DRAFT Magazine

Josh (left) and JJ with their tools of the trade

JJ Kelley and Josh Thomas are easily two of the most adventurous people to be featured on The Beer Runner.

The two met seven weeks into hiking the 2,200 Appalachian Trail, a feat they finished in five months. Since then they made a film about biking together across Alaska to the Arctic Ocean (”Pedal to the Midnight Sun“) and now have a new film out about kayaking 1,300 miles from Alaska to Seattle in wooden boats Josh built (”Paddle to Seattle“).

Josh, who works at a carpenter in Seward, Alaska, and JJ, who works for National Geographic Television in Washington, D.C., talked to the Beer Runner about beers, adventures, and drinking beer in adventurous places.

The Beer Runner: What are your beer runner credentials?

JJ: I enjoy good beer and a good adventure. On the adventure end, I’ve been lucky enough to travel the world perusing some pretty amazing adventures with my good buddy Josh. Completing the Appalachian Trail was cause for a toast, and we sure did, I remember perhaps having one too many in a bar outside Atlanta after we finished the trail. It takes a lot of discipline to push yourself to get up and keep going on a trip like the AT so I figured indulging in an extra beer wouldn’t be that bad. Since the AT there have been many fine beers and two additional cross-continent adventures.

BR: You had a night out on the town during one of your stops during your paddle to Seattle. Do you remember what you were drinking?

Josh: I wish we had just stuck to beer that night, but some undeniable force pushed us toward tequila and we paid for it with a stifling hangover the next day. Our plan was to wake up early and organize for a full day on the water. We ended up calling it a day and spending another night in town recovering.

JJ hiking Lost Lake in Alaska

BR: What was the toughest part of paddling for three straight months? What was the most unexpected part?

Josh: I think the toughest part was the monotony and the lack of contact with other folks. This was our third-long distance trip together. We are great friends and have shared many wonderful experiences, but three months is a long time to spend with only one other person. Fortunately we had the video project to keep us motivated. It kept our minds occupied creatively and kept us both focused on achieving the same goals: sea kayak from Alaska to Seattle and making a movie about it.

BR: What beer did you celebrate with when you arrived in Seattle?

Josh: I don’t remember the name of the beer, but it was from a local brewery. I chose the IPA; they always seem to pack a bigger punch than the others. It’s fun when traveling through new areas to try their local beers. Seattle is such a big city that I’ve got to get back to try the other micro brews.

JJ: I had the IPA too. Josh is right when he says it packs a punch above the rest. I remember relaxing in the brewery after waking up to paddle almost everyday for 3 months. Sitting in Seattle, tomorrow I had nowhere to paddle. The beer was tasty but a little bitter only because I knew this adventure was over.

JJ paddling to Seattle

BR: Did you pack any beer during your other adventures together, including hiking the Appalachians and biking across Alaska together?

Josh (left) and J.J. on the Appalachian Trail

Josh: I remember packing beers for a while on our bike trip across Alaska to the Arctic Ocean. Or at least when we could find a store to buy them. It became a much-anticipated treat. We would celebrate with a “fancy” beer when we had covered another hundred miles or when we could find anything to celebrate about.

On the Appalachian Trail we traveled through some great beer drinking areas. Good folks called “trail angels” would occasionally meet hikers at junctions of roads or near common campsites and share food and beer. It’s a great thing at the end of the day to share unexpected beers with some locals of an area. I remember one evening, early in November getting to a campsite cranky, cold and tired. Two hikers were there setting up camp for the night and I was a little disappointed about having to share the site. They were locals from the area just getting out for the weekend. JJ and I were 4 months in and 1,700 miles along. The weather was turning wintery and in general hiking was starting to feel more like a job. These two guys sensed our crankiness and shared their personal food and beer with us.

Looking back I see it as one of the highlights of the entire journey. It was a completely random, unplanned, and unexpected evening. And that’s what’s fun about our trips: we just put ourselves out there, leave plenty of time for reflection, and see what happens. It can be pretty special.

BR: Congrats on winning 5 awards at your first 4 film festivals with Paddle To Seattle! Any highlights (beer or film related or otherwise) from those awards?

Josh: We’ve just started on getting the film out there. So far we’ve shown it at four festivals and got awards at every one. I think the film is really surprising people; it’s not just a film about a sea kayaking expedition. It’s about sharing adventure through culture, landscape, friendship and humor.

JJ: You could get soft going to too many festivals. A film festival is a chance for the filmmaker to get exposure for his or her work, but it’s also a party. Josh and I have been lucky enough to attend all the festivals. We have been so pleased that the film has as warmly received as it has. I remember drinking quite a few Stella Artois at the Fort Lauderdale Int’l Film Festival. The beer was great, but I hadn’t been outside adventuring for a few weeks. At that exact moment Josh came over with another complimentary pitcher from the festival. I told him we better fix to “Scuba to Aruba” or something big or we were going to grow festival beer guts.

Winning Best Documentary at the Minneapolis Underground Film Festival

BR: You’ve traveled all over. Where have you found the best beer?

Josh: I was fortunate to make it to Germany seven years ago, and it changed the way I see beer. They successfully initiated a purity law which set in place a system of rules making sure beer can not be tainted with anything but the essential ingredients: water, barley and hops. No preservatives or artificial flavors. The result: arguably the best beer in the world.

JJ: The sweetest beer I ever had was an Alaskan Amber from a fisherman the first time I drove to Alaska. It was a celebration beer. I was fresh out of college, and had loaded all my possessions into my purple Ford Ranger pickup and drove north from Minnesota. All I knew about my future in Alaska was that I would try my luck at finding a job in a town called Seward. I had heard they have access to glaciers, and a lucky few were able to paddle near the huge chucks of ice; I wanted to experience that thrill. Sipping the amber beer in the land of the midnight sun, I knew I’d arrived.

BR: What’s your next adventure?

Josh: Who knows. People are always offering suggestions. There are so many beautiful places and cultures in this world, its tough to decide. One thing is for sure, this is not our last adventure…

JJ: The Paddle to Seattle is so fresh we are stilling tying up loose ends with the production. I can’t imagine a world without adventures: going out into the world and finding an enriching tale and sharing it with others. Right now I don’t know what our next adventure will be, but I know it will be. As for my next beer, I’m feeling like a Boddingtons.

Plotting the next adventure

BR: Anything else to add?

Our DVDs are being released this month! We are taking presale orders now on our website. The DVDs will be shipped January 24. Along with outtakes and other extras the award winning 86-minute documentary will be sure to please. The film is also circling many major cities via film festivals, to see if the film is coming near you see our website or fan us on facebook.