FidEgan's Fastpacks - Episode 2- The Emerald Island of Ireland

John and I are currently on a 2 year trip where we are pursuing our passion of trail running through the various landscapes and environments of the world. As we pass through each country we want to post our top pick for a trail run that we did. This does not mean that this is the best trail to run in that country. It just means that it was our favorite that we did. We are both using Ultraspire Fastpacks to carry our gear, hence the name of the column. Ireland was especially meaningful as it allowed me to reestablish contact with family who hadn't been seen in far too many years and for John to get to meet some of the Aunts, Uncles, cousins, and family friends.  This run was not the longest one we did or most rugged but had some special components that made us pick it as our favorite.

Where:  Dursey Island, County Cork, Ireland
(Google images)

Facilities/Trailhead:  Dursey Island is located at the tip of the Beara Peninsula in southwest Ireland.  It is separated from the mainland by a narrow channel of water that has a cable car connecting it to the mainland.  This is the only cable car in Europe that goes over ocean.  Local residents (there are 12 full time residents) and livestock (sheep and cattle) get priority for the cable car. There is parking at the mainland side of the cable car and additional trails (part of the Beara Way) are located there.  A restroom and hot dog stand were also located there.  There are no facilities on the island itself so come prepared.
(Google images)

Fees:  The cost of the cable car ride was 8 Euros round trip.  The cable car runs in the morning, afternoon, and for an hour in the evening.  There is a long lunch and dinner break so plan accordingly so you don't get stranded on the island.

Terrain/Trails:  The island is 4 miles long and just under a mile wide.  The end of the Beara Way (206 km path consisting of a combination of single track, dirt, and paved country roads) is located on the island.  There is a loop that can be done.  The high route is single track that goes over the top of a series of hills to the end of the island at Dursey Head.  The low route is along the gravel farm road that traverses the island.  The trail is well marked with wooden stakes with a yellow hiker and arrows on them.

Distance:  The trail on the island makes a 13 km (~8 mile) loop.  Another 4 km loop is located on the mainland side from the parking lot and longer out and backs can be done further on the Beara Way. 

Description: From the cable car there is a single track trail that heads up the hill to the right.  This first part is the steepest part of the whole loop but it is not very high so it doesn't last long.  Sheep graze in the pasture watching you as you go by.

The trail then rolls over a series of hills with the third hill being the biggest.

This is 252 meters high and has an old signal tower on the top of it.  When we did it this hilltop was enveloped in clouds which made the tower very surreal as it appeared out of the mist.  The tower is from the Napoleonic era where it was part of an invasion early warning system. 

As you come off this hill toward the end of the island you start to feel like you are running to the edge of the earth.  Besides a few scattered small islands and some sailboats there is nothing in front of you or to the sides but water.  The view is pretty special. 

Returning we needed to go fast to make the last afternoon cable car in time so we took the low route along the road.  This passes old stone farmhouses and barns. 

The farmland goes right to the edge of the cliffs that then drop down to the ocean. 

There is also an old church and graveyard as you get closer to the cable car again. 

Other fun facts:  The island was once a depot for Viking slaves before they were shipped off to Scandinavia.  It also had a history during the Irish Revolution in 1602 when a massacre occurred there by the British.  It is frequented by bird watchers as rare birds from America and Siberia can be spotted here.

Iceland - a perfect place for a layover

    When we looked into cheap airline tickets to London/Dublin it turned out that IcelandAir had the best rates.  They also have the nice addition that you can have a layover in Reykjavik for up to a week at no extra cost.  It was a no-brainer for us that we would absolutely take advantage of the ability to stop at an island we have both wanted to go to for a long time.  After an excellent week in Durango with family and then another great week in Boulder, CO with friends we shouldered our pack and headed to DIA for our flight. 

