Long Island
In Willapa Bay, in southwestern Washington, a hundred miles away and a hundred years back in time, sits Long Island.
It’s home to the largest remaining low-land grove of ancient cedars in the state. Largely an accident of geography; the island was logged extensively back in the early days, but this one section proved to be a little too much of a pain-in-the-butt to get to, so it survived the misery whip.
Used to be, there was an actual town on the island’s northern tip. “Diamond City,” although there were no diamonds involved and as cities go, this one came in sort of small. The economy mostly revolved around fishing and oystering. There are no traces of the city remaining.
Willapa Bay is all about mud. Paddling here is as much about being able to read the charts as it is about swinging a paddle. If you read the tide tables incorrectly, it is an uncomfortable place to be.
I’ve been to the island many times, although it has been a while. One of my favorite trips is the subject of a Field Report that I wrote back in 2005 (before anybody really knew anything about “blogs.”)
About Ken Campbell
New Release
A story of sea kayaking and science on the rugged coast of Alaska. Coming – Spring 2014.
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