It was a pretty emotional meeting at the Greyhound Bus Station downtown Calgary, Alberta. A soul-less dump was suddenly converted into a place that cemented the foundation for a wonderful dream that is about to unfold. Imi arrived in full adventure attire, a single backpack immediately passing the test of "Simply Adventure", and setting the standard for simplicity, that will be key in the weeks ahead.
Having last travelled on a Greyhound bus in 1979, I was astounded at how things have changed:
There are baggage limits, size and number, and extra baggage revenue opportunism is alive and well. There are bag searches just like the airlines, and no sharp instruments are allowed in hand luggage. Alcohol is a definite no-no, and in theory anyone smelling of alcohol will not be allowed on the bus. The world has clearly become a different place from the freedom of the 70's when I remember in Texas a blind eye was even turned on marijuana. Apparently last month in Alberta there was an incident where in a personal conflict, one passenger literally beheaded the person next to him in front all passengers on a moving bus. A horrific incident....
Needing a 'start of adventure' celebratory beer, Imi and I did our first bit of team exploring, and found Minkies pub, a few blocks away from the station. This was a whole new experience for me, leading Imi, watching the reactions of others. I hope this doesn't become a boring line, but I am just amazed how independent Imi is, and how intuitive he is about people and the atmosphere around him. Below is a photo of us having those first beers together.
The three hours waiting for departure time, went by so fast as we discussed everything from our families and how we fit in,(we both are sort of black sheep members) to the adventure, Africa, to capitalism, human need for power and the inevitable subject that challenges men: Women! All amazing stuff, and i can see we will have many rich, deep and meaningful discussions about life.... So wait for the Yukon born, new way of river life philosophy!
The bus ride from Calgary to Edmonton was a full on commuter service, but from then on we had an interesting mix of wanderers, vagabonds, and returning locals on board. The terrain became more mountainous, and the towns more spread out. We saw bears, a huge heard of stampeding bison, complete with calves. The photo below is poor quality as it's taken from the moving bus, but hopefully gives some idea of the size of the herd and the energy with which they were moving away from the bus.
I saw lots of deer and moose, and at one of the roadhouse stops I was fortunate to see three moose and two calves actually swimming down a lake. This was all quite challenging for our team as I was hit with the thoughts that Imi can't see any of this, and I wasn't sure whether telling about it was a good thing or not...? We discussed this and he expressed a wish that I describe what I see as best as possible so he can form a picture within. Already I have been humbled in these experiences as I think through the limitations and how he deals with it all so amazingly....
The bus stops every few hours for a rest stop, sometimes at some remote roadhouse, and other times a small town. The closer to Whitehorse we got that more character the places had, all of course are "Legendary" and this hotel at the small town of First Nelson, was typical of one of these stops.
Another roadhouse at Toad River, had home made food, burgers of course, but also a hearty soup and beef stew. Tacky but full of authenticity, the ceiling was made up of customer donated baseball hats:
The guy sitting behind me on the bus was heading to Watson Lake, just before Whitehorse, and he was planning to spend two months camping out there harvesting morel mushrooms. Apparently they are at their best after forest fires, and this area was hit last year, so he was expecting a bumper crop. Yukon quality is apparently amazing, and these mushrooms are destined for export to Europe. The guy told me he will make $20-30 000 over the two months, and the mushrooms come from free access, state owned land. These are the people one meets on the bus!
Imi and I had a wonderful bonding time, we would chat about philosophy, the adventure, and about life in general, and I am sure most of the bus were fascinated at our discussion. Imi is truly an amazing guy, and in his depth and breadth of experiences I have a partner who will provide a unique level of companionship, stimulating conversation yet, because we both enjoy our own space, we will have a lot of quality alone time. Every stop we would get off, and I'd help Imi find his way around to the toilet, restaurant etc, but what always surprised me was how little I had to do before he was home on his own in each new environment. Being obviously exotic, people would come up to him and chat, and they were always astounding to hear we were heading to Whitehorse to canoe the Yukon. In walking around the villages I was also amazed at how Imi's white walking stick had so much power and authority. One just stands on the side walk thinking of crossing a road and the whole intersection literally comes to a standstill as cars wait to allow us to cross. This Canadian respect, concern and politeness is something quite amazing to be experienced.
The last 500 kilometres of the journey was through real Yukon country, the road often right next to large fast flowing rivers or expansive lakes, impressive mountains either side, and almost to our dismay lots of snow still lying around and not that much higher than the road we were travelling on. Hmmm, its summer, but it isn't an African summer I'm used to then. This took me back two years to my bicycle trip through the Yukon, and I remember the often challenging weather and the real danger of hypothermia. The Yukon River we will canoe down will be an icy 3-5 degrees centigrade, and that will be a real motivator for not falling out or doing crazy things.
