By Danika Brown, Maritime High School Student Blogger
Another great field trip awaited us Maritime High School students as we got our foul weather gear and got prepared to go kayaking on the Duwamish River. We were all filled with eagerness as we boarded the bus.
Once we got to the Duwamish River, we had a safety briefing and partnered up to go in the kayaks. Once we finished the safety briefing, we divided into two groups. One group went on the kayaks
first. The other group did a land-based writing exercise, and then we switched in the afternoon. We sat in front of the Duwamish River writing down what we witnessed and how that made us feel.
When the afternoon arrived, my group got to go on the kayaks. We went one at a time to make sure no one fell off the kayaks, and we all got on the water safely. It was great. We started in pretty shallow water, then we slowly moved into deeper water so everyone could feel comfortable. When my partner and I began to paddle, we would say the way we were going to go so we could go quickly. At one point on the water, some people decided to do a challenge where they would attach their kayaks and try to paddle. And, when we got to the final destination, it was gorgeous. There were trees, and the water tapered off into land. It was beautiful.
When we got back to the shore to return the kayaks and return to land, the tide had gone out, and we had heard from the other crew that when the tide goes out the mud is deep—in some places four feet deep! We had to get off the kayaks one at a time and try to practically run across the deep mud without falling or getting ourselves stuck. Everyone got stuck to some extent, but nothing too bad.
When we all got together at the end of the trip, we did a Maritime High School tradition and said our high tides (what our favorite parts of the trip were) and low tides (what we didn’t like about the trip). There were a variety of things people liked about the trip: just being out kayaking, seeing a seal follow us around, seeing the landscaping, and hanging out on kayaks with our friends. And, when the teachers asked everyone what they would change, most people said they would not change a thing. Ultimately, it was quite an adventure. My classmates and I hope the incoming students have this fantastic experience.
