Cross Canada Canoe Expedition
Going it Alone – To Kemano Beach
Submitted by Chris Koch on behalf of Joe O’Blenis / 06.06.2004
For the third day of my travels, I awoke again to beautiful sunshine. The Pacific Northwest coast is noted for its heavy rainfall and I\'d anticipated day after day of rain and drizzle but so far the weather has been amazing.After a breakfast of hash browns and eggs, we once again loaded the boats and set off upon the water. Today however, Darryl would paddle with me for a couple of hours and would then turn around for the return paddle back to Kitimat to return to Kamloops. We stopped at a little beach that would soon be underwater where we said our goodbyes, took a few photos and eventually parted ways. I was very sad to see him go, he is a great friend and an amazing paddler. Darryl is one of the main forces behind the Marathon Canoe Racing Association of British Columbia, www.geocities.com/mcrabc and I\'ll miss his company. Thanks for all of your help Darryl, I look forward to having a beer with you when the trip is over and filling you in on all the details.
Out On My Own
Now back on the water, paddling by myself, the true \"Solo\" part of my expedition begins. The scenery was amazing as I paddled along the coast, past old growth forest, rocky shorelines, scenic cliffs, waterfall...just breathtaking to behold.
At 7:00 PM I reached today\'s destination, Europa Hot springs and cabin. The cabin is small but cozy, has 4 double bunks, a small table and a woodstove. The Hot springs of course were the real bonus! I spent the evening sitting on the front veranda, reading my novel, doing a bit of writing, just general relaxation after a good day of paddling along the magnificent BC coast. I\'d planned on taking it easy during the first phase of the trip as I work myself into paddling shape. I paddled 37.5 kilometers today and I\'m going to take my first rest day tomorrow and allow myself to enjoy a day of cabin life and hot springs before putting on the push for Kemano and the start of what would later became known as the \"Portage From Hell\"!
The weather was good once again for my day off and I slept in, read, wrote for awhile, sat in the hot springs and ate generously from my food supply. In the evening I enjoyed some tasty little chocolate covered treats that my friend Jennifer in Kamloops gave me to take with me when I saw here just days before leaving. Thanks Jennifer, I hope you are reading this and know that I appreciate your kindness! It was a good day off, likely a good idea to let my body recuperate as I ease myself into the more difficult parts of the trip coming up over the next several days.See All Event Posts
