Whew!
I have just been looking back at the last few entries on this journal and I am amazed by how much has happened since the last time I got on the keyboard.
So... I left Comox and paddled north. Hard. Got to Campbell River as the sun was setting. I ended up staying at the marina, in the laundry room, which is not nearly as unpleasant as it sounds. Heated, and next to the showers. I got up early the next morning (4am), to make the slack current at Seymour Narrows.
I got through the narrows and ended up camping on a beach not too far north of there, still in Discovery Passage. The ground was frozen. There were little pockets of fresh water on the surface of the beach, above the high tide line, and if I'd had skates, I coulda played some hockey. It was cold, like, Himalaya cold. I had camp set up and was in the sack at 11am for a nap.
Next day, I paddled into Johnstone Strait, through some pretty dynamic water at the corner of the straits and Discovery Passage, then on up the Vancouver Island side until the current shut me down. I camped in the woods above the beach, big trees, much darker than the daylight of the open beach seemed to be.
In the morning, I was up early. This is the one section of the trip that I do not have adequate charts for. I knew that the town of Sayward was up ahead, I just didn't know where. 10 miles? 2? 23? My goal for the day was to go as far as I could, or to Sayward, whichever came first. My shoulder had been hurting for the past few days and I didn't want to overdo it. As it happened, it was about 7 miles and I found myself at the entrance to the Sayward harbour entrance. I hauled up on shore and called it a day. At 10am.
And now, two days later, I am back in Sayward. There are stories here and I hope I have the time to tell some of the better ones. What ended up happening is that I left Sayward yesterday (Monday), and I'm back again today. The trip, other than the redeployment, the way back home, is over. It's a hard thing for me to absorb, to put into words. What was supposed to be a voyage around an island is simply a 200-mile romp, and it's disappointing and frustrating on this end. I imagine it's just as confusing and opaque from any other angle. Simply put, for the moment, let's just say that I am physically unable to complete the trip. So we're done then.
I'll write more on Thursday, when the library here is open again. It's the only place to get the internet around here.
I have just been looking back at the last few entries on this journal and I am amazed by how much has happened since the last time I got on the keyboard.
So... I left Comox and paddled north. Hard. Got to Campbell River as the sun was setting. I ended up staying at the marina, in the laundry room, which is not nearly as unpleasant as it sounds. Heated, and next to the showers. I got up early the next morning (4am), to make the slack current at Seymour Narrows.
I got through the narrows and ended up camping on a beach not too far north of there, still in Discovery Passage. The ground was frozen. There were little pockets of fresh water on the surface of the beach, above the high tide line, and if I'd had skates, I coulda played some hockey. It was cold, like, Himalaya cold. I had camp set up and was in the sack at 11am for a nap.
Next day, I paddled into Johnstone Strait, through some pretty dynamic water at the corner of the straits and Discovery Passage, then on up the Vancouver Island side until the current shut me down. I camped in the woods above the beach, big trees, much darker than the daylight of the open beach seemed to be.
In the morning, I was up early. This is the one section of the trip that I do not have adequate charts for. I knew that the town of Sayward was up ahead, I just didn't know where. 10 miles? 2? 23? My goal for the day was to go as far as I could, or to Sayward, whichever came first. My shoulder had been hurting for the past few days and I didn't want to overdo it. As it happened, it was about 7 miles and I found myself at the entrance to the Sayward harbour entrance. I hauled up on shore and called it a day. At 10am.
And now, two days later, I am back in Sayward. There are stories here and I hope I have the time to tell some of the better ones. What ended up happening is that I left Sayward yesterday (Monday), and I'm back again today. The trip, other than the redeployment, the way back home, is over. It's a hard thing for me to absorb, to put into words. What was supposed to be a voyage around an island is simply a 200-mile romp, and it's disappointing and frustrating on this end. I imagine it's just as confusing and opaque from any other angle. Simply put, for the moment, let's just say that I am physically unable to complete the trip. So we're done then.
I'll write more on Thursday, when the library here is open again. It's the only place to get the internet around here.
