| Pacific Northwest Exposure Log (2007-07-14 --> 2007-08-03)
Leaders: Charlie Miller, Hallie Wilson
Students: Nathan Brody, Bess Colnon, Noah Klebanoff, Emily Knutson, Michael Nordstrom, Fraser Parker, Lilly Siff
July 14
Are you ready to Moondance?!
Greetings from Washington! This trip is off to a really great start. We
already have a tight-knit crew. The group is so mature, and that has
really been a treat. Airport day went about as smoothly as it could have gone.
We collected the kids and hit the road. The ferry ride from Anacortes to
Lopez Island is a beautiful one. We traveled with a fellow Moondance group,
had pizza on the ferry, and arrived to Lopez Island in the evening. If you're
not familiar with Lopez Island, get familiar with Lopez Island. It's an amazing place. I feel so fortunate to have discovered it, and honestly, I could see myself living there someday. That night we got acquainted, set up tents, and Hallie and I answered question after question after question.
Nathan, being the only alumni, helped ease some of the worries. Once we reassured Michael that there are no bears on the island we called it a day.
Early the next morning we met with Outdoor Adventures. Having worked with them before I knew that we were in for another amazing trip. Blair, Kathy, Bucky, J Dizzle, and Eligh led our adventures. We started by going clamming. We would find a hole in the sand created by a horse clam and then dig. It was a very hard but fun process. In the end we had two buckets full, and
later that day we had them for dinner. Next, we learned to wet exit. In case a kayak ever flips, one has to know how to wet exit. Boat by boat we purposely flipped ourselves, swam out from beneath, reflipped the boat, climbed back in, and then emptied the boats of all the water. This is
something the kids are always nervous to do, but once they do it they can't stop talking about it. After this we had a little race to see how everyone was doing with their paddling strokes. I am proud to say that with the assistance of Michael and Fraser, our boat took first. Hallie paddled
with Noah and Nathan, and they kept her laughing the whole time. They now refer to Hallie as "mom."
As a group we paddled the coastline and found everything
from sea stars to jellyfish. Bald eagles were perched above in Madrona
trees. Somewhere behind we saw Lilly, Bess, and Emily swerving through the
sea. But by the end of the day they realized that their rutter was up. They put it down and things got so much easier. That night Noah got Hallie and I started on our body building regiment. He watches over us to make sure we're doing our push-ups and crunches.
The following day we traveled to the beautiful, "locals only," Watmou Bay.
We relaxed on the beach, had lunch, and took a dip in the chilly waters.
We paddled close to ten miles, and it was exhausting. Emily was one of the few to paddle a solo kayak, and she made it look easy. I paddled with Lilly and Bess and they questioned if they could make it all the way to our destination. Of course they made it, and the sense of accomplishment was awesome. More importantly, they felt they were becoming buff. We drove
back to camp and picked blackberries on the way. Little did Bess know, we were just stalling so that our guides could prepare for her surprise birthday celebration. We had another great meal that night, and then out came the cheesecake and oreo pudding. You should have seen Michael's eyes light up. The wind was heavy so the candles were already blown out. It was a nice night.
Our final day was a foggy one, but the fog added so much. The sky blended right in to the water, and blue herons loomed on the horizon. We explored a sea cave, ate leftover pancakes, saw a group of seals, and took it easy. It was by far the most beautiful day of kayaking I've had this summer. That night we had a cookout - cheeseburgers, hotdogs, salad, watermelon,
chips, and oreos. Our guides gave us a very meaningful gift, and it was a great goodbye.
All is well with the crew. We are on the road and ready for backpacking.
Tonight we prepare and tomorrow we ferry to Stehekin and begin our hiking. Hope all is well at home.
Sincerely, Charlie Miller
Hey Everybody! We made it through backpacking safely and are happy to be in Oregon.
Days 1 and 2 are the most challenging of the backpacking section but we made it. As instructors, it was really nice for Hallie and I to know exactly what we had coming. We knew how hard we had to push ourselves, and how often we could rest. We knew we'd all make it to camp well before sundown so we took several pack breaks - one at a beautiful outlook onto Lake Chelan (the third deepest lake in the U.S.). An hour into that hike Michael declared that it was already the hardest thing he had ever done. Needless to say, it was a challenge. So, we got into camp just fine, and Hallie, our head chef, with the help of Nathan and Bess, prepared a gourmet meal (Mr. and Mrs. Wilson, I realize Hallie is trying to figure out what she is doing with her life, and I fully support her interest in attending culinary school).
From day 3 to end things mellowed out. The forest thinned out allowing for greater views of the surrounding mountains. We met some Virginians on the trail, pleased to meet Noah, a fellow Virginian. As usual, we had time to relax with a book or do a little writing. We played some cards and got ready for dinner. While we cooked Fraser quizzed Hallie and I on our love lives. "Charlie, what's she look like? What's she into? Is your younger brother cute?" It was pretty funny.
On day 4 we crossed paths with some other kids out hiking. They were hiking in the opposite direction of us. Hallie, Nathan, Noah, and I jumped into an ice cold swimming hole in the river and I think I got some great photos there. That night we had a campfire and I told a scary story about something I went through one dark night in Zurich, Switzerland. Then everyone started telling scary stories, and soon thereafter we were all very ready for bed. Carefully, we walked to our tents, keeping an eye out for strange men lurking in the bushes.
