Hull Island - A New Frontier

By Heidi Geiger It started back in 2014 when we ventured to the island to see if this was going to be the next project in our retired years.  Scoping it out for a day back in July 2014, we blazed through thick brush and fallen trees. Jon had many reservations because it was not far enough off the grid. He heard planes flying overhead and boats sailing up the channel.   All theses concerns vanished and we invested in Hull island. His vision is to build a cabin.  For me, the annual trips are mostly in July around our anniversary.  I have gone 5 times and have helped with many family trips at various times. The most recent years have been around our anniversary, and we have enjoyed the peace and quiet of our active life together soaking up the beauty that surrounds us. For our 35th my sweetie built a dining table so we could have a place to gather after all our rigorous daily projects. This past summer we spent one week with our two daughters workin...

By Liz Hattemer Really, the pictures say it all. I know that Jon had incredible help all summer long.  I'm sure all the guys that showed up on Hull Island this year, before we arrived for final week, put buckets of sweat into this project. You could see it the moment we arrived. Camp was pristine. An enormous pile of lumber floated to the island. Who moved it up to the building pad? It took four of us to lift them up on to the frame! Huge rock footers were installed! How did that happen? The fire log pile was plentiful, the cabin neat and tidy, cots all lined up, pillows included.  Heidi and Catherine and Audrey set the stage with finishing up the cabin siding - just a bit of Tyvek left! The pooping facilities were well defined. The Hamilton Inn tent was set up. What a glorious way to arrive for the Kitchen Build.

Ward I suppose Ward figured if we survived  a week in the desert at BurningMan together we could live through this adventure as well. It was  Ward's first visit and 9 months since I had last seen Hull, so we were both high with anticipation and curiosity. Had the cabin and camp held up over the winter.  Any leaks inside? Did the water collection and solar systems survive?   The boat ride from Port McNeill was easy. We arrived on a sunny day to find the camp covered in 2' tall green and yellow field grass flowing like waves gracefully in the breeze.  It was breathtaking.  Ward instinctively recognized the beauty and took action to preserve the meadow.  We established clear paths to follow and areas to try and stay out of.   Throughout the week with Ward's attention to detail, we cut down trees and pruned branches to open up mini windows and views of the sound while keeping the camp protected.  Our landscaping was taken to the ne...