Red Barn Event: Shifting Currents of the Alsek River
Shifting Currents: Paddling the Past and Future of the Alsek River
Livestream the event or watch it later on YouTube at this link.
No registration required, but RSVP to receive email reminders and updates about this event!
Doors to the Red Barn open at 6:30pm for a community social with beer and wine available for purchase. The presentation will start at 7:00pm.
About the presentation:
Join local packrafting enthusiast Jon Strahl for a slideshow presentation and discussion on exploration, climate change, and glaciers. The Alsek is a free flowing river the size of the Columbia that cuts through two 16,000’ tall mountain ranges, and runs through three major protected areas: Kluane National Park and Reserve in the Yukon, Tatshenshini-Alsek Provincial Park in British Columbia, and Glacier Bay National Park and Preserve in Alaska. These parks form part of the largest contiguous protected wilderness area in the world. Over numerous trips down different parts of the river, Jon has witnessed the changing landscape.
Many locals and visitors in the Wenatchee Valley are drawn by adventure and connection to landscape — whether that’s through packrafting, kayaking, climbing, or simply appreciating mountains and rivers.
This slideshow and these stories can resonate with this shared spirit of exploration:
- Highlighting parallels between remote river travel and local outdoor adventures.
- Sparking curiosity and pride in local landscape storytelling.
- Inspiring people to reflect on why wild places matter — whether it’s the Alsek or the Wenatchee River right in our backyard.
About Jon
Jon Strahl is a Wenatchee Valley–based adventurer, river traveler, and packraft instructor with a deep passion for wild places and human-powered exploration. His recent journey down the Alsek River—a glacially fed wilderness river flowing from the Yukon to the Pacific—sparked reflections on resilience, climate, and the power of moving through landscapes at river pace. Since 2022, Jon has served as a co-instructor alongside Luc Mehl on expedition-style packrafting courses and also instructs with Basecamp Cascadia, helping others build technical skills, sound judgment, and confidence in backcountry environments. Through vivid storytelling and photography, Jon connects big wilderness experiences to the rivers and mountains we call home, inviting our community to think deeper about adventure, stewardship, and why wild rivers matter.
