Today was spent working diligently on projects, but we took a break from that to have an exciting visit from Dr. Deborah Giles of the University of Washington and her dog Eba. Eba is a working dog who works to sniff out killer whale scat to be analyzed for chemicals, diet of the whale, and even pregnancy. Dr. Giles explained to us how to tell individual whales apart simply through scat and also how the Snake River Dam is affecting our Southern Resident killer whale population. Eba was a delight to have as well, appreciating all of the love and new friends. While their visit was short, it was a pleasure and an honor.

The crew had plenty of time to sleep in today before we came together in the science room to embark on a call with Tim Dwyer, video engineer, and Megan Cook, communications lead and co-expedition lead and both Friday Harbor natives. They are currently working on the E/V Nautilus in the Johnston Atoll National Wildlife Refuge, about nine hundred nautical miles west southwest of Hawaii. The crew’s mission is to map and explore previously uncharted sections of the sea floor, and to take samples along the way. They spoke to us about the crew shifts, the marine life they are encountering on the seafloor, and we had the exciting experience of getting to watch the recovery of their two ROVs, Atalanta and Hercules. We had the opportunity to ask questions about their life at sea, what led them to the Nautilus, and how samples are collected remotely. After our meeting, we headed down to the Port of Friday Harbor where we completed a taxonomy activity and viewed the giant plumose anemones growing on the docks. We enjoyed poking our heads under the docks and pointing out decorator crabs, sculpins, and green sea urchins.

Today we took a chill pill and relaxed to the sound of the rain and thunder. Derek came over and we discussed the data collecting we’ve done in the field over the past week, from False Bay to Mount Grant. In addition, he also helped us understand the process by which one should conduct an experiment. As lunch arrived, we worked on writing up our observations, questions, and hypotheses for our upcoming projects. Alex helped us organize our thoughts and gave us helpful examples of how to write them. The rest of the afternoon was spent playing chess, walking into town, attempting to figure out how to play battleship, and discussing the means of actually carrying out our various projects. It was a much needed rest day after a busy week post kayaking trip, and we were all better off for taking it.

Our day started off with a leisurely sleep in and then breakfast before our taxonomy lesson with Alex McIntire, who is completing his major in marine biology with a minor in chemistry at Oregon State University, in the science room on campus. After learning a bit about taxonomy, we then set out to look at the eelgrass beds on Fourth of July Beach. There, we took measurements using transects and quadrants to determine both the number of plants in one square meter as well as the amount of epiphytes growing along the blades of the grasses. We found a number of Hooded Nudibranchs and some juvenile Dungeness crabs as we wandered. Alex provided us with a wealth of information about the importance of eelgrass in the ecosystem, acting as both a nursery for fishes and a filter for toxins that have been introduced to the ecosystem. They are a welcome home for epiphytes which grow on the blades, blocking out sunlight are a nuisance to the plants. Recently eelgrass has come under threat by diseases that blacken the leaves and kill the plants. After wandering the mud flats, we loaded back into our van and drove to the local fairgrounds where a small competition was being held. We each tried to build our best edible coral reef out of candy. Congratulations to Henry who got the prize for worst reef.

On the final day of our trip, we woke up bright and early at 7 am to start packing and getting ready to leave. We ran into a few obstacles along the way, like the incredible amount of caterpillars that had managed to climb all over our tents, but once we got rid of them we were able to pack up very quickly. Breakfast that day was eggs and toast, and everyone agreed that it was very good for a camping breakfast although many were disappointed by the lack of seconds on eggs. We didn’t have time to waste, so we finished breakfast as fast as possible to begin loading up the kayaks. We worked together to fit all of the food, tents, and personal gear into the kayaks, and astonishingly, the raccoons didn’t come and help us eat all of the food. We launched soon after that. The currents were not in our favor, but from what we had learned about currents and eddy hopping we were able to paddle back to our starting point relatively easily, riding the countercurrent most of the way. On our way back to the very first launching point, we noticed some seals on a rock nearby. We watched them for a while, but when one went into the water we figured it was time to go. Pretty soon after that we reached Jackson’s Beach. All of us were very excited to be back on San Juan Island and to eat lunch. We had mango lemonade and sandwiches and sat on the beach until we were picked up and returned to the dorms. Derek was also back when we returned, and we spent some time discussing our plans and ideas for our projects. Dinner that night was lasagna with garlic bread and a salad, and once again, everyone thought it was delicious. We wrapped up our day with ice cream and free time, and started planning for the next day’s activities.

Today we spent our time on the shores of Turn Island. We started off the day with a delicious breakfast of french toast and granola followed by a nap in the sand. We spent time resting our muscles after a long paddle trip upward from the D&R camping site. Our guides took us on a hike around the island, explaining some local flora like the Madrona tree which is often referred to as the refrigerator tree due to its cool to the touch nature. We also got to experience some of the local fauna including a noble bald eagle perched only a few meters away from us. The pesky raccoons also decided to make a reappearance but until nightfall they left us alone. We had a lunch of ham and cheese sandwiches along with some more salsa and chips which was followed by a lesson on currents and chart reading from Sam and Luke. As it warmed up, the gang decided to go swimming in the cold waters of the Salish Sea. Some members of the group decided to go as far as to dip themselves fully in the water head and all. Oscar swam out to the little island next to Turn as we cheered him on. We found some fascinating creatures in the water including a spectacular little comb jelly and a brown fish that swam up to Samuel and Ian’s legs. Sam and Luke then made us a delicious dinner of Thai curry and salad followed by some cookies for dessert before folks geared up to battle the raccoons once again.