Written by: Eva, Sam, Owen, and Addie

It was an early morning, but spirits were high anyway since it was Orcas Day! Even better, it was our dear Violet’s Sweet Sixteen — we all sang many times to celebrate! We packed our bags and headed to catch the 8:15 ferry, which, after a delay, turned into the 8:30 ferry.

On the ferry, there were many activities to partake in. Some napped, some puzzled, but everyone enjoyed the view… except for those who were asleep.

We got off the ferry and took a scenic drive to our nature walk. The weather was a little down, but Addie has some magic in her veins. She was able to spell the sky into shining, shimmering, sparkling, sunny view.

We embarked on a hike down a glamorous nature trail lead by Ani at the Coho reserve. On this cute little trail, we stopped every once in a while to learn about the diverse environment that is very unique to Orcas Island.

Our next stop was Mt. Constitution, where we ate lunch and enjoyed the amazing view from the top of the mountain. We were even able to go up the Fire Lookout, where the best views were found.

Next, the best part, the star of the show, lake time! We swam in Cascade Lake in Moran State Park which was very warm and fun!

Unfortunately, we got out of the water and rushed to the Ferry to make sure we could get on. It was all worth it, because we got the last spots to Friday Harbor. We just needed some more of Addie’s magic. The ride back was surprisingly less sleepy than the way there, though there were still naps being taken.

We ended the night with pizza and cake for Violet’s birthday!

Written by Eva, Sam, Addie, and Owen

It was an earlier morning than usual, since we were going tide pooling. We had the same breakfast we’ve had for the past forever, but it still hit the same. With an early start, we headed to Deadman’s Bay for low tide.

We arrived before the lowest tide so we could have more time exploring all of the diverse tidepools. We found many different organisms down at the bay, such as sea stars, sea urchins, crabs, and much more.

After our time in the tidepools, we had a nice lunch with a view on the beach.

We visited the farmer’s market in town and all the stalls of produce, artisan baked goods, and handmade art.

We then made our way back to the dorms to get a talk on invertebrate phyla from Adam. After a great lecture on all the invertebrates in the Salish Sea, we were introduced to our personal projects, and what resources we will be able to use for our end-of-course presentation. Afterwards, we sat down and brainstormed and prepared for an amazing dinner prepped by our fellow friends. Tonight we plan to have a wonderful talk from Shauna Barrows, she works for the land bank on San Juan Island. She does lots of ecosystem restoration in the island and keeps it looking as beautiful as it does. https://www.hometrust.org/shauna-barrows

Written by: Addy, Eva, Sam, Gabe and Una

Today was an early morning, we awoke grateful it didn’t rain and began with packing up all our gear. Before we could have yogurt and granola or oatmeal, we had to turn in our tents to prove we were all packed up. After eating, we began to move boats into the water and bring all our gear down to the shore. We packed up the boats and loaded up. Spray skirts and PFD’s on and we were so ready to paddle back. We began our journey back. Through wind, rain, strong current, and lots of scattered singing, we made it through John’s pass, Spiden channel, and back to Rosche Harbor. Once we got out of the kayak and stretched our legs, we unloaded the boats and loaded up the trailer. Since it was pouring, we headed to Jackson beach for some pulled pork sandwiches and snacks. After eating, we loaded back into the vans and to the dorms. We all showered, did laundry, and relaxed to reset from our long but amazing trip. We had some lasagna for dinner and are now winding down for probably an early night to prepare for tide pooling tomorrow. Unfortunately, not many photos today since the conditions were questionable and not many safe opportunities to take out our phones.