"Nature Bats Last"

Today with Noel and Steve we hiked along the north side of Turnagain Arm. The tide was low, just beginning to flood. We were able to see where there was still deep water. It was also blowing good out of the East, as it usually does there. The mountains are spectacular, rising out of the water. We could also see the head of Chickaloon Bay and Burnt Island on the east side of the entrance to the bay. Chickaloon is a very shallow bay, filled with mud at low tide. The crossing of the bay is about 10 miles, and of course will require a higher or medium tide range to make.
The whole journey through Turnagain Arm is somewhat tricky because of the huge tidal range and all the mud, which in places when the water begins to flood in becomes quicksand. However, if we are conservative and be sure to get off the water before the tide gets too low, we should be okay. That east wind is also nice, pushing us to the west towards Point Possession.

Noel and Steve had picked up a copy of Exploring Alaska's Kenai Fjords by David Wm. Miller. It was recommended by Jon Walpole, and is a great resource of information about the Port Bainbridge to Port Dick section (Gulf of Alaska) of the coastline. As we wait here in Anchorage, anticipating our departure the preface to this book gives a useful reminder:
"Flexible trip planning is essential. An isolated seacoast like the Kenai Fjords presents a host of logistic and weather related issues. Rigid time scheduling may be impossible to follow safely."
When we were sailing our engineless sailboat we were so often faced with this reality- we had no ultimate control over our schedule and could never say for sure where we would be that evening. The same holds true for any adventure in nature and one must adopt this mindset for safety and sanity.

Last night Dave Johnston came over. He was one of three people to summit Denali in the wintertime
(read -148: the First Winter Ascent of Mount McKinley). As we told him about waiting for our boats to arrive and our need for flexibility in planning this trip he remarked:
"Nature bats last."

A View of Turnagain Arm

North to the Future

Matt writing here--i waited too long to respond to the blog invite, but that will get sorted soon.  Shawna and Leon (our employers and good friends who own BodyBoatBlade) threw a little going away party for us on the 14th, and it was great to be able to explain a bit more about our trip to people who were interested. It was also sweet to feel the support and enthusiasm of our friends who are excited about us doing this adventure. Djuna and i left our little cabin in the woods on Friday (the 16th) in beautiful weather. Sad to leave, but so excited and fortunate, it doesn't matter.  We've got some good friends, Sati and Dave,  who are staying there while we're away,  and we hope they enjoy it as much as we do.  Amalia, who has been a friend of Djuna's since childhood, dropped us off at the airport after a nice visit with her, her extremely cute daughter Lilian, and her husband, Chris.  Thanks again, you guys!  As we flew North, we could see Port Townsend, the San Juans, Texada and Lasqueti islands, Sechelt Inlet (home to Skookumchuck rapids)--all places that hold some place in our hearts and memories.  We couldn't see much for a few hours after that, so sleep became the best option.  As we flew on, the cloud cover cleared and suddenly we were looking down at the Copper River Delta in the eastern part of Prince William Sound.  Long black sand beaches and bars were visible with big surf breaking, and the mountains and glaciers were glowing orange and pink with alpenglow (10:00 pm).  As we flew west, the snow depth increased till it was down to sea level at the west side of Prince William Sound.  We were on the wrong side of the plane to look down over Turnagain Arm, but were able to catch a glimpse of Chickaloon Bay and Pt. Posession right before we landed.  It was so exciting to feel awed by the sheer scale of the mountains, glaciers, and beauty--quite an arrival.  My mom and dad picked us up at the airport, and we have had a great visit with them so far; they are very thoughtful, generous folks and a lot of fun to hang out with!  Mathew arrives on Wed. am, and i'm looking forward to the 3 of us being together and preparing to get on the water.

Changing Plans- "Welcome to Alaska in so many ways"

Today at work I received a call from Matt. There has been a storm raging in the Gulf of Alaska for the past week or so. Winds up to 60 knots and seas to 26 feet. Burly.
We knew all this, and wondered how this might effect the tug and barge carrying our kayaks up to Anchorage. It turns out the barge is delayed one week, so the soonest it may arrive is next Wednesday. We then called the shipper and found out that the barge could take up to four days to unload! A new twist.
So... we have changed our tickets and fly back on July 8th instead of the 1st.
It's hard to have plans change so quickly, but also the first of many great lessons we will learn on this trip. The weather is ALWAYS in charge. Plans are just that, plans and there are so many variables out of our control... I just had a great conversation with Tom Pogson in Homer- he has been, and was today very helpful. Among other things he said was:
"Welcome to Alaska in so many ways!"

