Adventures
More Adventures
Since the York boat expedition ended, I’ve been having lots of adventures, although none as publicized as that one was! My honey and I went on a 4-day trip on the Hay River, which was awesome! Later, I went on a 2-day trip on the Chinchaga with a good friend of mine, and last week, I guided a 3-day trip on the Peace River. I taught my first introductory session for kayaks today too! So, I’ve been canoeing on overnight trips a total of 9 days, and sometimes, frankly, I just have to pinch myself. This is my job?!?! Man, I am the luckiest son-of-a- !
Today, we tried out our sailing canoe! Darren did all the rigging and took it out first, while I was kayaking, and figured out how to steer and turn and all that! When I was done, he took me across the lake, which was awesome! We actually had the boat tilting enough that I had to lean, which was exciting and a little scary, but in a good way. It was very cool. Unfortunately, we didn’t get any pictures of it, but I’ll leave you with a pic of the boat on land. Extra-special thanks to Uncle Keith for giving it to us! We love it!
And here’s a few from the Hay River and Chinchaga River trips!
Farewell York Boat
It’s hard to believe it’s been over a month since I came off the water from the York boat expedition. Time flies! I’ve been wanting to blog about it for weeks, but the trip was so amazing, it is difficult to put into words. I spent a couple of days after it was over at home, barely even aware of where I was, I was daydreaming so much. I was continually slipping away into the past, remembering things that happened on the boat.
All of us on the crew got along amazingly well, and we’ve formed such strong friendships. We were each other’s only friends, family, soul mates and work mates for 18 days — two days longer for the crew members who helped prepare beforehand. It was a bit of an adjustment getting used to having other people around, and although we did have people visit us along the way, we ate, worked, joked, and slept together all the time, so we became very connected. Some of it was the phenomena of bonding in a crisis, but most of it was simply kindred spirits living in pure friendship and adventure.
So, as always, life goes on. Everyone went back to their old jobs, or started new ones, and I’m back at juggling multiple projects, running my business, and volunteering. Ideas abound — some relating to the use of the York boat and some unrelated — and I am trying to decide which ones to follow up on and which to leave alone for now. Some times it’s tricky living in the present, because I still wish I could go back to those fun, inspiring times.
I will leave you with a few pictures of our trip! There are plenty more on the Flow North blog – York Boat Photo of the Day! Enjoy!
This Blur Called April
Wow, I can’t believe it’s been about month since I posted last! What a month it has been!
Fire Conference. I got to go to the fire conference in Peace River! It was a great time, although a lot of work and I’ve never worn BA (breathing aparatus) for that many days in a row. It’s heavy! But when I take it off, I feel so light, it’s wonderful. We got to meet lots of neat people, from other volunteer fire departments across Alberta, as well as some professional fire fighters. It’s great comparing departments and telling stories! At the various training sessions, we learned some new techniques and methods for escaping buildings in a hurry (see photo below) and how to get through a mess of wires. In fact, we learned too much to really go into here! We also helped run the phase 1 flashover chamber, where fire fighters get to see a fire develop to the flashover stage and practice the nozzle technique to prevent the fire from flashing over. It’s neat, and hot. Our job was to restock the chamber once a group was done, i.e. all the fuel was burned. We’d put the BA on, because it was pretty hot and smoky, shovel all the ash and whatever wood was left out, and then put new wood in the burn barrel, MDF sheets on the sides and roof and the back wall of the burn chamber, so that it could be lighted up for the next group. We worked hard, and several of the groups complimented us on how well we ran the chamber. 🙂 After the conference was over, we had the trainer come up to teach us how to use our brand-new phase 2 flashover trainer, which I also got to be a part of — not as an instructor, just to practice. It was great! And really hot! There was so much fire and heat in there, it was unreal. The first time I went in, I was totally overwhelmed by all the things I had to do, it was a blur. The second, third and fourth times, though, I was able to pay attention better. What an experience!
The York Boat. I’ve been working a LOT on the York boat expedition. Lately, I’ve been doing the trip planning, food planning, as well as buying supplies and getting costumes made. Well, I’m still looking for a seamstress, but I have a few good leads now to follow. Yes, we’ll be decked out in voyageur-type clothing as part of our attempt to be historically accurate! 🙂
The York boat has been taking up a lot of my time and efforts, and although it’s generally great, I get a little discouraged at times. I’m going to blog about this more tomorrow. There are still a couple of spots available for the trip, if you’d like to come (or know someone who would like to join in)! 🙂
Check out GeoTourism Canada’s facebook page!
