DAY 47 TO DAY 55: MONCKTON INLET TO PROCTER ISLAND

3rd July 2023

30th June: Day 55
Otter Bay to Procter Island 
Distance 30km 

That feeling when you bare your soul, sharing those private thoughts, verbalizing those feelings you have! Starting this expedition I had the wrong mindset – I had to prove to my critics that I am good enough. That I am enough; that external pressure combined with that scream in your head drowning out that you are good enough! The shift onto ‘why are you doing this? Who are you trying to impress?’ That self, that ego, that external validation, that feeling of being alone! All of that gets brought to the surface and then when that happens it’s an emotional roller coaster! Breathe, slow your heartbeat, take stock of what you have been through! You are stronger than you were yesterday! The team has loved me unconditionally when I didn’t love myself, they gave me a place I could call home, they have navigated me through the sorrow, the heartache and my past! They gave me my voice back! I am a better man than I was yesterday! 

Today was a big day in terms of pinch points! Dixon Entrance and Portland Inlet! These names sounds benign however the reality is completely the opposite! Get the timing and navigating wrong this savage coastline will destroy you! These barnacle-encrusted rocky cliffs towering over the landscape – there is little or no chance when you get it wrong! Trust the bearing, trust your line! Stay in formation! This savage coastline that has been ravaged by time and all that mother nature has to throw at it gives also so much beauty wonder and awe! You are busy kayaking, the water feels a bit warmer, the hues of green and blue constantly changing, all you can hear is the waves crashing onto the rocks, eagles screeching from their perches and paddles going into the water! Then this almighty roar! Louder than thunder! This gentle giant of the deep! This massive bulk of grey breaching 30foot to the left of your kayak – a massive humpback whale!! It was such a special moment that will ever be etched into my being! And the whale treated us with two more breaches!! Today was a good day! 
We are almost in Alaska!!!! We can almost taste it! Just a couple of paddle strokes!!!

27th-29th June: Day 52-54
Prince Rupert to Otter Bay
Distance 33km 

The days flew by, the amount of kit that was checked over and fixed from wear and tear! Spray decks, neck seals, dings and scratches on kayaks, even tents got given a once over! Routes were planned and confirmed. Then it was that time again: saying goodbye to Steve and Mike! The parting words are as follows…

I met a blind seer and this is what he told me! You seek a great fortune, you will find a fortune, though it will not be the one you seek. But first… first you must travel a long and difficult road, a road fraught with peril. Mm-hmm. You shall see things, wonderful to tell. You shall see a… a caramel-coloured bear! And, oh, so many startlements. I cannot tell you how long this road shall be, but fear not the obstacles in your path, for fate has vouchsafed your reward. Though the road may wind, yea, your hearts grow weary, still shall ye follow them, even unto your salvation.
These two old school gentleman it was an absolute pleasure spending time and kayaking with them!
Joan, Brent and Tracy: we cannot thank you enough for the hospitality, the kindness and love you have shown us! Sharing your travels, stories and advice is priceless! Saying goodbye is such sweet sorrow! On our journey we have come across so much human kindness, we go through life jaded and the scars we have picked up along the way through heartbreak, damaged through war and the things we have seen kills the hope that everyone carries inside them! You withdraw into yourself then you meet people, these strangers who in a couple of minutes re-ignite that hope, that glimmer of kindness in your soul! I am a better man because of all the people that we as a team have met along the way! These kind hearted souls who met us with a smile, a hug and said goodbye with a hug and a tear! We stopped at the petroglyph Man who fell through a hole in the sky – you told us about and it left us with so many questions!

Most of the day was paddled in silence, everyone in the team looking inwards taking stock of our expedition and what it means the kilometres getting chewed up paddle stroke by paddle stroke! Our first possible campsite was a bust due to the high tide – onwards to the next one! The excitement after leaving civilization: the stillness in nature, the deafening silence in a forest after spending time in a city! 

