thehostelwitness

Building a Kayak - Day 7-8

These last two days have been spent finishing the hull panels. The top panel requires the length to be sanded down to a 45% angle, as the deck which goes on top of the kayak will be raised a bit. Using a sander, Werner and I finished beveling the last of the two panels and attached them accordingly - if we wanted to,

Building a Kayak - Day 6

Now we are cooking!

With the panels finally glued, we can get to the boat building.

Today was our longest day - we started right at 8am

Building a Kayak - Days 2 - 5

It turns out, building a kayak consists of a lot of glueing and waiting. Days 2 - 5 were spent glueing the panels together, using a special epoxy coating a strip of fiberglass. What took us 3 hours to prepare and glue on the second day was whittled

Building a Kayak - Day 1

As I mentioned earlier, I went to Pygmy Kayaks in Port Townsend last weekend and purchased a sea kayak kit. I first saw these boats on the documentary, Paddle To Seattle, and pretty much decided on a whim that this was going to be my spring project - done running with the marathons and its a bit too snowy for a hike, so this is going to be perfect. 

I'm not going to lie, an added bonus is spending a week building this thing with my step dad. I daresay that he's more excited than I am about the whole project; he's the brains and I'm the assistant behind this thing. 

Day 1 - 

A Sea to Summit Weekend

Hiking in Washington is not without its drawbacks. Our famed mountains, the pristine hikes, the killer climbs - all are essentially only available when the snow melts. Even then, its a 2-3 month open window where the most popular hikes become crowded with people just as eager to be on the trail and as dismayed at finding it busy as you are.

Tips on Planning for the Wonderland Trail

My friend Mollie asked me for a few tips for planning and hiking the Wonderland Trail, something that Jayson and I were able to do a couple summers ago. I remember being overwhelmed by information, but finding very little actual advice - so I thought I'd post some of the thoughts that I had for her.

 

The first time we tried to do it (2008), we booked

My new favorite piece of gear, the Soto Pocket Torch: Not just for crack!

Its time to sing the praises of my new favorite piece of gear: The Soto Pocket Torch.

Made by the fine folks at Soto Outdoors, this durable 

Perry Creek/Mount Forgotten, Mountain Loop Highway

9 months of rain followed by the best July, August, and September you can ask for. That's a Seattle summer and believe me, its good enough to slog through the weeks of fog, rain, and cold. I will admit that this year's summer came late, close enough to break me down. I had moss growing on my car. In June.

Bowman Lake, West Glacier National Park, Montana

 

Bowman Lake, West Glacier National Park

I really should have more photographs. Really.

After spending 5 days and 4 nights in Montana

Hiking the Olympic Coast Trail, LaPush to Ozette

Now...here is a hike!

3 days walking from LaPush up to Ozette along the Olympic coast