Sidney Island!

We recently ended a four day camping trip on Sidney Island in the hot, blazing, glorious sunshine. Boating over on Friday we were able to explore our surroundings, set up our traveling home and discover the beautiful, white-sand beach where we would be spending the majority of our time.
On Saturday we were lucky enough to have Phil and Marilyn, two Victoria-based marine biologists help us conduct a beach seine. Everyone had a blast (especially Dane who was clearly in his element) and learned all kinds of funky facts on the creatures we would be swimming with that afternoon!
Sunday's highlight was an introduction to Adventure Therapy with Duncan and Dave from Power to Be in Victoria. All new to me! On Sunday evening all 16 of us looked to our internal compasses and spread out over the island for a 14 hour overnight solo. I know I don't only speak for myself when I say there is something very powerful about being by yourself, in the woods, with only a tarp and watching the hours pass by.
Only one week left now! Oh how time flies!

Transitions: Blog post from June 2nd to June 8th

It seems as though the theme for the last week has been changing landscapes, both internal and external. Over the last week we have left the semi-wilderness environment of the upper Fraser River, and have made our way through the urban landscape of Vancouver to wind up at the University of Victoria. The shift we have experienced has been shaped by the change in our environments as well as the change in our group dynamic. Externally it is much noisier, busier, and in the city landscape many of us have found it harder to be calm and present. Also, for the first time our tightly knit group has been more independent as we work to finish off individual projects and sleep in private bedrooms.

Some of our recent highlights include arriving triumphantly at Jericho Beach, having successfully paddled from Hope to Vancouver in 6 days (some of it in torrential downpour)! Spirits were high as we all worked to drag our 36-foot Voyageur canoe from the water for the last time. Thanks to our fantastic guides, James and Dave, from Ridge Wilderness Adventures. Everyone took a much deserved shower, and looking sparkling clean, we enjoyed a celebratory dinner at the Jericho Hostel!

After enjoying our day off in Vancouver, we took the ferry to Victoria and settled into our new accommodations at UVic. In the course of a single morning we were able to meet and speak with two of the authors, Sally Miller and Nancy Turner, from our course Political Ecology of Food (ES 382). It was fantastic and allowed us to ask questions to the authors and truly engage with the material that we have been reading.

Overall, this past week has given us a chance to see how we change in the outdoors and has given us a thirst to learn even more outdoor skills. In addition, we were truly inspired by the passion that radiated from all our engaging guest speakers. As we come into our last week together, we are closer than ever as a group and we are starting to think about how to apply all that we have learned when we return to our own communities.

A lot has happened since leaving our home in Slocan and it's been interesting to lead a more nomadic lifestyle. The past two weeks we've spent time working on an organic farm, paddling down the Fraser river, and making our way across the Salish Sea to Vancouver Island.

Paddling the Fraser was definitely a highlight for me. I lived in relatively close proximity to the Fraser for five years and never really spent much time thinking about it. It was amazing to experience the change in landscape along the river as we slowly entered the city. It's easy to see it as a watershed devastated by development and industry when living in the city, it was nice to be reminded that it is still an amazing, functioning ecosystem. It was also satisfying to experience the huge cultural significance of the river to the people who depend on it.

Dane