PORT TOWNSEND — For James Hendricks, Paddle Journey 2003 is a glimpse into the living traditions of his ancestors, life lessons that will guide him in the future.
“It’s a major learning experience,” Hendricks said.
He will use the trip, which begins this week on the Olympic Peninsula and ends in Marysville in the north Puget Sound on July 28, to commit further to the traditions of his ancestors.
Hendricks, 17, a senior at Port Townsend High School next fall, will be a paddler on the Squamish tribal canoe when it leaves from Squamish, B.C., north of Vancouver, for the journey through the southern Inside Passage to the waters of the Strait of Juan de Fuca, then to the Tulalip reservation.
Started at 13 years old
This is his fourth trip since he was 13, each one drawing him further from the life he knew as a child — and closer to the traditions of his ancestors who have lived on the Peninsula for generations.
“Some people shrug it off, but I take a lot of pride in my heritage,” Hendricks said.
“I’m just learning. I need to learn more.”
Born in California, Hendricks did not know anything about his native heritage for the first 10 years of his life.
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The rest of the story is in the Monday Peninsula Daily News.
