tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21767496473919075322024-03-05T05:27:21.161-08:00Sedna's PassageUnknownnoreply@blogger.comBlogger9125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2176749647391907532.post-28080360663454623132019-06-02T12:05:00.001-07:002019-06-02T18:31:57.356-07:00Peaceful Solo PaddlingDay 12 - Wrangell - Village Islands 32km<br />
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A very easy day today. I left late and paddled slowly down the shoreline watching Wrangell fade away. I has planned to stay on a previous island to the one I'm on and paddled right past it because it appeared low enough to flood right out in tonight's high tide. I saw one whale and so many ermine today. I have a martin very interested in me and my bags so I will stow most of my things in the kayak tonight. This island has so many monster trees inland and a fabulous inter tidal so I must go now and explore it all.<br />
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Village Island North<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjDNXSc77eHGMy8ItHz4ayocY7RIcXPfNmrCOq17-srRaelfLDZ_CF2wo8iWkYTpXgjMqM_3FAdARa0v6vuQrK58N3dAPFRwzOu8x-jiLG7sws-M4YtA91T7UYLkD6Y3fNu7jhE0y792Ghv/s1600/DSCF0517.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjDNXSc77eHGMy8ItHz4ayocY7RIcXPfNmrCOq17-srRaelfLDZ_CF2wo8iWkYTpXgjMqM_3FAdARa0v6vuQrK58N3dAPFRwzOu8x-jiLG7sws-M4YtA91T7UYLkD6Y3fNu7jhE0y792Ghv/s320/DSCF0517.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjmHtfwU-STpFeNKIEHpYWJctdsS9wbdqnSrYtULI-JMRWOrIIYZ-eJAEBKKr3GbWIEpZ_Tf5suwryU4hKzZ7wvo4FSPcxu7s0-8a_rI-GAPuhtUKFEwN00SnKz0AIzPCQR2SoJ4SCIn-jW/s1600/DSCF0549.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjmHtfwU-STpFeNKIEHpYWJctdsS9wbdqnSrYtULI-JMRWOrIIYZ-eJAEBKKr3GbWIEpZ_Tf5suwryU4hKzZ7wvo4FSPcxu7s0-8a_rI-GAPuhtUKFEwN00SnKz0AIzPCQR2SoJ4SCIn-jW/s320/DSCF0549.JPG" width="320" /></a>Roor Ball 30' Tall</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj4yWVq9wkR0GM9KK1enQiQf1bnvr4IS4gzFR5umzYzodpIJZPcj3rlkZeSa_HP4GL_YN6NDAKWQ9AmzICRGrp0hP8Q2wxbfguGJFyX-_egxZz4kGcpIhVV4Mqv9z9ifZpjfYhMe4Y8EQq4/s1600/DSCF0554.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj4yWVq9wkR0GM9KK1enQiQf1bnvr4IS4gzFR5umzYzodpIJZPcj3rlkZeSa_HP4GL_YN6NDAKWQ9AmzICRGrp0hP8Q2wxbfguGJFyX-_egxZz4kGcpIhVV4Mqv9z9ifZpjfYhMe4Y8EQq4/s320/DSCF0554.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
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Scallop shell<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgvVvXLaGcXIWRRQC7kqnqkSW6YlBK1KwFYopfXO93ZB8BweQitcAJrggFS4JgrheBi7H89R1l0T48E500YDqP5oU6NICd_L50ZnfHVhwNwDxEQVt-0-2u-ph6MzOQkf-IH2BNx3Ft4NbGP/s1600/DSCF0530.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgvVvXLaGcXIWRRQC7kqnqkSW6YlBK1KwFYopfXO93ZB8BweQitcAJrggFS4JgrheBi7H89R1l0T48E500YDqP5oU6NICd_L50ZnfHVhwNwDxEQVt-0-2u-ph6MzOQkf-IH2BNx3Ft4NbGP/s320/DSCF0530.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
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Day 13 Village Island to Niblack Islands 30 km<br />
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Woke up in the middle of the night to check the tide level and thought I had plently of room so I went back to bed. I woke up dry and figured everything was good until I went to get water. The tide had made it into the trees and floated my water bladder away! I was some upset with myself and wasted a good hour checking in the trees and rocks to see if it had gotten caught up nearby. Later in the morning I was lucky enough to paddle by some canoeists from the Crossings Program out of Wrangell, who were kind enough to give me a spare water bottle. I could at least carry 5L of fresh water with me using the containers I had in my boat.<br />
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I made my way out of Zimovia Strait and into Ernest Sound. The winds were strong from the west southwest so I was working hard. I managed to cross halfway doing some island hopping and found an ok bay to rest in. I was too tired to consider zipping around the southern end of the island and working up the eastern shores to check for a campsite so I settled. I landed at low tide so the bay was pretty drained out. Due to my upset at losing my fresh water in the morning, I had messed up my morning routine and forgotten to do a camp sweep. I had forgotten a tent pole at my last site and needed to make a ridgepole out of willow so my tent would be waterproof if it rained.<br />
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The bay was very deep and the logs at the back prevented me from getting my kayak up high. I scouted for a tent site and ended up climbing a cliff and using my hatchet to cut out an area. I had to tie my kayak on both ends with two different ropes and hope that when the tide floated it, that boucing into the rocks wouldn't hurt it too much. There was no other option. I didn't have the strength to lift my kayak up the cliff. I set my alarm for 4am to get up early to finish tthe crossing to Deer Island and hopefully make it to Meyers Chuck in a day.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjvnBDF0v1fJ8SyEJD80vy2LH31wX8h5im_iZM-AchL3unRoVDPjJpVXTkkI4vf2Shyphenhyphen55hiz_SiQNGDGQRwRzBGpMwKEKhX1NPdGiCrUUut3tqQ9s4R4vv-NmvkIqfRnTYn4mNEdo-xX0KP/s1600/DSCF0586.