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My Gulf Island Trip

Dan_Millsip said:
I think all your posts are magical Mick, and this one hits the mark -- as does Kathryne's sage advice.

Thunderseed, I don't see where anyone has given any "jerky" or "harsh" comments -- what I've seen are honest replies and observations to your report. The people who have responded merely have a different perception of your report than you do -- much the same as you seem to have a different perception than probably everyone else here about the beauty of the Gulf Islands.

One comment about your plans to paddle the Broken Group -- if you don't appreciate the natural beauty of the Gulf Islands, you're likely not going to enjoy the Brokens -- it too is just a bunch of rocks with long stretches of absolutely nothing in between.

What makes you say such things?

Also, your assumption that I can't appreciate the beauty of the gulf islands is wrong, I'm not sure where you got that from.


Not wanting to repeat myself, but in the future I should hope people act friendlier to newcomers. I actually feel turned off of ever writing a trip report again because of some of the comments I recieved. In fact, I won't ever share my experiences with you guys again, you've made me feel so bad about it. Just like you must single out the fact that my impression "isn't like anybody elses here". So what? Why are you trying to make me feel bad about that, like I'm different or wrong for sharing my stories? It's not an "essay" for you guys to critique, it's my own personal experiences. Have some consideration.
 
Astoriadave said:
Dan_Millsip said:
One comment about your plans to paddle the Broken Group -- if you don't appreciate the natural beauty of the Gulf Islands, you're likely not going to enjoy the Brokens -- it too is just a bunch of rocks with long stretches of absolutely nothing in between.
Dan is waxing ironic here. He knows the Brokens are intolerably scenic.

I hope so.
 
tiagosantos said:
Some cliffs are not only routinely described as pretty, but some writers go as far as calling them magnificent ;) https://www.nationaltrust.org.uk/white-cliffs-dover/

I would call the cliffs you are talking about pretty, but the ones that I saw were gigantic flat rock faces towering so high I had to crane my neck up to see them, they were monstrous, beastly, jagged, powerful, anything but the feminine description "pretty". They were like tall warriors standing in their majestic prowess, just waiting for innocent creatures to plunge off of them to their death. Water carvings gave some of them alien markings while some had ugly human faces, and looked like monsters or beasts out of mythology. These cliffs were spectacular, dangerous hazards of nature, and I sensed so much death amongst them, such a strange forboding sense there. I like both the dark elements of nature as well as the light elements of nature. It's why I enjoy exploring morbid historical sites, seeing not only the beautiful things in nature, but the grotesque, the disturbing, and not experiencing just the pleasant things in nature, but to also be stuck out in storms or conditions that are so overwhelming it brings you to a vision quest, to be one with all parts of it, not just one.
 
thunderseed said:
Dan_Millsip said:
I think all your posts are magical Mick, and this one hits the mark -- as does Kathryne's sage advice.

Thunderseed, I don't see where anyone has given any "jerky" or "harsh" comments -- what I've seen are honest replies and observations to your report. The people who have responded merely have a different perception of your report than you do -- much the same as you seem to have a different perception than probably everyone else here about the beauty of the Gulf Islands.

One comment about your plans to paddle the Broken Group -- if you don't appreciate the natural beauty of the Gulf Islands, you're likely not going to enjoy the Brokens -- it too is just a bunch of rocks with long stretches of absolutely nothing in between.

What makes you say such things?

Also, your assumption that I can't appreciate the beauty of the gulf islands is wrong, I'm not sure where you got that from.


Not wanting to repeat myself, but in the future I should hope people act friendlier to newcomers. I actually feel turned off of ever writing a trip report again because of some of the comments I recieved. In fact, I won't ever share my experiences with you guys again, you've made me feel so bad about it. Just like you must single out the fact that my impression "isn't like anybody elses here". So what? Why are you trying to make me feel bad about that, like I'm different or wrong for sharing my stories? It's not an "essay" for you guys to critique, it's my own personal experiences. Have some consideration.
I did not say that you can't appreciate the beauty of the Gulf Islands. You're reading much (that has simply not been said) into what people are saying.

Sorry you feel the way you do but I really don't think anyone here is being mean-spirited or trying to make you feel bad -- in fact, I sense that most are impressed with your sense of adventure. As I mentioned above, some people merely have a different perception of your report than you do.
 
Thunderseed, I think I have been helpful in my previous posts for your trip plan, and supportive. As an "Elder", ie someone closing in on 60 years of age, OK, still a "youngin" compared to Dave :lol: :lol: :lol: I must say, no one really seemed to bash you , but did comment on what was kind of negative...that may just be your writing style, you may want to re-read what you put to pen here. That being said, A: Don't give up on a great forum, as it has lots of sage advice from some super experienced paddlers, even if quite a bit younger than me (again, except for Poppa Dave :wink: ) and B: You must learn not to be so thinned skinned, and not be so defensive, I think this is what brought out some "negativity" in some of the latter comments. Other than that, Pawistik was not negative, and neither was Mick, they did, though, comment on your own negative comments, as they do see the GI as a little prettier than you saw (this trip anyway).