The plusses:
Mathew gets to be with Bridget for her birthday!
Matt and I get to spend more time with Noel and Steve.
The weather should be better since it is later in the season.
Yoga classes in Anchorage!
Many more I haven't thought of yet!

We are at Body Boat Blade right now where many of our friends on the island are gathering for a send-off party for our trip. We miss you Mathew, and all others who aren't here!

donations!

We received our first donations!! very generous ones. It's so great to be actively working for a cause. Lots of people are able to, but it's a first for me in a serious manner. It's exciting. Thank you.

On Friday we fly to Anchorage, and about a week out from being on the water. We all talked after a few tries this weekend. The general consensus is we're ready to go, and ready to leave the rest of the organizing. ;) But really, we feel really good where we are at. And with a little free time, it's given way to some nervous anxiousness.

In a week we'll put putting in the water near Portage, AK.


View Larger Map

The weather report is still looking cold. There's been consistent gale force winds the last 2 weeks. Sun is surely coming, preceded by some 49/40 Olympic coast rainy weather. I think it's safe to expect a cold first week.

I looked closer at the early charts this weekend, and it's not unrealistic to be in Homer with 6-8 days, if we wanted. So if it rains, we can make more miles with more time on the water.

Good advice from Dan - bring more rope and biners than you think. I'm trying to find my old climbing gear bag now. :)

Thanks again for all the gives - financial, support from friends, partners, parents, community - it makes it so much more doable.

t minus 1 week

wow. nervous. dreams of bears. excited for countless days on the sea.
swell. wow. cooking. camping. unknown.
unknown weather. unknown beaches.
endless directions this trip will take on a daily basis.

lists are not growing, no time. lists are dwindling, 'bout time.
will be on a plane in 1 week where lists are no more lists. :)

the energy around this cause is so accelerating.
everyone I talk to is excited, some at work are in awe.
they come forward with their network of contacts
even if nothing comes from their resources
it's great that more awareness is out there

comments on the site, comments in my mail.
we are fortunate, lucky, active, honored.

pride. scared. living life.
no worries necessary.

SanJuan Surf

Surfing in the San Juans

Monday Matt and I went to our favorite surf spot in the San Juans with our friend Collin. It was a birthday surf session as Sunday the 4th of May was my 30th!
The race was big with a perfect westerly swell creating green and breaking waves, mostly around 3 feet.
As the current strengthened the race was intimidating at times. The waves came from all
angles, slapping me in the face and shooting me out in different directions. I would be happily surfing and suddenly find myself blasting into the eddy.
A few times I sat out ahead of the race, letting my boat slip back into the waves and was struck by the beauty of our home and the privilege of playing in our dynamic waters.
I also thought about fear. In a place where the sound of the water and the energy of the waves evoke fear, sitting, watching and breathing centers me. Then I can recognize if there is a real danger present or just a lot of moving water which gets my adrenalin up.
As we embark on our trip, fear of the unknown surfaces.
In Sanskrit, the sacred language in which the Yoga Sutras were written, Abhinidvesa is the word for fear. Fear clouds our perception and we fail to see reality. Even the wisest person suffers from fear because it is instinctual- fear of death. The practice of Yoga helps to overcome all types of fear, through techniques for relaxing the body, controlling the breath and quieting the mind, perception clears.

Thoughts on Firsts May 3

Ahhh…finally getting this whole blog thing figured out! Just made some last tweaks to the skooks video, and thought I’d write up a short post. Had an interesting email exchange with a friend and fellow coach (he is also a college professor), Jonathan Walpole, about the issue of claiming to be “the first” to achieve a goal related to outdoor pursuits. He feels that to claim such a thing is pretty silly, as a lot of the routes attempted in more modern times by people using modern equipment, have most likely been done for one reason or another by indigenous peoples of the area, with far simpler “equipment.” Also, as many outdoor adventurers are not interested in fame or money (motivated by the experience of living and traveling in remote parts of the planet, and often moving via human-power), lots of routes have been successfully traveled, but not announced to the public. I am in total agreement and added that: to make the achievement of the goal (unless survival depends on it) the focus for, let’s say, a kayak expedition, can certainly create a dangerous attitude regarding risk assessment, concern for other group members, and detract from truly appreciating the area which we’re fortunate enough to be experiencing. It was an interesting exchange and I appreciated what he had to say about it all. I should also add that Jon is an incredible resource of information and experience, and that for anyone contemplating a kayak journey, Jon has probably researched (if not paddled) the route and would have valuable input.

