Recently I joined neighbors and friends on a four-day trip to the lower Columbia River! We took touring kayaks, including the Feelfree Atlantis on this terrific kayak camping trip.
We started at Skamokawa, a town on the Columbia River, which has a kayak rental shop and dock. A great place to start the trip. A trip on this section of the Columbia takes precaution and planning. It’s less than 20 miles from the ocean so tides are a big factor. It can get windy. The river is quite wide in some sections. And there are 600ft long ships plying these waters. So waves plus wind plus current and ships equals planning. It’s best to head downstream with the outgoing tide and return with the incoming tide. You need to camp above the high tide line! Everything has to be timed to the tides, and because it can get windy, taking the weather forecast into account is mandatory.
We head out on a very calm morning on the outgoing tide. I’ve never experienced this section of river. But those who have say it’s never been this easy! Good, I say. The current is helping us along. We see many bald eagles, and fewer ospreys. There are some big ships, especially the car carriers, which look like big office buildings floating on the side. They are much faster than they look from a distance. And sometimes, they throw out a big wake behind. So when you see one coming get out of the shipping channel, if you happen to be in it. There are bends in the river and trees on islands. Sometimes the only way you know a ship is coming is the smokestack above the trees. There are not lots of pleasure power boats – just a few fishermen looking for salmon or sturgeon. A few hours later we reach our intended destination, a beach on the Washington side where we know there is a spot complete with a ‘kitchen’ from previous years. But this time it’s busy! But we find out the occupants are leaving tomorrow. So we move off to another site for the night. We enjoy the sun and start collecting some wood for a fire.
Luckily, the site we want is left vacant. We occupy it. Then we decide to paddle across the river to the wilderness on the other side. There are many channels over there to explore, and some floating homes anchored by hunters. We check out the estuaries, where there are more bald eagles, and take in a lunch on a floating home. It’s very pleasant!
But the wind kicks up. The waves get larger, and we start to become concerned about making it across to the other camp. Once we get out onto the main branch of the Columbia, the waves get to over two feet and some crest. This, combined with the outgoing tide means there was the regular current, the tide accelerating it, and wind coming in the opposite direction from the ocean. This made for challenging paddling! I was very relieved when we made it home to camp.
We had a dinner made in the camp kitchen. Tonight is burritos. We have a little bit of wine with dinner, and this time, lots of wood and a bonfire! There’s no end to the amount of wood that can go on that fire. And to top it off, we have fireworks! One paddler has stuffed a huge amount of very nice “mortars” into his boat and these go off for a long time. We notice somebody else had the same idea on the Oregon side of the river. Later that evening it was high tide. The tide was highest about 2:30 a.m., and near that time the ominous sound of a huge engine could be heard. I woke up to find a tanker headed by at flank speed. Knowing a wake was not far behind, I rushed down the beach to pick up any kayaks and equipment and move it up the beach. I’m glad I did, because the waves that came almost reached our tents!
On our last day, it was a matter of waiting for the wind and tides to switch to our favor. So in the afternoon, we took off toward home. Although we’d be paddling against the river current, at least the tide was slack – and the wind from the ocean would help. Well, it was no picnic. This time it was 20-25 knot winds going against the current, and a boat fully loaded with camping gear! I had mistakenly loaded the bow compartment of my Atlantis with more weight than the stern. We also had waves following us, so there were points where my 14-ft long kayak wanted to surf, then plow (submarine) into the next wave! It was unsettling to say the least, but I found some eddies on the side of the river where the current actually reversed, to it helped me beat the others by a half hour! Way cool.
There was a lot of wind out there that last day, and the waves sometimes reached three feet. It was so wavy that one of the kayakers actually got seasick! They beached their boat and another paddler towed it back to Skamokawa. I got in my car and found them by the road. Well, in the end we were all tired and hungry, and ready for a beer!
