Ken Campbell, Author at The Last Wilderness

Where are they now?

Posted by Ken Campbell March 31, 2010 0 Comment 1308 views

These signs used to be everywhere. Hoquiam and Forks, Port Angeles and Montesano. The plywood placards were all hand made and haphazardly stenciled, and sometimes the wording would be a little different, but most of them were roughly the same. Little yellow rectangles hung in windows or on the sides of homes and businesses, an […]

Getting to small

Posted by Ken Campbell March 29, 2010 0 Comment 1114 views

I packed a test load the other day and I’m happy with the way it looked. There are a few more changes to make to the way the load will be tied down, but making it fit doesn’t seem like it will be the big problem I thought it was going to be. When I […]

Airs of heaven

Posted by Ken Campbell March 28, 2010 0 Comment 1063 views

It is a half-hour before dawn and somewhere in the covered boat slips at the entrance to the Foss Waterway there is incense burning. It comes on suddenly as I paddle past, completely enveloping the senses before it is gone, as quickly as it came. For me, this olfactory delight is as much a part […]

Summer plans

Posted by Ken Campbell March 27, 2010 0 Comment 1109 views

Most of my personal trips, my busman’s holidays, have come during the winter. Or, if not winter, then fall or spring, perhaps. It comes with the job, really. The summer, after all, is when most people seem to want to kayak; I don’t get many calls from folks who want to head out into the […]

Second time around

Posted by Ken Campbell March 26, 2010 0 Comment 1088 views

I registered the other day for this year’s Puget Sound Challenge. The official fee has been hiked up this year ($50), but that includes a t-shirt, sticker, raffle chances and a donation to WWTA (Washington Water Trails Association). Last year’s inaugural PSC was a great success, not only for the Olympic Kayak Club, but for […]

GPPR – Official results

Posted by Ken Campbell March 25, 2010 0 Comment 1176 views

Here’s the overall finish times for the Great Place Paddle Race last weekend. I have a long way to go before I’m a racer. KayakKyle Wynkoop 0:38:10Greg Whittaker 0:45:11 ProneDarrell Bednakk 0:41:55Donald Kiesling 0:42:15Matthew Long 0:45:11Paul Jensen 1:04:30 12’6 SUP (Men’s under 40)Brandon Rambo 0:43:58Beau Whitehead 0:43:59Ken Wilson 0:49:40Andy Friedlander 0:56:00Ben Russell 1:03:00 12’6 SUP […]

Nuts and bolts

Posted by Ken Campbell March 25, 2010 0 Comment 1062 views

After much consideration, my current line of thinking regarding gear and packing for the SUP portion of this summer’s expedition goes like this: I should carry my own stuff. While it’s likely that I’ll have kayaking company for most, if not all, of the section between Ruby Beach and Cape Flattery, it is a matter […]

Feeling lighter

Posted by Ken Campbell March 24, 2010 0 Comment 1049 views

There’s been a glow in the sky the past couple days as I’ve finished my morning paddle. Over to the east. I believe the day is soon coming when my morning trips to the Foss will be held under daylight conditions, and each successive morning sees the sun come up sooner. I am looking forward […]

Making access more accessible

Posted by Ken Campbell March 24, 2010 0 Comment 1006 views

The latest on the Hurricane Ridge Road situation caught me by surprise. A little. It seems that Park officials are working with the Interior Department and the Port Angeles City Council on a plan to keep the road open on a year round basis, starting in 2011. Right now the road is open all summer, […]

Working in the woods

Posted by Ken Campbell March 21, 2010 0 Comment 1281 views

It used to be that when people talked about “harvesting” the local forests, they were talking about trees. Still are, in some places. Other locations, however, they’re talking about the smaller stuff, moss, salal and slender stalks of beargrass, used mostly as decorative pieces of floral arrangements, not only here in this country, but around […]