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjvnBDF0v1fJ8SyEJD80vy2LH31wX8h5im_iZM-AchL3unRoVDPjJpVXTkkI4vf2Shyphenhyphen55hiz_SiQNGDGQRwRzBGpMwKEKhX1NPdGiCrUUut3tqQ9s4R4vv-NmvkIqfRnTYn4mNEdo-xX0KP/s320/DSCF0586.JPG" width="320" /></a>I pulled the kayak to the left and up the rocks and tied her in as tight as I could.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjY9CCE_5jfVGySieIs382Aek9k_FnChQ_DOZfAmrppisOigmzQ1bhn8QIPA70l25upeGM9PdMm7ZpYRtk1FNGAV3kGA7LoNbTSOncDeszNufKF0IQYcQSdYQ8lFAoZpZ8mZtKBJavLkYC4/s1600/DSCF0591.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjY9CCE_5jfVGySieIs382Aek9k_FnChQ_DOZfAmrppisOigmzQ1bhn8QIPA70l25upeGM9PdMm7ZpYRtk1FNGAV3kGA7LoNbTSOncDeszNufKF0IQYcQSdYQ8lFAoZpZ8mZtKBJavLkYC4/s320/DSCF0591.JPG" width="320" /></a>Her morning resting place.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEia3tVCLOsoZzELIJMufcU8dWZQmLQ_KpTH9P332-CujQZnBxou-IJ8bo6iwWiaCgScs1PwterD_c9HJdeMGAfufQrntFHHMirG9AO16Nw7qOH1nh1Pom56w7RMkgMkobowqpSEollvcwb4/s1600/DSCF0585.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1200" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEia3tVCLOsoZzELIJMufcU8dWZQmLQ_KpTH9P332-CujQZnBxou-IJ8bo6iwWiaCgScs1PwterD_c9HJdeMGAfufQrntFHHMirG9AO16Nw7qOH1nh1Pom56w7RMkgMkobowqpSEollvcwb4/s320/DSCF0585.JPG" width="240" /></a>Find the tent in this picture!</div>
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Willow ridge pole made my me.<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj0m8SB6CkDpepI5jO466JP5taodSVxvamSW-iOOkzHW_BlVQNKBOsvgNpSmJU0IeqadD7rklUhf6PMxhPBg7sUSl-rdgZceYRR4DWO3-lXDkkuUMVQ06CKz6E93AVEbt1_WuGZz95JcFF-/s1600/DSCF0588.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj0m8SB6CkDpepI5jO466JP5taodSVxvamSW-iOOkzHW_BlVQNKBOsvgNpSmJU0IeqadD7rklUhf6PMxhPBg7sUSl-rdgZceYRR4DWO3-lXDkkuUMVQ06CKz6E93AVEbt1_WuGZz95JcFF-/s320/DSCF0588.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
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Day 14 Niblack Islands to Meyers Chuck 54 km </div>
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I could hear a whale sleeping between the islands last night; every 20 minutes or so I could hear her breathe! It was like having a guardian angel. I'm almost positive it was the same one I sat and watched feed at sunset.</div>
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When I woke up at 4am Sedna had been floated 20' up the rocks and had been bounced against them. I inspected her for damage and found a small dent in her starboard side from a rock, nothing more. This hard plastic is sure holding up well. Both ropes had held her into the bay and I was so thankful. The challenge was in sliding her back down to where the water was draining out of the bay.</div>
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I made my crossing over to Deer Island and continued down to Vixen Inlet.The cliffs along the way were populated with starfish and sea cucumbers I had not seen before. I went slowly to take in the view. Suddenly I spotted dozens of the rainbow ringed snail I wanted so I plucked one off the wall and put it in a ziploc for safe keeping. Soon after I found some amazing conch as well.</div>
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The cliff walls along the shore continued for miles. At one point I really needed a bathroom break and was scouting for a beach when I saw a whale spout. My Dad had asked me to make him some video so I got into position and put the camera on video. The next seven minutes of my life were such a thrill. The humpback whales swam right towards me and the cliff wall. They were feeding and circling. It was all I could do to brace and continue filming. At one point one of the whales came up 10 - 15' from the port side of my kayak and really scared me. I paddled away once they were not in front of me and I had the coordination to do so. The film is one of my favorite memories of the trip. I will post it on its own post once I have edited it.( I forgot to turn it off in my excitement so there is about five minutes at the end that needs to be cut.)</div>
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I continued down the coast and hoped to cut across Union Bay however the winds had come up and I had to stay close to shore. When I thought I had paddled into the bay far enough and tried to cut the end of the bay the winds blew up and created confused lumpy water with whitecaps coming from two directions that forced me to shore. I retreated and continued to paddled along the shoreline. At Lemesurier Point I paddled out enough to see huge whitecaps in Clarence Strait at 4pm and decided to tuck into a tiny cove off the point on the north side. I tok off my dry suit and went for a wander to stretch. I checked out the Meyers Chuck side and after glassing big whitecaps I sat down with my book for an hour of reading in the sun with a snack.</div>
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When the waves stopped crashing violently against Lemly Rocks I started paddling to Meyers Chuck. The channel between Misery Island and the point funneled some decent 3' waves right at me. I had to focus and work to get into the harbor.</div>
