August 6, 2019 – I have a friend named Peg Miller who is an avid canoeist and kayaker. She has lived in and paddled the area for 40+ years and when I told her I would be working with Columbia River Kayaking she was impressed. Having watched Ginni, Andrew, Mark, Levi, and others continue to raise CRK’s already high bar, she told me that I was working with some of the best coaches in the world.
She was right. I feel like I have received the best of the best training one can receive from my sea kayaking friends and coaches over these past years, most specifically in the area of risk assessment. When I was a high tech business manager I assessed risk all the time, only it was the organization’s bottom line that was at stake, not my and/or others’ lives.
And now here I am looking at paddling by myself down the breathtaking and dangerous Washington coastline. Yesterday’s trip around the cape gave me the data points I needed to analyze more clearly the risk/benefit of continuing to paddle solo. All results point in the direction of not doing it solo. Even if the will and the skill are there, it is not worth the anxiety and risk. I am reworking the plan. Stay tuned on that…
In the meantime, Uncle, Gaston, and I headed east today to Port Angeles. Thursday’s forecast looks best for paddling that final stretch of the SSJF. We found a sweet AirBnB in the heart of the town that feels like we are still in the forest. When we arrived, our hostess, Mataya, had created put up a big tent with a real bed for me! Also, she had a lovely little welcome sign and ready-to-start fire pit. All of this in an area with mature trees and understory.
After an easy camp set up, Uncle lit a fire and we enjoyed a visit from our host and other campers, then I had a good sleep protected from bugs while still being able to see the night sky.
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