By Calvin:
After the Vancouver Island trip I would have never guessed that it would be two years before writing on this blog again. Well, here it is.
On the last day of the Vancouver Island circumnavigation my longtime girlfriend, Robin, met me on the beach as I landed. I had not expected to see her; the surprise made the end of the trip so much sweeter. She was incredibly patient as I cleaned up and sorted myself out from that adventure, balancing a helping hand with an ability to give me some space as I processed everything. We had been together for nine years at that point, and during the trip we thought about each other constantly. We knew that it was time to “make it official.” A month later we were married.
On our wedding day in Wisconsin.
Robin had moved home to Madison, Wisconsin to care for her terminally ill father three years prior. Now that we were married it just made sense for me to join her. Somewhat reluctantly, I packed up everything and left the islands, settling in to a mid-west winter. Although leaving the place I loved was difficult, getting to live full-time with my new wife was well worth it.
After Robin’s father passed away, we were left with a lot of decisions… what to do now? We both have full-time jobs in Wisconsin… is this where we want to stay? We know the answer is “no”, but we also don’t know where to head or what to do. It seems unlikely that we will ever get this much of a clean break from jobs and place again, and we want to take advantage of it.
You know what is a great way to have some time to ponder the future? Go paddling!
One of many past paddling adventures on Lake Superior.
This spring we are selling our house, putting our belongings in storage, and heading to the coast. In late June, we will load our kayaks on a ferry to Alaska. From there we will make our way back to Orcas Island, Washington. It will likely take the better part of three months to complete the journey… that should be enough time to sort ourselves out. We have always enjoyed exploring wild places together, and this journey will be by far the longest and most challenging we have ever taken on together.
There is much preparation to be done in order to prepare: logistics, gear, route, and physical training. We are excited to share a bit of our adventure through this blog. Our plan is to write updates while planning the trip and then, when internet access allows, along theway. We hope you’ll come along and see what it is like to travel 1200 miles by kayak through some of the most majestic coastline in the US and Canada.
Mist above the waters of the Slate Islands.