Leaving Nanaimo at ~5:45 AM on Monday, July 19 the six of us caravaned to Port Alberni. There we loaded our luggage and kayak gear into large plastic containers for transport on the MV Frances Barkley. The ship's crew loaded our 4 single kayaks plus one tandem along with the plastic totes. Upon arriving at the Sechart Lodge, we settled our belongings into our 3 rooms and had lunch. There was still plenty of time to paddle to Hand Island via the Pinkertons and then back.
MV Frances Barkley at the Sechart Lodge Dock

The next 4 days provided splendid paddling weather, never hot. The mornings were occasionally foggy, but not so thick as to interfere with navigation. Brian was Head Navigator, with Audrey and I also participating. Compass and chart proved sufficient, but the GPS also proved handy.
Brian and Anna in Synch

Dempster Island features interesting sea caves. We did not venture past the cave mouths, somewhat unsure whether cormorants might be nesting or sea dragons lying in wait.
A Typical Cave with Bull Kelp in Forewater

After paddling Eli, Anna, and I would relax while Audrey, Brian, and Dominique practiced their Celtic tunes. Once I had enough, I would sing along, forcing them to stop.
Post Paddling Jam Session

The islands offer protection from the Pacific, unless one ventures to the outer part of the BGI - which we did not (maybe another time). The islands themselves have interesting histories and features.
A Sapling on Willis Island

Each day's paddle was special. We entered lagoons via openings not navigable at low tide, followed serpentine channels through tightly spaced islands, or made open water crossings (none harrowing).
A Typical Channel

The GPS gave useful coordinates when needed, but also acted as a speedometer. One afternoon, Eli and I hit warp speed (4.5 knots) in the tandem, surfing on Dominique's wake, in a fruitless attempt to catch him on the home stretch.

After the rather stout suppers, evenings were spent relaxing - a jigsaw puzzle, reading, Scrabble, game of hearts, etc. Toward the end of each supper a list was circulated so each of us had an opportunity to make some choices for the next day's lunch. The next morning, after breakfast, you would grab the lunch bag labeled with your very own name and then stow it in your kayak.

On Friday, we loaded what we could into the plastic containers and then paddled to Dempster Island and back  via a somewhat new route. We returned in time to participate in the frenzied rush for showers and finished loading our gear. The ship's crew then took over and stowed gear and kayaks on the MV Frances Barkley for the scenic trip back via the Alberni Inlet. Interestingly, the ship was built at Stavanger in Eli's homeland.
Eli on Stavanger-built MV Frances Barkley

It was a most successful trip, a most excellent adventure. We saw fewer critters than we might have liked - many eagles, a few seals, cormorants, sea stars, the Sechart Lodge resident bear etc. - but no whales nor even sea lions. Of course, we hadn't ventured to the outer islands, but perhaps it was the time of year. We certainly saw more sea life last year near Surge Narrows.

On Saturday June 12, 2010 I churned to a 7th place finish at 47:50 in the solo division of the Sand Creek Paddlers Challenge ... out of 8 entries. Encouraged by such an outstanding result, Eli and I entered The Great Sandpoint Flat Water Regatta in the 'expert tandem' division where we paddled to an astounding 2nd place finish ... out of 2 entries.

2009.05.21

The South Sound Traditional Inuit Kayak Symposium (SSTIKS) will be held June 18, 19, 20 this year. I pre registered, signing up for a few classes. It should be interesting. The salient web site is:

• http://www.qajaqpnw.org/index.html

Since I have two Greenland sticks, it will be neat to learn to use them correctly. The location is Twano State Park on the south shore of Hood Canal. I'll stay at Belfair Motel.

