Today has been go go. Food prep this morning with Morgan baking, me filling tubes full of rice pudding and ziplocks with pre-cooked sausages and cheese, grapes, corn chips, chopped snickers bars, gummy bears, fig newtons and a whole variety of other treats. We then came into town, registered for the race, had photos taken, had the boat and my gear inspected, an then made sure my tracking device was still working.
Morgan is now in the support crew briefing and I’m stuffing my face with a roast beef and salad sandwich. My brain is overloaded and running on a few less cylinders than normal, but I’m pumped and excited and ready to get on that river.
We’ve been writing lists upon lists with sub lists and appendixes to each one. We even joked but then realised we actually do need a list for all of our lists. As we checked all of my gear for the last time under the midnight sun with swarms of mosquitos curiously hovering around last night, I realised I’m so ready for the preparations to be over. It’s really time to paddle!
I’m not sure if my video below uploaded from my phone, but it’s from my final practise paddle to Lake Laberge on Sunday:
The blue dotted line on the left shows how far we made it yesterday
Yesterday our crossing of the Georgia Strait from Nanaimo to Vancouver didn’t exactly go as planned. We were up at 3am, on the water by five, and 20km in we began to experience a 15-knot headwind that the weather report told us would only get worse. The waves were big, whitecaps and dark skies were on the horizon, and the more experienced paddlers of the group said it would be a safer option to turn around and go back. And so we did.
Photo taken by Paul Kendall (Kendall’s Clicks)I paddled at the back of the group with radio contact to the boat aheadWatching the ferry go bySchools of jellyfish just under the water
I was at an advantage being low down in my stable kayak, watching the poor team on their boards being thrown into the water multiple times, having to clamber back out of the waves. We knew the weather would eventually calm, but out in the middle of the ocean you don’t have the luxury of pulling to the side to wait out the storm. If we battled into the wind for multiples hours I’m not sure everyone would have made it, so as a team we decided the only choice was to turn back.
Video:
I was racked with disappointment after the energy and hype that had led to us being out there. I couldn’t help but turn to look around on many occasions, wondering just ‘what if?’ or ‘was this the right decision’? But in the end, though I would have loved to say that I’d crossed the straight, being with the team on what turned out to be an epic adventure home may have been all the more memorable.
Video:
It was a tough 20km paddle back to shore despite the wind and waves were in our favour. The excitement and motivation was now gone, and we still had 20km ahead of us. Had we known we’d have to scale a rocky embankment with 10 boards and a kayak, lift them up and over security fences with all our gear, walk them over and onto the ferry, wait for 90 minutes and then sit in damp clothing for another 2 hours until we reached Vancouver, I think many would have opted for the paddle.
Having lugged our gear all the way back onto the ferry
But as we stood around our own self-hosted potluck eating the remains of the food that had gone uneaten from the trip, like the pre-cooked sausages, Oreo cookies, brownies, gummy bears and pizza that I’d packed, two women came over to ask what we’d been doing. When we explained our story one of the women shook her head with disbelief and said will such sincerity, “It’s awesome to take on a challenge that isn’t a given.” That one comment put the entire experience into perspective, and seeing my disappointed team mates smiling at the after party made me realise that ticking that box of completion was not the most important outcome.
Before the paddleAfter the paddle
There was a host of representatives from PADS (Pacific Assistance Dogs Society) to greet us at the party, who were so incredibly grateful for the money we had raised. We reached over $5,000 as a group, and I want to thank everyone for donating so generously.
Big smiles as we set off with Jason who’s also paddling the Yukon behind me
To top off the evening, my friend Morgan (who’s coming to the Yukon as my support crew), drove down to the party at Kits Yacht Club to pick up my boat and me. He met some other folks that are heading to the Yukon, and on the drive home pulled over to show me something he’d made for the trip.
Morgan with our team Muk Muk banner
When I saw the banner I almost burst into tears. He’d figured I’d need a cheer up, and all I can say is that if anything, yesterday’s experience has made me even more determined for the Yukon River Quest. In just over a week we’ll be on our way up north, driving to Whitehorse for the next big adventure!
