Outdoor Odysseys

Half Day Kayak Tour

San Juan Island Sea Kayaker — Mon, 16 Jan 2012 21:36:42 +0000

More info to come.

Kayaking/Whale Watching Tour

San Juan Island Sea Kayaker — Mon, 16 Jan 2012 21:50:19 +0000

More info to come.

Happy New Year!

San Juan Island Sea Kayaker — Wed, 18 Jan 2012 22:50:31 +0000

New Years Wishes from San Juan Island

Winter in the San Juan Islands is slow, the superlative of “island time”. Though Outdoor Odysseys isn’t running commercial trips this time of year there is still paddling to be had. To paddle the routes of our fair weather trips, up the west side of San Juan Island, with a rare blanket of snow covering the beaches, trees and rocky outcrops is almost surreal. With crossed fingers and a bit of luck there are still Orca, seals, and birds to be seen but just being on the water this time of year is an experience.

We are gearing up here at Outdoor Odysseys for a new season with new and exciting trips that incorporate micro-brewed beer tasting, yoga, wine, women’s only trips and a new base camping trip trip that spends two days paddling out in Haro Straight eating our famous food in between.

This new year, 2012, is a big year for us with new trips for 2012 and new additions to our staff. As we all wait for the friendlier paddling season that comes with the warmer weather keep checking in to see profiles of and interviews with our guides as well as more information about the inspiration behind our new offerings for summer 2012.

Happy New Year everyone! Come and visit us again here on the web and we look forward to seeing you in person this summer.

2 Day Whale Camp

San Juan Island Sea Kayaker — Sat, 31 Dec 2011 00:57:15 +0000

“I recently returned from an overnight kayak trip. It was everything I had dreamed of and more!…I spent hours researching which company to entrust with this experience. I finally chose Outdoor Odysseys…We saw bald eagles, seals, river otters, porpoise, mink, beautiful tidal pools, and on the last day, a pod of orcas! Our guide, Tom Murphy, was phenomenal!! I’ve been on several other guided trips and he is by far the best guide I’ve ever encountered. If you’re looking into a tour of the San Juan Islands, you can’t go wrong by choosing Outdoor Odysseys. Oh, and the food was amazing!!” Trip Advisor 2010 Overnighter

Join our naturalist/guides for a fun, informative two day sea kayak tour on the west side of San Juan Island. We’ll use San Juan County Park as our base camp for kayaking and exploring. Sea kayaking on Haro Strait (the body of water separating Vancouver and San Juan Island) puts us “in the heart of the best whale habitat on the west coast for seeing resident Orca whales.”

Orca Whale Notes

We’ll spend two glorious days sea kayaking on Haro Strait the body of water that separates San Juan Island from Vancouver Island. Outdoor Odysseys has been running guided sea kayaking tours off the west side of San Juan Island for the past quarter of a century – so we know the waters well. This area is considered one of the world’s best orca whale watching sites – providing superb opportunities for viewing over 85+ whales. Resident orca populations are organized into stable, highly social matrilineal family groups called “pods” and labeled alphabetically as the J, K, and L pod. Known collectively as the “Southern Residents” they return regularly to the west side of San Juan Island during the summer months to take advantage of strong currents and optimal fishing for their favorite food source – Chinook salmon.

In addition to viewing whales, opportunities also abound for viewing brightly colored orange and purple sea stars, majestic bald eagles, harbor seals and dall porpoise. We’ll also paddle past the historic Lime Kiln quarry and Coast Guard lighthouse. Participants are also treated to expansive views of the Olympic Mountains and Vancouver Island.

After an invigorating day of paddling you’ll relax over a dinner of smoked salmon pesto fettuccine and organic salad greens washed down with bottled wines. For dessert? Hard to imagine which will knock your socks off more – our freshly baked Dutch oven Apple/pear crisp or the sun setting over Vancouver Island? Still haven’t had enough? Ask your guide to take you out for a magical evening “bioluminesence” paddle!

Nifty Trip Features…

We’ve chosen specific dates in July and August to take advantage of “THE BEST” opportunity to view *whales via kayak.
Our “Killer Cuisine” – Brie and cracker appetizers, bottled wines, smoked salmon pesto linguine, organic salad mix and a freshly made Dutch oven apple/pear crisp
Our guide/naturalists – Friendly, fun and experienced: Average is age over 30.
The sunsets (and an optional evening paddle) are, in a word, SUBLIME!

*Truth in advertising: These whales are wild animals and can swim up to a 100 miles a day so we cannot always guarantee whale sightings all the time…

Why Choose Outdoor Odysseys for your 2 day San Juan Island Tour?

