This past weekend I was able to get out on the water and overnight at a marine state park!
Did I forget to take pictures at the campsite? YES! Regardless, y'all get a trip report!
We launched from Boston Harbor in Olympia, WA and paddled to Hope Island State Park.
The sun was shining, the weather was great, and we had our choice of campsites. We did arrive at low tide, which made hauling kayaks up the beach a bit of an effort.
I tested a new stove which worked well, and used my 15 year old REI Chrysalis solo tent for the first time in a while. It continues to hold up!
We launched the next day a bit after high tide, paddled around the Sound a bit, then headed back to our launch point. We did have to fight the current a bit, but the mountain was out, we were visited by seals, and a good time was had by all.
OK, can we talk about that compass?! Never occurred to me to look for such a thing. Don't really have an excuse to buy one as it's basically impossible to get lost on the local waterways, but damn that is sweet!
Anyone finding that they need a compass might consider the Casio SGW100 series. Pretty cheap on eBay, has a few color options. Just got the army green version and it's a hoot. OTOH, not going into a possible survival situation without an analog compass. Made a couple of wrist compasses from Suuntos, but damn, just checked and the prices have spiked.
Thanks, I love the compass SOOO MUCH. My favorite part of any vessel is a BIG FREAKING COMPASS. It just screams 'Adventure!'. Cool watch. I also carry a regular set of orienteering stuff with a basic compass in my essentials, and my fancy schmancy Garmin watch has a digital one too.