7/18/10
Journaling and keeping everything written down on this trip is impossible. I hate to say it, but honestly it’s outrageously difficult. I never imagined myself so busy and so happy to be so busy on this little addi-venture. The days are slowly getting shorter but my days keep getting longer with all the things around here that I try to fit into a 24-hour period. And part, if not all of it, is a sheer bewilderment at all the things that I’ve done since getting here Tuesday night and the things I continue to do each day. I’m more sore than I could ever describe and even now I’d rather be halfway through a REM-cycle, but if I want to get all my adventures of the day written down before my battery dies I’d better stop babbling and start writing.
This morning started with a 7 am cup of tea to-go and an otter scan: no otters. Yesterday’s scan started at 6:30 (ish) and went much better with two otters seen, but I don’t let it get me down. After coming back for a bigger breakfast (slightly let down by the lack of eggs in the house but still a good bowl of life :-P), I headed out to start work on Stardust (the bigger whale-research vessel that needed washing and painting). The majority of the team except William, Bree and I (Bree is volunteer number one who showed up yesterday afternoon a day ahead of the rest) went out on drifter for the weather-permitting daily whale transect, leaving the three of us on Stardust duty. I had the awesome job last night of helping to scrape and powerwash the hull of Stardust yesterday night (God my battery’s running low already). You may think I’m being my normal sarcastic self, but really I’m completely serious about how awesome it was. I of course have never done anything remotely similar to scraping and powerwashing a boat before, and I soaked up every minute of it. Through all the foul-smell scrubbing and getting little bits of mussle/barnacle shell in my eyes and mouth, and again today getting heavy-duty copper paint in the aforementioned body parts, I had a skipper-sized smile on my face. The painting took quite a while, first with the taping along the water-line (so we wouldn’t get the environmentally UN-friendly paint in places where we didn’t need it) and then with the actual painting. We probably started that round 11 am and didn’t finish until about three. Two hours longer than expected, but the important thing was getting it done right, which I can happily say that we did.
After taking a short change break and sorting out my laundry, Bree and I headed out to check one of the two cameras that I placed yesterday morning (the one closest to camp and a short hike away). We left around the exact time that 11 of the 12 other EarthWatch volunteers showed up, so it was just a wee bit stressful finding all my gear through their crashing about, but I was definitely happy to get her and I out of the house with all that going on. We successfully checked the camera’s memory card on the field computer IN the field (awesome) to verify that the camera’s angle was set right. We adjusted it and locked it securely back to the log and made it back to the house in all under 45 minutes. From there I threw all the gear down and went through the introduction meeting/safety briefing with the volleys, after-which it was right back to the Stardust with Ty and William.
With all the paint dry she was ready to get back in the water so we stressfully went through the process of getting the wey-cable to lower her down into the little bay. Turned her around and docked her on the other side of the small dock (me trying desperately to tie three pad-buoys to the starboard side at the right length all while not falling overboard) and immediately switched over to Drifter (much smaller whaling vessel) to move her into the wey for her powerwashing (no painting thank God) and oil change. The cleaning went without a hitch but it was when we started to change the oil that things began going wrong for me and Ty. The two bolts plugging the oil tank on both motors we so badly rounded that the socket wrench wouldn’t get them off. We tried for what felt like hours trying different size sockets to no avail. Eventually we used a paper towel in a size up socket and managed to work the garbage bolts loose. Surprisngly with Huey’s tools we were able to screw the garbage bolts back on and the successfully changed the oil. I spilled a ton of old oil onto the port motor when I took the can out too slow, but it was cleaned up easy enough.
It was here where the gem of the day took place. After we got Drifter released back into the water with Huey’s help, Tyler and I took Drifter out for a ride to make sure the motors were running smoothly. As soon as we got out of eyesight of the house, Tyler didn’t even ask, just stepped away from the wheel and said, “take it”. The ten minutes that followed I’ll NEVER FORGET. It was one of the most exhilarating yet peaceful experiences I’ve ever had, having complete control over that skiff, testing her turn-radius, zig-zagging in and out, playing chicken with a local (which you NEVER do according to Ty), all the while having a perfect view of dusk over the hills and mountains of Vancouver, Flores, and Cougar Islands. The satisfaction I got from those short moments is indefinable.
Far too tired to write anymore, my shoulder’s killing me and my eyes are drooping. So until next time, smooth sailing. I know I am.
