Volume 1, Issue 2 Wetblades, November 2002
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Club Votes New Executive In! Well… they were new when this article was originally written! |
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Hear ye! Hear ye…
The Comox Valley Paddlers general meeting held in April has ushered in the Executive for 2002. President: John Wolsey Vice President: Chris Kissinger Past President: Keith Barnard Secretary: Barb Dobree Treasurer: Kim Porter Directors: Dave Blamire Dave Clegg Michel Gauthier Newsletter: Steve Flawith Publicity: Cheryl Fink Coordinator: Keith Barnard Webmaster: Michel Gauthier Thank you to those who have served and helped out 2001 and also to those who have volunteered carry the flag for 2002! Note: Club elections will be held in the spring of every year. |
The Meeting: The meeting was a tense one with many members vying for a limited number of seats on the Exec. However once the politicking was done and the ballets counted everything settled down again and it was almost business as usual. Naturally the new Exec immediately granted themselves unlimited powers to unilaterally assign tasks to the minions during all club trips… The members however revolted when the new President also tried to declared a motion that free beer must also be made available by said members to the Executive at any official function of the club. After the new President had been whipped back into line and the meeting closed before anymore errant motions could be enacted, the Chief scared the livin’ daylights out of us by showing a BEAR AWARE & SCARE video. Needless to say, the frazzled members then quickly adjourned to the nearest public establishment in order to calm shattered nerves! (Now
this is really old news as the Newsletter has been
So come to the meetings… anything can happen!
Appy’s for Orca? |
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Newsletter Notes (and Other Heavy Thinking) |
Guess who is this and when did it happen? |
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It seems that the Summer has just blasted by and disappeared again just as I was getting into good paddling form againl… I’m sitting here at the computer just thinking that we didn’t do enough paddling stuff this year. So I went back through all my old emails and started writing down things that we’ve done and the next thing you know there’s a whole list in front of me and I’m wondering… we did all that!? |
We actually did more this year than ever
before and now it’s becoming addicting… one trip finishes and the
next thing you know it’s… aahhh where should we go next?… to the
mountains, the ocean, the rivers, the West coast or the East, up to I can’t stand it anymore… let me out of here… I gotta go… I’ll do the Newsletter next week.. (I promise!) The Editor.
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Members Attending: Norm & Denise, John & Bev, Sharon D., Steve & Wendie, Michel & Blanche
A really nice day finally happened for this event. Absolutely gorgeous - sunny & warm.
The group met at Zeller's Parking lot at 9:30 AM (as per Friday's email) and
headed down the highway to the duel at Tombstone... err I mean, Spider Lake.
Arrived at the lake to find that the gates to the main parking lot were padlocked and the park wasn't actually officially open yet. However that did not deter any of the intrepid paddlers from either Nanaimo or Courtenay. We all just off loaded down the road a bit and carried over a small hill to the lake.
Most of the Nanaimo gang had arrived a bit before us and had the games course already laid out in front of the beach area (that was a sandy beach area of course). After a bit of a how do and a chat it was decided to proceed with the games right away as some of the attendees had to leave early for other commitments (i.e. MOTHER’S DAY).
The crafty Komoux crew knew right away that they had to get the jump on the Nanaimo bunch so they volunteered to supply a totally unbiased Referee and Score Card Keeper so spectators Michel and Blanche were pressed into service in order to keep things totally fair... (well okay... fairly fair... mostly fair... pretty well almost close to fair... well it wasn't blatant!)
First up was a quick little game involving racing to get a numbered buoy out of a whole bunch of buoys which were scattered across the lake. First one back with their own correct numbered buoy won... buoy oh buoy this boy's getting confused. Someone won but don't know who. Anyways it was just a warm up for the next thing.
The second event was a paddling skills challenge where the canoe or kayak is paddled in a rectangle while facing in one direction only, ie paddle forward, side slip sideways to the right, then paddle backwards and finally sideslip to the left to end up where you started.
There was a great number of different techniques displayed including the left reverse right sideslip magnificently demonstrated by Sharon D. who unfortunately got so wound up in the demonstration that she forgot to finish the course and was therefore disqualified.
