August 13, 2009: Day Four
My notes for this day are pretty sketchy. It was our longest day on the water and I had a problem with, of all things, the heat. But I’m getting ahead of myself. I don’t remember anything special about the night or the morning. We were packed and underway at our usual eight-thirty.
The weather was mild. We were dressed for the very cold water, all of us in either dry suits or wetsuits. Because I had been expecting cold weather and because it’s just more comfortable, I wore lightweight long john bottoms and a long sleeve wicking shirt under my Farmer John. I always wear heavy socks in the mukluks for comfort and to keep my feet from sliding around inside the boots. I’m repeating this detail because it becomes important later in the day.
The night before, we had again voiced our concern about the long distance to be paddled on our last day; a day when we hoped to see Beluga whales. The sequence of camping spots we were following was determined by selecting from a menu of trips listed on the Fjord Maritime Trail. The sequence appeared fixed and inflexible. Gaetan wondered if this was in fact true. We decided to stop at the village of L`Anse Saint-Jean (Saint John) to find a phone (no cell service on the fjord) and call the Maritime Trail Office asking for a modification.
For a brief video of the approach to L`Anse Saint-Jean (69 seconds), click here. I was feeling pretty bad after the next section of the paddle, so no more videos!
We all filled water bags and deck bottles and stowed them in our boats. Gaetan, Bruce and Alan went to find the phone while I stayed behind to keep an eye on the boats. There were picnic tables and beach chairs behind the outfitter’s office, so I found a chair in the shade and relaxed while I waited for the others to return. It was getting hot, so I peeled my Farmer John down to my waist to cool down a bit. At some point I took a long drag on my water bottle and nearly spit it out. It was nasty! The water was potable but had been decanted through a plastic hose that had been lying in the sun for some time. It had a strong taste of plastic. This detail becomes important later also.
Soon Gaetan and Bruce returned, with Alan just behind carrying a stack of four large boxes, each filled with a burger and fries. This was a big lunch, Alan’s treat. Soon we were all stuffed to bursting. Gaetan had been able to rearrange out itinerary. We would by-pass Anse a` Tabatiere, our original stop, go on to Anse a` Tidee, which was to be tomorrow’s stop and add Anse aux Petites Iles as our last campsite. This would make our final day’s paddle only about ten miles.
Back on the water, we soon came to Anse a` Tabatiere. We paused long enough to check out the landing, then went on. It was hot and I was thirsty. But the water tasted so bad I wouldn’t drink it. I set a strong pace and was out in front of the group, moving quickly. I stayed in front for the entire distance, close to eight miles. By the time we arrived I was pooped. I had no energy left and I felt bad.


Stairway to the stars!

Yackman’s tent platform.
At some point I set up my tent and other gear. I don’t remember dinner or if we had a campfire, when I went to bed or what the night was like. I just know that after some hours, my heart rate was back to normal and I was very tired.

Lesson Learned (I hope):
Every accident or incident like this one is the result of a compounding of small problems. First, the water was very cold necessitating the use of cold water gear, which can be warm to wear on some days. Second, we were expecting and were prepared for cold weather, but the weather was unexpectedly hot. It was the hottest weather of the year in that area with temperatures in the high eighties. Third, the drinking water tasted bad, so I didn’t hydrate. Fourth, I was pushing myself, paddling hard to get to the campsite. Fifth, I had no good way to cool down. Together they spelled heat exhaustion, the condition leading to heat stroke, a life threatening condition. In my experience with heat exhaustion, I have never been aware that a problem was developing until it hit and stopped me cold. I need to be aware that on hot days when it is hard to cool down.
Some things I can’t control:
•The temperature of the air
•The temperature of the water and the need to dress for it.
•Seaway conditions
Some things I can control:
•I can be aware of the temperature and other conditions that could lead to heat exhaustion
•I can pace myself and rest periodically
•I can Hydrate, Hydrate, Hydrate – even when I don’t want to
•I can douse my hat, my sleeves, my neck scarf in the water and pour it over myself – and do it frequently
The things I can control are the things I must pay attention to and do. But even having experienced this problem before, it still caught me unaware.


