After Lime Kiln, Steve and I were still looking to squeeze in some adventure, so we headed about half an hour away, to hike the South Beach trail to American Camp.  Not having a car with us on the island, we relied on Friday Harbor Taxi to ferry us from point to point.  We ended up with the same driver each time, and he was a delight – clearly in love with the island, he pointed out all of the local landmarks – everything from madrone forests to a wave in the direction of Chris Pratt’s house.  (Yes, Andy Dwyer has a house on San Juan Island!  I nearly died of excitement.  Spoiler: we did not see Chris.)

I really wanted a hike, so we had our driver drop us off at South Beach, planning to follow the trail to American Camp (a National Park Service site near the southern tip of the island; English Camp is in the northern section, and while both looked beautiful, we decided on American Camp for its more expansive water views).  Before we hit the trail, we spent a little time poking around South Beach, checking out the driftwood and seabirds and – always – scanning for dorsal fins.

People had built really cool driftwood structures along the beach – little forts and hideaways.

As we were picking our way off the beach, headed for the trail to American Camp, a woman waved us down and quietly told us that there was some excellent tidepooling for those who were willing to scramble over some rocks.  Lots of sea anemones, she said.  Naturally, we had to check it out – Washington state is famous for its tidepooling opportunities – so we rock-hopped over and she wasn’t kidding.

Rockweed, barnacles, clusters of mussels, and lots and lots and lots of sea anemones!

Such a cool treat, to find this treasure on a hike.

We watched the sunlight dancing on the water for a little while, lost count of the sea anemones, and then went on our way – up to the grassy South Beach Trail and headed for American Camp.

The South Beach Trail turned out to be a trail through a gorgeous open meadow, with sweeping vistas across the water, all the way to the Olympic Mountains.

So stunning!  When we reached American Camp, we found our taxi driver waiting for us in the spot we’d prearranged with him when he dropped us off at the trailhead.  He motioned to us to join him and we stood against the wall of the ranger station, peering up at…

An eagle’s nest, with BABY BALD EAGLES in it!  We caught a glimpse of their little heads, but I didn’t snap the shutter on my camera quite fast enough.  So you’ll just have to trust me – but they were there, and it was so cool.  And speaking of cool – best taxi driver ever, seriously.  How many taxi drivers consider it part of the service to scramble through the dirt to show their customers an eagle’s nest?  Not to mention Chris Pratt’s house – or, at least, the general direction in which Chris Pratt’s house is located, probably.  Good enough for me!

It felt good to stretch our legs and get a hike in!  It had been awhile since we’d hit the trails, and sometimes it’s nice to get away for a hike as adults (don’t get me wrong, we love the rugrats, but we can cover more ground and take more challenging hikes without them).  Looking ahead to a five-day kayaking adventure, it was great to get some land-based exploring in, too.

 Next week: we’re finally hitting the water!  Day one of the kayaking portion of the trip – I can’t wait to share it with you!