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Please note: This expert may not be available for every date of this program.
Activity note: Resort check-in from 3:00 p.m.
Afternoon: Program Registration. Arrive as early as 3:00 p.m. at Skamokawa Resort. After you check in and have your room assignment, program staff will give you your welcome packet containing the up-to-date schedule that reflects any changes, other important information, and to confirm the time and location of the Orientation session. If you arrive late, please ask for your packet when you check in. Then, relax or explore nearby Skamokawa Vista Park or the J. B. Hansen Refuge. Any time between 4:00 and 5:30 p.m., drop by the kayak shop to meet the Group Leaders and get fitted to a kayak and gear. There will be social time in our reserved area at the Duck Inn at 5:30 p.m.
Dinner: At Skamokawa Resort.
Evening: Orientation. The Group Leader will greet everyone and lead introductions. We will review the up-to-date program schedule, discuss roles and responsibilities, logistics, safety guidelines, emergency procedures, and answer questions. Periods in the schedule designated as “Free time” offer opportunities to do what you like and make your experience even more meaningful and memorable according to your personal preferences. The Group Leader will be happy to offer suggestions. Program activities, schedules, personnel, and indicated distances or times may change due to local circumstances/conditions. In the event of changes, we will alert you as quickly as possible. Thank you for your understanding. Next, we will have a slide presentation by Andrew Emlen on the history of Skamokawa. Emlen taught a course on the Lower Columbia River for 16 years as an adjunct faculty member for Lewis & Clark College. Continue getting to know your fellow Road Scholars, settle in, and get a good night’s rest for the day ahead.
Activity note: Getting in/out of vans; in/out of kayaks; paddling 6-8 miles throughout the day.
Breakfast: 8:00 a.m. at a reserved area of the Duck Inn. Each day, we will have pack lunches provided and take them with us on our field trips.
Morning: At 8:45 a.m., we will walk (less than 1/4 mile) to the Viewpoint Landing dock and launch kayaks for our field trip. We will paddle from Skamokawa through historic Steamboat Slough, lined with up to 400-year-old Sitka Spruce. This forest has been preserved as part of the Julia Butler Hansen Wildlife Refuge for the Columbia White-tailed Deer.
Lunch: At a scenic sand beach overlooking the main channel of the Columbia.
Afternoon: We will paddle a loop within Elochoman Slough that will take us through a wildlife-rich channel just wide enough for the kayaks. We’ll then return to Skamokawa with the outgoing tide.
Dinner: At the Duck Inn.
Evening: We will be joined by historian Irene Martin, who won the 2000 Governor’s Heritage Award for her work documenting the cultures of the Lower Columbia. The author of six books on the history of the region, she is also a gillnetter and an Episcopal priest. Her wide-ranging interests and intellect will make for a fascinating presentation.
Activity note: Getting in/out of kayaks; paddling 6 miles throughout the day. NOTE: The schedules for Days 3 and 4 may be switched to take advantage of better tides or weather.
Breakfast: At the Duck Inn.
Morning: At 8:45 a.m., we will walk (less than 1/4 mile) to the dock and put in kayaks for our field trip. We will paddle across the main channel to Welch Island, the easternmost of a chain of tidal marsh islands that comprise the 35,000-acre Lewis & Clark National Wildlife Refuge. We will paddle around this 1,800-acre island in the center of the Columbia before landing on another island for lunch.
Lunch: On a small sand beach on Tenasillahe Island. This island has a dike trail that will give us a chance to take a walk and look for wildlife before crossing back to Skamokawa.
Afternoon: We will paddle back across the channel to Skamokawa, often via historic Steamboat Slough. After returning to Skamokawa Landing, we will walk to the 1894 schoolhouse that has been lovingly restored as the River Life Interpretive Center. It serves as historical museum, bookstore, and community center.
Dinner: At the Duck Inn.
Evening: The folk band Skamokawa Swamp Opera will perform music by and about the people of the Lower Columbia River, including their original songs. Skamokawa Swamp Opera are known for creative arrangements using various combinations of voice, guitar, cello, banjo, mandolin, mandocello, and percussion.
Activity note: Getting in/out of vans. Hiking 3 miles; trail starts with 150 feet of elevation gain, well-maintained, some up/down, uneven ground. NOTE: The schedules for Days 3 and 4 may be switched to take advantage of better tides or weather.
Breakfast: At the Duck Inn.
Morning: After breakfast, you will be transported up the valley to Alcyon Farm where we will take a 1.5-mile interpretive hike on wooded trails along the headwaters of Skamokawa Creek. Then we will visit the Wahkiakum Historical Society Museum.
Lunch: At Skamokawa Resort.
Afternoon: After lunch, we will paddle up the protected waters of Skamokawa Creek. It is a four-mile round trip to where the headwaters of Wilson and Skamokawa Creeks tumble into the pool at the head of tidewater.
Dinner: At the Duck Inn.
Evening: Kyleen Austin of Columbia River Kayaking will give us a presentation on her 2019 solo kayaking expedition from Ketchikan, Alaska to her home on the Columbia River.
Activity note: Getting in/out of kayaks; paddling 7 miles throughout the day.
Breakfast: At the Duck Inn.
Morning: At 8:45 a.m., we will walk (less than 1/4 mile) to the dock and put in kayaks for our field trip. We will paddle across the main channel again, this time to FitzPatrick Island, a roosting area for white pelicans, double-crested cormorants, and Caspian Terns. We'll cross back to the rugged north shore of the Columbia with its basalt bluffs punctuated by cobble beaches and the remains of old cannery towns.
Lunch: On a pebble beach at the site of a long-abandoned cannery town.
Afternoon: The incoming tide will help us paddle back to Skamokawa along the basalt bluffs of the north shore.
Dinner: Our final dinner at the Duck Inn features wild-caught salmon with other fresh, local foods.
Evening: Skamokawa Swamp Opera musicians Kyleen Austin, Andrew Emlen, and Erik Friend will return to perform another set of songs by and about the people of the Columbia-Pacific region. Prepare for check-out and departure in the morning.
Activity note: 10:00 a.m. resort check-out.
Breakfast: At Skamokawa Resort. This concludes our program.
Morning: If you are returning home, safe travels. If you are staying on independently, have a wonderful time. If you are transferring to another Road Scholar program, detailed instructions are included in your Information Packet for that program. We hope you enjoy Road Scholar learning adventures and look forward to having you on rewarding programs in the future. Don’t forget to join our Facebook page and follow us on Instagram. Best wishes for all your journeys!