Kayak Border Patrol

Evening light on Jones Island

The sky was black with the stars bringing only a hint of light to the shoreline while we slipped the double kayak into the water. We paddled silently into the darkness. Our quest was something prevalent in the murky depths surrounding the San Juan Island Sound and only visible during the night. We were seeking a living light… and we found more than we bargained for… A symphony!

 About 8 months previous, at the start of one of the colder Utah winters on record, I was looking for something to mark my 50^th birthday coming up in July of 2013. I’d read over the years about sea kayaking in the islands off the Northeast coast and around the San Juan Islands at the northwest corner of Washington. It had always seemed like a far off dream but I decided it was time to make this one come true. I did some research online and found an outfitter that seemed just right. I emailed with Tim at San Juan Kayak Expeditions, based in a little town called Friday Harbor on San Juan Island, and the plan was put in place and the date set.

When we finally met Tim and our 2 guides (Tara and Will) in Friday Harbor, we were excited for the unknown adventure that lay in front of us. Well, Huffygirl was actually feeling a little anxious about being in a teeny little kayak in large bodies of water for several days, but she had decided that she was going forward in spite of her fears. 4 days later, Tara asked us while we were paddling toward the take-out place of our journey what our favorite highlights were. Both of us were overwhelmed in trying to pick favorites from a smorgasbord of over-the-top experiences. At one point a couple of days earlier, I was trying really hard to permanently etch one of the magnificent views into my mind and Huffygirl asked if I was okay. I guess it’s hard to remember stuff really good without looking like you need to go to the bathroom or something. In trying to answer Tara’s question, here are a few highlights…

Panarama from Honeymoon Bay on Henry Island

-          Putting the paddle in the water for the very first stroke at the start of this trip. This had been a dream until that specific moment and now it was real. That is an amazing feeling.

-          There were so many bald eagles standing guard in trees along our 37 mile kayaking route. So majestic, it was if they were standing guard against unseen enemies, protecting all of us. I know they were really looking for surfacing sea life and helpless baby seals to snatch up, but it was way more fun to think of them as keeping us safe from border-crossing Canadians and such. We never tired of seeing the eagles…

-          Speaking of Canadians, Tara told us that she had been going over the map with members of a previous expedition when one lady asked what there was to stop Canadians from just crossing the border to the USA?! This caused us to watch the waters we crossed a lot more closely. We never saw anyone swimming but we also did not see any kind of floating border fence. Not only is it clear we’re doing very little to stem this international threat, but we saw sailboats and cruisers that were blatantly flying their Canadian flags high and proud. And as if to confuse the authorities (and the bald eagles), some boats even had both Canadian AND American flags! Clearly this is a problem that is not getting enough national attention.

Relaxed paddling behind Speiden Island

-          The seals! We saw so many either sunning on the shore or swimming and playing in the water. We learned that we were supposed to stay 200 yards from any seals we saw on the shore, but they clearly had no such rules as they sometimes appeared very close to our kayaks. One curious seal followed us for a bit as we fought the current behind Spieden Island. I guess he wanted to tell his Orca friends in case we biffed it in the rough water. Will told us not to look the seals in the eyes. I thought he was kidding so I stared straight at the next one we saw. I immediately felt a desire to eat mackerel and swim among the kelp beds and I cried out for Huffygirl. She held her paddle in front of my face and it broke the lock. I never looked another seal in the eyes.

-          Speaking of rough water, our large water channel crossings were amazing. A kayak sure seems small compared to just about anything when you are in rough choppy water from currents and wakes of both US and Canadian vessels. It was a perspective and part of the experience that had me on edge, attentive and aware that this was not the place to make a mistake in balance. Very cool.

From our tent on Posey Island

-          Every night, we got to place our tents in the most amazing spots! Always facing the water and always breathtaking.

-          Hiking completely around Yellow Island, a nature preserve with a live-in curator in the middle of the Sound. So much history and beauty. And some of the best skipping rocks I have ever seen! Seemed odd that is was called Yellow Island and there was not a single bathroom on the whole place…

-          Posey Island – maybe 100 yards long and 50 yards wide, covered with short trees and amazing views. We camped here one night and had the whole island to ourselves. We found tiny crabs, Spider Crabs and Hermit crabs by the dozens in the tide pools on the shore. The one little deer that kept us company on the island and we named Posy was so sweet. We kayaked over near Battleship Island to watch the sun set over the Canadian horizon. It was absolutely amazing to see the sunset from a kayak… It was hard to pull ourselves away to head back to our little island.

-          Jumping off an outcropping into the cold, clear, beautiful water of our own little lagoon on Jones Island. Will and I jumped in and each of us just about ran on top of the water trying to get out, it was so cold! But it was too fun and we kept jumping. Tara jumped too, but not before spending about 15 minutes talking herself into it (and trying to ignore the excellent humorous taunts from the other 2 jumpers who shall remain anonymous). I also found a large crab in a tide pool that pinched me hard! And a raccoon ransacked Will’s tent and stole a roll of toilet paper. We figured he must have been out and was desperate. This private lagoon was also where we went in search of the bioluminescence…

Sunset watching from kelp beds by Battleship Island

I had read about bioluminescence but could not really create a picture in my mind of what it really was. Tim told me Tara would take me out to see it. Tara had never seen it either, other than hints of it from shore. So at around midnight, we slipped into a kayak and pushed away from the shore into the darkness not exactly sure what we were going to find. And like magic, with the very first paddle stroke, the water lit up. Everywhere we disturbed the calm water, with the paddles or the kayak or our hands, colored light formed and swirled and trailed, marking our path in vivid display 20 feet behind us. I was in the back of the kayak and got to see the lights flowing off Tara’s paddle into the path of my own. Easy paddling produced more distinct and individual light streams while more vigorous effort lit up the sea around us. But the most fun was to drift calmly, letting everything go dark, then leaning over the edge with my face close to the water and using my hand to splash and swirl through though the water. It felt as if I was conducting my own Fantasia-like show. It reminded me so much of a movie that I saw earlier in the year called Life of Pi. I was giddy and felt as if I’d discovered a hidden wonderland in the Puget Sound. This was definitely a personal highlight during a trip of one pinnacle after another.