I’ve been operating on very little sleep lately so this is just a brief video update before the Salish Sea crossing on Saturday. Thanks to many generous donations I’ve made just over $600 for the Pacific Assistance Dogs Society. If you still care to donate the pups and I would be extremely grateful!
When I set out to paddle around Bowen Island with one of Vancouver’s best paddlers today, I did not expect it to be as eventful as it turned out. With one month until the Yukon River Quest, I finally tested out the closest equivalent to what I’ll be paddling during the race for this longer paddle.
I blew my seat cushion up as thick as it goes, and as a result my centre of gravity was a lot higher than what I’m used to in a boat like that. As we reached the southwest side of the island a headwind picked up, and I definitely wasn’t feeling as stable as I do in my bathtub of a plastic boat in the resulting waves, especially with a national paddler right beside me.
Wes paddling the Think Uno with an Orca feet away.
Before we rounded the south end of the island we were distracted by a pod of Orcas, which got so close I actually put the camera down in fear that it was going to knock me off my boat. Wes quickly encouraged me to keep filming, but also had a hair-raising moment when one of the whales came right up next to him.
As we continued on the waves started getting bigger, and we made the call to turn around as I wasn’t 100% comfortable in conditions like that in a less stable boat. It was definitely a good call, because even in the calmer waters around the smaller Bowyer Island, my core was engaged for the entire 35km paddle, and I barely ate anything because my stomach was so tense.
Thankfully I had a monumental breakfast!
Just when I thought I was going to make it back dry, my boat flipped over and I took a swim. In a way it was excellent practise, because the boat was so top heavy with gear that it didn’t want to stay upright after I flipped it back over. My water bladder fell out, but because it was clipped to me it dangled in the water by my feet, and after some untangling I managed to get back into the boat while Wes steadied it for me. Fortunately everything else, (except my hat that I just managed to save) remained where it was attached, and other than not being able to reattach my spray skirt and paddling with a boat full of water to the shore it ended relatively well.
Another picture of one of the incredible Orcas!
Because I was already wet I tested out the surf ski Wes was paddling when we got back to shore, and was barely able to stay upright for two seconds on flat water. Shows what 20 years of training can achieve!
Though I should technically be tapering down my training soon, I’m actually paddling from Nanaimo to Vancouver with a group of stand up paddleboarders across the Straight of Georgia in two weeks as part of a charity event. I’m going to be in a much more stable boat, but depending on conditions the paddle can take between 10 – 12 hours. To read more about it and to make a donation please click here!! I’m trying to raise $2000 for PADS – Pacific Assistance Dogs Society, so any donation would be very much appreciated!
Yesterday I paddled from Vancouver to Squamish, just over 60km in about 9.5 hours. When my friend Morgan drove me back to Vancouver after paddling the last leg with me from Porteau Cove, the distance seemed far greater by road than it had on the water (though it only took a fraction of the time by car).
Route tracked on my Delorme inReach.
Morgan, (who has volunteered to be my support crew in the Yukon) dropped me at Vanier Park at 6:30am and then headed off to work while I packed my boat with all my gear and set off on the water.
Unfortunately I realised the P&H Cetus LV, which I’d opted to paddle after various rental challenges and a week long debate with my friend Dave (who I swear never wants to engage in conversations involving boat choices again), simply was not the right boat to use on a trip of that distance.
My mood was a little tarnished from the time and energy lost in the swap (2 hours and 6 additional kilometres), but I was surprised at how quickly I managed to enter the sound for the slow grind up to Porteau Cove to meet Morgan.
Having company for the final leg was tremendous, especially as Morgan has a delightful sense of humour, which will certainly come in handy when I arrive in Carmacks at the half way point on the Yukon after 25-30 hours of paddling. Morgan and I immediately became friends when he started working at the store after his 2015 PCT hike, and we’ve since come to find our combined sense of adventure has truly cemented our friendship.
Morgan adopted my plastic Jura for his leg of the journey.
To top off the experience our friend Dave (who also works at the store), paddled out to meet us just prior to entering Squamish. He laughed about the debacle of my boat choice, and brought Hobnob biscuits and Howe Sound beer to celebrate. Dave was the inspiration for the trip, suggesting that if paddled all the way to his hometown he’d buy me beer and drive me back to Vancouver. Challenge accepted Dave! Thanks for the motivation (and for donating or lending me at least half of the gear I own)!