We eagerly boarded our flight, fastened our seat belts, taxied out to the runway and then Whaaa whaaa.  :-(     Turns out our plane is broken and we had to go back to the gate and switch planes.  The second attempt at leaving worked and we left the United States behind with a brilliant red sunset over the Rocky Mountains being our last view of home for a long time (hopefully).  6 1/2 hours later we were in the middle of the North Atlantic on a wild volcanic glacier carved rock with hardly any people but a whole lot of sheep.  We also were not in Mexico/Arizona/Colorado anymore.  It was pretty much like Seattle in the middle of winter but it was 1 June.  Low 50's, completely grey and overcast with low clouds, windy, and drizzling intermittently.  To be able to see as much of the country as possible and to get to some of the trailheads we wanted we rented a car for maximum mobility.  We started off by camping in Reykjavik in the campground next to the hostel.  It was 1/4 of the price compared to the hostel and both Kathleen and I are in a phase where we are enjoying camping more then sleeping in a bed.  We stocked up on some groceries and went to a mall to look for camping fuel and a trail guide/map.  At the mall we discovered that golf appears to be the national sport of Iceland surprisingly.  After a nap we motivated and went back into town to find a pub that had live music playing. The crowd again reminded us of Seattle some.  Kathleen and I agreed that with the Viking influence that this was a good looking country.  The guys are hunks and the women gorgeous (if you like blonds).  They dress hip in a European fashion but there is also a lot of black clothes, dyed hair, tattoos, and piercings.  A great first night of music and people watching. 

    The next day was my birthday.  We drove out to Thingvellar National Park and did our first trail run. 

The park is in an area where the North American and European tectonic plates are pulling apart at the rate of 3mm per year.  Great clefts into the ground have been formed here and it is geothermally active.  Some of the clefts were dry but some had filled with water.

Our 4 hour run was through tundra and scrubby trees with areas of grass and a big lake to the south.  There was a big grassy area called Skogarkot in the middle and from this radiated trails like the spokes of a wheel.  We would run out one spoke and come back on another so the run took us through this central area several times.  There was also a beautiful waterfall cascading over one of the clefts formed by the earth splitting apart.

Turns out that compared to the even more spectacular falls we would see that this one was pretty tame.  In fact after the run we drove to a falls called Gullfoss that reminded me of Niagra Falls but not quite as big.

 

We spent that night at a campground next to an area called Geysir.  All night as we slept you could hear the water shooting into the sky every 5 to 8 minutes from a geyser that is almost as big as Old Faithful in Yellowstone Park.  I had heard whales breathing as I slept in Mexico but this was the first time I have slept to the sound of the Earth breathing. 

     The next place we went to run was an area called Skogar.  There is another huge falls here and a trail that follows the Skogaa river toward the center of the island. 

The weather had been nasty overnight.  It stopped raining long enough to get us to motivate but once we started it turned out to be a sucker hole and it soon started raining sideways.  It was an amazing run and would have been even more so if the visibility had been better.  Multiple massive waterfalls with a deep canyon that the river had carved and deep green hillsides around them. 

Above all of this was a snow covered ridge but we were not able to see this through the clouds.  We got close but never reached the snow because it was raining so hard that we became soaked and started to worry about becoming hypothermic.  This trail came close to being our favorite run in Iceland but was just beaten out by the last place we went, Vatnajokulsthjodgardur National Park (I would challenge you to say that 3 times real fast but it actually is a challenge to say it just once - a lot of Iceland has names that completely tie your tongue in knots plus they have letters that I had never seen before).

     Vatnajokul Glacier is considered the largest glacier in Europe and there is a large park associated with it.  We went to an area called Skaftafell where there was a network of trails that went to several of the glacial tongues stretching out into huge moraines.  The flat areas looked like something from the moon except for the braided river passing through it.  This was then flanked with large, steep, green sided mountains with streams and waterfalls cascading down them, and above it all a huge glacier with giant seracs and crevasses.  Our trail explored a variety of this terrain.  We initially climbed over a ridgeline that gave us an overview of the area before dropping into a beech forest.

