On Friday night we went to a bar on the waterfront in Vancouver for a couple of beers with Thom and Hannah… and we totally forgot about the blog! Oops! Hopefully you can still enjoy this on Sunday instead of the usual Saturday slot.
The weather was looking very rainy last weekend. Two months previously (as per the restraints of the booking system) we had booked a campsite at Chilliwack Lake. Feeling brave, we decided to go anyway. Joined by Thom and Hannah, we drove to the lake after work on Friday. It was a bit miserable that evening, but we had a tarp and a fire and our glasses were half full.
On Saturday morning, the weather forecast was shattered by sunshine and just a few clouds! This meant that there was no excuse for being lazy and we headed off from our campsite to “walk” up to Goat Ridge… Fools! This was no walk. Mostly vertical with several rope-assisted sections, it was a challenge which left our legs aching for days afterwards. The view of Chilliwack Lake and Lindeman Lake from the ridge was pretty nice though and there were plenty of rocky outcrops for impressive photos!
The way down was actually harder than the way up, but we all made it down with minimal injuries. Just sore hands from the ropes and a couple of scraped arms and shins. We rewarded ourselves with a beer and a leisurely paddle/swim in the lake. We did have to hide the beers as they were technically not allowed away from the campsite, there was a scary ranger watching us with binoculars from the shore.
We cooked potatoes, sausages, veg and camembert on the campfire for our dinner, inspired by the Spanish cooking from a couple of weeks ago. The next morning was a bit drizzly, but we didn’t mind. Thom’s impressive tarp set-up kept our breakfast dry and we braved a shorter walk to Lindeman Lake before heading home.
On Monday we met up with some new friends to get to know each other before we go on a 5 day kayak trip with them in a couple of weeks. (We were all invited on the trip by the aforementioned Spanish chefs). Then on Tuesday, we took a kayak capsize and re-entry course to prepare for the trip. We spent three hours tipping upside down in kayaks in the sea, releasing ourselves from the spray skirts and learning different techniques to get back in the boat on the water. It got pretty cold by the end, but it will be very valuable if we do get into any trouble later. Wednesday and Thursday were more quiet, and you already know what we did on Friday…
Next week, we have signed up for a dingy sailing course – every night (Monday to Friday) from 6pm to 9pm. Fearing falling asleep at the sail, we have decided to take it easy this weekend. We are cooking some batch meals to eat before sailing and may go for a walk on Sunday as it is sunny. Hope you all aren’t too soggy in the UK and happy fathers day to all of the fathers!
Roaming Rollie 
Goat Ridge….. Clue’s in the name! Not sure how the goats would use the ropes though, not having opposable thumbs and all 🤔 Still, Rosie was doing a passable impression on that rocky outcrop.
One thing I’ve always wondered about capsizing in your kayak…. What happens to all the gear stowed in your boat? Do you tie it in?
Glad to see you are getting out and about, anyway and meeting friends, just like the before times!!
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The kayaks are hollow and so you store your stuff inside. I think it will be tricky to squeeze everything through the small holes in the top… lucky I will have Ollie with me to “shove it in”. There are lids over the holes, but they are just flexible plastic so I suppose they could pop off if you flipped upside down. Hopefully we won’t find out!
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Wow! Pretty impressive stuff – climbing skills and views included! I want to know who took that picture of the 4 of you sat on that rocky outcrop seeing as there were only 4 of you? Surely you didn’t do a ‘click and run’ in those precarious circumstances!
Really enjoying seeing all your walks, paddles and camping. Stay safe and enjoy the next adventure!
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Haha, I thought about setting the 10 second timer and running! But Stefan is right, I have an app that connects to my camera which allows you to trigger it remotely. Even though I was the one pressing the button I still managed to have my eyes shut in most of the photos.
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As I do not usually get round to you until Wednesday or Thursday, I did not notice your lateness.I assume you have a remote control for the camera?
Rosie baluga will be capsizing the cayak on purpose for a swim.
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I have an app that lets me control the camera remotely yes! We are more worried about orcas…
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