Quicksand

Ert sloshes through the water from boat to shore arms out, at speed, huge grin on his face.

It’s tradition that anybody who’s leaving soon gets to declare the agenda for their last day. This is Ert’s last full day, so I’m glad he’s having fun.

He grabs his coat from my arms and sloshes quickly back to the boat. This leaves my hands free to tug at the tops of my Xtratuf boots.

I’m well and truly stuck in mud. So is the boat.

The adventure of the day was out to Soapstone Cove, right at the end of protected Lisianski Inlet.

We tied up the boat with two bow lines to opposite shores, suspending it in the deepest part. Then we hiked across the neck of land to the ocean.

When we came back to the boat, the tide had gone out. Our boat was still nicely tied in the middle of the water, but the water was too low to float it.

You could even walk out to the boat, it was so shallow.

Ert and Rick sloshed out to the boat and shoved on it, but it didn’t move.

“All hands!” Called Ert.

I picked up the drybags and Ert’s coat, started into the water then hesitated. “Really, it won’t go over my boots?”

“Come on!”

But I can’t lift my foot. In the time it took me to hesitate, I sunk into the mud.

I put my weight on my left foot to lift my right, but my left sinks. So I tug on my left, but the right sinks. Pretty…