October, 2021
I hope everyone had a lovely Thanksgiving Day.
Now let’s get back to the last day or two of my camping trip to Ike Kinswa State Park near Mossyrock, WA.
Almost my last morning here, this was such a simple, quiet morning. I slept in and then didn’t do much at all. All I did this morning after a late breakfast was go for a little walk near my campsite, on a trail through the trees, then through another part of the campground, and then along the shoreline of Mayfield Lake, just a brief little walk to see the forest and the lake and the sky, nothing spectacular (although the country side hereabouts is spectacular, especially this autumn).
When the trail through the woods (above) ended, I walked out into an open area and found this (below) inside another part of the campground … more picnic/day-use areas and more campsites.
I stood there for a bit so I could enjoy it … and then I noticed the two people who were in that green grassy field above …
The one on the left was checking me out, but she soon lowered her head and continued eating. The one on the right was a bit nervous but eventually decided I was no threat.
I continued with my walk, walking through this other part of the campground and found some wonderful campsites right on the lake. Here are my favorites.
#14 (below) and its view (2nd photo below) of the lake. You can see its picnic table near the lake.
#16 (below) and its view of the lake … right on the lakeshore!
#18 (below) and its view of the lake.
Every one of these campsites was “pull-through” … no backing in, just pull through onto a small side road, level the trailer, plug into electricity, unhitch the trailer from the truck, and you’re home!
So I made note of these favorites for a future visit. And then I continued on my walk and came upon a perfect trail. It took me through more woods and then along the very edge of the lake.
I wanted to climb down onto that small piece of beach above, but the plants and logs (and an old, damaged wood ladder) made me change my mind. So I started to walk on by, but I kept hearing “huffing” and small water-splashing noises. I was in no hurry. I stopped and turned and looked around on the beach and in the bushes for some mammal or bird. I also looked out onto the lake … nothing but logs and stumps out there (below).
Wait a minute!! There is one stump out there in the photo above, but the other “spots” weren’t stumps. They were otters, river otters. And they were having fun!
There were four or five of them (they kept diving so it was hard to count them). For 28 years of my adult life, I’d been around river otters when I was on one or the other of my boats, especially when I anchored in small coves around the edges of Puget Sound (yes river otters live in salt water too). So, as during other encounters, here on the shore of Mayfield Lake, I started to “huff!” right along with them. “Huff!” I would say. And they would “huff!” back at me, and then they came closer to shore to look at me.
They swam in circles and played around each other, and watched me and huffed at me, coming yet closer to the beach and the trail where I stood.
Look at the otter on the right in the photo above. I loved how its body and tail swirled in the water. So I enlarged the photo and it is here below, maybe a little out of focus, but you can clearly see the long body with all that hair and then the narrow tail swirling around behind as this otter swims and spins and huffs and plays with me.
I stayed there, moving back and forth just a few feet on the path, huffing any time one of them surfaced. They had a ball, they had a blast with me. They swam in circles, dove, resurfaced, I huffed, they huffed back, they dove and resurfaced somewhere else, then they huffed and I huffed back. I also tilted my head back just like they did, and then they started lifting themselves part way up out of the water when they huffed at me.
We kept at this for many minutes … maybe 15 minutes? or more? Finally, two of them climbed up onto an old dead log that was stuck on a rock, about 20 feet away from me. They both stayed there quite a while, not loudly huffing now, but softly snuffling, and so I did that back to them too.
Ah but eventually, when they realized I was not going to go swimming with them (brrrr!), they swam slowly off. I waited until they were out of sight and then I walked away along the trail.
I headed back to Towhee the Trailer for a bite of lunch. On my walk back to my campsite and my trailer, I wondered if humans ever do swim with river otters. It sure seems like it would be a fun thing to do. I hope I see these folks again.
Seeing and interacting with those otters was a highlight of this camping trip. When I started my walk this morning, I never would have guessed that I would see otters, much less have such a personal interaction with them. One can’t always know how a walk or an entire camping trip or anything else in life will turn out. A book I read recently had a boy and a horse talking with each other as they stood on a hill looking a long, long way away at a far distant horizon. The boy said “how do I get to where I’m going? it’s so far away.” The horse said, “Just step out … don’t worry about the horizon, it will take care of itself.” This morning there were otters on my horizon!
Whoop, first to comment! 🙂 What a cool story! I don’t remember ever seeing otters in the wild (or in captivity for that matter). What a cool story.
Yay, Nevada! 🙂 The otters were truly cool.
Ha! Nevada you beat me by a quecto-second. Yes, that’s a brand new word and a very tiny, teensy, weensy, really small portion of even a nano-second. Love this post. Cool indeed. Not sure I would not have waded right in and gone swimming, even in cold water. Who wouldn’t want to swim with friends?
Whoa, Ruth … quecto-word! I’m impressed. Who would know that word? Indeed it is a brand new word, and it’s the smallest named quantity of anything in the universe. How cool you know it.
And yes, who wouldn’t want to swim with friends, whether in the water or in the words. 🙂
That was just wonderful, truly a gift you received. We did too, just reading about it and imagining what it must have been like. Wonderful campsites too! When are you going back?