On day 5 we made it to our final camp. That day is probably my favorite hike. Afterward, Hallie took us down to a spot on the Stehekin River. Emily and Lily discovered this really cool cave along the river bank. It went at least thirty feet into the hillside. We snapped some pictures along the river, had dinner, and went to bed early. We got up at 5:30 the next morning for our hike out of the mountains. We caught a shuttle into town and made a pit stop at the Stehekin Bakery. We indulged in some cinnamon buns, and relaxed while the bus carried our backpacks for us. .After an all-day drive in our big white van we made it to Oregon. We had a very classy dinner - French bread with olive oil, a delicious spinach salad (with pecans, bleu cheese, and cranberries), a side of grilled veggies (corn, asparagus, onions, and garlic) and melon for dessert. No, we are not turning your children into vegetarians. But after our fast food stop earlier that day we all agreed we needed something healthy.
All is well in Oregon. Hope everyone is happy and healthy.
July 31 Update
Hey Everybody! Hello again, from Bend, Oregon. Climbing at Smith Rock was a great time, and for a lot of the kids it was their trip favorite. On day 1 we set out and met with our guides Marco and Casey. They taught us all how to belay and then just let us have at it. Depending on one another for safety is most definitely a bonding experience, and after our first day of climbing we had become a tighter-knit group. There were five routes set up that day, and everyone did really well. One climb was all about footwork (footwork that most people can't muster), and Bess stemmed out and made it to the top. Everyone, however, got thumped on "Thumper." At the end of our day we climbed through some tiny caves on our way out and Fraser was loving it.
On day 2 we climbed "Spiderman's Buttress." The kids started by learning to rappel. Each of them took a turn lowering themselves down the buttress, and then they moved on to other climbs. Nathan, Noah, Hallie, and myself dominated the toughest climb of the day. Nathan expressed some serious feelings of accomplishment. Noah expressed some feelings of frustration as he struggled through the beginning of the climb. But Noah knows best: "when you get adrenaline," he tells the group, "you can either use it to bring you down or to bring you up." Noah took this frustration and turned it into strength. He flew up that thing. Emily climbed really well (on day 1 as well), and on a climb that most everybody struggled with, Lily casually cruised to the top. That afternoon we visited the beautiful Steelhead Falls - a super-secret locals only swimming paradise. Honorable mention to Bess for 15 big jumps. It was a great time with great people.
Today we finished up on the world famous Monkey's Face. It's really cool, and scary, and involves a Tyrolean traverse off a cliff and to a monkey-shaped spire, a climb to the top of it, and a 150 foot rappel off the side and to the ground. Several kids said that it's the coolest thing they've ever done. It's an awesome feeling to be taking your kids out to do the "coolest thing ever."
Tomorrow morning we begin our rafting trip, and pretty soon here you'll have your children back. Everyone is safe, and happy. Wish us luck as we float down the Deschutes. Check back in couple days for an update.
August 2
Howdy Y'all! So, the other day we got up early and met our river guides (Orion Adventures) Amanda, Kate, and Brett. We packed our bags, and we were rather minimalist about it. It's so darn hot on the Deschutes that all you really need is what you have on. It didn't take long to get ready, and we hopped on the river. Emily, Noah, Lily, and myself were on Amanda's boat, and Hallie, Bess, Nathan, and Fraser were on Kate's (Brett paddled the gear boat). It was a very nice day - very hot instead of extremely hot. But the heat complements the water so well, and it wasn't long before we found ourselves floating beside our rafts. It was a long day - we paddled close to 30 miles! Between each rapid we had long stretches of calm water. Hallie's boat basked in the sun while Kate lulled them to sleep by singing some songs. None of them had hats so they wrapped their shirts around their heads. They looked like a boat full of old women in bonnets. To keep ourselves entertained, everybody on my boat traded off making up stories on the spot. Everybody took part in this, and we had a lot of good laughs. Amanda went last and told us the
story of old Buckskin Mary, a local legend. She disappeared years ago and now haunts a campsite - the same campsite we were staying at that night!
When we came to Buckskin Mary's rapid we all jumped out of the raft and swam the whole thing. This particular rapid is a compression gradient, which means all the water from a wide, flat section of river enters a narrow, steeper section, resulting in big, safe waves to swim through. Swimming this rapid was definitely a highlight for all. That night Nathan, Bess, and
Fraser helped our guides cook dinner and it was excellent. Cous cous with a marinara vegetable medley, and some chicken on top. Oh, and some garlic bread. And then we had pie for dessert. The combination of food and sun drained us of energy. We went to sleep and the next thing we knew, we woke up to a breakfast of French Toast, sausage, honey dew, and even some
coffee (I needed it). Everyone had had a blast the previous day, so we decided to keep the
boat groups the same. My group hopped in with Brett, Hallie's crew rode with Amanda, and Kate took the gear boat. It was definitely a treat to ride with Brett. He is full of stories, and passionately takes part in everything from mountain biking to surfing to rafting to kite boarding. We had a shorter paddle this day, but it was hotter and we had much more white water. We
chatted it up, hit some rapids, and before we knew it we were taking out of the river. We had our final meal - Smoked Salmon sandwiches, watermelon, cookies...they really spoiled us. Once we finished loading gear we hit the road, and now we're hanging out in Olympia.
We're all safe and sound and know that your children are all looking forward to seeing you. It has really been a treat to hang out with them - it was such a cool and mature group, and we all got really close. Thanks for sending them on Moondance!
Sincerely, Charlie Miller
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