Size A A A

Amazon Archipelago

On the northern end of Stuart Island, in the far corner of the San Juan Islands in Washington State, an old lighthouse guards the broad, deep channel between the United States and Canada. No longer manned, the building and light tower stand empty now, replaced by a soulless but efficient solar-powered beacon, mounted on a plywood board. Ships inbound for Vancouver must turn sharply east here, following both the channel and the international boundary, and so the place is named Turn Point.

Just south of the lighthouse, backed by thick stands of cypress and madrona, a small meadow clings to the rocks, two-hundred above the frigid, blue-green waters of Haro Strait. It's a magical place, especially in early spring, when the grass and moss form a viridescent carpet so soft that it begs you to lay down and let the sun wash over your body while you listen to the waves whisper against the rocks a hundred feet below. And if you arrive before the first weekend in May—when boaters spew out of Seattle's locks and charge north like a fleet of polyester Vikings—you almost always have the place all to yourself. Almost always, that is.

I am fortunate to live only a few hours away by speedboat (there is no ferry service to Stuart Island), so I often use it as a place to escape from the pressures of life as a high-school student. But that part of my life was nearly over; I had just turned eighteen and graduation was only two months away. Since my birthday fell during spring break, I decided to take my ski-boat for a week-long getaway to the islands. Usually I would bring a friend or two along on these outings, but this year I had just split up with my girlfriend and I wanted some time alone to sort things out.

I decided to begin the week with the long run out to Stuart Island, and camp there for the first night or two. This would quickly put some distance between me and the mainland—and my ex-girlfriend—so it would truly feel like an escape. Afterward, I could work my way back toward home by hopping from island to island. The San Juan Islands are filled with marine parks, complete with mooring buoys and campsites. In some cases entire islands have been set-aside as parks.

Comments (0)
Last commented videos / Trending video comments / Most commented videos
Advertisment