"No Turning Back"

 
Feeling my age a little today. Some kind of milestone it seems or at least feels. 45 years on this planet today and when I reflect on the changes I saw, well, I can only imagine where we'll end up.....I just hope we're not rushing to inhabit Mars because we are giving up on old Planet "Earth". I grew up in a small fishing community and I guess it was close to the edge or end of the world, maybe not that close, but sometimes we thought we could see it from there. There was no paved roads when I was a kid, no infrastructure in terms of water or sewage for that matter but I sure remember when they put all that in. I remember getting pavement for the first time on our street. I remember being the remote control for the black and white TV when we watched, because being the youngest you had to change the channel, we had two choices. I liked when the repair man game and I got to see behind the TV and was fascinated by the big tubes in the back that made it work.

Our phone number was 125 back then and yes you had to crank it to get the operator. It was one of those old phones with a mouth piece attached to a cord of wire that went to the base with the crank, that allowed you to reach the operator to connect your call. Well you can imagine my fascination when we went to one that actually had a handle and when we got the rotary phone even more amazement, touch tones were still distant for us. Now cellular! When I was watching Star Trek I always thought it would be neat to have one of those communicators, that's how I think of cell phones. So I've experienced a huge progression in communication. We even had Morris code units that my brother played with. I had no idea what that was all about at the time. I remember when computers were getting popular and encroachment on our analog world was slowly taking place. At university everyone was walking around with these punch cards and they didn't seem to be doing a whole lot of work. Computers as we know revolutionized our world and even blossomed communication further in many ways less personal and in others more. I now work with computers that image radioactive distribution once injected in a patient. Who'd a thought we'd be injecting radiation let alone imaging it with $800,000.00 cameras. This is a big step from the gramophone we use to play with in our attic. The song was "Impy Limp" by "Soderos Band" played on ceramic cylinders with the vinyl on the outside of the cylinder. You slid this on the gramophone and lowered the needle and cranked the thing. Cranking was big back then though I missed the cranking of the automobile. The case for the ceramic cylinder was made of a strong cardboard material and had a picture of Thomas Edison on it. Now the cameras at work I use are made by General Electric of which Thomas Edison was a precursor in a big way. Radios were super popular and ya know in some respects that is one thing that has remained fairly constant. Of course we can play them everywhere, on computers etc. even out kayaking!

Now there has been a whole whack of other changes over the years some you become part of voluntarily others you are just sucked right in to like The Maelstrom Vortex or something. I remember vaguely the landing on the moon on TV so much excitement. I remember hearing and being afraid of Al Capone and Tommy Guns the interesting thing about that is that I got to stay in a room close to the room Al Capone stayed in at the Drake hotel in Chicago for a week that was nice in retrospect, then again I was also in his cell on cell block "D" on Alcatraz. It just happened that way. I also stood on the site where they made the first atomic bomb under the stadium of Chicago University and now I work with medical radiation, in ways back then I am sure, they really never planned. Tomorrow I give a palliative dose of Strontium 89 to ten year old who has rabdomyosarcoma and metastasis everywhere a long ways from radiations intended use.

From moon landings, to in and out of space on shuttle craft, rovers on Mars, satelittes in distant recessses of space, to advances in the most deadly arsenal of weaponry known to mankind or any kind on this planet. From steam power, to diesel, gas, oil, hydrogen, electric maybe cold fusion in the future. If you had told people years ago before autos, that while moving in a 2 ton vehicle sitting on a very combustible 40 liters of fuel travelling at speeds of over 120 miles per hour on a road with many other combustibles beside you, passing you, in front of you and behind you, I wonder what they would have thought about the danger?

