Out of juice

Sean checking out icicles; ice fog hangs in the air

Thursday I finally managed to try out my new X-country ski bindings at Butterpot Park. It was the first time on skiis this winter and 10 kms was about all I had gas for in the tank. Friday I was pretty sore but went to the gym anyway for a gut busting workout.

Yesterday Dean, Neville, Robert, Sean and myself got on the water and had a 20 km paddle from St. Philips north past Portugal Cove to the falls at Brocks Head. I took about 6 pictures when the camera sent me a message that it was out of juice. I knew the battery was getting low and the cold killed it. I packed the camera away and even though I too felt out of juice, continued on.

The falls at Brocks Head were amazing in winter. I can't paint a mental image of the falls because, as they say, a pictures is worth a thousand words and without battery power I couldn't get the shot. But, I will go back, recharged, camera and I.

Kayak Bill

Moonlight Wave by Bill Davidson

My Kayak Bill print of "Moonlight Wave" arrived yesterday amid great anticipation. Above is an oblique shot to avoid copyright infringement but you can see it and other wonderful prints at the Kayak Bill prints website. Its honestly worth having a look.

I came across Kayak Bill in an back issue of Sea Kayaker magazine that I got from Dan. I was immediately captivated by the story. Kayak Bill was "a reclusive kayaker [who] made his home among the islands of British Columbia's Pacific coast and left only fleeting glimpses of his life and death." That pretty much sums up the article. There's not enough room on my blog to get into further detail but you can read an on-line article from October 2005 on Sea Kayaker website. Its really worth the time to take a read.

If the links don't work you can Google "Kayak Bill".

I've always been drawn to these stories of people living on the fringes of society, being self-sufficient. Maybe I have that longing too but don't have the courage to act on it. That's why kayak camping is so compelling, I can somewhat satisfy the wilderness feeling and come back to the comforts of society. But I admire those people like Kayak Bill who do live by their convictions.

The magazine article had a couple of examples of Bill's art and I had to have a print. Its unique and beautiful work but more than anything, I had to have one for what it represents. I can't wait to get it framed and hung so that I'm reminded everyday.

Wonderful world of Photoshop

Stan - photoshopped

Last night Stan did a photography presentation for Kayak Newfoundland and Labrador. Anyone who's been to his Kayaking Dreamin blog will know that he's a wizard with the camera and more than qualified to talk on the subject.

Stan does some wonderful things with the kayak pictures he captures and must spend hours tweaking his shots to get just the right effect. Pictures that look like they're out of this world require passion and software. Something I don't have in the same abundance but I'm interested in maybe dabbling a bit in Photoshop to add a bit of interest to some pictures.

So, I thought I'd have a rudimentary go at a picture of Stan I took this past Saturday in Saint Mary's Bay. The simple effect of adding some "noise" adds a different dimension to the picture. Interesting but the original wasn't a bad picture either.

The lot of the shutter bug

Rear view shot

One thing that strikes me about most pictures of kayakers on blogs etc is they have a common perspective. They're usually of paddlers taken from the back, kayaks at rest on beaches or sweeping panoramas of seascapes.

If you are a kayaker and take pictures on paddles then more often than not you're acting as a sweep and taking pictures from behind the pack. Take a picture, the group paddles on and you're playing catch up - pretty much all day long. Except when its just Stan and myself, we stop or slow down when one of us dallies to take a picture.

I'd like to take more front on shots and the only way to do that is to learn to hold the camera level while holding it pointing backwards. Its largely hit or miss but its always a surprise because there's no control over the composition.

All for one

Kayak Newfoundland and Labrador member Stan

After our paddle on Saturday I heard from Dean that someone we both know wanted to be a part of one of our winter paddles. I wasn't sure if that was a good idea for two reasons.

While this person has a level II certification from Paddle Canada, having the certification and having maintained the skills are two different things. Taking a paddling course is a good idea for some people; I prefer to learn the skills myself. However the skills are learned they must be constantly kept sharp. In this case I wasn't convinced they were.