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Once into the harbor, Tim greeted me and pointed to the public dock. He told me I could use the green lawn for tenting and a neighbors porch and picnic table and the fresh water hose. Soon after I docked his partner brought me two fresh eggs from their chickens! Those were the best eggs I have ever eaten.My phone had service so I made a call home with the little bit of voice I had.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjM1j9Sqg6-OQUWBSutmLLOushkwl8_fWkO7WhXGFw3chEgC6nt-_T3EXAcEwFV1sTLcAMADHw1fqL1jpCzAcyy2aB9tJzD_rrFb5tFQlBKSh5pmJtiUjmvKNsg6D-gFh1XV6eaougbZYbc/s1600/DSCF0610.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjM1j9Sqg6-OQUWBSutmLLOushkwl8_fWkO7WhXGFw3chEgC6nt-_T3EXAcEwFV1sTLcAMADHw1fqL1jpCzAcyy2aB9tJzD_rrFb5tFQlBKSh5pmJtiUjmvKNsg6D-gFh1XV6eaougbZYbc/s320/DSCF0610.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh8aNsEqM51rTaaLSPxnlavCEpqqTM8x2e238e04tP4PkAn-z-nPwhrvPdtZ6hnlMfapvvcVVoAI8L60O8oP050eJDOIerQ4GgRJy4rAr9ohs5FwbRQAprxd-8ge5bsgYPshHT9dUMHjwxd/s1600/DSCF0624.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh8aNsEqM51rTaaLSPxnlavCEpqqTM8x2e238e04tP4PkAn-z-nPwhrvPdtZ6hnlMfapvvcVVoAI8L60O8oP050eJDOIerQ4GgRJy4rAr9ohs5FwbRQAprxd-8ge5bsgYPshHT9dUMHjwxd/s320/DSCF0624.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
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Day 15 Meyers Chuck - Rest</div>
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I am not feeling good today at all. The antibiotics I started taking in Petersburg are helping but today I am feverish, headachy, coughing and exhausted. It is raining today and I am taking the day off to rest. I have decided after talking to my husband that it is probably wise to end my trip in Ketchikan and figure out what is in my lungs. I have had this cold the entire trip and it has become some kind of infection in my chest that steals my sleep when I lay down. Today I will rest with the plan to get to Ketchikan by Sunday to catch the ferry home. I am satisfied that this is a good choice for my health as I am just getting sicker out here and for 15 days I have paddled through it.</div>
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The other kicker in this choice, is my forgotten tent pole. Without a proper ridgepole the tent is not waterproof and the geography of the area I am headed to next begs for big storms from the Pacific. I need a reliable stormproof tent for shelter. Using my willow stick is not reliable because it could tear my fly. So I go back to sqaure one with these lessons learned, and know that if I am unwell I need to postpone my launch next year. I also remember next year to do a camp sweep everyday no matter what. I just don't want to be a liability in the big water and very remote wilderness section that is next so I will add that bit to my trip next year.</div>
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Day 16 Meyers Chuck to Caamano Point 43km</div>
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The idea to paddle south against the tradewinds was crazy! Headwinds are no fun. Today I had a solid 10+knot wind in my face all day from the southeast that would have been lovely to surf. Instead I worked the waves created by this wind all day. Next year I think I may drive south to paddle north.</div>
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I am tempted to bivy on the sand tonight as I will be gettig up at 3am to pack and make my crossing of Behm Canal. It won't be a great sleep but it will be an adventure sleep. It will be good to keep the kayak loaded for a quick departure.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg8EYt_dDSybZ_rZJu67EOKesAguFDEW5ap2GnHsV64oXnezn99eewRZbo7p5iSUGvNp49OuMyawcPuqZUTPbI7jHHnkxDoBFJihcYcTSCBlawYCLLz6D4gc3wxyDYfA3I6vkB_4lwby1vk/s1600/DSCF0727.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg8EYt_dDSybZ_rZJu67EOKesAguFDEW5ap2GnHsV64oXnezn99eewRZbo7p5iSUGvNp49OuMyawcPuqZUTPbI7jHHnkxDoBFJihcYcTSCBlawYCLLz6D4gc3wxyDYfA3I6vkB_4lwby1vk/s320/DSCF0727.JPG" width="320" /></a>A Bivy bed made out of leveled sand</div>
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Marbled rocks<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgQI3q8uVXMVJKHunEbldXKPeI49EzJANX6NLMqLS426fue4FxXCqmm8_2789AaENmmJLc0RsigI8lgASvgq2DjDK9v8ioIkcaB_wykbmglSB-PTE2TMSaCDe4kZqhj2vBNeWKYofxmQN_T/s1600/DSCF0717.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgQI3q8uVXMVJKHunEbldXKPeI49EzJANX6NLMqLS426fue4FxXCqmm8_2789AaENmmJLc0RsigI8lgASvgq2DjDK9v8ioIkcaB_wykbmglSB-PTE2TMSaCDe4kZqhj2vBNeWKYofxmQN_T/s320/DSCF0717.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgxqDKK_yoET1qH-4r5UUBMloXpaSUlvarCB3VolpfpuJejeqM2Il-l9_RHie2pOCEH0VQRQoaygKuKZRzlHDCaSmO_yFXLt6GqJCga2VPeJMIuDPmuf96kXu-PjDZch9Pfsnl52S5u4K3Y/s1600/DSCF0696.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgxqDKK_yoET1qH-4r5UUBMloXpaSUlvarCB3VolpfpuJejeqM2Il-l9_RHie2pOCEH0VQRQoaygKuKZRzlHDCaSmO_yFXLt6GqJCga2VPeJMIuDPmuf96kXu-PjDZch9Pfsnl52S5u4K3Y/s320/DSCF0696.JPG" width="320" /></a>The view of Ketchikan from Caamano Point</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi0mXtk8env6arek9s71CVhYKbyY6I_ZSuPsDFWFjaIYK2R3rKpcgxb9PYfoebnv_cO6aKqJzwesi6k-3iywiPEjBXuWsEGHnsuA3e05VUDXl2GO1g-Afzxy5NcZM4rsyd0ijSn0XME5mPX/s1600/DSCF0736+%25282%2529.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi0mXtk8env6arek9s71CVhYKbyY6I_ZSuPsDFWFjaIYK2R3rKpcgxb9PYfoebnv_cO6aKqJzwesi6k-3iywiPEjBXuWsEGHnsuA3e05VUDXl2GO1g-Afzxy5NcZM4rsyd0ijSn0XME5mPX/s320/DSCF0736+%25282%2529.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
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Day 17 Caamano Point to Ketchikan</div>
