Audrey Sutherland

Her second book, Paddling Hawaii, was published in 1988 and is an instructional text of 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.

In 1980, Sutherland paddled alone 850 miles from Ketchikan to Skagway in Alaska in an inflatable kayak. Sutherland had quit her job to make the trip, after her request for temporary leave was denied. In her book, Paddling North, Sutherland wrote about her decision: "I walked into the bathroom and looked at the familiar person in the mirror...'Getting older, aren’t you lady? Better do the physical things now. You can work at a desk later.'"

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 personal journal, in which she wrote: "I’d rather be a free spinster and paddle my own canoe."

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.

When she was just sixteen years old, Sutherland began classes at University of California, Los Angeles and graduated with an international relations degree. Along with her sisters, Sutherland worked as a riveter building airplanes during World War II. In 1942, she married John Lauren Sutherland, a United States Coast Guard officer and commercial fisherman, with whom she later had four children. The couple moved to Hawaii from California in 1952 and later divorced. In Hawaii, Sutherland was a substitute elementary school teacher, swimming instructor, and United States Army employee. She became an avid sea kayaker and a veteran of paddling Molokai's north coast.

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 and her books documenting the feats. She has been described as a "pioneer" among women doing solo adventure travel.

Sutherland was born as Audrey Helen Schufeldt in Canoga Park, California, in 1921. As a child, Audrey 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."