Ken Campbell, Author at The Last Wilderness

Privileges of membership

Posted by Ken Campbell May 26, 2012 0 Comment 1103 views

I’m mailing in my membership dues to the only two clubs I belong to, at least at the moment. (I’m not one of the world’s greatest joiners, but there are a few groups that catch my imagination.) Surfrider is one of them. I honestly can’t think of any other organization that is doing as much […]

A Rare evening paddle

Posted by Ken Campbell May 25, 2012 0 Comment 1196 views

It was breezy yesterday evening, but sunny. If it weren’t for the wind, the temperature might have actually been considered “warm.” I had the chance to meet up with John Inch for a SUP paddle down on the Foss, and I took it. We cheated up into the wind at the start, ducking into the […]

Ebbesmeyer interview

Posted by Ken Campbell May 24, 2012 1 Comment 1552 views

Steve and I had the opportunity to spend some time with noted flotsam expert Dr. Curtis Ebbesmeyer earlier in the week and get his input on our upcoming trip. Steve has posted some excerpts of an interview we did with him on the Ikkatsu web site (here). We learned a lot.

Truth, beaches and government

Posted by Ken Campbell May 24, 2012 0 Comment 1193 views

“During times of universal deceit, telling the truth becomes a revolutionary act.” George Orwell. Steve and I just spent a couple of days in Port Angeles, where we attended a presentation and a workshop on tsunami debris that featured Dr. Curtis Ebbesmeyer and a whole bunch of Power Point slides on what we can expect […]

Off to PA

Posted by Ken Campbell May 21, 2012 0 Comment 1298 views

I have school to teach this morning and then Steve and I are off to Port Angeles for some interviews this afternoon and the Ebbesmeyer presentation this evening. Tomorrow morning we’ll be attending a tsunami debris workshop that Curt is putting on and in the afternoon we’ll get a chance to sit down with him, […]

Step away from the glow

Posted by Ken Campbell May 20, 2012 0 Comment 1098 views

According to Eric Schmidt, Google’s Executive Chairman, it’s a good idea to take a break from the computer every now and then. “Take one hour a day and turn that thing off,” he told the graduating class at Boston College the other day. I have a better idea. Turn it on for one hour a […]

Toothiness

Posted by Ken Campbell May 19, 2012 0 Comment 1157 views

I was doing a San Juan trip years ago for Tahoma Outdoor Pursuits when I had a dental emergency. We were camped on Strawberry Island (remember Strawberry Island?), and somehow I lost a filling. Where my mouth had felt normal one minute, it now featured a gaping cavern in one of my teeth, and I […]

FYI

Posted by Ken Campbell May 18, 2012 2 Comments 1836 views

I don’t know why, but I’ve never liked it when people actually say “FYI.” It’s a handy acronym in writing and when it’s on the page, it doesn’t bother me, but when people use it in conversation it just grates on me. I realize it probably says more about me than it does about them […]

Now appearing in your area…

Posted by Ken Campbell May 17, 2012 1 Comment 1038 views

When we first started planning for the Ikkatsu Expedition, we were expecting to find some pieces of flotsam on this summer’s trip, but not much. (I guess I’m speaking for myself, but the impression I got was that most of the stuff will be hitting Washington beaches in 2013.) The big stuff was projected to […]

Sitka love

Posted by Ken Campbell May 17, 2012 0 Comment 1119 views

We had another on-water prep session yesterday evening, trying out an in-line tow with the trawl net we got from 5 Gyres. More on that later… I think I’ll write up a short account of that whole situation over on the expedition web site later. (Spoiler alert.) It wasn’t all that successful. On the up […]