Cortes Island week 2, June 28 - July 5, 2025

 Triple header today.  I went out for a morning paddle.  Weather forecast showed rain ending and cloudy skies.  It rained on me about 3/4’s of the time, really hard at one point.  Saw eagle, river otter on the shore, but rain prevented photos.  That afternoon we met Brad for a walk down to Hank’s Beach at low tide, and then Donna and I did a sunset paddle on a beautifully calm night.  

Second day in a raw for a triple header.  Great morning paddle launching at Cortes Bay, (no rain(, an afternoon hike with Donna up to Easter Bluff, and a sunset stroll with Donna wrapped things up.  

Did a 4 mile hike in Kwas Park (trail head about a mile from our place) with Brad.  Picked Logan berries and cherries at our place.  The “odd poses” are Brads idea of a “Pete Hegseth”, (dthe incompetent and total brown noser Defense Secretary) pose.  

We hiked the Von Donop Inlet trail with Brad on Canada Day.  Picked berries and cherries back at our place.  I rode the bike to Brads place to pick up Donna’s belly bag which she left in Brad’s car, and Donna and I  took another sunset stroll.  

I did a ten mile kayak, launching from our place at Manson’s lagoon and going along the entire shoreline out to roughly the entrance to Whaletown bay.  A great lunch spot on an island with a great view of Marina and Quadra Islands, the Vancouver Island peaks, etc.  A more direct paddle back to our place.  Donna made a killer bread run snagging four loaves of our favorite 7 grain pan loaf and some red fife muffins.  Then after I got back we went over to our walk down to Hank’s Beach where the Desolation Sound peaks were in full view.  It clouded up in the evening so no sunset walk tonight.

We did a 4.7 mile RT hike to Carrington Bay with Brad on a beautiful cool morning/early afternoon.  Carrington Bay has a salt water lagoon like at Manson’s landing that has a small narrow inlet/outlet that always has some great starfish and other sea life.  We saw a lot of really cool jellyfish this time.  

13 mile RT paddle this morning and afternoon.  Donna dropped me off around 9..she went to hike to Hanks Beach afterwards.  Right off the bat I saw otters, and then an eagle made an attempt at snagging one (he failed).  Made it out to Kinghorn Island, and circumvented the island.  Really close to Desolation Sound.  Safe a number of eagles, starfish just under the water, and spectacular scenery.  We joined Brad for another salmon dinner at Hollyhock this evening….anoher delicious dinner.

Donna and I did a 4.5 mile RT paddle along the shore and out to the seal rock, launching from Cortes Bay.  After getting back and having lunch, we went over to Wild Cortes, the small but really nice natural history museum on Cortes.  Picked more berries and cherries before our departure for Quadra Island tomorrow.  One last sunset walk too.