Another great demonstration of "how to save the canoe from tipping over when it's at 90 degrees to the water" was done by that great paddling team of Wendie and Steve (who had learned it straight from that Master Paddler, Michel, at the Snow to Surf fiasco two weeks prior).
The surprise winners of the event turned out to be Norm & Denise who turned in a blistering lap which was due to Denise's stunning dexterity with the sideslip paddle despite having to compensate for Norms lack of direction (where have we seen this before?) while doing the reverse back-me-up-straight.
Bev W took the award for "Best Looking Kayaker with Artistic Paddling Flair" by making the sideslip in a kayak look like a real art form. And John W. got the award for "Most Disgruntled Kayak Portage’r in Group" but still managed to get his boat in the water by lunchtime.
The main event was the anxiously awaited no holds barred Canoe & Kayak Soccer Game played on the well marked liquid field of Spider Lake.
The game was a hard fought battle marked by some questionable judging by the French Referee and a delightfully demonstrated Eskimo 1/2 Roll done by Sharon D. in order to distract the other team.
It was an excellent day of paddling fun and a great way to brush out the cobwebs and get out on the water for the beginning of the season.
Some Secret Recipes from the Food Stash!
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Steve Bars:
-3/4 cup butter -1 cup sugar -3 tbsp Karo syrup -3 tbsp honey -1/2 tsp maple flavoring Cream above ingredients. Mix together and add: -1/3 cup nuts (any combination) -4 cups oatmeal, uncooked Spread mixture into a preheated pan big enough to take the amount so that it can be pressed down into about 1/2 to 3/4 inch thickness or so. Bake at 325 degree F. for about 25 minutes. Check often to prevent burning. When done remove from oven and immediately press down firmly with spatula and cut into slices while still warm. Can wrap them individually in saran wrap and store in freezer until use. Keeps forever on trips and is a great tasting energy snack that can be carried easily hiking or paddling.
Michel & Blanche’s Beef Jerky Now on to roast Beef Jerky: 1 1/2 teaspoon of coarse or kosher salt 1/2 teaspoon of ground black pepper 2 tablespoon of Brown Sugar 4 tablespoon of Soya Sauce 1 tablespoon of Worcestershire Sauce 2 lbs of beef (a cheap lean cut such as round is best) - Partially freeze the beef, cut in thin strips (across the grain), and discard any sinew, fat, and gristle. - Mix the marinade. - Layer the strips in a glass or porcelain (not metal or plastic) after having dipped them in the marinade. - Pour the leftover marinade on meat (if you have any left) - Store in fridge for 12/18 hours. - Blot the strips and let them stand exposed to the air for 20 minutes. - After a glassy looking sheen has formed on the strips, put in dryer until ready (maybe 4 hours, depends on meat marinade ratio and is never exactly the same.) - Store in freezer until you are ready to pack the backpack - Et Voilà.
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Bowron Bev’s Quick & Easy:
-1 Deluxe Kraft Dinner package with cheese sauce ready in foil pouch -1 packet of foil wrapped Tuna -handful of herbs and garlic -1/2 sweet onion (fresh) No cooking directions here - just throw it all together and see what happens!
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Da President’s Choice:
-take 1 Tuna helper, add powdered milk, water and margarine (or butter) and cook as directed on package -add 1 foil pack of Tuna (or can of salmon) -add rehydrated Green Beans -add fresh garlic and a large onion chopped Cook for a bit til the onion softens and then give to John… He will eat the whole thing!
Norm’s Cheese Delight -1 block of cheese (any type will do) -1 large bagel (the larger the better) Slice bagel in half and toast on stove until both haves are golden brown. Put block of cheese between bagel halves. Find a nice chair by the fire, pour a big glass of rum and enjoy!
(Don’t forget the prune chaser!)
Okay… So… Norm… Who was supposed to bring tonight’s dinner?
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Deb’s Curried Rice Salad:
This salad can be made with almonds or with leftover cooked chicken or turkey.
There are many varieties of curry powder on the market, some mild and some hot. You may need to adjust the amount of curry used in the recipe depending on the “heat” of the powder you chose.