One or two comments I will add, the emoticon :wink: is a wink, there are no poisonous seals anywhere! Unless it is the Texan Rattler Seal! :wink:
Also, in any kind of sea kayak travels, you should always have on a spray skirt, I did notice ( I think) you mentioned you kind of got swamped once or twice, that is what the sprayskirt is for! I also hope you had as a safety measure, a throw bag (of rope), a spare paddle and a paddle float, as well as a bilge pump, to "unswamp" yourself, if you capsized. I believe they are all required by law, except the skirt, that is just standard gear for open ocean paddling. Especially in a solo situation, even the most experienced have those items on board. Yeah, you have a bit to learn yet...but, as I did previously mention, it sounded like quite an adventure, and Bravo to you for sure!. I feel most of us here find a paddle in the GI as fairly "standard", and would think Clayquot Sound, or the Brooks Peninsula a bit more challenging and far more rugged.

So, please, take all of this in a positive light, 99.9% of us are all quite nice, and some like Poppa Dave, even nicer! :big_thumb
Personally I hope to see more trip reports from you, as it was indeed interesting, as even your worst "detractors" admitted, I do hope you can see that!
Maybe you should change your moniker to "Tenderfoot", just for the next few months?
I know we all await your next trip report, even chickensh-t John Abercrombie! :lol: He may have had the right idea, you know what I mean John :popcorn: :popcorn: :popcorn:
 
JohnAbercrombie said:
Rodnak Kayak said:
I know we all await your next trip report, even chickensh-t John Abercrombie! :lol: He may have had the right idea, you know what I mean John :popcorn: :popcorn: :popcorn:
That is just SO hurtful, Rod!
:cry:
Now we know why the water around Victoria is so Salty! :wink:
Sorry, John, some, like yourself, had the right idea, to just watch the carnage from the sidelines, poultry poop, maybe, smart yup! :big_thumb
Me and my big cake hole!!! :oops:
P.S. I still think we have to paddle together soon, if just for you to swamp me :yikes:
 
Personally, I'm closer to Thunderseed on this one. She just finished the most epic experience in her life. A trip that tested her physically, emotionally and mentally. She then was excited to write a trip report detailing this massive adventure and share it with others...and what does she get? Mostly criticisms and brickbats for being different than expected by the "group think". Followed by a plethora of posts justifying the comments. IMO it disrespects her individuality and experiences in favor of ones own.

Thunderseed, I enjoyed reading about your experience. It sounded like a great adventure! Not many I know would have contemplated it as their first kayak trip, let alone done it! Congrats to you! Hopefully there are more to come, perhaps none quite like the first but each with a story to tell. :big_thumb
 
Dan_Millsip said:
I did not say that you can't appreciate the beauty of the Gulf Islands. You're reading much (that has simply not been said) into what people are saying.
Your words: "if you don't appreciate the natural beauty of the Gulf Islands, you're likely not going to enjoy the Brokens"

And again: "you seem to have a different perception than probably everyone else here about the beauty of the Gulf Islands."

I'm not sure where you got that assumption from, but it's not accurate.
 
Rodnak Kayak said:
Thunderseed, I think I have been helpful in my previous posts for your trip plan, and supportive. As an "Elder", ie someone closing in on 60 years of age, OK, still a "youngin" compared to Dave :lol: :lol: :lol: I must say, no one really seemed to bash you , but did comment on what was kind of negative...that may just be your writing style, you may want to re-read what you put to pen here. That being said, A: Don't give up on a great forum, as it has lots of sage advice from some super experienced paddlers, even if quite a bit younger than me (again, except for Poppa Dave :wink: ) and B: You must learn not to be so thinned skinned, and not be so defensive, I think this is what brought out some "negativity" in some of the latter comments. Other than that, Pawistik was not negative, and neither was Mick, they did, though, comment on your own negative comments, as they do see the GI as a little prettier than you saw (this trip anyway).

One or two comments I will add, the emoticon :wink: is a wink, there are no poisonous seals anywhere! Unless it is the Texan Rattler Seal! :wink:
Also, in any kind of sea kayak travels, you should always have on a spray skirt, I did notice ( I think) you mentioned you kind of got swamped once or twice, that is what the sprayskirt is for! I also hope you had as a safety measure, a throw bag (of rope), a spare paddle and a paddle float, as well as a bilge pump, to "unswamp" yourself, if you capsized. I believe they are all required by law, except the skirt, that is just standard gear for open ocean paddling. Especially in a solo situation, even the most experienced have those items on board. Yeah, you have a bit to learn yet...but, as I did previously mention, it sounded like quite an adventure, and Bravo to you for sure!. I feel most of us here find a paddle in the GI as fairly "standard", and would think Clayquot Sound, or the Brooks Peninsula a bit more challenging and far more rugged.

