A Trip Report: Paddling - Stave Lake

Our goal was to go here:


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Stave Lake. It's beautiful.

The goal for our 4 day trip was to camp for three nights in different coves of the lake. From one end of the lake to the other, it takes about 8 hours of efficient paddling in good weather. So, along with our buddy Steve we packed up the 4runner with a canoe and a kayak. The canoe was going to be loaded with all the gear (what felt like 400 pounds worth). Why so heavy?....we wanted to eat tons, sit on camp chairs, and live luxuriously under the stars.


We arrived at the lake....and began to unload the 4runner...

After loading the canoe and kayak...we made our way to the lake. Apparently there are many people who get their cars broken into...so we said a short prayer, got in the lake, and started paddling.

2 hours of paddling....we took this shot

Calm and casual....so good...

1 hour later...we shot this shot of Heidi in the kayak....calm and casual...so good....

3 hours later...we would shoot this picture...it was the last photo we were going to take for the remainder of the trip...

After shooting the above picture...a STRONG headwind picked up and the waves began to crest...filling our canoe faster than I could bail.

5.5 hours into our trip...2.5 hours of which were HARD paddling...we HAD to stop. We NEEDED a place to sleep. It was now dark...we had lost some gear due to the hard winds and waves hitting the canoe. In the dark we found a ledge along the granite shoreline. It was the ONLY thing available which we could locate in the storm and in the dark. It was 10 feet long and 3 feet wide and about 3 feet above the storm on the water. We tied off the canoe and kayak and we spent the night there...Joe slept sitting-ish, Heidi in the fetal position on a slant and Steve on top of a bunch of gear. It was a LONG and UNCOMFORTABLE night. We each slept 3 hours max.

Morning came...and we decided to press onto our original destination..

3 hours later we arrived at a beautiful campsite which sits under one of the largest granite rock faces in British Columbia, Mount Robbie Reid. It was spectacular.

The next 2 days were adventure filled...full of casual paddling to different camp sites in secluded coves.

I will spare you the rest of our story...because we don't have pictures to report it....our camera was ruined in the storm...(apparently zip lock bags aren't water proof....who would have thought?)

Anyway....all is well....

Good times in the White family...and our car never got broken into!

We're Back!

Hey...It's been a while since we posted. Sorry. We were out of town.

The last 4 days have been WONDERFUL.

We went on a canoeing and kayaking trip with our buddy Steve.

4 days and 3 nights sleeping under the stars, 15 hours of paddling, beautiful weather, secluded beaches, not another soul in sight, awesome food, good fellowship....and a RESPECTABLE workout to say the least...

Here is a pic of Joe in the canoe and Heidi kayaking behind (she's rockin entering her 6 month of pregnancy...wow). There will be a trip report and more pictures in the next day or so.



...so much more to share and show....

good times

Mondays are for rest -- Part II

Hey all

As promised...we said we would update with a couple more photos from the second half of our day.

We had beautiful weather outside and the call of the mountains was loud so we decided to do the Grouse Grind. This is a VERY popular hike in the North Shore Mountains.

We've done it before. A couple years ago, on Father's day, we decided to celebrate our fathers by doing this hike. Three quarters of the way up, we discovered something I wish upon no one. A man, lying in the dirt, dead. Rescue parties came and Heidi and I, along with a few others, helped carry his body on a stretcher to the top of the hike. Later we found out that he was a father of 2, in his 50's, and that he died of a heart attack. We didn't do the Grouse Grind again until today.

The Globe and Mail said this in a recent article:

Rising 853 metres over 2.9 kilometres, the Grind is not a pleasant hike; rather, it's a hard huff soaked in sweat as the trail wends but mostly just ascends.

Wanting to redeem our last experience, and wanting to celebrate the life growing in Heidi, we knew this would be a good activity for the afternoon. And....we did it in less time than 1.5 hours and barely broke a huff & puff. That felt good. As we passed the spot were we found the dead father, we prayed a prayer for his family....

The trail is like an outdoor stair stepper. There is very little aesthetic quality other than the fact that the trees are beautiful and you are out of the hot sun for most of the way. There are also very few vistas. So, the question must be asked...why hike this trail? Answer: fitness is fun. Getting outside for a good workout is a very satisfying activity.


Heidi did excellent. We took our time, had a conversation the entire way (which is the way we know her heart rate is not too high), and just enjoyed being together in the mountains.


At the top....Heidi was craving an apple...Joe was craving beer...so typical.

Today Heidi is 22.5 weeks pregnant! It was a good day for a celebration. As far as we know, the baby is healthy the mom is happy and we are havin' fun!

