Reflections

Well i am back now in Squamish resting and catching up on emails and things on the do list. I flew back to Vancouver this past Saturday after a restful and relaxing 4 days at Ian and Karen McAllister's. They were amazing hosts and our crew was grateful to decompress on Denny Island. We had a number of Brackendale Bean coffees and even went out for a night on "the town" in Shearwater. I realized how tired i was the day after we arrived when I had to get on the board to do some more video. Mentally i had completed the trip and with it my body went into completion mode as well. I can tell you that i was not that motivated to paddle. We also went into Bella Bella and Shearwater schools to do presentations on the expedition. They were a lot of fun and it was great seeing all the smile's on the children's faces. They had lots of questions and Brian and I were happy to answer all of them. I brought my board and paddle right into the classroom. They were pretty stoked. We spent a lot of the time at The McAllister's(Callum and Lucy included) catching up on media, doing interviews and eating a lot.

Ian and Karen's organization Pacific Wild were one of the sponsor's for our trip. I am excited to continue this relationship with Pacific Wild in the future to help protect and preserve the GreatBear Rainforest. It was their book "The GreatBear Rainforest,"  that started me on my path up here on the north coast and in the GreatBear Rainforest. Contact Pacific Wild if your interested in the book. Ian has also done an outstanding book on Coastal Rainforest Wolves and just completed another book for young children on Salmon Forests. Ian and Karen have both really inspired me and they continue to be great mentors. Thanks so much for the boat support, supper and breaky from Cockle Bay to Bella Bella and for helping to organize our welcoming to Bella Bella. 

I have enjoyed being home but i do miss the north coast, the people of the coast and the wide open spaces and feelings of exploration and adventure. I had an incredible support team. Brian Huntington of SWCC accompanied me the whole way in his kayak and looked after photos and videos. Brian had never been in a sea kayak before so that shows you his commitment to the project and to his "sense of now." We had never met prior to this expedition and he was a great teammate. Having Brian along really brought this expedition to another level with his logistical experience and connections in the north. Having my sister on the trip was gift for me as well. There is nothing like having family along to support you in what you do. Shannon looked after media, did an outstanding job on the blog and also helped with all other parts of the expedition from food prep to photos and video. Her easy going style, great laugh and generosity endeared her to everyone she came into contact with. She took time away from her job to support her older brother and that means the world to me. Thanks Shans and Brian. It's not easy supporting someone yet Shannon and Brian provided me with an opportunity to just concentrate on the paddling. I know that they were enriched by this experience as well. You cannot do what we did and not be affected.Thanks as well to my partner Jen who really wanted to be on the expedition but had other commitments. Jen helped with logistics, blogs and communication from home. I thought of her daily, her love and spirit pushing me along. Thank you lovely, you inspire me and i am really happy your in my life.

Thanks so much to the First Nation's communities of Kitamaat, Hartley Bay, Klemtu and Bella Bella. The people of these communities inspired me and brought depth to the expedition. They all stood up for the great bear, for their lands and for themselves. They welcomed us into their communities like we were long lost families. They shared their traditional foods, songs, dances and stories with us and for that I am so thankful. They also provided all of the boat support and did not question anything we were doing. The communities passed us safely along from boat to boat and guided us through their territories and showed us some incredible places.....thank you. I will be back to these communities. A special thanks to my adopted to community of Hartley Bay. This is the community that has helped to define who i am and who gave me all of the power in the world to complete my goal successfully. I will continue with my responsibility as T'aam Laan and will do my best to make you proud.

Thank you to my sponsors. First Ascent for providing the expedition apparel, Bodie Shandro and Surftech for giving me a Joe Bark Expedition board(what a great machine), Meg at Kialoa Paddles for the best SUP paddles on the market, Alex at Outdoor Research for the amazing dry bags, backpacks and bivy's, Steve at Brackendale Bean for the bags of Rainforest Coffee(no explanation needed), support from Pacific Wild, Skeena Watershed Conservation Coalition, Headwaters Initiative and Aquabatics for Brian's kayak. Thanks to Paula Rivard for her tremendous support from Day 1, for the Kodak camera and the STANDUP4GREATBEAR bracelets. You will see these all up and down the coast now. You have been a great friend and i look forward to the GreatBear presentation in Sudbury.

Thanks to my family, Mom, Dad, Brad, Tara, Sam, Alexandria and Stacey, back in Sudbury Ontario. I know dad was glued to the spot tracker for the whole expedition. I can't wait to get back home to share this experience with you all and also with my friends. Your love and support has enabled me to be who I am.

And thank you to all who supported with emails and phone calls. Thanks to all of the media who provide great coverage and for helping me to get the word out about our incredible coastline. The trip was a huge success and has brought me to another level of commitment for my passion of places and people.  Our expedition is complete but our journey continues.........STANDUP4GREATBEAR