Our conversation was an interesting opportunity for me to examine my goals for the trip and to once again, consider everyone else’s. Also a reminder of how careful one must be when presenting themselves, rather personally, to the public. We probably all are guilty of judging others (and their motivations) at times without really knowing them. Add to that the medium of the written word with its absence of facial expressions, tone of voice, etc., and I think it becomes easy to be misunderstood. It’s kind of a new concept for me to realize that once something has been posted on a blog, there is the potential for lots of people—many who don’t know you--to make their own interpretation of who you are and what you are about—and this can work both ways! Anyway, all interesting food for thought.

It was unexpectedly emotional to wrap up our boats for shipping last weekend and see them departing on our adventure weeks before we will!! Kind of symbolic, too, as that’s what will probably happen throughout our whole adventure—but usually by only 7 feet!

-10 days to go testing our signal

View Larger Map

three

there's been a lot of thought around 3
matt and djuna born this trip sometime ago
they were 2, simply put
they asked me to join as a third
to me it's significant.

a 1 person trip is a different purpose of a trip altogether
2 is an intimate trip with more risk than 1
3 provides much aid, but not so hard to move the group
4 now is that group, different agendas come about
5 continues the path to many in a group,
eventually that group splits back to 3.

3 is a magic number
3 provides a tie break in decisions
3 allows 2 to go in the woods protected from bears
3 breaks up camp duties a little easier
3 is a prime number
3 resonates with the universe well
3 boats allows more special foods to be brought
3 sets pace while 2 and 1 talk
3 can navigate while 2 helps 1 if injured
3 makes boat carrying a sure lot easier
3 is easier on the mind than 2
3 can make a triangle, where 2's only a line
3 lines are in a peace symbol

notes from Nikki - Homer AK

it's definitely feeling like a late spring
last saturday had snow and roads were icey, but melted by afternoon
they are forecasted for light snow again tonight
the lake is thawed and shorebird migration is next weekend.

should be pretty nice, hoping it'll be nice, by early June
but it has been late, people were skiing in Alyeska last weekend
Alyeska is south of Anchorage
it was some of the best spring skiing they've had!

no real trends in daily weather
they were affected by bad storms from the Mongolian desert
and some fires in Russia caused some haze
the weather service has 30-day forecast out of Anchorage

she thought we'd be fine but would need some warm clothes
no snow on beaches but does melt off if so.

they are ready for some warm weather
right now the grass is just starting to grow in town
there are no flowers
hopefully by June!!

I told her we'd try to stop in when there.

Nikki - a volunteer at Homer AK Chamber of Commerce

the boats are wrapped and in a container to Alaska!

Here at Enzo's

As we get closer to departure, all the small details are falling into place. We set aside this weekend as a trip planning and prep session, as well as a time for Matt and I to connect with Bridget and Ryder so they would know a bit more about the couple their loved Mathew would be spending six weeks paddling with. Mathew, Bridget, and Ryder came up on Friday and showed up at Scott and Amy’s cabin at dusk. When we came by the cabin, Ryder was totally excited to be on Orcas and was launching his little foam rockets around the place.

As the night went on, I witnessed Bridget’s constant patience and attentive parenting of Ryder. I also saw yet another aspect of Mathew- his caring for Bridget and Ryder and attention to both of their needs.

We all met up again for coffee and trail mix on our porch Saturday morning. We made more lists, including a layout of the day, and gear-to-be-purchased list. Ryder seemed to like our place even though we don’t have trains or toys.

Matt installed foot bars in my boat and Mathew’s, we did some last gel coat repairs, went through kit and took photos.

I can’t believe we will soon leave this island our present lives and routines, to live out of these three slender and beautiful boats.

Photo taken from the beach on Waldron Island on our epic Round San Juan County trip 3/22-24/08. This what 30knots of wind does in the San Juan waters.

orcas planning weekend

Hey Guys!! Very excited about the weekend, seeing you all, being on island again, planning our trip, hanging out with B and Ryder. The forecast looks amazing too, finally some warm temps!

So here's a list of some of the things to discuss -

• food review on complex carbs, meal options, spice kit
  
• chart work updates
  
• radio transmitter registered messages and email list.
  
• medical kit and look at other things needed there
  
• parkas and sunscreen!
  
