Audrey Sutherland

Audrey Sutherland (February 11, 1921 – February 23, 2015) was an American solo adventure traveler, kayaker, teacher, and author. She was best known for her solo adventure boating and swimming feats which she documented in her books titled Paddling My Own Canoe, Paddling Hawaii and Paddling North. She has been described as a "pioneer" among women doing solo adventure travel.

Early life and career Sutherland was born Audrey Helen Schufeldt in Canoga Park, California, in 1921. As a child, she spent her summers in a cabin built by her father in the San Bernardino Mountains. There, she would explore the surrounding woods, ride horses, and learn about the local flora and fauna. In her book, Paddling My Own Canoe, Sutherland described her childhood summers at the cabin: “I stalked deer at dusk and fireflies at night, ran wet and exultant in cloudbursts and thunderstorms, and climbed to the tops of young pine trees to swing them in whipping circles." One of Audrey's sons is the surfer Jock Sutherland.

Adventuring and travel writing Sutherland was a resourceful traveler. Before purchasing her inflatable kayak — which Sutherland used as her exclusive mode of transportation for future trips — she explored the 20-mile stretch along the northern coast of Molokai by solo swimming. Sutherland used rope to tow her gear and sustenance behind her, including wine stored in 35-millimeter film cans and food in a Styrofoam box. She purchased her kayak so she could pack more gear and take longer trips.

When asked in an interview why she preferred to travel solo, Sutherland replied: "It’s so much simpler alone, you don’t have to worry about whether somebody is hungry, or tired, or angry, or whatever. You just go alone, it’s so much simpler that way. When you’re by yourself you can stop and look at something; learn a flower, watch an animal or a bird, or whatever it is."

Death Sutherland continued to live in her sea-front home near Haleiwa, where she had lived since 1954, through her early 90s. She died shortly after her 94th birthday due to dementia-related symptoms.

Publications Sutherland's first book, Paddling My Own Canoe, was published in 1978 by the University of Hawaii Press. It describes several of Sutherland's solo adventure experiences, including swimming, paddling, and hiking and camping on the north shore of Molokai. The title of the book was inspired by Louisa May Alcott's journal, in which she wrote: "I’d rather be a free spinster and paddle my own canoe."

Her second book, Paddling Hawaii, was published in 1988 and is an instructional text on how to island paddle and forage food. Sutherland's third and final book, Paddling North, was published by Patagonia Books in 2012 and describes her paddling trips to islands in Southeast Alaska, including encounters with wildlife such as whales, wolves, and bears. It is based on her personal journals from adventures in Alaska, most of which were made alone.