Visiting an Active Cut-block
As part of my volunteering on the Forest Public Advisory Group, I was invited to go along on a forestry audit in February. It was a beautiful day to spend in the bush, at a logging camp and in areas of active logging.
We met at some ridiculously early time of morning — before sunrise by about an hour and half — and after buying subs for lunch, we headed out to the camp. It was about a 20-minute drive from town. About half the drive was on paved and gravel roads, and the other half was on logging roads, which are snow-covered and groomed. Road construction usually involves flooding the road to create a good, level driving surface and then scoring it with a grader (dragging a toothed blade). In summer, these roads are swampy, muddy paths through the bush! We visited a well-established logging company that has a big operation and pretty good set up. They have trailers put together to form common areas, offices, a kitchen and dining area for all the people who work there. Then there are several other trailers for the electrical generators, a mechanic shop and storage of oil and other materials. They even had a hockey rink and a teepee which they’d light a bonfire in to warm up in! Some people drive in each day for their shift — they operate 24/7 — but others live in “the village,” a collection of various mobile homes that have been temporarily set up for the winter log haul season.
After visiting and inspecting the office and main compound, we drove out to the active cut-block. I say “block,” but they are really amoeba-shaped areas. Only the spruce or pine are desired, since only one of our town’s two wood-producing facilities is currently operating. The spruce and pine is hauled to the sawmill, and if/when the OSB plant reopens, then the soft wood such as poplar will also be logged. OSB is oriented-strand board, which is a plywood-like sheet similar to particle board or MDF (medium-density fibreboard). Right now only the hardwood is logged to make lumber. So, the first person to work in a cut block, the man operating the feller-buncher, works to avoid the poplar and leave it standing while cutting down the pine or spruce. The buncher works by grabbing a bunch of trees with claws while simultaneously cutting the trees down using a huge rotating blade close to the ground. The claws then place the trees lying down in a bunch. Unfortunately, I didn’t get to see the buncher working, because the operator was already stopped, waiting to talk to us.
This particular company is very high-tech; every piece of machinery has onboard GPS, and all the cut-block details are loaded into the devices so the operators can see the perimeter on the screen. They can then make sure to stay within the boundaries and keep all the appropriate margins that are needed around riparian areas — creeks, rivers, marshes, etc. A certain percentage of trees are also required to be left as cover for deer and moose. Sticking to these standards is an important step for both the logging company and the sawmill that cuts the wood to obtain and keep their environmental certification. Most places (read: countries) will not buy wood or wood products that are not certified.
Next, we went to an area where a skidder and delimber were working. I got to ride in the skidder, which was crazy! The skidder’s job is to grab the trees left by the buncher and drag them to the “road” and pile them up along it so that the delimber can do its job and then the trees can be loaded onto trucks later. The skidder is a huge tractor-like contraption, hinged in the middle for manoevreability, with a giant claw on the back end with which to grab the trees. It can carry huge loads, and the young guy who was operating the one I rode in was both efficient and skilled. He deftly handled the controls (a couple of joysticks and a steering wheel) to wiggle the machine around standing trees, combine smaller piles of trees into one large load, and then drag them all to the road. The machine bounced along incredibly — someone with a bad back would have been in BIG trouble! — with its huge chained tires just churning over obstacles like stumps or piles of snow/wood up to 3 feet high. I got quite shook up, but of course, I loved it!
After clambering down from the skidder, I watched the delimber doing its work. One at a time, it picks up a tree, pulls it backward using toothed rollers, while overlapping curved arms which adjust to the diameter of the tree take the limbs off. When it’s cold as it is here, the limbs snap off pretty well. It then cuts the top off, according to the minimum size the sawmill wants, and lays the tree down in a neat pile.
A few things really amazed me. The machinery is huge and really well-designed for what it is intended to do. The people operating them seemed so young! Perhaps it is a side effect of my age (gasp!), in that men in their early 20’s look like boys, or, could it be the operators’ wholesome lifestyles (these fellows were all Mennonite)?! 🙂 I was amazed how big the working area was! We drove and drove and weren’t even at the farthest extent of the area. Companies like this, or perhaps a bit smaller than this, operate in the bush all around High Level and truck the logs in to the sawmill. Another thing that amazed me was the sheer number of logging trucks. As we were talking at the base camp, it seemed like a fully-loaded truck went by every few minutes. At that time, the log haul was somewhat slowed by not having enough truck drivers. I was told the mill receives 490 trucks per day, around the clock, which works out to about one every 3 minutes! And it’s all sustainable! We saw some areas that had been forested in the past and replanted, which was also great. It’s hard to believe that for the amount of trees we cut down in the winter logging frenzy, uh, season, we can replant and the trees will grow fast enough to be logged again in the future. That just goes to show what a huge area it is. It greatly changes the landscape and habitats for forest-dwelling critters — make no mistake — but as long as we keep wanting to build more houses and furniture out of wood, then we need those two-by-fours. Check out this Google maps link to see the wood piles at the Tolko sawmill.
