We ALWAYS advocate for and trust in local information and 99% of the time local knowledge serves us well. This weekend, however, was a comedy of errors. The forecast for the weekend was amazing and we simply could not miss the opportunity to head back to the San Juan Islands. We only had a couple of days so we made the decision to launch from Anacortes and paddle to Cypress Island for the weekend.
We excitedly loaded up our gear, made our customary food run at Freddy Meyers and drove to Washington Park on the west end of Fidalgo Island. We were absolutely thrilled to be heading out for another weekend in the Islands.
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| Boat Launch area - Washington Park |
As we were loading our kayaks, we began chatting with another paddler on the beach. He was paddling solo over to James Island for the weekend. He seemed very knowledgeable about the area and we eagerly asked for his advice.....and then it began! He told us that the campsites on Cypress closed on Labour Day weekend. It had not even crossed our minds that the campsite would be closed. The sun was shining brilliantly and the forecast was for temperatures in the high 20's. I must confess we didn't quite believe him, but we decided worst case, that if we were careful to plan our route with the tides we could enjoy a nice day trip to Cypress.
We bid farewell and with gear loaded and chart in hands we looked out over the water to plan our crossing to the Island....and then we made our second fatal mistake. There was a local fisherman loading up so we decided to ask him if he knew about the campsite closures and also if he could recommend the safest area to cross. Excited to help, he pointed us in the direction of Guemes Island and recommended that we paddle to Strawberry Island to spend the night camping there. Unfortunately for us he was not pointing at Guemes Island!
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| Mount Baker provides a scenic backdrop for the crossing |
Have you ever watched the television show "The Amazing Race?" During the show, contestants solve clues and perform tasks in a race around the world. I am always amazed how the contestants often seem to get caught up in the adrenaline of the race and forget to think. I must confess, that is exactly what we did. So excited to have this new camping option, we blindly took the fisherman's advice, jumped in our kayaks and began paddling off in the direction he had recommended - without even double checking our charts.
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| Under water photo of Jelly |
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| Cormorants rest on exposed rock |
As we neared what we thought was Guemes Island we were both commenting on how things just didn't seem right. The chart and compass readings were not making sense. We both know better, and I am embarrassed to say our thinking was limited by our blind faith in local advice. Finally, Rob took a moment to think creatively and tentatively made the suggestion that we had indeed paddled to Cypress Island all along.
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| Black Oyster catchers point us in the right direction. Love the bright bills and bright eyes. |
To make a long story short, we pulled up on Strawberry Island and called it a day. The tidal current was really strong around the island and we were both shaken up by our rookie navigational mistakes. Once again we were humbled by how easy it is to get in to trouble so quickly when exploring the outdoors. We assure you that we will be much more thorough when planning our next route. We were also reminded to trust in the compass and the map.
Video of the tidal current - Strawberry Island
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| Survey marker confirms our location |
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| Rob checking out the tidal currents |
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| Kayak landing site on Strawberry Island |
We enjoyed a wonderful evening on our private island, complete with a porpoise show and amazing sunset. The crooked leaning trunks of the Arbutus trees gave the island a unique feel.
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| Thin reddish brown bark of the Arbutus trees |
The next morning we were up early and had fabulous sunshine and flat water as we explored Cypress and Guemes Islands....with time spent properly charting our route!
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| Sun sets over the kelp bed |
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| 5 star accommodation with a view |
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| Perfect morning conditions |
In one last ironic twist, when we arrived back at Washington Park we met a group of four paddlers returning from Lopez Island. We shared our story....only to be told that Strawberry Island has been closed to camping for the last four years. A fitting end to a weekend of misinformation!
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| Waiting for the ferry to depart before paddling on |
Giggle of the Day:
Most of our adventures begin with an early morning pit stop at Tim Horton's, our favourite coffee shop. On this trip we were responsible for absolute gridlock in the drive through lane. Rob, still groggy from the early start, ordered a large black coffee with cream and sugar. The staff simply could not understand if he wanted black coffee or coffee with cream and sugar. As with most misunderstandings and language issues, Rob fell in to the trap of repeating his order over and over, getting LOUDER with each attempt.
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| One Black One Black with Cream and Sugar #timhortons |
Map and Route Tips:
Be sure to check your Tide Charts, Marine Forecast and ferry schedules. There is heavy boat traffic in the Rosario Strait and the Guemes Channel can be very busy with ferry and pleasure boat traffic.
Overnight parking (small fee) is available at both the Anacortes Marina and at Washington Park.
Washington State Ferries
Marine Chart
Tides and Currents
Marine Forecast
Cypress Island Trail Map
Discover Pass
#kayak #nature #getoutside #discoveroutdoors
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