Last week we took the club to the 'Up & Over' to another paddle that starts in a river and ends up in the Sound. This time we actually planned ahead a little and checked the tides (last time we didn't). What a difference that makes! We parked here, near Stanwood WA and in the Hat Slough, and paddled down the Stillaguamish river to the Sound and back and had a great time. A couple of things about this paddle, number 1 - tides. We planned our trip just right so that we would make it to the Sound with around a plus 3 foot tide. I figured this would be deep enough for us to paddle through and not get stuck in the sand. It worked. The extra bonus to this was that when we started to come back, the tide was still coming in - thus sending us up river. We basically paddled down river with a slow moving current and then rode the tides back up...sweet. The only bad thing about this plan would be if you wanted to keep going past the entrance to the Sound (to somewhere like Kayak Point). Once we made it out to the saltwater, since the tides were coming in, we paddled against a pretty strong current (like a river). Keep that in mind. Also, this is a river. We paddled it in the Northwest summer which usually lacks the one thing we're known for - rain. Be careful what time of year you paddle rivers (I think that is pretty obvious but just in case). More rain means more water, faster water sometimes, maybe even more snags in the river too. Then, there is the launch site. This one is a little hidden, especially if the tide comes in and on your return you literally rise a few feet. Check out the picture below - your launch site is just past the one tree before the other tree. The green one. See what I mean? However, just remember you put-in just down river from a bridge (pictured below). Finally, the parking lot. There has been some stuff written on local blogs and mentioned to us by locals at the site about the threat of break-ins at this parking lot. The moral of the story was don't leave anything of value in your car if you leave it here while paddling. For us it was fine and we saw more good people coming and going then sketchy ones.
~Paul, Amber, John ETC
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We're always planning for future adventures here at the club - while exploring more of the 'Up & Over' we stumbled upon the boat-launch kayak put-in at the Everett Waterfront Marine Park. There are some launching and parking rules (check the link) but overall it looks pretty cool. It is definitely a busy place - lots of boat (power boats) in and out plus the Navy waterfront section is nearby, but, pick a quiet day and there is lots to explore in the area (especially up the Snohomish River). I've even heard there are some sunken ships around...
Another great post on the Everett marina & waterfront - here. ~Paul & Amber ETC Here in the dark, rainy, cold Northwest we have nothing better to do than sit inside and plan for the summer (ok, it's not really that bad...but gloomy anyway). I've been looking at some books I checked out from the public library, searching for some super cool paddling opportunities in Washington state (or Oregon).
I'm gonna start this spring/summer/fall by focusing mainly on Washington flat water, tidal flat water, and class 1 rivers (and lakes). Here's the list so far. Any suggestions? ~Paul ETC North Puget Sound: Dakota Creek/California Creek Lummi River Skagit River Stillaguamish River South Puget Sound: Snohomish River Sloughs Snohomish River Snoqualmie River (parts) Sammamish River (did it last year but accidentally deleted all of the pics) Issaquah Creek Duwamish River/Waterway Green River (parts) Nisqually River Delta/McAlister Creek Olympic Peninsula: Hoquiam River: East and West Forks Little Hoquiam River Wishkah River Chehalis River (parts)/Sloughs Black River Quillayute R/Lower Dickey R Strait of Juan de Fuca (parts) Southwest Washington: Willapa River and Sloughs Palix R/North R/Smith Creek Grays River/Seal Slough Northern Cascades: Ross Lake White River Diablo Lake Eastern Washington: Lake Lenore Yakima River Canyon Winchester Wasteway Hutchinson and Shiner Lakes Columbia River (parts) Walla Walla River Palouse River Bonnie Lake Fishtrap Lake Spokane River (parts) Little Spokane River Horseshoe Lake Little Pend Orieille River Kettle River (parts) |
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March 2014
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