Friday morning I left campus at 10 AM for a three day kayaking/camping trip. My food and clothes were stuffed into dry bags and I knew that the trip would consist of me being cold and wet almost the entire time. Once we loaded up the vans with all of our gear, we headed out towards Echo Cove where we launched our kayaks (it's about a 45 minute drive from campus). Our kayaks were filled with our dry bags, tents, MSR stoves, fuel bottles, sleeping bags, and pots. It all some how managed to fit after finagling around with everything for a little bit. We paddled for about two hours and took a break at Pyroglyph to reenergize ourselves and take a bathroom break. Going to the bathroom while being dressed in layers and a drysuit is probably one of the most time consuming things ever and makes you second guess your ability to hold it for a few more hours. About after an hour or so of "breaking" we continued our journey and ended at Berner's Bay where we set up camp. It was cold. And rainy. Our food tent began to blow away so there was almost no shelter from the rain while eating. And eating in our tents was not an option as it could attract the bears living near camp.
Before everyone called it a night (about 8:30 PM) we had to hang our food from trees so bears could not access it. I ended up sleeping fairly well that night, in my two pairs of running pants, fleece pants, sweat pants, rain pants, two under armor shirts, fleece sweatshirt, fleece ski mask, and mittens. Oh, and let's not forget about the dry wool socks. Saturday morning ended up being really nice--in regards to the weather. However, we were unable to paddle at all that day because of the conditions of the sea. So instead, we stayed at Berner's Bay where we went on a hike and spent time chopping down trees to get firewood. There was so much wood, and it was well worth it because from about 3:30 to 9:30 it got cold again and everyone was huddled around the fire with their dinners.
Saturday night I did not sleep so well, possibly because I was colder than the night before. So Sunday morning was a little bit of a struggle. But thanks to some coffee and a breakfast of instant mashed potatoes, I was Golden Girls golden for the rest of the day. We left camp around 10:30 AM and the water was a bit choppy but not unbearable. We stopped at Sawmill Creek to reenergize with some food and a small hike to a beautiful waterfall. After leaving there around 1:15, we continued our paddle. And lucky me, my rutter broke. Which meant I was unable to steer in the high winds and wavs. So I had to go to shore again to get it fixed. From that point, we paddled more and more when the seas just blew up. The wind was blowing like crazy, the waves were ridiculous, and we were fighting the current. Because of the conditions, we stopped at a little cove to pull out our kayaks and get the vans (about a 3 mile walk). And lucky us, the gates were closed which meant instead of driving the vans down, we had to carry all of our gear and about 15 kayaks to the end of the road (about a one mile walk). It was treacherous.
Getting back to my warm room that night was a comforting feeling. I was able to dump out all of the water from my rainboots, change out of my soggy socks, and not be covered in sand. I also apparently smelled really bad, at least that's what my roommates told me right when I walked in the door.
Despite the cold rain, high currents, blistered hands, cuts from tree branches, and being hissed at by seals, it really was a wonderful weekend--so many mountains, wildlife, fires, campfire food, and funny stories. While being out on the sea, I was able to reflect on various aspects of my life, which I feel like I haven't been able to do in a really long time. With each day that I'm here, I feel more and more blessed.
- A
Before everyone called it a night (about 8:30 PM) we had to hang our food from trees so bears could not access it. I ended up sleeping fairly well that night, in my two pairs of running pants, fleece pants, sweat pants, rain pants, two under armor shirts, fleece sweatshirt, fleece ski mask, and mittens. Oh, and let's not forget about the dry wool socks. Saturday morning ended up being really nice--in regards to the weather. However, we were unable to paddle at all that day because of the conditions of the sea. So instead, we stayed at Berner's Bay where we went on a hike and spent time chopping down trees to get firewood. There was so much wood, and it was well worth it because from about 3:30 to 9:30 it got cold again and everyone was huddled around the fire with their dinners.
Saturday night I did not sleep so well, possibly because I was colder than the night before. So Sunday morning was a little bit of a struggle. But thanks to some coffee and a breakfast of instant mashed potatoes, I was Golden Girls golden for the rest of the day. We left camp around 10:30 AM and the water was a bit choppy but not unbearable. We stopped at Sawmill Creek to reenergize with some food and a small hike to a beautiful waterfall. After leaving there around 1:15, we continued our paddle. And lucky me, my rutter broke. Which meant I was unable to steer in the high winds and wavs. So I had to go to shore again to get it fixed. From that point, we paddled more and more when the seas just blew up. The wind was blowing like crazy, the waves were ridiculous, and we were fighting the current. Because of the conditions, we stopped at a little cove to pull out our kayaks and get the vans (about a 3 mile walk). And lucky us, the gates were closed which meant instead of driving the vans down, we had to carry all of our gear and about 15 kayaks to the end of the road (about a one mile walk). It was treacherous.
Getting back to my warm room that night was a comforting feeling. I was able to dump out all of the water from my rainboots, change out of my soggy socks, and not be covered in sand. I also apparently smelled really bad, at least that's what my roommates told me right when I walked in the door.
Despite the cold rain, high currents, blistered hands, cuts from tree branches, and being hissed at by seals, it really was a wonderful weekend--so many mountains, wildlife, fires, campfire food, and funny stories. While being out on the sea, I was able to reflect on various aspects of my life, which I feel like I haven't been able to do in a really long time. With each day that I'm here, I feel more and more blessed.
- A
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