Fire Practice Scenario
I know some of you just live for new stories about my experiences on the fire department, so I’ve got a good one for ya! 🙂 A week ago at fire practice, our chief and deputy chief came up with an exercise to test our practical abilities, to complement the classroom stuff we’ve been doing. The scenario was a structure fire in a single story building, and we weren’t sure if there was anyone inside. There were 12 of us involved in the scenario, enough for two fire trucks. The first time we ran the scenario, the team I was on was the first on the scene. As such, some of my teammates were tasked with putting on breathing apparatus to be the first people in. This means that as soon as we can get staged and water flowing, they are to go into the building, find the fire and start putting it out, and start looking for any survivors (2 people fight fire, 2 people look for survivors). I was tasked with “tagging the hydrant” which means that my job was to take the hose from the truck and attach it to the hydrant. There are several steps involved, and I’ve been trained on how to do it, but frankly, I’ve only helped with this once on a real fire scene and only done it by myself in training. So this scenario was good practice!
As soon as I had finished at the hydrant and radioed the pump operator that I was ready to flow water, I went to the truck to see what else I could do. We always have some water in the tank on the truck to start fighting the fire, but establishing a reliable water flow/source is very important. Back at the door of the pretend burning building, the “first up” team who had been doing search and rescue was just coming back out, so I was teamed up with another fire fighter to go in and continue the search. This was great — I had only learned about search and rescue a few weeks ago, and had never done it. I did everything I learned to do — followed my teammate and held on to her boot (it is often so smoky that you can’t see your partner so you have to go by touch), I had a tool (like a long crow bar) that I swept the floor with as we crawled, and I kept in verbal contact with my partner. Wouldn’t you know it, we found a casualty — Rescue Randy, a crash test dummy we have for training purposes. Man, that plastic dude is heavy! My partner, who is a petite-but-tough woman, and I started heaving Randy’s body out of the building. We didn’t have far to go, but we got some help from another team member when we got tired. He spelled me off and then I took over from my partner. It was exhausting work, and Randy only weighs 165 lbs. I was dripping in sweat by the time we were done.
What can I say — my team rocked! The chief and deputy chief said I did the hydrant perfectly, and we not only put the fire out, we found the casualty and got him safely out of the building. We had a little room for improvement in communication, but otherwise we had all done a great job! The second scenario was even more fun, and we rocked again.
This time, we were the second fire truck on the scene and our job was to back up the first crews. We were to immediately set up a Rapid Intervention Team (RIT), so that if anyone inside the building gets hurt, lost, or runs out of air, we go in and help them. We always make sure when two people are in the building, two people are outside standing by, just in case. Sure enough, just after we got all our gear out, the first call for help came. The team hauling out the casualty needed help. So, in went the first two people. My friend Colin and I were on the second RIT team, so we became next-up. A couple of minutes later, we got the call that part of the (pretend) building had collapsed on the two people who had been fighting the pretend fire. We quickly grabbed the RIT bag (which has an extra air tank and face mask) and went into the building. Colin totally rocked that situation! He confirmed that they were still with their hose line, so all we had to do was follow the hose to find them — an important detail that made our job much easier. In the scenario, they weren’t far in the building, but in real life, they might be around corners, up or down stairs, and following the hose is the easiest way to locate them. Once we found them, one guy, just to make it more fun, said “both my legs are broken.” Below the knees. Oh, geez. So, Colin coordinated how we would carry him out of the building and we did just that. I’m sure we jostled him a little and he would have been in some pain, but heck, when you’re in a burning building, you gotta be fast! Then, to go back in and help the other fire fighter out, Colin turned to me and said “how’s your oxygen?” Since we weren’t actually on oxygen and I had no idea how much time had elapsed, I just kind of went “uh, I dunno.” So, he grabbed my helmet with one hand on each side, looked me in the face and said “are you okay to go back in?” So I said “Yes!” and we did. We helped the second fire fighter, who could walk on his own, and the scenario was over.
Again, dripping with sweat. Exhausted. Happy! Sore knees (almost all the work in the building was crawling). But happy!
