A10 - The Terrace Standard, Wednesday, August 16, 1995 Bob continues undaunted — By Bob Reeds FLOATING DOWN ithe Skeena in my eight-foot KISS was memorable, a mixture of ex- wberance, complacency and fear. About 38km. from Terrace, after safely covering the worst of the river the RCMP abruptly halted the first leg of my odyssey. I ‘launched Aug... 3 at Fishermen’s Park...with KISS | drawing about: two. inches of . water. Every few minutes a seal would: break surface and disappear after’ one quizzical look, Curious crea- tures. Was ‘it imagination or did - their faces express’ surprise at this strange craft? It took hard rowing to cross from fast currents to slower ones, An obstacle loomed ahead. In midriver stood a-huge snag. Its Spreading roots reared into. the air. The bottom of the tree trunk, soared. above water, a meter and a halfin diameter. I was headed straight for it. I rowed frantically. When moving ~ downstream in.a seven knot cur--:: rent and rowing at a knot or two: ° across you get: the~ impression your oars are doing nothing. Mo- - ments laterIsweptby. This was exciting. Fun. But respect for the river was growing. At 2:15 p.m. I was tiring, Al- most five hours of steady rowing and dodging danger was begin- ning to tell, ' At close to 80, I suffer the same enlarged prostate which bothers Most men over 60. I hadn’t been to a bathroom since 7:30 and. hadn’t thought of installing one on my eight-foot ship,: I set up camp, pulled. out the ‘boat, draped a tarp and lit a fire. Cooking supper I noted fresh bear tracks, Tumed in carly. Hatchet beside me in:case a bear attacked. ‘Next morning I nursed a hot "chocolate as a helicopter circled, I waved at the. pilot and was _ astounded as he landed, I gave, him a thumbs up with one hand, holding the steaming hot choco- late in the other. He beckoned. I walked over. ‘They’re’ worried about you,” he said. ‘I’m ‘just fine,’’ I answered. “It was a bit hairy ‘in places but. I’m over the worst of it.” He took off. I stood bemused, Who were'the ‘they’ to whom he'd referred? Who on earth gave a hoot about what was happening to me? The sun came out and I began, drying out. It rained again. Grab as everything, under the tarp. Next “day sun out, Everything lovely. Things more or less dry. I repair oarlocks, Put boat on skids. Load. ‘Into water. Wind strong. Who cares? This is a river. . No big waves. - Row hard ta catch river current. Log jams, No longer harmless. Water roaring through. Row suc- cessfully away. Stay in current, That was the advice for after the . bad stretch, Not so sure. Wind catches me, Shoves KISS onto a rocky shore with no cur- rent, Begin to pole’ off. Two: fishermen. camped across river | near mouth of Exstew see me, jump into a beat and roar across. With ‘one heave KISS sits across the stern of their not-very- big aluminum river boat. They cross to their campsite. They are Hud Fisher, Gair Ave., Terrace, and Ron ‘Rutherford, Hamer Ave., Terrace. I'd learned my lesson about wind, It is important on the river. Don’t travel when it’s blowing. 2 ask about what lies ahead. Ron volunteers to show me. I’m con- vinced. He offers to take me around it to camp past the worst. I happily accept. _ The campsite is great. I sleep soundly. Morming comes with a low, low overcast. At about 4 p.m, I nap for ‘an hour. Fresh bear tracks lead close to the tent. Nathing disturbed. Nice bear. I promise myself I'll leave the moming, weather permitting. At 9 pm..I’m undressing. I hear a boat. It grounds beside KISS, Two men disembark. One has a yellow stripe down his trouser legs. A Mountie! Dropping in on BOB SPEEDS has nun across “lag jams, seals and the RCMP in this journey down the Skeena River. Interrupted last week, Feeds took to the water again Aug. 9 and expects to be in Port Edward or Prince Rupert soon. Bob Reeds wrote this Aug. 9, :-. one day before heading out onto the Skeena again — this time closer to tidewater near 7 ted for cight years in more prosperous times, cut of Van- couver, their way by for a look, I surmise, They’ve been getting phone calls, lots of phone calls. My boat is reported unsafe. People have seen it overloaded. They’re here to see if it is safe to continue. The Mountie is Corporal Ray Griffith, a quiet, bespectacled type. . Fargue. No problems. I cite past experience ‘from another eight- footer io a 72-foot diesel ex-rum runner yacht I owned and opera- SPORT We ULD AUGUST 17 - 20 Baby’s Name: Branden Thandi — Date & Time of Birth: Weight: 6 lbs 9 5z Sex: Male: - July 16, 1995 at 8:36 pm Baby’s Name: Demsey Leslie Jack Quock Date & Time of Birth: - July 22, £995 at 11:25 am _ Weight: 10 lbs 1 oz, Sex: Male ae . 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