Paddling is Good for the Soul and Mind (Snoqualmie River Kayak Trip)

"Three-fourths of the Earth's surface is water, and one-fourth is land. It is quite clear that the good Lord intended us to spend triple the amount of time fishing (or paddling [GrizzLee]) as taking care of the lawn". ~Chuck Clark 

This past weekend marked the first days of spring. Having a bit of a break in the weather, my new found paddling friend, Don and I took to Snoqualmie river. We were intent on finishing out trip we had started 3 weeks or so earlier where we started in Fall City and paddled the Snoqualmie River to Duvall. The temperature was much more amenable this time around, hovering around 50 degrees as opposed to nearly freezing temperatures of 27-37 degrees on our last river outing.

As a paddle trip, I can highly recommend this section of the river. We started in Duvall on the Snoqualmie river and ended up in Everett on the Snohomish River. There are many tributaries along the way and a major river, the Skykomish, joined in the fun about a 3rd of the way into our paddle. We saw lots and lots of wildlife, including Bald Eagles, Hawkes, King Fishers, Coyotes, Herons, Ducks, Beavers, etc... The river flows well and makes for a good leisurly pace and is wild enough to make one feel they are experiencing a good bit of wilderness, despite being so close to a large surburban area. The river is big enough to accomodate our sea touring kayaks, whcih gives us speed and comfort.

The Snoqualmie basin is a mecca for bird watchers.

The tree was full of young bald eagles.

They are all peering down on us, as if we were prey.

Don taking a picture of me taking his picture.

Hwy 522 bridge. The Skyhomish river joins the Snoqualmie river just behind me. It becomes the the Snohomish river. Something that I never realized until this day, was that that the Snohomish name is a mix of the Skyk-omish and the Sno-qualmie names joined together... just like the rivers do.

Looking for abeach to have a snack and stretch a bit

At this point, the river spilts into multiple arms. This makes it tough to find the main channel

Awe... a much needed break. Just before this stop, we came across a couple of large beavers who seem to have made a home on the bank, underneath a road.

The Cascades mtns draped in a nice winter coat..

The mtns make for a beautiful backdrop.

As we approach the town of south Snohomish we notice an old railroad trestle.

Look closely and one can see the roundhouse and the big gear that once opened, allowing for much larger boats to pass by.

Speaking of boats.... we came across this boat half suken in the water. Look at the size of that engine!!

All-in-all we paddled nearly 24 miles... a great distance of  paddling by any standards. When we began, we were nearly 300 feet above sea level. The last five miles were beginning to take it's toll on us. We were at sea level and the the tide was coming in. To top it off, a pretty good head wind had developed. We were very happy, to finally to exit at Rotary park near downtown Everett, in a little riverside town called Lowell.

A big thanks to Lori for picking us up and arranging the transportation.

Until next time.....