At dawn an orange glow over the horizon gave way to a soft pink that illuminated wispy clouds and reflected as lavender in the calm water near Crow Butte Island. Our plan for the day was to hike on Crow Butte Island and to launch all our kayaks—and this we did. The landscape was arid sagebrush steppe, a big change from the temperate rainforests we experienced only yesterday morning. We were eager to experience this new environment and set off with great enthusiasm for our adventures.