So, please, take all of this in a positive light, 99.9% of us are all quite nice, and some like Poppa Dave, even nicer! :big_thumb
Personally I hope to see more trip reports from you, as it was indeed interesting, as even your worst "detractors" admitted, I do hope you can see that!
Maybe you should change your moniker to "Tenderfoot", just for the next few months?
I know we all await your next trip report, even chickensh-t John Abercrombie! :lol: He may have had the right idea, you know what I mean John :popcorn: :popcorn: :popcorn:
I am very appreciative of all the support you have given me.

Continuing to undermine the way I have been treated is not going to help anything though.

Maybe you can explain exactly what you think is so negative about my trip report and why that is a problem for you? Maybe the few others can also explain why my trip report offended them?

Also kindly answer this question, why does it matter?

The thing is, I have showed my trip report to a lot of people by now and some of the forum members here are the only ones who have a problem with it and see it as negative. Even non - kayakers like my friends and family didn't see it as negative, and they would never dream of ever attempting things like what I went through! My mom hates mice, or even exploring outdoors much LoL but my trip still convinced her that she would love to go see the gulf islands some day.

We don't understand what seems so negative to you and why that is an issue. Maybe you could elaborate.

Then I might be able to explain things again for you, in a way you might be able to understand better.

And with all due respect, I am not a thick skinned person, nor do I want to be, nor will I change who I am just to be around strangers on the internet that like to be mean on forums. I am a kind, sensitive, compassionate person and I would never dream of responding to someone elses trip report in the ways that some of the people on this forum have done to me. Especially not to a beginner like me. I would have just said, "wow that is a huge accomplishment for you, those are amazing pictures, good job, some pretty intense obstacles you had to get through", and I would ask them a question because I know that people love to talk about their trips. But that's just what I would have done. I know how people feel after they complete trips, any kind of trip, my parent's do it all the time when they go to hawaii (and they go to hawaii a lot). But even though they always go to the same exact place, they still always want to share their new experiences. Going to hawaii is nothing like this, sure, but their vacations are still trips and they still have life changing experiences. It gets annoying after awhile when all they do is travel and you have to be the one they show all their photographs to, but people just love to talk about their trips. Maybe remember that next time you respond to trip reports?
Because our trips mean so much to us. The reason you handed me your trip report right away is probably also because your trip means so much to you. The reason a few people have felt the need to defend the gulf islands is also probably because their trips meant so much to them also! It's a good thing to remember. But also remembering, this trip report is my own, not yours!
All people care about after a trip is sharing their experiences, good or bad with others, especially the people they think care, showing off their pictures, telling them of fun, awesome, strange, cool, or even negative experiences, the last thing they would want is someone giving them a hard time for doing so. And nobody, nobody wants criticism when they tell people about their trips, who in their right mind would? It's just a personal trip, it's not like it should have been done any other way. I hope that helps you see where I am coming from. I may be new here, and new to all this trip report stuff, but in my eyes, trip reports are supposed to be personal, meaningful, ya know? It's not like you can say, "your trip was wrong" because there's no point in that, trips are in the past, an indivduals experience is his/her own and everybody's experience should be different, yet you think it should all be the same? I don't understand that.
You knew I was a novice paddler, you knew I might have some hurdles to jump over, therefore you should have guessed that my trip report would be different than yours!
What is the point of going on adventures to locations if all of your experiences are always the same?

I guess there was never any point to me sharing my trip report with people like that because they seem to think it should be exactly the same as their experience in the gulf islands. They just look it over and say, no point to reading this really, won't learn anything new because I've already done this and nothing else matters but my own trip.
Well, do you ever think to yourself, back in the day I experienced these things this newbie is experiencing? How did you feel after the first time you completed the biggest kayaking trip of your entire life?

You think most of you consider the GI as fairly standard and Clayoquet Sound as more rugged? And let me guess, that is your excuse for not understanding why I had obstacles in the gulf islands? Sometimes I think you are forgetting that I am very new at this. I have never done anything like that before in my entire life!
Besides, everybody, absolutely everybody that I have met in real life, and everybody that I already know in real life are very impressed with my trip and that I was able to do it! They don't think it was fairly standard at all. All my loved ones were worried I was going to die.
Sometimes I think you guys do just like to puff your chests out and compete against eachother.
Kayaking for that long in the gulf islands tested me big time. I don't see how you can undermine a trip like that, for even an experienced paddler!
But eh, whatever. None of this matters to me. I feel very proud of my trip, it was a huge accomplishment for me, and good for you if it isn't a huge accomplishment for you, that's great news, but I'm not there yet and I don't even know if I want to be, I'm still new at this, although I'd like to think that this trip gave me quite a lot of experience so far!
 
