#2. The Restorative Environment

Shortly after graduating high school, I packed up a small bag of clothes and set out towards Washington State in search of some independence, and some time alone with my thoughts after a particularly rough time in my life. Washington State was the furthest from home that I could get without a passport. Honestly, that was the only reasoning I had when I chose my destination. After choosing Washington State, I began researching the adventurous things I could do in the area. My plan was to go on an adventure so intimidating (especially for a 17 year old girl who had never traveled further than to the other side of town by herself) that there would never be another opportunity too big for me to take. I had lost out on so many opportunities in the past few years with all of my health battles and I wanted to be sure that by the time another opportunity arose, I wouldn't be too fearful to take it. I wanted my life to be a bold adventure- and this could be the very beginning of that!
I flew into Seattle on a Monday. Overwhelmed already, I searched the massive airport for my driver. I found him an hour later on the other side of the airport holding a sign with my name just like you see in the movies. He drove me to Anacortes, about three hours from the airport. It was during this time that I really began questioning what I had been thinking. Surely I was insane for trying to pull this off... Right? It didn't matter what I thought though because I was already in this far. He kicked me to the curb in front of the Anacortes ferry. I had forty minutes before I boarded the ferry. I used my time to ensure I had everything I'd need: my tide and ebb charts, complete food collection, materials for a homemade stove, tarps, clothes and radio. Then I rented a kayak and began my journey deep into the San Juan Islands where I would spend the next two weeks...
I think the first night was the most intimidating of all. I had already taught myself how to use my oars and tarps to create a makeshift tent, but actually being out there as the sun was setting and realizing I was running out of time, terrified me. I pulled it off in the last few minutes of daylight. I had to adjust to the eight degree water. Even in a wet suit, I didn't know how I was going to do it. At that temperature, being submerged slows down your brain activity. I timed myself as I tried to remember 3+5. It was close to ten minutes before I remembered the answer was 8.I forgot to put my food bag back into the kayak's watertight compartment and woke up to a hungry raccoon attacking an apple near my feet. When I finally got rid of that critter, I laid awake for the rest of the night just listening to the noises of the creatures awake on the island all around me. I burst into tears as the sun rose, realizing that I hadn't slept at all and I still had a week and six days to get through.
That was just the first day though. Things got better and better with every day, and by the very last day, I was so sad to be boarding an airplane headed for Southwest Florida. This had been the first time in my life that I had ever been cut off from civilization and it was the best experience of my life! I was not expecting to feel so humbled while alone with nature. Thoughts of entering college, my job, and my anxieties all disappeared while paddling out every chilly June morning. Instead I could focus only on how amazing it was to spot Orca whales in the distance, to see the seals sunbathing on enormous rocks that would be submerged by noon, to see the snowy caps of the North Cascades from my tiny kayak down in the water, and to remember that I was but one living creature in this massive world. There are really no words to describe the peace that I felt. Just as Louv reports in his research on the Nature-Deficit Disorder and the Restorative Environment, those individuals who spend more time with nature report more positive emotions and less anger. I was one of those people after my kayaking expedition. I returned home humbled and in awe of the world around me, ready to forget my past so that I could only focus more on finding my place in the beautiful world around me- and of course, sharing it with the ones that I love.

My "tent" made from a tarp, one oar, some rope and six stakes.

The coast of Blakely Island, one of the San Juan Islands.

Orca (Killer) Whales in the San Juan Islands

This video is of a kayaking experience in the San Juan Islands. I did not encounter an Orca Whale quite this close, but it gives you an idea of what I was sharing the water with (and not just one, but hundreds!) and why I was so humbled.