I learned a lot about how a complex situation like that would be managed, and I also really enjoyed actually doing many of the things I’ve been learning about. So there ya go! I was just a chattering away when I got home, and I still get excited when I think about it. 🙂 That’s how I know I’m doing the right thing for me — I’m excited every time I go on a call or go to practice!
Exhausted But Happy!
I now have a clue how to fight fires in buildings. This wasn’t what I’d planned to do today, but that’s how the day unfolded! (If you’re new to this blog, read about how I joined the volunteer fire department here.)
I started out with three things in my plan for the day: to have lunch with a friend, come home and finish the index for my book, and go for a workout. I had a very nice lunch with my friend and she suggested I come to a meeting at the town office with her, to work on strategies to help people be more physically active in and around town. About three-quarters of the way through the meeting, my pager went off — we were needed for a fire in a small native community about 100 km away. Off I went, grabbing my purse and winter coat and basically running out of the meeting. When I got to the fire hall, I wasn’t even the first person there (unbelievably, since I only had to drive a few blocks). I heard there would be a slight delay as the closer fire department had to be called and consulted with. But those of us who were there hung around and sure enough, we were dispatched to help. Off we go!
Now it’s not all thrills and excitement — we had about an hour’s drive to get there (more proof we live in the middle of nowhere). We arrived safely and we got to work setting up hoses, a water supply and whatnot. Before long, another firefighter showed me how to work the hose and I was spraying water on the hot spots. The building was very much toast when we got there, and no one was inside or anything, so we just had to get the fire out enough so that it wouldn’t cause trouble by reigniting. It was such hard work, and handling a charged hose was completely new to me. Sure, I’d used pressure washers, but fire hoses are the ultimate! Anyway, I ran the hose in front of the building and on the side, and on the back… With my right hand, my left hand, both hands. We lugged them all over, which got harder and harder as we went and the lines started to freeze up. They are incredibly heavy when they are full of water, and even heavier when full of ice and all stiff. Crazy.
I don’t want to give the impression that I worked for every single minute. I got to see a couple of friends who live there, which was really nice. When I had the chance, I warmed up and drank some ice-cold water. Are you noticing a theme here? 🙂 It was cold, about -20 C, but I shouldn’t complain. My fellow firefighters tackled a house fire last week when it was -37 with a wind (I was out of town, so I missed that one). Part of me wonders how things can even burn when it’s that cold, but they do! But water doesn’t flow well, hoses become twisted stiff bastards, toes and gloves freeze. Tonight, my pants even froze. They had a coating of ice all over them, and my mitts were so stiff, I could barely use my hands at times. Not because they were cold — the insulating mitts rock! — just because they were so stiff with ice on the outside. Finally, our work was done and we heaved all the frozen hose onto the truck and started the drive back.
As we drove, I was physically tired and a little sore, but mentally, I felt like I could do anything! I can tackle any other challenge, stop procrastinating, be uncomfortable, work hard and just do it, no sweat! What a feeling! It was probably a bit of an endorphin high, but it was great! 🙂 Great payoff for working, uh, more hours than I’d like to count. So I’m going to remember that feeling to motivate myself when I feel less-than-awesome!
I’m exhausted. My muscles worked to their limits at times. I have brand new straight-out-of-the-box biceps. I lugged hose until I was breathing heavy and my legs were weak. So I definitely got that workout I was planning for, just not the way I had planned it! 🙂
Related blog posts: My First Fire Fighting Calls | Ice Rescue
Hello 2011!
It’s hard to believe it’s actually 2011. Not long ago, it was weird to write “2010” on things, instead of “200_” and now 2010 is gone. What a year! Here are a few highlights from my life!
No more Flight Service. I worked my last day for Nav Canada on December 31, 2009. Only a few times in 2010 did I miss it… and I don’t regret the decision I made to strike out on my own. I don’t hold any bad feelings towards Nav Can, so all in all, it was a great experience! I would even consider going back… In all honesty, I sometimes miss telling people “I’m like an air traffic controller.” But I do not miss the shift work! Or getting up at 6 am to go to work when it’s -30 C in a snowstorm! But those were good times too, in their own way! Always an adventure!