Byron said:
Personally, I'm closer to Thunderseed on this one. She just finished the most epic experience in her life. A trip that tested her physically, emotionally and mentally. She then was excited to write a trip report detailing this massive adventure and share it with others...and what does she get? Mostly criticisms and brickbats for being different than expected by the "group think". Followed by a plethora of posts justifying the comments. IMO it disrespects her individuality and experiences in favor of ones own.

Thunderseed, I enjoyed reading about your experience. It sounded like a great adventure! Not many I know would have contemplated it as their first kayak trip, let alone done it! Congrats to you! Hopefully there are more to come, perhaps none quite like the first but each with a story to tell. :big_thumb

That is exactly how I feel, thank you so much for that.
Thanks, it was the best adventure I've ever had :mrgreen: The imperfections were perfect to me.
I'd love to go on more adventures although the idea of writing a trip report doesn't seem so exciting anymore.
 
Thunderseed, you indeed have a giant chip on your shoulder. I am just not sure why...You were never bashed upon, but you perceive that, and you obviously did not re-read the posts from your so called detractors. It is a shame, all of us said we enjoyed reading your report, but only disagreed on some of your points of view, (ugly cliffs, nasty wildlife) That is opinion, and nothing more. I believe none of it was meant to belittle you or your epic adventure, which it was.
Then when you decide to put down what other people say, and insult them, well you get what you get...that is too bad...
As I said, and you admit, you have much to learn, and not just in kayaking, but also in many other areas of life.
I wish you no bad will, and hope you can one day learn from more experienced souls, that only tried to critique your report, not criticize it. You are reading it all wrong, period.
Good luck Tenderfoot, be safe and don't stop paddling, I hope you will one day arrive at your destination, which I hope is a happy and safe place.
 
Rodnak Kayak said:
Thunderseed, you indeed have a giant chip on your shoulder. I am just not sure why...You were never bashed upon, but you perceive that, and you obviously did not re-read the posts from your so called detractors. It is a shame, all of us said we enjoyed reading your report, but only disagreed on some of your points of view, (ugly cliffs, nasty wildlife) That is opinion, and nothing more. I believe none of it was meant to belittle you or your epic adventure, which it was.
Then when you decide to put down what other people say, and insult them, well you get what you get...that is too bad...
As I said, and you admit, you have much to learn, and not just in kayaking, but also in many other areas of life.
I wish you no bad will, and hope you can one day learn from more experienced souls, that only tried to critique your report, not criticize it. You are reading it all wrong, period.
Good luck Tenderfoot, be safe and don't stop paddling, I hope you will one day arrive at your destination, which I hope is a happy and safe place.

Wow. How aweful.

Yes I was bashed upon, and now you continue to do it, calling me Tenderfoot and what not!

If you had answered my questions maybe we could have sorted through this.

It's NOT appropriate to critique somebodies trip report! I hope that in the future everybody in this forum remembers that unless they want to scare away newcomers!

I'm leaving this forum. Not like I have anything better to do than deal with internet bullies. More experienced soul, xxxxx. You are such xxxxx.


[Admin Edit: The use of offensive language is not acceptable on this site. ]
 
Thunderseed, I am sorry you feel that way, I have tried....but until you drop that giant chip on your shoulder, your ears and mind are closed.
Again I say, good luck, be safe, and I am sorry if that sounds like bashing, not my intention at all.
P.S. Tenderfoot was meant as a term of endearment, not an insult (or bashing) at all.
I give up! Again, goodbye and good luck....
 
!

Rodnak Kayak said:
Thunderseed, I am sorry you feel that way, I have tried....but until you drop that giant chip on your shoulder, your ears and mind are closed.
Again I say, good luck, be safe, and I am sorry if that sounds like bashing, not my intention at all.
P.S. Tenderfoot was meant as a term of endearment, not an insult (or bashing) at all.
I give up! Again, goodbye and good luck....

I dunno how you sleep at night. Term of endearment, xxxxx! You should really learn when to keep your mouth shut.

My xxxxx ears and mind aren't closed you xxxxx. I learned everything from people here. You're just being an xxxxx.


[Admin Edit: Thunderseed, your use of profanities will not be tolerated on this site. If this type of language continues, your posting privileges on this site will be revoked. ]
 
Maybe when I was your age I might have described the wildlife and scenery the same way. I have grown to love it as I age. Good for you to have done a solo trip at your age.

That being said you really should grow a thicker skin, you have been much more combative and defensive to the people here than they have been to you. This is the most polite forum on the internet in my opinion.
 
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