Today started off early; we were up and out of the house at 8:30! After packing our bags and piling into the van, we drove over to the Friday Harbor labs to observe Dr. Olivia Graham and her intern Katie Philipp. The dynamic duo were in the middle of an eelgrass study to determine at what points eelgrass wasting disease enters the plant. We had the fortune of arriving as they were removing and extracting their samples, and had the opportunity to help and observe the process! After helping remove the samples, we explored the tide pools along the coast of the observatory, checked out their dock, and headed back to the dorm.

After a little downtime, we headed out again to Fourth of July beach to observe eelgrass beds to take a closer look at them in their natural habitat. Along the way, we stumbled across students of the University of Washington, who were studying at Friday Harbor labs, and were taking a marine disease course. During our conversation, we learned more about the carbon cycle, and what role organisms and eelgrass plays.

After our discussion, we drove back to the dorm and continued to work on our presentations. After working on our presentations for a couple hours, we prepared the house for our guest of the night; Jessica Newley! Ms. Newley works with VR exploration and education, and films 360 degree video of her exploration in the Puget Sound and Salish Sea. With her, we had the opportunity to learn about the salmon lifecycle, and how the Salish Sea plays a huge role in the development of juvenile salmon.

Today was officially the last day of our three day kayaking expedition around San Juan Island! Our day started late; a little extra sleep was needed after staying up late for our bioluminescence kayak (see day 4 blog for details). Breakfast consisted of granola, yogurt, and bagels, which was thoroughly enjoyed with hot tea and coffee. After breakfast, we set out on the difficult task of packing up our supplies and playing tetris with our belongings to fit them back into our kayaks. Along the way, we met a few friends; we stumbled upon a family of Garter Snakes who were sharing the campground with us! Carter, who had dealt with snakes before, was able to gently scoop one of them up for us to see. Surprisingly, the Garter Snake was extremely friendly; we were able to touch and feel it, and it didn’t seem to mind. After greeting our snake-neighbors we loaded up the kayaks and prepared to embark dormwordbound. 

After the kayaks were packed we set out and started paddling down the coast of San Juan to the vans on the beach. We heard the reports of Orcas heading South down San Juan Channel! We were all very excited because we were heading in that direction. On our trip we saw many Harbor Seals swimming and relaxing on the rocks. We passed by a very nice old couple on a crab boat and they handed Max a big delicious Dungeness Crab. Dylan and Carter picked up a giant piece of Bull Kelp which they would use for later. After rounding Dinner island, Jackson beach was in sight!

After landing on Jackson Beach, we unloaded our kayaks, packed up the van, and made sandwiches for lunch. While the rest of us were eating, Dylan and Carter fashioned more  makeshift horns out of the bull kelp they had collected earlier. 

Finally, we drove home and said goodbye to our guides, Max and Maya, who had guided us along our kayaking journey. The rest of the day was spent recouping and recovering to compensate for our long journey. With pizza for dinner and a relaxing night ahead, I would call today a success.