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Awake at 3am and it is really dark. I can see that Sedna is barely above the high tide line on her log perch. I am so tired again as I have been coughing. My bivy is wet from condensation but I lay back down for a few more minutes of rest anyway. At 3:22am I get up and pack the kayak. Sedna is in a difficult place to pack her so I move her off the loga nd float her to the other side of the beach. I am dressed an paddling out by 430am. The light is starting to lighten the sky. The crossing starts easy and fairly flat with no wind. Suddenly I am caught in my first rip and being pulled south out past the point. I paddle fast and ferry hard to vector towards the big island and make up ground. Finally I can see that I have crossed the line and am back into peaceful water. I enjoy the sunrise to the northeast.</div>
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The waves start to build from the southeast when I am about a third of the way across. At first they are only a ripple, but soon build until they are 2-3' and very regular, giving me a nice push. Suddenly I see a huge rip coming from behind the big island where I know Naha Bay is hidden from my view. I lose a lot of ground as I ride the waves backwards on the river in the ocean. When I look ahead I see a small island and know that the calm will be short lived as the rip will continue on the other side. Finally I reach the eastern shore north of Point Higgins and am proud of myself for not being ripped out into the shipping lane. I look for a calm corner of water to sip a cup of tea.</div>
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As I paddled into Tongass Narrows I could see a park full of totems and so I pulled up on the beach and visited Totem Bight at 7am. Then I paddled intoKetchikan's Bar Harbor where I met Andy who helped me unload and store my kayak beside his boat. He then drove me to lunch and my hostel while we chatted about fishing and astronomy. I spent the rest of my day cleaning up and doing tourist stuff.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhe9p1zIfKp4YtOaX29-nt49Wf1NSVwO-DXA0aTrE2oYENicW4FTbiWkaLP6JQq9We1_brC-lNWtRJ5YDEud4vhlkrE8mVvJSZSWq4CFit7mqmrbrYnpS5QFIWBstTErjWMy-R0k5AtFZyW/s1600/DSCF0748.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhe9p1zIfKp4YtOaX29-nt49Wf1NSVwO-DXA0aTrE2oYENicW4FTbiWkaLP6JQq9We1_brC-lNWtRJ5YDEud4vhlkrE8mVvJSZSWq4CFit7mqmrbrYnpS5QFIWBstTErjWMy-R0k5AtFZyW/s320/DSCF0748.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
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Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2176749647391907532.post-85923495671580300952019-05-30T23:27:00.000-07:002019-05-30T23:27:00.193-07:003 Whales Outside Petersburg<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
After days of not seeing whales, I was escorted for awhile by three humpbacks gently swimming along. I suddenly realized I had promised to make video for my Dad and this is the result. I tend to get lost in the moments with them and forget to make sure I'm actually filming them.</div>
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<a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=upUK5mGlW8Y&feature=youtu.be">https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=upUK5mGlW8Y&feature=youtu.be</a></div>
Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2176749647391907532.post-66900136601413981892019-05-16T16:12:00.000-07:002019-05-30T22:34:48.692-07:00A Partner for Part of the PassageDay 1 - Auke Bay to Juneau 23km<br />
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Started off at 9am in 1ft waves , paddled to Entrance Point and waited for the tide to come up on a sand bar for about an hour. Made it through Mendenhall wetlands only getting stuck in the mud once; not my favorite place to paddle. Once in the Gastineau Channel the winds really picked up out of the south at 30knots. We crossed to Juneau and paddled hard into the headwind, went past our harbor and had to turn around after the bridge (messy waters under the bridge!) and finally found Harris Harbor. Found a room at the Baranof Hotel for the nignt.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjpmOz__PME1pK_5WDcepymymWT20PDDbhZlc5MlJ2F9p3scm0vEZvxm6cpr7-iMSNUs-mLsJD6g3cytCITG8ADCQU5xsVBm5t0wKqwq9bpEM_DdqWz1GmJYBgUZOiwE2hYKCtmENqr2yhD/s1600/DSCF0098.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjpmOz__PME1pK_5WDcepymymWT20PDDbhZlc5MlJ2F9p3scm0vEZvxm6cpr7-iMSNUs-mLsJD6g3cytCITG8ADCQU5xsVBm5t0wKqwq9bpEM_DdqWz1GmJYBgUZOiwE2hYKCtmENqr2yhD/s320/DSCF0098.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
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Day 2 - Juneau to Taku Harbor 44km<br />
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Rain most of the day. Great colorful starfish colony under and abandoned wharf south of Juneau. First crossing went well. Pushed our distance to see how long the weather will hold. Saw 9 whales today!<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjsiDr1acasN-vt3FnwhgxttxN7oLwljzS4Lu-HLuou3k-zPIsR1Y0yQSWRkvSm94H52ojEmst866SUjPH_BoWOi3DVMydDHw-Nfh7-sEBZpsAeoxaHK4UU8k3FDTsQTroGEZG7To7o3YgC/s1600/DSCF0110+%25282%2529.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1573" data-original-width="1600" height="314" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjsiDr1acasN-vt3FnwhgxttxN7oLwljzS4Lu-HLuou3k-zPIsR1Y0yQSWRkvSm94H52ojEmst866SUjPH_BoWOi3DVMydDHw-Nfh7-sEBZpsAeoxaHK4UU8k3FDTsQTroGEZG7To7o3YgC/s320/DSCF0110+%25282%2529.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
