Cherry-Picking, Kayaking on Lake Wenatchee, and Leavenworth!

NOTE: I will have 19 extra kayaks, paddles, and life vests available to borrow. My kayaks have a weight limit of 250 lbs per person including gear. Please comment below if interested.

NOTE: this meetup is cross-posted in the Seattle Sea Kayaking Meetup and the Seattle Paddleboard Club Meetup, neither of which have an age limit.

NOTE : I created a WhatzApp group / channel to facilitate communication between the three meetup groups for this specific event, since the meetup app doesn't always work well. You can join here:

https://tinyurl.com/26cmtb85

Join us for an epic day of adventure as we pick cherries, explore the shops and restaurants of a cutesy German-style town, and paddle up the tributaries of an enormous scenic alpine lake in search of beavers!

Paddlers of all experience levels are welcome! No prior experience is required, even if you are bringing your own paddle board, oru kayak, or inflatable kayak.

We will be paddling 6 miles, which is a medium-length trip and is still doable for beginners. It involves 2 to 3 hours of paddling.

We will be eating a late lunch in Leavenworth, so please bring a sandwich if you think you will need calories to push you through the day! I was also not planning on stopping for dinner, so either make sure that you eat a large lunch in Leavenworth, bring a snack for the ride back, or grab a snack at a gas station along the way. Kayaking can be more draining than hiking, especially for beginners, and you will need energy! We will be paddling shortly after lunch, but you may want to pack a snack to eat while paddling as well.

Please bring bug spray! We got eaten alive the last time we paddled here!

Please bring clothes and especially SHOES that can get wet! I recommend close-toed shoes like beach shoes or maybe crocs. Sandals or flip flops can leave your feet exposed to injuries from rocky terrain if we encounter it. Don't forget SUNGLASSES and SUNSCREEN either! For the rest of your outfit, I recommend SYNTHETIC or wool fabrics that will dry quickly. Swimsuits and polyester running shirts are great for warm weather. For colder or rainy weather, I recommend a fleece or wool sweater, a rainproof shell, and hardshell pants.

Schedule is as follows :

8:15 AM - Depart Starbucks

11:30 AM - Arrive at R & J Cherry Farm (or possibly Stutzman Ranch, TBD day of), pick tons of cherries! I will have a cooler to store some people's cherries but I recommend bringing your own cooler if you are driving separately.

12:30 PM - Depart Cherry farm, head to Leavenworth for lunch

1:15 PM - Arrive in Leavenworth, eat lunch. While a quick stroll through the town to enjoy the German scenery should be perfectly fine, we will need to be a bit wary of time, and the purpose of this pitstop is not primarily to explore the entire town. We are mostly stopping for lunch in Leavenworth in order to get a good meal and make sure that we have enough energy for kayaking.

2:45 PM - depart Leavenworth, head to Lake Wenatchee's Glacier View Campground towards the far / western end of the lake.

3:15 PM - Arrive at Lake Wenatchee's Glacier View Campground. We'll paddle to the northwest end of the lake and paddle a short distance up two different rivers that feed into Lake Wenatchee, the Little Wenatchee River and the White River!

Here's the location of the launch :

https://maps.app.goo.gl/uBPX7fQP6jwPjz2D6

6:15 PM - return to the launch point, begin packing up kayaks

7 PM - Start driving back to Seattle

10 PM - Arrive back at Starbucks

Please reach out if you have any questions!

Attendees are required to complete the waiver :

https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSeBr6y8g_WG6TBaHauUk--QOF9IIjyMz-sRFeKG3UodI7VRtQ/viewform

The waiver also contains safety information that may impact your preparation, so please complete the waiver BEFORE you depart for the activity. You only need to fill it out once, ever.

Everything below relates to carpooling:

We'll meet at the Starbucks at 1200 Westlake Ave N at 8 AM and split into our carpools at around 8:15! Let us know before 8 AM if you are on your way. We generally wait 15 minutes for people to arrive. If you are arriving with your own car, be sure to park in a spot marked "ALL DAY" parking (in case you end up not driving)! Please coordinate carpools in the comments or better yet, the google doc!

https://docs.google.com/document/d/1vICtqQulSnDyII3QvGjGnTUmbCC4cUbO9xuK5fysCAY/edit?usp=sharing

Please post if you can drive or if you need a ride!

If you are going to arrange your carpool to meet somewhere OTHER THAN the Starbucks on Lake Union, I suggest a park and ride such as Greenlake, Northgate, Eastgate, or Tukwila/SouthCenter. Passengers, please do not ask to be picked up at your home; drivers, please don't offer to do so. It usually creates problems and makes the timing and logistics much more complicated, since people often aren't ready on time, cancel last minute, or just plain don't show up. On the other hand, dropping people off at their home after the hike is much easier.