-1 cup brown rice, un cooked -1/3 cup almonds or 1 cup chicken or turkey -1/2 cup celery, diced -1/2 cup green pepper, diced -1/2 cup red pepper, diced -2 tbsp green onions, chopped -as many garlic cloves as desired! -2 tbsp cilantro, chopped -1/4 cup lemon juice -3 tbsp ex-virgin olive oil -1-2 tsp curry powder -1 tsp salt -1/8 tsp pepper
>cook rice and set aside to cool in large bowl.
>stir in almonds (or poultry), celery, red & green peppers, green onions, and cilantro.
>in small bowl mix lemon juice, olive oil, curry, salt and pepper.
>pour dressing onto rice mixture, stirring thoroughly.
>adjust the seasoning.
Now, you can use your imagination… eat it as a side salad… or wrap in a soft tortilla shell with guacamole, pita bread with mayo or nan bread with ?
Note: Deb made this for lunch on the Tashish –Kwois trip and it was good!
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(or the Main LakeTrip) |
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To: Komoux Valley Paddlers Re: Main Lake/Quadra Island Trip It was hell... (but somebody had to do it!) Norm, Denise, Max (our club dog), Michel and Blanche headed out Thursday pm and attempted to establish base camp at Main Lake narrows. Unfortunately serious wind turned a 30 minute paddle into a major battle just to get into the first bay about a quarter mile up the lake from the parking lot. Here they set up camp for the first night in a Scout camping area and wondered whether they would survive the night amid the rather large trees being blown down all round them. The water was quite a sight to see with spume being picked up off the tops of the waves and blown hundreds of feet down the lake. Must of been very unnerving listening to the cracking and crashing of trees falling throughout the night! The next day the weather had improved a whole bunch in the sunshine so they packed up and canoed the rest of the way to base camp and pitched camp on the SANDY BEACH (yes Virginia... there was a sandy beach!) and awaited the arrival of the hordes Friday afternoon in the sunshine! Saturday 6AM... Poked heads out... cold... cloudy... raainning... aaarrrggghhh...! Some of the sillier Club members elected to arise verrry early Saturday morning and travel all the way up to base camp hoping to time the arrival just as the overnighters were serving breakfast and thereby avoid having to eat McMuffins. But alas, it was not to be, breakfast was just over by the time they arrived and so Steve, Wendie, Chris, Cheryl and Keith had to split the contents of Keith's survival pack which consisted of a bunch of bananas and two beer (or was that a bunch of beer and two bananas?). After a round of hello's, how are yah's with the group and a visit from Tom Hall's Campbell River group, our guy's decided to paddle down to the end of Main Lake and try to get up a small creek into the next lake where it was said there was another "sandy beach" and nice spot for lunch. So we paddled down the lake in the rain and attempted to pole our way up the little creek at the end to the lake but gave up when it was discovered that a fairly large tree had been felled across it making it just too much work for the kayaker people (canoer’s must be a hardier sort). Paddled
down the other side of the lake and found a nice lunch spot (in
the rain… still), lit a small fire to help stay warm while we
discussed world events and the price of rice in China. The rest of the afternoon was spent telling all manner of stories and trying to stay dry in the rain by the fire. Barb, Cathy and Brian, and Mark and Cathy decided to follow through on the weekend despite the weather and stayed overnight Saturday night (they had a great time too!) and the rest of us wimps packed up and went home late in the evening getting home around 10ish that night.