A good end to a good day in the mountains with a friend.

Mondays are for rest

Hey....still tired....but the good kind of tired...the tired which reminds you that you've done something.

This morning...devos at the coffee lounge were in order. So good. Hazelnut Latte's, reading and journaling were our morning existence.




Now, we are off to lunch for round two of our day. Objective: something outside (its BEAUTIFUL) combined with a noble dose of activity.

Heidi is now 22.5 weeks into the pregnancy and we will post photos later today on her progress. She is doing really well, feeling strong in between occasional bouts of throwing up. This has been a CRAZY summer (i.e. took 25 people to a poor village in China for almost three weeks and directed a camp for 190ish people in the gulf islands while somehow keeping our daily work for Granville Chapel intact) ...and its amazing to see her take her pregnancy in stride. The ONLY reason this summer happened was because God is gracious and compassionate, full of mercy and grace.

more pics soon...

j & h

We're back

and sooo tired. Ready for a good rest.

We were here

at Pioneer Pacific Camp. We were camp directors (for three years now) for a camp of 195 people, 130 of which were under our direct support and care. What a whirlwind!

It was an awesome week. So much to tell...but right now, all we want to do is go to sleep...nappy time. Tomorrow we need to be fresh for Church because Joe is baptizing someone and carrying out other tasks relegated to clergy. It's a real privilege to do what we do...such a beautiful privilege.

A picture which represents each night we were there --


Good memories at Pioneer Pacific Camp on Thetis Island

We are headed to camp

Good times.

The third week of August we direct a camp at Pioneer Pacific for 90+ campers going into grades 7 -10. It is located on Thetis Island in the Gulf Islands off of Vancouver Island. It's BEAUTIFUL.

We will be gone for a week, so no posts until next Sunday.

In 7 hours from now...we will be in crazy mode.

Then, after we return next Saturday, we are going to go on a multi-day canoeing trip up Indian Arm. That should be fun. We'll pack heavy, live luxuriously, and sleep on the beaches of various remote islands.

A final Pioneer Pacific thought...

This is what it's like to be a director at camp:

Full throttle and having the time of our lives...

Update soon...

Love you and would appreciate your prayers for team unity, health and safety!

Standing fast?

"Who stands fast? Only the man whose final standard is not his reason, his principles, his conscience, his freedom, or his virtue, but who is ready to sacrifice all this when he is called to obedient and responsible action in faith and in exclusive allegiance to God—the responsible man, who tries to make his whole life an answer to the question and call of God. Where are these responsible people?"

(Dietrich Bonhoeffer, After Ten Years, via The Trinity Forum's Who Stands Fast?)

Thanks to Mike for that quote....

Gym Climbing

Today, I had the urge to climb indoors. It was raining, cold, overcast and downright gloomy. It would have been a wet slog in the mountains if Joe and I would have went outside. So, on a day like today...gym climbing seemed like a perfect idea.

We go to the Cliffhanger in Richmond.

It was really fun. Now, the last time I was there (something like 3 months ago), before our trip to China and before the weather got nice (hence no reason to climb indoors), I was in the middle of my first trimester. I remember only climbing a little because I kept on throwing up. This time, I'm not throwing up (PTL) but I'm carrying a little bit more weight with me. It's actually pretty fun climbing with "baby white". I talk to him/her when I climb...we have little conversations about what kinds of things his/her mommy is doing: "Ok baby white, mommy is going to make a big move to a very high hold...hold on!"..."Baby, I wish you could see how high off the ground you are right now...you'd love it!"..."Mommy's got cha, mommy's got cha. Its OK. You are safe".



It felt good to move my body a bit. I never push it too hard...and I always stop when I'm tired. There are a couple important lessons that I am learning about being active while pregnant. First, it's important to listen to your body. When my body feels like climbing, running, swimming, etc...then I get out. When my body says, "No, you are tired...you need to rest" or "No, that joint feels weird...don't use it right now"...I just chill. Second, I don't have to prove anything. What other women do and don't do is not a motivation to "get active" or "just chill". Third, exercise is not about "looking good". This is not my motivation. I stay active because its fun and my body (including my mind) feels better because of it!

Anyway, all for now. Joe is well and he says "hi" (he just fixed the broken spoke on his bike that he mentioned in a previous post). His next project is to change his rear gear cassette to a 12-27 ratio in the back so he can climb more hills...whatever that means.

Laps Laps Laps

I (Joe) hopped on the bike today.

It was a VERY short ride.

Broke a spoke...had to walk my bike home. Suckoth.

