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From time to time things get on top of me and I start to feel sorry for myself, but I always remind myself that many people in the world have to put up with far worse situations than I do, and cope with them far better than I would. There are several on this forum. I admire you all for keeping such a positive attitude. Coming here to talk nonsense about trek is a form of escapism for me and I come here because I enjoy it - I hope you do too, regardless of what real life is throwing at you.

Cogito wrote:From time to time things get on top of me and I start to feel sorry for myself, but I always remind myself that many people in the world have to put up with far worse situations than I do, and cope with them far better than I would. There are several on this forum. I admire you all for keeping such a positive attitude. Coming here to talk nonsense about trek is a form of escapism for me and I come here because I enjoy it - I hope you do too, regardless of what real life is throwing at you.

I agree with you 1,000% there, Cogito - I really admire those who can keep a positive attitude in the face of adversity too. Since I moved in here (in February of 2009) I've been amazed by some of the things I've seen. One of the most positive neighbors I've got is a lady named Chris who's in a wheelchair and only has the use of one hand besides. Her personality is so sunny and upbeat (and she's got a wickedly great sense of humor too). Frankly, I don't know how the hell she can. I think I'm fairly upbeat and positive too, but I doubt if I'd be so upbeat if all I had the practical use of was just a single hand, but she even jokes about that too. In any case, I think she's a shining example of how no matter what you have to deal with in life, it really helps keeping a positive attitude and making the most out of whatever good you can experience in life. That can really be a challenge when you're dealing with some serious obstacles, but you gotta keep looking on the bright side because it sure beats the hell out of the alternative, thats for sure!

Yes, and I would like to see everyone enjoying themselves here too. I think this is the best damn place on the internet and I'm so grateful I found it, you wouldn't believe!

kay everyone....back to topic!

What is that again? Any more pics? Oh and how are the little ladies.

1st night at Toquart Bay


Ann discussing the spacetime continuum.


Buncha little bones and shells we found on Capstan Isl.


Hauling driftwood back from Capstan to Hand Isl. (for the night's fire) at lunchtime. (as Hand Isl where we were camped was picked clean and chopping trees is a biiiiig no-no round these here parts. Federal crime, as it's a federal park. Big fine. So we scavenged lots of drift.)


My little sis and her friend cindy doing yoga.



Ann inspecting some alien flora.



Okay this one may have a temporarily dislocated being from an alternate universe in it. This is Ann, (yes, our ANN), who was cold sleeping in my room in my heated house, who gets cold somewhat "easily", shall we say (lol)....SWIMMING IN THE OCEAN? I'M SORRY? SWIMMING IN THE FREAKING OCEAN???? Okay...you don't understand. I'll explain it to you. Hereabouts where I live, on the Westcoast of British Columbia (right by Seattle, WA, USA).... The ocean Does. Not. Warm. Up. Okay? See what I'm saying? Even if it gets to be 35°C (95° F) and it's a nice hot august day the ocean stays pretty much the same: frigid. In the historical image above my raving caption, we see JustTripn....our own Annie Oakley....swimming in 10°C (50°F) water. Ten. DEGREES. *I* don't do it. *No* one does. Just a few hippie surfer freaks at Tofino and, apparently, Ann. I was amazed and impressed! Hey! Look everyone! It's Bear Grylls!




This is me kayaking under a big horizontal tree. There are a bunch sticking off the sides of every island. The trees don't mind when this happens to them. They just keep their roots in the rocks and persuade their branches to all grow straight up, like new little trees. They're good for vampires to hang on to. Watch out!


A spirited game of yahtzee. As you can see, we do not yet have wine. Which means this picture was taken shortly before my sister used nothing but a third of a bag of shitey squashed half-dry jumbo marshmallows and her fearsome rapier powers of hotness/negotiation to extort a poor science fiction television writer and his director/cameraman friend--who had the misfortune to live nextdoor to us for two nights--out of two bottles of delicious wine, some fresh water, and some lovely blueberry jam, which I still have in my fridge.

"Well you're just going to have think about that offer.... cause, uh, as far as you're concerned, buddy? ... these are the only marshmallows in the world."
Erin -- July 27, 2011 -- Hand Island, Broken Group, BC, Canada

I'll bet I get colder than jT. You know the water never warms up in PEI either, frankly it never warms up there period my parents were there at the end of July it never got to 80F her wedding day was a fluke!

