PT Outdoors

A Day At PT Outdoors 6/11/10

Nicole — Mon, 14 Jun 2010 22:33:16 +0000

A day in the life of… an early season kayak shop. Today, I’d have to say is a slow day only because of weather. It’s slightly overcast and while it seems like poor weather, it’s the perfect day to paddle. There is a slight breeze out of the South, which usually means some kind of weather event is going on, yet it’s not enough to stop someone from getting their feet wet even for a short paddle. I’m at the kayak shop dreaming of some of the personal trips I’d like to plan for this summer, planning a few of the tours I will be leading and thinking about the kayak overnight trip I just finished leading. I’ve got a large Fort Worden Tour lined up for Saturday the 12th and I look forward to it. It’s going to be a good one, the forecast is looking good and there is no other place I’d rather be than out in my kayak with a good paddle in hand. This weekend also brings two lessons in the warm pool! They will be self-rescue and wet-exit classes. Another fine way to keep practiced up! Any one interested in going out for a paddle?

Port Townsend Waterfront to Fort Worden Kayak Tour – 5/8/2010

Nicole — Mon, 10 May 2010 21:09:05 +0000

I lead a Waterfront to Fort Worden tour today. The forecast was calling for wind later on in the afternoon and it was a little breezy to start but the sun was out in full force. I slathered on the sunscreen, filled my water bottle and pulled out my sandals. What a treat to put on sandals this early in the season! It’s only the second weekend of May. We did our safety briefing and “intro to kayaking” chat and were off.

The waters were calm and since the-lands-on-that-pier-only-three-times-a-year-Cruise Ship was moored we paddled out and around it. HUGE! Even with all the little people watching us from inside. As we continued on our paddle, the sailing club must have been having some sort of a race since there were about twenty sailboats going around a little set-up course. They were fun to watch and so was the crowd. As we entered into Admiralty Inlet, the wind picked up since we were no longer sheltered by the peninsula. It wasn’t enough to discourage our moods about our day. Along the way we found plenty of sea life, sea birds (the regulars and those in transit) and even saw two bald eagles. There were a few large tanker barges and kayaks to check out along the way. As we were heading back, we realized we are surely lucky.

Port Townsend Bay Mama Otter

Martie — Wed, 21 Apr 2010 19:53:36 +0000

I had one of those afternoons that makes me feel blessed to be in Port Townsend, Washington. I was sitting on the steps leading to the beach outside PT Outdoors when I noticed some movement on the beach below me. Looking closer, I saw a mama otter and her three babies running alongside a large log on the beach. They were on their way to the water. Mama otter kept pausing and standing up on her hind legs to look over the top of the log, making sure it was safe for the babies. After all, there were tourists down a ways on the beach.

When she felt it was safe, they scrambled over the top of the log and made a run for the water. Mama otter and two babies were safely in the water, putting some distance between them and the tourists. But wait…… there were three babies!!! Where was the third baby?

The third baby had made a wrong turn. He was in the rocks of the breakwall. He realized he was all alone and started crying. My first instinct was to run down the stairs and help the baby. But, I thought better of it and waited to see how this would unfold. Sure enough, Mama otter heard the cries. She looked panicked when she realized one of her babies was left behind. She gathered the two babies with her and swam back to the beach, straight to her third baby. There was no thought of avoiding the tourists this time. She was on a mission.

What happened next cemented my warm feeling towards otters.

She actually put her arms around all three babies and hugged them! Then she started to chatter at the lost baby. It sounded to me like she was scolding him for not staying with her. I could almost hear, “Now don’t you do that again. Pay attention. You scared me half to death. I love you.” Seriously, it really sounded like that was what she was saying. It was wonderful to witness the strong maternal instinct of the otter and feel that same bond all mothers feel when protecting their babies.