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2017: Kayaking Mexico's Espiritu Santo Island

A week alone along the the west shore of Espiritu Santo Island, Mexico, paddling north to south. A local man dropped us off with food and water, and came back a week later to pick us up.

There were a fair amount of boaters and day tourists, with loud motors and loud music. Mostly, however, there was wind, water and wildlife. We saw sea lions daily, more types of fish than I can list, and had an orca whale surface 40 feet from our kayaks during a 2-mile open water crossing.

This was the first expedition Suhei and I did together, and, looking back, it set the tone for so many other expeditions: go together, enjoy every moment, and always bring more food than you could possibly eat. We spent the warm nights camping under a magnificent starry sky, with fresh breezes constantly.

The winds were strong and definitely made some sections more difficult, but kept the bug levels minimal, and made the heat manageable. Ocean temps were cool, not chilly. We debated taking our own kayaks, but decided we could cover more distance by renting from a garage in La Paz.

I'd go back in a heartbeat. Baja is filled with treasures, and for whatever reason many parts do not get flooded with American tourists like elsewhere in Mexico. Baja epitomizes a blend of the desert and the sea - two of my favorite landscapes.

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