June 4, 2004

Sorry to be out of touch for so long, the trip has been brutally hard at times and I have found myself very pressed for time so far along the way. I knew beforehand however that the BC portion of the expedition would likely be the toughest, most demanding part of the trip, espcially as I paddle myself into shape and get myself adjusted to the routine of my new life of "Paddle, eat, sleep", day in and day out.

The Sea 1 canoe is working well for me, more at home on open water however than whitewater but my whitewater skills are quickly adjusting and I'm finding ways of making it handle the whitewater better and better. bi've yet to encounter anything bigger than 4 foot seas and some nice clapotis/ refracting wave action. Nothing real big yet. The canoe has handled all of this with great ease and seems like it will be good in big water out on Lake Winniepeg next month and Superior later this summer. The portage cart has made it but has seen better days, some worn out wheel bushings (not the grey spoacers but the black wheel bushing themselves...worn down to black powder on wo of them), it is now making a lot of strange "noises"!

Right now I am in Hudson's Hope, rouglhy 1200 kilometers into the trip with, I belive, the most demanding part behine me. Later today I hit the Peace /river for a 1200 kilometer downriver paddle to Lake Athabasca, just below the Northwest Territories border. My daily average should pick up dramatically over the next couple weeks.


Cheers...Joe O'