 trip and will continue to be?
DC: My Macbook Pro, 13″. It’s my office. I edit video, write books, manage my website, blog and social media network and so much more with my laptop. These days I can make a living from anywhere in the world, whether it be on a mountainside or a riverbank, all I need is the ability to efficiently create content. My Macbook ticks every box.