Morgan, Dave and I celebrating with a Howe Sound Lager at the completion of the trip.
I learned with great sadness today that Steven Olshansky, our beloved Otter, was found deceased at a campground in Northern New Mexico this weekend by north bounding CDT hikers.
His family have posted a short note on his search page, which links to the article published yesterday in the Albuquerque Journal.
My heart goes out to his family and friends who have been investigating his disappearance since November last year, and have been keeping us up to date with their investigations while living this nightmare for so many months.
I want to thank everyone who shared details of his disappearance so far and wide through Facebook and other channels. If you’d like to send a message to his family and friends, please leave a comment on this posting and I will share it with his sister Miranda, who kindly kept in touch with me throughout this agonising ordeal.
Rest in peace dear Otter, as you always said, “Life is a hike.”
May your legend and spirit live on through the trails of life.
I left the house at 5am yesterday and returned home just before midnight, having paddled 140km from Hope to Burnaby without exiting my kayak. Our goal was to make it all the way to Vancouver, but what we thought would be a 120km paddle turned into more, and after 13 hours on the water we found ourselves navigating under bridges, past barges and avoiding tug boats pulling log booms in complete darkness.
Approaching the Pattullo Bridge, New Westminster
The paddle was perfect training for the Yukon, and I have to say this morning I’m in surprisingly good shape. I ate a ton, kept myself well hydrated, and paddled at a steady pace, stopping to stretch, pee, apply sunscreen, and generally ‘faff’ quite frequently throughout the day.
On the banks of the Fraser is Hope, getting ready to set sail
I paddled alongside my friend Jason who is also going to tackle the Yukon, but he’s going to do it standing on a SUP (stand up paddle board), which makes what I’m doing look easy (except for the welts on my backside caused by my heavily protruding seat, which he won’t need to contend with).
Seat cushion: Therm-a-Rest Z Seat
We weren’t out to set any records; the exercise was purely to test our systems, get out on a river, and spend as much time as possible on the water. Even the preparation I did the night before was invaluable, and I can now say I’m relatively dialled in when it comes to my systems in the boat, provided the boat I’m actually paddling in the Yukon can store my gear the same way as my big steady plastic boat.
Video:
Here is a list of things I still have to figure out before the race:
My nylon spray skirt with the convenient zipper eventually lets water through and may drive me crazy
I need drip rings for my paddle to stop cold water running into the sleeves of my rain jacket and chilling me to the bone when the wind picks up
I need to figure out a better way to mount my Go Pro, or find a new camera solution altogether
I may need a new seat cushion option (although the seat of the Epic 18 may be more forgiving)
I’m going to consider repositioning my urinal device from behind my seat to a more accessible location
I could barely reach my thermos in my deck bag (and after 11 hours the soup was only just warm enough to drink)
My rain hat performs terribly in the wind
I may need thicker leggings (I’m using the ones I slept in on the PCT which have more holes than actual material left).
My food for the first 13 hours (half a packet of Fig Newtons, gummy worms, boiled mini potatoes, three soft boiled eggs, Boost nutritional drink with extra calories, two cliff bars, a few sips of soup, stick of cheese, half a squeeze tube of baby food).
Ziplock bag duct taped inside the open neoprene pocket of my PFD
I’ll post a full gear and food list once they’re complete, but for now, here’s a snapshot from the day (when the camera actually decided to work!)
I paddled over 100km this week and am feeling in good shape both physically and mentally. Last Saturday I paddled with my friends Dave and Amber on Howe Sound where we witnessed a bear and its two cubs feeding directly on the shoreline (video on my training page). Then on Monday I took out the surf ski again on English Bay and tested out the sound quality of the Go Pro I’m borrowing. The waterproof case muffles the sound completely so I’m going to have to find a better solution for videos during the race.