Notes
for Participants: Get second opinion on directions when travelling
with Norm (especially if your in the same boat with him). |
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Hello Paddlers: Sunday 9:00 am. Blanche and Michel showed up at Plates to find Brian and Cathy already sipping on a cup of coffee. They had left their kayaks at home but were in the mood to talk to other paddlers, so they showed up for breakfast and company. While we looked at their pictures of the trip to Main lake, the rest of the crew arrived - Denise and Norm, and Wendie and Steve. After the usual conversations about tarps, canoe material, gear, and trip locations, we left for Comox lake and put-in on the Cumberland side. The lake was calm and cloudy, yet the temperature was comfortable for the short paddle to our favourite site. Passing the Comox Crags, we observed two youths hiking at the base of the climbing cliffs, oblivious to the large Bald Eagle perched on top of a tall fir above their heads. High water levels had flooded the usual landing area, making for an awkward arrival; however, within a short period of time, tarps were strung, the chairs were arranged in a semi-circle, and a fire was started on the rock between us and Max the Dog - who was guarding the fishing rods. Max is the only dog I have ever seen who can predict when the fish are going to bite - truly. We had a lazy day. Around 1:00 pm or so, Kim showed up in his kayak and joined the group. Hot dogs, sandwiches, freshly caught trout pan-fried over the fire, cantaloupe, coffee, tea, and good conversation occupied us while a breeze ruffled the water. Around 4:00 pm, when the breeze slackened a bit, Steve and Wendie left because they had to be back for dinner at the Old House by 5:30. Forty-five minutes later, probably the time they were safely loading their canoe up on the Cumberland side, the rest us decided to leave before a developing storm on the West end of the lake reached our site. Kim had time to put out before the full force of the wind reached us, but for the canoes, it was good-by dry feet. Knee deep amongst the rocks, Norm and Michel held the canoes in the rolling waves while the loading went on. Fortunately, and only by a few inches at that, they managed to elude that drastic moment when the crest of a wave reaches too far up the legs and icy water reaches beyond the point of no return, producing that dreaded wince on a man's face. After following the North shore of the lake for a while, we got used to the wind and edged across the lake, surfing many waves on the way back. We arrived safely at the landing a few minutes after Kim. The combination of relaxation and excitement made for a memorable day. Next time, however, we'll try to keep our feet dryer. Keep your paddle in the water. Michel |
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Hi
all. Thought I would share a recent experience. I have just returned from a 10 day assistant guide training program conducted by Geofilia of Quadra Island. The program is certified by the Sea Kayak Guides Alliance and is a requirement leading to certification for approval to guide in the provincial and national park systems – and soon anywhere commercially in B.C. My interest was to improve my skills and “test my metal” with serious kayakers under serious conditions. It was a fantastic, but, at times, scary experience. The program focused on kayak skills, rescue scenarios, navigation, weather, risk assessment, camp management, etc. The days were long, often on the water before 9, after pulling camp, setting up camp by 5 to 7 PM and tutorials during the day and the evening. There were 10 participants and two highly experience leaders – Greg Shea and Liam Lawrence. We entered from Zebellos into Esperanza inlet. We camped for one or two nights on a number of islands in the Nuchantlitz area and down onto Nootka Island. We were required to perform under heavy sea conditions - when the wind rose to 20 – 25 Kn and seas between 2-3 meters we went straight out to Japan about 1 nm, handled quartering seas and following seas under those conditions – scared like hell but survived. One other day we practiced landings in surf and then surfed for fun the rest of the day – that is great fun. We were constantly challenged with different surprise rescue scenarios under a variety of conditions – the leaders would dump, and in some cases, pull others down as well. We did a variety of navigation trials – including being forced to navigate by compass bearing to a rock “island” at a miles distance with a large brimmed hat that prevented us from seeing direction. All in all it was a great experience – I was 15 years older than the next oldest but still did OK. The cost was $1,000 and worth every penny. I
share the above in case others might be interested in their
programs. Brian & Cathy Buckrell |
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A flotilla of paddler’s, attended this year’s Paddlefest held at the Foreshore Park in Ladysmith. We all had a lot of fun at this event with great opportunities to try out various types of kayak craft (and the odd canoe!). Seminars were held throughout the day covering quite a number of different interests in paddle sports, from instruction in the basics up to advanced self rescue techniques. Some of our group managed to attend a few of the seminars and for the most part enjoyed them (with the exception of one particularly boring one). Highlight of the day: -Keith rolling his kayak in 2 inches of water.