26th June: Day 51
Kitson Island to Prince Rupert
Distance 20km 

After spending the night on the beach, time to put that paddle in! Back to civilization! We came round a bend and all you could see is this red and white steel monolith that was dwarfed by two massive container ships! If you want to feel really small just paddle past one of these steel and metal giants getting loaded by a red and white crane! You had to strain your neck to look up! A massive thank you to Lutz who made those calls – once again that human touch and connection. We were greeted with a warm welcome by Brent and Joan and a massive thank you to Steve Milum from Skeena Kayaks! Unpack the kayaks on the slip way and load up the vehicles and the kayak trailer! Joan and Brent took us to our camp site for the next couple of days ready for our resupply and a much needed shower and rest! Tents up and go get that shower! Tracy and Joan dropped of some baked goodies just to keep us going! Start planning the next couple day’s worth of admin! Shopping lists, kayak repair lists, charts dished out and the washing of clothes! Time for dinner – it was so great just being able to eat your dinner with a knife and fork off a plate! 

25th June: Day 50
Oona River to Kitson Island 
Distance 32km 

Oona river has a population of about 20 people! We met one of residents named Lutz and he brought us fresh brewed coffee! It never tasted as good as it did this morning! He joined us for a small paddle escorting us through the harbour! What a send off – as we looked up the closest words I can find is God’s Window! There was still a little bit of snow on one of the peaks creating this window that blended in with the clouds and it looked so beautiful! There was so much fog and mist rolling down the mountains – it got so thick that it obscured all the little islands and the mountains! Keep that formation tight, trust your bearing and your line! Senses getting sharper, keep looking around, keep that eye contact with the team! Time to cross Marcus Channel – due to the fog and mist we had to hand rail the sand bank that runs parallel to the channel and use that to navigate! Now it was so much fun – all of a sudden you just run out of water! Now you have to get out in the middle of the ocean and push your kayak with the laughter of the rest of team making you blush then it’s your turn! Grinding to a halt on the sand then the laughter starts! The fog horn of the container ship adding to the noise! A space opened up and we took it, to our surprise we disturbed a colony of seals – just saw this splash of 20-plus seals high tailing it for the water! The playful dogs of the sea just popping in front, behind, underneath your kayak! A massive eagle perching on a fallen tree trunk that got stuck on the sand bank – the song that played in my head was the title song from Pirates of the Caribbean! That is what that crossing reminded me of! At this point in the day you are drained of energy, your muscles are burning, the sinews stretched almost to breaking point! There is no comfort anymore, you shift from side to side, forward and back! You get the mantra slow is smooth, keep putting that paddle in, keep pushing, keep moving forward, every inch gained is an inch closer to the campsite! What a glorious thing it is when you come around the last headland after the voice in your head said it was the last headland ten headlands ago! That negative voice that needs to be silent! Then you see this sandy beach calling out to you! Time to dig deep; that silent scream in your head! Can’t give up now! Keep going!! Time for camp routine! Mike smashed it out the ballpark again – chocolate brownies made on a beach! It was amazing just pitching your tent on the beach and falling asleep with the sounds of the ocean as a back drop!