Trees are a very rare thing in Iceland so this forest was quite the treat.  We then crossed a bridge over the river, went across the moraine, and then attempted to run up to the head of the valley.  The trail quickly degenerated to a path and soon even that disappeared.  The ground was quite boggy with multiple small streams that had to be crossed.  It was impossible to keep your feet dry. 

Eventually we cut out onto the rocks of the moraine that turned out to be quite runnable.  Once again though it started to rain so we turned around before reaching the complete head of the valley.  On the return we decided to take the lower loop.  We didn't notice the fine detail of the map until we got there but it turns out that there were 3 river crossings in a 500 meter section that we had to cross that were knee deep and flowing fast.  Our feet were freezing by the time we got across but then we noticed on the hillside that there was steam rising up with a faint trail going to the area.  We went there and found a natural hot springs with a pool built from rocks.  Our feet were soaked already so we waded in and soon had warm wet feet instead of cold wet ones. 

That helped us to get the last miles back across the moraine done to return to the Visitor Center and car.

There are a variety of options of trails to run in this park.  Single track and cross country, flat and hill.  It's definitely a place worth visiting. 

     The last days were spent on a road trip out to the Snaefellsnes Peninsula.  A large volcano sits in the middle of this area with another National Park around it.  There is also a lot of rugged beautiful coastline.  We also road tripped around the Hvalfjordur (Hval Fjord) which was another very scenic spot that we wish we had more time to have explored. 

     We really only were able to explore the Southwest corner of the island and even then we barely scratched the surface.  Both Kathleen and I have a huge desire to go back for a longer period of time and be able to see the other sections of the island and do something longer and more epic.  Also June is still early season with a lot of snow still in the mountains.  July, August, and September would probably offer better weather and more options to go deeper into the mountains.  One word of warning to potential visitors though. This place is expensive.  We car camped, cooked our own food on a camp stove, and only went out for drinks a couple of times and still spent close to $80 a day each (this does include the rental car cost with was our "accommodation").  That aside, the people were friendly and great and the scenery is to die for.  Go if you get a chance. 

FidEgan's FastPacks -Epidose 1- The Iceland Pick

John and I are currently on a 2 year trip where we are pursuing our passion of trail running through the various landscapes and environments of the world. As we pass through each country we want to post our top pick for a trail run that we did. This does not mean that this is the best trail to run in that country. It just means that it was our favorite that we did. We are both using Ultraspire Fastpacks to carry our gear, hence the name of the column.

Where: Vatnajokull National Park - Skaftafell Visitor Center, Iceland

Facilities/Trailhead: Skaftafell has a visitor center and campground both for tents and RVs. Camping is only allowed in the campground. This visitor center provides access to a variety of trails in the area. The bathrooms are spotless and there are also coin operated showers.   There is also a cafeteria for a post run snack and hot drink. 

Fees: Entering the park is free. Tent camping was 1150 Kroner per person which is $9.75 USD.

Terrain/Trails: The terrain is volcanic in nature that has then been shaped by glacial ice and water. Various glacial tongues stretch down into the valleys that are flanked by steep jagged mountains. In the center of the park is the largest glacier in Europe. Rivers flow over the lowlands forming wide rock and sand moraines. These areas are subject to periodic flooding from both volcanic activity and ice dams bursting underneath the glacier. The trails are a combination of single track and cross country. On the maps the solid lines are trails, dotted lines mean that there is little to no track.  Iceland is subject to quick and severe weather changes.  Be ready for cold, rain/snow, wind even if it seems nice when you leave the trailhead.  Bugs may be an issue later in the summer but were not when we were there in early June. 

Distance: A variety of options exist for both distance and amount of vertical that the runner chooses. Our run was about 25km (15.5 mi).

Description:  A friendly Ranger at the trailhead confirmed that the run we were contemplating would be a beautiful place to go.  The trail system right around the Visitor Center is a bit of a maze but good maps are available at the Center and the intersections are well signed.  The run started with 100 yards of warm up down a bike path before it was up the hill we went.  The plan was to follow the M3 trail which initially starts by hiking over the ridge of Skaftafellsheithi.  This trail went past several waterfalls and up and down the gullies created by the streams associated with those waterfalls. 

