Marooned on an Island

Readying the bazooka

It's been two years since I moved to London. Ramata and I were planning to visit Tanzania until I sort of last minute was told I needed to fly to Canada in order to renew my visa.

Well, there are worse places to visit.

Her first trip to Canada, this would have to be epic. We'd go somewhere remote, peaceful and natural, qualities quintessential to Canada. At the height of tourist season though, such a place can seem difficult to find with all the crazies running around, but I knew one place quite well. Fortuitously, Angela and Everett were in town and the Mazda available. The stage was set for a proper adventure.

Obeying all road laws, we drove at an appropriate speed to the water taxi and in 15 minutes we were marooned on a semi-remote pacific island. 5 km of near-bushwhacking took us to a wide sand beach flanked by peninsulas of dark igneous rock.

We continued to a secluded cove, set up camp and gathered round a humble driftwood fire. In the night, we awoke to an epic night sky among the best I've seen. Lying on our backs upon the sand, we contemplated the universe and wished upon shooting stars. The next morning, a walk to the surf to wash the porridge bowls revealed two waterspouts not far offshore. Gray whales! 

Being bottom feeders, Gray Whales dredge the bottom for benthic invertebrates then filter out the sand and water through their baleen. They can be seen quite close to shore. At least 6 Gray Whales were observed over our 2 days there. Once, a small one fed inconspicuously 20 m from shore as we stood waist-deep in the water! 



Freed from the shackles of society, we ran over the vast beeches exalting our freedom to our creator. We played "squares" until our shins were bruised from pelting the stick of driftwood at each other and our midsections strained from laughter. We perspired and cried out like primitive beasts. 




For Ramata, the decisive moment had come...the icy pacific swim. Everett, Ange and I bolted for the water like red-eared sliders while Ramata inched in little by little. She emerged a fully baptised honorary Canadian. 

Our war of the sands turned to a water war of kelp as we pelted each other's backs and faces with the slimy flaps of this sea weed. After the nourishing treatment of kelp-based moisturiser, we played a game of spoons but with sticks of driftwood. During the final, the one with 4 matching cards had to initiate a sprint to collect a large stick placed 50 m away, while the two others pelted them with kelp (the gauntlet). The loser was subjected to two lashings of kelp to the bare abdomen (the humiliation).

The dawn

We retired early for a 4:30 rise. Ramata and I walked in the twilight to the spot where I'd seen a wolf twice  2 years ago. We did not see one this time (not surprisingly, as there were no tracks in the area) but our walk was still epic. The same spot had about 10 Sea Otters rafting off shore by a bed of kelp. They floated in pairs while some munched on some echinoderms or crustaceans of some sort, while a mother spooned her young - very cute! Seals poked their heads up like periscopes and ospreys plunged for fish. Could this scene be what European explorers beheld when they moored in these waters in the late 18th century?

Sea otters lying on their backs

Spooning! 

The 10x Zeiss SF's - the smile says it all! 

Tidal pools provided a fascinating study of echinoderms, molluscs and crustaceans inhabiting this microcosm. Finds of chitons, hermit crabs, sea anemones etc. rekindled fond memories of invert. zoology back at Guelph University.

How many kinds of inverts can you find? 

Sea Anemones making a living

On the way back, a pair of Gray Whales stopped feeding and began to breach. They breached 1/2 or 3/4 out of the water about 10 times. I was lucky to nail a few with my 300mm and 1.4x extender I recently got. Not that such a memory necessitates photos, the image of these great beasts hurling their bulk skyward. They were trying to experience a burst of freedom from their dark, watery domain.

At last our visit was at an end.