Kayaking to Anderson Island and Eagle Island
August 2004
Our paddles powered us to a great kayak/camping destination: Anderson Island in south Puget Sound. The Washington Water Trails Association maintains a single party campsite on a sand spit that hugs the southwest coastline of Andy Anderson Park on the island. It's a terrific camping spot. Quiet, peaceful, pretty sunsets, and reservation-only to guarantee that you are the only ones there.
We left from the Luhr Beach public boat ramp across from the Nisqually Delta. Paddling about 4.5 miles to the campsite, we set up for a few days of relaxing. We also explored the forested trails of Anderson Park, gunkholed into bays of Anderson Island, and paddled around to the north side of the island to Eagle Island State Park. Before returning to the mainland, we explored the erosion-created canals of Nisqually Delta, noted for its great variety of birds; our quiet and low kayaks let us get up close to some interesting ones!
Josh went fishing for some Sound-cooled beer...
... while Tim and Emily foraged for wine
Kayaking along the shores of Anderson Island
Tim showing off his fine home cooking glop
Karen found a rope swing above the low tide beach of Eagle Island, where we walked around the island plus checked out its inland trails
Hunkering down out of the rain, under the porch of a dilapidated relic of a cabin we found up the hill from our campsite
Scott demonstrating proper wine tasting and laundry airing technique
The sandspit where we camped, with our tents in the distance. Watch out for the water level when going to the outhouse up in the woods, since high tide covers part of the trail to it!
