By: Leanne, Wats, Mia

Our final day was our earliest by far. We woke up at the lovely hour of 5:30 am to have an amazing breakfast of oatmeal and fresh fruit at 6:15 am courtesy of Clark, Dylan, and Charlie. We broke camp, packed the kayaks, and began the voyage back to Jackson Beach. With two long days of paddling behind us, we were slow and tired, which yielded many breaks along the way. We briefly stopped at a small cove to rest and eat some snacks.

Our next stop was at the same island we stopped at for lunch on the first day, Turn Island. The rocks on the beach were incredibly sharp and painful, but somehow our three guides were able to walk on it barefoot. Thanks to Charlie, Clark, and Dylan, we were able to enjoy a delicious meal of pasta salad, along with some juicy apple slices and cookies. The recipe they used was Charlie’s personal family recipe. It was so delicious!

After having lunch, we jumped back in the boat. A second wind swept over us all and a final push to Jackson Beach felt like nothing relative to the rest of out paddeling. With the beach in sight, we raced the last bit and joyfully jumped out of our kayaks. We unpacked all of our gear from the kayaks and rode back to the dorms.

When we returned to the dorms, the wonderful people of Crystal Seas Kayaking gifted us each with a shirt! We showered and washed all our grimy clothes in the laundry machines. After that, we were gifted with free time, which many people used to get some meaningful rest. Some people chose to use this opportunity to explore downtown Friday Harbor, and run some errands.

After returning to the dorms, we ate a filling dinner and met Cassandra, the new dorm parent. We also met her daughter, Cara, and her cute dog. They will be with us for the duration of the program. We were sad to hear that Riley was leaving, but we were grateful for the time he spent with us. He also gave us some cakes courtesy of San Juan Bakery which were absolutely delicious!

After doing so much kayaking, we were glad to be back and getting some much needed rest. This experience was incredibly valuable, and we are grateful for the memories we made. Overall, the kayaking trip had moments of difficulty, but we all had so much fun!