So why kayaking....you all know already! It is the simplicity, the silence, the human motor, the control, the mastery, the ability to go where many don't, the adventure, the escape, the yarning and ever so much with only a stick and a boat and most of all for me........it will be something I can do forever. Paddle on, paddle safe........but paddle! The caption is of me on Charlie Lake BC,

"Moose Encounter, Of A Strange Kind""

On another back Channel paddle on the Peace River we encountered a confused moose swimming towards us. Needless to say we were quite alarmed at first but the poor thing looked extremely tired. I noticed that the young moose had a massive tick infestation on its' ears and on parts of its body. We thought it may have been trying to release these buggers somehow but I doubt that the water would have worked. We did edge the moose towards shore where it weakly emerged from the river and clumsily disappeared in the bush. When you paddle in Northern BC it is almost impossible not to encounter wildlife on every outing. Makes for great stories and photos and never is there a dull moment.

"Back Channels"

The sometimes fun part about paddling long and wide rivers like THe Peace River of Northern BC is that there tend to be lots of "back Channels". These are seperate water areas from the main river flow and some of them can carry on for quite a few km with their own flow but more often than not they are rest areas with calmer water and some great fishing spots. Camping spots too. Here we actually saw a black bear and we were watching him from our rafted up position. It was very foggy on the river in the early evening hours and we were looking for a place to camp, so needless to say we took our pepper spray and headed on down river a bit further where we hit another back channel that actually had a camping area already established.

"Camping Williston"

My buddy Dean on one of our excursions to Williston Lake in BC. You know, sometimes the trip there is as good as the paddle. Always an adventure to be had and I think on it more as spring approaches. Haven't talked to Dean in a while...hope you're still paddling man!

"Kinuso Falls"

These are some rapids just before the falls. This may be a first descent for someone however you might consider that these falls are longer than the falls of Niagara in Ontario, Canada. Here is a link for the beauty of the area www.canadaka.net/modules.php?name=Forums&file=viewtopic&t=25797 . I did paddle this river a ways up from these rapids a long ways up!!!! Tumbler Ridge is a mining town and is host to some of the most spectacular scenery in North Eastern BC. Many NFLD's live there and have done so for many years.

"Thought I Heard A Red-Winged Blackbird..."

Thought I heard a Red-Winged Blackbird, Red winged-Blackbird down my row......David Francey sings a song entitled Red-Winged Blackbird and he is one of my favourite folk singers. Originally from Ayrshire Scotland but lives in Canada now. I know a few of his songs, however my all time favourite is "Torn Screen Door" which he sings a capella. Wicked!! This was shot in BC I was kayaking in a lake one day and paddled into a bunch of channels of Bullrushes and weeds. There was a couple of Red winged Blackbirds that were flirting with the camera I think or perhaps just curious but they ended up sticking around for about 35 minutes flying about, landing on the bullrushes and checking me and my kayak out.

"Chuck's Puddle"

A Lake In North Eastern BC called Charlie's Lake, we called it Chuck's Puddle (just a small one at 13km long) at about mile 43 of the Alaska Highway. In the early 1940's, Charlie Lake was the site of a major camp for workers and supplies in the construction of the Alaska Highway and was the scene of the worst accident. In May of 1942, a large raft carrying tractors and a jeep across the lake broke apart during a storm. 12 men died in the cold waters of Charlie Lake. I've fished, boated, sea kayaked, river kayaked, jet skied, camped, hiked, instructed, rented out kayaks and canoes, skated, iced fished, drove on when frozen, ski-dooed, and swam in this lake, so it is known to be quite utilitarian and laden with green algae at some shores, and May Flies during parts of the summer months. But it provides beautiful sunrises and sunsets in a vast sky. Some nights the northern lights were just spectacular over Chuck's Puddle.

"Halfway River, Almost There"

This is the end of the Halfway River In NorthEastern BC and just around the bend it feeds into the Peace River. I used to use this spot as a put-in site to travel down the Peace. The Peace River is wide and lazy for the most part but there certainly are action spots along it's length but it is certainly manageable in a seakayak. This is a Quest x3 from Seaward kayaks of Ladysmith, Vancouver Island. I came across this picture looking for the next two posts and realized that I did manage to get a paddle or two in ..in the cold winters of northern BC. This was getting closer to spring though and I believe I was harbouring the same feelings that I am now.......can't wait to have the ability to go paddle if you want to.....outside that is.......almost there!!

