Navigating Baja – Dispatch #8 Swimming with the Ocean’s Largest Fish

A humpback whale flukes off the coast of La Paz., Mexico; Photograph by Max Lowe

From the National Geographic Series Navigating Baja
Originally Posted by Hayden Peters in The Adventurists on April 13, 2015
Travelling with Adventurists Max Lowe, Austin Kino, Hayden Peters and Catherine Yrisarri.
A ten-day adventure along the Sea of Cortez in Baja California, Mexico.

“Fast forward to Baja a few months later. Our crew geared up, boarded our panga, and made our way out into the Bay of La Paz to search for the semi-mythical creature, the whale shark. These creatures are some of the largest in the world, out-weighing a school bus at 60,000 pounds at a length of 45 feet. As the largest—yes, largest—fish in the ocean, they somehow maintain their massive body weight by eating some of the ocean’s smallest creatures, phytoplankton”— Hayden Peters

See the video online at National Geographic Adventure-
http://adventureblog.nationalgeographic.com/2015/04/13/navigating-baja-swimming-with-the-oceans-largest-fish-dispatch-8/

An authentic life requires a constant exposure to risk

An authentic life requires a constant exposure to risk.

I must be willing to risk my relationship with myself, and others, at every turn, otherwise I become complicit in a insidious and dubious practice of subverting my very own authenticity. And that which I practice I become good at and that what I become good at I grow comfortable in, and that which I grow comfortable in I seek and am comforted by in its familiarity even tho it serves not me, my wishes for myself, nor my relationships.

This discomfort becomes an incumbent and trusted ally in the pursuit of a sovereign life.

Navigating Baja – Dispatch #7 Little Town, Big Fish

the small pueblo of El Triunfo and swimming with the Whale Sharks

From the National Geographic Series Navigating Baja
Originally Posted by Mary McIntyre in The Adventurists on April 10, 2015
Travelling with Adventurists Max Lowe, Austin Kino, Hayden Peters and Catherine Yrisarri.
A ten-day adventure along the Sea of Cortez in Baja California, Mexico.

“The freedom of the open road was powerful and intoxicating. Curves flow by as though we’d found a pavement river through the landscape. My companion and driver, Chris, had chosen to make Baja his home—and being on the bike with him was a window into his connection with this place. Cresting a hill, we took a more leisurely pace as we approach the small town of El Triunfo”—  Mary McIntyre

See the video online at National Geographic Adventure-
http://adventureblog.nationalgeographic.com/2015/04/10/navigating-baja-swimming-with-whale-sharks/

Navigating Baja – Dispatch #6 Surrounded by Seas

The crew checks the surf near Todos Santos, Mexico; Photograph by Max Lowe

From the National Geographic Series Navigating Baja
Originally Posted by Max Lowe of Nat Geo Young Explorers in The Adventurists on April 7, 2015
Travelling with Adventurists Max Lowe, Austin Kino, Hayden Peters and Catherine Yrisarri.
A ten-day adventure along the Sea of Cortez in Baja California, Mexico.

“Under the guide of Chris Mathias, our host and new friend we ventured away from the coast and into these hills, a thin stream turned into long refreshing pools of the deepest green and the desert landscape around us was suddenly a spring with rushing water and polished stone, we didn’t have to venture far off the beaten path to find this magic little oasis…”— Max Lowe

See the video online at National Geographic Adventure-
http://adventureblog.nationalgeographic.com/2015/04/07/navigating-baja-surrounded-by-seas-dispatch-6/

Crime and Climate- a post from Jess Reilly→

Jessica received a Fulbright Scholarship to study the adaptations and coping choices of coastal communities throughout Latin America.  I was lucky to sail from San Diego down the west coast of Mexico with she and Josh…

http://jessreilly.com/crime-and-climate/

Yessica!

This is your best one yet! Graceful syntax, potent content, curious context and optimism in fair share. As you head north, I hope to have the chance to intersect with you and josh (oct) as I'll be making my way down around the 10th. Tell josh I had a great, tho brief (two day) visit to Pt Townsend (during the blues fest) saw Jacquline from LB, visited the marine reserve and the grounds and entrepreneurship at the fort. Loved it, though talk about climate change, it was 95f!! I experienced unprecedented heat and draught on my slow trip by six wheels (new RV) and two (my KTM) from San Diego to the Olympic peninsula. Few people were as alarmed as I, and disconcertingly, many called it a "great spring/summer with little to no rain". The rivers I've paddled in years past, the Eel and Klamath, along with many others were just gravel beds with narrowing channels, the high water marks of past years barely visible 20' up the banks. British Columbia, or rural parts within more precisely, are on STAGE 4 rationing, which is deeply restrictive and more comprehensive than anything I've heard of in the states. We could be closer to calamity than we know. The veneer of civilization is thin, and disruption of the water supply could tip the balance overnight!

I'm up in Ketchum now, off to see Brother Doug P in the morning. I'm guessing you heard the fate of the Animas River thru Durango ( and on to the San Juan, thence Colorado ). Saddening at least, and extremely distressing to the people and ecosystem of the southwest. On a more regional note, a sow bear and her two cubs are on death row in Yellowstone, just west of here. Seems an 'experienced' hiker got between her and two cubs and resulted in his death. There is a social uproar at the quick and terminal conclusion. Terry T Williams and Doug are leading the protest, so I'll soon be in the midst of that likely hopeless defense of things wild, acting wild. Amid these relentless stories of insult, I still find reason to revel in the possibility of an enlightened future. Call me crazy.

I'm off the grid for two days up to a wilderness yurt on the east fork of the house river. Spent the day with Ed Viesturs and Paula today, he's been a close friend for 21 years and our connection is strong.