Tag Archives: orcas island

Surviving the Orcas Island 100

For the past five years, my husband, Nick, and I have made every excuse to visit the Pacific Northwest. In 2014, we ran the Sea to Summit Trail on British Columbia’s North Shore and shopped for ripe peaches and sun-warmed tomatoes at the Bellingham Farmer’s Market. In 2015 we hiked the West Coast Trail, then I crewed for Nick when …

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Paddling Paradox: Autumn Paddling in the San Juan Islands

We paddled around the small headland and entered a glassy pool that reflected dark conifers.  It was another world entirely than the one we just departed. The early evening light softened the scene into lazy shadows and rich colors. We relaxed when we heard the soft crunch of sand as our kayaks come to rest on the beach. Just an …

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Welcome to Planet Orcas

With the great out-of-doors, as with cuisine, there’s no disputing matters of taste. One person’s caviar is another’s soggy dumpling. For myself, I’ve always preferred a good healthy slog through an ancient forest to the more easeful charms of a beach. So it was that, shortly after I arrived on Orcas Island, I began hiking along the Cold Spring Trail. …

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San Juans in Spring: Hiking the Outer Islands

Mention hiking on the San Juan Islands and Moran State Park instantly comes to mind. While this large popular park on Orcas Island with its 30 miles of trails certainly is a supreme hiking destination, there are scores of great hiking spots throughout Washington’s stunning archipelago. The outer islands, beloved by boaters, paddlers and sailors also contain some exceptional hikes. …

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Springtime on the Salish Sea: Paddling the San Juan Islands

The flat two-mile crossing was anything but notorious. I was almost disappointed. We’d dragged our kayaks onto the ferry in Anacortes at oh-dark-hundred, disembarked at the Orcas Island terminal and waited for our transportation, loaded boats and gear into a van that took us across the island through Eastsound, unloaded our boats and gear at Terrill Beach, and then began …

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San Juan Trust Expands Turtleback Mountain Preserve

Acquisition Protects Entire Ridgeline, Provides Public Access to Turtlehead   The San Juan Preservation Trust has acquired a property on Orcas Island that will add more than 140 acres to the Turtleback Mountain Preserve and permanently protect the entire ridgeline of the mountain. The iconic turtle-shaped profile of Turtleback Mountain is recognizable from throughout the San Juan archipelago. It was …

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