Ken Campbell, Author at The Last Wilderness

Traveling time again

Posted by Ken Campbell March 11, 2011 2 Comments 1099 views

March brings the start of the gray whale migration. Longest migratory route of any mammal, 12,000 miles from the peaceful lagoons of Baja to the feeding grounds of the Chukchi Sea. Once close to extinction, numbers are now upward of 20,000, and stable. It’s the adult males who come this way at this time of […]

High country musings

Posted by Ken Campbell March 10, 2011 0 Comment 1133 views

I have been spending an inordinate amount of time lately thinking about the things I still want to do and see in the Olympics. Maybe it’s that we had such a good time at this year’s Pummel or that I’m looking ahead to traveling around the peninsula this summer. It could be simply that I’ve […]

Marketing 101

Posted by Ken Campbell March 9, 2011 0 Comment 1199 views

“Men wanted for hazardous journey. Low wages, bitter cold, long months of complete darkness. Safe return doubtful. Honour and recognition in event of success.” The above is from an ad placed by one Sir Ernest Shackleton, trying to generate applicants for his Antarctic voyage. At least, that’s the way the story has come down; I […]

Sad

Posted by Ken Campbell March 7, 2011 4 Comments 1164 views

Ellen DeBondt was killed yesterday by a drunk driver. I can’t bring myself to say that last sentence out loud. Not yet. It doesn’t seem possible, that this woman who was perpetually full of energy and enthusiasm is gone. I saw her just last week in La Push, at the Pummel, a winter paddle surfing […]

A Narrows morning

Posted by Ken Campbell March 6, 2011 0 Comment 1096 views

It’s not quite 5:00 am on a tranquil Sunday morning. The tide is still rising and the currents in the Narrows are moving along nicely out there; I’m going to wait another hour for the slack, try to time my crossing to take advantage of that short window of time. Learning to work with the […]

Still wood stove season

Posted by Ken Campbell March 3, 2011 2 Comments 1077 views

It’s blowing a cold wind out there this afternoon. I heard somebody on the radio saying that there could be sleet later on. The sun comes out from behind the clouds from time to time, but there is no warmth in it, and the clouds are black with rain and soon will be here in […]

Small craft advisories

Posted by Ken Campbell March 2, 2011 0 Comment 1041 views

March is in like a lamb, so far. Sort of. In the mornings, anyway. It’s raining and a bit chilly but the breezes have been quiet early and the last couple mornings on the water have been flat and tranquil. It’s just worked out that I’ve gone out around slack and what wind there has […]

Not your usual Pummel

Posted by Ken Campbell March 1, 2011 0 Comment 1055 views

“You never know what’s in the pickle barrel until you get the lid off’n it.” Somebody’s Grandpa used to say that, can’t remember who it was. He could have been talking about La Push, though I doubt he was. Still, you never know what that place is going to be like until you get there […]

King tides

Posted by Ken Campbell February 28, 2011 0 Comment 1099 views

If it seems like the high tides are higher than you’re used to seeing, it’s because they are. “King tides,” they are called, and the big ones, while predictable, are becoming more extreme. The gravitational pull of the sun and moon line up at certain points of the year and the result of their combined […]

Winter driving

Posted by Ken Campbell February 25, 2011 0 Comment 1209 views

We’re leaving this morning for the Pummel. A 4-hour drive, under normal conditions, from Salmon Beach to La Push, and today will be anything but normal. The roads are icy in many spots and traffic will be moving slowly. From what I’ve heard, the waves aren’t supposed to be too hefty this weekend, but they […]