We Made It!

Greetings from Orcas Island! After three months and 1101 nautical miles paddled from Alaska to Washington, our journey has come to an end! Crazy. The fact that this isn't just another resupply stop hasn't quite sunken in, and it still seems like we'll be heading back out on the water in a couple days. Somewhere along the way, this all stopped feeling like a trip we were on and just became a way of life, and it's definitely a strange feeling to say goodbye to that. This last leg really was an appropriate transition, though, as we left the wilderness behind for developed landscapes and populated areas. Mike likened it to walking down a logging road back to the car after being on a long backpacking trip. Fall started to move in with a little more urgency, too, giving us good motivation to bust out the miles and get home before stormy weather became the rule rather than the exception. Our final leg had its fair share of challenges, though, as well as some wonderful highlights:

The Strait of Georgia was the final major crossing of the trip. After leaving Powell River, we spent two days hustling down the length of Texada Island in order to take advantage of the last of the calm weather in the area. Sangster Island provided a perfect position for an early morning crossing, and we had a great campsite amid interesting sandstone formations. We were on the water at dawn and had a (thankfully) uneventful 5-mile open water crossing to the Ballenas Islands, then a short hop over to Vancouver Island. The Whiskey Golf maritime test range wasn't active that day, so no need to be on the lookout for torpedoes, and there wasn't a freighter in sight.

As it turned out, that was the last calm weather in the northern Strait of Georgia for quite a while. High winds picked up that afternoon, and, according the weather forecast, never really abated for the next week or so. We were definitely happy to have made it across when we did.

Those same afternoon winds resulted in us getting stranded between campsites. Rather than stopping at Southey Island as planned, we tried to squeeze in 10 more miles by getting to Newcastle Island in Nanaimo Harbor. Bad idea. The area we were in was still very open, and the 15-knot winds got the best of us. Getting off the water wasn't an easy option, though, as the coast around Nanaimo is very developed, and private homes line the shores. Even though tidelands in Canada are public, camping in someone's front yard just seems like poor form. Luckily, we found a nice grassy boat launch/barbeque area at the base of a bluff-backed beach, and Mike got permission from the homeowner above to camp there. We were grateful for a flat spot to rest before battling the wind again the next day.

We finally made it to Newcastle (a lovely park nestled in the hubub of Nanaimo Harbor) after a 5-mile battle against gusting wind and 4-foot moderate seas. Once inside the harbor, though, we were out of the wind and had a lovely time paddling along the island and the harbor. Our first stop after setting up camp was the Dingy Dock Pub, a floating bar on Protection Island, about a 2-minute paddle away. It was wonderful to paddle over, tie up the boats, and enjoy a beer and burger after a difficult morning.

South of Nanaimo, we paddled along Gabriola Island and the miles of log booms that line it, avoided Dodd Narrows by cruising through False Narrows next door, and entered the Gulf Islands. We've been excited to paddle through the Gulf Islands ever since we started kayaking 4 years ago. Quite a few of them are visible from the San Juans, and it was wonderful to see them from the other side of the border. We celebrated the return of the "quasi-stationary ridge" over Vancouver Island, which provided the calm weather and warm sunshine that made the last days of our trip delightful.

Our last big day, or The Day of Seven Crossings, as I have named it, started on Prevost Island, BC and ended triumphantly at Posey Island, WA (a tiny little blip just outside of Roche Harbor on San Juan). The seven crossings went as follows: Prevost-Saltspring-Portland-Moresby-Gooch/Rum-Stuart-Spieden-San Juan (and of course, what trip through the Gulf Islands would be complete without a close call with a BC ferry)! We had intended to stop at Rum Island and cross Haro Strait to Stuart the following morning, but the weather was so nice and the water was so calm that we crossed in the afternoon (gasp!). We cleared customs in Roche Harbor, bought some bubbly beverages, and headed over to Posey to celebrate our last night.

And then the last day was upon us. Dawn was a distant, fiery red line under an overcast sky as we got on the water to paddle the last 12 miles to Orkila (a paddle that we used to think was a pretty long way--ha!). We crossed San Juan Channel, said a quick hello to Jones, then cruised up President Channel with the flood tide. As we came around Freeman Island and paddled toward shore, we were welcomed home by a crowd of friends and family, whooping it up with signs, cheers, hugs, and laughter. The love and support from everyone (including those who couldn't be on the beach that morning) was overwhelming. We are unbelievably fortunate. What a wonderful way to come home.