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Port Hardy, Vancouver Island to Muir Glacier, Alaska. 30 days and 1000 miles |
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As I write this update, I am aboard the BC Ferries Northern Expedition. My travelling companion is Martin, Aisling’s father. This is just one of the many ways to travel along the famous inside passage route from Port Hardy at the North of Vancouver Island to Prince Rupert, just 50 miles south of the Alaskan border. The journey will take just 15 hours on this luxury high speed ferry. In stark contrast, the three members of the team paddling the route in sea kayaks are scheduled to take 10 days to travel the 331 mile route. They should arrive in Prince Rupert on June 25th, and myself and Martin will be there awaiting their arrival. However, the journey does not end at Prince Rupert, the team will paddle onto Alaska with Glacier bay the final destination scheduled for July 14th.
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A Baptism of Rain and Tides |
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A Baptism of Rain and Tides…… - Thursday, June 25, 2009
A Baptism of Rain and Tides....
The Big 5 Kayak Challenge Team has been re-united in Prince Rupert. Ten days of expedition paddling covering 330 miles has brought its fair share of trials and tribulations. With approximately 600 miles and 20 days remaining, I am sure there will be many more!
Since departing Bella Bella on Saturday morning, tides and currents have hampered progress. With average speed now down to 3 miles per hour, paddling time has increased to an average of 10 hours per day. Aisling commented “It is heartbreaking when you are paddling maybe 5 miles and hour but losing 2 to 3 miles and hour to the tide. Unfortunately, the demanding schedule means we don’t always have the time to wait for tides to turn, paddling against the tide has become a daily event”
Finding suitable campsites has proved more difficult than expected. Often, there may be just one possible campsite along a 10-mile stretch of the route. A Typical campsite could be anything from a small granite ledge, clearing in the forest or a piece of rocky beach. Saturday night was spent in Klemtu, a small first nations village. The narrow channel North of Klemtu is renowned for fast moving tides of 5 knots or more so the team had no choice but to wait until the tide was in their favour and finally set off 3.30pm Sunday. Blissfully unaware of these plans, myself and Martin along with captain and crew spent most of Sunday on look out aboard the BC ferries Northern Expedition. The extra daylight hours of the summer solstice certainly helped as the team had a late night of paddling ahead of them to ensure they covered enough distance.
Summer solstice brings with it some less welcome problems with the highest tides of the year. This year we have had the highest tides for 20 years. Along with this, the high rainfall over the last ten days brings with it additional hazards. The fast flowing rivers pick up huge quantities of logs and trees and spew them out into the ocean. An unfortunate by product of the logging industry that was once widespread in these areas. These logs can be over 30 meters long and are very difficult to spot from a kayak.
Monday night camping was spectacular. Tents were pitched on flat granite shelves alongside a large waterfall. The problems really started Tuesday morning. Upon waking in the pouring rain, the team found themselves some 4 metres above the water level with a vertical drop down the rock face the only route back to the water! Not having time to wait for high tide, the 3 fully loaded kayaks had to be lowered into the water on ropes and the team then abseiled down the rock face. No mean feat considering the wet, slippery conditions and choppy waters below.
After a long days paddling and covering approximately 35 miles, the team pulled into a gravel beach for Tuesday nights camp. This particular beach was a rocky gravel affair with large piles of logs, tree trunks and driftwood at the top. They pitched their tents at the top above the seaweed line and just short of the forest. Richard wandered into the forest to check for a suitable clearing but had no luck. When we met up at Prince Rupert he told me “There was bear feces all over the forest floor and I spotted some large bones, presumably something the bears had eaten. I decided I’d wait until morning before telling the team!” The team was awoken at 1.30am to find 6 inches of cold seawater in their tents, sleeping bags soaked, pitch black and still raining! Forced to abandon the tents, Richard and Aisling curled up in bivi bags on top of some large logs. Geoff had spent 30 minutes trying to pack away his tent and wet kit, standing knee deep in the cold seawater. Once packed away, Geoff decided to sit in his kayak, pulled the tarp over his head and tried to get some rest. The tides were not in favour until 10am the next day. However, at 5am and suffering with the effect of the cold Geoff decided he needed to get paddling so set off to try and cover the 75 miles to Prince Rupert in just one day. Geoff commented, “Having spent 4 hours sitting in my kayak and getting colder, the only way I was going to warm up was by paddling. I was just too cold to hang on until 10am so decided to go for it”.
