6 minute read
Sund Rock offers Glamping opportunities and scuba exploration
from Fjord Summer 2022
by Imagination
The shores of Hood Canal are scattered with oyster shells and the memories of generations of homesteaders imprinted in the coves and creeks along its banks. It hasn’t always been that way. Not so terribly long ago there were no oyster shells to be found on most of the Fjord’s banks. The fragile native oyster, Olympia, was unable to withstand the drying out of the steep rocky shores of the canal when the tides receded, preferring instead the quiet muddy bars of the inlets in the inner Puget Sound.
However, like most tales of adventure, there is a hero. The story goes that Colbein John Sund, a young seafarer (22) staked his homestead claim on Hood Canal in 1888, ten months before Washington became a state. Sund was the fifth in the order of seven children in Norway, with the oldest getting the family farm, the other children were left to go to sea or be fisherman. Adventure seized the interest of Sund, and, at the age of 19, he signed on for a return trip to America from Norway. He returned to Norway as promised in his sailing contract, but on his second journey, he decided to make it one way and stay on the Pacific Coast.
The lumber industry was booming between San Francisco and Seattle, Colbein John Sund had no trouble finding a position as an officer tending the sails on one of these schooners. It was while sailing through Puget Sound and seeing the narrow inlet of Hood Canal that he was reminded of the fjords at home in Norway. He explored the shores of Hood Canal in a small sailboat and found an abandoned trapper’s log cabin, lacking a roof, near two streams in a quiet valley. He decided that this was the perfect place to start his family’s history on Hood Canal.
Sund had no idea that his decision would help to shape the path of Hood Canal. On that very special and remarkable point lies the present day marine preserve beloved by scuba divers, Sund Rock. The land at the foot of the Olympic range, between two perennial streams where he replaced the roof of the dilapidated cabin and subsequently built Sund Resort with his wife is still a Hood Canal resort today. It is here too, that his son Abner, brought the first Pacific oysters to the Hood Canal shores, and his grandson, Robert, eventually managed to establish the marine preserve, Sund Rock, famous for its giant ling cod, Great Pacific Octopus and wolf eels.
The original Sund Resort was a series of platform tents and included a dance pavilion. Colbein’s wife, Bertha, whose family had run a bed and breakfast in San Francisco, would cook for all the guests. The resort location, now known locally as Rest-A-While Resort, has been in an out of the family over the last century. Once again on a point of land still in the Sund family, there is a platform tent for guests to continue to enjoy this special place.
The Sund Resort dance pavilion (MCHS photo)
Tracing the Fjord’s Jeff Slakey recently met with Colbein John Sund’s great-granddaughter, Cindy, at the Sund Rock glamping location to check out this experience and learn a little bit more about her family’s connection to the Canal.
“I love being able to maintain it for family as well as we've really developed a kind of clientele that comes to the glamping and diving that respect the property,” remarks Cindy in the interview, “it's an underwater
preserve with organisms that are unique and special. The Giant Pacific Octopus is a big draw. The wolf eel, ling and rock cod population are coming back. It's really a diverse area. I feel honored to be a steward.”
The generations who have enjoyed this property have developed a strong sense of place and a fierce desire to protect it for future generations to continue to create memories and share this special place with all who wish to visit. For the last four years,
Present day Sund Rock glamping tent
Cindy Sund has opened the glamping tent for guests to enjoy. “My parents wish,” she continues, “is that this property remain in the family for as long as possible. So when they moved into assisted-living, it was sort of my responsibility to make sure that that happened. I started the diving and glamping business to help subsidize property taxes and all the expenses that go along with owning a piece of property, and also help with my parents assisted-living. It's working out really well so far.”
Sund’s glamping tent is very basic. There are composting toilets and, since COVID, guests are required to bring their own bedding. However, a soft queen-sized bed, lights, heat, small refrigerator, propane bbq, propane fire pit, and a shower by the privy definitely set this beyond sleeping in an REI tent. And you’ll appreciate the phone charging ports by the bed for the hundreds of photos you’ll be taking because despite its small environmental footprint, this experience will leave a lasting experience on all who visit.
Beach access to Sund Rock dive site below is shared with scuba divers who are allowed limited access by the Sund family. Glamping guests are encouraged to bring their own beach towels, swim floats or kayaks to
enhance the beach experience. There is also plenty of hiking in the area and amenities like groceries or restaurants available in nearby Hoodsport. Cindy meets each guest upon arrival, providing a tour of the property and instructions on how to use the facility. Members of the Sund family are available if needed as they also live on the property, but allow guests their privacy to enjoy the space.
Mid-September the tent is removed and stored indoors until May. “The diving operation goes year-round,” reflects Cindy, “we're busier in the winter than we are in the summer because the temperature of the water drops and you get less plankton bloom so your visibility is better.”
To reserve the Sund Rock glamping tent, learn more about the preserve and the family history, visit sundrock.com. There is a minimum stay of two night and most of the weekends are booked through September although there is plenty of mid-week availability (which honestly, is a much better time to visit Hood Canal in the summer). This site is not appropriate for children, but pets are allowed. Rates begin at $114/night and every guest that left a review, yes 100%, gave the experience a 5 star rating.
