The San Juan Islands … kayaking and camping

August 23, 2015

Summertime in Washington State is a time to take advantage of the outdoors and explore what nature has to offer, from the lush green forests, to the rugged mountains, the beautiful surrounding lakes, and the vast Pacific Ocean.

Last summer my brother, Mat and his friend, Ryan headed to the San Juan Islands to do some camping and a lot of kayaking. Many months of preparation had gone into the trip to insure their safety out in the open water. A double kayak was their source of transportation and storage for all their supplies and equipment. Mat had reserved the campgrounds in advance and to access the campsites, they had to paddle their kayak there. The initial trip was intended to be seven days of kayaking and exploring around one of the main islands, San Juan Island. But due to the weather, the trip was cut short by two days. The southern part of the island will have to be explored at another time.

Mat documented the trip using a GoPro high-definition camera. The videos were edited and condensed into a short twenty-two-minute film accompanied with music. It is available for viewing at the end of the blog post and on YouTube. The video started with them packing up early in the morning before heading out to the ferry. Later in the video, you will see two crabs they caught for dinner. Jones Island was their favorite place to camp because of the incredible view of the surrounding areas. The one negative they encountered throughout the two nights they were there was the large population of raccoons. Their curiousity kept the guys up throughout the first night, and got a little better the second night. You could fast forward about nineteen minutes into the video if you want to see these raccoons. All you will see are these glowing mysterious eyes watching your every move. Mat was able to capture many beautiful sceneries, sunsets, and wildlife during his trip. It was a fun adventure with lots of great memories for Mat and Ryan.

Map: San Juan Islands

The San Juan Islands are made up of 172 islands located in the northwest corner of Washington State. They are nestled between the Cascades and the Olympic mountains. The Washington State Ferry System is the main source of travel to and from the four main islands, San Juan Island, Orcus Island, Lopez Island, and Shaw Island.