Starting my own business. Starting Flow North Paddling Company was a huge highlight of 2010, and a heck of a lot of 
work! I loved setting things up, working on the website, ordering business cards, getting a new vehicle and then getting it covered in lettering. I’m having a lot of fun being my own boss, although it has its challenges too. There’s nobody pushing me to get out of bed early to go to work, except me! Then again, I have to live with the pushy part of myself (which usually kicks in at 8 pm or so) that wants to get this-or-that task finished…
Paddling the Peace River. I was so very blessed to paddle about 800 km of the Peace River, 430 km of that in a solo kayak, on my own in the wilderness. It was a challenge and a journey, but most of all, a blessing to be able to do it. It took 19 days, and if I worked for someone else, I would not have had that much time off! It was “research” but it was also a sort of quest. I didn’t know what I was looking for, but I found it! Peace, serenity, focus and clarity.
Joining the volunteer fire department. In the fall, I signed up for the volunteer fire department in my town. It has been another challenging and awesome experience. The people are great, I enjoy learning all kinds of new things, and I have made many new friends! I feel really well-suited to the work and enjoyed my first calls (what a day that was)! It gets my heart pounding, and hey, isn’t that what life is about?!?
Writing a paddling guide. Using a completely different skill set — researching, scouring through details, graphic designing, and writing — I have been creating a comprehensive paddling guide for the Peace River. It will be available online in the spring, through GeoTourism Canada’s website. They are paying me to write it, to make it available for free for all of you! I’ve enjoyed it, on the whole, although at times, it’s been challenging too. It’ll be great when it’s done! It’s been a priority for the last couple of months, so I’ll be glad to be done and have time for other things!
Almost finishing my book. In January 2010, I found an illustrator for my book. I started working on the finishing steps. Then, spring came and I got too busy with the paddling business to work on anything else. I took a little time in August to work on my book, and the paddling business slumped. I refocused, and the business came back a little. It’s amazing how one’s focus affects success! I had a friend do some editing for me… and when winter returned and the canoes and kayaks were put to bed, I resumed the formatting and other finishing work. I’m so close to finishing I can smell it. Hopefully by the end of next week!
Hmmm… it would seem like the theme of this year was challenges! Maybe it’s the theme for my life… in any case, I’m ready for another year, whatever it will bring! Book success! Canoe trips! Making more new friends! More writing! I know, I’m a week late, but let’s raise a glass to 2011!
My First Fire Fighting Calls
As I mentioned in a post a couple of weeks ago, I joined the volunteer fire department in September! It’s been an amazing experience, and a few days ago I went to my first call(s), so I thought I’d write a little about that, since this blog is “Adventures with Teresa” and it was sure an adventure!
Our fire department has the reputation of being one of the best in Alberta, and I can see why. There are 30 members, all volunteer, and one paid fire chief (who also has other duties in the town office). There is lots of training before you can go on calls, and when calls come, everybody scrambles to get to the hall as fast as they can. Along with all the other new recruits, I’ve been going to both Monday night practices and orientation classes. Some of the orientation is classroom-based, and some is practical. I used to feel so out-of-my-element, a fish out of water, but now I am starting to feel more comfortable. I know some of the people better. I know where to find stuff in the hall. I know how to do basic tasks. I have learned how to:
– wash trucks (I had previous truck-washing experience!)
– squeegee the floor (ditto)
– wash, dry, and wrap up hoses
– lay hoses in the trucks (the basics)
– rescue people who’ve fallen through thin ice (read about it here)
– stabilize cars or trucks that have been in accidents so that anyone trapped inside can be rescued
– use hand tools and power tools to safely cut cars or trucks apart to get an injured person out
– use a breathing apparatus — put it on, breathe with it, change and refill tanks
– understand and interpret fire behaviour
– use ladders
– use, inspect, and store various equipment, from light stands to use at night, to heavy pry bars
Even though I have learned a lot, there is so much more still to learn. I still don’t know where a lot of the equipment is kept. But I’m starting to feel strangely comfortable now. What I’m doing feels natural. When I used to go to VSU calls, there was usually a lot of anxiety and a good chance that I’d “take it home” — I’d still be thinking about what I saw or did several days later. We were dealing with people in the worst of situations, and a lot of it was emotional and psychological. I learned a lot in those times! And they were never comfortable. I feel like with more training, fire fighting (and all the other work that goes with it) will not be as stressful in that way. Yes, my heart pounds a little when the pager goes off, but it’s hands-on excitement and work, which appeals to me.
I am also really enjoying the camaraderie. The gang at the hall are such neat, great people — I’m really enjoying getting to know them all. My fellow fire fighters are getting to know me a little better too, which I think makes us all more comfortable around one another. It’s great when we see something that needs doing and all just pitch in… I mean, isn’t that the way our society is supposed to work? People working together can accomplish so much!