 

This was the kind of trip that was a full-contact sensory experience and one that I hope to repeat soon. Huffygirl and I were discussing just this morning who we know who might want to join us in helping the bald eagles in monitoring the border for those pesky Canadians…

Highlights

Mid-October brought an adventure that I did not at all expect. It’s not that I didn’t plan for it carefully and pack everything I needed for the Common Ground Adventures 4-day cabin camping trip to Bryce Canyon. And I sure had seen pictures of where I was going and was excited to finally stand in the presence of the red and white filigree towers of sandstone. In spite of my preparation for the scenic journey, it was the people I traveled with that created a long-weekend trip filled with so many highlights that I can’t remember anything else.

Highlights such as…

..Bathroom stops that were HUGE events. EVERY time! Wheelchairs, walkers and canes and braces needed to be retrieved and dispersed and kind strangers opening the doors and smiling at the strung out brood of wandering would-be campers. So many individual stories and snacks purchased with carefully handled bills and coins. I grew to love these breaks.

..Competitive Clancy, who would lurch forward, threatening to break my protective hold, whenever he thought that another person was walking faster than we were. And his feet spinning those pedals like crazy on the side by side tandem bike we shared if he saw anyone trying to pass us. He pedaled like a maniac even when the chain fell off his side, which it often did. My grease-blackened fingers didn’t bother me at all. They reminded me of the joy it was to put the chain back on and to have the privilege of riding beside this sweet man.

..Wordless but not soundless Jessie and her animation after finishing a short bike ride together. She was making loud sounds and large gestures with her hands but I didn’t know if she was upset or happy! I was finally told she was signing, “Thank you” and was happy and I was taught the sign for “you’re welcome”, which I used frequently after that. This sweet woman was so laughingly impatient with me when I didn’t clean my oranges fast enough, and took pictures of everyone in camp incessantly. She also performed any task she saw that needed done with undying devotion.  Jesse came and went in her defiantly independent manner and created a little nook in my heart.

..The sweet romance of Amanda and Wally… She used him. Probably not on purpose at all. He loved it and did all she asked for, and more. He was so proud to have her attention and she was so proud that she didn’t have to get her own meals. Finally, the break-up:

“I like you”

“I don’t like you”

“I got all your food for you”

“Well, I didn’t want you to get my food”

“You had a crush on me!”

“You had a crush on me first!”

And time to move on. No hard feelings.

“Besides, I have a girl in California!”

..The events shared by a man using a walker to get around, of an auto accident 6 years before that left him walking awkwardly and having to work every day at talking. He was 42 on the day he told me this story. 36 years healthy. Now all he wants is for others to see him as a productive member of society. Independent and smart, his outer appearance belies a heart that craves and deserves respect. Once healthy and deft, every movement and action now requires effort and often pain. 36 years healthy.

..The hunched over young man in the wheelchair teased the leaders and was teased back. And when a guitar was played around the campfire, a sweet voice rose in beautiful song from the man in the wheelchair, making you forget momentarily that his very life depended on help from others almost 24 hours a day. Music caused spontaneous dancing in some and joyful singing in several. Seemed that the guitar played by one of the leaders brought common reactions to the group – and always smiles for everyone.

..The puppy that was tied up by the family in the next cabin over found a way to get loose and came romping over to visit without realizing he had entered puppy heaven. Kind, sweet and loving hands tentatively touched and petted and were licked in puppy joy. When the family came to retrieve him, their apologies were met with such love for the puppy that they let the campers enjoy the furry company for a few more minutes. It was so fun to watch the joy in so many eyes when the escaped pup found its way to a camp of love.

..Awkward steps do not always go as planned. One minute I was being pushed into a tree by a mischievous Clancy and the next, he was falling to the ground against my desperate attempt to hold him up. We both went down and my heart cried out as I tried to find a way to take the blow myself and spare my friend. But the moment happened too fast and a head hit the ground and I scrambled up in an instant to sit beside Clancy and held his head to my chest like he was a small child while I kept asking him over and over if he was all right. I had neglected my responsibility and I let him fall! Fought back my pained tears… Of course, he was gracious and explained how his left foot got caught behind his right and how that happens sometimes. Later in the day, while playing around, I told Clancy that he’d better do what I said or I’d kick him and push him down again. To my joy, he said to me, with attitude, that he was going to kick ME and push ME down!  He repeated this many times in the trip and I laughed with love every time.

..After the last campfire on the last night, I went to head to bed and was met with a big surprise hug by my wordless friend. I was touched by the easy willingness to trust and love. I didn't feel like I did anything to deserve the tenderness shared with me. The surprise I felt by the hug was symbolic of the way I felt during the whole trip. Surprised at how quickly we all became friends. Surprised at what I didn't know about various handicaps and also how giving and kind their hearts were. There was no other place on earth I would rather have been during those 4 days of dawn to late night work. There was some amazing scenery in Bryce Canyon, that’s certain. But the views paled when compared with the tapestry of love painted on my heart by the heavenly paintbrushes of my new friends.