Geoff made it most of the way to Prince Rupert but was forced to rest up Wednesday night and make the final push Thursday morning. With camping prospects so limited due to the high tides, he spent the night on top of a large log rapped in a towel and inside his bivi bag. Geoff told me, “It was the only thing I could find that was likely to be above the high tide level, the tide actually rose two thirds of the way up the log!” The next day he made the final 15miles or so to Prince Rupert. Rough seas and poor visibility hampered his progress and made navigation very difficult. Finally just a couple of miles short of Prince Rupert he accepted a pick up from a passing motor boat and was delivered to prince Rupert harbour safe and sound.
Meanwhile, after a miserable night curled up in the Bivi bags on top of some logs, Richard and Aisling finally set off at 10am Wednesday morning. It was not long before they met up with Glen, an American solo kayaker who started his journey in Seattle some 51 days earlier. Glen had been covering a far more sedate 15 miles a day but he decided to push himself and joined Richard and Aisling for the two day 75 mile paddle to Prince Rupert.
Despite selecting the highest ground available without climbing a tree, the team were once again flooded and forced to spend Wednesday night sleeping on a mossy tree stump above the high water line in the pouring rain. To compound matters, Richards kayak capsized during the night and soaked all of his remaining kit. Finally at 11pm Thursday evening Richard and Aisling arrived in Prince Rupert. Greeted by myself, Martin and the cheers of some friendly locals on the balcony of the harbour side pub.
Ollie Jay arrived in Prince Rupert Thursday morning. Ollie will join the paddling team for the next two weeks before returning to the UK. Unfortunately, Ollie arrived a little lighter than expected having had much of his expedition food confiscated by customs due to its meat content. To add to this, one of his two bags had been left in Vancouver by the baggage handlers. Luckily, the bag turned up that afternoon and we have enough spare food to keep him going for the two weeks that he is here.
Finally re-united after a grueling few days, the team relaxed around the open fire in the garden of the Pioneer hostel. We were even treated to a few songs and guitar by fellow kayaker Angela who was also staying at the Hostel. It was decided that Friday would be a rest day and give the team a chance to dry off their vast amount of wet kit.
Friday evening, the whole team sat down for a meal at a local restaurant. We were pleased that Glen could join us and all found it amusing to hear that Glen spent Tuesday night in a cosy log cabin with open fire and fresh fish, just a couple of miles from the camp site where the team were first flooded. Glen told us “It was so warm, I slept with the window open and didn’t even finish the fish”………Sickening!
Saturday Morning the team set off from Prince Rupert harbour and headed North to Alaska. High winds of up to 30 knots are expected over the next few days, which will make for some rough sea conditions. Fingers crossed the team will cope well and we hope to see them in Ketchikan Monday evening.
Wildlife spots since the last update include a huge humpback whale, pod of orcas, family of sea otters and a black bear grazing along the coast as they paddled by.
You can follow the teams progress via the live SPOT GPS tracker on http://www.spotadventures.com/user/profile?user_id=43684 |
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A ‘Warm’ Alaskan Welcome…. - Monday, July 06, 2009
A Warm Alaska Welcome...