Anyway, I got to go on my first call, a motor vehicle accident, a few days ago. I can’t share too many details of the call. It was a head-on collision on the highway, and at first all we knew was there was a person trapped. Then we heard there was a vehicle on fire. Then that it was a gas truck. Hoo boy! Then we heard about 4 different versions of what the truck was carrying, but it turned out to be a propane truck. Not good! The cab was burning fully when we arrived on scene, so we quickly got some water on it to cool it down, and overall, we were really lucky it didn’t blow. If we had been even a few minutes later or had a few less gallons of water, it might have blown.
Just after we had finished putting all our hoses away and getting the tanker refilled, we got a call for a plane crash at the airport! Gads! So we turned around and high-tailed it back to town (the accident was about 50 km south of town) and as we went we got more details. It turns out it wasn’t a crash, yet, just an airplane with damaged landing gear. Well that’s a whole different story! A couple of minutes after we got to the airport, the plane came into view — sure enough, he was missing a tire on one side of his gear, but he still had one good tire. The pilot eased it down and landed uneventfully — except that he had an audience watching: about 5 cop cars, 4 fire trucks, and 5 ambulances. Pretty much all of High Level’s emergency services!
What a day! But you know what made my heart really pound out of my chest? As we were screaming through town — sirens wailing, air horn blaring — a person in a mini-van either didn’t see us (!) or decided to try and cross the highway in front of us!! SH*T! We had to brake and swerve a little, on roads that were slippery, not to hit this, ahem, person. (Insert string of curse words here.) What saved us was that there was so little traction, the mini-van couldn’t really get onto the road… but then when it braked, it slid about a foot. Sheesh! So please, if I may say — Give way to emergency vehicles when you see them! Don’t do anything stupid, like try to “beat them!” Be alert so you see them in the first place. Okay, that’s enough of a rant. I’m sure none of you, my wonderful, intelligent readers, would ever be that stupid. My heart pounds just thinking about it — creaming a mini-van with a tanker loaded with water going highway speeds.
So there you have it! You wanted adventure and you got it! Get out there and live life to the fullest! 🙂
Related Posts: Ice Rescue | Exhausted But Happy!
Finished the Paddling Trip
Well, I took Saturday, Sunday and Monday to finish the big trip on the Peace River I started in July, from Peace River (the town) to Fort Vermilion. I started at Tompkins landing, just a few metres from where I had finished about 5 weeks before. One major difference this time was that I didn’t have to dodge (or be aware of the comings and goings of) the ferry. The water level is so low, the ferry is anchored on the east side and not running at all. This means that all vehicle traffic has to drive to La Crete and Fort Vermilion the long way, through High Level. I definitely noticed the increased road traffic across the Vermilion bridge… but I’m getting ahead of myself.
The trip went really well! It’s about 136 km, and I didn’t push myself the first day, going only 34 km. Remember, my goal in the original trip was 50 km/day, which I held to, which would have meant a slightly shorter leg of only 43 km on the third day. This isn’t how it went, though! I did 34 on the first day, as I said, 49 on the second day, and 53 on the third. Whew!
I had nice weather on all days, and generally felt like I was really picking up from where I’d left off. Except that it was a bit cooler now. I had almost all the same equipment, except I added a collapsible bucket but forgot to bring a facecloth or towel, which meant I didn’t really need the bucket! I really missed the facecloth and towel, and I’m not sure how I forgot them. I was a little less strict about my list, since much of the stuff was still packed in dry bags and simply had to be reclosed. Obviously I had to pack clothes again, and I brought a few more items — a wool sweater for example, which I wore on the morning of the third day. I hadn’t packed warm gloves, which I also wished for, since it was a little breezy and cool on the evening of the second day.
I found some really unique spots to camp this time, so I was very happy about that. The first night, for example, I camped beside a dirt-quad trail, thinking it probably never got used. Nope. I had 5 horses and one quad pass by me, twice. Once on the way down to the water and again on the way back. I thought I might get trampled by one horse who was very skittish. It seemed she could smell me, but since I was in my tent (I went to bed early that night), she couldn’t see me, and instead only saw an odd blue cube (what would a tent look like to a horse?)! So I popped my head out and said “hi” but this didn’t calm her much! Now I was a disembodied head sticking out of an odd blue cube!
I knew this trip would be less remote than other sections I’d done, but this was more company that I’d expected!
