We’re leaving this morning for a short trip in south Puget Sound. It’s not about the miles we’ll be covering (not many), or the route (although that will be interesting), or even about where we’ll be camping (what we like to call an “unofficial campsite.”) This little jaunt is all about getting used to some of the items we’ll be taking that we haven’t used before, getting familiar with the cameras and the filming equipment and going through our gear and figuring out what we still need to complete our kit.

We’ll be setting up the bear wire for the first time, which will likely be entertaining. We’ll also be taking the Phantom and getting some aerial shots both on and off the water. I’ve got a new tent to set up and get used to and there are some other items to evaluate as well. In terms of packing, this will be our first look at the Seaward Quest 3 as a cargo-hauling vehicle, and we’ll have a pretty good idea of its capacity and limitations once we get back. We’re really looking forward to paddling the boats when they’re loaded; we are expecting great things from them.

Beyond the practical reasons for this little trip, it’s just a great opportunity to get out on the water. The salmon are running and the weather is supposed to be fair. (It’s a foggy morning but the conditions are calm, the air is warm and it’s supposed to clear up later.) Any time spent out in the salt air has got to be a good idea and neither of us has been to this part of the Sound for the past year, so it will be nice to get reacquainted.

We’ll be starting and ending at Steilacoom, leaving later this morning and getting back sometime tomorrow afternoon.