The top of the ridge was rock and grass but the initial climb was through scrubby trees and on the backside of the ridge the trail went through a beech forest.  Trees are in scarce supply so to stumble into this forest was a pleasant and unexpected change. 

 The trail then descended into the moonscape of the Morsardalur moraine below the Morsariokull glacier.  Extensive views up the valley of the Morsa River could be seen.  A glacial tongue of the Vatnajokull Glacier extended down into a flat valley with a braided river running through it flanked by steep green mountains.  In almost every gully there were streams and waterfalls cascading down them.  There are two bridges across the Morsa River and the trail took us to the upper bridge. 

It is here that a decision can be made.  We elected to cross the valley and head up the opposite side of the moraine on the M3 trail.  This ended up being a trail in name only.  The path became a cross country trek over boggy ground and crossed a variety of small streams multiple times.  We eventually cut out onto the rocky ground more in the center of the valley which was actually quite runnable.  We eventually reached one stream crossing too many and it started to rain hard so we turned around just short of where the valley turns up into the Kjos valley.  This section was a little slow going since there were some navigation issues to figure out and trying our best to find the least wet way across the bogs and streams.

The other alternative would have been to stay on the east side of the valley and not crossed the bridge.  The M2 trail goes up that side and eventually dead ends at Morsalon Lake.  This is a true trail on the map and probably would make a better (but shorter) run. 
On the way back we elected to take the M1 trail back which looped down further into the valley to return to the Visitor Center.  There is a section about 500 meters long where the trail disappears as it crosses 3 shin deep rivers.  The nice thing about these river crossings was that after the third one when our feet were soaking wet and so cold that we could barely feel them we noticed that on the hillside there was steam rising up with a small trail that went to the area.  We went up it and found a hot spring pool.  We happily waded into it.  Our feet had been soaking wet and ice cold but now they were soaking wet and warm which was a much better situation.

The trail then cut back across the lunar rock moonscape of the moraine before crossing the lower at the lower bridge. 

It was then a short run on mostly flat trail to get back to the visitor center.

Baja - The Roadtrip

     At the end of the paddle I hung out at the La Concha Hotel in La Paz for a few days with my Mom.  I didn't do much while there.  Went into town once and ran a couple of times but mostly sat around at the bar and worked on downloading pictures, writing blogs, and eating real food.  My Mom then graciously watched over my gear and kayak while I flew from La Paz to Las Angeles via Mexico City to be reunited with Kathleen who was also flying to LA on the same day.  Despite having only a one way ticket, just a carry on, and having been in Mexico for 2 months I was barely inspected coming into the country.  I arrived at Home Base LA (my friends Juli and Morgan's house) late that night.  It had been way too long since I had seen Kathleen and now we could consider that World Tour was truly taking off since this had always been her plan and dream in the first place.  My truck, some gear, and a duffle bag of clean clothes had been left at Home Base LA.  The next day was for running errands and we had initially thought about leaving the next day but we delayed a day just so we could relax together and hang out with Juli and Morgan.  They have a beautiful house with a pool and are the best hosts ever.  We hope someday to have a living situation where we might be able to repay a fraction of their generosity.
     On 5 May we loaded up the truck and headed for the border.  We crossed at Tecate and it may have been the easiest border crossing I have ever had.  We drove up to a gate, the light turned green, the gate went up, and we were in Mexico.  There were 2 soldiers off to the side talking to each other but basically no one even looked at us or checked anything coming across.  It was more like driving into a parking garage then an international border.  We managed to drive to a town called Santa Thomas that first day to a campground that had a restaurant across the street.  That was the most expensive accommodation of the road trip - 200 pesos which is $16.67.  For some reason every time I enter Baja it rains the first day.  It was raining the morning I started the paddle and it rained that night on us in Santa Thomas.  From then on it was solid blue skys, white fluffy clouds, and very warm. We then cranked out miles for the next two days to get to La Paz as quickly as possible.  There is a 2 lane paved highway that goes all the way there that is in pretty good condition though it is narrow with no shoulder.  If you drop a wheel off the side of the road you would be in trouble pretty quickly.  The drive was very scenic with sweeping vistas of mesas, valleys, arroyos, both the Pacific and Sea of Cortez, and a variety of cactus and elephant trees. 

