Mark was an advanced-level scuba diver, water-wise, and had always demonstrated good awareness and leadership in the out-of-doors. He had been paddling with Marilyn for two to three years. Phil and Rosemary's only wilderness paddling had been one previous camping trip in an Ontario provincial park, but the two new paddlers were under no illusion about their experience levels. Nevertheless, everyone was satisfied at departure time that the trip was to be a safe, self-guided paddle in fairly sheltered waters during the brief window of prime paddling weather for Pond Inlet. The four paddlers would deal with deteriorating weather simply by getting off the water and staying ashore until conditions improved.
None of the paddlers thought their plan was foolhardy or would put them at risk. With enough gear loaded into the single kayaks for one to two nights, the four paddlers slipped away at about 11:00 on Thursday morning, July 16, from the pebble beach fronting the town of Pond Inlet. The waters were oily calm. The day was quite clear and relatively warm (10 degrees Celsius). Only a small amount of fog obscured Bylot Island, across Eclipse Sound. The route to Mt. Herodier was completely clear. Mark estimated that the 10-kilometer distance would take five hours at a slow pace with a rest stop. Everyone looked forward to reaching Mt. Herodier. Marilyn was an avid gardener and loved to see the fragile wildflower blossoms fighting the harsh elements in the valleys below Mt. Herodier. Kayaking for her, as well as the others, was merely a means to an end. |
