(July 2023 photo by Jamie Kinney)
The annual tribal Canoe Journey, involving tribes’ canoe families from all over the region, has begun – but no Alki Beach stop with a large number of canoes is expected this time. This year, the journeys comprise Paddle to Elwha, hosted by the Lower Elwha Klallam Tribe. Since that makes it a northbound journey for most, few will be passing this way; for those that do, the Muckleshoot Indian Tribe, which has hosted canoe families at Alki Beach in past years, will be hosting at Saltwater State Park in Des Moines this time (Saturday, July 26). According to the newest official map for the journeys, the West Seattle-based Duwamish Tribe canoe family plans to set out from Alki on Sunday (July 27). The official landing at Lower Elwha, just west of Port Angeles, is July 31, and the canoe families will be gathered for a celebration August 1-5. (The host tribe has been dealing with the effects of last Friday’s tanker-truck spill but that’s not sidelining the plan.)