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The Tashish-Kwois (Bushskills) Trip July 2002 [or How to make the Redneck Stew] |
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H i allRose early Sunday morn looking fwd to the trip down to the city (Nanaimo) for a paddle. Arrived early at the designated breakfast place and trip planning table. Reserved a large table with window seating for ten or so. Nine o'clock came and went so I ordered breakfast for one and keep the coffee coming. At last, Keith showed up and joined me for eats. Michelle/Blanche/Deb showed up shortly there after. After much jawing, Deb & I decided to make a go of it and left town catching a tail wind to Nanaimo. When we arrived at the marina I went and sought out the Kayak Shack and we figured out the launching and parking package. We choose the free scheme. Boat, plane, & launching ramp traffic were heavy - so was the wind. We ballasted some rocks for primary stability, pushed off heading N, and paddled right up the guts into the wind and out of Departure Bay. Seas were choppy with white caps but Deb was happy and a real trooper. We came upon some folks who chose to circumnavigate Newcastle Island ccw and were looking beat. Once around the northern tip of the Island we enjoyed a wind driven rolling ride in a following sea to the south east corner where we tucked into the lee of the Island. Many people were walking the pathway on the Islet. The tide was just right for us to skim over the sand at the south end of the Island and headed for the bay just up from the Newcastle Island ferry dock. We hauled the yaks ashore onto a sandy hump and moved up the beach into the shady forest for awhile to enjoy the scenery. Time was drifting on, so after a break we pressed on to make the final push back to the boat ramp. Enjoyed paddling around all the big power and sail boats at the docks. Didn't realized how big the wharfage was. Must have been around two hundred craft of all descriptions tide up. Recommend you forget the pub thing and take a lunch and park your butt in one of those portable camp chairs ( $9 big ones @ Walmart) on the beach or soak your feet in the warm water on an incoming tide over the sand. We'll this party of two had a wonderful non political, stress free day away from the kids & chores. What could I say- ya should have been there! Wetcoast guy - (o:)
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Komoux Valley Paddlers Canoe & Kayak Club Box 10045 Comox, B.C. V9M-3S5 Website: “www.geocities.com/komouxpaddlers” General Club Information |
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The Komoux Valley Paddlers have had a great year of Club fun and activity both on the water and on terra firma. It’s amazing how, despite being very laid back and organizationally challenged, we manage to pull off as many activities as we do. It’s a tribute to all our members… because what we put in… we get out! A reminder to all that due to liability and insurance concerns, the Club does not have trip leaders, only Contact Persons for excursions. Attendees on trips are expected to be self-contained and any sharing arrangements are to be on an individual basis. Safety of everyone on the water is a prime concern so having the correct basic equipment is a must. Lots of information is available through Club members and most are extremely happy to share their expertise. E-mail has been a great way to keep members informed on the various club activities throughout the year and we will continue to pass on information this way. So make sure we have your correct e-mail address on our list (see Norm). Anyone without e-mail will be informed by telephone contact person. (Debra). Web Master (Michel) has endeavored to post all our newsletters to our website and has added a few Links to other areas of interest. So take a look! The Newsletter is published whenever the Editor gets really ambitious, usually once in the spring and once in the fall. Club meetings are held on the first Thursday of every month, in winter at the Comox Rec Center, and in summer outside around the Valley at various locations. Notification is by E-mail (or phone). Yearly club memberships are $20 per individual and $25 per family and are due each April. Winter memberships are available after each October at 50% of the yearly dues. Elections for the Club Executive are held in the spring, usually around April. Volunteers are always appreciated. Come… join us on the water! |
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Thanks so much Debra dearh for orghanizing that faabulous Thai dinner thing! All the right people where there dearh… oh, you know… I got to rub elbows with the President… and his wife!… well… did you hear… his wife actually paddles too! and with him!… And you know that couple at the end of the room… the one’s with double kayak and those skirts!… oh those skirts… who would even paddle to Courtenay in those rags! Well… dearh…. It was such a great dinner…. The food!… was faaabulous darhling! Oh... did you notice that strange bearded guy in the corner? Wouldn’t trust him with my canoe… It was such a party!… just “everyone” was there!... Oh… you just must do another dinner darlin’… |
