Training Log Archive: Bash

The forecast said we'd have moderate winds, rising in the afternoon and getting stronger in the evening when thunderstorms were expected. Although 'Bent and I had food for 5 days, we decided to head out after 3 days because the wind wasn't looking good for the next 2 days and we were going to be in exposed areas. That meant a long 3rd day of paddling. I'm not a morning person so I don't see a lot of sunrises but I was up early today.







We paddled from the outer islands into Beaverstone Bay, the east side of PEI, which has a channel for motorboats.







Then we paddled west on Collins Inlet to complete our circumnavigation of Philip Edward Island at Chikanishing Creek. It had been years since our last circumnavigation and I remember not enjoying Collins Inlet. At first I couldn't understand why. It seemed scenic and pleasant.





The pier of the old settlement of Collins Inlet



After a while, it all came back to me. Collins Inlet seems really nice for about 5 km. The problem is, it goes on for 20 km - pretty but monotonous with occasional motorboats going by. The last time I paddled there, I had knee pain so that must have affected my mindset too. In any case, it was a great place to escape the wind today and we made it back without dealing with any nasty weather.

I'd been able to get some cell signal so I booked us a campsite at Killarney's George Lake campground before the long drive home.

The wind was forecast to rise quickly after lunch so 'Bent and I planned to paddle non-stop until 1 pm, then set up camp. It was a gorgeous paddle, weaving in and out of rocky islands. There was a little spicy paddling in open water that was exposed to the wind. We opted to take Big Rock Portage for the first time - a half km portage that gets around a point that can have rough water around half-hidden shoals. It's not fun portaging kayaks and it took us three trips but it was a good call for today. We learned later that a group of experienced kayakers went out this afternoon in an exposed area near Philip Edward Island. Four out of five of them capsized on shoals; they were all OK but shaken up.

We made it to our destination, Bear Bay, around 1 pm as planned. Our campsite was gorgeous! We spent the afternoon swimming, taking photos and drinking an extra pot of coffee. Alas, I flung my Katadyn BeFree water filter into the depths of Georgian Bay while trying to scoop a big flask full.

From about 10 minutes after we left our campsite this morning, the only people we saw were two kayakers way out on the horizon in open water. That lasted until 6 pm when three men paddled into our bay. We had a friendly chat because they wanted to know their exact map location, then they headed off to camp two islands over.

Paddling - no photos taken in rougher conditions







The last part of the portage was a drag over grass and mud.



That was followed by a short paddle through shrubbery.



Our campsite on Bear Bay







Evening light







Happy Campers

After a nice visit with Hammer and Etoile enroute, 'Bent and I arrived in Killarney in late afternoon and paddled our sea kayaks down Chikanishing Creek to Georgian Bay. It only took about 1 hour and 5.3 km to get to Le Hayes Island and Solomon Island, where we hoped to camp. Unfortunately, we'd left it late on a Friday so we spent another 40 minutes looking for a campsite. We ended up on a site with a decrepit shelter / houseboat wreck that is probably used for fishing or parties or ??? There was more garbage than usual but it was still a lovely island with a view of sunset and the La Cloche Mountains.

Chikanishing Creek



Georgian Bay









Our campsite

After 3 busy weeks for Wilderness Traverse, 'Bent and I are going to traverse some of our own wilderness! We're taking our old sea kayaks out on Georgian Bay for a few days. It's a different way of packing; I can't remember exactly how I used to divide my stuff up into dry bags so they would fit through the hatch openings. We'll figure it out when we get there if we didn't get it right in the first place. I predict a late start on the water.

The down side of organizing a large adventure race is that it gets in the way of my own adventures for several weeks - not to mention my sleep, nutrition and exercise. There is still plenty to do for Wilderness Traverse but at this point, most tasks are not urgent - whereas until Sunday night, almost every task was urgent! It's time to get outdoors a little more.

I went for a hike on the Caledon Trailway with Janet Trépanier, the wife of my late friend and one-time adventure racing teammate, artist Cory Trépanier. He died of cancer in November as he was nearing the end of a large 10+ year Arctic painting and filming project.