Part 3/4

WHAT WAS YOUR BIGGEST PHYSICAL CHALLENGE THAT YOU FACED DURING TIP-TO-TIP TRIP?

I can't answer for Scott, but for me my biggest physical challenge was my knee. We did a lot of hiking in Alaska and British Colombia, and my right knee was not happy by the time we got to the coast to go surfing. I had problems with it the entire trip, which was really a bummer. In the Bay Area, I went to see my knee surgeon to get an evaluation. He told me it was arthritis and gave me enough Vioxx to last the whole trip. Right when we got back from the trip, Vioxx was taken off of the market as a potentially Cancer causing medicine. Great...

. . . AND BIGGEST MENTAL CHALLENGE?

I think the biggest mental challenge for both of us was being away from home so long. We both left girlfriends at home and were both hoping they would be waiting for us when we returned. That was really difficult sometimes. The phone and Internet are both great communicators, but man, it's hard to be apart from family for such a long period of time. Sometimes you just want to beam yourself back to your bedroom and take a hot shower and eat in your own kitchen. It becomes worse if you dwell on it though. You just got to keep going. Also, being confined to a thrashed '83 Toyota Land Cruiser that leaks oil and lets dust in even when all the windows are closed got difficult. Sometimes you just want to have your own space, and that can be hard to find in a stuffed car that reeks of auto fuel and dirty clothes...

TELL ME ABOUT YOUR MOST EPIC SURF SESSION OR SESSIONS AND WHICH COUNTRY SERVED UP THE BEST OLAS?

We got waves everywhere we went, but the magic days sometimes were a bit too far and few between. We scored good surf in Alaska, Oregon, northern California, Baja, Panama and Chile. Peru, which I was really looking forward to never really turned on for us. Central America was off-season and small, but still fun. Surfing in Alaska was cool just as a novelty. The waves were fun though, and not that cold. Chile was neat because the landscape goes through the craziest changes. You start in the north in just the gnarliest desert, and end up in the south in what resembles British Columbia. It's really beautiful, and the people are friendly and could give a shit about the United States and what goes on there. (They do hate Bush though) My most memorable session actually came in the north of Chile in the desert. We were driving along in the middle of nowhere and spotted this right breaking out in the middle of a bay. It looked about 4 to 5 feet and clean. We were with my good friend Ziad from home who had come down to do some traveling with us. We paddled out and discovered it was more like double over-head plus and pretty heavy. It was cool because it felt like we discovered the wave or something. I remember the water was super clear, and you looked down on these huge boulders that made some crazy boils on the face of the wave. It was surreal and almost a bit spooky. Nobody around at all.

WAS THAT YOUR HIGHLIGHT IN TERMS OF OUTDOOR SPORTS OR WAS THERE ANOTHER MOMENT OUT OF THE SURFING REALM THAT GLEAMS IN YOUR MEMORY?

For me, getting to rock climb somewhat intensively was really cool. I am not a climber, and Scott is. We went to some really beautiful places all over to climb, and for me it was fun to switch it up and put myself in situations where I didn't feel quite so comfortable like I do in the water. Alaska, Canada and Patagonia were all highlights. It really gave me a lot of respect for Scott and climbers in general. It's a heavy sport that requires a lot of physical conditioning as well as guts and concentration. Made me as a surfer feel lazy.

TRAVELING THROUGH FIFTEEN COUNTRIES YOU WERE ABLE TO WITNESS MULTIPLE BIOMES AND UNSPOILED NATURAL SETTINGS. LIST SOME OF YOUR FAVORITE PLACES IN TERMS OF ITS NATIVE FLORA AND FAUNA?

Alaska for sure was amazing. The Aleutian Islands were so beautiful, and the Bering Sea was incredible. Watching the salmon spawn was something that has to be seen to believe. You could literally walk across the mouth of a river it was so filled with salmon battling to get upstream. Huge salmon, halibut and rainbow trout in Alaska, man, so much to list. Canada in the north is so open and untouched, really beautiful. Southern Chile, and Patagonia are also really open and free. Seeing guanacos, huge ostriches and wild horses in the Pampa in Patagonia. Black bears in Canada. All and all though, I must say, Alaska sticks in my mind as it shows you how powerful Mother Nature is. Humans may be able to hurt her, but in the end she will win. We just might not be around to see the victory though.

Part 3/4

ER Harris