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Day 3 - Taku Harbor - Stockdale Point 2.2km<br />
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Big winds and stormy day put us onto a beach as we left our sheltered bay. We had a terrrible time moving our boats up the beach here as we were forced to land at low tide. Left Taku Harbor as the tide was going out and had to really fight muddy bottom to load the boats in the draining bay. This was the worst experience I have ever had loading my kayak! I learned to check my chart and tide table and never leave a drying bay at low tide again.<br />
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Day 4 - Stockade Pt. to Holkham Bay My 41st Birthday<br />
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Sunshine Finally. Icebergs and a seal colony were highlights today. My partner telling me to "stop talking" when I tried to explain the importance of channel 16 on a VHF and the ensuing silent treatment for the remainder of the day was not enjoyable. I did attempt to communicate that her behavior wasn't ok and she simply paddled away and ignored me. A VHF radio is not a glorified weather radio and our shared VHF wouldn't work. She refused to allow me to look at the radio.<br />
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I celebrated my birthday in the sun with a glass of wine and my book. I dried out all of my things. I refused to let someone else's bad attitude ruin my day. I even sang myself a song. It was a good day after all. As I was brushing my teeth, I saw two beautiful brown bears come down onto the bay across from our camp. Yelling at them only scared them into the bushes for a few minutes. After observing them and seeing that they simply wanted their dinner, I chose to make a fire out of driftwood. My paddling partner chose this mini crisis to begin speaking to me again and offered assistance. A decent fire was built on our part of the beach, below the high tide line and we went to sleep.<br />
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Day 5 - Holkham Bay to Unnamed Bay South of Windham Bay 37km<br />
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Long Day of headwinds and against the tide. Almost no wildlife until the bay and then so many porpoises. We saw them zooming everywhere. maybe feeding on fish caught in the nets?<br />
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Day 6 - Unnamed Bay to Cape Fanshaw 44km<br />
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Sunny and clear. What a Day! We made good time down the coast and across Hobart Bay and Port Houghton. Calm seas allowed us to stay far out and cross quickly. Not much for wildlife. The winds picked up after noon so we chose to slide down Cleveland Passage on our way to Cape Fanshaw to give ourselves a break out of the wind. Once out in the bay we could foretell that the Cape would have some fair size waves due to the winds. We rounded the Cape at approximately 5:30pm into 4foot waves and surfed our way down Frederick Sound into a cobbled beach.<br />
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Day 7 Cape Fanshaw to Read Island<br />
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Paddled 12km in building seas where we landed because the ebb current had created 3-4foot seas and my paddling partner thought it may blow bigger. We landed in a very shallow bay and pulled our kayaks out of the water.<br />
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While waiting out the wind we sat against an old beach log and ended up falling asleep in the sun. Some sixth sense woke me up and I immediately spotted a black bear 200 feet to the left of us, peacefully snacking on seaweed. I woke up my partner and pointed out the bear which she could not see until it moved. I stood up and put my hands over my head to make myself larger and spoke to the bear to announce that we were there. The wind had hidden our smell, and he hadn't heard us talking. He ran into the woods, but came back in a few minutes to check us out. We both got up and yelled at him this time and again he ran into the woods. Then back he came so now we moved out onto the gravel beach to get the bear bangers. (Spray was always at hand.) As I was loading a banger that bear popped out of the trees right beside the log where we had been sleeping in the grass. He was way tto curious! I fired the banger over his head and off he went. He was gone for a very long time.<br />
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When we see the bear again, he is halfway across the bay. We stayed out on the gravel at our kayaks for safety as I did not like the behaviour of this bear. The bear came out of the trees to some seaweed and sat on his haunches and chewed and watched us for awhile. He learned to stay away from people.<br />
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Many hours later the seas are calm enough to paddle so we go again. We paddle to Read Island and find a sandy beach to put up our tent for the night.<br />
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Day 8 - Read Island - Petersburg<br />
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Beauty Day for paddling in Frederick Sound. Saw millions of herring roe in the shallows everywhere. The bad was my paddling partner. She was snippy with me right from the start of the day and then gave me the silent treatment all day again.<br />
