Slipping into a drysuit and then into the cockpit of a kayak is a surprisingly warm and comfortable combination, even in winter. That’s what we did this past weekend for a circumnavigation of Burrows Island, near Anacortes. A stop for a hot lunch at the lighthouse (fondue!) and a short hike was very nice.
A few favorite images from 2022 /
At the end of every year, I post 10 images on Instagram that are among my favorites from the past 12 months. Here are the 2022 selections in no particular order.
Andy Towne, adventurer extraordinaire, was a bit jet lagged on this day. After some cycling in Seattle and a late return to our island on the ferry, he seemed to have lost the ability to speak and was gesturing for his before-bed tea.
Mount Constance and the Bainbridge Island ferry on a summer’s evening.
Andy Towne makes another appearance in this year’s favorites. Here he’s about to belay me through an exposed section of our October climb of Mount Stone in the Olympic Mountains.
Arbutus trees on Clark Island (San Juans) and Mount Baker in the distance.
Red Fox kits on San Juan Island.
Late autumn light on Bainbridge Island. Kate Garfield is my life and adventure partner and she’s always able to find the special places wherever we go in the world.
Ravens over the summit of Mount Stone. They waited until we had vacated the true summit and then checked to make sure we left no trace.
Gina Gotch and Ted Steudel out for a spin at the edge of Clark Island.
Near the end of a February circumnavigation of Indian Island (Salish Sea), we had to walk the boats through the low-tide shallows. Fantastic light for a nice long stretch of time!
Early summer waves on Rich Passage, Bainbridge Island.
A hike in the Hansville Greenway /
On the last day of 2022 we explored the trails of the Hansville Greenway, not far from our home here on the Salish Sea. Established and maintained by volunteers, it’s a great example of the good humans can do in the world. But in the spirit of holding more than one thought in my mind at a time, it is also a mausoleum containing the remains of giants. I can’t help but wonder what the area (and the entire region!) looked like before humans logged it into submission. Onward to a more enlightened future!
Bell Canoe Works "Experience" - memories from a paddling trip in Florida, 2003 /
In the winter of 2003, I was fortunate to be invited to join the crew at Bell Canoe Works (now Northstar Canoes) for an event they called the Bell Experience. To familiarize media people and retailers with their boats they put together annual trips like this to cool places - and my year was Florida! We spent our days on several rivers in central Florida and ended up enjoying some freezing weather. Cool in more ways than one! Here are a few photos from that trip, which reminds me I need to get back to paddle more water in Florida…in warmer weather.
Remembering a mountaineering adventure on Mount Fairweather, AK, 1990 /
This remains one of my all-time favorite adventures. We were flown to the beach at Cape Fairweather and spent 3 weeks approaching and trying to climb the Carpe Ridge of Fairweather. We spent 6 days of that in camp at the base of the ridge waiting for the wet weather to pass and the icefall activity to subside. By the time we got a bit of a weather-window, time was short and we didn’t make the summit. But the wildness of the country was deeply felt and made up for being kept from our objective. Climbing partners on this one were Mark Dale, Silas Wild and Doug Barlow.