The Big 5 Kayak Challenge team have now entered Alaskan waters and reached the half way point of their journey along the inside passage. We met up with the team at Ketchikan, Alaska’s first city and ‘Salmon Capital of The World’. Since leaving Prince Rupert Saturday morning, the predicted storm force winds have not disappointed! Strong winds, and heavy seas have hampered progress and given us our first ‘swimmer’. The experience of fourth team member Ollie Jay has been most welcome. A professional sea kayak coach and guide with Active4seasons, Ollie paddles big seas day in day out. Ollie does not only bring additional experience to the team, his wind up radio and bottle of whisky has also gone down well around the campfire! Richard Harpham commented, “It has been a difficult few days of paddling, the storms coincided with us being outside the shelter of the fjord like cliffs and channels and in rough open sea. It was challenging for all of us and we were glad we had spent time training in the North Sea with Ollie, refreshing drills and skills just a few weeks before this expedition”.
After leaving Prince Rupert Saturday morning, the team stopped for lunch in the First Nations town of Port Simpson. Upon arrival, they were welcomed into the house of a local lady, given a slap-up meal and even a Sockeye salmon for their journey. Aisling commented “it was very humbling to have a complete stranger welcome us into their home and show such hospitality”. The team left Port Simpson, bellies full, fresh salmon on board and paddled towards the US border of Alaska. The storm force 7 winds made for a challenging afternoon of paddling. That night they wild camped at the site of an old abandoned cabin, and met up with Bill, another kayaker. Bill is shortly to turn 50 and is planning to be in Alaska for a joint celebration as the state will also be 50 years old this year. Bill turned out to be an incredible character, he has walked, cycled and kayaked most of the long expedition routes around the world. In fact next year will see him reach an incredible 5,000 nights out, camping rough.
Next day, the team pressed on towards the Alaskan border accompanied by Bill, who was grateful for the support in such rough conditions. Bill paddles a 45 year old canvas and wood kayak, a complete contrast to the state of the art Wilderness Systems kayaks that the Big 5 Kayak Challenge are using. Things were going well despite swell and waves of almost 3m and the team headed down the final inlet before entering Alaskan Waters. Things then changed suddenly for the worse. Geoff Tilford was paddling alongside Bill and in an effort to avoid hitting Bills canvas boat, was caught broadside to a massive wave. He was pitched into the icy cold Alaskan Water. Geoff made two attempts at an Eskimo roll, but with a heavy kayak weighing nearly 70kgs and big waves he was forced to exit.
Richard and Ollie raced to his assistance to perform a deep water rescue. Geoff told me “Ollie’s experience day in, day out of working in big seas was invaluable. We knew we needed to be quick as I was in danger of hypothermia in the cold water. The sea was too big to allow us to empty the boat across the other two so we were forced to part empty it. I then climbed in and pumped out the remaining water. We then paddled to the nearest shore about 2 miles away to dry off and get a hot drink.” Crisis averted, we can now all have a laugh at the expense of our first ‘swimmer’. Having finally made it into Alaska, the team were forced to pull up on a deserted island and wait for conditions to improve. Faced with a long open sea crossing in extremely rough conditions, this was certainly the sensible option. Conditions did not improve that day, and there was a sense of disappointment as the team had effectively lost a day due to the bad weather.
The following morning with conditions still pretty interesting the team set out to paddle the 68 miles to Ketchikan. Their 6am start was soon rewarded when the team spent half an hour paddling with a pod of killer whales near the Lord Islands. They then headed around Cape Fox and along the coast. With conditions now much improved, a more direct route was taken to try and make up some miles. This new route saw the team headed for Mary Island, about 25 miles from Ketchikan. With the aid of the SPOT GPS tracker, myself and Martin soon spotted this new course. From the comfort of the hotel room, a quick google search revealed a gravel beach and flat lawn surrounding the lighthouse on Mary Island. ‘Perfect for camping’ we thought.
It seems the picture we found on the internet of Mary Island lighthouse was probably taken some years ago. The level and well kept lawn is now 3ft tall rough grass and weed. Fortunately, the lighthouse is no longer manned and the front door was off its hinges. The team all had a good nights sleep, warm and dry inside the lighthouse. The front door was temporarily fixed to prevent any curious bears popping in for a visit.
