3rd and Final Day of Kayak Trip

Thursday morning Sarah and West wanted us up early so we could get the campsite all taken down, the kayaks hauled to the water and loaded and on the water for the trip back.

Everybody was busy getting the tents emptied, taken down, and packed up while breakfast was being prepared.

Aunt Judy wanted to take all the poles down.

Once again it was amazing how quickly everything was done and we were back on the water.

This time it was Mom and I in a kayak

and I thought it would be easier for her to be in the back steering while I was in the front.

We quickly discovered that was not working for her and we needed to switch places. West guided us to a beach where we could change places before Mom got too crabby.

And we were off again, heading straight for that 3 mile channel crossing. Mom and I were struggling; I could not get the rudder working right and we were getting further from the group but West never left our side or said anything. After crossing the channel we took a break on Posey Island where Sarah and West put out peanut butter and jelly for sandwiches and fruit. While I ate a snack I was worried how we were going to make it the next 3 ½ hours. When they said the break was over and we were heading out I said they had to get us on the water first so we could get a head start before they caught up to us and passed us by. But that did not happen, that little break and snack fueled us right up and we were moving. Sarah had to work to catch up with us. Sarah being the best guide ever worked with each person beautifully and figured out how to best support them. She knew my Mom was a goal oriented person so she set little goals for us. She would say Ginger we are going to go to that point and off we were heading to each goal and then when it was reached Sarah would tell us what a great job we did with that goal and the next goal would be set. The paddle back was not the same weather conditions what we had started this trip; on the way back we were battling current and very strong wind. If we both stopped paddling we did not just stay in one spot we drifted backwards quickly so only one paddler could take a break at a time. The last 45 minutes to an hour were tough, we were tired! But we made it!!

Back to Small Pox Bay and the County Park; where the kayaks were unloaded, all the gear hauled up to the van and trailer, and loaded. We unpacked our dry bags while lunch was being prepared.

After lunch we all loaded back in to the van for the drive back to Friday Harbor. We were dropped off just as the ferry was arriving. We had an easy ferry ride back to Anacortes. We stopped and had dinner at Randy’s Pier 61 again, not looking near as fresh as the first time we were there and then back to hotel to line up for a shower. We were all happy to have a bed and a pillow and slept good.

Kayaking Trip Final Thoughts...

WOW! WOW!! WOW!!! That is pretty much all I can say about this trip!! Would I do it again? Yes but my only fear would be that I would be disappointed. This trip was perfect I would not change a thing. We had a great time Monday exploring Roche Harbor and stayed at a beautiful hotel. The guides were amazing; thank you Sarah and West!! The weather was perfect. I had the best time with Susan, Mom, and Aunt Judy. The group that was with us was great. I got to see Orca whales, seals, bald eagles, deer, and so much more. And the night paddle seeing bioluminescent plankton was amazing. Would I recommend it? YES. Outdoor Odyssey’s did an incredible job; you can check out their website at: http://outdoorodysseys.com/. I cannot wait to see what these ladies plan for next year. Thank you Mom for making this possible for me! Thank you Susan for letting us tag along with you! Thank you Aunt Judy for being so adventurous to want to do this at your young age of almost 70! Thank you again for letting me be a part of an incredible adventure!!

Back to the real world.

Day 2 of Kayak Trip

Oops, life has gotten in the way the last couple of weeks but here is the continuation of my kayaking trip.

Wednesday morning over a wonderful breakfast cooked in the Dutch oven we were given lots of options to do that day. We all seemed to like one option with some minor modification. After breakfast you could go for a short paddle around the island that was across the channel from our camp,

back for lunch, take a six mile round trip hike to the lighthouse, back for dinner, and then a night paddle.

Half the group went for the paddle with both guides

while half of us stayed back at camp. Susan went for the paddle.

They saw starfish and

our campground through an opening in the island.  Mom, Judy, and I chose not to paddle and instead went for a short hike to the other campground

which was on the end of a bay.

During the hike we met a lady with a front pack that was covered with a blanket.  Mom said there must be something small under there and the lady said yes but not what you are expecting as she pulled back the blanket to expose to baby kittens. 

