My friend James and his daughter Chelsea joined Maya and me in the latest of our dad-daughter kayak-camping overnights. Sucia Island, a short two-mile crossing from Orcas Island, was the perfect destination for a trip with kids—not too close, not too far, and lots for little girls to see and do.
For the return trip, the Sunday morning ebb kicked up a fair tide race between Sucia and Orcas, enough that we didn’t want to face it in open-cockpit kayaks with kids. We called in the water taxi, who whisked us back to Orcas in about fifteen minutes.
Route map. Fortuitously, the marina where the water taxi lands is a just a short walk from the launch beach where we left our cars.
We landed at Fossil Bay, my favorite of the many campgrounds on Sucia Island. The island was jam-packed with powerboaters, kayakers, and the latest invasive species to reach Washington's saltwater: paddleboarders. We got the last campsite on Fox Cove, unfortunately without shade.
From there, we took the girls on miniature hikes to the various attractions in this part of the island. Among the mud flats of Fox Cove, the girls discovered giant clam shows that squirted water, and mats of slippery sargassum upon which Chelsea taught herself to go “seaweed skating.” Along the outer coast of Fossil Bay, the rising tide forced us to hug the cliff, sometimes resorting to balancing on driftwood. Chelsea showed Maya how to surmount the many beach obstacles.
Maya riding in kayak to Sucia Island. She is accompanied in the boat by two mischievous mermaids.
James and Chelsea arriving at Sucia Island. From the water, it can be hard to identify the openings to the island’s various bays and coves.
Maya on the beach, Sucia Island. At high tide, most of this rock shelf goes underwater.
Chelsea and James on the beach, Sucia Island. The outer arm of Fossil Bay is the best place to look for fossils.
Chelsea and James under the tarp. Most campsites are shaded by trees, but we had to set up a tarp for shade at our campsite.
Maya and Alex in camp. James brought astronaut ice cream for the girls, what a treat!
There was little wildlife abroad, neither on the water nor on land. Summer is always a bit of a wildlife desert in the Pacific Northwest, but we did see six of Washington’s seven species of swallow, missing only the bank swallow, which is not common in the San Juans anyway. We heard but did not see olive-sided flycatchers, calling quick-three-beers.
Most unusually, a small army of Townsend’s voles emerged shortly before dusk. These mouse-like creatures behaved fearlessly, even squatting under our picnic table to eat scraps. They were so well fed they resembled furry, black golf balls.
Yellow-rumped warbler, Sucia Island. Dozens of these juveniles were foraging for insects among the driftwood, especially in the morning.
Townsend’s vole, Sucia Island. Have you ever seen such a large, plump vole?
Perhaps we just did not explore the beach far enough, but it seemed to me there were fewer fossils embedded in the cliffs of Fossil Bay than I remembered from my last fossil-hunting expedition in 2017. I hope no one has been taking fossils from the island, and if they have been, I hope it is scientists from the Burke Museum, not thieves.
Chelsea and Maya were quite interested in fossils and, indeed, rocks of all sorts, including the flat sandstone shelves along the beach and the many fist-sized lumps of quartz. On one of our walks, Chelsea picked up a very unusual rock: dark, smooth, shiny. It looked more biological than geological. James sent photos to a paleontologist at the Burke, who confirmed Chelsea had found a fossil, possibly an ammonite.
Fossil collecting on Sucia Island requires a scientific permit, so we left the ammonite behind. James later applied for a scientific permit on Chelsea’s behalf, which, if granted, would have allowed us to return to the island to collect the fossil for educational use in Chelsea’s elementary school.
Unfortunately, Washington State Parks denied the permit application on the grounds that fossil-raiding is already rampant on Sucia Island. The Parks staffer who called James said she “felt like a monster” for denying Chelsea the chance to take home a fossil she’d discovered. In consolation, Parks promised to send a paleontologist to Chelsea’s school with a whole table full of fossils.
Chelsea with her fossil, Sucia Island. I don’t ever have much luck finding fossils on the ground, but Chelsea’s keen eyes picked out this one.
Chelsea’s fossil, with US five-dollar bill for size. At first, we thought it might be a fossil claw, but the Burke Museum says it is more likely a marine fossil.
Thanks to the water taxi, there was no hurry to pack up Sunday morning. We explored Fox Cove, wading all the way out to the famous mushroom rock, which the girls eagerly climbed.
When it was time to meet the boat, we simply loaded our gear into wheelbarrows and pushed it all to the dock.
Alex and Maya wading in Fox Cove. The bottom here is muddy but still firm enough for walking.
Chelsea and Maya exploring Mud Bay. There are plenty of crabs and jellyfish to capture the girls’ imaginations.
Maya and Chelsea on the mushroom rock. The sandstone formations on Sucia Island are perfect for climbing.
Alex wheeling Chelsea. By Sunday afternoon, the island was three-quarters deserted.
Maya and Alex on water taxi. The water taxi has regular service to Sucia Island, but by special request, it can also pick up kayakers anywhere else there is a dock.
This was the second time I’d kayaked kids to Sucia Island only to be forced to take a water taxi back to Orcas. One of these days, I’ll get to paddle both directions.
—Alex Sidles