Any comfort you once took in the familiarity will be ripped to shreds as you learn to stand on your own, to delve into who you truly are and re-invent yourself into who you want to be. - Erin Stephany
Tuesday, July 27, 2010
Wednesday, July 14, 2010
The Canuck Chronicles Day 1
Best. First Day. Ever.
Woke up on a tiny island in British Columbia, Canada, this morning with the sun and a cool ocean breeze in my face and a hammock calling my name. It doesn’t sound like it, but this is all part of the job this summer. I’m interning for a professor and conducting research on river otter behavior in Ahousaht, B.C. I think I have to go ahead and say that I will probably deserve everything I get while I’m out here, good and bad, because I’ve harassed my professor to give me this research since I learned about it during May of last year.
Day one on the island was probably as action-packed as one could imagine, and it was more exciting than I ever expected. We rolled out of bed at a comfortable nine am after arriving at the island late last night, and we took our time making breakfast. We took the dime tour of our little neck of the (literally) woods from Tyler. Tyler’s a 25 yr-old smart-mouth employee of the University of Victoria Whale Research Lab, which is specifically where I’m located. After unloading the pounds and pounds of gear off our ferry last night, I first shook hands with the man after he helped our group move a multiple-hundred-pound crate off the ferry and onto the dock, and the first thing he said to me was, “Hi, I’m Tyler. Boy you all pack light, eh?” Needless to say I liked him immediately.
Back to the day. After finishing up the tour, the other two researchers with me from Redlands, Laura and Chandler who are both doing separate Grey Whale projects, and I changed into soak-able clothing and met up with another member of our jolly gang of staff, Crystal. Crystal will be my second-in command for my river-otter project, and she’s also our unofficial kayaking instructor. Our job for the morning was to learn how to successfully exit a kayak with a skirt on (kayak skirt) after the kayak has successfully capsized. We were in two-man kayaks and Crystal told us before we hit the water that our kayaks were very stable and difficult to roll. Well as anyone who knows me can guess, I took that as a challenge and managed to turn that sucker with one pull. I’ve never worn a kayak skirt before nor have I ever exited a capsized kayak, but I can confidently say from experience that it is easier than it sounds. It was a load of fun, a great way to wake up and start the day. But that wasn’t all. On our way back we were stopped by Tyler and asked to grab a 20 foot floating log and drag it across the beach, under two gangways and a pier and safely tie it to a floating wharf on the other side. Pulling your leg, you might ask? That’s exactly what I thought, but nay, he was plenty serious. So Crystal and I lashed that log to the end of the kayak and (tugboat-style) huffed and puffed and pulled that log under two gangways and a pier to the other side. To that event that I can confidently say from experience that it is not easier than it sounds. A twenty-foot long tree trunk floating in the water is still a twenty-foot long tree trunk, and it was heavy as hell to drag through the water in a kayak no less. I got my work out in for the day, but did we take a break there? Don’t count on it.
Breath, aaand….After we parked the kayaks and drained them, we walked back to the house to start lunch, but (again thanks to Tyler) had to postpone that lovely 2nd meal of the day so we could help him move another floating wharf across the beach between the dock and beach to another spot. Again, not easier than it sounds, but with two ropes attached to the far ends of the wharf, the tide coming in, and all seven of the staff working on it, we managed it fairly quickly and were able to get right back to lunch.
After lunch things slowed down. I worked on clearing the memory out of my video cameras while the others talked, read and slept. At three we congregated with Crystal again to have a go at locating one of the river otter latrine sites that she and the previous researcher had found last year. If you don’t know what a latrine site is, it’s exactly what it sounds like. Unfortunately we couldn’t get to it because the tide was in and the path to it was overgrown by some very friendly thimble-berry bushes. Thimble-berry bushes are a lot like raspberry bushes except with more and bigger thorns for petting us with. We cut the hike short and decided to try again tomorrow morning. We headed back to the house and spent the rest of the afternoon working on our respective projects. Crystal and I tested cameras, memory cards, and discussed logistics. It’s all the boring stuff so I’ll leave the details out.
After all the work that Tyler put us through on our first day, he came through for us at the end of it by cooking up a huge spaghetti dinner, and it was exactly what we needed.
Today was more than anything a day for living in the moment. While I stood on the dock coiling rope as we moved a floating wharf down the beach, I was happily awe-struck by the situation I successfully managed to get myself into. But I didn’t have much time to ponder my good fortune because we had to keep that floating pile of logs and nails from ramming into boats, rocks or metal gangways. I can only wait and see what six more weeks of this has in store for me.