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During the crossing at the Sukoi Islets we diverge. I insist that there is a busy shipping channel and as kayaks we should cross directly to shore and handrail into Petersburg for safety. My partner wants to paddle the most direct route, straight down the shipping lane. A large fishing vessel come out of harbor and up to full speed before seeing the kayak in the channel and putting his engines in full reverse. My paddling partner did not make a course change to paddle directly towards shore at that point either. I cannot continue to paddle with a person who is a liability to others' safety any further. I choose to stay ahead and inform her by way of messaging that I will not continue with her after town.<br />
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Day 9 - Petersburg - Crab Pot Beach 27.7km<br />
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Against the tide! Today started off with coffee and chatting on the phone. I needed to wait for the drugstore as I have been quite sick and needed a few items. Once my boat was loaded and away the shoreline disappeared quickly. The moment I was at zen three humpback whales spouted 200 feet away from me. I hadn't seen a whale in days. They spouted and dove and swam with me for about a half hour.<br />
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Day 10 Crab Pot Beach to Wrangell<br />
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I forgot to turn on tracking, oops. Had to make it across the Stikine mudflats at high tide so iwas anxious. I wa up and moving on time. Once I made it to Dry Strait it was difficult to figure out which island was which and I headed for the southern tip of what I thought was Rynda Island. I t turned out to be Kadin Island so I corrected course and continued paddling hard. The crossing seemed to take forever. The rainstorms were constant and so thick I couldm't see through them. I was so worried about getting stuck on the mud and having to wait out the tide.<br />
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My other big concern was visibility. I couldn't see Wrangell through the rain and that meant boats wouldn't see me. I prayed for it to clear and it did. I took a compass reaading just in case and headed out. I was so pleased to hit the harbor at two in the afternoon.<br />
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The Kah Shakes Tribal House is right next to the harbor and I was drawn to the sound of drums. Inside I found Tlingit and Tsimshian dancers and singers performing songs and dances about paddling. I felt as though they were singing to my soul.<br />
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The hostel at the Presbyterian Church is not yet open, however the kind operator made and exception for me and picked me up a the harbor. I had and amazing shower and sleep last night, watched over by a glowing red cross.<br />
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Day 11 - Wrangell Rest Day and Chores<br />
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I have been eating pizza all day. Breakfast and lunch and most likely dinner. I found a beautiful lady named Jenice at the Busy Bee to repair the tear in my spray skirt. I purchased a few items at the a few other stores and now I'm at the Public Library. Kim from the Presbyterian Church Hostel came to check on me and brought me some homemade canned salmon. I'm waiting for low tide to walk out and see the petroglyphs. I needed a day off.<br />
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<br />Unknownnoreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2176749647391907532.post-77735107519445460792019-04-16T12:23:00.000-07:002019-04-16T12:23:28.851-07:0017 Days Til Launch - Paddling Film Fest Tonight<div>
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The reality of stepping away from my life for a month is hitting harder everyday. My youngest daughter turned eleven today and we are planning several celebrations of her birthday over the next few days. Today is also the local paddling film fest, that I am partially resposible for helping to oraganize and host. I'm excited to share my Inside Passage expedition plans and inspire others to get involved in volunteering with our club. The film fest is always a fun night and a great event for our club and community.</div>
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I am finished editing my "lists" and am now packing all of my sods and sorts into bags to be packed and repacked into my kayak.As I check off errands on my to do list I feel the anxiety waning and the excitement rising. There are still many things I must accomplish before setting off including filing our club's funding applications this week, presiding over our annual general meeting next week, and teaching an introduction to sea kayak rescue skills course days before our launch. (Not to mention buy a few last minute items, get USD at the bank, celebrate Easter, mail food to Wrangell, upgrade cell service & InReach, and more) I really want to get a few long training paddles in too!</div>