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Kim –
the trip went well – we will have to do it again – The weather was
sunny all day long. We did the 4x4 shuffle down the road and were
paddling close to 10:30. Went across Did a short tour of the school and community hall. Paddled over to Maurelle via a little passage through Goepel and Stuart. This was about another long mile with some current so we kept together. Lunched on a nice point beside what I am going to call Redneck Beach as I tied up to a battery and almost tripped over a barbecue rusting on the beach. I tried to impress the Comox representatives with over-durves but they came out with some of their own and we all enjoyed a super long lunch, resting in the sunshine. Dragged ourselves out of there at 3:00 and headed back around Goepel against a building ebb which made things very interesting. Paddled back over to the Read Island side to stay away from the building current at the narrows. We could hear it and that was enough. Had another great break at 4:00 just south of Surge Pt and paddled across to the launch. We knew we were going to miss the ferry so we stopped and watched the sun go down at Main Lake. Caught the 8:00 ferry and rehashed the trip by the heater. A long but sensual sunny day of just sucking in the beauty of our area. Representing Campbell River paddlers were, Tom, Bernie, Sandy, and Kathy and representing your club were Sharon, Fred and Christa. We always enjoy Sharon and it was a pleasure to meet Fred and Christa. Fred is perfect for taking boats off of vehicles and Christa makes great wine and really good antipasta. We enjoyed their company.. I think we all had a good day…. had to do the trip report myself has this appeared to be the only lame time of the day when I asked for a volunteer…… Would you forward this too your group.. Hope to join up with you yet.. Tom Hall C.R. Paddle Club |
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Some upcoming events to put on your calendar:
-Dec 7th - the annual Christmas Dinner. Details by email.
-Jan 9th - first meeting of the New Year at Comox Rec. Chris Kissinger will give presentation on a recent canoe trip down the Yukon River.
-Feb 6th - Kirby Stevens of Coastal Waters Recreation from Victoria will give a presentation which includes showing some kayaking map information which he has developed for our coastal waters as well as some specifics on popular trips. Norm and Kim will do a trip report on their last trip the Deer Island Group off Bamfield.
-Mar 6th - Chris Kissinger will give a talk on his and John’s spring 2002 trip to up the lower East Coast of Vancouver Island from Victoria to Nanaimo.
-Apr 3rd - Dave Clegg to presents Hiking in Strathcona (some paddlers grow “legs” over the winter!) |
Here are some other ideas that are under consideration:
-Winter Weekend on Mt. Washington. Fun filled two or three days of snow type activities; i.e., snow shoeing, cross country skiing, tubing ,down hill skiing, wine by the fire, etc, etc, etc.
-Guided tour of a Kayak Factory in Ladysmith. Probably to be done on a Saturday day trip, will involve car pooling/driving there and back.
-Bringing in or trying to bring in “experts” kayaker’s/guides for talks and presentations in their area of expertise. May or may not be on a meeting night depending on availability.
-Obtaining some of the latest videos on kayaking/canoeing in fields of interest to the Club.
***Or… make your suggestion for things or presentations you would like to see the Club do.*** |
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Club member, Laurel Archer’s new book “Canoeing Northern Saskatchewan - A Guide to Fifteen Wilderness Rivers” is supposed to be finally printed and out shortly. Keep an eye out for it!
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Paddling through Time by Joanna Streetly This is an nice coffee table book on the author’s account of a week’s kayaking trip through Clayoquot Sound. She lays down in her feelings about living and paddling in a world heritage ecosystem and charts some of the ancient and current history of the area. There are some great pictures are included in the book. It’s not a “how to” book just a nice winters read for those thoughts of summer-time paddling. Just $6.00 (on sale) wherever you can find it.
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The Essential Sea Kayaker By David Seidman Since 1992 this book has been the “kayaker’s bible”. Now there’s an updated version complete with more useful information on boats, gear, paddling strategies, seamanship, navigation, skills, safety, nutrition, and rescue. In short everything you wanted to know but your Mom wouldn’t tell you!
