"When Polly DeBari looks at Tatoosh Island, she sees the historic lighthouse, the crumpled old weather station and the crane clinging to the rocky terrain.

In her mind, she also sees the generations of Makah who once paddled out to the tiny coastal island off Cape Flattery for summer halibut and whaling seasons.

"You think about years and years ago, your parents, your great-grandparents, your ancestors were on that island," she said. "It's just kind of special to know you could be so close."

In the summer, DeBari has a regular perch with a clear vantage of the island. She is a cultural interpreter for the Makah Cultural & Research Center, and spends summer days high above the sea at Cape Flattery, where the Pacific Ocean and the Strait of Juan de Fuca joust for territory.

She welcomes people to the Makah reservation and the most northwesterly point in the contiguous United States.

The Cape trail's 300-foot descent begins on packed gravel in quiet woods, where cedars are missing long strips of bark taken by the Makah for baskets and weaving. Visitors hopscotch over tree stumps and past lime-green ferns unfurling alongside salmonberry sprouts, which are plucked and peeled for their fresh, delicate flavor."

Get the Story:
Travel: Cape Flattery | On the blustery edge of America (The Seattle Times 6/22)