I have been back for almost 2 weeks now. I have had some time to think about this trip as it affected me in ways that other expeditions have not. James Bay was not a particulrly beautiful place. Swamp and tussuc country and very little chance to see this country. It was mostly plan to stay alive this new day. kayak, try to find a tent spot and survive the tides and storms. In is just survive that day and the the next.That was the pleasure. Climbing has more beauty to it as the mountains of winter are gorgeous. Here again though it is breakdown camp, climb all day, one foot after the other after the other, setup camp and enjoy the scenery as you eat another dinner frozen by the nasty weather. Again there is beauty in the effort and the environment and that is what makes it worthwhile. The first two days of the Yukon were like that. Pile on the miles because I had too. To many miles on this trip to stop and enjoy where I was at. After the injury that all changed. My power was cut close to 40%. I also pretty much knew that I would not complete it as my shoulder was not going to get better with mileage. I had to slow down and when I did I started to become one with the river, learn from her and enjoy that I was one of the few that ever get to kayak this great wilderness river. What an honor I began to realize was happening to me. I kayaked and floated for about 400 miles hurt. That 400 miles was some of the best time I have ever spent in the wilderness. It was painful at times, just ached most of the time but the river made me forget about the injury and enjoy this magnificient place. The river taught me to listen to the hiss as this was the main channel. I learned about the currents and how they can help or hinder, the turbulence that threaten your safety all the time. I saw whirlpools of immense size that I believed one only saw in the movies. I experienced thunderstorms that ran me off the water and into the trees. Microbursts that came in fast and left just as fast. As soon as you heard them you turned the bow into them and paddled just to maintain a heading into the storm. Nothing I could do would move me forward. Awesome violence in these storms. I learned to enjoy every inch of the shoreline as each had a story to tell. to enjoy the toughness of this place. As I plodded down this river I became more like it each day. The river has a story if one allows it into them.
In my next blog i will talk about the people that live with the river.