11/22/14

It is a bittersweet day and our last day here in San Diego, California. We will be saying goodbye to the Pacific Ocean, the birds of paradise, palm trees, and warm weather. Out of all of the places we have been I have found the most peace within myself when I watch the beauty of the way ocean never stops kissing the shoreline, no matter how many times it is sent away along with the incredibly resilient waves and the vastness. The ocean makes me feel tiny when I am sitting there in the warm sand and it makes me put my life into perspective in this uncharted territory. This is all so new to me when you’re doing something new, of course there are going to be mistakes made along the way. When being a leader you are going to make a wrong decision or failures, sometimes there is going to be no way to avoid it. We all need to be like the ocean that never stops coming back to the shoreline, it is resilient as we should be with our mistakes and risks. We don’t want to keep making the same mistakes. Soon enough I will be back to the coast. I have been making the same mistake for to long and it is finally time to learn from them. I have been accustomed to a routine, convincing myself it is impossible to accomplish certain dreams, and have been to afraid to hurt and abandon those that I love dearly. It is time to take more risks that scare me, that tests my spirit as well as my body.

Dear Ocean,

Thank you for making me feel tiny, humbled, inspired, and salty…...

 Cheyenne Wilson

11/21/14

Baja California was beautiful and crazy,

When the wind was blowing the background was hazy.

I’ve never seen better sunsets or sunrises than this place,

I sit here waiting on border patrol and anticipating mace.

I’ve been to Mexico before and I love it every time,

There simple family based culture, Pineapples and Limes.

Seriously sitting here waiting on border patrol is dumb,

I’ve got nothing else to do but suck on my thumb.

I loved sea kayaking even though it hurt my butt,

I just want to drive through border patrol but this stupid gate is shut.

As much as I was looking forward to returning,

After getting off of the sea I had this bittersweet burning.

I no longer want this trip to end,

Don’t want to be home, don’t want to see friends.

Im finally content with constantly being on the go,

Yeah the drums they swing low, and the trumpets they go.

This trip will probably come to an end too fast,

Let’s make everything count right down to the last.

The last day, the last laugh, the last meal, the last chore,

Let’s make it all count before we close the door.

And before we say goodbye to the vans and trailer forever,

And before Jeff makes one more joke he thinks is clever.

This is it, the end of expeditions, were on our way home,

No more backcountry, no more traveling gnome.

Trip plan and Scavenger hunt, let’s get this work done,

Final Evals, those should be fun.

Honestly what I miss the most is going to the bathroom with a bit of personal isolation,

I just want to be alone in there, no other feet or confrontation.

This trip has made me realize that I’m both extrovert and introvert so I don’t fit into these designations,

I’m not people, product, process, ideas, or any of those classifications.

I am me and only me with all of my traits,

And if people don’t like it they gonna hate.

I’ve only got a few more of these left,

So I’ll try to make them better this much you can bet. 

11/20/14

When someone makes a decision, he is really diving into a strong current that will carry him to places he had never dreamed of when he first made the decision. ECOEE is full of decisions but it is also a lot of unclear paths. During this last unclear path we took into the Sea of Cortez, Mother Nature took the reins. She kept us in Pescador bay longer than expected. Mother Nature has also taken control of my sleeping patterns. She wakes me up with the sun and puts me to sleep with the darkness. This morning I woke up at 5:43 despite my 6:20 alarm that was going to go off. We all drank our coffee, ate our breakfast burritos and started cleaning. I love sweeping because I can pretend I am a chimney sweeper like in Mary Poppins. After I was done being a chimney sweeper we walked by Jeff’s lead to the museum across the street. In the basement of this museum the local artists were displaying their work. I purchased a pair hand carved moon earrings made from an oyster shell found on the pacific coast of Baja California. After the museum we moved like a herd of sheep or in our case, a flock of birds, to the market where Cheyenne bought a coconut. We then headed back to Casa Azul where we waited while Jillian cleaned the toilet. We piled into our great white vans to eat lunch at Los Hamacas or The Hammocks. We ate our wonderful Mexican food and drank our refreshing sodas then started our journey to Catavina. The Cordons, Cirios and Ocotillos are not part of my accustomed scenery but I have fallen in love with their unique figures. Before getting to our desert campsite, we made a pit stop to a cave where the ancestors of that area still tell us about how nature shaped their lives. They dances and celebrated and expressed their values through these cave paintings. As our ancestors did, we shall listen to our heart; it knows all things because it came from the soul of the world, and it will one day return there. 

Haley Brasile

11/19/14

Any "historical" movie with Mel Gibson in it is garbage. The kind of movie that ought to star in "Mystery Science Theater 3000." But allow me to briefly quote one of Mr. Gibson's atrocities…

            "FREEEEEDOOOOOOM!"

            Yes, this morning our band of merry adventurers was awoken by Jeff's short, gruff tones telling us to get going at 5:00 AM. The North Wind, that demonic force of nature that had kept us on a beach for three days, had finally blown itself out. In less than an hour we had our kayaks on the water.

