Blog Archives

Follow the spirits and chase those demons

Posted by Ken Campbell October 10, 2012 0 Comment 1760 views

I’m not sure if it was 1997 or 1998. Or 1999 even. But in spite of not remembering the year, I remember the specific symposium when the Tsunami Rangers came to town. The West Coast Sea Kayak Symposium was, back then, the ultimate in kayaking events anywhere and traveling to Port Townsend on the third […]

More plastic talk

Posted by Ken Campbell October 9, 2012 0 Comment 1146 views

Ten days ago, at the Surfrider summit in Ventura, I attended a presentation by Marcus Eriksen. Dr. Eriksen is the force behind the 5 Gyres Institute, an organization that is involved in understanding and combating plastic pollution in the world’s oceans. He brought with him a section of a Japanese fishing skiff that he and […]

Red flags on Craigslist

Posted by Ken Campbell October 8, 2012 0 Comment 1967 views

I have a few kayaks I’m trying to sell. One of them, a Kevlar Arluk III, is an especially good deal at $800. I put it on Craigslist, thinking the additional exposure might make a sale happen more quickly and, sure enough, I got a nibble right away. “Is it still available?” James asked. When […]

Trail update

Posted by Ken Campbell October 5, 2012 0 Comment 1305 views

I saw where the Mount Ellinor Trail in Olympic National Forest reopened the other day after being closed for about three months. Goats were the reason for the closure; more specifically, aggressive goats that have become habituated to human contact and may present a danger to hikers. There are reasons for this: when hikers pee […]

In search of waves

Posted by Ken Campbell October 4, 2012 0 Comment 1119 views

I’m thinking about going surfing. I’m not saying I’m going, but I am definitely thinking about it. It’s been too long. (That’s Chris Pattillo above, with the late takeoff, but it could be me. Next time it will be, I’m sure.)

Live

Posted by Ken Campbell October 3, 2012 0 Comment 1124 views

I gave a presentation this past weekend at the Surfrider summit in California about the Ikkatsu Expedition. It was fairly short – about 20 minutes – but it went well and it seemed like the audience was pretty engaged. There’s a longer presentation scheduled this evening at the new Mountaineers hall in Tacoma. I’ll start […]

Starting and stopping

Posted by Ken Campbell October 2, 2012 0 Comment 1088 views

When I’m paddling a longer trip, my speed on the water is not a constant. The first half-hour is slow, like a voyage through molasses. After thirty minutes or so, it feels like I change gears and the motion gets a lot better. It’s almost like I need to get the joints and muscles in […]

A Public display of affection

Posted by Ken Campbell October 1, 2012 0 Comment 2663 views

This is not a paid advertisement. I receive no money or swag from Patagonia, nor do I have Yvon Chouinard’s cell number. I have no ties, official or otherwise, to Patagonia, the Great Pacific Iron Works or Lost Arrow. In many ways, a retail store is a retail store, and one company is pretty much […]

True

Posted by Ken Campbell September 29, 2012 0 Comment 1227 views

“Sometimes you have to go ahead and do the most important things, the things you believe in, and not wait until years later, when you say, ‘I wish I had gone, done, kissed…’ What we most regret are not the errors we made, but the things we didn’t do.” Audrey Sutherland

Tom’s gone

Posted by Ken Campbell September 28, 2012 1 Comment 1378 views

Back in the misty past, during what we older folks call “the 70’s,” I was deep in the process of growing up which, in Santa Barbara, California, involved spending an inordinate amount of time on a skateboard. I skated drainage ditches and pools, parking lots and hills. It was just what I did, as did […]