Before getting the knee brace, my left knee was always giving me trouble. Every few years I would get the doctor to go in with microsurgery and remove a build-up of material. This would stop a large portion of the pain. But finally, I was told that it could not be done again, the knee was too badly damaged. I was told that I was going to require a knee brace. After being fitted for and getting the brace, I could do most things again. I could hike, and mountain bike. I could walk again. I could not believe how well it worked, it was like having a new knee.
The brace was awesome but I needed a total knee replacement. I kept at my doctor to get me an appointment with the bone surgeon. He would always say it was not bad enough yet. I would tell him that the only reason I could walk so well was the brace, but it had come to the point where I could not walk on it without my brace. One day I twisted my knee pretty bad and had to see a doctor, mine was not on duty so I saw another. He took one look at my knee and said it was pretty bad. This doctor put in a referral for the bone surgeon. I was told it would be up to 2 years before my first visit. At least the ball was rolling.
I was told to take it easy on my knee and things should go OK. I tried but I was never very good at taking it easy, at first I would just push it to my limit. After a while though and with no real visible damage, I began to get cocky and would brag how my braced knee would stand up as well as any knee. I was soon to learn differently.
My youngest son Forrest and I were going to hike into Bonnel Falls which was located in the Nanoose Bay area. I had always wanted to visit them. It was late fall and the creek was running high. The upper falls were pretty impressive. We dropped down by rope to reach the next few falls that were lower. All were just incredible. It was time to head back up. I started to haul my ass back up the ropes and my knee just popped. There I was, two rope climbs below the trail, in pain.
I made several attempts to get up the first climb but was unsuccessful. Thankfully I had my young son with me, he would get me to go up a bit, and then he would work his way up under me and put his hands where I could use them as footholds. We inched our way up both climbs until I was back on the path, which took over an hour. For the next few days, my son’s hands were quite painful. He is a tough young fella.
I was back to easy walks on level paths, no mountain trails, no rock climbing, no caving. I could kayak though and that was a godsend. By getting out in the kayaks, I was still able to partake in some pretty incredible adventures.
The Kayaking Trip
At 4:30 am, Georgina and l were on our way to Telegraph Cove to head out on the kayaking adventure. This was a chance to go out for three days, with a guide that included all the kayaking equipment, camping gear, and food. It was going to be pretty awesome and we both were very excited. Upon arrival at Telegraph Cove, we met the other members of our trip. Chet Morrison and his daughter Alexandra are from Pennsylvania. Barbara from Oregon, and our guide Danial Finer who hails from Saltspring Island.
After introductions, we loaded our kayaks with our gear, my wife and I were in a double kayak. Chet, his daughter and Barbara were also in a double, but the center cargo hold had been refitted with a seat for Alexandra. Danial was in a single. After pulling out of the cove, we headed across Broughton Strait and into the Cormorant Channel Marine Provincial Park. This park is located at the western end of Hanson Island. During the crossing, we saw many Dall’s Porpoises, they are such beautiful animals.
I have had some experience in a kayak, but the other guests were pretty green at it. As we went through the channel between the Plumper Island Group and Hanson Island, we encountered a very strong current that had to be pushed against, it was quite a struggle for my wife and me. It was a great way for the others to learn how to control their craft. It was tough, but all of us got through. We then headed into a small cove on the north side of the island where we stopped for a wonderful lunch that was put together by our guide Danial while the rest of the team rested up.
The rest of the day we travelled down Blackfish Sound along the north shore of Hanson Island. We saw several whales off in the distance, but they were too far away from us. We did get to see deer, mink, seals, sea lions, and a few more porpoises as we headed to the east end of the island. We went between Hanson and Little Hanson Islands on the eastern end and arrived at our first camp where we would spend the night. The company has 6 of these camps located in various places in the area and they are incredible. There are 6 or more tents set up on platforms, covered cooking and eating areas, compost toilets and vistas that will take your breath away.
The guides do all the cooking and cleanups, our dinner on the first night was awesome, and Danial created barbecued salmon, rice, salad, and various treats. We all ate a hardy meal after that first day of kayaking. These guides are pretty incredible and I have to hand it to Danial who looked after us very well. After dinner, Danial got the kitchen area cleaned up and then started a fire where we all sat around eating smores and getting to know one another better, We could not have asked for a better group of folks to spend three days with. We all got along quite well. Georgina and l headed to bed around 9 pm and fell asleep pretty quickly.