First camp of World Tour - Santa Thomas

  
     We reunited with my Mom in La Paz who had been having her own little adventure meeting people.  We spent 2 nights there recovering from the road burn before it was time to send my Mom off at the airport and to head off on our own to explore the peninsula.   We also started to run together to prepare for this summer of major ultra running.  I had been sitting in a kayak for 2 months so I was not in running shape but I was heat acclimated.  Kathleen had been running some but she was not used to the heat.  This evened us out pretty nicely so we remain good training partners for each other.  Initially we headed down to Todos Santos and then Cabo San Lucas.  We didn't really want to see the tourist sprawl of Cabo but since we were that far south we figured we should touch the southern end of Baja.  Todos Santos was a nice little town that has an artsy Carmel feel to it and Cabo wasn't quite as bad as I expected.  I had expected it to be like Cancun which it was but not as big.

Mom and me

Hanging out at the LaConcha Resort

     Driving back north was when the one hiccup of the entire trip occurred.  We were driving back north through the outskirts of La Paz when I was pulled over by the Municipal Policia.  I was speeding by 15 or more miles per hour but really was just going with the flow of traffic.  I was singled out because we were gringos with American plates and two giant kayaks on the roof.  The cop took my drivers license and registration and then told me that he was going to hold on to them for security because I had to go downtown to the police station to pay the fine which was 12000 pesos or $100.  My Spanish which is not good in the first place became much worse on purpose when he pulled me over. I explained (in English) that if I went to the police station it would mean that I would have to drive at night to get where I was going and that was very bad.  I also told him that I would have to put the fine on a credit card since I didn't have that much cash (that was a lie).  He then asked "How much cash?".  I told him I would go check, went up to the cab of my truck (we were talking next to his cruiser), quickly took most of the money out of my wallet and stashed it under some stuff, and then walked up to him and showed him that I only had 500 pesos ($40) in my wallet.  He decided that was enough, gave me my documents back, and on our way we went.  I obeyed the speed limit much more strictly when we were in towns after that.  It also made me wish that there was a way to bribe the red light cameras in Seattle.  A $40 bribe is way better then a $140 red light show up in the mail ticket.  I think this experience has made me a little more pro-corruption.
     Driving north we spent some time in Puerto San Carlos on Magdalena Bay which is where the grey whales come to have their babies.  By the time we got there they had already left except for one juvenile who everyone thought was sick and likely dying.  It ended up being too windy while we were there so we never did put the kayaks in the water.

Magdalena Bay at low tide - San Carlos

    We then went and spent a few days in Mulege.  It had been one of my favorite spots on the paddle and Kathleen also fell in love with it.  We camped on the beach next to the El Patron restaurant/bar and did some running.  We also had lunch at Bahia Coyote which is a gorgeous beach on Bahia Concepcion. We met all sorts of cool characters while hanging out here.  Many of the ex-pats we met (both American and Canadian) think that the bad publicity Mexico is currently getting is a conspiracy plot by the corporate media to keep American retirement and tourist dollars within the U.S. 

Mulege Estuary

     Just outside Mulege was Punta Chivato.  We drove up there and looked up Russ again who had been very hospitable to me when I paddled through.  I am voting Russ's house as "Best place in Baja to show up unannounced".  Our timing was great because he was due to drive up to San Diego the next day.  He was hanging out with his friend Carol who ended up being Kathleen's "soul sister".  Lots of things in common from growing up overseas to similar careers.  We drank several bottles of wine before driving to a nearby beach and spending the night.  Another huge thanks to Russ for showing us a good time and for all the food he gave us to eat for the next few nights.  
    We then drove into the desert and camped out in the Valle de los Cirios to do some trail running.  Actually for parts of it there was no trail but the desert provides a great environment to just run cross country until we hooked up with some ATV/4WD roads.  The elephant trees were like something out of a Dr Suess book and made a neat landscape to run through.  Our runs gradually were becoming longer and harder as we started to feel a little more in shape. 

