kayaking

Gorge Games spotlight Hood River as a multisport mecca

Tan Vinh — Thu, 10 Jul 2008 00:00:00 -0700

HOOD RIVER, Ore. — Three decades ago, when timber and fruit-processing operations shut down, Hood River was full of boarded-up buildings and vacancy signs. Who knew the same annoying wind that blew hamburger wrappers and Coke cans into front yards would be its savior?

By the late 1980s, thousands of surfers realized that the 35-mph winds that blew through the gorge created arguably the best windsurfing playground in America outside of Maui. Hood River found its second act.

These days, the town's population of 6,673 doubles from June to October.

Seattle's working waters

Greg Johnston — Thu, 13 Dec 2007 00:00:00 -0800

The dark metal gates slowly swung open and the lockmaster looked down at us and said, "Are you experienced paddlers?" We replied in the affirmative and he said, "OK, go ahead, you've got a three-knot current, paddle hard!"

Paddles dipped, flashed and dripped and,in a few seconds,we slipped back into the gentle flow of Salmon Bay, kayaking back through the gritty maritime soul of Seattle, past rubber-ringed tugboats, freshly painted purse seiners, derelict schooners, graceful sailboats and opulent yachts.

Hot tips for cool outdoor gifts

Dan A. Nelson — Thu, 07 Dec 2006 00:00:00 -0800

Outdoor enthusiasts love the holiday season.

South Sound's sweetest paddle takes you to a place called Hope

Greg Johnston — Thu, 13 Jul 2006 00:00:00 -0700

SHELTON -- Hammersley Inlet is the narrowest of the glacially carved waterways that curl around south Puget Sound like the gnarled fingers of a witch, funneling and propelling the tides to create what local kayakers call the "Shelton shuttle."

You can ride the rippling currents from Shelton seven miles out to the Sound, past forested green bluffs through seal-rich eddies and otter-visited coves. Then wait for the tide to turn and you can catch the briny currents of the flood back.

For pure waterborne magic, Cypress Island is hard to beat

Greg Johnston — Thu, 15 Sep 2005 00:00:00 -0700

ANACORTES -- As a place to prop yourself against a driftwood log and contemplate the mountains and the sea, few places are better than Pelican Beach.

As a place to glide through fluttering forests of bull kelp and spot things such as porpoises rolling in tide rips and seals peering at you with liquid-moon eyes, you can't much beat Cypress Island.

British Columbia islands offer a quiet escape

Carol Pucci — Fri, 29 Jul 2005 00:00:00 -0700

PROTECTION ISLAND, British Columbia — "Would you like to borrow a wheelbarrow?" Catherine Hebb asked as we finished the last of our French toast.

We had spent a relaxing two nights at her B&B. Now our bags were parked near her front door. It was time to catch the ferry and head home.

The welcome mat is always out at Mother Nature's city home

Greg Johnston — Thu, 31 Mar 2005 00:00:00 -0800

You could almost get lost paddling the bird-rich, turtle-crazy cattail corridors that surround Foster Island in the Washington Park Arboretum -- except for that damned floating freeway and its wheels-on-concrete- internal- combustion commotion.

Paddling a canoe or kayak around Foster Island -- deep into the Arboretum's wetlands -- is a decades-old Seattle tradition, and a fairly convincing demonstration that a flourishing, biologically rich ecosystem can coexist with rampant roadways and mass humanity.

Guided paddle tour is a fun -- and fitting -- way to explore Victoria

Anne Mullens — Thu, 24 Mar 2005 00:00:00 -0800

VICTORIA, B.C. -- We glide past a great blue heron, which stands regally motionless on a tidal rock less than 10 feet away. A few moments later a harbor seal pops his head up and studies us with great, brown, limpid eyes. Meanwhile, cormorants call overheard as they struggle to take flight.

It's hard to believe we are just off downtown Victoria. But a few hundred yards from the city's Inner Harbour, the pleasures that come from a near-wilderness experience abound -- if you are in an ocean kayak.

Hop on the One World Outing Club bus and the good times will roll

Barry Truman — Thu, 27 Jan 2005 00:00:00 -0800

It was, in fact, a blind date. A bus full of strangers and, for me at least, destination unknown. I toyed with the idea of asking the bus driver where we were bound.

I had failed to call for the last-minute phone message that reveals the location of the One World Outing Club's next expedition. I didn't want to seem overanxious.

The custodian of the message, Lance Young, is a serious environmentalist and director of the Outing Club, an outdoor party on skis and snowshoes that makes tracks anywhere from Snoqualmie Pass to Norway.

Things are looking up in the once downtrodden Middle Fork valley

Greg Johnston — Thu, 04 Nov 2004 00:00:00 -0800

NORTH BEND -- The Middle Fork Snoqualmie River rumbles and tumbles green and white through a classic valley of the Cascade Range. It is ringed by rugged ridges and high lakes, laced by wilderness forest trails and waterfalls and stitched with premier rock-climbing routes. A few places are dotted with crystal mines and hot springs, and the river froths with paddle runs ranging from gentle to extreme.

It's a pretty magical valley, only 45 minutes from the largest metropolitan area between San Francisco and Vancouver.