A 20 mile paddle on Tuesday and the team arrived in Ketchikan, officially at the half way stage and nearly 500 miles behind them. Local float plane operators Pacific Airways, were kind enough to let us store the kayaks on one of their pontoons. With no rest day planned, after a quick interview with the local paper, the team were back on the water the following morning. We will catch up with them in approximately four days time at Petersburg where another team member Rob Bates will join the expedition.
Wildlife spots since the last update include the pod of killer whales and two porpoises that swam right under Geoff’s kayak, just inches below his paddle.
You can follow the teams progress via the live SPOT GPS tracker on http://www.spotadventures.com/user/profile?user_id=43684 |
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Spirit of the Inside Passage |
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The team have been taken aback by reception they have received from local people along the Inside Passage both in British Columbia and in Alaska. Without exception, all the people the team have encountered along the way have been extremely supportive and incredibly friendly. There have been countless examples of generosity and support along the way. In Bella Bella, a local marine engineer loaned a boat to the team’s film crew for the day. In Klemtu, a first Nation community, Doug, a local eco-tour guide, opened up his office to let the team dry off and sleep for the night.
In Port Simpson, Alaska, a first nation community, Marissa, a town resident, invited the team into her home for tea. The team were provided with a full dinner and sent on their way with a sockeye salmon for that night’s feast. In Petersburg, Bob, a Reverend of the Presbyterian Church, and keen kayaker, opened up the church for the team to sleep in and fix food. Reverend Bob kayaked with the team for the first 6 miles out of Petersburg the following day. The team’s arrival in Juneau, the Alaskan capital, was marked by a stay at the historic 4 star Baranof Hotel, organized by the Alaskan Tourist Industry Association. At Gustavus, the final town along the way, and gateway to Glacier Bay National Park, the team were again taken aback by the assistance of the local people in helping them on their way.
The team’s film crew, who traveled the distance by ferry and met up with the team at various towns along the way, were equally amazed by the friendliness of the local people and the support and assistance they were provided with in Bella Bella, Shearwater, Prince Rupert, Ketchikan, Petersburg and Juneau. The size of the 5th challenge seemed to capture the imagination of local people, they know how tough life and the natural environment can be on the inside passage. Local press followed the story along the way in Ketchikan and Juneau and the team enjoyed hearing that their endeavours had inspired local people to get out their kayaks and get paddling in one instance after a 10 year break. One local Juneau resident Suzanne befriended the support crew as well as the paddling team, she invited them to breakfast at her home, took them Whale watching for a day in her boat and even baked a cake for camera man Simon Bevan on his birthday.
Expedition Leader Richard Harpham commented, “Our expedition has been fantastic with all the adventure, hardship and beautiful scenery we expected. We have made so many friends and contacts along the way. The support from the local people is something we will never forget. Time and time again we have been amazed at the interest people have taken in our expedition and at the assistance and support we have been rendered. The generosity and spirit of the people along the Inside Passage must date back to a time when people literally could not have survived here without assistance from each other, and so helping others has become an inherent part of how people here live their lives. We feel that we have so much unfinished business and will be coming back. Personally I have fallen in love with the magic of the Inside Passage and many of the places along the way”.
People can follow the team’s expedition with updates and images on their website www.big5kayakchallenge.com This is the 5th challenge undertaken by the team. Others have included crossing the English Channel, the length of the River Thames, around the Isle of Wight and Lands End to the Isles of Scilly. All of the challenges have been aimed at raising funds for the Muscular Help Foundation, a Muscular Dystrophy Charity. All funds raised go direct to the charity and the team cover all costs associated with the various challenges. The team have also been raising awareness for the River Access Campaign, which seeks to allow kayaking and canoeing on English & Welsh rivers (currently there is only access to 3% of them).
You can review the teams expedition route via their SPOT GPS satellite tracker. Just visit this link… http://www.spotadventures.com/trip/view?trip_id=170785
The expedition was being filmed for a feature length documentary, including footage of the previous four challenges. |
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