I also signed up as a solo entry to our local Sandcreek Paddlers Challenge (SPC) taking place on June 12. The solo category isn't delineated further and will include a mix of ages and boats, including some full on racing kayaks, I suspect. There are also tandem and recreational categories. I am not a serious racer, but the event is intended to be fun. The course runs from City Beach to just past Popsicle Stick Road Bridge and back - perhaps 4 nmi. My goal is 4 knots. If the turnout is large, the course will prove too congested. On the other hand, it is relatively protected. Beware - inside curves could be shallow.

2010.04.27

My first wee trip took place on April 25, starting from Third Avenue Pier (3AP) with a pool level of 2055.1'. If you stepped too far out at launch, the boot sucking mud would get you. I paddled solo for a mere hour and a half, a leisurely route to Motel 5 (aka "Seasons") and back to 3AP. The exposure gave mostly calm water except at Motel 5, where the fetch was sufficient to produce one whitecap in a hundred waves. At 50 degrees Fahrenheit and sunny, the conditions were ideal.

Dog Beach with Schweitzer Ski Area in Background

As far as my convalescence from the broken neck goes, I have returned to a normal activity level. When weather permits I have been biking, occasionally from home to the ski area, and now ... kayaking. My next x-ray is July 29 to assess the failure of bone regrowth. In the meantime. I will be using an Orthofix electric bone growth stimulator, receiving some physical therapy at FASTER, and taking a few recommended supplements.

2010.04.17

The elevation of the LPO pool is now 2054', as the lake slowly fills toward the ~2062' summer level. It's our once-per-year flood tide. At 2056' the launch site nearest to our house becomes usable, with the boot sucking mud covered again. We can walk our kayaks there - otherwise we must load them on the trusty Subaru and go a bit further. With ski season over, we are biking already and soon, kayaking. The osprey and swallows have returned, and the lawn begs for attention. Winter is perhaps over down here in the nether lands.

My conditioning is coming along OK. With the ski area once again relatively deserted and the road only lightly trafficked, I did my first home-to-Schweitzer Lodge ride a few days ago ... in a decent time for an old guy, who could never be mistaken for a racer. The gear shifting on my Mercian has become awkward (but still possible), because of my insistence on a smaller chain ring which really doesn't fit in with the existing setup.

What about the bone regrowth in my neck? The most recent x-ray (April 15), showed no progress. This is America - why on earth the surgeon didn't use duct tape instead of a metal screw is totally baffling. I'll try an electric stimulator next, in my attempt to avoid further surgery. The neck feels fine and works fine, but the specter of a titanium screw failure persists. My physical activities are no longer restricted, except that I am to avoid bar fights. The next x-ray will be July 29, just after our return from the Broken Island Group (the BIG trip).

2010.02.24

My last visit with the surgeon who repaired my broken neck brought disappointment. Despite the inreased mobility, strength, and lack of pain, there was a significant downside - the expected bone regrowth was not nearly as expected. The doc was willing to give it 2 more months. At that point, if the progress remains minimal, he would recommend further surgery i.e. fusion. Without the support of regrowth, the titanium screw will eventually fail.

In the meantime, I'll pay more attention to nutritional enhancements of bone regrowth - beyond just calcium and Vitamin D. Similarly, I'll examine my dietary habits and eliminate those which might inhibit bone regrowth. I'll also visit with a naturopath on this subject. I'll certainly explore alternatives to further surgery.

The positive result from the visit was being cleared for a broader range of physical activities, as long as they were neither painful nor risky to my neck. Consequently, I got in two short (~ 10 miles) bike rides on rolling pavement ... I even looked where I was going. As expected, my conditioning has suffered a significant hit since the crash on October 25.

2010.02.02

On January 29, Eli and I kayaked Elkhorn Slough at Monterey Bay. Our schedule had little flexibility - the kayak shop opened when it opens and the tide had its own schedule, which meshed poorly with ours. So we battled a stiff current going into the slough - at least 2 1/2 knots. My rented fiberglass Necky Chatham 17 found it somewhat easier going than Eli's plastic Wilderness Tsunami 160. In any case, the wildlife viewing was spectacular.

