Hey Everyone! Thanks for supporting the challenge I am about to engage in. I have to admit, I am as nervous as I am excited about the largest undertaking of my life to this point! On Monday (weather and SCUBA diving dependant) we will start our journey from Port Hardy in kayaks down the Wild West Coast of Vancouver Island and paddling 600km to Victoria. In the last few days I have received phone calls from friends that are very experienced kayakers and guides that I have a great respect for that weren’t calling to tell me about secret spots and people they know along the way; but more warning me about the challenge of making it down the first half of the Island and living to tell about it. Despite these phone calls I am confident with the experience I have and the experience of the girl I am paddling with that we will make solid decisions and safely navigate our passage to Victoria. I thank all of you that have donated to my Big Wild challenge and have been working with them to make sure your donations get published to my challenge if they have not been already. Really what I am asking you is for those of you that have not donated to my challenge is too look at what I am to accomplish and donate $5 or $10 not to me, but to a good cause that supports the conservation of wild places that are left in Canada at http://www.thebigwild.org/challenge/wild-coast It only takes 2 minutes and I know you all will spend at least 5 minutes checking out my photos when I get back. If anyone would like to join us for a day or two anywhere along our route let me know and weather dependant we will be there! Thanks Again everyone, this is an extraordinary journey and I appreciate your extraordinary support!

http://www.trailpeak.com/index.jsp?con=article&val=9080*new

September 12 Update:

We sent 96 hours strategically staged at Cape Scott on the protected North East coves under storm/gale force winds and made one attempt after 72 hours in very fast steep 2 meter confused seas with a severe headwind; after an hour we rounded the Cape to face gnarlier waters and higher wind gusts. The West Coast was now in our sights and on stopping for less than 90 seconds to discuss how far wanted to try and make it South we were taken half way back around the Cape and at that time collectively decided our lives were too valuable to risk further and turned back. You can spend your whole life planning things, but when it comes to kayaking in open waters Mother Nature is always the final decision maker, I had built 7 foul weather days into this trip and used more than half of them waiting at the first challenging part and in listening to the Marine Weather everyday know we would have used the rest of them plus some pinned down just South of Cape Scott. As time is a limiter on this trip we have retreated to Port Hardy and will be making our way to Victoria running tidal rapids on the Inside Passage.
The dream of the Wild Coast is not lost and will be revisited in the Spring and/or Autumn of 2010, thank you so much everyone for your support on this expedition!!

This video link from my paddling partner Leah best describes our situation:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/wespresso/3913376410/