For kayaking, it was an uneventful day. I left early in the morning from Fay Bainbridge Park across from downtown seattle. As is customary for the last day of a long expedition, I ate all the remaining food. No more canned fish, no more canned pasta, and no more Nutella to lug around in the boat.
I covered the last twenty-five miles to Everett with a slight head breeze which helped keep the heat bearable. Yesterday was a surprise to me just how it can be in the Pacific Northwest. I had always thought that the cool ocean currents kept the temperature steady throughout the year, but sometimes a heat dome can get trapped in between the Cascade Mountains and the sea keeping the skies clear and the temperature soaring for several days.
The boat ramp at Everett looked exactly the same as the day I had left. I paddled until the boat’s nose touched the concrete ramp, at which point I pulled up the spray skirt and stood on dry land.
“ I’m done!” I said to myself.
Soon after the phone started ringing with mom and dad calling to congratulate me.
“Well, now I can sleep easy again now.” Said mom. “Until you go on another crazy trip.”
I emptied the hatches, pulled the boat up the ramp and grabbed one of the Canadian maple rum bottles to take a celebratory gulp. This was perhaps not the right drink for the occasion; it tasted like an alcoholic liquid cheesecake which I would have loved to complement with ice cream and strawberries, rather than sweat and sea water, but it would do.
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I then grabbed the dry bag where I kept the bear spray and bear banger and decided to try out one.
“We could use some celebratory fireworks.” I thought.
I pointed one of the bangers towards the sky and fired. It made a loud echoing rumble that reverberated for a few seconds. “That was really loud.” Said two guys mooring their boat on the adjacent ramp.
It was loud indeed, and after a few minutes the police showed up asking if we’d seen anyone fire a rifle.
“Sorry. It was my bear banger. I can’t take it with me on the plane, so I figured I’d use it to get rid of it.” I said with some embarrassment.
It was enough explanation for the cops to let off with a warning to not do it again.
Sea Kayak Vancouver Island Circumnavigation