Turning the first corner to enter the slough brought us past a large congregation of stinking sea lions lounging on a dock at the point, most of whom ignored us - used to humans as they are. In the slough, seals were everywhere, swimming or beached. We saw familiar birds - buffleheads, mergansers, cormorants, Western grebes, various smaller grebes, loons, Canadian geese, etc. But there were many varieties not usual to us - pelicans, curlews, snowy and great egrets, and various others we could not identify.


The slough is a sanctuary and visitors are not allowed to land except at Kirby Park (4.25 miles in), but our speed of travel against the current wasn't swift enough to get that far in our available time. We turned around after 2+ hours to ride the still falling tidal current back. An evil head wind, with attendant wee white caps, then sprang up to hinder our progress. The wind was not forecast. Nevertheless, with the current as our ally, the return trip require a mere 34.63 minutes. The more alert of the sea lions had graciously awaited our return, welcoming us loudly.

I was very pleased that my vertebrae and ribs, fractured at the end of October, were healed well enough to easily tolerate the  paddling - even the hard work into an opposing current.

The kayak shop (Monterey Bay Kayaks) has a winter rental rate of $25 per kayak per day, very reasonable. You must request an extra paddle, throwbags are not provided - this would be unacceptable/illegal in Canadian waters. They have an  enticing frequent customer offers. For example, for $100 one can get 2 months of paddling (with equipment provided, of course) any day you want to schedule. Deals this good are unusual up north and probably smart business.
http://www.montereybaykayaks.com

Returning to the slough 2 days later on February 1, our schedule and that of the tide meshed well. Renting the same kayaks as before, we rode the rising tide past the raft of sea otters and then the sea lions and into the slough. On the way to Kirby Park, we detoured into a side channel called Rubis Creek - essentially a waterway in the swamp. With the rising tide nearing its high mark, the water was flowing everywhere in the swamp and the true channel was no longer distinct, so we bushwhacked out. There were water birds everywhere, especially on the swampy side of the main slough channel. We continued to see otters and also many seals. The only new critter was a great blue heron, but we're used to seeing those up north. 

Kirby Park is really Kirby Parking Lot, bare asphalt adorned with a large porta potty. It does, however, provide access to some trails bordering the further reaches of the slough. But for kayakers, it offers little, not even a tree for lunch in the shade. Nevertheless, the porta potty could be crucial because the slough is a no-go zone.

After an elegant lunch on the asphalt, we paddled slack water back to the Monterey Bay Kayaks facility. Our day held maybe 3 1/2 hours of leisurely paddling. Our opinion of kayaking near Monterey? The slough is definitely worth a day trip or two - more if critter watching and photography are your passions. We did not venture into the bay itself. The surf was heavy during our visit, and we're not skilled at surf launches and landings. A guided tour would have worked for us, I suppose. We are accustomed to paddling The Vancouver Island coastline in those places having much more texture i.e. a jagged coastline with lots of islands, a need for compass, charts, marine radio etc. even on fine days.

2010.01.20

The Monterey trip is coming up fast.. Hopefully the weather there will change for the better so we can get in a bit of kayaking. Meanwhile, our summer kayaking plans have continued to evolve and now include a trip to the Broken Group Islands, in Barkley Sound, off Vancouver Island's west coast. We'll not rough it, but rather stay at the Sechart Lodge, once a whaling station. We are joining two other couples for this trip.

Our schedule is as follows:

• caravan from Nanaimo to Port Alberni early on July 19
• board the M.V. Barkley at Port Alberni about 8 AM (with kayaks and gear)
• reach the Sechart Lodge about 11 AM
• disembark, unpack, get settled, and get in an afternoon/evening paddle
• kayak the next 4 days using the lodge as our base camp
• finish early on July 23, to embark on the M.V. Barkley at 3:30 PM for the trip back to Port Alberni
• caravan from Port Alberni to Nanaimo the evening of July 23
  

The Sechart Lodge provides breakfast and dinner each day and a bag lunch for the day's kayak outing.