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Leaving my everyday life feels like the hardest part of the expedition planning. So many things could happen while I am out there and unable to do anything for the people I love most. I can only have faith that I have planned for the things I could and trust in my loved ones to take care of each other and be well when I return. It is hard to tell my own daytimer that is normally crammed with appointments and deadlines that I am unavailable for the month of May. It is a mental challenge for this matriarch to leave the nest unattended for such a stretch. I'm not even at the Inside Passage and yet I am conquering my first major challenge. <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2176749647391907532.post-33679602511657001292019-04-09T17:34:00.000-07:002019-04-09T17:34:48.941-07:00Trials of Training: 24 Days to Launch<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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Portage Cove, Haines Alaska April 6, 2019</div>
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The plan was to circle the Chilkat Peninsula over two days, allowing ourselves the opportunity to work out gear packing subtleties and talk about last minute expedition planning. My paddling partner and I haven't spent a lot of time together over the last few months as we have very busy lives and schedules. This weekend was to be a chance to discuss our shared gear, our packing strategies, and shared food. We drove the five hours to Haines on Friday to set out early Saturday morning.</div>
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The marine weather forecast was not predicting friendly waters. Seas were at six feet on Friday when we arrived and settled enough on Saturday to two feet with a stiff wind of fifteen knots to allow for paddling. We put in with gentle wind waves that grew to three feet against the incoming tide. We enjoyed our surf session and soon the wind settled and our paddles carried us around Seduction Point. We chose not to camp at Seduction Point based on a nasty marine forecast for the next day and proceeded north up the west side of the peninsula. After a nautical mile we encountered our first whale spouting in a bay across from the Davidson Glacier.</div>
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We finished in Leitnekof Cove as the tide was going out and we were unsure how much further into the bay we would be able to paddle without getting stuck on the mud flats. A quick ride into town with a local to collect the car and we were back camping at Portage Cove for the night; after a bite to eat in the Bamboo Room as both of us were happy to not be rehydrating meals just yet. Having a meal made for us after 36km of paddling was a great luxury.</div>
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The next morning, taking advantage of the calm befoe the storm, we paddled north up the Lutak Inlet past the Haines Ferry terminal. We paddled slower, and closer to shore to enjoy looking at the inter tidal zone and the variety of life found there. After a few short hours as the wind was collecting itself, we returned to the car and made the long drive back to Yukon.</div>
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Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2176749647391907532.post-50373794939392997502019-03-19T18:09:00.001-07:002019-03-19T18:09:13.789-07:00Making Corn BarkFood has been my trip focus lately. I've been busy buying groceries and cooking recipes from a book to deydrate and splurging on a few prepackaged meals and specialty items. Meal planning for an expedition is about more than just taking enough to be satiated at the end of a long day of paddling. I want tasty food that is easy to prepare and provides me the nutrition I need to get up the next morning ready to go again. I'm also hoping to have some variety, reduce waste, and food smells so we don't attract hungry bears.<br />
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My dehydrator has been running a lot. I made my favorite food first; dehydrated watermelon, and promptly ate it with my kids. Next up was pea soup and cream corn. Then I was on to curried chicken with raisins and currants, and ginger mango chicken with cashews. I also made some chipolte sweet potatoes, several other meals, and yes more watermelon for the trip in May. I'm still holding out hope a bison falls in my freezer beore the end of hunting season so that I will have bison jerky to nibble on for this trip.<br />
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Most days we will not want to spend much energy on meal preparation so I have planed many meals to be rehydrate and eat. Food I buy at local stores will be cheese, dry sausages, avocados, carrots and apples. I'm really hoping to squirrel away one piece of fresh food for each of the first ten days out. There will always be seaweed available if we need fresh greens.Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2176749647391907532.post-70266930874472303042019-02-26T21:54:00.000-08:002019-02-26T21:55:57.387-08:00<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
65 Days Until Lauch - Short Delay</div>
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Hello. I'm not much for the "selfie" and my paddling partner doesn't take many photos either. This may be the one of the few photos you see of my face. Kudos to Vicki for the touque I'm wearing, such a kool kayaker.Unknownnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2176749647391907532.post-21869922102836925922019-02-26T21:33:00.000-08:002019-02-26T21:57:05.859-08:0065 Days Until Launch Con't<br />
