Looking forward
As a somewhat obsessive list-maker, I am drawn at this time of the year to review the vitals – where I’ve been, where I want to go next. Not resolutions exactly, but rather a guidance system for the upcoming year. Cairns of experiences, Inukshuks of the mind. In terms of the Olympics, there are places I need to see and things I must do that, frankly, I can’t believe I haven’t done already.
I will go to the Tubal Cain Mine next year. It’s not a complicated venture – I just haven’t made the time for it yet. I want very much to do a winter traverse of the peninsula from the Dosewallips to Lake Quinault but it will likely have to wait until later in the year – I can’t fit it in until then, I’m afraid. (The other thing I’m hoping to do with that trip is to use public transportation to get to and from the route… that figures to be a pretty interesting part of the story in itself.)
Then there’s the Pummel in February; I’m looking forward to that in a big way. There are a couple of different paddling symposia, in Port Angeles in April and in Port Gamble in May. I’d really like to do a Straits crossing in May too, from the Elwha to Victoria and back… I’ll need to consult the calendar, I think.
The big trip, of course, is the Olympic Grand Circle. As of right now, I’m planning on starting on July 16th in Olympia (Launch party at the Fish Tale anyone?), and spending between 3 and 4 weeks en route. I am anticipating an excellent adventure, with the surprises and wonder that come with any such undertaking. I hope I learn a lot.
The mornings are still my water time, when I ferry the board down to the Foss, do my strokes in the rain and shadows, trundle home again before the sky gets light. I actually paddled through ice cakes that had formed over near the Martinac shipyard the other morning. The ice wasn’t there today but it was still cold. Thinking about the year that’s about to begin is a great way of staying warm.
About Ken Campbell
New Release
A story of sea kayaking and science on the rugged coast of Alaska. Coming – Spring 2014.
Follow Us On Instagram