An informative web site about the lodge and the surroundings is:
http://www.ladyrosemarine.com/lodge.html

2010.01.03

We've booked a trip to Monterey, CA to visit Eli's brother and his wife - leaving January 28 and returning February 4. The kayak tour outfits in the Monterey area seem to keep going through the winter months, unlike those on Vancouver Island where the winter weather is a bit harsher. So we hope to do some kayaking, probably renting from Monterey Bay Kayaks (MBK):
http://www.montereybaykayaks.com
which has subsidiary links to paddling opportunities in the Monterey vicinity e.g. Elkhorn Slough. The latter has its own web site at:
http://www.elkhornslough.org

The Monterey weather forecast can be found at:
http://www.wunderground.com/cgi-bin/findweather/getForecast?query=monterey%20ca&wuSelect=WEATHER
and tide information at:
http://tidesandcurrents.noaa.gov/data_menu.shtml?stn=9413450%20Monterey,%20CA&type=Tide%20Predictions

When paddling in a new area, it's efficient to go with someone who knows the local waters. Hence, we'll likely do a sponsored tour. MBK rents sit-insides (our preference), as well as sit-on-tops. For the former, MBK requires that one be proficient at a paddle float self rescue. Of course, we practice those each season.

The doctor said I could participate in activities that would not chance a fall, using my own tolerance as my guide. The physical therapist has raised no objection. So I'll start packing our cold water clothing. As 'they' say: dress for the water temperature, not the air temperature.

2009.12.27

My ski season is a goner. The medical community is not releasing me any time soon to do anything which could involve falling. Nearly anything I do involves falling - my hiking boots even have air bags ready to deploy. Kayaking would be OK, but it's currently too cold here to paddle - and almost any launch location would require crossing a stretch of ice, with at least the last few yards being breakable.

The longer term prospects continue to look excellent with 100% recovery predicted. My physical therapist is located at Sandpoint West Athletic Club (SWAC), firming up my intention to join the club temporarily. I'll need cardio vascular activities in addition to spine rehabilitation (flexibility) to while away these winter months. SWAC offers many such options. By sometime in spring I expect to be cleared for my usual range of activities.

I noticed that the Nanaimo Paddling Club has released their schedule of paddling outings for January and February - a rather full slate. Of course, trip cancellations due to hostile weather are more common in winter. But I'm here in North Idaho and not on the big island. Hopefully we'll join in one of their summer trips e.g. with my broken neck mended, perhaps the Broken Group Islands in Barkley Sound.

2009.11.17

My recovery from the broken neck (C1 and C2 fractured) and collateral damage (2 thoracic vertebrae fractures and right little finger) is now nearing 4 weeks. C2 was repaired with a compression screw; all else heals as is. Tomorrow's appointment with the surgeon for an assessment of my progress has been canceled, due to the death of his mother. I am eager to begin physical therapy and to discard the cervical collar (targeted for 6 weeks). Currently, my only exercise consists of walking 1 or 2 miles on the flat. Tasks such as raking leaves and hauling out the trash have been assumed by my lovely and uncomplaining wife.

I went off pain meds on November 10 as pain gave way to discomfort. When I've walked my route or been up for many hours, my back aches as if over tired - in the thoracic region where the other 2 vertebrae were fractured. At night, I mostly do without the cervical collar, but do experience some neck discomfort - but can sleep more or less normally. Both these skeletal areas are becoming happier. My broken (right) little finger remains without pain, taped to its next door buddy.

The imminent ski season is likely a goner for me, but I'll await definitive word from the surgeon and physical therapist. I may join the local health club to use the various exercise machines and perhaps to swim. Once upon a time, I loved to swim. However, of late I prefer outside activities to being a gym/pool rat. It's not impossible that I may get in some kayaking on LPO. Give me a warmish (above freezing), calm day and a launch site with no ice and I may try it - but clearance for that is at least 2 weeks away. That would be an infrequent opportunity in any case.

