Sea kayakers and Space Shuttle astronauts....cut from the same cloth.

It is spectacular. 

From about five minutes in, 

when we knew for sure that we were going to have the weather to go, 

the smile on my face just got bigger and bigger, 

and I was just beaming through the whole launch. 

I mean, it is just an amazing ride.

- Chris Hadfield (Canadian shuttle astronaut, Commander ISS, Expedition 35, 2013)

The launch.

Chris, I feel exactly the same way. 

We carefully transfer the MSP (Marine Support Pod) from the racks on the Subaru HMKTV (High Mobility Kayak Transport Vehicle), set the craft in the water, stow gear in cargo bays, ensure all safety gear and instrumentation (marine compass, VHF radio, GPS system) is operational, check that spare "thruster" is secure under rear bungee, ensure the relief zipper on survival clothing is secured - and we're "good to go" for launch.

The smile on our faces gets bigger and bigger too - yes, it's an amazing ride.

No wonder we sea kayakers understand how astronauts think - we have a great deal in common, we're cut from the same cloth.

Duncan.

Fog on the Salish Sea, a trail run, and more of nature's frozen miracles...

With sunshine forecast, we'd hoped to launch the narrow boats but the early morning fog pretty much eliminated all visibility on the sea and on the water around the Gulf Islands and islets. Fog horns from passing ships and ferries punctuated the still air. You can bet their radar systems were busy. So, can't waste any precious time on a day off so we needed a "Plan B" until the fog lifted.

A trail run - that's the beauty of Gabriola Island, there are always lots of other options for outdoor pursuits. As it turned out, the conditions were perfect for rare hair ice in the forest - low temperature and high humidity.

The Garmin 305 recorded 10.26 km with an overall elevation gain of 287.2 m over the route through the woods.

It was a pretty relaxed run as there were so many "hair ice" photo ops along the way. Besides, we had to conserve sufficient energy for paddling. Priorities.

Earth. There's no planet like it...at least not one we've discovered yet. It's strange that the woods aren't ever crowded. It's even stranger that the shopping malls and casinos are.

Duncan.