Island Getaway

One of my first introductions to kayaking was in Southeast Alaska while working at Glacier Bay National Park for a summer. On employee days off, the day cruise boats would drop us off with seas kayaks up near the glaciers and we would island hop for a few days until the boat came back for us. I was hooked after a summer of paddling amongst humpback whales, bioluminescent algae, and northern lights. Shortly after that I learned how to roll and switched gears to whitewater paddling, but I've always wanted to give sea kayaking another go.

Last year my husband and I opened a “choose your own adventure” wedding gift from a group of friends and one of the options was a sea kayaking trip to the San Juan Islands, Washington. We had both been wanting to see the San Juans for a long time and enthusiastically opted for the kayaking adventure this summer. It was especially fun because all we had to do was load up our drybags with gear and food for four days and all the details and itinerary were taken care of for us!

The trip was booked for a sunny week in July and after a pretty ferry ride to Friday Harbor, we were united with a tandem sea kayak. The rental company gave us some great tips on how to ride the tides, self rescue, and not get lost in the fog. They oriented us with a map and tide chart and we loaded up the boat and set off through the waves. There were two nice things I immediately noticed about sea kayaking that make it different from whitewater self-supports: You can cover much longer distances in a short amount of time in a 20 ft. boat with two paddlers, and you can take a lot more beverages. It is just as scenic as backpacking but you don't have to carry all your gear!

For the next three days we did a great loop from San Juan Island, to Jones Island, to Blind Island State Park, and around Shaw Island. My favorite time to paddle was early in the morning when the air was foggy and quiet and the water was glassy and full of wildlife. We missed whale season, but everywhere we looked there were fish jumping, seals napping, otters playing, and bald eagles fishing. At low tide it was neat to check out the tide pools for crabs, anemones and star fish.

Catching the early morning tide

Channel crossing

seals

tide pools

Every afternoon we rolled up to a new island, set up camp, and found a nice beach to relax on. There were some fun hiking trails, beautiful viewpoints, and incredible sunsets. I also spent some time looking at all the other islands on the map. There are so many to explore and it would be possible to make a trip as difficult or leisurely as you want. So many options! We had an unforgettable recon trip and it definitely sparked my interest in more sea kayaking opportunities in the Pacific Northwest. I can hardly wait to start planning the next trip!

San Juan Island

Jones Island

Yellow Island 

Blind Island

Devil's Canyon of the Middle Feather

Devil's Canyon of the Middle Feather is a three to four day self-support trip in Northern California that has been high on my list for about five years. This year Drew & I finally got a window of opportunity over spring break where we had the time off, the weather was looking good, and the level was just about perfect!

We packed up in Hood River, met up with Andy McMurray & Rob Bart, and headed south to pick up Michael Freeman & Nate Merrill in California. We put on the river pretty late in the afternoon the next day, but there was plenty of water and we made it through the first gorge with just enough daylight to find a nice beach and set up camp for the night. 

 The first day was so beautiful, and over the next couple days the gorges just kept getting more steep and scenic. The whitewater was amazing pool drop rapids through classic California granite boulder gardens. From what I'd heard about Devil's Canyon, I was expecting more of a class IV read and run kind of trip. Turns out with a good flow there's actually quite a bit of class V mixed in there, and portaging is not always and option! The good news is that the difficulty builds throughout the trip so you have some time to warm up before the most difficult gorge on day three. 

 The entrance to Franklin Canyon

 Scouting the falls

 McMurray running Franklin Falls

 Rob lining up

 Days two and three were really long, but we just took our time, scouted, set safety for each other, and portaged some of the big ones. It was so exciting to be able to experience such an amazing place. There were a number of great beach camps between the gorge sections and after paddling a loaded boat all day I slept like a rock. 

Typical Middle Feather boogie water

Typical Andy

 

 Camp #2 at Hartman Bar

 

Pacific Crest Trail footbridge at Hartman Bar

 

 black bear!

I can see why so many paddlers consider Devil's Canyon to be one of their favorite runs. It is unbelievable how many great rapids are packed into those 32.7 miles of river. I'm so excited that this was the year I finally got to check it out. I can't think of a better way to kick off the 2013 boating season. I think it's going to be a really good year!

A Whole New World...A Few Hours from Home

Feeling a serious itch to start the multi-day season, and a decent weather forecast, we decided to head to the John Day River.  I had never done this river and really had no idea what to expect.  We gathered a small, solid crew and were off to Clarno, Oregon to begin our 70 mile float.

Clarno Bridge Put In

After driving only a couple of hours to the put in, I was shocked that I had never done this trip as it is so close.  It was sunny and hot when we put on and around 4,000 cfs, making it easy to make miles and cruise through the rangeland, which most of the beginning of the run consists of.  

Rangeland

Loved the Old Ranches!

Nick Showing us the Line at Clarno Rapid

The Captain Adding some Style

The Girls!

Day two brought us a beautiful canyon and crazy winds! Making miles was a little more difficult, but the level helped us out.

Into the Canyon

Enjoying the Camp Fire

Day three was lovely and sunny.  The Big Horn Sheep were out and about and could be spotted high on the canyon walls.  We also stopped for lunch at Hoot Owl Rock for a nice little hike.  The night was cold and clear with amazing stars!

Big Horn Sheep Sighting!

Hoot Owl Rock

Group Shot at the top of Hoot Owl Rock

Happy Dog, Wildflowers, Sunny Camp

Day four, our take out day, was chilly with some sprinkles toward the end.  Pleasantly surprised by the weather and blown away by the scenery, I found myself disappointed that I had not been here in the ten years I have boating.  This run will definitely make my short list for a logistically easy yet awesome getaway.  

A Whole New World!