At 3:30 am, she woke me up to say that she thought she could hear something just outside of tent, but that she was too scared to head out to see. I told her it was most likely a deer walking by. Then she said quietly, i think it’s whales. I said its just waves from a passing boat and then rolled over to get a few more hours of rest, but just then l heard the unmistakable sound of a whale breaching. It is amazing just how fast we got dressed and out onto the rock bluff overlooking the strait. As we trained our eyes to the early morning light, there they were, a family of Humpback Whales feeding off in the distance, it was an awesome sight. They entertained us for more than an hour, it was incredible, this is what we had come to see. The sound of them breaching was like thunder. There was no going back to bed after this. I sure do wish the others had been up to see these whales.
After the rest of our group woke, and we all ate a wonderful breakfast of banana pancakes and sausages, we carried the kayaks down to the water. After getting them loaded, we headed out for our second day. We headed across the entrance to Black Fish Sound, between Hanson Island and West Cracroft Island. Then along the southwest shore of the island until we reached the Sophia Islands, stopping for a short break along the way.
This was turning out to be a trip of a lifetime, everyone in our group was having such a grand time. Chet informed me that he just returned from a 2-year stint as a trauma surgeon in Afghanistan and needed this adventure.
We saw lots of Dall’s Porpoise but no whales and after passing the Sophia Islands, we headed across the Johnston Strait to the western boundary of Robson Bight. We stopped for lunch here.
After lunch, we headed west up along the shore of Vancouver Island until we reached the camp for our second night. This was just west of Kaikash Creek, as we finished carrying the kayaks up to the high tide line, we spotted a humpback whale just offshore, it was swimming slowly just on the outside of the kelp bed and all of us were able to observe it well. I am pleased that the others were able to see it.
After a great dinner of homemade chile and buns, Georgina and l headed down to see Kaikash Creek, it was nice to stretch our legs a bit, there is a public campsite here that is maintained by the Namgis People that is only accessible by water, nice site with plenty of tables and a double compost toilet. The creek is very pretty and the water is fresh.
That night was an early night for us as Gina and I had gotten up at 3:30 am, we slept very well and woke up to the smell of fresh coffee, eggs, and bacon cooking and Danial in the kitchen with a big smile for all of us, Danial was always smiling. He also had a great knowledge of the area and could answer all our questions in a way that you could understand.
After packing our gear and loading the kayaks, we headed west along the shore of Broughton Strait towards our final destination of Telegraph Cove, there was some wind and we had waves rolling over our kayak, this was quite exciting to Georgina. We made a lunch stop at the Blinkhorn Rec Site where we had pita bread sandwiches filled with a tuna salad and other treats, we then hiked out the trail to the Blinkhorn light where we had a great view of the strait, there was a few seals and sea lions.
The Blinkhorn Trail is a beautiful, well-marked trail that wanders through rainforests overlooking Telegraph Cove. There are huge old trees and giant rock bluffs along the way. We always see amazing sights along this trail, Sometimes it’s whales in the ocean or black bears on the trail. Other times it’s some sort of mushroom or plant, you just never know what you might see, so keep your eyes open. For part of the way, you walk the old telegraph trail, and then in other areas, you follow natural animal trails. The telegraph trail was put in 1912 when the line was extended to the area, the cove became known as Telegraph Cove.
Once back at the Blinkhorn Rec site, we had a bit of rest, and then Gina and I explored the rec site, this site can be reached by foot from Telegraph Cove and the trail is part of the one we used to reach the bluffs where the light is located.
After a bit of rest, we headed back to the rec site, loaded our kayaks, and headed out on our final leg of the journey back to Telegraph Cove. On one of the little islands just off Westell Point, we were able to see a large Eagles nest with a couple of little ones in the nest. Then we pulled into Telegraph Cove and reached the end of our trip, all too soon for all of us. It was a trip of a lifetime. Gina and I had such a great time. My friend sold his kayak business the next year.
After getting kicked out in grade 8 and starting my career in logging, I lost track of any friends I had from school. Never got to know most of them, so I was surprised to get an invitation to the 45th high school reunion of what would have been my graduation class. The tickets were 250 bucks. I wrote back that I would not be attending, after all, the thought of putting 250.00 to attend a reunion of people I really did not know seemed pointless.
I had several emails after this saying that I was in demand, they had seen the news reports and a few were part of our cleanups and they all wanted to have me come. I was also considered a well-established artist in their eyes. One of the success stories of students of my class. I wrote back to say no again.