Valle de los Cirios

     From there we cut back to the Sea of Cortez on a "primary rural route" which means that it was a pretty rough dirt road where the fastest you could really go without beating up your vehicle (and the kayaks on the roof rack) was about 15mph.  We drove to Gonzaga Bay for an incredibly windy night and then from there got back on paved roads to San Felipe (where the paddle had begun) and then back to the United States.  Crossing the border wasn't that difficult.  We got into the wrong line which turned out to be one of the fast lanes.  Even though we didn't have the correct preauthorized card to be in that line they did not yell at us.  They tried to trick me with the question "What do you do for a living?" and then let us through.  We probably got through the line 45 minutes to an hour faster then we would have if we had been in the "correct" line.

Kofa NWR, AZ

Mt Wilson, Sedona, AZ

Some camp spots were just weird

     We then spent a few days crossing Arizona.  Beautiful desert runs in Kofa National Wildlife Refuge and then Sedona which Kathleen absolutely fell in love with.  We ran up Mt Wilson which was our hardest run yet.  Kathleen ran past a rattlesnake.  I was following her so by the time I got to the snake it was pissed off, coiled, and ready to strike.  Luckily I heard its rattle over my I-Pod and stopped in time.  Despite being in deserts lots of times this was the first rattlesnake I had ever seen.  We then also spent a day exploring Petrified Forest National Park before driving to Durango. 
      We spent a week in Durango.  My Mom and brother live there.  Both Kathleen's parents and my Dad flew out to see us off.  It was a time to visit family and friends, sort through gear and pack, explore some of the territory around Durango, get some runs in, and my nephew Elias was in a baseball tournament that his team won.  It was a good week but very busy.

Elias at bat

     The last week of World Tour Prologue was in Boulder.  We flew there from Durango.  One of the rougher flights I have had.  There was wind shear going on in Denver so we had to make multiple attempts to land while the plane bucked around.  Multiple people got sick including the guy sitting next to us.  Kathleen even fanned him with the Emergency Instructions card to try to help him feel better.  The week in Boulder was another crazy week trying to cram in as many friends as we could.  We watched the elites run the Boulder Boulder.  It is amazing how fast they go.  We were on bikes and shortcutting the course and even then could barely keep up with them.  More runs, happy hours, Farmers Market, and ending up the week with a Postal Service concert at Red Rocks rounded out the week. A big thanks to Krissy for letting us crash at her house.

Cheering on the Boulder Boulder

Boulder Boulder Mens Elite Start

     Next stop is Iceland for 7 days before going to Ireland to see family and explore the Emerald Isle.    

Baja Sur - Part 3 of 3 - The summary of kayaking the Sea of Cortez

     From Mulege I paddled into Bahia Concepcion  This added extra miles to the trip but I wanted to see it.  It is a scenic sheltered bay with multiple small islands.  A good place to take novice kayakers but beautiful enough to entice experienced ones.  At Playa Santispac where I camped I was not roughing it.  There were 2 restaurant/bars and an ice cream truck would periodically drive by.  I met a bunch of great people there (Tom and Dan of S/V Persistence, Pete, Janeene, Allen, Cathy, Louie, and Cindy) along with seeing many of the same characters that had been in the bars in Mulege (like the ever present Bob).  It was a fun place to hang out for 2 days with a fishing tournament going on the first day with a big fish fry and "Disco Night" the second.

View from Playa Santispac

Leaving Santispac              

     Once I left Santispac it was time to get serious again.  The section going around the Concepcion Peninsula that forms the bay is the second most remote section of coastline. 