My friend Pam’s husband Jim came to Vancouver on Sunday and gave my friend Jason (who’s doing the race on a SUP) and me maps of the river, allowing us to copy his markings for where the fastest currents are. As the river gets closer to Dawson it widens and turns into a maze of channels weaving between islands, so having these maps combined with my GPS will be key. Jim knows every eddy and shallow sand bank to avoid, but just knowing which direction to head in is enough for me!
Two of the fifty pages of maps for the Yukon River between Whitehorse and Dawson City
On Tuesday night I raced in Deep Cove completing the 5km time trial in 29:29.9 and placing 23rd overall. Not bad for the slower boat I was paddling, which was classed as a sea kayak although I was paddling a slower and more stable Epic V6 surf ski. Then on Thursday night we did it all again in the Big Chop race down on English Bay where I paddled Daryl’s Think Eze (the owner of Think who lent me his demo Powerwing Paddle). I wasn’t too far off the pace, even though my boat was taking on water because I’d forgotten to take out the plug so it could pump itself out!
Heading out of Deep Cove
Then finally today Jason and I launched from Deep Cove and paddled 37km to the old power station and then back towards Port Moody before rounding a tanker and heading back towards the cove. My wrist and elbow niggled a little, but with the new Powerwing Paddle and better body rotation, I seem to be using my stronger leg and torso muscles and reducing the strain on the weaker ones.
After 6 hours on the water today I decided to film the procedure of how I get my 27kg (59 pound) boat back onto my car. I realised half way through it was full of water before a man offered to help me and I politely refused!
Three years ago on this day I was setting up camp, and actually by this time passed out at Houser Creek on Day 1 of the PCT. 15 out of 2,663 miles behind me on my way towards Canada. I didn’t know back then that three years later I’d be in Canada reminiscing about that day whilst preparing for my next adventure on the water!
Me, Rollup and Pac Man at Hauser Creek (Mile 15 of the PCT) – April 15, 2013
Before the trail if my feet, ankles, knees or hips so much as ached I’d begin to worry, much like now with any pain in my shoulders, elbows, wrists or hands. Both journeys require full body mobility… but the PCT required strong legs and feet like the Yukon River Quest requires strength in the upper body and arms.
On Tuesday night I raced well despite the thunder and lightning that whipped through the sky creating an eerie glow under the low hanging clouds of Deep Cove. I found the loud crack thrilling and an incentive to paddle harder while some opted to turn around and head back to shore. Luckily I was already on the leg back, trailing a guy by a boat’s length on a surf ski that was trying to stay ahead of me the whole race (and I think for the sake of his ego luckily did).
Daryl Remmler, owner of Think Kayaks kindly lent me a Think Powerwing Paddle, and it was definitely my secret weapon for keeping up with the faster high performance kayaks that evening. When I initially held the paddle in my hands it felt like a feather compared to the heavier and much larger fibreglass blade I’ve been using in my training. I took advice from some of the top paddlers and feathered the blade right 45 degrees and then hit the water to test it out.
I was gobsmacked, literally giggling to myself as it felt like there was nothing in my hands at all with the blade cutting smoothly through the water with little to no effort. I could paddle at least twice as fast and felt like I was almost cheating; though it didn’t seem to give me the same power as my larger blade. With the correct technique I’m assured I will get as much (if not more) power from the smaller blade as I do with the larger one, and it should help prevent all the wrist and elbow issues I’ve been having. For now the paddle is on loan… and thankfully Daryl said he’s in no hurry to get it back. I’m not sure if I can stretch the loan all the way to July, but that paddle is going to play a key role in helping me get all the way to Dawson City!
Drying out the powerwing blade after my paddle on English Bay
Yesterday I tested out the paddle again down at Vanier Park through the choppy waters of English Bay. I was shocked that I didn’t fall in, but thanks to the fast boat and small blades I was able to make my 8-9km circuit in around an hour.
Tomorrow I’m off to paddle with a couple of friends around Anvil Island in Howe Sound. I’ll be back in my big heavy plastic boat with my new loaner Go Pro from my friend Dave (who has pretty much given me or lent me most of my gear) and my newly ordered boat attachment suction cap from Kayalu so I can finally capture some action shots. I’ll let you know how it goes!
Setting up the new Kayalu Go Pro attachment
Discovering what it means to be alive, one step at a time…
Serial Nomad 