Canoe and Kayak Magazine - My brother is featured!!!

Skookum sea kayak smorgasbord
Somewhere in the fog between Gibsons and Egmont, Nick asks me, “Why, again are we doing this?” The wipers can’t keep up with the rain and the tires feel loose on the endless curves. Foreigner is all that blares on the local radio station. It takes me a second, focused on the scantly visible road enveloped by dark BC forest, top-heavy from the pair of soggy, racked sea kayaks.

“Uhh, to test boats,” I answer. More specifically, to finally get on this Skookumchuck wave we’ve all heard so much about. Mark Hall from Delta Kayaks planted the seed a few weeks ago after sending some YouTube-age of his new 16-foot, thermoform prototype surfing on the mysterious tidal beast. Click here for the footageI always thought of Skookumchuck as some giant M Wave-like Sasquatch of the Great White North reserved only for helix-poppin’ playboaters.
But hearing more and more about the shorter sea kayak crop in development — ones with progressive hull shapes to handle surf zones and tidal races with ease — the C&K staff pulled the trigger to put six new models to the Skookum-test.
That explained why art director/photographer Rob Zaleski, photo intern Brandon Gonski and I flew up from our SoCal office to meet with our Seattle-based advertising and marketing team of Jim Marsh, Nick Hinds and Scott Waidelich for 24 hours of frenzied, soaking wet travel sandwiched around a Saturday sea kayak orgy of activity. That, and the Skook Burger.
To finish the Skook Burger, you need a serious carb deficit. Skipping breakfast helps. Tired from rain and roads, we get the wake-up cabin call that the max flood will be earlier than anticipated. As we hastily unpack Gearzilla — a seriously stuffed duffle full of new dry gear to test — Hall and the Hurricane Riders are already putting on in the rain.
I can’t say that I’ve ever paddled with a Canadian sea kayak posse, but this particular one, based out of Vancouver’s Deep Cove Canoe and Kayak, is definitely one core Canadian sea kayak crew. You can only see their eyes. Decked out with insulating face masks, down to waterproof camera housings and Scuba strobe lights lashed to PFDs, they know what they’re up against. They aren’t fooling around rigging their boats and guessing if they need touring or whitewater skirts and paddles. We take a few obvious cues that it’s better to err on the side of whitewater — think neoprene skirts, short paddles with big blades, poggies and gasketed tops. Fortunately, that’s our group’s frame of reference going into the bizarro, sea/wave hybrid world of tidal long-boat surfing.
The first sea lion catches you off guard. You become aware of the surroundings on the paddle up the slack water to the narrows at the head of the inlet — soaking in the marine life, tin tugboats on weathered moorings, the tangles of bull kelp, the eagles and the high-water line meeting steep, forested hillsides rising into dark clouds. And soaking in the rain, which has not stopped. Then you just start hoping you don’t get hit by the sea lions that pop up everywhere but directly underneath you. Landing on the jagged bedrock outcropping, Hall and the Hurricanes are already setting up a tarp for cover.
The stationary, river-like wave is a fickle moonchild. Some days, the right tide differential for enough current volume and speed means surf’s up, bro. Other days you could get hosed, eh. The incoming tide flood picks up and our wave suddenly forms. The amplitude of the top roller grows to its long, green-wave threshold. Everyone moves without word to clam their boats off the sharp rocks of the reef-covered point. Suddenly there’s nine sea kayaks smacking and swirling in the eddy, jockeying for the calmer spots in the lineup.
It takes me a few tries to get the angle down and dig the initial massive rudder stroke, torso over rushing water, to keep the Wilderness Systems Zephyr 15.5 I’m in pointed downhill. Then it’s on. Out on the wave — two boaters, three at time even — sharing the goods and cruising in the long boats. Paddles are spinning. Two of the Hurricane guys manage a mid-surf hug during a dual surf.
Then the max flood hits. The green wave transforms into a fierce pile in a matter of seconds and back again. Most of the eddy lineup moves to the shore to cheer the few of the 16 total sea kayaks left for the full 10.2-knot punch – Gonski and Waidelich from our crew, Marty Perry and Pavel Szopa from the Hurricane crew as well as longtime local Skook fixture James Mole — who speaks fluent Canadian and helped us navigate the West Vancouver ferry crossing near his home — get the most dynamic rides and throttlin’ in the pile.
With each surf, the beached crowd is secretly crossing fingers for a carnage show, as is Rowan Gloag, the Hurricane Rider on film detail. Perry satisfies our window-shading thirst, but turns the Maytag spin cycle into a stylie under-chunder ride, holding on and finishing an epic surf — with barbeque-tongued camera deck mount still intact.
Amid the few hours of fleeting mid-day surf mayhem, there’s a few folks who miss roll attempts in the lengthy rapid of mixed waves and gaping whirlpools to take “the tour” out of their boats. I won’t name names, but let’s just say that cranking and torque-ing huge boats with huge paddles around for hours and then partaking in the channel tour is another great way to work up an appetite.
Which brings us back to the $20 hamburger at the Backeddy Pub & Marina. The price makes sense once you grasp the mass of this item, roughly the size of a child’s head. The bun alone probably takes four eggs to make. Tim the bartender claims the record stands at 4 minutes, 29 seconds, but I know this is a marathon, not a sprint. Gonski and I are the only two that limp to the finish.
Although far removed from my competitive eating days, Gonski grabs a leg up upon polishing off fries and dessert as well. But there are no winners in the gluttonfest as the surf and food frenzy floors the crew for early siestas — not even enough energy for Mark Hall’s curry casserole, Dutch-oven fiesta.

