We all knew that I wouldn’t not go on adventures until 6 months after my surgery, right? Good, I am glad we are on the same page. A few fellow mid-west transplants and myself decided that the end of September would created the “perfect storm” of an extended weekend kayaking trip, far enough away from my surgery that I could feel comfortable going on the adventure, while still having a chance at decent weather. It ended up just being a storm.
As we were loading our kayaks up at the launch site, a fisherman walked by and said, “you aren’t going out in this, are you?” You could say it was a little windy. Once we paddled pass the protection of the Lummi peninsula, you could say it got a little more windy. It was all at our backs, so really it was just helping us get to where we needed to go. Except for when we got hit by a wave from the side, and almost flipped over, that was not really helpful.
Once we pulled our boats out at the tip of Lummi Island, Chris (the man with a plan), said if Bob and I hadn’t been competent whitewater boaters, we’d be turning around right there. Sitting on the beach we saw whitecaps filling the 4.5 nautical mile shipping lane crossing that was supposed to be our next move. We assessed the situation, which gave me enough time to make the coffee I missed out on, due to our 6:30 am launch.
Clark Island was a shorter crossing, and more protected from wind. We decided to wait for the tides to turn and to stay the night there. We only crossed paths with one big tug boat in the shipping lane (in case you are wondering who has the right of way, it’s kinda like being at a 4-way stop in a Prius and there’s a lifted 4×4 truck). As expected, the waves got bigger as we got closer to Clark and further from the protection of Lummi Island, making the crossing that much more exciting. We landed, set-up camp, and decided since there was a forecast for more windy weather we were going to have to cut our trip short. Returning the next morning was calm and relatively uneventful, but absolutely beautiful!
for my friends who are moms 