Day 2: Decourcy Island - Cabin Bay, Wallace Island, 17, wind 15 knots, 12 nautical miles

Calm to Breezy!

Before beginning our paddle today I thought I'd post a few photos illustrating just how bad it's been here so far.

I know, it sucks huh?

Today we were up fairly early, 6:30, and after a good breakfast we packed up the kayaks and headed off on very calm, glass like water. 

It was very pleasant as we paddled along Ruxton Island watching the Blue Herons and enjoying the quiet of the morning.

Rob has come to appreciate, after a few hints, that I enjoy seeing the various feathered life along the way. So he politely stopped paddling while I snapped a photo or two. Today was a good day for feather friend sightings. I missed what would have been the shot of the week  when a huge Bald Eagle swooped in from behind Rob and up into a tree. I had just put my camera away. Such is life. But there were others today.

The water amazingly continued to be like glass...quite unusual for June.

We took a break at Blackberry Point and it was pretty nice.

We could have camped here for the night, and I think we were temped to do so, but it was too early and we decided to press on. 

We paddled along Vadez island and then as we came to Poitier Pass we could feel the cold air and wind blowing in off Georgia Straight. With the tide now ebbing against the wind the waves began to build and soon there were white caps as we crossed to Hall Island. What a change! But it was fun too! I put my camera into the dry bag for the crossing and put my head down and simply paddled. Rob has been very generous the first two days teaching me the finer points of kayaking, and I've learned so much. He tells me that my efficiency has improved lots and that on day three it will all click. I hope so. Looking forward to that! 

Next photo is Wallace Island as we approached and it was finally stable enough and dry enough to,pull out my non-waterproof camera.

Then we were into our little bay at 2:30 and both of us very hungry for a nice lunch before any setup.

It was grand!

The camp is set up and we've had a good 8km walk and seen the sights and dinner is well underway. Will see if I have enough signal to post. Thanks Neil for your comments and I hope Queensland, small town is a good experience. Ken I can read your comments and I'm very excited for your walk. I'll be reading today's post shortly if I can get wifi network. 

Tomorrow we will likely have rain and lots of wind so will cross to Galiano Island early while the winds are down and try to make it to Montague Harbour where we plan to camp for two nights. There's a pub over there with wifi and hot food. Enough said. Dad you would really enjoy being at Wallace Island today. Only two boats tied up and it looks pretty cozy in the little bay. 

Day 1: Nanaimo - Dacourcy Island, 5 hours paddling, grey, cool, 16., 12 nat miles

A Small Handicap!

I know this is a walking blog, but sometimes we have to adapt, and as its my blog I've decided to adapt it for the next week. So sue me!  

My pal Rob and I have been planning this 8 day kayak trip through the BC Gulf Islands for the past many months alternatively discussing this journey while walking in preparation for our August Camino in Spain. A nice thing about walking is the time it permits to discuss many things, and this trip slotted in very nicely. It all came about quite innocently. After Rob invited himself on the first two weeks of my 2016 Camino he offered to take me kayaking. A very generous offer to be sure. Something i must say I'd been open to for quite a few yesrs. I've learned that things happen in their own time, but this was unexpected which makes it all the better!! Our agreement was that I would tend to the Camino preparations and Rob would do the same for the kayak trip. We each have something of an interest and specialty in our personal passion so this decision just made sense. Rob is tremendously experienced in all things kayaking having traveled down the west coast of BC, around Vancouver Island and most of the way around Hidaquii, often alone, sometimes joined by friends for a stage or two. So clearly I'm in good hands. 

Yesterday we drove north to Nanaimo where Rob's good friend Lyal put us up for the night, fed up and helped us to launch this morning. 

A very knowledgable and experienced kayaker as well who lives in his native Nanaimo half the year and spends his winters in Hawaii where his spouse lives. Almost a perfect life, splitting residences between two lovely places and never hanging around for winter. Are you reading this Annemarie?

We finally got loaded up and launched at 8am paddling out into the the waters between Newcastle Island and Vancouver Island. Somewhat industrial with the forest mill and waterfront.

Once past the mill and the Duke Point ferry terminal we left the clutter behind and said a brief farewell to Lyal and headed south passing numerous log booms and boom boats along the way.

Also had the pleasure of some close encounters with a couple of Eagles.

They really checked me out!!

We passed by Dodds Narrows as the current and large pleasure boats were running through to quickly. This was ok as we found some very pleasant paddling along the way.

Pretty nice...

Some hours later we stopped for our first night and set up camp. A nice lunch and a cold beer which was forced upon us when one of mine somehow sprung a leak...you can't just leave them when that happens! They don't hold up to well, so one is forced to put it out of its misery. I now sit writing while Rob sleeps. Go figure! You'd think that he actually had the load of the the gear in his boat today! Which brings me to today's subject...handicap. The theory is that a longer kayak goes faster than a shorter kayak because of the longer length of the waterline. Rob uses this theory together with a thinish excuse about the resin smell from his brand new kayak to load my longer boat with pretty much all the gear. Really! He then yammers on about my size and strength verses his and his unusually short boat to explain why I'd typically move faster...still thinking this load through? Then to make sure that I'll move even slower he provides me with a paddle designed for someone half my height! So picture this...I have over 300 lbs of gear in my boat and I'm pretty sure his boat has under 100 lbs of stuff plus I have a really inefficient paddle. And he wonders why I'm going so slow in the faster, longer boat!? Amazing. Truly handicapped.

Oh well, maybe we'll eat too much and drink even more tonight and my boat will be lighter tomorrow...