"In The Dunk"

Well there was lots of rolling at the pool last evening as I tried again to perfect my back deck roll...lets just say....I need work. The shoulder is still a bit sore so I wasn't too aggressive. Thank god the other rolls are fine. After a few attempts at the BDR I decided to try learning to squirt well the only thing squirt'in was the water from my failed attempts and frantic paddle strokes. I was a good laugh for awhile. But i am determined and will hopefully by May have mastered one or the other or maybe even both. I have to set a goal.

These pictures were taken in BC on the lazy part of the Beatton River. I was learning to wave surf not always succesful as the picture of me holding on my boat and taking a picture would indicate. Always got to get the shot too. But I did persevere and eventually surf waves. So I am not detered by my attempts last evening to try something new. It will be nice to put that endeavour in past tense though. When I can say I nailed my BDR and maybe even did something like a squirt.

"Kayak Tow"

Sometimes trying something out of the norm could be the road to invention......or stupidity, either way nothing ventured nothing gained.

"Paddling The Peace"

 

The Peace River in Northern BC, which is backed up by the WAC Bennett Dam, is typically a lazy river but when the flood gates are open during repair which is not very often the flow can increase to 60,000 cfs and higher. The standing waves in the background were fun to surf and pound thru. Luke and I were newbies pretty much in this shot but we swallowed our collective anxiety and played here for awhile. Just a few years ago. I remember the excitement I felt when this shot was taken and now I sit today nursing s shoulder injury from trying to do a "back deck roll" at the pool session last evening. They looked pretty mangeable on "U-tube". Ha. Oh. that U-Tube. Thanks for the tips Brian. I did manage a few attempts before the injury and was successful on two occaissons. Need lots of fine tuning yet. I must say it is good to see the talent that does come out to the pool though and hear the stories. Especially Darrin's whirlpool capture in Chile. Maybe my shoulder ain't so bad afterall.

"Round An Old Cedar Tree"

I agree with most bloggers I guess that this medium is a sure fire way to organise and categorize ones thoughts and life for that matter. A place to get lost in, and a place to let ones thoughts old and new be recorded for anyone interested to view and read. I 've been using my blog for that as of late. Recording old trips that I occaissionally talked about to a few or transferring old images that were part of my enjoyment in the outdoors. Having a blog allows for an organized presentation not only for others but for oneself to reinforce the feelings of freedom and adventure that is always available when one takes time to enjoy them.

This picture is a trip I made to Tofino, British Columbia, before I had a digital, so it is a photo of a photo. I made this trip to Vancouver Island to storm watch on the Pacific West Coast of Canada, in the Pacific Rim National Park area. This was in December of 2000 I think when adverse winter storms are supposed to pound the west coast shores and make for spectacular sea states. The trip was beautiful but this was a winter that was more mild than most. The hikes in the old growth rain forest with old growth "humungus" cedars more than made up for the absence of treacherous weather. This tree is one of many that line the coastline of that area.

"Paddle To A Cure"

 

Well sometimes because I enjoy paddling so much I feel I should be doing something else with it. Sharing it with others in different ways. In August of 2001 there was an expedition to be held by the Canadian Breast Cancer Foundation of Ontario in British Columbia. It was called Journeys of Hope. The goal was to raise $500,000.00. There was a total of 7 journeys 6 on the Great LAkes and Georgian Bay and 1 in British Columbia. Working with breast cancer patients most of my life I thought this would be an opportunity for a couple of women I knew that were in a local pallitive care support group to try kayaking and further their support with other women across the country. Only ten participants were selected to be in each group after submission of an essay as to why you wanted to participate. You had to raise at least $2500.00 once selected. I approached the two ladies I knew and asked them if they would be interested.They thought about it for a week as neither had kayaked before, I told them I would teach them before the trip, they agreed. They later confessed to me that it was one of the most amazing experiences of their life. Of course both were selected to go and they suggested that I submit my name, something I had not thought of until then, I did, we wrote our letters and were all selected to participate. We raised our money, the ladies took their lessons gallantly, one was still very sick, and we prepared ourselves for a week long paddle in the Gulf Islands of British Columbia.

