Photos by David Campiche
ABOVE: Oyster mushrooms on Long Island, situated within Willapa Bay. LEFT: Rowers in a canoe.
IF YOU HAVEN’T VISITED, YOU MUST.
T HE ISLAND IS BEAUTY INCARNATE.
Continued from Page 12
The n ative Chinook people, as well as
a century of immigrant clam gatherers and
present day oyster catchers, shaped a thriv-
ing industry here. Now, the bay and the
island highlights 260 square miles of tidal
waters. The tide surges on, high tide, low
tide, all as certain as moon glow.
The island hosts a half dozen offi cial
campsites, as well as trails, sloughs, streams
and innumerable waterways. Wildlife reigns,
with deer, elk, raccoons, porcupines, eagles,
hawks and owls. Other residents include
skinned newts, banana slugs, squirrels and
weasels.
Songbirds on the island are varied and
raucous. Their music gladdened the cloudy
skies around us, the air sweet smelling with
the sensation of dozens of perfumed bou-
quets from cedar boughs to odoriferous
plants and fl owers.
Sometimes the island is a treasure hunt,
with giant trees laced throughout. Herons
nestle into their tall rookeries, while beavers
and otters swim up the artery like network
of waterways, seemingly frolicking.
Do stay aware of the tides and the
weather. More than once, my skiff has been
marooned for several hours waiting for the
tide to lift, or I have spent an unexpected
night on the island as the winds howled and
huff ed.
On the east side of the island, Saw-
log Slough is a delight, surrounded by the
unfurling of other small waterways. Kayak-
ing is a great adventure here, a way to wit-
ness wildlife and waterfowl at arm’s length.
The landscape is a melange of natural light
and color that quiets the mind, slowing the
senses into a peaceful meditation.
I wonder about the people who have been
through these waters and islands before, pic-
turing Chinook camps, cabins, canoes, sail-
boats. If you haven’t visited, you must. T he
island is beauty incarnate.
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on the waterfront • port of ilwaco, wa
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THURSDAY, JUNE 23, 2022 // 13