Punta Hornitos - Concepcion Peninsula

     The second day going down the Peninsula turned out to be the scariest day of the trip.  The North winds had started the day before and had built up a good sized swell.  In the morning I thought that it had died down some but I was wrong.  The morning started off with a pod of dolphins not noticing me because of the choppy conditions.  They were leaping out of the water and didn't see me until one landed about 3 feet from the right side of my boat and I started screaming at them.  When that dolphin first launched out of the water I really thought that 200 pounds of dolphin was about to hit me.  That was just the start of the day.  The swells kept building from my left rear side.  In a kayak your butt is basically at water level so your eyes are about 3 feet above the water.  These waves were way over my head so they had to be at least 6 or 7 feet tall.  They would not only block my view of the horizon but they would block out any view of the mountains also.  I had never paddled in water this big.  I would surf down the waves which would cause me to hit wind waves that were blowing sideways from my right causing spray to fly all over me.  At least it was warm water.  The swells were hitting the beach making big surf.  The shore looked even scarier then where I was so I was stuck out there until after several hours I finally got around Punta Santa Theresa which protected me from the swells and I only had to deal with the wind waves. 

Concepcion Peninsula

The first good place to camp that day was a cove called San Sebastian.  This turned out to be a private community but luckily the guy I asked about camping was the land owners son.  Scott and his wife Joy took one look at me, said "we can't send you back out there" and then fed me not only lunch but dinner as well along with showing me a place to camp. 

Camp 33 - San Sebastian

     The next day was still rough but nowhere near as bad and for the rest of the trip I was able to say "at least it's not as bad as that day".  This day I passed a towering rock/mountain with cliffs hundreds of feet high that jutted out into the sea called Punta el Pulpito.  It ended up being the most impressive point of land on the whole coast. 

Punta el Pulpito

Like the entire geologically tortured coast this mountain was made of a variety of different rocks and even had sea caves/arches that I was able to paddle through.  Anchored at the base of this point I met a Canadian couple on S/V Prairie Oyster.  We had a small world experience where they knew of my friends Shawn and Ben's boat, S/V Pangea from when they were in the South Pacific in 2008.  I hiked to the top of the point and it had some great views but was crazy windy. 

View of S/V Prairie Oyster

View north from el Pulpito

    On the beach and in the water where I camped at the foot of the mountain it was covered with gelatinous fish eggs that were about 0.5cm in diameter.  I have no idea what kind they were. 

Fish eggs on beach

     The day before reaching Loreto I went extra miles to get close to town.  The current was also really working against me so I was pretty tired at the end of the day.  However, when I got to where I had planned to camp all the spots sucked and I kept being swarmed by bees.  I tried four different places before deciding to paddle across the 2 mile channel to Isla Coronados.  There was a small island halfway across where I could catch my breath and be sheltered from the current.  I ended up camping on a gorgeous white sand beach but it turned out that the other group camped there was part of a rattlesnake relocation program.  They were trying to catch the snakes that had been hanging around the campground and move them to another part of the island.  If it's not one thing, it's another. 

Camp 36 - Isla Coronados

     Despite being tired from paddling 22 miles against current that day I still had energy so I went for a 1/4 mile swim/snorkel and then ran the 5 mile out and back to the top of the island which had sweeping views of both what I had paddled and the upcoming section. A Baja triathlon. 

View from top of Isla Coronados

     I stopped in Loreto and spent an extra day there.  This was the location of the first successful settlement and Jesuit Mission by the Spanish and is as old a town as you can find in North America.  It was the last place for supplies before the 175 mile run to La Paz.  I had noticeably lost weight by the time I got there.  The first night I had 3 chicken enchiladas with rice and beans at one restaurant and then went and ate an entire family size pizza at another. 

