The Pacific Northwest: Marine Wildlife & Exploration

The day started off with Alex singing in the minivan and eventually the whole van singing California Girls by Katy Perry. We all then got out of the van started getting ready for kayaking. We saw a bald eagle fly overhead during our safety talk! Once out on the water, my kayak buddy, Ella, and I were slow, but we started to coordinate better and maneuver our way around. Maddy was our leader in front and she kept saying “around the corner” when we asked how far we had to go before stopping for lunch. For lunch, we had sandwiches, chips and the BEST oreos. We head back to the kayaks and made the short paddle to Jones Island where we will be staying for the next two nights. Once we arrived, we set up our tents and even a couple hammocks. We settled down by playing the card game BS, throwing a frisbee and making our flag. We also saw a lot of deer. After dinner we went for a hike and watched the sunset filled with so many beautiful shades of orange. We saw some harbor seals and then ORCAS! Which were prettier than on screen to be honest. That’s all from today, so singing off.
– TrinaJuly 16, 2021

This morning was cold. After waking up, Alex and Sarah jumped into the ice cold ocean. Brrrrrrrrr. We found a stick on our first hike of the day and we carried it ALL the way back to our campsite. On the hike, we saw a seal on a rock and it jumped in the ocean. Inspired by the seals, sometime in the afternoon, a few of us jumped into the freezing cold ocean as well. Teddy, Austin, Connor, Kyra, and Ewan jumped in. Another group went for a kayak ride with Sarah, circumnavigating Jones Island. The people who kayaked saw seals and harvested bullkelp, which we ate for dinner.- EwanJuly 17, 2021
Today we woke up to a hearty breakfast of oatmeal, as we packed up and got ready to finish our kayaking trip. The water was much smoother which made for an easy ride. Along the way, we got up close with many seals and jellyfish, and even got to see a river otter running around! After kayaking for almost three hours, we parked ourselves at a little island to have mango and tofu wraps. The water was so cool that some people even swam. It was definitely our hottest day so far and we reapplied some sunscreen there. Once we got back, we put away our equipment and headed off to two hotels; a little hostel in the heart of Friday Harbor, and a luxury hotel where everyone got their own room with a queen sized bed (I was in the nice one). We explored around and got to see a gazebo, a game room, and a cafe. We then had pizza, cheered on a grown man playing super mario, and found an open gas station to buy snacks at. Then we called it a night, while watching Bad Moms 2 and Mean Girls.- Lila S.July 18, 2021
The girls spent the night in a fancy hotel and enjoyed tacos, muffins, smoothies, and lemonade from the cafe. As a group we talked to a wildlife expert from an animal rehabilitation center called Wolf Hollow. We then walked around the historic English Camp and did some team-building activities. While listening to some great music, we drove back to Friday Harbor where we all received some money and broke into small groups to explore the little town. Everyone got food and souvenirs before meeting up as a group to take the fairy again. The ride was about an hour long and we spent the time watching the water and playing games. Lastly, we drove back to Seattle and stopped at Five Guys, which holds special value to us, and soon called it a night.- Maya S.

July 19, 2021
All of us woke up later than usual. Long day yesterday resulted in a tired crowd throughout breakfast and the vans. Austin started pumping out some tunes. He played Kid Cudi and Jack Johnson to name a few of the artists throughout the ride to the Space Needle. Once at the Space Needle, Alex found his camera at the foot of his seat. We walked through the history of the needle itself, and learned that it was built during the Cold War. Oddly enough, we weren’t allowed to speak on the 41 second elevator ride. Our frustration quickly vanished as the view of Seattle from the top opened up and revealed the secrets of the city. My favorite part of the tour was the Chihuly Gardens. Massive glass sculptures encapsulated large, dark rooms. Pikes Place was the overall best event of the day. We split off into groups and found a hole in the wall restaurants. In the words of Sofia “If you stand in line at the Starbucks, I’ll be mad at you.”  Indeed the first Starbucks was a let down. The samosas were fire tho. Jadyn disagrees. We topped off the day with an underground tour of Seattle. Honestly, everyone thought it was more interesting than imagined. What a day!

– Alex

July 20, 2021
This morning, we woke up to our usual breakfast of honey-nut scooters and bananas so we could prepare for a long day. After a packed ride and a few wrong turns, we finally made it to King County Park, where we would be spending the morning. When we got there, Crescent, the volunteer coordinator, gave us some info about the park, its importance, and its long history. Eventually we grabbed some tools and started some service work, the reason we were there. The invasive blackberry bushes took a while to cut back and rip up. Once we cut off pieces, we had to chop them up with pliers on a large tarp, as we used our shovels to help pull up the roots. Each person figured out what role they were best at, so work went quick and smooth. Connor yanked out yards of the berry vines, and Teddy pulled up the most roots by far. As the tarps filled up, Sofia, the master-chopper, and a few others broke up the plants so we could put them on the compost pile. Ten full tarps and two hours later, we were finally done. Of course, not without our fair share of cuts and scrapes from the sharp thorns. All the while, Adam, Trina, and Lila were preparing for lunch. Their adventures began when Trina got “lost” in the grocery store, aka Adam took three laps around the store looking for Trina, whilst she was watching him panic, not even two aisles away. The wraps were worth it, so even though we were a bit cut up, everyone was satisfied and ready to go. We did a few quick bonding exercises at a nearby beach, and then went back to the hostel to relax. The best part of the day was about to come, dinner.

– Kyra