We finally arrived in Whitehorse at three o'clock in the morning, with the plan being to find a 'place in the bush' to sleep through until hotels opened and we could find one and check in.
Imi was really game on this plan, so after finding our way to the only open place, a Tim Hortons, coffee shop, I left Imi, to explore the town for a suitable refuge for us. We had both agreed that it was a bit colder than we had expected, and as I walked around I came across this 'perfect' hotel solution, and the plan moved to a more comfortable and pragmatic room and bed solution. Ever the adventurer, Imi was a bit reluctant to accept the easy solution at first, but agreed in hindsight we had chosen the best alternative. We ended up paying for the extra night, but by 04h30 we were tucked nicely into a snug bed and fast asleep.
We awoke rested and had a detailed planning session over coffee and breakfast, a plan which saw us walk the town ticking off the long list of chores we had to accomplish in preparation for our adventure. Meeting and bonding with our 17 foot red canoe was pretty special. This is supplied by Up North Adventures, and it was just great finally meeting Elisabeth who runs the logistics for the operation and with whom I had had much email communication. Great team at Up North, and we were soon off to buy the food for our expedition.
We are taking 16 days worth of food which is packed in waterproof, and virtually bear tamper proof containers that will be stored in the canoe. Mainly dehydrated food, and lots of other energy food like salami, chocolate, nuts, oats, and cheese. A few special treats added that will no doubt make the trip a holiday rather than an adventure! (Holiday being where one puts on weight, and an adventure being when one loses weight!)
Whitehorse is one of these typical Up North towns, somewhat confused in its modernism yet traditional saloon type heritage. Very easy to access, and full of very friendly people, one senses that life is quite hard here, and that those that live here pride themselves on this differentiator. It was amazing discussing with Imi this morning, his views of Whitehorse, and while I constantly paint pictures of the surrounding environment as we walk, he had clearly built up a rich and very accurate perception of the town, its people and how it works. Imi at breakfast this morning!
We are pretty much packed up now, just have a few last items to attend to, and we will be dropped at Lake Lebarge tomorrow (Friday) at around 11 am form where we will begin our epic canoeing trip.
From time to time I'll provide real insights into our experiences as a blind and sighted adventure team, and this morning was one worth sharing:
Yesterday was a full on tiring day, with me leading Imi (in tow) around Whitehorse as we went from place to place, organising, buying things and gathering information. Lots of decisions, and all in an unknown environment, with me as Imi's eyes, and wanting us to make team decisions, on everything from what food we will eat, travel arrangements back to Calgary, clothing choices, leave behind items etc.... We were sharing in the decisions associated with the comfort, risks, and plans for the days ahead. It all worked amazingly, but as a team, and with me needing to lead the team, planning was key, and sharing my plan with Imi, and then modifying it for his needs was critical. It all worked 100% but through the process I started feeling indispensable to Imi's movements and happiness. I woke today feeling I had a huge amount of my own things to do today, including this blog. Given, my self appointed position as being in charge of Imi's movement and time, I had this dilemma: How was I going to get my stuff done, without Imi being left on his own and being helpless. I couldn't do that to him, yet I needed at least four hours on my own...? Well, we had a very open conversation today, and as I had worked out the problem is mine not his: He told me he is quite happy to be on his own, explore downstairs from our room, maybe even head out beyond the hotel his own, and that I should not worry about entertaining or looking after him. He opened up to me that one of the reasons why he wanted to come with me, is because he sensed I also need time on my own, and he wouldn't feel claustrophobic, like he has with others who have 'taken' him on outdoor trips. He like me is very much a solo adventurer, and loves being outdoors on his own. Talking through this brought such freedom to me, and made me realise how much we assume things about others and the role we may have. I have been sitting here in the hotel room getting all my admin / technology stuff going for four hours now, and Imi is somewhere out there on his own in Whitehorse. This is a whole new learning experience for me, and in many ways its quite difficult to let go, but I can see it will be one of the keys to us both having a truly special 'together' experience.
Imi, has also said he doesn't worry what I write in these blogs, and would prefer me to be as open as possible in sharing our unique experiences and discussions. I hope in this sharing that we can together provide some unique insights into the journey we are about to embark on. Some days I will play the scribe role where I will merely commit to blog Imi's communication aspirations and desires. So look forward to that...
Back to our adventure tomorrow:
Lake Lebarge is a fearsome lake, and has claimed quite a few lives over the years. The main issue is the icy temperature of the water, and the fact that bad weather comes in so rapidly that the unwary canoeist who has strayed to far from the lake edge is suddenly faced with huge waves that can capsize the canoe and force one into a fateful swim.
Until the next post from the Great river North, the REAL Yukon River.....
Howard and Imi in spirit
Safe trip, guys! Hello to Imi from UWRF!
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