• building chart cases
  
• safety kit - personal and group
  
• extraneous gear - tarps, ropes, gun, water filter spare
  
• our strategy for raising awareness - yahoo groups, lisa johnson emails out
  
• sea kayaker article - i have some thoughts on a cool follow up for the trip, for awareness
  
• shop gear - paddle, spray deck, ibex
• cameras - 4GB cards, extra batteries, charger compatibility
  
• radio - look at my m88, charger compatibility
• update my boat hydration system
• bug repellent
• build foot brace for Djuna and Mathew's boats
• books we can bring, share, read
• WKC presentation slots. other symposium openings
• blog review at the shop or library
  
• SKOOKS video tweak
• photoshop on the mac
  

Wow, big list, plenty of time. So we'll run into Friday night at Scott's or if you guys run late, we'll see you around 9:30am Saturday.

Have a great day!

seattlesupplies

hey djuna, matt - picked up supplies this weekend for chart cases. I ended up getting 3 yards of 12mil vinyl, only $6.50 per yard. we might be able to get over 6 cases out of it, big ole role! that marine supply store is amazing, would be perfect to kit out a van! also picked up the angle aluminum, hand knobs and carriage bolts (zinc though) for the foot braces.

read through the Lonely Planet tonight, Alaska with a section on the Kenai. talked about the entire west coast having razor clams. we need to tie a shovel to someone's back deck. can't wait to eat some of that goodness. still thinking about food ideas, options, changes...

back to personal lists and gear, made the hard decision today to leave the uggs home!

took my brother, his girlfriend and B to Lake Union on Saturday, a bit of snow but got a few miles in, they all seemed to love it, and raced after passing boat wakes - they all felt surf a wee bit!

snowing in the pacific northwest

it's April 19th. it's still snowing.
not concerned so much about the weather here
a late spring here...late spring in the Kenai.
late snow melt, late foliage, late berries, late salmon runs.
sure hope some warm weather comes soon.
otherwise we'll have snow on the beaches!

Homer, AK			High / Low (°F)	Precip. %
Today Apr 19		Cloudy	44°/33°	20 %
Sun Apr 20		Rain / Snow Showers	45°/34°	40 %
Mon Apr 21		Rain / Snow Showers	44°/35°	60 %
Tue Apr 22		Showers	47°/35°	60 %
Wed Apr 23		Sunny	48°/36°	10 %
Thu Apr 24		Few Showers	48°/36°	30 %
Fri Apr 25		Mostly Sunny	46°/36°	20 %
Sat Apr 26		Partly Cloudy	46°/36°	20 %
Sun Apr 27		Partly Cloudy	45°/36°	20 %
Mon Apr 28		Rain / Snow Showers	47°/35°	60 %

a pending date

Countdown!

This is the calendar I used before launching off to Central America last winter. It was fortuitous to find it when I was organizing for this trip. It reminded me to let the lists grow, keep prioritizing them, but be aware that they don't really get "completed".

Less than 1 month officially. Still much to do. ;)

hola amigos - a new post!

getting off the ground. right now using as a message board.
lots of changes can be made to the site, even the blog name.
all relatively easy, we can talk on orcas.

b and i are spinning moby right now, she's making jewlery.

i got the angle aluminum today for explorer and wicked little 'kap lv.
matt, i only got 1" zinc 10/24 carridge bolts, if you can find stainless.
will get chart case material next week.
got my icon m88 radio. trying to figure out what channel is weather. :)
also got new bladder tubing for on-water hydration, should be set there.
i'm ending with 10L dromedary for the group, and guessing the 6L will be day use.

i'm sorted with most other gear nicely.
still am on the fence totally on footwear- i want the uggs! say there's room?
got a great rubber sealine 30L for front of foot pegs.
i'm pysched for extra storage and to have a little weight there.

am thinking about beans, lentils, complex carbs, fats a lot.
who's getting wicked olive oil. is gee worth the space?
and also thinking on-water food options, trailmix blends still seem best.
djuna, thanks for that article from your PDX friend,
super helpful and also makes a ton of sense for what you feel on the water.
he recommends a daily multivitamin due to lack of fruits/veggies.

those are things top of my mind.
scotty and i are running middle middle tonight!!
it's running fast and ice cold!
looking forward to dynamic water.

on island 4/25.
gran sonrisa.
ciao.

practicing google course following

this map is out of gmaps.

Here's where they slept on May 27th


View Larger Map