The second night I had no visitors at all, as I was much farther from any roads or trails. I took a chance down a narrow channel between an island and the shore and found a great little spot, albeit a bit lacking in wind protection. I learned patience while I sat and held up a thick drybag as a windbreak for the cookstove — and yes, a watched pot will eventually boil! Supper was very tasty that night, perhaps because I was a little more tired. As I breezed by Atlas Landing on the second day, I think the people fishing and relaxing there must have wondered about me… I didn’t stop, just came very close, took a GPS point, said “hi…. yes, I’m on my way to Fort… I’ll arrive tomorrow. Have a nice day!”
The third day was the toughie. Not just because it was the farthest, and not even the slowest current, but somehow it was the toughest. I think my body was getting very tired and I was fighting a cold. I ate a Mars bar for energy at one point and immediately felt my throat get sore — not a good sign! I tried to stay hydrated, but I think I got a little dehydrated too. You really have to be very careful about this! Although I found Gatorade helpful in the first part of my trip, I think the sugar wasn’t helping my impending sore throat. I have found that sugary and fizzy drinks give me a sore throat even when I’m not overdoing it by paddling 53 km in one day! I was also surprised by how tired I was since I even paddled 60 km one day on the first trip (mind you, I was pretty toast after that).
The scenery along this reach is lovely as always. Many of the islands show more erosion than deposition, which was interesting. They had steep cliffs showing layers instead of the long, gradual slopes. The water level was so low, there were sand bars showing — really, it was the river bed — beside some of these steep cliffs. It was weird to see! I mean, a long, gradual slope just shows more when the water is low! But when it’s a cliff, it makes an “L” shape, and you can see the base of the “L!” So besides discovering all the shallow spots, sand bars, and gravel bars, I even got to see the actual river bed.
The BEST part about paddling at this time of year is the birds! I saw — no exaggerating — over 1000 sandhill cranes fly over me, and about 200 Canada geese migrating. I scared no less than 1000 Canada geese on the shores near Blumenort, but they didn’t start migrating. They just made a big ruckus, honking away, then flew around in circles or flew a little ways behind me and settled back again on the beach. I guess they weren’t quite ready for their Big Trip. 🙂 Overall, I bet I scared 2000 geese from along the shores (even though I never got very close)! By the way, the photo at left is Sandhill cranes, who fly very high and make wonderful “cooo cooo” noises that sound like they are gargling at the same time. Sometimes you can only hear them and can’t find them, they’re so high and so small. They’re very large birds, and quite a sight to see in large numbers! A friend and I saw a few hundred in a field about 2 weeks ago, and that was amazing too!
At long last, I saw the bridge that crosses the river, a lovely sight indeed. And truck after truck crossing it (remember, the ferry’s not running). I hope more than a few drivers looked out their windows, saw me and thought “man, that looks relaxing! I need a vacation!” I like to work hard, but I’m very much in favour of vacations! Perhaps instead they thought “geez, that person looks tired! She’s hardly paddling at all!” Um, ya, well, you would be too! I got a little extra wind (so to speak) after the bridge and paddled the glassy water to the welcome sign. How many villages do you know that have a welcome sign on their river? Then just a couple more km to the dock and I was done!
That’s all to report for now! I am still planning on doing the upstream reach of the Peace, from Hudson’s Hope (or thereabouts) to the town of Peace River. That’s about 375 km, which I was going to do in 7 days, but I might stretch it out a bit. The days are getting noticeably shorter (the sun sets at 9:15 pm now) and I think I’d like to try a more moderate pace of 30 km/day, with more time for exploring and campfire building! So, that’ll add up to about 805 km on the Peace — not quite half its length, actually. In case you think I’m
a) crazy,
b) nuts, or
c) bonkers
let me explain that I’m not just doing this to
a) be able to brag about how far I went this summer on my arms (the geese have me beat!), or
b) to have the most incredible core muscles ever (you should see me twist)!
I actually have really good reasons! They are
a) to have first-hand knowledge of the river so that when you rent a boat from us, we can really tell you what to expect, where you might like to camp, and some neat spots to explore, and
b) to write a Paddling the Peace guide for GeoTourism Canada (which you’ll all be able to download for free next spring), and
c) to write another book about all that I’ve learned on these long solo trips. (here’s my first book)
So there you have it. I am not nuts. I eat nuts. Then again, you are what you eat… 😉
Related Posts: Identity Crisis of a Magical Pixie | Three Hundred Kilometres…
Three Hundred Kilometres…
Well, yesterday afternoon at about 3:00 pm, I finished my paddle. I kayaked by myself all the way from Peace River, AB to Tompkin’s Landing (where the ferry crosses highway 697). I sprinted the last hour (about 11 km) because I saw a thunderstorm approaching and didn’t want to get caught in it. Here are a few stats for ya!
