Our Final Week at the Outpost

This post has been long overdue. Our final week at the OP is always so hectic with getting ready and than suddenly there are people here. On June 1st we boarded the plane for Masset and than onto Vancouver the next day and finally touched downed in Port Hardy June 3.

As each season comes to an end Mike and I look back and marvel as to how each year could be so different from the last. In many of my blogs I commented on just how quiet and uneventful things were, here at the Outpost this season. No news is good news.

The barge made it down, possibly the earliest it's ever been for the fall trip, arriving September 3^rd. Pumping upwards of 25,000 Litres of diesel, allowed us to sit back and relax feeling secure that we would have lots of heat and hot water for the season. Several trees were felled in November so we had plenty of wood for fires or a good reason to get outside for some exercise by swinging the axe. Even the weather cooperated giving us only one snowfall. My snow laden tree lit with candles is one of my favourite pictures this year. The rainfall seemed excessive at times. I still have to wrap my head around the fact that we do live in a rain forest. Wet it may have been but not once did the temperature dip low enough to freeze our water line. And that is a good thing.

Our only mishap was the sinking of the docks.... partial sinking I should clarify. The situation didn't really affect us to any degree other than we could no longer get beyond the second dock. One evening it did hamper our efforts to visit with several boats who had tied up to the heli pad for the night. The radio had to suffice as our means of communication. You just have to work with what you have.

We had visitors this year, on 3 separate occasions in fact. We got to renew friendships with Tim and Mike and met Kingpin (Terry) and Kauri for the first time. It's uncanny how once we begin to chat just how many people we both know. It's a small world.

We're now in the home stretch with the first group of summer staff plus our 2 new co-managers arriving this afternoon. You can guess what we've been doing this past week.....getting ready for them. Rooms made up – check, freezers sorted and cleaned – check, windows washed – check, floors washed, kitchen cleaned and readied for the new incoming chefs – check and check, furniture put back to it's original spot – done. Boardwalk swept, water tanks filled, oil in the generators changed, recycling sorted and bagged, basement tided up, all garbage incinerated – fini. Cookies in the cookie jar – filled, dinner and dessert for the 13 of us Thursday night – in the fridge. Freshly showered and shaved with company clothes laid out.... I think we are ready!

Another 9 months and 2 weeks have left us with a whole new set of memories, pictures and blogs, yet once again this is not the end of our story. In a mere 11 weeks we will be returning to the Outpost, a place we now call home for another great season of adventure.

till we meet again,

Heather and Mike

A final week's worth of pictures.

Monday was a rare a day as we have every had. Brilliant blue skies with only a hint of puffy clouds. Unusually warm. Calm. Have I died and gone to heaven? Not being able to pull myself away from the from the bone warming rays of sun that now tower over the treetops to settle on the front deck I enjoyed my morning coffee with the best view in the house.

Lunch time......

Before dinner cocktail. 

A perfect day at the Outpost...priceless.