Glenn Charles

Glenn Charles is a professional photographer, adventure traveler, writer and speaker. In his 40's, Glenn can most often be found  in Down East Maine or on the road with his NDK Explorer Kayak, Salsa Fargo or Ti Mukluk and a Bivy Sack.  Recipient of The Ted Simon Foundation's Jupiter Traveler award, Glenn strives to inspire others to grow in their own journey of spiritual discovery and life simplification. Using adventure travel, he has found a new sense of Spirit and personal growth and a profound new connection with the natural world.

After a life changing event,  self-described as a  "broken man with a broken spirit," Glenn set off for the waters of Alaska with a kayak, $500 in cash and the last of his possessions that could fit in his kayak. He began what others deemed a "crazy journey," as he set off to paddle the Inside Passage of Alaska. This first expedition began the process of healing his spirit and soul and along the way, Glenn found a renewed faith in life and humanity.

His Alaska journey was so much more than a "crazy journey," and instead became a way of life for Glenn. He has spent the last three years traveling over 16,000 miles, searching for answers, seeking a new beginning, and falling in love with a lifestyle rooted in adventure travel. Glenn's love for kayaking began in the Florida Everglades, home to amazing bird life and breathtaking sunsets. From there, he transited 1,700 miles in an NDK Explorer. Glenn began his travels up the Inside Passage when he pushed off in Seattle, traveled up through British Columbia and ended in Glacier Bay. Glenn spent his nights camping, cooking simple meals of oats, quinoa, pasta, tortillas and more peanut butter than he can recall, and encountering some of the most amazing people and experiences of his life. It was on this first journey that Glenn began to experience a connection with nature and the one-ness of life, thus beginning the most profound changes of his life.

After leaving Alaska and spending a month touring the San Juan Islands, Glenn set out on what would be his most ambitious trip yet, paddling 3,300 miles of North American Atlantic coastline. For this trip, his goal was to journey from Key West Florida to Quebec, Canada, using the Atlantic Ocean as much as possible.  It was an incredibly difficult and challenging trip that continued to reinforce the Spiritual path he had begun while traveling in Alaska.  The rough waters of the Atlantic Ocean led to an arm injury and a completely drained body. Despite this, Glenn made it to the Canadian Maritimes where he "sadly, yet proudly" ended his trip, saving Quebec for another day.

Following two and a half years of kayaking, Glenn took to the bike, a pastime he had enjoyed greatly in his 20s and 30s. Today, Glenn has biked more than 7,500 miles on a Salsa Fargo and Ti Mukluk. He began his first bike tour traveling west along the southern states from Florida to California, at which point he turned north to Seattle. This tour allowed Glenn to rest tired and injured arms, put his legs to work, and connect to more people than his kayaking expeditions allowed for. In doing so, Glenn has been able to promote the benefits human powered transportation and living simply.

"Finding Spirit in combination with living a simpler life has led me to some profound discoveries about peaceful living and internal happiness," says Glenn. The embodiment of this philosophy, in conjunction with his extensive adventure travels and years of professional photography achievements have led Glenn to be chosen as a Ted Simon Foundation Jupiter's Traveler. Glenn often uses the phrase "Wabi Sabi Your Life" as a means to promote his lifestyle.

When not on the road, Glenn spends his down time photographing the iconic landscape of Down East Maine and the Canadian Maritimes as well as teaching 'The Art of Seeing' in  his one on one workshops and his Down East Fall workshops and developing his Adventure Camp workshops which focus on getting women into the world of Adventure.

"Wabi Sabi Your Life" is about sharing those experiences, simplifying life, and discovering ways to help individuals embark on their own personal Wabi Sabi path.