DISCOVER
TRAVEL GUIDE
EXPLORING BY SEA
Kayaking in the San Juan Islands Island hopping in the Pacific Northwest BY CHARLOTTE AUSTIN PHOTOS BY KAT CARNEY
A GLOSSY BLACK HEAD pokes curiously out of the ocean as I paddle hard into the surf. The seal ducks beneath a wave, sending a spray of sea mist up into the autumn sky. On the horizon I can see the jagged crystal outlines of the North Cascade mountain range, and with every stroke I am closer to shore. Our home for the night is a tiny atoll in the San Juan Islands, nestled deep in the northwest corner of Washington State. After three days of camping in this archipelago, I never want to leave. The San Juans are an island chain known for pastoral landscapes, breathtaking wildlife encounters, and some of the best organic bakeries around. Roughly a hundred miles northwest of Seattle, the archipelago includes 172 named islands and reefs in San Juan County. They’re all accessible by seaplane or boat, but only four are served by the state-operated ferry system: San Juan, Shaw, Lopez, and Orcas. In the autumn of 2017, I was part of a team that spent a week on horseshoe-shaped Orcas Island, one of the biggest in the chain. The island is home to 4,500-odd residents who live on tiny lavender farms, waterfront homes, and the occasional yurt. The only town is Eastsound, and the east side of the island is dominated by Moran State Park’s old-growth forest and Mount Constitution (2,398’). Everywhere you turn, the glistening Pacific flashes light through the trees. People come to hike, to explore, to relax, and— in our case—to kayak. Our goal: Sucia Island.
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Misadventures Issue 5
