Alaska

Summer 1989

Todd was assigned to the Exxon Valdez oil spill incident in the summer of 1989. He flew to Kodiak Island and boarded a 75-foot steel fishing boat that had been hired as part of the clean up effort. Using the boat as a basecamp, Todd spent three weeks walking the wilderness coastline of Katmai National Park. Each day was spent being shuttled from the boat to shore in a Zodiac and then walking the shoreline. As he encountered oil or animals killed by the spill, he documented the damage and collected evidence as part of the case against Exxon. The trip included numerous sightings of grizzly bears, seeing eagles and puffins frequently and catching salmon that were swimming upstream with his bare hands.

2011 to 2016

Between 2011 and 2016, Todd did at least 13 trips to various parts of Alaska on work assignments. Most of these trips were investigative in nature with a few solely to provide training to various federal agencies. During these trips, Todd (sometimes accompanied by Donette) visited several remote villages and sailed on Prince William Sound.

In 2015 and 2016 Todd and Donette climbed in the Alaska Range, basing out of the Pika Glacier. They climbed several established routes and did one first ascent.