Earlier in my recovery, when I could do very little that was physical, I spent some hours converting all our music CDs to mp3s. We are not audiophiles, so the lossy mp3 compression still yields acceptable music. I then backed up the mp3s to DVDs. The resulting 5 DVDs replaced many CDs.

My next non physical activity will be to plan some trips for the 2010 kayak season. For example, Matt Davidson has suggested a few of us circumnavigate LPO. So I'll plan some earlier trips of lengths around 12 to 15 nautical miles to calibrate the group's readiness. None of us is a seasoned expedition paddler, but should be able to handle 12+ nautical miles per day for a few days in a row. Someone like Freya Hoffmeister, who can churn out successive 75 kilometer days, would find our daily goals amusing. She could do the circumnavigation in 2 days, unless she was in a hurry to get it over.

2009.11.06

In such waters as off Vancouver Island, sea kayaking continues in all seasons - merely slowing in the colder, darker winter months. On Lake Pend Oreille, sea kayaking shuts down in winter ... ok, a few hardy souls might seek out a winter paddle, if successful at finding a launch site. Fall is, perhaps, my favorite time to paddle on our lake. It is visited by many migrating flocks and some will hang around for a while. The drawdown of the lake level, unfortunately, makes many of our usual launch sites unusable by exposing long expanses of the evil boot-sucking mud.

My own kayak season ended abruptly on October 25, oddly enough on a bike ride. The day before, we had ridden our closest single track whose tricky sections we walk. One pays close attention. But on the 25th, we were enjoying the lovely Coeur d'Alene Trail, starting at Plummer and turning around at Harrison - smooth, flat, safe asphalt. On the way back to the Plummer trailhead, I was watching the scenery instead of the smooth, flat, safe asphalt. So I failed to notice one of the stout metal posts, located at appropriate intervals to deny motorized vehicle access. I hit the post head on, at a modest 12 mph. The results included a totaled bicycle frame, a broken little finger (right hand), four fractured vertebrae (including C1 and C2), and maybe some cracked ribs. After assessing my injuries, I suggested that I needed a cervical collar, a backboard, and a call to 911.

So now I am healing from neck surgery, with a prognosis of 100% recovery - including neck rotation (maybe, even 360 degrees?). After the initial bad luck, all the luck has been good - no spinal cord damage, no abrasions, the finest spinal/neurosurgeon in the area (Dr. William Ganz), etc. However, in the meantime, I keenly miss kayaking off Vancouver Island.
 

2009.10.16

Eli and I rolled our kayaks to 3rd Avenue Pier and launched. Once the lake's pool level is drawn down to approximately 2056', this launch site is marginal - the kayaker friendly sand devolving into the infamous boot-sucking mud. We'll not use 3rd Avenue again until spring brings the pool level back above 2056'.

Before launch, the thousands of coots skittered away fearful of the unfamiliar predators, i.e. our kayaks, one yellow over white and the other blue over white. My attempts to emit friendly coot sounds failed.
Photo: Coots Away

As we paddled we passed the usual Canadian geese, some now resident year round. We also saw loons, a few buffleheads, perhaps a dozen cormorants roosting on piles, various ducks (e.g. mallards), and grebes. The closest encounters were with one loon and a pair of the graceful western grebes. One diving bird I couldn't identify had all white plumage except for a trace of black painted on the wing feathers. It's beak was dark. I need to be ready with my camera.

2009.10.10

It is the end of the season insofar as LPOSKA is concerned. I'll continue with occasional spur of the moment paddles as weather permits. With the arrival of various migratory species, fall is a splendid time to paddle if you are prepared for 'cold' weather. However, the lake is being drawn down by 10 feet and it's already about half way there. Some launches devolve from sand to boot-sucking mud.