Posts

Len, the Feller

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Len Setting up his Barge to Align with the Ramp After delivering the small BRNR1 boat on his sturdy barge, Len brought us chanterelles, freshly gathered from his land. Inhaling the sweet earthy scent, almost like apricots or sweet woodruff, gave me a huge kick of serotonin and the urge to hug this magnificent man - such neighborly warmth and generosity.  The air is so clean north of Vancouver Island - our senses are heightened to the blend of pure earth and air. I breathe in deeply and I am grateful. Just a Few of the Chanterelles Len, Ready to Fell After delivering the small BRNR1 boat on his sturdy barge, Len brought us chanterelles, freshly gathered from his land. Inhaling the sweet earthy scent, almost like apricots or sweet woodruff, gave me a huge kick of serotonin and the urge to hug this magnificent man - such neighborly warmth and generosity.  The air is so clean north of Vancouver Island - our senses are heightened to the blend of pure earth and air. I breathe in dee...

Hull Island's New Jam, by Jeff Wilson

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I woke up with a start the other day It must have been a dream that stuck in my head A mighty prophet had declared, they say, That Hull Island was dead Surely this could not be true An investigation is needed to verify this claim I’ll contact Jon and see what I can do And make plans to visit and see what’s to blame I’ve been to Hull twice in the last few years A week in September was set for this trip We recruited our friend John Low with the help of some beers He wanted to hike and test out his new hip The travel day came and the race to the ferry was on Over to Nanaimo and to Port McNeill we drove Is that a bum in the parking lot? No it’s just Jon Next time I think we’ll fly to Lagoon Cove Our focus now turns toward clues of Hull Island’s demise One sign was the closing of the Haida Way Inn Could this be the start of a long list of goodbyes? How can such beauty and peaceful isolation not win? Items loaded, supplies stowed, it’s time for 2BRNR to get into gear Halfway across Johnstone...

Endless Projects and Fine Crabs by John Low

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Well, I finally got indoctrinated with the Hull Island experience. Jeff Wilson and I spent a few days helping Jon with some projects but also getting plenty of time to visit some neighbors and also to just chill. The ride over from Port McNeill treated us to an Orca extravaganza and on the way back we saw a breaching humpback. Thanks for dialing that up, Jon!   I’ll have to say that the location for my open-air commode was prime real estate with the best view, but it was high-risk if something needed to happen quickly! After a few days, I was getting a little tired of my own aroma so I decided to try out the shower. We hadn’t seen anyone pass between Hull and Triangle Island for days. However, neighbor Paul and his family decided to come over for a visit about halfway through my shower. I soon learned that the shower is not quite as sheltered as it first looked! Paul was apologetic for rousing me out of the shower but it was all good. It was probably a little scary for them seeing ...

Klinaklini Glacier and Interior Plateau Heli Tour

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 By Catherine Geiger September 14 & 15, 2023 What started out as a trip to get ice at Lagoon Cove ended in the most wildly spontaneous, adventurous, and mind-blowing experience of my life. I will quickly summarize the seemingly normal events leading up to the whirlwind of adventure: Woke up and had a breakfast of poached eggs in mom's spaghetti sauce with a side of toast (think shakshouka) on the almost finished kitchen table. Spoke of the day ahead and took inventory of our fridge/freezer and cooler - decided we needed more ice for cocktails. Hopped in the boat. Dad wanted to invite the neighbors (Dick and Elaine) over for happy hour and we were excited to tell them of our fishing success, so we swung by their house to invite them over that evening - they weren't home. Boated over to Lagoon Cove to buy a few bags of ice and top off the fuel tanks... there was Dick and Elaine doing the same thing! After exchanging stories about salmon fishing and speaking of the local fores...

Captain's Log - What a Great Year!

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2023 -  Another spectacular year!   Lots of family and friends, new equipment, massive woodpile, big salmon, helicopter rides, significant 2 BRNR 40th anniversary cruise, and more!   April 21st - 24th 2023 Heidi and I took the BC ferry from Horseshoe Bay to Nanaimo on Vancouver Island.  On our way north we stopped at the Kubota dealer (North Island Tractor, Courtenay BC)  to see examples of the excavator and mini 4WD I ordered. We spent the night in Campbell River, got up early next day and met Tyler and his boat taxi at Eve River.  I love taking the taxi at this time of year when making short visits - it's much easier and more relaxing than having to deal with getting 2BRNR in and out and driving back and forth to Port McNeill.  I ordered same size and model with a 6 way blade. When we arrived on Hull the morning of April 22nd, we encountered three significant failures. The rainwater tank was empty, the solar system batteries were dead, and ...