When I was 16 and went on an camping trip the the coast of the Pacific Northwest and I have wanted to return ever since. Tidal pools, mossy forests, rocky, misty beaches and lots and lots of seafood are enough to keep me captivated for the next 15 years. This past week I returned to the coastal islands, San Juan and Orcas, where we hiked, shucked, foraged and hunted for Dungeness crab. (This is the only place I have ever been where it seems reasonable to eat oysters once or twice a day).

Orcas Island is a horseshoe-shaped land mass with tons of small organic farms, mountain lakes and waterfalls, and an epic coastline. We met up with our friend, Alex Grossman, who was born and raised on Orcas, and invited ourselves over to sculptor Aleph Geddis‘ studio to cook and pilfer his blackberries. Of all the wild invasive berry bushes in this part of the world, his were the sweetest. His studio, where he both teaches open carving lessons for the community and works on large scale commissions,  is flanked by apple and pear trees. We didn’t have a chance to formally make a salad, but above is a little slideshow of our time in the area.