Oh, and one other thing...as you can see we saw these amazing Eagles today, an otter, blue herons and all sorts of other critters. As I'm taking a photo there is a huge splash beside me and it's a seal or sea lion. I ask Rob if he saw it and I just get this grunt, hmmm.  Rob's clearly been on the water far too long!

Buen Camino Ted!

"Camino Man"

Last fall Annemarie and I were invited to be part of a team from our local chapter of the Canadian Company of Pilgrims as we presented a one day seminar aptly called "Camino 101". The course was designed to help folks who had previously never walked a Camino prepare themselves for both the physical and spiritual elements of the Camino. Annemarie and I were primarily asked to present the equipment we used. 

As we went through our presentation there was a fellow who asked us quite a few questions. During the lunch break we introduce ourselves and Ted asked me a bunch more questions. No problem, the day was all about sharing information from our own experiences. We gave out our email address at the end of our presentation and then moved on with the rest of the day. A very good day! 

A couple of days later I receive an email from Ted asking me a long list of questions. I answered, and then another list of questions appeared. Interesting. One of his issues concerned wet gear. I made arrangements to help Ted and 4 others secure Altus ponchos from Spain (myself included as Margarita suffered badly during last falls barge and bike trip). It was a long process as the ponchos were difficult to find, but I eventually secured them through a business in Verdun, Quebec. In the mean time I invited Ted to join me for a training walk so that he could ask me all his questions. Boy did he ask me a lot of questions!! Over the following months there were more emails with more questions. The ponchos finally arrived and we again met for a walk. Ted brought along his new Gregory pack and I set him up then off we went. It was a great walk! We talked and talked. Ted shared some of his reasons for walking and I shared my own. I felt that we formed a nice connection.

Zip ahead to April and Ted was finally on his way to France to begin his Camino. Ted's anxiety was high, but I told him that with his first steps out of St John Pied de Port that all that would simply melt away. Well, Ted is now sitting in Ponferrada with 'just' 211 kms to go before he walks into Santiago. We have stayed in close touch and he has had a journey that he tells me is far, far beyond his expectations. He has experienced it all. A heavy chest cold complicated by his severe asthma, cold mornings, wet days, full rooms in albergues, mud, the wonderful food, comradery around the communal dinner table, hot sun, steep climbs, a too heavy pack, lost underwear...all the physical stuff. He's also experiencing a profoundly spiritual journey with plenty of self discovery, reflection, resolution and growth. He typically walks alone and doesn't appear to be making too many lasting friendships. But clearly he's walking 'his' Camino and finding what he needs out there. Something quite special. He's given himself the handle, "Camino Man". 

These last 5 days Ted has walked from Leon to Ponferrada, a very special part of the Camino Frances which has further kindled my own excitement. Rob and I will be starting our Camino in Leon just 3 months from now and walking to Ponferrada before leaving the Frances and heading off along the Camino de Invierno for two weeks into Santiago where Annemarie will greet us at the beginning of September, and she and I will continue onwards together while Rob returns home...to work. There is lots of living to do before we depart. A trip this week to Tofino, a visit in Vancouver to see Caitlin's convocation from UBC Nursing later this month, Annemarie's 60th birthday celebration (never ending!) and then a week long kayaking journey with Rob from Nanaimo to Victoria via the Gulf Islands in mid-June. During all this Annemarie will first undertake a June road trip with her sisters through Oregon and will take off in July for a long anticipated trip north to HaidaGwii with her pal Libby. Following all this we will then finally begin our more focused preparations. 

So thanks Ted for the stories and helping to rekindle my own excitement for walking this year. Really looking forward to it. At some point in the next month or so I'll post a more detailed outline of our plans. The map above shows the Invierno Camino route, the first of three legs I/we hope to walk this year. 

Buen Camino Ted.  Have fun Camino Man!

The Highlands

Walking On A Thursday!

With a photo like this I could probably stop right here, but I won't. There is more to the story.

Before I proceed with the walk, this past weekend our daughter was married which I have to say was pretty cool! Lots of celebrations with close family and friends. People traveled to participate from all over North America, and it was wonderful to see everyone!

Which sort of leads us into the walk. Anyone who has hosted a wedding where 90% of the attendees are from out of town, including the bride and groom, have a good idea about the amount of work that is required to pull this off. For sure much of the planning was capably done by the newly married couple, but a significant amount of effort originated here. The point being that when all was said and done we took the opportunity to get away to find a little tranquility. We found this on a walking trail that we haven't ventured onto before in a reasonably local area called The Highlands.

The weather this week has been outstanding for this time of year with temperatures above 20. Having recovered sufficiently from said wedding, we headed off with our packs and a little food to walk the Gowland Todd Trail in the Highland area just northwest of our city. Good decision! Being it was a Thursday we had the route pretty much to ourselves, and it was just beautiful! Lots of climbing through fresh green forests and meadows, and we were adequately rewarded for our efforts with stunning views from each summit.

An eagle or two swept in to check us out!

The trails were good with much of the standing water and mud from the past winter rains beginning to dry up. 

In the higher meadows spring flowers were everywhere. Pretty early this year with El Niño, a warm wet winter on the west coast. Lots of snow up high, little down low.

We noticed that the Arbutus Trees which I believe are native to our area were extremely orange this year. The trees shed their leaves, but are considered evergreen as they retain most of their crown throughout the year. 

For sure this is an area that the Three Amigos will walk together in early August should Neil and Ken arrive here as anticipated!!

The good news is that there are many other long walking trails in this area that we plan to explore  over the coming months!

Such a special day...