NSSKA

Six NSSKA Paddlers and one HITW Paddler went 10.7 miles and explored Drayton Harbor, Dakota Creek, and the mouth of California Creek. It was a beautiful day with interesting skies, lots of waterfowl, and a few seals. The Coastal Range to the north was spectacular. Awesome pics here!

Thank you Jim Haffner for the trip report! Nine paddlers departed Tulalip Marina on April 6, a mix of clouds and sun to begin, but by the end the sun was dominant. Very placid waters, nary a ripple. Nary a whale neither. We paddled to Langley, where they have a nice public beach tucked behind the marina, and a short walk into town for a nice tour of Langley. In fact, if this is a trip that is done again, or whenever Langley is a destination, I would recommend planning on lunch downtown, or at least an ice cream or truffles. Susan, Chris and Harry can attest to the truffles. Paddlers were Don Erickson, Chris Wood, Daryl Donatelli, Harry Marx, Susan Conrad, Werner, Kaz F., Bill Porter and myself. There was some whale watch activity from a few big boats, and they may have spotted a couple just off the beach at Langley, but I never obtained a reliable view of a whale. I think I did, but not enough to bet on. Personally, I like the launch at Tulalip Marina for the scope of day paddles it...

We had yet another well attended successful pool session.  Rolls, braces, self and assisted rescues were practiced and practiced again.  The weather outside made us grateful that we had our kayaks with us as a back up transportation option! Pictures here   by Harry Marx.

Two paddlers braved the the light snow and calm waters to paddle some of the sloughs.  We were rewarded with multiple wildlife sightings, including several varieties of duck, canada geese, bald eagles, blue herons, otters, and even harbor seal. Click here   for some pictures of our adventure.

The lake Stevens pool training session was well attended. We had 9 kayaks and 10 participants practicing rolls, braces and self rescues for the 2 hours we had the pool. The guard was nice enough to let us take the boats in a little early. Thank goodness for the snow! The pool was otherwise unoccupied.  Everyone got in some valuable practice time and a few even learned some new skills! Overall we had a very productive session and we're hoping to add one or two more pool outings to our schedule. Possibly as early as the first weekend of march, so clear those calendars and head over to beautiful Lake Stevens High School! Pictures here   compliments of Harry Marx.

Dave Ellingson presented an excellent slideshow and talk about his adventures paddling the full length (2350 miles!) down the Mississippi River.  His stories of his adventure included wildlife sightings, white knuckle rough conditions paddling, and the kindness and generosity of the good folks he met on his journey.  If you would like to hear Dave’s presentation for yourself, you can   check out his website   for upcoming events. If you would like to purchase his book, The Paddle Pilgrim, you may do so through   Amazon , but I highly recommend buying in person if you can to get an autographed copy!

13 members of NSSKA and   HITW   joined together on a foggy day to paddle from Milltown, through the Stanwood Cut, and down to Cavalero Beach on Camano Island. We saw hundreds of waterfowl including numerous Trumpeter Swans. The fog lifted about mid day and we enjoyed a little filtered sunshine in the afternoon. More pictures , taken by Bill Brackin, can be viewed here.