Woke up on a tiny island in British Columbia, Canada, this morning with the sun and a cool ocean breeze in my face and a hammock calling my name. It doesn’t sound like it, but this is all part of the job this summer. I’m interning for a professor and conducting research on river otter behavior in Ahousaht, B.C. I think I have to go ahead and say that I will probably deserve everything I get while I’m out here, good and bad, because I’ve harassed my professor to give me this research since I learned about it during May of last year.
Day one on the island was probably as action-packed as one could imagine, and it was more exciting than I ever expected. We rolled out of bed at a comfortable nine am after arriving at the island late last night, and we took our time making breakfast. We took the dime tour of our little neck of the (literally) woods from Tyler. Tyler’s a 25 yr-old smart-mouth employee of the University of Victoria Whale Research Lab, which is specifically where I’m located. After unloading the pounds and pounds of gear off our ferry last night, I first shook hands with the man after he helped our group move a multiple-hundred-pound crate off the ferry and onto the dock, and the first thing he said to me was, “Hi, I’m Tyler. Boy you all pack light, eh?” Needless to say I liked him immediately.
Back to the day. After finishing up the tour, the other two researchers with me from Redlands, Laura and Chandler who are both doing separate Grey Whale projects, and I changed into soak-able clothing and met up with another member of our jolly gang of staff, Crystal. Crystal will be my second-in command for my river-otter project, and she’s also our unofficial kayaking instructor. Our job for the morning was to learn how to successfully exit a kayak with a skirt on (kayak skirt) after the kayak has successfully capsized. We were in two-man kayaks and Crystal told us before we hit the water that our kayaks were very stable and difficult to roll. Well as anyone who knows me can guess, I took that as a challenge and managed to turn that sucker with one pull. I’ve never worn a kayak skirt before nor have I ever exited a capsized kayak, but I can confidently say from experience that it is easier than it sounds. It was a load of fun, a great way to wake up and start the day. But that wasn’t all. On our way back we were stopped by Tyler and asked to grab a 20 foot floating log and drag it across the beach, under two gangways and a pier and safely tie it to a floating wharf on the other side. Pulling your leg, you might ask? That’s exactly what I thought, but nay, he was plenty serious. So Crystal and I lashed that log to the end of the kayak and (tugboat-style) huffed and puffed and pulled that log under two gangways and a pier to the other side. To that event that I can confidently say from experience that it is not easier than it sounds. A twenty-foot long tree trunk floating in the water is still a twenty-foot long tree trunk, and it was heavy as hell to drag through the water in a kayak no less. I got my work out in for the day, but did we take a break there? Don’t count on it.
Breath, aaand….After we parked the kayaks and drained them, we walked back to the house to start lunch, but (again thanks to Tyler) had to postpone that lovely 2nd meal of the day so we could help him move another floating wharf across the beach between the dock and beach to another spot. Again, not easier than it sounds, but with two ropes attached to the far ends of the wharf, the tide coming in, and all seven of the staff working on it, we managed it fairly quickly and were able to get right back to lunch.
After lunch things slowed down. I worked on clearing the memory out of my video cameras while the others talked, read and slept. At three we congregated with Crystal again to have a go at locating one of the river otter latrine sites that she and the previous researcher had found last year. If you don’t know what a latrine site is, it’s exactly what it sounds like. Unfortunately we couldn’t get to it because the tide was in and the path to it was overgrown by some very friendly thimble-berry bushes. Thimble-berry bushes are a lot like raspberry bushes except with more and bigger thorns for petting us with. We cut the hike short and decided to try again tomorrow morning. We headed back to the house and spent the rest of the afternoon working on our respective projects. Crystal and I tested cameras, memory cards, and discussed logistics. It’s all the boring stuff so I’ll leave the details out.
After all the work that Tyler put us through on our first day, he came through for us at the end of it by cooking up a huge spaghetti dinner, and it was exactly what we needed.
Today was more than anything a day for living in the moment. While I stood on the dock coiling rope as we moved a floating wharf down the beach, I was happily awe-struck by the situation I successfully managed to get myself into. But I didn’t have much time to ponder my good fortune because we had to keep that floating pile of logs and nails from ramming into boats, rocks or metal gangways. I can only wait and see what six more weeks of this has in store for me.
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