We awakened at 6:30am Wednesday morning to a stiffer breeze than usual, and rain that had fallen all night had not just persisted, but became more heavy. After a hardy breakfast of oats, quinoa & spices with Spam, we packed the JRH in anticipation of launch within the hour. We were leaving Hot Springs Cove to row the “inside route” to Tofino, so as to avoid the building southerly winds and seas. Packing the boatis not challenging, but it certainly is made slower when sea otters and loons visit – I’d like to think with the intention of entertaining us. The hot springs were good to our bodies and souls, but it was time to leave to continue the journey.
With Adam steering in the bow, and Rick setting the cadence in the stern, we shoved off. Markus & I sat in the stern end of the cockpit assisting with route selection, while Jordan was in the stern cabin writing the previous blog.
It wasn’t long before the stiff southerlies (headwinds) slowed progress. Half-way toward the cove entrance the awkward northbound swells also greeted the boat and made steering proper course all the more difficult. This created dangerous conditions which on two occasions threatened to put the boat and crew into the rocks of Sharp Point to the east, or Mate Islands to the west. Waves crashed to shore sending splashes 20 feet into the air. With Adam unable to manage a safe course through the mouth of the cove, I made the call to turn back. It was disappointing, but great experiences happen when you least expect them.
We paddled to the Hesquiat First Nation village dock and walked up dirt roads to the community health center. We explained our plight, and the folks inside were welcoming, inviting us to attend a cancer prevention workshop put on by a visiting physician. And… they were serving lunch!
Before the meal & presentation began, Jean, a longtime local resident said a prayer in her native Hesquiat tongue. It was beautiful, foreign, familiar. Feasting on clam chowder made from freshly harvested local clams, we listened to why sugar/energy drinks, tobacco, exercise, and free preventative screening should all take a 180 degree path from their present course. Many tribal villages are experiencing increasing cancer rates, and a healthy lifestyle is the first and most important thing you can do for yourself. Sound familiar? Before we left to present at the Hesquiat school, at the group’s request, we sat talking about our own journey, and why it’s so profoundly important to connect with your environment so you can be able to connect with yourself. I teared up a few times that early day – first with the prayer, then with stories of sickness close to home, finally when I realized the incredible vibrance eminating from each person within this tiny, secluded village. What a t
reat.
At 2:30pm it was time to rush off to the Hesquiat school… more on that, and everything afterward in a bit. Generosity and kindness know no boundary.