     As I was packing up the boat to leave Loreto a damn Lab came up and started sniffing my gear.  I didn't think anything of it until he lifted his leg and claimed it as his own by pissing on it. At least everything was in dry bags so I could rinse it off.  That day got me to Puerto Escondido which is a great hurricane hole for boats and has a big marina.  It was there that I saw news of the Boston Marathon bombing.  This terrorist attack effected me more then many others since it was directed at my running brethren and I have no problem imagining me or Kathleen being there during the race.  The yacht club there had a big book exchange so I was able to get some new reading material.  The reason books are free in a book exchange is because they all suck.  Way to many murder mystery and romance novels.  I did manage to find a couple of books that worked though - a spy novel and a Revolutionary War historical fiction book. 

Baja Outdoor Activities guided group

     It was the next day of the trip (Day 40) that I saw my first kayakers go by.  I was fishing at the time so didn't have my camera to catch the moment I had been waiting weeks for.  I got up early the next morning to catch up with them and took their picture.  It was a group of 8 clients (including a 77 year old woman)  with one guide from BOA (Baja Outdoor Activities) doing a shorter version of the Loreto to La Paz paddle.  We chatted and the guide warned me that a north wind was supposed to blow for the next two or three days.  That worked for me since I had planned on taking a rest day at a village called Agua Verde.  There is a goat farm and small store there.  The second day I got a little antsy and paddled 10 miles despite the big waves.

Goats herded through camp - Agua Verde

     The next day I met the other group of kayakers that I would see on the trip.  2 couples in 2 tandems.  Janet and Pat have a ton of experience and reminded me of an older version of Kathleen and myself.  The other couple were Greg and Louisa who haven't kayaked but have traveled a lot.  Each morning I would pass their camping spot and they would invite me to shore for coffee.  They would then go past me in the afternoon and camp a little ways further down the coast.  We leap frogged like this for several days.  We would talk kayaking, traveling, and just general adventure.  I even camped with them one night after a town called San Evaristo. 

Pat and Janet

Sunset behind Cerro Caballo

     The next morning I had another example of how great the Mexican people are.  Pat left his wallet at the Tienda (store) the day before.  The owner had checked with all the sailboats anchored in the harbor and then sent fishermen in a panga down the coast to catch the kayakers.  The fishermen gave Pat a ride back to town and he was able to recover his wallet intact. 

     The last days the coastline gradually flattened out into low bluffs and then a very large sandbar that formed Peninsula el Mogote that creates the La Paz harbor.  I saw more turtles in this section then anywhere else and on the last day a new type of vibrant blue jellyfish I hadn't seen before. 

Last bluffs of coastline

Blue jellyfish

     The last night I stopped 2 miles short of the finish line so that I could stare across the harbor of La Paz and reflect on the trip I had just accomplished.  It was weird to be so happy and sad at the same time.  I stayed up late looking at the lights of La Paz (I hadn't seen that much electricity since Los Angeles, CA) and listening to the sounds of music drifting over the water.  With a very large moon rising over it all it seemed as if the last two months were a dream. 

   

View across harbor at La Paz

     The next morning I paddled across the mouth of the harbor to the Hotel La Concha where my Mom was supposed to have checked in the night before.  There was no sign of her when I arrived and the front desk said she was a no show the night before.  Since I had no email or Facebook message from her or anyone I figured she had airplane connection issues.  I sat down at the bar and 3 beers later she showed up after spending the night in the Mexico City airport.  We hung out for a few days in La Paz before I flew back to LA to meet Kathleen, get my truck, and road trip back down to La Paz.  My Mom stayed in La Paz to watch my kayak and gear until I got back.

Just finished - La Concha Hotel

    The trip that I had dreamed of doing for so long was done.  I don't ever need to repeat that paddle but I absolutely would come back down here with friends and do some 10 day or 2 week paddles out to some of the islands I passed.  I never felt unsafe in Baja at all or met anyone else who had any problems.  I can't speak for mainland Mexico but I would recommend coming here to anyone.  Many of the people I met here are in their 60s and 70s driving their RVs.  If they can travel here then my younger outdoor friends should have no problems at all.   

Final Tally:  51 days, 730 miles paddled, 553 miles as the crow flies from San Felipe