Neah Bay Nature video

Neah Bay Winter Getaway 2011 from Island Paddlers on Vimeo.

Enjoy this touching compilation of inspiring Nature photography and short video clips from our annual, cold weathered escape to hike and paddle out and around the farthest reaches of where the roads end and adventure begins along the very ruggedly remote, Northwest corner of beautiful Washington State...

Neah Bay Winter Getaway

For the 4th year in a row we enjoyed

escaping to where the roads end in the very farthest

Northwest corners of our beautiful
Washington state

for our annual
Neah Bay *winter* Getaway...

Every year we so look forward to these four days when

we get to hike our favorite coastal trails

along beautiful boardwalks

visit the special site of an old Makah village,

explore miles of untouched Pacific Coast beaches,

share sunny picnics on cold winter days...

and paddle in open ocean waters!! 
This year we were super stoked to

launch our tandem Nootka Plus from
the Neah Bay marina

and head about 5 miles down the Strait

around Cape Flattery

to Tatoosh island where we found

some nice 4 to 6 foot Pacific Ocean swells 

to ride back in half the time on!

With abundant wildlife constantly
surrounding us- at least 100 bald eagles,

families of sea otters, deer and
more keeping us company everyday

on our blissfully remote land & sea adventuring....

Exploring. Photographing. Learning. Laughing we go....! 

La Nina, La Bamba!

With winter storm winds gusting from 

the arctic NE at over 30 knots

 bringing chilly temp's to match,

we bundled up and grabbed 
the day's gear of choice...

- our cameras-

Then set out for our favorite nearby

 vantage points to capture the wave-dancing fury 
from this late autumn, 'La Nina' storm... 

From watching gale winds 

blow ferociously over the Salish seas,

to watching a full moon rise peacefully over 

nearby volcanic Mount Baker...

The constantly changing dramatic backdrops that

surround our Fidalgo island shorelines are 

truly amazing! 

Autumn Alpenglow

Sunset alpenglow illuminates

volcanic Mount Baker

beautifully behind Padilla Bay islands

Mountain biking on Mount Rainier

Long before Jim discovered the joys of
paddle racing, flying off roots at
mock speeds along narrow trails

while racing in expert class, mountain bike

competitions was his passion for years.

Having grown up under the shadowy slopes 

of majestic Mount Rainier,

a recent mountain cabin getaway weekend

for Jim to 'return to his roots'

took on a whole new meaning!

From hiking, biking and boarding the
Cascade & Olympic mountains to 
paddling & sailing the Puget Sound & Salish seas....

Weekends for this Pacific Northwest native

mean 2 days a week full of endless adventure sport quests- playing hard, staying fit & having fun with friends while seizing the seasons in Nature's perfect outdoor lovers playground!!

Going to Church...

‎....means different things to different people.

 In our family it means rising before dawn

and dressing &/or packing in our finest

polypro, fleece & goretex,

to go for a hike with 3700 feet of elevation gain

in 8 1/2 steep, roundtrip miles

up & down a high alpine,

switch-backed trail.

As we laughingly celebrate autumns splendid arrival

one late Saturday in September, 

while frollicking with friends

and scrambling to reach the narrow-ridged summit

 of a beautiful 6,100 feet

 North Cascade mountain.

Read more about the Church mountain trail and hike at http://www.wta.org/go-hiking/hikes/church-mountain