Ken Campbell, Author at The Last Wilderness

Adventure travel

Posted by Ken Campbell July 24, 2008 0 Comment 1082 views

To all those taking a kayaking class instead of simply signing up for a kayak outing, congratulations. To those learning how to climb instead of clipping into the guide’s rope for a tow up a mountain, kudos. There is a big difference between being in the game and being at the game, and those who […]

Lake Ozette – an introduction

Posted by Ken Campbell July 20, 2008 0 Comment 2792 views

Lake Ozette is the 3rd largest lake in Washington. Eight miles from top to bottom and five miles from side to side. It is located within the coastal strip of Olympic National Park. The trailheads at Ozette are popular jumping-off spots for coastal hikers. The Cape Alava-Sand Point-Lake Ozette triangle is one of the most […]

On my own two feet

Posted by Ken Campbell July 17, 2008 0 Comment 836 views

I believe I am about to take up a new hobby. I tried stand-up paddleboarding for the first time last weekend and I was instantly hooked. Elements of canoeing, surfing and skateboarding all come together in a package that is fast, elegant and exciting. After less than an hour of effort, I felt like I’d […]

The forgotten coast

Posted by Ken Campbell July 16, 2008 0 Comment 818 views

From Cape Flattery south to La Push, the Olympic coast is almost completely roadless. There is one road that winds along the shore of Makah Bay and deadends in a parking lot, which is where many hikers leave their cars before going to Shi Shi beach and beyond, following the coast south. It is a […]

Climbing Mount Ellinor

Posted by Ken Campbell July 15, 2008 0 Comment 814 views

We started up the Mount Ellinor trail just before 1:00 pm. At first, I had planned on beginning the ascent at the lower trailhead, which would have meant more miles, more elevation gain and loss, and more time. Since this had turned into a family outing, however, Mary and I thought it would be best […]

Fill ‘er up!

Posted by Ken Campbell July 12, 2008 0 Comment 694 views

I’m getting ready for a short trip to the southeast quarter tomorrow. It’s a family trip, to climb Mount Ellinor. The boy is 18 months old already – time to climb! I’ve been thinking about gas prices. The way they have risen so dramatically, they are more of a factor now in decisions about little […]

Pulling the trigger

Posted by Ken Campbell July 11, 2008 0 Comment 648 views

The goats in Olympic National Park are not native. They were introduced during the 1920’s… 12 of them. That number grew until the impact they were having on the natural flora was undeniable. Eradication and removal has always been talked about, periodically attempted and has met with various levels of success. I am not sure […]

Cleaning up after the animals

Posted by Ken Campbell July 10, 2008 0 Comment 731 views

Spray paint was invented in 1949 by Edward Seymour. There had been a variety of different developments in the quest for a spray-on paint before that time, but Seymour’s invention became the model for the product we all know today. As far back as the 1920’s, Krylon researchers had come up with products like the […]

Wonder

Posted by Ken Campbell July 6, 2008 0 Comment 930 views

In 1984, Congress designated a 2,349-acre area just to the southeast of Olympic National Forest as the Wonder Mountain Wilderness. Shaped like a triangle, the area is dominated by Wonder Mountain, the high point on the southern ridge, at 4,848 feet. There are four little lakes located within the wilderness boundary. None of them are […]

Sightings

Posted by Ken Campbell July 3, 2008 0 Comment 1057 views

It is possible that there is a place more haunted than Port Townsend, but if there is, I haven’t heard of it. When you consider that it’s not really all that old – the town was founded in 1860 – the sheer number of disembodied souls seems out of scale with the size of the […]