There is so much to tell of this trip the bravery (one of the ladies I had taught was still injecting experimental drugs for her cancer during the trip), comradery, understanding, unselfishness, compassion, insight, friendships and I could go on. My goal was to understand how women dealt with their cancer on a daily basis and thru our evening healing rings where we all held hands during a setting sun we connected in caring,healing circle of hope and I took home more of an experience than I could ever have envisioned possible. The brave paddlers above (I exclude myself here) are the epitomy of strength under circumstances I hope you may never find yourself, and that is to be affected with any cancer. The paddle was a mere detraction, but a needed one, from the more pronounced demands of their daily routine back home. Not all had breast cancer, it wasn't a requirement, you had to be touched by it in some way to participate. I heard all their stories and shared tears of hope and of joy with these wonderful people and without them as it sometimes turned out. I was touched I must say and I have looked upon every cancer patient since in a new light of understanding and compassion that far exceeds what would have been possible without this new private and very personal experience. The lady that was part of the Fort St. John group that I was from, passed away three months after the trip. When she came to me for bone scans she always remarked how happy she was to have participated and so was I.

"Adopted Killer"

 
Tonight our Kayaking Club hosted a talk by Dr. Jack Lawson, a research scientist at DFO (Department of Fisheries and Oceans), on whales and how we as kayakers should or should not interect with these mammals and how we can also help with regards to "Codes of Conduct" and reporting sitings especially with photographs. The talk covered most whales that frequent our waters in the North Atlantic at different times of the year. The talk was very informative and of course Dr. Lawson very knowledgeable. New insight about whales, their feeding, mating and communication behaviors was gained.
I've always had an interest in them and in 2002 I adopted one in a program out of the Vancouver Museum in Britih Columbia whose monies were used to help fund research and such for the West Coast Transients and Resident Killer Whales.

The whale I adopted at the time name was Nimpkish(A33),named after the Nimpkish River, which flows into the Johnston Strait of Port McNeill, is an adult male killer whale thought to have been born in 1971. He's the son of Scimitar(A12), and has a younger sister, Simoom(A34). An older brother, Putteney (A31), died in 1997. Nimpkish is an uncle to Somoonm's four calves: nephew Echo(A55), born in 1990, nieces Misty(A62), born in 1993, and Eclipse(A67), born in 1996, and new baby Stormy(A74), born in late 2000.

The photo above is off Nimpkishs' dorsal fin that is used to identify killer whales, it is the pic they send you when you adopt.

"Oh Yes You Can!!!"

