Today we woke up nice and early to set off on a hike first thing in the morning. We hiked up Mount Grant and admired the labor it took to create the beautiful path on the mountain. As we got higher, we started picking up cell signal from Canada so we had to turn our phones into airplane mode. It was a nice way to start the day and a memorable weekend activity as well as a great place to hike.
When we reached the top of the mountain it was a stunning view of the San Juan islands! It was a breezy morning and the sun was out making it such a great view. Here we are sitting on a bench thats near a ledge of the mountain enjoying every moment of the sight. They say hard work pays off and our hike definitely payed off!
When we reached the top of the mountain, it was a stunning view of the San Juan Islands! It was a breezy morning and the sun was out making it such a great view to look at. Here we are sitting on a bench that’s near a ledge of the mountain enjoying every moment. They say hard work pays off and the hike definitely payed off!
On the way down from the top of the mountain, we stopped by the newt pond. Sadly, we weren’t able to find any newts but we did find a little frog hopping when we went back onto the main trail. The view was fantastic near this small pond and a good place to stop to take a sip of refreshing water after a long hike.
After lunch had passed, we worked on our projects that we will be presenting tomorrow at 3 pm to Salish Sea Sciences staff, people we have met while on this trip, and a few others from back home. A majority of us have already finished our project outline and are currently working on the visual aspects of our projects. We are so excited to have a lasting impact in the community around us!
We started our adventure of the day at Fourth of July beach where we met with Olivia Graham, a PHD student who studied at Cornell University and has a bachelor’s degree in biology. She explained throughly her work on the diseased eelgrass in San Juan Island. We were able to wade in the water for a little bit and picked up some sea lettuce.
We got our hands in the water as she pointed out many things in the water. We found cool things in the bed of eel grass. It was very cool because the tide was going up as we waded in the water! Over all the amount of things that live in the bed of eel grass are amazing.
In the eel grass bed we found donut/seed like balls which turned out to be eggs! They were snail eggs which are really fascinating because there are lots of snails that live in that habitat. We found other things like worms and crabs while we were there. Overall a really great experience and enjoyable afternoon activity!
Lastly, we walked to the Friday Harbor Lab dock and met with Erika Nilson, the executive assistant at the SeaDoc Society. She talked to us about the work SeaDoc Society has done in the past as well as offered us some advice on the projects we are currently working on. We asked her an abundance of questions that are vital to our projects’ success. Today was definitely a great day to go out!
After a brief discussion with our guides Matt and Sarah from Kaigani Canoe Voyaging, we headed out to sea. We learned about the history of the canoe, we learned to use the canoe respectfully, and how to use the paddle most efficiently. We had some trouble moving with the waves but we were able to make it work. We made the best out of our trip and would like to go back on the water soon!
Once we arrived to Turn Island which would be our campsite for the night, we began to set up our tents. It was the first time camping for some of us so getting everything ready was a group effort. Some of our tents had a little dirt in them from their last use, so we picked it up and vigorously shook the dirt out of it.
Shortly following setting up everything for the night, we took a break to enjoy our dinner and each other’s company. Some of us hopped into the water and it was freezing. After we got out of the water and finished eating, we set off for our silent reflection hike.
The silent hike was very peaceful and a good way to end our extensive journey to the island. We were able to think of all the things we have learned so far during this trip. On the hike itself, all of us were able to see a harbor seal that was just on the coast of the island. We sat down for 30 minutes and we watched the waves crash into the rocks as we wrote in our journals.
Before heading home, we saw a little glimpse of a whale coming up and using its blowhole. We quickly rushed to the other side of the island to see if we could catch any other sightings. Our chaperone Sockeye told us that it was a humpback whale. One of us was able to look through binoculars and see the back of the whale coming out of the water. After seeing this majestic species, we headed back to Friday Harbor Labs.
1) Youth from Unleash the Brilliance start off their trip by going on the ferry starting at Anacortes and ending up in Friday Harbor. It was many of the youth leaders’ first time on the ferry and one of the youth said it was a very scenic ride and an enjoyable leg of the journey. The image is of all eight of the youth before arriving at the Friday Harbor Port.
2) The group ended up at South Beach where they started to wind down for the evening after a long day of travel. They took a hike up the trail to enjoy a beautiful sunset and while they hiked, they realized that the island is home to various animals due to their encounter with deer and photographers aiming to capture a glimpse of foxes. It was definitely a relaxing view from the hilltop of South Beach.
Tuesday
3) We all met up at Jackson’s Beach the following morning and learned about maps and charting. As we looked at the waterways, we were fascinated by the fact that the fresh water going out into the Salish Sea and through the Strait of Juan de Fuca into the Pacific Ocean had an effect on the speed and direction of the current. We enjoyed a breezy morning on the San Juan Islands while we picked up plastic found on the beach and observed wildlife.
4) We met with Sharon Massey and Kari Koski, two naturalists and senior science educators who have a passion for the water quality on the island. We checked out a local creek with them and surveyed the physical characteristics of the creek. We then headed out to False Bay where the creek flows out into the Salish Sea. We enjoyed wading in the water with our rubber boots on but not very fond of the smell of the decaying algae.
Wednesday
5) Waders are like overalls that go down over your feet and keep you dry while you’re in the water. We were all excited to get into our waders and get our hands dirty!
6) We quickly made our way into the water where we collected samples. We collected the substrate in the water and tried to pick up as many critters as we could find. These critters are also known as macroinvertebrates that live in these ecosystems.
7) We thoroughly investigated our samples in the nets we caught them in and we used magnifying glasses to identify the different species in the pond. We found a number of macroinvertebrates along with spiders, mini snails, and a tadpole. We returned the samples to their natural habitat and then went off to lunch.
8) After lunch, we took a 45 minute walk down to the harbor where we looked at the shoreline armoring. We had learned about shoreline armoring from Dr. Megan Dethier, the Director of UW Friday Harbor Laboratories. Shoreline armoring is a wall made to protect the shoreline from eroding too quickly but it also has a negative effect on the beaches. It acts like a dam and holds in the sediment which causes beaches to wash away. On the dock, we were able to see two different shoreline armoring techniques which includes rocks and a concrete wall.