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Ahousaht Wild Side Heritage Trail Guidebook The Ahousaht Wild Side Heritage Trail is an eleven km. Long hiking route linking the native village of Ahousaht on the southeast side of Flores Island with a dozen sandy beaches and rainforested headlands on the wild west side of the Island. The trail was used by many generations of Nuu-chah-nulth inhabitants. In recent years some sections of the trail had become overgrown. Other parts of the trail closer to the village had become rutted and muddy. As a part of a joint project of the Ahousaht First Nations and Western Canada Wilderness Committee, twenty youth worked for seven months during 1996 to clear the trail. They built 3 km of boardwalk to protect sensitive sections. The Ahousaht Wild Side Heritage Trail is one of the finest rainforest and wild beach trails in the world. Stanley Sam Sr. describes the history of native sites and places along the trail. (Steve will lend out his copy) |
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Listening to Whales by Alexandra Morton Learn about Alexandra, her life and her study of the Orca. She has spent the last 18 years in the Broughton Archipelago studying whales of the area. Have heard that it is quite good. |
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For those of you who were unable to attend this tournament and missed the grandeur of the opening and closing ceremonies, I would like to report that about 17 finely tuned athletes entered this gruelling event, and throughout the day entertained the crowd with their cunning and skilful play. The hard work and training paid off for the team of David Clegg and Deborah Williams - who managed to squeak through the "A" event unbeaten.The "B" event winner consisted of Glen Lacasse and yours
truly, having lost one game early in the day (solely the result of
being so nervous) . The "C" and final event was won by
Norman Neiderer and Beverly Wolsey. At the end of the tournament it
was inspiring for all to see the The day was not without it's mystery and intrigue, when two known members of the mafia arrived under the pretence of entering the games, however their real purpose became crystal clear in no time and their offer of bribes to "lose a point here and a point there" were dismissed by all. (this unbiased report by John) |
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IMPORTANT NOTE TO CLUB MEMBERS Please remember that all Formal Club Functions require the appropriate dress code! Back to Top |
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>Dear Paddling Budies, >Our friends told us to write to you in case you saw the flood on TV and were worried. The Copelands are beautiful and we should all go there next year. We are OK. Only one of our tents and two sleeping bags got washed away. Luckily, none of us got drowned because we were all up the mountain looking for Kathy when it happened. >Oh yes, please call Kathy's mother and tell her she is OK. She can't write because of the cast. I got to ride in one of the search and rescue boats. It was neat. We never would have found her in the dark if it wasn't for the lightning. Wendy got mad at Kathy for going on a hike alone without telling anyone. Kathy said she did tell her, but it was during the fire so she probably didn't hear her. Did you know that if you put gas on a fire, the gas can will blow up? The wet wood didn't burn, but one of the tents did. Also some of our clothes. Keith is going to look weird until his hair grows back. We will be home on Monday if Leader Steve gets the truck fixed. It wasn't his fault about the wreck. The brakes worked OK when we left. Mark said that a truck that old you have to expect something to break down; that's probably why he can't get insurance. We think it's a neat truck. He doesn't care if we get it dirty, and if it's hot, sometimes he lets us ride on the fenders. >Guess what? We have all practiced our first aid and done well. When Sharon dove in the cove and cut her arm, we got to practice putting a tourniquet on, it was too bad the first 5 people couldn't do it, but it finally got it reeeel tight, she look pretty in purple. Kathy, Keith, Mark and Sharon threw up, but Steve said it probably was just food poisoning from the leftover chicken. He said they got sick that way with food they ate in prison. I'm so glad he got out so he could lead this trip. He said he sure figured out how to get things done better while he was doing his time. By the way, what is a paedophile? >I have to go now. We are going to town to mail our letters and buy bullets. Don't worry about anything. We are fine. >Love, Deb >P.S.: Could you check with my mom to see how long has it been since I had a tetanus shot? > (Copeland Islands Trip - August Long Weekend) [You didn’t want to be there!] |
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September 7 to September 16, 2002 by Rick Reubart |
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As we sat around the fire on our last night, someone suggested that we share our highs and our lows of the past week, our most treasured moments and the experiences we could have done without. As luck would have it, things got underway with the person on my left and proceeded clockwise. Good thing - I was going to need time to sort things out. * * * * * Karen and I booked our trip on the Bowron circuit back in January and had many months to prepare for and to anticipate the experience. I’m pleased to say that, for the most part, we were well prepared. Anticipation often works against me, though. For me, anticipation of good things to come often makes them bigger than life and better than they could possibly be. However, not even my well-intentioned imagination could corrupt what was to come. I was as high as a kite from the start. A ceremonial picture at the trail head saw us off down, or rather up, the first portage. To my surprise, I discovered that pushing, pulling and dragging our canoe up and down the 2.6 km trail was an experience to be treasured, although it did fall short of my short-list of highs. From there, everything we saw, everything we did, all that happened and everyone we met conspired to make the trip truly wondrous. Even the trials - the relentless head wind on Isaac, the torrents of rain on the Cariboo and beyond - served as milestones of success and measures of our achievement. * * * * Snapping out of my reverie, I realize that, egads, I’m only two testimonials away! I need to order my thoughts concerning my high and my low. The low came pretty readily to mind. However, so many different experiences and encounters competed for my high. Unsure as I was of the rules of the game, as if rules actually existed, I felt awkward putting forth a flood of highs; I didn’t want to come across to my new-found friends as pathologically indecisive. However, the competition was fierce. Could I really give breath to the notion that I preferred one magical element over the others?
