Ken Campbell, Author at The Last Wilderness

My Oregon Trail

Posted by Ken Campbell January 17, 2009 0 Comment 904 views

I’m heading out this afternoon for the Oregon coast. I have heard so many nice things about the place, I figured that I may as well go and see for myself. Doesn’t everybody kayak the Oregon coast in winter?

Going international

Posted by Ken Campbell January 16, 2009 0 Comment 932 views

If you’re ever of a mind to try a real open-water crossing, this could be the one. If you like strong currents and fickle winds and the possibility of crossing paths with oil tankers and other ocean-going über vessels, you might enjoy a paddle accross the Strait of Juan de Fuca. It’s not that far, […]

This last, fast year

Posted by Ken Campbell January 14, 2009 0 Comment 821 views

I left for Vancouver Island a year ago today. The plan was for a sea kayak circumnavigation in winter, something that had never been done before. It still hasn’t. It hardly seems possible that 12 months have gone by since then.

This day in history

Posted by Ken Campbell January 13, 2009 0 Comment 811 views

On January 13th, 1890, the boys from the Press Party began their first push into the Olympic wilderness. The expedition had been on the go for over a month already, but still hadn’t gotten past the last settler’s house in the Elwha Valley – hardly what you’d call exploring. (No matter how daring and intrepid […]

2009 Pummel update

Posted by Ken Campbell January 11, 2009 0 Comment 841 views

The winter storms and flooding have knocked the La Push Surf Pummel off schedule once again. The latest date is the weekend of Feb 13-15, 2008. I’ve already made other plans for that weekend so, once again, they’ll have to survive without me. The event was started back in 1986 by Seattle kayaker Sprague Ackley, […]

Matthew Broaddus

Posted by Ken Campbell January 10, 2009 0 Comment 1507 views

Mathew Howard Broaddus, born November 12, 1962 passed away at home on December 23, 2008. He is survived by his mother Marylou von Scheele, his brother David von Scheele, his sister Paulene Collins and his nieces and nephews Brooke and Hunter Collins, Josh, Jessica and Janessa von Scheele. A celebration of Matty’s life will be […]

Run of the rivers

Posted by Ken Campbell January 9, 2009 0 Comment 851 views

These are the seasons of emotion And like the winds they rise and fall This is the wonder of devotion I see the torch we all must hold This is the mystery of the quotient Upon us all a little rain Must fall. -Led Zeppelin It’s supposed to get better over the next few days. […]

Rising waters

Posted by Ken Campbell January 8, 2009 0 Comment 659 views

Neah Bay is cut off once again. Highway 112, according to the Washington State Department of Transportation, is “closed to traffic in both directions from milepost 12 to milepost 13 and from milepost 23 to milepost 29 due to flooding. Alternate routes are advised.” Another alert that caught my attention had to do with Highway […]

Stormy weather

Posted by Ken Campbell January 7, 2009 0 Comment 741 views

“It’s going to be wild and wooly in the Hoh the next few days.” That’s the word from John Preston, a park ranger based at the Visitor’s Center at the Hoh. With somewhere between 12 and 20 inches of rain expected by Thursday, the flooding is likely to be extensive. The warmer temperatures are melting […]

Dawn patrol

Posted by Ken Campbell January 7, 2009 0 Comment 725 views

I am standing on the beach, checking to make sure my hatch covers are secure and keeping an anxious eye on the breaking waves.The surf is not overly large, 3 – 4 feet, but it is constant and driven hard by the biting wind. Relentless. Daylight is scratching at the remains of the night and […]