Award Winning Tours – In 2009 we were named one of the “200 Best Outfitters in the World” by National Geographic Adventure Magazine.

Naturalist / Guides – Our seasoned, professional guides, (average age 28+) willingly share their knowledge of the whales, bald eagles, harbor seals you may encounter.

Our Cuisine Rocks! – Brie and crackers, smoked salmon pesto fettucine, organic salad greens, bottled wines and seasonal fruits dipped in a chocolate ganache – CAUTION: You may not lose any weight on this tour!

San Juan County Park Launch – This tour launches from SJCP putting our guests in the heart of the “Best Orca Whale Habitat on the West Coast”.

25 Year History – We are the oldest and most experienced kayak company to launch from SJCP.

Best Value – The small things: Dry bags and lunches included as standard (not all companies do), bottled wines & gourmet food = exceptional value.

Dates and Prices

Price: $369

July 10-11, 17-18, 21-22, 24-25, 28-29, 31-Aug. 1

August 4-5, 7-8, 11-12, 14-15, 18-19

2012 Guide “Snapshot” – Kaitlin – 5th year Guide

“Thanks to Kaitlin for a great day on the water. She was so warm and friendly it helped the experience, immeasurably. She was very knowledgeable and we were lucky to have her as our guide. Kaitlin rocks!”

This is Kaitlin’s 5th season guiding for Outdoor Odysseys. Warm and personable, Kaitlin has a special knack for putting people at ease and making them feel comfortable. On overnight tours she has been known to make homemade chocolate chip cookies for her appreciative guests!

Trip Logistics

Travel:
Coming from Seattle? Most guests drive from Seattle to Anacortes & then take the ferry to San Juan Island. You’ll want to plan on staying on San Juan Island the night before. See our travel information page for details.

Meeting Place & Time
Meet at 8:30 AM in downtown Friday Harbor, San Juan Island, at the Friday Harbor ferry terminal.

Return Place & Time
Friday Harbor ferry terminal, 4:00 – 5:00 PM

Lodging:
There are three B&B’s within a short walking distance of the ferry terminal. Check out our lodging page for suggested accommodations.

Luggage:
We’ll store any luggage/gear you don’t want to take with you on your trip

Gear You Will Need:

Water bottle, sunglasses and/or hat, sunscreen, appropriate kayak and camp clothing (preferably not cotton or denim) – Quick-dry, synthetic and/or wool layers work best; Footwear – Chacos, Tevas or Crocs are good choices for paddling. Bring another pair of shoes for camp; sleeping bag & pad.*

Outdoor Odysseys Will Provide:
Kayaks & related gear, tent, large & small dry bags, tasteful cuisine, transportation between Friday Harbor and our launch location.

*Sleeping bag & pad available for rent.

San Juan Island Sea Kayaking Trips with Outdoor Odysseys

San Juan Island Sea Kayaker — Wed, 14 Dec 2011 01:38:22 +0000

Experience one to four day San Juan Island kayaking tours that incorporate whale watching, camping, hiking and “the best” in outdoor cuisine as we celebrate our 25th year! Outdoor Odysseys Sea Kayak Tours has operated one of a kind sea kayaking trips from Friday Harbor, San Juan Island, (north of Seattle), Washington since 1987.

The owner, Clark Casebolt, has made a personal decision to keep the company relatively small. “Our priority is on exceptional customer service. We also offer the widest variety of sea kayak tours in the San Juan Islands.” What’s new for 2012?: 2 Day Whale Camp and our “Brew & Boat Tour.”

This narrow focus and personal involvement results in quality trips with a high degree of customer satisfaction. We were honored to be a recipient of the 2009 National Geographic Adventure Travel Magazine’s “200 Best Adventure Travel” Outfitter’s Award.

Bottomline: Outdoor Odysseys is one of the oldest companies operating guided sea kayak trips in the San Juan Islands. We are committed to providing our guests with fun, hand crafted kayak tours focusing on excellent cuisine, personalized service, professional guides, exquisite scenery and amazing whale and wildlife sightings. Come sea kayak the San Juan Islands - one of the “Crown Jewels” of the Pacific Northwest - only 90 miles north of Seattle, Washington.

Video: Kayak the San Juans

San Juan Island Sea Kayaker — Wed, 11 Jan 2012 16:53:02 +0000

Food, Glorious Food!