Nope. Not I. No way. So, in no particular order, here are Rick’s highlights of Bowron 2002:
Oh, my low? Mine would have to be on Lanezi, after too long a paddle, soaked to the soul by the torrential rain, clumsily climbing out of the canoe, mildly hypothermic and trembling to the core, to stagger to the wood lot. * * * * For Karen and me, our high was our second day and night at Pat’s Point and we felt rather like a welcoming committee, greeting our new-found friends as they ‘stopped by for the evening’. An impromptu potluck dinner was assembled and shared by many, and port (port? - perfect!) was offered around. At one point, Michel invited everyone to stand in a closed circle, back to front, and to begin massaging the shoulders of the person in front. It was as soothing as it was comical!
On our last evening on the circuit we did as most likely do and shared our thoughts of the preceding days.
For some, the circuit is an achievement, for many a restorative retreat, for others a pilgrimage, a spiritual journey, and for others still, catharsis. In varying degrees and for different reasons, it was all these things for us.
Our fondness and gratitude go out to Tom, Patty, Allyn, Johnny, Norm, Michel, Blanche, Kim, Steve, Wendy, Jim, Brit, Aziz, Alshamsh, Adam, Russ and others, whose warmth, humor, gentle spirit and eager generosity all conspired to give our wilderness experience a welcome human dimension.
We will treasure our experience on the Bowron Lake circuit for all time. We will hold dear our brief encounters with the many wonderful, gentle people we met there, and will take great pleasure in sharing our tales, our pictures, and our enthusiasm with others.
Our last evening on the circuit was punctuated by a glorious sunset, the mountains silhouetted by the crimson sun, bidding us all aufwiedersehen, au revoir, until next time.
Even though we’ve returned home, we haven’t really left Bowron. And we’ll be back. Yes, we’ll be back. ***************** **********************************
Our guys in the picture: Wendie, Steve, Norm, Blanche, Michel and Kim (in front) [P.S. Michel’s version of our trip is on the Komoux Paddlers website] |
delayed by procrastination on the Editor’s part—too many fun things
to do over the summer!)
the
north or down to the south…
was the latest in fashion. The tripod over the central fire was
built according to Brian's standards using his "jam
knot". This knot kept many members entertained the rest of
the weekend. Then he introduced his notched,
one end blackened, stick. We soon discovered that we had to make
sure that it was only used to hang pots over
the fire, but always with the black end down. This was important
information, especially since one member was having difficulty
figuring out which way was up.
to Surge Point about 1 nautical mile and another approx to the Surge
Narrow store, interesting spot with a interesting storekeep Teresa who
talked mushrooms, kayaking while pouring coffee.
winners
bask in the glory of the gold, silver and bronze medals and I am sure
there will be a host of photographs to record this glorious moment in
the history of the sport.
(Note:
this was written by Rick Reubart of Rick and Spike fame, a couple we met
on the Bowron Lake Chain, and sent to us after they returned home to
Vancouver.)