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Changes have swept through my lists and all of our planning. We have made a slight delay of a couple days in our start date and further planned our shared food and gear. As a team we will share a tent and a kitchen, combining good gear from both of our kits. Food will be a shared responsibility as we will cook for each other only at dinnertime. This leaves me to plan for my own breakfast and lunches for 30 days. I always pack food for a few extra days and this time we will have the luxury of shipping parcels of it ahead to Wrangell and Ketchikan in the mail.<br />
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The days are whipping by fast and the reality of this adventure is coming quickly. I have been focused on our charts and navigation for the past few weeks. I really want to make sure that I have dialed in exactly which charts we will need to be safe and pass by the most hazardous "sticky outy bits" as my instructor last year referred to them. The book charts provided for home printing by the NOAA are decent for overview of the area. I've ordered a few back up paper charts for the critical areas like Cape Fox, in the event all three of our Garmin GPS maps crash and burn. The most important chart arrived this week in the mail already. It is a five foot tall tourist map of the inside passage I bought for my youngest daughter to track my progress with her marker and little stickers for my camps.<br />
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I dream of the whales and the icebergs, of paddling through the icy channels, piloting among them like a seal. It is difficult to remind myself at times that this is my ultimate goal, despite the anxiety of preparation. This week I expect to receive several shipments of gear that I needed to replace or upgrade and I will drive four hours round trip to collect expedition food from my American mailbox! (I'll sneak in a ski at the White Pass if I can.) Training for a paddling expedition when you have frozen water is challenging; I have learned to be flexible and creative and use the frozen water to recreate with. Currently I am xc skiing a few times a week and swimming twice a week with weights and the odd planking thrown in for good measure. I expect the first week out on the water to hit me hard anyway.<br />
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My dehydrator will rest again at the end of April, when I have completed preparing food for this trip. I love and hate meal planning. I learned last year when we took our kids on a multi day hike that making our own dehydrated meals was far more palatable and thrifty. My new favorite is dehydrated watermelon, oh my! Then I trained as an assistant sea kayak guide and the other students and I shared our cooking skills over a couple of weeks and I learned some great tips and tricks. Kayak cooking is unique unto itself, and I am definitely one of those people that needs appetizing food on my trips. The typical ramen noodles rarely make it in my food sac.<br />
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May attempt an April paddle in Haines, Alaska. To be determined by the weather and moods. :)Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2176749647391907532.post-83661082066679234382019-02-10T12:48:00.003-08:002019-02-10T12:48:44.576-08:0079 Days Until Launch<br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Most people paddle the Inside Passage in one go. My expedition partner and I have decided that due to time and family constraints we will split it into two sections. A north section down to Prince Rupert and then from there to Seattle the following year. Many paddler's accounts made us wonder if we could paddle efficiently from north to south, and so in 2018 we tested the theory and paddled from Skagway to Juneau in four days, with one more spent windbound. We proved to ourselves that May temperatures are tolerable in Alaska and the winds won't slow us terribly. You may be wondering "Why paddle south?" and for us it is a simple answer, we live up here in the north. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">There are so many questions swirling in my mind as I begin this post. Am I ready? Is my gear ready? Have I got enough lists? Has our planning been concise? I have been researching for months now. Reading anything I could to help us on our adventure in the Inside Passage including other paddlers accounts of their adventures, blogs, historical weather, marine flora & fauna field guides and even dehydrator cook books. There is a plethora of information to wade through for anyone considering the challenge of propelling themselves through the passage.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I am setting goals for preparations as I realize that the time is getting short and there is still much to do. Between working full time, training for the expedition, eating properly and sleeping there are not many extra hours left for preparation and planning so I need to use them wisely. Organizing my thoughts as well as my gear is going to be the purpose of this blog. I think it will be just as handy as all those lists. </span>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0