- – My GPS says 305 km paddled, but it was tracking while I walked around a bit too, so it’s probably about 295 km paddled or so.
– My GPS says I spent about 40 hrs 49 min moving and 20 hrs 28 min stopped. But of course it doesn’t account for time it’s turned off (at night, and at some stopovers).
– My gear weighed 86 lbs (39 kg).
– My kayak (a Prijon Kodiak) weighs 62 lbs (28 kg).
– I weigh 130 lbs (59 kg).
– Therefore, my arms and core body transported 278 lbs (126 kg) approx 300 km! (The current did help!) And I also lugged that 148 lb (67 kg) kayak up the shore repeatedly!
– I spent 6.5 days and 6 nights on the river.
– My average was 46 km per day. I aimed to do 50.
– I sat on shore through 2 thunderstorms, with nothing but a raincoat for protection! (That’s also why I didn’t make 50 km every day.)
– I used 1 bear-proof container, 6 dry bags, 1 mesh bag, and about 30 ziplock bags!
– Of the 6 times I camped in the wilderness, 4 times were completely away from people (more than 20 km). The 2nd night I camped at Sunny Valley with a farm and cottages nearby, and the last night I camped on a new friend’s yard (wonderful Metis man I just met). 🙂
– I did all this with no rifle, only a can of bear spray, but I didn’t see any bears. I don’t think I could have kept a gun dry anyway….
– I didn’t lose or break a single item I brought along. I think I only had to hunt for something once (I wasn’t sure where my hair elastic was).
– I had 1 bath, 2 “washcloth baths,” and washed my hair 3 times.
– I saw deer, moose, elk, wolf, various bird and beaver tracks. I saw actual deer, including some fawns, elk (one calf), beavers, bald eagles, other eagles/hawks. No wolves or bears.
– I heard all sorts of interesting sounds and birds that I wish I could identify! I’m pretty sure I heard an elk calling — it’s like a moo with a question mark!
I’ll post pics soon — I haven’t downloaded them all yet, as I suspect I might not have enough memory left on my computer to handle them all. I’ll have to clean it up a bit and delete some old stuff! There was some truly unbelievable, beautiful scenery… and I hope my much-zoomed photos of the elk cow and calf turned out! You can check out the progress map Darren made for me here.
Tidbits of wisdom from the water:
-
– You can’t check if something is dry with wet hands!
– Don’t make fun of a small cumulonimbus cloud, saying it’s “cute.”
– One stroke at a time, you get there.
– Every stroke counts. If you can make a little thing you do over and over again more effective, it adds up fast!
– Wind does not have to stop you — it may slow you down, but progress is progress.
– If you’re passing somewhere you may never be again, stop and explore!
Some other revelations:
One day, I was hunting through my clothes to find my a shirt to wear. I came across my long-sleeved purple striped shirt and said “yay! I love my purple striped shirt! I’ll wear that!” And I realized that I don’t say “yay!” about many of my clothes. So, I am getting rid of the ones that I don’t absolutely love.
I have way too much STUFF! I lived great for a whole week on 3 pairs of pants, 4 shirts, 2 pairs of undies, 1 set of PJ’s, and minimal other stuff. Why do I have all that stuff at home!?!?
I spent 2 whole days in very meditative paddling, partly because my shoulder was sore so I had to pay close attention to make sure I wouldn’t hurt it or pull a muscle. It was so enlivening! Now, I find I am doing everything more meditatively. In fact, even just walking around making camp was meditative in a way, because I had to watch every step, make sure I wouldn’t twist an ankle on a rock, or put something down in such a way that would allow it to fall over and roll into the water. Or thinking about where to put each and every thing my hand touched — because if I put it down in a bad place, it could get muddy, wrecked, lost, or simply be too far for when I needed to reach for it. So my every action became a meditation.
Initially, I had an attitude of independence and exploration. Later on, I had a feeling of harmony with nature (not independence or separation or being apart from nature) and discovery. In this sense, discovery is more “let’s see what’s out there” and exploration is more “let’s find stuff and claim territory” (more ego).
There are so many more things I learned/realized…. some will be whole blog posts of their own! But it’s getting late and I was going to go to bed early, so I’d better get to it! 🙂 And I plan to paddle the last 130 km soon (from Tompkin’s to Fort Vermilion)! It will take about 3 days — let me know if you want to join me! I wouldn’t mind company!
Related Posts: Identity Crisis of a Magical Pixie | Finished the Paddling Trip | Peace River Expedition
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Adventures with Teresa 