On the return, we get our first direct sunshine in 2 ½ days and it stings. According to the Egmont locals, this is what their “Indian Summer,” must feel like. Racing to make the early ferry, it’s only paddle-sore shoulders and focus to ensure it’s not a Skookum-up-chuck Burger. We miss the ferry, but with a few choice carpool lanes and a pack of duty-free Cheese Pleesers at the border, we barely make the flight out of the Northwestern cloud and back to the California coast, our group of Skookum-newbies earning a new collective respect for human digestive capacity and sea-kayak mission potential.

10K Clinic - 2nd week

I missed my 10K clinic today as I have to work the 11am - 11pm shift....but I did get up at 8am and ran just over 5.5K. Had a great run and feel fantastic!!

Mike and skin cancer...

For the entire time that I have know Mike (5 years now), he has had these spots on his head..that just won't heal. The neurologist last year suggested he see his family doctor, which he did. After trying several creams, it was suggested he go see a dermatologist.

He went to see the Dermatologist on Monday and she determined that the spots are skin cancer. Yikes..not good....but she says it's not the spreadable kind...

So she has booked Mike for day surgery, Friday, Sept 25th to have these spots removed.

As it is on his head, it is kind of hard to go deep, so we're hoping she's successful at removing most of it and no further treatment will be required.

So now we wait...again, patiently.

Xerox Race Day!!!

I am excited and nervous at the same time. I know this is just a 3K race, but it's my first group/timed race. I am so thankful that I will have friends coming to support me, it really means the world to me. It makes me feel important, that I am valued!!

Stay posted for pics, Kim is bringing her camera..Yay!!

Results are in.....

Circumstances

Our background and circumstances may have influenced who we are, but we are responsible for who we become.

10K Clinic

Started 10K Clinic today and it feels really great. Our group is huge, almost 30 people!!
My instructor is Jolène Savoie and she happens to work for Parliament of Canada...coinsidence???

We ran a small run today, I ran with Ashleigh the whole way. Getting to know each other a little.

Things I WANT...

ACCEPTANCE—I want to be warmly received without condition.
GRACE—I want something good (e.g., forgiveness) that I don't deserve.
CONNECTION—I want to be united to others.
COMPANIONSHIP—I want deep, intimate relationships.
SUCCESS—I want to achieve or accomplish something.
SELF-DETERMINATION—I want to have independence and free will.
UNDERSTANDING—I want to be known.
LOVE—I want to feel attractive to others.
VALIDATION—I want to be valued for who I am.
COMPETENCE—I want to have skills and ability that bring success.
RESPECT—I want to be admired and esteemed.
WORTH—I want to feel important.
HONOR—I want to feel like a priceless treasure.
COMMITMENT—I want to have unconditional security in relationships.
SIGNIFICANCE—I want to have meaning and purpose.
ATTENTION—I want to be noticed.
COMFORT—I want to feel a sense of well-being.
SUPPORT—I want to be cared for.
APPROVAL—I want to be liked and accepted.
WANTED—I want to be sought after.
SAFETY—I want to feel protected and secure.
AFFECTION—I want to feel fondness and warmth.
TRUST—I want to have faith in others.
HOPE—I want confidence that I will get what I love and desire.
JOY—I want to feel satisfied and happy.

Just registered for my first race

Just registered for my first race. This is our goal race from the Slater Street 5K clinic.

Proceeds from this race go to the Ottawa Regional Cancer Foundation...

Sunday morning Run - Week# 9

I had the best run today!! We ran from Bank Street store towards Dow's lake...it was a little drizzly, but nice and cool.
I felt really great after my run.