I’d bet I go back this spring, Dawn. I loved it there! I’ll be walking along that same trail and looking for my otter friends. Will report. 🙂
Amazing. How do you do that with animals? I bet people (we are animals) trust you just like those otters trusted you, and the deer trusted you. Extraordinary. Huff!!
Well, I didn’t used to talk with animals in my younger years. But more lately I realized that all animals have language. Birds don’t “sing” … they are talking. And so when I encounter an animal of any sort I usually stop and listen and watch, and then I try to repeat their sounds or their movements (my head tilted back and “huff”!). But mostly I stand still, or move just a tiny bit, to show them I’m no danger. It takes time to connect, but it sure is worth it. Huff! 🙂
I’ve been boating in Puget Sound all my life and saw lots of otters too. But I never tried to interact with them. Dang, wish I had. What an amazing experience. Ok, so you just went for a walk around a lake and found them. I’m putting on my shoes and heading out. Huff!
Go, Rob … get out there. I’ve found otters around salt water marina docks (including two marinas where I’ve had my own boats moored) and around the outlets to rivers, as well as on fresh water lakes and rivers. Put your shoes on! Go. 🙂 Huff!
I never knew otters were so friendly. We used to see them up in Fidalgo bay when we were walking the trestle. They were fun to watch but we never dreamed of trying to talk to them. How interesting. But, of course, maybe they wouldn’t have been interested in our conversation. You seem to have a gift.
Lovely way to spend an morning.
Fritzi, I need to walk that Fidalgo Bay trestle next time I’m in Anacortes. I’ve never walked it. Maybe next time I’m headed that way, could we make a plan and head out there together, maybe with your sister too? I’d bet the otters will come talk with us. I’ll send them an email ahead of time. 🙂
Ha! Please send that email. It would be great fun. And I’m sure my sister would welcome us. (She does some of the housekeeping of the trail.) The actual trestle part of the trail is currently closed due to a fire last summer 😟, but the otters used to be found along the banks of Weaverling Spit, right next to the trail🙂.
Wow, second fire out on the trestle itself (not in any surrounding trees), first one was in 2009. I think there aren’t electrical wires along that trestle, no? Or maybe yes? I didn’t know about this one until you commented here. For those folks here who might be interested, here is a link to info about this year’s trestle fire, https://www.anacortesnow.com/news/community-news/4837-fire-engulfs-tommy-thompson-trail-trestle-early-this-morning.
Those campsites look great. We’ll be right down. 🙂 Or, ok, maybe next spring, but Mossyrock looks like a great destination.
Jim
It is now absolutely one of my favorite destinations Jim. Yes, come down. I’ll meet you and Janey there. 🙂
Great campsites! Hubby and I will be right up from Arizona. lol! or, ok, like Jim & Janey, we’ll wait for spring. The otters were really fascinating.
Yes, Wanda, come up! Let me know when. Yes, spring would be good. It’s below freezing here right now in the pacific northwest …. brrrrr!
One of my favorite blog posts so far. The last paragraph was great. Don’t worry, just go, you’ll end up where you are supposed to end up.
Next time I find otters nearby I’ll remember to “huff!”
Thanks Greg. Yep, just go, it will work out in the end. You’ve been through stuff to know that. Thanks for being here and for being part of this. I really appreciate that. Huff! 🙂
When I was a young lad, otters seemed to be in every waterway. Today they are hard to find. At least here in Leicester in England. It was a joy to see them again in your blog. We lads always talked to them and they seemed to listen.
Life sure changes doesn’t it Henry? Even the lives of otters. After reading your comment, I researched otters in England online and it appears the numbers of otters in England are definitely on the rise. Back in the 50s and 60s there was way too much spraying of chemicals on plants that killed “weeds” but also killed otters and other animals and some really good plants too. But that stopped and the number of otters (and lots of other animals and plants too) has been on the rise ever since. So I think you might want to put your boots on and get out there where you lads once roamed and find those otters again. 🙂 My best to you.
In many cultures around the world (and in some religions), all animals are people … birds, mammals, reptiles, fish, etc. I really like that you call all animals people. It was so cool that the otters spoke to you and played with you. Sometimes I think other animals (other than humans) speak and understand our language but we don’t understand them when they are talking with us. Who is intelligent??? Ahh, who knows?
I would pick campsite #16. 🙂
Oh, Sesapa, my dog (ha, I say MY dog when she was her own life) … my dog surely knew the English language but couldn’t form English/human words from her throat and mouth. There’s no doubt in my mind that other animals know more about human language than we know about theirs. Intelligence, hmmm, who is deciding that?! #16 is top of my list too. 🙂
Extraordinary. I never knew otters could be so interactive, but you’ve taught me to ask “why not?” I’ll stop and talk with them next time. Huff! Yes, #16 for me too. Sweet photos.
So many things/ideas beg us to stop and ask “why not”. Otters do. Yes, next time, stop and ask them if they’d like to chat. I bet they will. 🙂 Thanks Emily.