Pacific NW

Expeditions

Today we got out and did a little hiking on the land. I wore my new spiked logging boots, which was a mistake because they were very slippery on the rocks. We ascended a river drainage and bushwacked our way up a ridge. It was an excellent hike, and we made plenty of noise in order to scare away the bears in the area. At several points we clawed our way up and across steep ledges and pushed through dense briars. Sometimes the only vegetation to hold onto is the prickly stems of the salmonberry bush. If you grab them lightly at the base and work your hand up, you can break off many of the thorns that would otherwise stick into your palms. The view from the summit of the ridge was awesome. It looked down into Tiger Glacier. We spotted 9 kayakers paddling toward the glacier. They looked like indistinguishable specks of flotsam amongst the huge icebergs. Ryan and I lazed about for quite some time watching the ice, clouds and enjoying the sun and breezes. We have really slowed down out here. It is interesting how we are always thinking we need to be doing things and activities all the time. Today I woke up and realizd that I have no demands pressing on me, no engagements, expectations, or places to be. It is an incredible sense of freedom! We are enjoying our lazy schedule without guilt. Our breakfast routine would put Europeans to shame. The days and dinner still manage to fly by, though. I made a temporary fix to our tiller that will hopefully last until I can build a new one. I sawed off the cracked-off end, drilled out new holes and bound it all with hose clamps for good measure. It is a lot shorter than it used to be, but still better than the spare tiller.