Graham Mackintosh starts next Baja journey

From on top of that headland (Los Machos) looking north...



[Edited on 3-25-2013 by BajaNomad]

Setting out for another trek inland




[Edited on 3-25-2013 by BajaNomad]

Hoping this isn't a feral cat!



Oystercatchers everywhere



Sunlight over the peninsula



My campsite as I left it.

[Edited on 3-25-2013 by BajaNomad]

I was surprised when one day a wall of fog drifted up the Sea of Cortez and largely obscured the peninsula...



Island stayed in bright sunshine.

An easy way into the island interior was through this gap which I called the St. Bernard Pass after the rock structure on the right...




And some of the sunsets were astounding...



What a wonderful way to say goodnight!

[Edited on 3-25-2013 by BajaNomad]

Making Drinking Water

I brought out to the island about a three week supply of water and when I was down to about 6-7 gallons I thought I’d better make some more. On previous occasions, when all else failed, I’d boil seawater and condense the steam down a long coil of tubing.

This time I had a hand-pump Katadyn reverse osmosis desalinator - which yields over a gallon of drinking water an hour. A long plastic intake/outtake tube needed to be dropped into very clean water from the open sea, and a smaller tube delivers fresh water.

I tried using the desalinator on the kayak, but as the wind often blew for days, I quickly learned that wind and current could carry me miles before I’d get a gallon. And I couldn’t be sure I’d ever make it back if the wind really started blasting.



So I took to fetching clean seawater on the kayak and using the desalinator on land… a more comfortable but involved process that required regularly changing sea water in a bowl, which gets more concentrated as fresh water is pumped from it.



That way I was getting a gallon of fresh water in about two hours. One night, sitting out for four hours, listening to my radio by moonlight, I made about two gallons… and next day the palm on my right hand was covered in blisters! So there’s a little effort involved, like rowing a small dingy.

My Katadyn, the Survivor 35, is the same model that Bryan and Justin are carrying on their “What is west” journey.

A brand new Katadyn 35 will cost about $2200, a refurbished model about $1000. My wife bought mine for me on eBay for about $400. It was an unused military surplus model past its storage date.

Katadyn, the Swiss manufacturers, strongly recommend changing the filter before use on these models – another $400.

I gambled and used the original filter. I tried it out several times before taking it to the island and it worked fine. If it failed, I planned on resorting to my old boiling seawater method.

And if that wasn’t enough, the beaches of Guardian Angel are littered with plastic bottles, a surprising number contain some amount of water.

It's a good question.

These kind of cats...



I tell the story in detail in my book Marooned With Very Little Beer. In the 1970s there was a major scallop fishery on the island with scores of pangas and families out there, even a dive chamber.

Cats were brought out as pets and for rodent control. When the people left, many cats were left behind and that is almost certainly the reason for the huge numbers of feral cats found there today.

On the other hand most of the rodents have been wiped out. You very rarely see one.

Turning over rocks in the intertidal zone I encountered many of these stinging worms. Treated them with great respect. I was nailed by one in the 1980s after I'd picked it up - mentioned in Into a Desert Place.

Pretty, but when all those glassy little white spines break off in your hand and it starts burning and itching you know why they are called "fireworms."

Some folks have apparently had such an extreme reaction and subsequent infection that they have lost fingers and even limbs.

Common in the Sea of Cortez and throughout much of the tropical Pacific.... scientific name Eurythoe complanata.

....wow,,what size are those darlings???

Quote:

Originally posted by Graham Turning over rocks in the intertidal zone I encountered many of these stinging worms. Treated them with great respect. I was nailed by one in the 1980s after I'd picked it up - mentioned in Into a Desert Place. Pretty, but when all those glassy little white spines break off in your hand and it starts burning and itching you know why they are called "fireworms." Some folks have apparently had such an extreme reaction and subsequent infection that they have lost fingers and even limbs. Common in the Sea of Cortez and throughout much of the tropical Pacific.... scientific name Eurythoe complanata.

That was a particularly nice specimen - it was close to six inches long. Most are about 4-5 inches.

You often spot them in the colorful world beneath boulders on rocky shores - there are a couple of them in this picture along with the brittle stars and sea cucumber.

Quote:

Originally posted by Graham It's a good question. These kind of cats... I tell the story in detail in my book Marooned With Very Little Beer. In the 1970s there was a major scallop fishery on the island with scores of pangas and families out there, even a dive chamber. Cats were brought out as pets and for rodent control. When the people left, many cats were left behind and that is almost certainly the reason for the huge numbers of feral cats found there today. On the other hand most of the rodents have been wiped out. You very rarely see one.