Whale Point: Wannabe Wild Child

Eddie the Eagle

Only 8 days had passed when Janie announced that the following day Claire and I would be relocated to Ulric Point. My excitement went through the roof as from what I’d heard the whale displays there were mega awesome. Claire had already spent a week at Ulric earlier in the season, and by the sounds of it ‘basic shelter’ and ‘remote location’ were not an exaggeration. I was ecstatic, for me this meant it was time to play wild child.

Though we’d been very lucky weather wise, this south facing shelter can cop strong winds packing more than a chill so I packed extra warm clothes, my gumboots, and all the necessities. Or so I thought. Halfway to Aristazabal Island we slowed to follow a pair of very sleepy humpbacks. After almost an hour they finally woke up, and luckily fluked. The fishy smell of humpback breath filled the air, and with the first whiff I realised I’d forgotten one thing; my toothbrush. I took this as wild child challenge number one: make a toothbrush. By the end of the boat ride I had a Plan A, and also a Plan B involving sticks and the destruction of my loofa.

The magnificent shelter at Ulric Point

We pulled up to the northern shore and out of the shelter popped Kathrin and Philipp, the lovely Swiss, whose place Claire and I were filling. Heaving our packs, food bins and water containers up the rocks, Plan A began and ended with one awkward first conversation.

“Hey, I’m Lucy, nice to meet you guys” I said with too much enthusiasm. Kathrin replied, with less enthusiasm but no less sincerity, “Hey, I’m Kathrin and this is Philipp”. I smiled and continued before I chickened out, “So I was wondering if I could maybe have your toothbrush?” An awkward pause followed, Kathrin looking completely confused and myself a little embarrassed. “I forgot mine. I think I could make my own with a stick somehow, and you are more than welcome to use mine since I left it in the lab” I blurted out, making things even more hawkward. “You can definitely say no if you think that’s disgusting” I added in an attempt to sound a little less feral. After a few Swiss words passed between the couple, Kathrin fished out her toothbrush and I accepted it gratefully, assuring her I’d boil it first and repay her somehow. (I’d like to note that we are now great friends and have laughed about this on many occasions, and I did clean the second hand brush before I used it)

My lovely little home

We made ourselves at home cooking a delicious meal on the propane burner and enjoying the first of many cups of tea. The view from Ulric was one I could never get tired of, especially in the evening all sharp and alive with ever-changing streaks of orange and bubbles of pinkish-red. Our neighbor eagle perched high in her tree with watchful eyes, taking flight occasionally and plucking fish from the sea with muscular legs and large talons. Eagles are such authoritative, strong, and wise looking predators and I was surprised to hear an ill-fitting shrieking call come from our friend.

The real fun began early the following morning. Each day data was collected from 6am till 9pm, with 15 minutes of thorough scanning through the Big Eyes followed by 15 minutes of light scanning. We shared the load taking 3 hour shifts, our breaks were usually spent making tea, cooking, exploring, entering data when power levels allowed, or on rainy days I often curled in a ball by the food bins and hid from the cold wind. The shelter was powered by one solar panel which we shifted throughout the day to capture the most sunlight.

Our vhf radio was our only form of communication with the outside world. We had one with a broken screen and one that was newer which drained a lot of power. The old one was left on Whale Channel – for communication between Ulric, the lab, and the house. Occasionally they’d call us for updates but if there was ever mention of delicious meals or hot showers at Whale Point then my selective hearing was put into gear.

My delicious salmon

Some days the scans were empty for hours, the silence disturbed only by the ever-present fishing boats cruising leisurely past. Each time we jotted down their location and cursed them at the thought of all the extra data entry they caused. The only day I was happy to see them was when they threw a big, fresh salmon to me on the rocks. Dinner that night was incredible, and I had the joy of filleting and cooking it myself. I cursed them less from that point on. There was a day or two where we didn’t leave the shelter at all as there were so many whales we needed someone on the Big Eyes and the other with binoculars to keep track of them all. But when we did get a break, the exploration was in full swing.

Deer tracks :)

The wild child games began and I loved every minute. With bear spray in hand I explored the coast, finding adventure at every turn. I quietly followed wolf prints which were following deer prints, I rock-hopped and tree climbed, I found small cliffs to jump off into the sea, and higher ones to beat them (though not really that high). My attempt at building a raft using driftwood and washed up fishing rope would have been successful if not for the unexpected early departure. In my head I heard Sir David Attenborough narrating every experience. I will never get tired of that voice. Unfortunately there were no bear or wolf sightings, though at night the knowledge of being the only two humans on an island with many large mammals became quite daunting. One night after hearing lots of rustling in the bushes (probably just birds or minks) I had to take the bear spray to bed with me. I kept thinking “not so tough now are we, Luce”, but at least I felt a tad safer.

Essentials

Although many fantastically mind-blowing events took place, Ulric had a way of turning the ordinary into the extraordinary (or less boring at least). As water was limited to the few containers we brought, and Claire and I were devoted tea drinkers, we conserved where we could. Dishes were done in tide pools, sparing the washing liquid, and dried on the deck. This added a refreshing salty flavour to every ‘clean’ utensil. Cooking was a novelty; the small burner proved a challenge at times though my camping apple crumble was (surprisingly) a success. Even making coffee was a challenge as the Swiss broke the French press, but an old yoghurt container filled to the right point made a pretty good brew. The most interesting of all ordinary activities was bathing.

No shower, no bath, no warm water - except a small pot worth if you can be bothered boiling it. Some people didn’t bath at all, but after 2 days I felt the need. The sea always draws me in and, although it was still very cold, salty became a synonym for clean and numb toes were almost a refreshing thought.