The second reason I was skeptical was that I'm a member of Kayak Newfoundland and Labrador and I prefer to paddle with members of the club. Why? Because being a member means I'm part of a bigger thing. I'm part of a group who are concerned about promoting kayaking safety by means such as mentoring, sharing experiences etc.

In the end, we concluded we would invite this person along to one of our practices at St. Philips and covertly assess their skills before deciding we could risk taking them along on a winter paddle. And then I'll work them over to join the club!

A winter respite

The group leaving O'Donnells

We picked St. Mary's Bay for a paddle on Saturday, mainly due to the forecasted winds. Stan also had in mind to possibly paddle a bit up the Salmonier River. So, we met at a gas station in Donovans where we carpooled for our 45 minute drive.

When we reached St. Catherine's at the the head of Salmonier Arm we were thwarted by the entire Arm being frozen over. We drove southwest for 10 kms and it was still frozen. The fresh water flowing out onto the seawater was frozen solid.

After a few stops we decided to just keep driving until the water was no longer frozen. We put in at O'Donnells and paddled SW to Admirals Beach.

There's not much snow left here

Where Salmonier Arm was frozen from St. Catherine's down to St. Joseph's there wasn't much of a sign here that it was still winter. There wasn't any snow in between the trees, only just patches here and there along the shore.

Rock formation

There are some places where we paddle that aren't very dramatic with high imposing cliffs. That is the case along the eastern shoreline of St Mary's Bay. Its a bit of a challenge then to compose shots that have some interest. I saw this rock formation up ahead, put on a burst of speed and laid in wait for Stan to paddle by.

Not all rocks were visable

The coastline along this part of St. Mary's Bay is not very exciting but it fit the bill for the day as it gave us protection from the forecasted 15 - 20 knot SE winds. There were a few rocks to paddle around but some were hidden just below the surface. They could be spotted by looking for the seaweed that grows on top floating on the water.

Great Colinet Island in the background

Sean had his newly minted Greenland paddle out for a spin today. He hollowed out the loom to make it ultralight so wanted to try it out for strength. Its a sweet looking paddle with white tinted epoxy tips that make it look like an authentic bone tipped GP.

We carried on a bit further to Admiral's Beach where we crossed over to Great Colinet Island just above the stern of Sean's boat.

Stopped for lunch

9 kms down the eastern shore from O'Donnells is the community of Admiral's Beach. The community is named for the custom, dating back to the 15 and 16 hundreds, whereby the first sailing captain in port for the summer fishing season was the "admiral" or authority in the community.

We remarked how mild it was for this time of year as we didn't need to wear gloves while stopped for lunch.

Where once they stood

After we arrived at Admiral's Beach we looked at each other as if to say "what now"? I suggested a crossing to Great Colinet Island in the middle of St. Mary's Bay. Its only a couple of kilometres across and we made landfall after a 15 minute paddle. This site was where the resettled (repeating theme in Newfoundland) community of Reginaville stood. We didn't stay long as the wind threatened to pick up so we headed back and took our time paddling back to O'Donnells for a paddling distance of almost 25 kms.

Note to self: This would be a great camping spot enroute to a full crossing of St. Mary's Bay and onwards to Cape St. Mary's seabird sanctuary.

Spirit world

A ghostly spirit in the pool?

A couple of weeks ago I took a picture of Alex looking up from under the water. His white boat gave the impression of a ghost in the pool. That got me thinking about Inuit religious beliefs.

Their religious tradition was animistic, that is that everthing was imbued with a spirit. Harmony with the spirit world was maintained through the wearing of amulets, the observance of a vast number of taboos, and participation in a number of ceremonies relating primarily to the hunt, food, birth, death, the life cycle, and the seasonal round.

We might sat that's simplistic.

When the Inuit make a kill it is treated with respect and thanks given to the animal spirit for giving up its life to provide food for nourishment. I don't call that simplistic, that's reverence for all forms of life, something I think western culture is sometimes lacking.

Seems it is more about spirituality than religion.