Erin McKittrickERIN MCKITTRICK had already logged more than 3,000 miles through Alaska's untracked wildernesses, before embarking on her 4,000-mile trek from Seattle to the Aleutian Islands. She received an MS in molecular biology from the University of Washngton, but left academia to pursue more wilderness experiences and to concentrate on environmental activism. She lives with her husband and baby in Seldovia, Alaska.