This past weekend I was able to get out on the water and overnight at a marine state park!
Did I forget to take pictures at the campsite? YES! Regardless, y'all get a trip report!
We launched from Boston Harbor in Olympia, WA and paddled to Hope Island State Park.
The sun was shining, the weather was great, and we had our choice of campsites. We did arrive at low tide, which made hauling kayaks up the beach a bit of an effort.
I tested a new stove which worked well, and used my 15 year old REI Chrysalis solo tent for the first time in a while. It continues to hold up!
We launched the next day a bit after high tide, paddled around the Sound a bit, then headed back to our launch point. We did have to fight the current a bit, but the mountain was out, we were visited by seals, and a good time was had by all.
This is such valuable local knowledge - those confluences can be deceptively dangerous for kayakers even on calm-looking days, and tidal currents in the Sound can reach 5+ knots in some narrows which is faster than most paddlers can sustain!