Sounds like an absolutely fantastic trip. I'm so glad that you had such a wonderful time.

Loved those pics, Ek - Thank You So Much for posting them, and I'm really dumbfounded to see Ann swimming in the water there (as I was joking with her about bringing plenty of warm clothes and asked her if they sell fleece lined diving suits in case she accidentally fell in the water); but for her to actually swim in that freezing cold water, damn!!!! You're one VERY brave lady there, Ann! Glad to see you's had such a great time, I was crossing my fingers that you's would!

I've always found it hilarious that so many Americans are convinced Scandinavia is this frigid wasteland when in fact it's more temperate than most of Northern USA. Alaska not included. I mean, half of Sweden is on the same latitude as southern New England and New York. And it's mostly coastline, too.

...in other words, "No, I believe you about the ocean thing. I once bathed in the Atlantic in high heatwave summer in France, and it was cooooooooooooolllllldddddd".

enterprikayak wrote:

Okay this one may have a temporarily dislocated being from an alternate universe in it. This is Ann, (yes, our ANN), who was cold sleeping in my room in my heated house, who gets cold somewhat "easily", shall we say (lol)....SWIMMING IN THE OCEAN? I'M SORRY? SWIMMING IN THE FREAKING OCEAN???? Okay...you don't understand. I'll explain it to you. Hereabouts where I live, on the Westcoast of British Columbia (right by Seattle, WA, USA).... The ocean Does. Not. Warm. Up. Okay? See what I'm saying? Even if it gets to be 35°C (95° F) and it's a nice hot august day the ocean stays pretty much the same: frigid. In the historical image above my raving caption, we see JustTripn....our own Annie Oakley....swimming in 10°C (50°F) water. Ten. DEGREES. *I* don't do it. *No* one does. Just a few hippie surfer freaks at Tofino and, apparently, Ann. I was amazed and impressed! Hey! Look everyone! It's Bear Grylls!

I can see she's really enjoying that.

Come on, 'fess up. This was some sort of 'truth or dare' thing, wasn't it?

Brave girl!

No peer pressure! She just DID it! :O

Here's more pix:


Extreme closeup of underside of starfish.


Me being a starfish sales model.


Ann got this one of my tattoo....it says Aureilia on the near side and Abigail on the far side, with the sanskrit character for "love" in the middle.


Butternut squash soup for lunch!


Vampires in the trees. FOOOOORKS!


Ann battled a current to take this picture of a seal.


Freaking Ann out by covering myself in starfish.


A portion of our map. We had a nice lunch and an island all to ourselves on Marchant (in the southeast bit of the tiny group).


Here's one ann took on Marchant Isl. A wee desert paradise in the middle of the "snowy wastelands" of Canada. (lol) Poor Ann...didn't get to see a single sled dog or igloo the whole trip. I broke the tenets of my own anti-cold-water religion and actually got into the water you see shallow and inviting to the right of this pic. But it wasn't dignified. I farted around wading up to my knees for 10 minutes, then plunged in, screamed, and plunged out. Ann's swim was much braver.

You remind me of a 50's pin-up. But WOW! All those starfish.

Thanks so much for the additional pics here, EK - they're excellent and I Loved seeing them!!!!

Not to be critical, but that map is missing some push-pins to show where you went. How on earth do you find your way around? I don't suppose the 'trail of bread crumbs' would work too well. I'm impressed by the camp site, too. Surely you didn't manage to pack all that in four little canoes?

Thanks, ladies, for sharing your trip and pictures with us! I admire your moxy. What a trip!

I not one bit rustic or outdoorsy so that's about as close as I'll get. I thinking about camping some time next month for a night. I have never been.

"Well you're just going to have think about that offer.... cause, uh, as far as you're concerned, buddy? ... these are the only marshmallows in the world."
Erin -- July 27, 2011 -- Hand Island, Broken Group, BC, Canada

Ha, ha! I totally hear her voice.

As for the pic of my swim, it looks like the surfacing whale we had hoped to see, lol . . . Back here in the wimpy U.S., I am getting alot of respect for taking this trip. My son P. was the one who compared us to Bear Grylls. LOL!

Did I mention the bio-luminescent water? One night, I was wading in the ocean, bio-luminescent water around my feet, a perfect Milky Way over my head, while the rest were laughing in the background with our famous new friends. It doesn't get any better than this.