She fosters for a local shelter and these guys need to fed every couple of hours so they came with her.  After our hike we started to play cards and a couple that also did not do the paddle joined us.

They had never played Hand and Foot but were happy to learn.

A butterfly decided to join our game and take a break on Aunt Judy's hat.

A flock of geese went by just like they fly in a row.

After lunch just four of us with Sarah, the guide, went for the hike. Sarah was happy to share what she knew about the island and its history;

she was also happy to take a break from walking to swing. We stopped to explore the school

and enjoyed the rules for teachers.

1872 Rules

1915 Rules

As we were approaching the last little stretch to the lighthouse Sarah told us about a 100 foot cliff that was called Lover’s Leap so we stopped there to enjoy the view. As we were going down the very freshly raked trail we heard whales, Sarah and John ran to the edge of the cliff

but I am terribly afraid of heights and stayed a very safe distance from the edge. Sarah turned back to me and said I need to come quickly but mid-sentence she must of saw the panicked look on my face and said just stay there. I could see them just fine from where I was. After a few seconds Sarah turned around again to ask if I was okay with them there and I was, it is my problem and I know it is safe but not for me. But we did enjoy a group of 4 Orca Whales going by,

1 very large male,

and a mom with a baby, and a medium one. I love the way the dorsal fin comes out of the water. After they went by we made our way down to the lighthouse

to join the rest of our group who was afraid we had missed them. But we showed them where we were looking down from

as another group of 3 went by. There was a museum that we were looking at when we heard someone yell whales.

This was a group of 8 Orca Whales and they were very playful. We got to see one breach. It was absolutely awesome. The lighthouse volunteer was on the point watch the whales go by and I asked him how many had gone by today and he said this was the first group of the day.

What incredible timing!! On the way back we stopped at the school again because there was a cart there that had t-shirts and cards for sale. I picked out some card with whales, the lighthouse, and a map of the island on them. Inside each Ziploc bag was your items with a bill and addressed envelope to send your money on the honor system. I thought it was a great idea since not many people would be hiking on an island with money.

After dinner

the excitement for the night paddle was fading fast as it got darker and colder and the guides said that we might not even see anything but I still wanted to go. Sarah was willing to go out with me and at the last minute Shereen joined us. On the website it was described as a "bioluminescence" paddle and I had no idea what to expect but I figured paddling by moonlight would be fun. As soon as we were in the water I noticed how bright the air bubbles were coming off the paddles but I figured it was just the lighting. After we got past the boat dock Sarah asked if we were seeing the bioluminescent plankton. It was incredible how the water lit up when the bioluminescent plankton was disturbed. When I stuck my hand in the water it just glowed. We could see the path of fish swimming under the kayak. We had it everywhere we paddled and after talking to West the next day he was sorry he did not go and said that you might be lucky to find pockets of it while paddling and he had only seen it once but once again I was lucky enough to see the most amazing event. I had no idea was I was seeing so when I got back I Googled it and here are some images that do a pretty good job of showing it but nothing like seeing it live.

I cannot end this entry without telling this story…

After getting off the water after the night paddle and bringing the kayaks back up the hill I realized I had left my sweatshirt (pillow) in a kayak so I went back to get it. Sarah saw someone messing with the kayaks and came over to find out what was going on and saw it was me. She asked if I needed a light but I did not because I had already found my sweatshirt so I said no thank you and we went our separate ways. I got to what I thought was my tent but could not find my shoes that I had left right next to it and it was all closed up. While I was thinking that Aunt Judy had locked my out and put my shoes away Sarah come up and again asked if I need a light again, being the independent person I am and sure I was at my tent I said no thank you. Then she asked if I wanted to stay the night with her in her tent since that was the one I was trying to get in to, she also said that it was only a two person where the one I had was a three person but she would be fine sharing the tent with me. I again said no thank you that I would just stay in my tent where my stuff was already there while she kindly guided me to my tent with her light and there were my shoes right where I left them with the rain flap of the tent open. Boy was I embarrassed but Sarah was once again the perfect guide; so I was just one tree off.

And another perfect day comes to an end.