Photo by Heather Nelson

WD: Any future trips in the works?

Heather: Oh yeah!

Brandon: Always! We tend to alternate between racing and exploration, and we both came off Baikal feeling the need for speed again. We're planning to be at the Yukon River Quest in June, and if time's on our side we'll stick around for some 24-hour distance trials on different rivers up there. We're also entered in the Kayakathon event in July and August.

WD: How did you two meet each other (don't need answers from both of you) and end up getting married?

Heather: Brandon and I met in the small kayaking and rafting community of Coloma, California. Every Thursday night a group of raft guides got together to play Ultimate Frisbee. I decided to check it out one day and showed up late with a few friends from the company I was working for. Brandon was already there playing on the "skins" team. He walked over to me and said, "Do you have a bra on under that?" I said I did. And he said, "You are on my team." The rest of the game, even though I was the worst Frisbee player out there, he just kept throwing to me. A week after that game we left on a two week road trip together. The rest is history!

WD: Where are you both from and where are you based now? Why are you based there now?

Heather: I spent my first 31 years exploring the mountains and rivers of California. But, before we left for Siberia, Brandon and I made a pact that after we got home, we were going to focus on setting up a home base. I called it "Expedition House." Just saying 'expedition' gets Brandon excited, so I figured that would keep him motivated! Bellingham, Washington is a mecca of trails, mountains, lakes, ocean, and super cool people. In September, when we returned from Siberia, we loaded up the U-haul and headed north. We celebrated Christmas in our own home this year--that was pretty awesome!

"We tend to alternate between racing and exploration, and we both came off Baikal feeling the need for speed again."

Brandon: I grew up in Muskegon and Fremont, Michigan, and then I lived in California for the past twelve years. We just moved up to Bellingham, Washington, where we bought our first home, (read: base camp!) We visited Bellingham two years ago while we were up racing the San Juan Challenge, and knew it was just a matter of time. Salt and freshwater in the front yard, mountains and miles of trails in the backyard, and everyone we met was just shockingly nice. It feels like a fairytale more and more every day.

WD: Tell us something most people don't know about you.

Heather: I have a bowl of ice cream every night before I go to bed and have been seen indulging in Hershey Syrup straight from the bottle!

Brandon: How about my hobby of memorizing passages from Moby Dick.

WD: What accomplishments are you most proud of?

Heather: We have both dreamed of having a base camp for a long time. Having a house with tons of storage for toys and an office for each of us - I am stoked!

Brandon: Right now, that we pulled off buying a house. It's been a dream of ours for a few years, but we kept putting whatever cash we could save into adventures and storage unit fees. Having a warm house in a sweet locale with a garage for our toys - that rocks!