            Cassidy and I took the point of our pod and kept our bow pointed at Jeff as he led us around points, across bays, near a sea turtle, and into Bahia de los Angeles. Where, at the end of our sea kayaking odyssey, we saw a few whales in the distance. We cleaned up and got treated to lunch by a former ECOEE alum. That cold Coke at Guillermo's was great.

            Our final backcountry experience is over. I remember sitting on a beach near Blue Bay our very first night in Canada--writing the group journal  then as well. The stars were bright that night, too. They are out tonight here at Casa Azul. Except the constellations are different. The seasons are changing and Winter is Coming.

            That first day in Canada was so overwhelming. Our navigators turned the wrong way right off the bat, John and Vickey took on water, bear bags were an ordeal, and we had to figure out tents and stoves. My, oh my, how far we've come.

            Rivers, mountains, valleys, and more roads than I can remember--all have brought us to this little blue house in Mexico and its wise owner. A tough man named Francisco who has helped us out in so many ways. Just imagine if he had been with us in Ontario!

            Now we are about to leave this place. But that's what ECOEE has been about the entire time, right? We arrive in our white vans, fall in love with something, and leave it. I guess that's one lesson that we can take away from all of this--the rapids, the misty lakes, the pouring rain, giant waves, snow, northern lights, brilliant sunrises, giant rocks, mighty waterfalls, hot beaches, and the eternal ocean--Carpe Diem, seize the day. Make your lives extraordinary.

                                                                                                Most Respectfully,

                                                                                                Anthony Killion

11/18/14

            It is our fourth night at Pescador Bay. For three days, we have been wind bound, unable to paddle our way back to Bahia de los Angeles or any other destination.

            Every night, we have prepared peanut butter and jelly tortillas by headlamp so that we have a quick breakfast in the morning, enabling us to get on the water as quickly as possible once the winds die. Every night, we anticipate Tati and Jeff waking us up at the crack of dawn when the winds break. Every morning, we pack up our camp, stuffing everything we have into the small hatches of the sea kayaks. And every day, we have waited and waited … and waited. We have waited, hoping that the North winds would cease and the waters would calm. Hoping, until we must finally admit that today is not the day that the winds will break. So, everyday, we unpack those same kayaks, which have not moved, and set up camp once more.

            These past few days have been a test of patience, optimism and faith. We must have faith that this will all work out. We must stay positive about our situation, even as we watch our resources of food, water and fuel lessen with every passing day. We must be patient as we wait for Mother Nature to cut us a break. Yet, as we remain patient, optimistic and faithful, we must never waiver or fall prey to traps of wishful thinking. We must remain grounded, realistic and rational in our decisions.

            So, we look toward a new day, our tortillas made, ready to rise at the first light of day, ready to pack up our camp, full of hope that this day will be the day, and full of patience if it is not. It is all a test of patience. Life is a test of patience – for we must be prepared to take hold of opportunities when they arise, keeping faith that they will come, and smiling while we wait.

            Jillian Ross

11/17/14

Beach life… what a way to live. Warm sun to soak in, smooth sand to walk on, soothing waves and tides to listen to, and an amazing star filled sky to fall asleep to. With all that being said, being stuck on Pescador Bay isn’t all that bad. Instead of paddling to our next site we fulfilled our day with lessons. Haley led us in some search and rescue techniques. Tiff touched base on first aid that lead into a surprise simulation of Jeff being half dead on a ridge somewhere… which brought back WFR (wilderness first responder) flashbacks in my head instantly. Jeff shared his wisdom to all of us about group decision making and goals. There is always more behind the scenes to every situation than you realize at first. Always a different meaning, perspective, or even just a different angle to something. It is only when you speak, act, and observe with a true meaning that everything is understood. ECOEE is a course that teaches along the way. Most things we figure out, some things Jeff tells us. We might not be great ECOEE in the end, but it’ll have taught us so much to work on in our lives afterwards.

-Greg Strobel

11/16/14

Yet again Mother Nature has intervened. Today we would have attempted to paddle our hardest to beat the wind, but as the rain and cold held us hostage in Canada so the wind halts our progress here in Mexico. So instead of constant paddle strokes we finished a few lessons that were overdue. Some of us sat on the beach talking of the past or future. All of us enjoyed the present. As strong as the wind was today, watching the white cappe3d wave3s roll over in the distant sea was beautiful. I sat for a while with Kenny, Greg, and Curtis at the shoreline just watching the water come in and out

                The land and all the land we have visited has been so powerful. The water here is our mode of travel, the same as it was in Canada yet the two places are extremely different. While this place is warm and inviting Canada was cold and challenging. No matter where we go or where we have been we must listen to nature. Today it told us to stay put. Nature has taught us so much and has more to give. Nature has shown us its raw power such as our journey into Yellowstone National Park where we could feel the heat under our feet. In both Canada and here in Mexico we can feel the power and witness. Firsthand the power of water.

                Nature has called us out here to come together and be done with it. Though it may burn, drench us in sweat, soak us in waves we welcome it because nature is a part of who we are.

John Wiegert