Kayak Camping: Whidbey West

Last December I phoned a kayaking friend. Michael is very knowledgeable about camping equipment, and I was looking for some advice. This turned into a conversation that we should do a winter kayak camping trip.

His preference was to go to the Washington coast. It is rare, however, for ocean swells to be mild during the winter. It looked like there might be a calm window that would be perfect for both swells and weather, however, the situation changed so we went to a plan B.

Michael had never kayaked along the west side of Whidbey Island, so we planned a trip from Anacortes to Fort Casey. He invited a couple other guys, noting that anyone who would go camping in the winter is probably somebody you would like to spend the time with. This was during our recent cold snap, so it was not a surprise that in the end they declined.

So the two of us met for the ferry to Whidbey Island in the morning and drove straight on with no wait. The sun rose while we were on the ferry, painting the mountains in a lovely warm glow. The weather, however, remained very brisk.

On Whidbey, we would then ferry our boats. We left a car at our Casey end-point, putting both boats on the other car to travel to our start point at Washington Park. To mitigate the weather, we had several bundles of wood which we stashed at our camping locations. Finally, we packed our gear in our boats and launched.

Day 1

At a small rocky beach on Burrows Island (end mi 2), we stopped for a shore break and food. It was in the sunshine and out of the wind. With an added layer over top of my dry suit and my PFD (flotation) it was comfortable.

A rock face edged the water at miles 6 & 7. We found at least four caves big enough to enter. There was an otter in one of them that swam under us and was running around on rocks at the back of the cave. The tide was different than last time we were here, so I’m not sure which cave was the one we boated into then.

At Deception Pass, the Cascadia Marine Trail campsite has picnic tables but no fire ring, so we walked over to one of the Bowman Bay Civilian Conservation Corps picnic shelters. It was enclosed on three sides, had a fireplace and even power for lights. We ate our dinner as the fire warmed the area. With a good supply of wood, we were there more than three hours before the fire was done.

Sometime in the evening a ranger walked in wearing a full tactical vest bristling with equipment. He asked us very seriously what our plans were for the evening. (There is no regular camping at Bowman Bay during this season.) When we explained we were at the CMT site, he relaxed completely and just asked us to turn out the lights when we were done.

When we were first setting up camp and Michael saw my Hilleberg tent, he said he had a problem with their tents!   The problem was that he bought too many of them!   :-)   (Of course, his tent was a Hilleberg as well.) Although this was probably the coldest evening, in bed it was perfect.

Day 2

This was our longest day. However, the currents were in our favor and the breeze at our back all day, so it was not a hard paddle.

The beach along the airfield of Whidbey Island Naval Air Station was not guarded. We did see a couple of people out for a run.

Our lunch stop was Joseph Whidbey State Park. There was a picnic shelter where we ate lunch. Later we realized our stop had actually been Rocky Point Beach and not the Park. (Oh well.)

After lunch we saw several Harbor Porpoises about a hundred yards off, surfacing several times to spout as they travelled. (They seemed so small.) Then later there were humpback whales farther out in the Sound. We saw plenty of spouting, saw some backs, and finally the flukes as one dove. (My first time seeing whales from my kayak!)

The general characteristics of Whidbey along this trip was high eroding sandstone bluffs with occasional low-land sections. The horizontal sedimentary banding was interesting. On one section the top of the bluff looked like a grand castle battlement, as if man-made. It had a thin dirt layer, a twenty foot vertical wall section (the castle), then the rest down to the beach was an eroding angled sandy section.

We stopped for a final short shore break along one of these bluffs, but then got quickly back in the boats before getting cold. Arrival at Ebey: Our campsite was at the only spot in the Park that was not a high bluff and right by the beach.

As we set up camp there was some light spitting rain. We considered eating at the picnic shelter, however, it was a distance away and the fire wouldn’t have been convenient. (A grill, not a fire pit.) So we stayed at camp, and it was the right choice.

The fire and the evening conversation was great. Michael decided to augment the wood we brought with excess from the beach. After warming and drying, it burned nicely. Didn’t stay up as late as last night.

Day 3

Our last segment was short like the first day. At Perrigo Lagoon (mi 3) an eagle that was perched on some standing driftwood ignored us as we went by. We took a quick shore break to look over the lagoon. I thought the hike on the ridge above looked interesting.

This whole trip had been a very zen-like kayaking experience - chill(y) and calm. At one point we joked about dealing with 3-inch chop! •••

Rounding the point at Casey a group of six sea lions popped up close to me, all with huge heads. They kept pace for a while about 20 ft behind me in a tight group, all watching intently and chuffing forcefully as they breathed. Then just as suddenly, they all disappeared under the water. A bit of a relief; they must have just been curious.

We arrived just as the ferry was departing. It made a long blast, so (of course) we waited for it to pass. The boats were unpacked, put on the car, and we started up the island. At the other car we transferred stuff and then parted, looking to do another trip again soon.