Ken Campbell, Author at The Last Wilderness

A Guide’s life

Posted by Ken Campbell May 30, 2010 0 Comment 1407 views

A couple of days ago, when I was at Spencer Spit in the San Juans, I came across a group of more than 20 kayakers, part of a commercial tour, led by a guide I know who works out of Anacortes. Watching him work, juggling boat repair and food preparation, first aid and island history, […]

Some days it’s just flat

Posted by Ken Campbell May 29, 2010 0 Comment 1126 views

Winter surf in the Strait of Juan de Fuca can often be decent, sometimes better than decent. Because of where they are in the passage and the angle of their beaches, some spots catch a winter swell just right, and the waves are often better than what you’d get on the coast on the same […]

A Shift in the winds

Posted by Ken Campbell May 28, 2010 0 Comment 1179 views

Time was, nothing was more fun than a sea kayak symposium. Especially the West Coast Symp up in Port Townsend each September. Everyone who was anyone (with a paddle), was there, and it was a chance to hear of the adventures of others while we planned our own, to try the hot new boats and […]

Ten years after

Posted by Ken Campbell May 27, 2010 0 Comment 1145 views

There used to be a band called Ten Years After. Guitar-heavy rock, from back in the day, when the men had long hair, the women didn’t wear bras, and we were all children. I had a couple of their albums, discount purchases packed with songs I can’t remember now. Ten years ago today, I pushed […]

First thoughts

Posted by Ken Campbell May 26, 2010 0 Comment 1142 views

I think you feel your age when you wake up. Later in the morning, after a cup or two of coffee, after getting to work and moving around, you may start feeling better, more flexible, feeling younger. The motions of the day have a way of allowing a return to the way it’s always been, […]

Adrift

Posted by Ken Campbell May 25, 2010 0 Comment 1237 views

I’ve seen drift cards before, but I’d never found one myself. Drift cards are small rectangles of plywood or particle board, usually painted a fairly bright color and marked with specific information about how to get in touch with the person or group that sent it out. They are usually released in a group, dozens […]

A San Juan traverse

Posted by Ken Campbell May 24, 2010 0 Comment 1408 views

The weather was perfect for paddling. A couple of raindrops – literally, two – on Saturday afternoon, but the sun was out most of the time and the San Juans are at their most beautiful when the sun is shining. The Rosario Strait crossing went quickly, our pace spurred by a massive freighter bearing down […]

Kids were tougher back then

Posted by Ken Campbell May 21, 2010 0 Comment 1268 views

There are a couple of stories behind the naming of Mount Tom. At 7,048 feet, Tom is one of the more prominent peaks in the Mount Olympus neighborhood, though it doesn’t see nearly as much traffic. (Which, when you consider how few climbers attempt the peninsula’s namesake peak, means that Tom is practically ignored.) One […]

Weekend at Juan’s

Posted by Ken Campbell May 20, 2010 0 Comment 1083 views

I am headed to the San Juans this weekend, a 2-day trip on the SUP from Washington Park to Friday Harbor, with a ferry shuttle back. It’s a trip I’ve taken a dozen times or more, but this will be the first time for me on a paddleboard. I’m planning on going through my gear […]

My "real job"

Posted by Ken Campbell May 18, 2010 0 Comment 1033 views

I don’t do the whole Facebook thing. I did for a while, for a few months, but I shut my page down not that long ago and, I must say, have suffered no ill effects. For anybody that does still subscribe – and I’m guessing that’s most everybody else – here’s a link to my […]