I believe the quote is “I’m mad as hell and I’m not going to take this anymore”. Totally forget which movie the quote is from but it is somewhat appropriate. Maybe not seething mad, maybe more like crazy mad. The difference doesn’t really matter, we need to get away so Debbie and I are off traveling. Not that far, to the British Columbia coast. Desolation Sound to be exact.
We have been camping a few times this summer and didn’t realize it but the three or four trips we took were actually practice for the bigger trip on which we are about to embark. We were able to do our part with the social distancing thing and only interacted with folks from a distance. Honestly it is a pretty sad state of affairs but it is what it is and we are going along with it.
We have booked a trip with a guide to kayak for 6 days in the ‘wilderness’ of the BC coast. Things as they are, Debbie and I are the only ones booked to go, so as long as the guide is not Covid positive we should be just fine. Our plan is to camp all the way to the Sunshine Coast. Only contacting the outside world for groceries and gas. We do that at home anyway so we will not be putting ourselves at any greater risk than we do in Edmonton. Stopping for only a short time to visit Debbie’s sister it should only be about 4 days before we arrive in Lund. Without delay we will get in our kayaks and paddle away from civilization. After 6 days in the backcountry of Desolation Sound we will get out of the kayaks and follow a similar but shorter route home.
It is amazing how scary this actually is. Scary and exciting. Both emotions arise because we are heading into the unknown. We are pretty seasoned travelers but the situation is such that very few alive have even experienced anything like it. We’re all on unfamiliar ground. It took us a long time to jump in and make a commitment to go on this trip. We wanted to wait as long as we could and see what was transpiring on the virus front before we could say yes for sure. The spread of the virus has been pretty stable in Canada for quite a while. After analyzing our plan and figuring we were no more at risk than doing what we are doing at home the YES button was pushed. Still there are butterflies in our stomachs. I think that is good because those butterflies should be a reminder to remain diligent and cautious. The excitement arises from the imminent adventure after sitting at home for the better part of 6 months. Not quite like paddling into the ‘Heart of Darkness” but it is exploration for us.
Started packing today. Leave Monday.