I strapped on my foot brace, ran
around for a day collecting gear, and headed up to Anacortes to catch
the San Juan ferry. For a while I have wanted to paddle a
circumnavigation around San Juan Island. I was able to leave my car
on the mainland and rolled my boat onto the Friday Harbor ferry.
Ferry from Anacortes to Friday Harbor
The
initial plan had been to take a leisurely pace and do it over 5 days
but the best (ie: non-existent) wind forecast was for the first few
days which pushed me to paddle faster and further each day. After
the first 2 days of calm the wind was supposed to become
progressively stronger each day afterward. The west and especially
south side of San Juan Island is very exposed. Strong currents,
strong afternoon winds, and being exposed to swells from the Pacific
coming up the Strait of Juan de Fuca combine to make this a
potentially very hazardous area to paddle.
Bald eagle that was fighting a vulture over a dead fish.
Posey Island camp with Spieden Island and Channel in background. 
Looking out on Haro Strait from Posey Island
Posey Island Camp
For the record: Do not paddle
alone. Especially when in hazardous areas or if you are going more
than ¼ mile off shore. That said, if I waited for people to do
things with than I would never have done most of the paddling or
summits that I have. And to be honest, there is part of me that
likes the solo part of it. The added level of danger and knowing
that I only have myself to get into/out of situations is part of the
allure. I am also fully equipped and practiced at self-rescue
situations though that will only get you so far when it really hits
the fan.
Olympic Mountains visible down Mosquito Pass
I had never seen Haro Strait this calm 
Lunch break at San Juan County Park 
Lots of seals. :-) No whales. :-(
The San Juan’s are incredible.
One of my favorite places to paddle in the world, both for the scenic
beauty and the technical nature of the paddling. Not on this trip
but there have been 3 times in the San Juan’s where I have almost
been overcome by the strength of the tidal currents. Timing is
everything. Timing is also why my favorite time to visit is the
month before Memorial Day or the month after Labor Day. The amount
of people around are a fraction of what is the case during the
summer. I spent three nights on the islands (Posey Island, Griffin
Bay, and Turn Island) and had all of these places to myself. I only
saw two other (guided) groups during the 4 days. There was tons of wildlife. Seals, all sorts of birds, and deer. No whales however. If Knucklehead Adventure Tours ever offers to take you on a Whale Watch don't do it! It is a scam. If you are with me than you are pretty much guaranteed to not see a whale or bear.
Lime Kiln Lighthouse - one of the (not scary) scary spots on the paddle
Turn Island campsite 
There are some incredible boats in these waters 
Deer on Turn Island
All in all, the paddling therapy
worked. I am still not looking forward to surgery but at least I was
able to get out of the house and have a little adventure. There is
only so much reading, writing, picking banjo, and writing I can do
before I start to go crazy. For some reason for me to feel alive I
need to put myself in situations where I have to work at staying
alive. Mission successful. Next project will be looping Lopez Island
whose south side looks even more challenging but that will have to
wait until later this summer or fall. 6 days until surgery.
