| Pacific Northwest Exposure Log (2007-07-14 --> 2007-08-03)
Leaders: Chris Barnes, Anne Wright Newman
Students: Matthew Armstrong, Elizabeth Borden, Hillary Bridges, Jake Culbertson, Elizabeth Henderson, Freddy Landess, Sarah Pollick, Georgia Tanner, Warner Underwood, Claire Woolard
July 14
Are you ready to Moondance?!
Greetings from Oregon!!
Well this Pacific Northwest Adventure has gotten off to a great start. After a long, very long, travel day for some, we arrived to beautiful Smith Rock Oregon excited and anxious for a couple days of great climbing. Shedding off our early trip jitters, everyone has let loose and has instantly gained 11 new best friends. We have shared stories of home, anticipations of the future and joys of the present all while having a great time in this beautiful desert.
After our first night under the stars, as we have all decided to sleep outside, we started with a hearty breakfast and a day of fun in the SUN! We prepared for rock climbing and took a cruise down to Bend, Oregon, an amazing little town not too far from Smith Rock. After meeting our guides, picking out our new climbing shoes, and playing a couple fun games, we settled in to a wonderful meal of chicken stir fry prepared by none other than Claire, Elizabeth B., and Sarah. With our bellies full, we retired to our cozy tarp city, (where we sleep) to smile and laugh ‘til our eyelids became too overbearing.
On our first day of climbing we all looked like ready little soldiers, targets set high and determination fast and strong. Warner and Jake became the spiders of the wall, dominating every route with ease. I even overheard the climbing guides conversing on the natural skill of some of our little climbers. Freddy was equally agile, muscling his way to the top, but never too tired to lend a hand belaying or sharing his knowledge with the others students here or there. After lunch we picked up our tenth member, Georgia. Although she arrived a day or two late, she quickly gelled right into the group and we gracefully became quite a strong unit.
The second day of climbing proved to be a little more challenging. With a couple tougher routes and an exciting repel, everyone really showed their skills and determination. Elizabeth H. proved to be quite the little fighter on the wall and Matthew didn't seem to break a sweat after a two mile hike home in 90+ degree weather. After such a hot and sweaty day we all decided to hit up the local swimming hole, Steelhead Falls. Swimming was a DELIGHT after such a vigorous day of climbing, where cliff jumping and a good rinse off was in order! That night we enjoyed some amazing pita pizzas cooked to perfection by the "boys" (Jake, Matthew, Freddy and Chris) and topped it off with walk to the local ice cream shack, aka heaven.
That night our weather seemed to take a dive, as wind and rain forced us under the cover of our tents. Unfortunately, it just let up a couple of hours ago and we were sadly rained off Monkey's Face. It was a real disappointment but also an affirmation of this group’s attitude and energy. Instead of sulking and soaking in disappointment we decided to treat ourselves to a luxurious morning. Hillary fed us to the brim with pancakes, hot chocolate and laughs so hard it hurt. We all decided we were "too cool for the Monkey" and enjoyed a great breakfast and a hot shower, that's right a hot shower, mmm hmm. Well that's pretty much the word from Oregon, we are all warm, dry, and definitely happy, as our adventure continues to the great rafting water of the Deschutes!
Until next time......
July 23rd update
Hello from Washington!
Chris and I have led our troopers up to Washington and we are at the gates of the North Cascades. Today we have been “prepping” for backpacking. The group is full of anticipation for the backcountry!
Rafting on the Deschutes was awesome. Under the lead of our rafting guides, the group navigated the upper Deschutes and conquered many a rapid. Some favorites were White Horse and Boxcar. At Buckskin Mary, the guides let us swim the rapid! In our trusty lifejackets, we floated down a small little waterfall and through a wave train. Though some opted out because of the chilly weather, it was enjoyed especially by Elizabeth B. and Claire. In two separate raft boats, the group got into many a water fight. I have to say, most were started by Matthew. Georgia, in a relaxing part of the river, fell asleep on the edge of the raft. Warner decided to push her in and Georgia popped out of the water with a most stunned look on her face. That night we camped on a beach nearby. Hillary and Warner (our go-to chefs) helped the guides prepare a decadent meal of couscous and tomato-zucchini- chicken dish. Elizabeth H., Sarah, Chris and I played some fun games on near the water and Freddy taught many in the group the perfect way to skip stones. Jake and Chris seemed to spend about an hour seeing who could skip the farthest. I think Chris won, sorry Jake. We spent the night out under the stars in the desert.
The second day on the river was a bit chilly. We finished up about one and then headed north. On the long drive, Chris and I played some good tunes in the van while the girls spent most of the time giggling (I have no idea about what).
We are excited for the next chapter of our adventure. Chris and I are excited to show the group what the backcountry is really like. After a visit with the park ranger today, I think the group is equally excited.
Until next time – Anne Wright
Update #3: July 29
Hello from the Cascades!
Well, after a week along beautiful Ross Lake we have emerged from an amazing backpacking trip sore, tired, happy and sad to leave such a gorgeous place. Where do I begin. . . it was one of the best backpacking sections I as a leader have ever been apart of.
After our boat ride to the top of Ross Lake (one mile from the Canadian border) we endured a good couple days of misty rainforest hiking. We had a little getting used to these heavy cumbersome packs on the first day of hiking but our brave LODS (leaders of the day) Sarah and Jake provided great encouragement and support during those tough first couple hours. We were really tested with some inclement weather but nothing a tarp and some hot food couldn't overcome.
