August 10, 2019 – My body decided it had had enough good sleep and was ready to wake up at 4:45 am. My conscious mind had other ideas. There was no need to get up an get to hauling gear and boat down the beach. Heck, I wasn’t even on a beach. I was in a bed, in a cottage, with no plans to paddle today. I compromised and meditated.
Uncle brought me coffee at 7 am. We packed everything into the car in a much appreciated rain. Even though I wiped her down after yesterday’s paddle, BABS needed a good rinsing off. Kris made some eggs for all of us, then Uncle, Gaston, and I made our way to Port Townsend to catch the ferry back to Whidbey Island.
It was a sunny and clear ferry ride. We studied the changing water patterns in the channel as we crossed. Once on Whidbey we drove to friends Kris and Mike’s place in Oak Harbor. This time was about transitioning to packing for four days of paddling Deception Pass, Swinomish Channel, and surrounding areas I would have paddled solo had I not taken the ferry from Orcas to Anacortes, then driven to Oak Harbor. As Uncle has his new-to-him truck (thanks Roger!), he will head back home tomorrow, with Gaston by his side. I will have my Saab and drive to the campground in Deception Pass to meet up and paddle with friends Con and Vern.
Transitioning… A melancholy attempts to gain purchase in my mind each time I realize how much closer I am getting to the end of this journey. The best resistance I have found to it, so far, is to look back and remember any day in the past 70, even the grumpy forced landing in Nanaimo, and hold onto those feelings – joy, fear, frustration, connection, peace… Throughout all of it… Freedom… Wildness… Me.
I unloaded everything and repacked with the new framework of car camping in mind. Uncle was understanding of my troubled state and lovingly granted me my space. I couldn’t even focus in on how I wanted to celebrate my 53rd birthday, which happens in two days.
After supper, we split a bottle of my new favorite IPA, I took a bath, and now it’s time for sleep.
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