Did I call it quits? Should of. Got on another bike and went for a burn.

Tire got messed up...had to walk my bike home. again...suckoth.

Did I call it quits? Should of. Fixed the tire and finished my short ride (20 minutes) on HILLS. Love em'

Tonight, after dinner Heidi's been itching to get out.

Her idea: Go for a 4-5 mile run....interspersing her wide variety of exercises (walking, lunges, and push ups). Her run goes along the beach. Today, I will ride a bike behind her while she runs. We will talk the whole way...good times.

Cravings...

Sometimes we just get that craving...you know?

That thing that starts as an idea and with building momentum snowballs into something a little ridiculous.

We had that today.

Thought: Taco Bell.

Internal dialogue: "Stupid idea...Taco Bell is 45 minutes away"

Married dialogue:
Person 1 - "Do you want to go to Taco Bell?"
Person 2 - "Not really, do you"
Person 1 - "Not really, do you"
Person 2 - "It does sound kinda good though"
Person 1 - "yeah it does"
Person 2 - "we should go"
Person 1 - "yeah, we should"

Snowball: 1.5 hours later - Success!

ahh, so beautiful...

happy girl

attack that burrito...attack that burrito

"V" for victory!

Doing well...

Hey yo

All is well

Happy campers we are (yoda accent)

Heidi is officially 20 weeks prego...and doin' well. The belly bulge is cool...and the baby kickith.

Otherwise, a short little note to say....Love you!

Here is a beach photo of one evening spent with our friends...this is a regular activity for us in the summer months...beach evenings, watching the sun set, drinking brew, BBQ, and good conversation:

loved playin with this little guy....SO CUTE...

Routines

We are big fans of keeping routines.

Doing something at the same time, in a similar way day after day is good for us. It keeps us consistent and fosters our growth.

Take for example our morning routine:

• Wake up
• Coffee is ready to drink
• Our chairs are ready to be sat in
• Our coffee coasters are ready to hold our coffee
• Our bibles are near our chairs ready to be read
• Our journals are ready to be journaled in
• Our pens are always never where our journal is...(we should really do something about that)
• Our books are ready to be read after we finish our devotions and journaling

Now...don't get us wrong...we are NOT PERFECT. We get out of our routines, slack off and get lazy like everyone else...

But more and more, we are beginning to realize what novelist Susan Howatch meant when she said, "The road to hell is often paved with good intentions". I tell my students all the time..."Good intentions are not enough. Obedience out of love for God is the mark of our discipleship." We feel we are obedient when we give God the start of our day...when we let Him define our day, help us reflect, and point us towards Himself. A famous marathon runner once said, "endurance is the mark of consistency"...We want to have an enduring faith in Jesus. We do that by building routines into our lives which cultivate consistant obedience. It's what Eugene Pederson calls, "a long walk in the same direction". That's what we want...a long walk in the direction of Christ.

Today...we had our morning routine...and it was GOOD.

Squamish

It is BEAUTIFUL outside today.

It makes us want to be here (photo courtesy of K. Mclane):

...maybe we'll go into the woods tomorrow to find some rock to climb...in fact we'll count on it.

Tomorrow is our sabbath...that is, the day we cease from work. Tomorrow, we are going to walk in the garden (Squamish) and enjoy creation expecting God to walk with us and pour into us. After a week of service...we are looking forward to sabbath rest.

Saturday is for Chilaxin'...

Yes...I said it...Chilaxin...and that is precisely what we did.

After doing some work this morning till about 11, our friend Nathan picked us up and drove us to one of his favorite crags near Squamish. Its called, "Chuck Chuck".


This place is SUPER rad for sport climbing. Quiet, lots of forest, a river...and best of all, GREAT sportclimbing.

We did a handful of climbs today, mostly 1od - 11b or something...we mostly hangdogged (sitting in our harnesses to rest...it's been a while since we've sport climbed (4 months maybe?) on our way up stuff. Nathan was the pro...sending everything.


We major suckothed today....but got super siked to start getting in shape sport climbing shape (pronto for joe, and later for heidi, after the baby is born). We will definatly return to Chuck Chuck for some unfinished business.



We LOVE climbing. Why? The friendship we experince (thanks Nate, you were great to climb with), the workout, the adventure, the teamwork...all so good.

Heidi is still doing excellent with the pregnancy. We are feeling the baby move, more and more each day. This is SO cool to experience. She gets tired more easily and needs to take many many bathroom breaks...but overall, she is taking eveything in stride. She is 19 weeks now. We are quickly approching the half way mark!