They wrote back again to tell me that one of the attendees of the school reunion wanted to buy our tickets and they said that now I had no excuse, so please come. At this time my wife got involved, she was also urging me to go. The committee had started to write her as well and had gotten her in favour of us attending. I finally relented and said we would attend. I told them that as they were paying, I would do a painting that would be given out in a draw of a ticket number of all who showed up. Another classmate who lives back east commissioned me for a painting that was to be delivered at the same time. I agreed.
I was pretty nervous about this reunion. I had been one of the bad boys in school, always fighting and getting into trouble. I felt I had only a few friends when I was in school. I was sure that I would only recognize a few people. Most of the guys I had kept in touch with had either been killed in logging accidents or had died from health problems due to excessive drinking. I was not in any way or form, looking forward to this event.
The reunion was to be held in the maritime heritage center in Campbell River, this is now a very nice venue that is well-used for various events and meetings. It is right on the water, just south of the wharves that make up our waterfront. Right out in front is the famous Campbell River fishing pier. When this pier was built it was the highlight of the downtown core, tourism at its best. Many people fish off of it and the fishing is always good. At the start of it, you will find a small but well-maintained aquarium that is chock full of what is the sea life of our local waters. I go there at least once a year, and a lot of the entrants to my fish category on my website are from photos I took in this wonderful addition to our local waterfront. Inside the maritime museum is a full local fishing boat that has been restored.
This vessel is a true heritage boat. It is one of the oldest and best-preserved wooden Seine Boats on the coast. It is a true survivor of the local fishing fleet from the early days. It also was one of the first fishing boats to be owned by an Aboriginal man, before this, all native fishing boats were owned by canneries and captained and crewed by First Nations sailors. It was also on the Canadian five-dollar bill from 1972 to 1986. This boat worked as a cannery seiner for its first 14 years before being bought by a local First Nations family. It has been restored and is a beautiful example of the early days of fishing. The boat is inside and there are verandas on the second floor that allow you to view this boat from above. The venue of the reunion is just back from there, there is a covered second-floor deck out the front of the building with views of the wharves and Quadra Island beyond.
When I was a young man, some good friends and I rented a house that was just above this center, but in those days, it was where our sewer treatment plant was located. We all called it the shit pit. Right beside the treatment building was a very large square cement tank, it had an open top. Inside this tank were agitators that would swirl the shit and other wastes around to make it into a slurry, which was then pumped out in a long pipe far away from shore before it was discharged into the straight. We lived about 6 houses away, and when the wind was blowing from the north, our house was in its direct path. It could make you gag, we would close all windows and light incense. Thankfully, the winds only occasionally would blow from the north.
In 1996, the new treatment plant was opened at the Norm Wood Environmental Centre for business and the shit pit was shut down. Ideas floated around for a few years about what to do with this property. Then the District of Campbell River solicited ideas for suggested uses for the property. As the land had just recently been used for sewage treatment, there were environmental issues involved.
The Daybreak Rotarians proposed that we build a maritime heritage centre on the site. This could be used to bring the history of the local fishing community. The concept was approved and the Rotarians facilitated the construction. The completed centre was then turned over to the City.
As we arrived at the center for the reunion, I noticed that there were many cars in the lot, and the dread of walking through those doors almost made me turn around and flee. My wife took my hand and pulled me to the entrance, I steeled my nerves, took a pull on the doors and entered. To my surprise, they all clapped as we walked in. As I looked around the room at the more than 100 people, I found that not only did I still know who they all were, but memories of every one of them began to return and all I could do was smile. It was not unlike the show Cheers, where everyone knows your name.
We were directed to a table where 10 or so people were already seated. Three of them were ladies whom I had dated back in the day, they were now lawyers, hospital administrators and business owners. Two of the ladies took my wife off to the side and told her how all the girls had the hots for me back in school. They told her it was because I was such a bad boy. Who knew?
All in all. My wife and I had a good time. I made connections with most and still maintain many of these friendships. I was simply amazed at how many of them I remembered, and talking with these people had me laughing all night. My wife heard many tales of my high school days, some of the ladies even told her they had memories about me that they cherished, I too have fond memories of these ladies.
The draw for the painting was done before dinner, they all gathered around with their tickets in their hands, and one of the ladies on the committee drew the winner, it was a lady I could not remember, or perhaps she moved to our community after I left school. No matter, she was completely thrilled and teary-eyed with winning, which always makes me happy.
We then began to line up for dinner and it was then I discovered it was my cousin and good friend who was the caterer and the eating was awesome. After the dinner I had all the people go out on the balcony and I went out into the parking lot where I made a video of everyone cheering for the reunion. When I got home, I edited the video inserted photos and sent it out to everyone. I did have fun.
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