San Juan Island Sea Kayaker — Mon, 12 Dec 2011 01:40:46 +0000

We pride ourselves on preparing excellent cuisine. First night dinner: Smoked salmon pesto linguini with sun dried tomatoes and Kalamata olives, organically grown mixed salad greens, garlic bread and for dessert a Dutch oven pear/apple crisp. We also don’t skimp on quality ingredients such as: Real maple syrup, bottled wines, high quality chocolate and our own distinctive “Orca blend” coffee. More About Our Kayak Cuisine

Scott Leighton – 2nd Year Guide

San Juan Island Sea Kayaker — Wed, 11 Jan 2012 05:01:04 +0000

As an "American Idol" auditioner, Scotty will have you belting out tunes from your kayak in no time!
“This one-day trip was a birthday present to my husband. We both loved it. It was my first time in a real kayak. Our guide, Scott, was very knowledgeable and fun … he was always singing! =0)
We saw a few bald eagles, paddled right through kelp beds (which was way cool!) and had salmon leaping out of the water all around us. Amazing! Our lunch, which Scott prepared, was awesome … fruit and vegetarian sandwich-fixings, with some mint oreos for dessert! I would definitely do this trip again … or maybe next time try the 3-day trip!” Trip Advisor

Scotty hails from the quaint hamlet of Cumberland, Maine. After growing up hunting and fishing for his own food Scott sought out, “a bigger world” via a semester-long kayaking and backpacking NOLS course in Patagonia. He then attended Middlebury College in Vermont, where he sang a cappella and graduated with a Film and Media Studies degree.

His love for the outdoors was influenced from his years as a Boy Scout and then led to seven years of sea kayak guiding (A Registered Maine Guide since 2009) with Rippleffect, a youth development organization stationed on a lovely island off the coast of Maine. Scott has fused his loves for the outdoors and film by producing and editing videos for both Rippleffect and of course, Outdoor Odysseys. In the off season, Scott lives in New York City working as a boom operator/soundmixer on films and TV, but looks forward “to singing the the whole way back to the San Juan Islands next summer!”

Birthday Fun!

San Juan Island Sea Kayaker — Thu, 08 Sep 2011 18:18:30 +0000

The folks on this week’s four-day sea kayak tour were in for a treat last night when a band of Outdoor Odysseys guides along with owner and founder Clark Casebolt showed up at their campsite on Jones Island to surprise the tour leader and birthday girl, Sarah Young. The group left San Juan Island in the afternoon and paddled out to Jones, armed with pizza, ice cream, cake, balloons, and a whole host of other goodies. They spent the night on Jones Island along with Sarah and her guests and returned to San Juan Island this morning, in time to prepare for another big weekend on the water.

We still have a few openings on this weekend’s “Eagles and Orcas” one-day kayak tours, so give us a call at 800-647-4621 to book your spot!

Chris Morgan – 2nd Year – MS in Marine Biology

San Juan Island Sea Kayaker — Fri, 16 Dec 2011 04:46:00 +0000

“This was our second trip with OOK and we, again, had a fabulous time. Our adult sons joined us and also said they really enjoyed the trip. Chris and Tony were low key enough to keep the group relaxed but also fun. They were well versed naturalists along with being conservation and safety minded. We saw orcas, salmon jumping, seals, harbor porpoises, jelly fish, and most of all, beautiful weather! The food was delicious and it was fun to enjoy wine, appetizers and conversation while Chris and Tony prepared the meals! We would definitely go out with OOK again.” 2011 3 Day Tour

Chris grew up in Cleveland, and, lacking mountains (and non flammable water!) moved to Colorado for his undergraduate degree. He majored in running around in the mountains (although some call it biology!) and developed an unquenchable thirst for being outside. This led to a semester long mountaineering and sea kayaking course with NOLS in South America. When Chris returned to the states and compared paddling in the fjords of

"Chris issuing the clarion call to return to the kayaks!"

Patagonia to Calculus 3, he knew that being outside was going to be a big priority in any future endeavors.After graduation, he moved to the Olympic Peninsula and worked as an Environmental Educator at Olympic National Park. He worked in the Olympics for 3 years and fell in love with the Pacific Northwest. Here’s Chris: “Some people say it rains a lot…which is true. But it is also home to world record tree sizes, the highest biomass levels on the planet and some of the richest marine life you can find anywhere. Worth a little rain? Check.” Currently, Chris is pursuing a Masters in Marine Biology in Bellingham Washington. “It has been a great opportunity to learn more about how the ecology of this area works – as well as explore new areas of the PNW.” Since starting his MS he has worked as a paddling and ski guide for the WWU outdoor center, a field Botanist for North Cascades National Park and most importantly….as a guide for Outdoor Odyssey.