Day two seemed to be more of the same, misty, foggy, and plenty of mosquitoes. We hiked to a campsite called Nightmare, where we were surrounded by old growth cedars and a beautiful rushing river to put us to bed. I think the only one who had nightmares was Geogia terrified by the number of banana slugs crawling around. The rest of us (mainly Hillary, Matthew and Freddy) kind of liked them, well as much as one can like a massive slug slithering around your campsite. We went to bed that night bellies full with big burritos and woke up to our first sign of heaven, aka the SUN!!! Yes bright blue skies and plenty of sunshine arose us from our slumbers.
Day three turned out to be one of the best hiking days I have ever been a part of. We followed a ridge around that met Ross Lake. After a hot and sweaty 7 mile hike a swim was definitely in order. We arrived at Lighting Creek campsite, a beautiful place that overlooks the entire lake and surrounding mountain range and ran for the dock. After a good swim we soaked in the sun and had a good book reading, journal entry session on the dock. That night we watched the sun go down over the lake, took a bunch of pictures and prepared for a long, very long, hike the next day, Desolation Peak!
Our summit day was another picture perfect, sunny sky day, not a cloud in sight. We started hiking early knowing it would be a tough 7.5 mile, 4500ft. elevation gain hike. I'm happy to say that we all made it to the top! It was tough but the group really encouraged everyone and Anne Wright and myself were quite impressed how fast we actually got up. I think Claire was the happiest to finally reach what she called a hill that had no end, and Sarah was so encouraging, and such a motivation to everyone I don't know if we could have done it without her. After a nice nap and photo session with the resident marmot, we started a long hike back to camp. And when we got there do you know what we did? We went swimming, and it felt GREAT!!!! Even Warner and Elizabeth Henderson jumped right in without fear of cold water. While we all relaxed our feet, I think everyone felt a real sense of accomplishment, for Desolation is no easy task and we are proud to say we dominated it!
The next day was our sleep in late, make pancakes and yea, go swimming again day. Chef Hillary filled us up then knocked us down with laughter while she, Georgia, and E.B. had some great expressions jumping off the dock. Don't worry I captured all of it on the camera! The next two days were pretty laid back hikes and more beautiful campsites ending in our last destination, Rainbow Point, where we had a great Moonup and spent our last night in the backcountry. All in all, it was a great experience that seemed to fly by. I think everyone realized how little you actually need to be happy, just some good friends, good food, and a little sunshine. We will all miss the beautiful Ross Lake but look forward to our next and final destination, the San Juan Islands!!!!
Until next time...
August 2
Hello all.
Well we are wrapping up our trip today in the charming town of Anacortes. We are sad to leave the beautiful San Juan’s, with the enchanting scenery. Today we are going to do come “housekeeping” and then go out to dinner for our banquet!
So, the ferry ride over to Lopez Island was exciting. We took some great pictures as we took in our new adventure site. At our campsite, Spencer Spit, the girls took some time to explore the beaches while Chris cooked us an amazing dinner. We had pasta with marinara, chicken, and veggies. Afterwards we gathered around a fire to make s’mores while Chris sang and played his guitar for us. Georgia managed to get marshmallows all over her face, Freddy put down a bunch, and Hillary ate around 15 we have estimated.
Early the next morning we met with our guides and packed up our dry bags. Kathy and Bucky, our Outdoor Adventure guides, were awesome. They taught us basic paddling skills the first day and we headed to James Island. It was a really nice sunny day on the water. We saw seals and purple and orange starfish, including a lot of scary Lion’s Mane jellyfish. Georgia and Hillary were our leaders of the day for the first day. They kept us entertained with songs. Jake and Matthew left us all in the dust and had to be separated (so the rest of us could keep up!). The paddle to James was around 12 miles, and I think all of us could feel ourselves getting sore. That night Kathy and Bucky cooked teriyaki chicken for us. Georgia and Hillary led an awesome moon-up that consisted of a couple of rounds of charades.
The second day, we slept late and woke up to a beautiful day on the island (we had absolutely amazing weather the entire time). Elizabeth B. (EB) and Elizabeth H. helped Kathy with apple and banana pancakes. Then we took a nature walk around the island and learned about the different tree species and the biodiversity of the island. That night we took the kayaks out for a sunset paddle. I think it was our most gorgeous experience of the trip. Orange skies, glossy water and blue Canadian mountains in the background. Chris got lots of cool pictures, including a couple of Claire he thinks are “catalog-material.”
The third day we got an early start and headed back to Lopez. Claire and Sarah kept a steady strong pack in their orange boat while Jake and Hillary decided to paddle without a rudder. We had a couple of races and Freddy and Chris came out on top for most (though, they were paddling the lightest boat). Elizabeth H. and Warner in one and EB and I in another pulled up the rear. We traded stories and sang songs and asked Kathy lots of question about her life. I think I got EB’s life story (Mrs. Borden, I would love some help on my resume!). We stopped on Indian Island to do our wet exits. Though the water was cold (I mean unbearably freezing) everyone in the group was successful. After that we had a hearty lunch on the beach and played a couple of games. (Freddy and I won Birdie on a Perch).
That’s about it for our sea kayaking adventure. The group is trying to enjoy our last hours together before we part ways. We will all head our separate ways tomorrow.
– Sincerely, Anne Wright
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