 
I guess kayaking may not be considered mainstream for the handicapped or perhaps the "kayak challenged", and perhaps kayaking may not be considered mainstream period, but I never believe for a minute that you cannot do it. Like most challenges you have to want it bad enough. I was inspired one summer in 2004 when a hearing impaired 14 year old called Lynn wanted to learn to roll. I had given her and her sister a kayaking lesson a year before and apparantly they had continued to paddle. I was delighted but not surprised because it is my experience that most who take the time to get a lesson, stick with the sport in some way. I asked Lynn's Mom if she was committed to do this. You betcha! I gave Lynnn 8 hrs of my time that summer, it turned out to be some of the best hours I'd given anyone or anything.
I figured I'm being challenged too. I asked her mother if there was a sign book I could borrow, so that I could learn some sign, and of course there was and I think Lynn saw this as a connecting gesture on my part and her conrtibutions were relentless. My progress signing was on par with hers rolling. We started slow but finished big. Never did she sign "I can't or let's quit" it wasn't in her sign vocabulary, if that makes sense.
What turned out to be her last lesson, started with her mom wheeling her dad on the dock as he was a parapalegic from an accident and her sister hoping in her boat and with Lynn in hers I told her today we will do some warm-ups which consisted of me holding on her blade, slighlty while she rolled up, we were stuck at this impasse. So I decided on the second warm up to release my hold on the blade and hold my hands in the air. When Lynn rolled up and saw my hands she realized what she had done, she had rolled, the look on her face was, well....priceless. She had the biggest smile I had ever seen on anyone, all she could think to do was to sign thank you. Her family was elated,as her dad sat weeping from the dock I knew how special it had been for all of them. She was going to be instructed by a real instructor the rest of that year in the lower mainland of British Columbia while attending school. Apparantly there is an Olympics for people challenged in various ways and it was Lynn's dream to participate. I was but a mere spoke of many in the wheel she had yet to complete.
But when my friend said the other day at age forty, he was too old to paddle, I said, "Oh yes you can!"

"A Little Bit Of Heaven"

This is what I call the confluence of the Williston Lake reservoir. It is where the Parsnip, Finlay and Peace Reaches of the Lake meet. I am about to paddle down the Peach Reach part of the lake with the Mishinchika and Muskwa Mountain Ranges in the distance. June 2001.

Men may dam it and say that they have made a lake, but it will still be a river. It will keep its nature and bide its time, like a caged animal alert for the slightest opening. In time, it will have its way; the dam, like the ancient cliffs, will be carried away piecemeal in the currents. -- Wendell Berry

"The Parsnip Reach"

This is an evening shot of a week long Kayak paddle on Williston Lake, the largest lake in BC. This is actually the Parsnip Reach part of the lake. There are three reaches The Peace Reach and The Finlay being the other two. This lake is actually a reservoir created during the construction of the WAC Bennett Dam. The reservoir extends 200km north from Mackenzie along the Parsnip and Finlay Reaches of Williston Reservoir. These join to meet the Peace Reach which extends 100km east to WAC Bennett Dam near Hudson’s Hope. I thought it was neat that when I made the trip I would be following the route where Alexander MacKenzie had put in during his quest for a passage to the sea. He followed the Peace River and later hooked up with the Great Slave Lake and the Mackenzie River that bears his name which he followed for 6987.5 kms to the Arctic Ocean. I saw his name and date he had carved on a rock at my put-in site for this trip. I felt as though I was travelling in his time as I only met one other person on the whole expanse of the lake during the trip. It was spectacular.

"Moon Over Beatton"

A moon high above the Beatton River in Northern BC. In another time and space.

"Happy Holidays"

"Peace River"

"Tree Hanging"

As our first winter storm approaches I couldn't help remembering hanging out in my hammock in the trees on a sweet summer day. Vancouver Island well actually Salt Spring Island. Soon god soon. This is a Hennesey Hammock made on Vancouver Island actually. They have a mesh net that covers the top portion and seals it to the bottom part. There is an opening in the bottom that you crawl up into the hammock and turm your body diagonally which helps reseal the opening (seals with velcro). It is very comfortable, off the ground, free from bugs and there is a tarp that protects from a light rain. At night I put an air mattress under my sleeping bag all of which is also turned diagonally. All that is really left to do is to listen for the wind and enjoy the rhythm as you rock to sleep while savoring the sweet smells of the forest and the various hummings of breezes blowing through the branches and the leafs of your bedposts.

You can't be suspicious of a tree, or accuse a bird or a squirrel of subversion or challenge the ideology of a violet. -- Hal Borland

One of my favourite trees on the Island is the Arbutus tree. It sheds it's red bark and lays bare its' flesh which has a red kind-of pomergranite color to it. Very knarly and spectacular. Quite awesome to sleep in. More on Arbutus at: www.bceh.com/arbutus_trees.htm