24th June: Day 49
Petrel Channel to Oona River 
Distance 36.5km

The wind and tide were in our favour! The flotilla of kayaks just in formation. That feeling of bliss washing over our faces – it is so good just to be in the kayak and seeing the reflection on the surface! The v that forms when the bow slices the water, the ripples moving outwards, always moving outwards! The water has got an icy chill to it, the rich deep blue changed to this grey and foreboding colour! There is no turning back, that paddle needs to cut through the surface and propel you ever forward! During one of our crossings I saw this massive black shadow on the shore can it be? Blink then wipe your eyes blink has it moved or is your mind playing tricks on you? Keep on checking, keep on blinking, keep eyes on! 
The self-doubt is real! No it moved – I was right – it is a massive black bear eating grass on the shoreline! Whisper to your team members pass the message on! Slowly alter your course, paddles barely making a sound, you can almost hear your team members heartbeats! Slowly upwind take your time! So close now you can make out the snout! Then the bear looks up confused with blades of grass hanging out of his mouth like some one smoking a cigar – the look of how, what, why? Can see the calculations going on in the bear’s head! Nope this isn’t worth the hassle, turn your back and saunter back into the forest! What a feeling!! Now back to the paddling! Coming into Oona river harbour we met Bobby! ‘Right gentlemen go down to the barge and there is a campsite. Sorry I didn’t mow the lawn – however you can use the community centre: that has a shower!!’ It was like winning the lottery! Guys were lining up after tents where pitched! This was the first time we had signal in about 11 days! What a joy to hear your loved ones’ voices!! 

23rd June: Day 48
Anger to Petrel Channel 
Distance 27km 

Weaving your way through cliffs and little channels, that serenity as the flotilla of kayaks making their way silently through this picture perfect landscape! That calm on the water, that feeling of weightlessness you experience with no external pressure that you put on yourself or that social media validation! A salmon breaks the silence as it jumps and splashes in front of you! That moment in silence is now gone! Battling the flow and the wind pushing your body and mind further and further! You are in the centre of the channel, you look up the mountains framing your view and you see something in the distance that makes everyone’s heartbeat faster! Is that a reception tower? The closer you get the faster your heart beats you can talk to your loved ones – then the shattering reality it is a vhf tower! Heads are bowed you can see the disappointment on everyone’s faces! We paddle in silence getting to grip with not being to send a message or an update! We make camp fall, this is where I learned that I know so little! Steve Best and Mike Luce who joined us for this leg, these two old school gentleman and legends! The combined knowledge these two possess is unfathomable! Mike lifted our spirits by baking a cherry chocolate dump cake! Yes this man paddled with all the ingredients to bake a cake!! That was the best cake I ever had eaten!! And the lessons these two men taught us will stay with us forever! 

22nd June: Day 47
Monckton Inlet to Anger Island 
Distance 38km

Sshh that constant little companion was in full warm embrace this morning! After having a couple of long kayaking days putting in the kilometres, the last thing you want to do is put on that wet damp paddling clothes! That dark place with no motivation, that wrong attitude, that not wanting to get up! Then the magic happens and it starts with the familiar and soothing sounds of cookers firing up, the deflation of the mattress, the big sighs you can hear when someone else puts on their wet clothes! The rustle of drybags, the zippers of the tents, the laughter echoing through the forest! A smile starts to creep through! Then all those negative feelings disappear, you are part of something! You are surrounded by family, you are valued so time to add your sigh to the chorus of big sighs!! Get that coffee in you, get the breakfast down, time to move kayaks to the water’s edge! The packing game continues! With the food getting less as the days progress the more space suddenly appears! However the bag of rubbish that is now bungeed to the back of the kayak is getting bigger! We start the day slow, time to get the blood flowing through those muscles – to give you an idea: a 1000km takes a minimum of 750000 paddle strokes!! Looking at the world beneath the kayaks you see so much vibrant colour! These glorious little starfish bright orange and purple clusters! The little fish darting between seaweed and shells, crabs doing what crabs do. It was a long day! Trying to find a possible site for lunch didn’t work out so it was lunch on the water! Trying to make cheese wraps whilst bobbing in the water is a thing! Quick change of route instead of hand-railing the coastline – we island hopped! Wind and tide against you working every part of your being! The last couple of kilometres was pure torture! Everything hurts, you keep on moving around trying to find an angle that doesn’t feel tender! Just one more headland, just one more corner, just one more! Keep on telling yourself, keep on moving forward, keep that paddle in the water! You have this – then you see it! That little piece of beach, that sweet sweet surrender that your day is almost done! You can almost taste your dinner! You can’t wait to get out your wet clothes! Today was a long good da