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Pacific Northwest Exposure Log (2008-07-10 --> 2008-07-29)
Leaders: Beanie Arnold and John Brotherton
Students: Jon Atkins, Caroline Benson, bryan Bowles, Jilly Campbell, Alex Goldstein, Britt Henderson, Liz Hill, Somer Stapleton, Rosemary Straut, Jesse Voremberg
Trip Update 7-15-08
Greetings from the Pacific Northwest!
After two days of rafting down the gorgeous Deschutes River and a day of rock climbing at beautiful Smith Rock, we are here in Bend, OR enjoying the amazing weather for an afternoon!
Upon arrival in Seattle, our exceptionally outgoing group headed to MIllersylvania where we prepared for the first section of our trip. While the first two days of our adventure were just travel days, the group seemed to be bonding very well. Great music and some of Jon's witty jokes made for quick ice breakers. With some quick tent and cooking lessons, we felt ready to officially embark on a memorable journey!
The Deschutes River greeted us with chilly water and dry air. Without a cloud in the sky and a temperature approaching 90 degrees, our guides Kate, Alicia, and Jen sent us through some class II and III rapids. While Britt seemed to be enjoying the boat battles and splashing wars, Rosemary embraced the cold water and swam in the river every chance she could get.
About twenty five miles from our launch spot, we reached camp alongside the Deschutes. We explored the surrounding hills and continued to enjoy the water even more with a game of frisbee. Our first wildlife spotting was greeted by a screech as Jilly and Alex stumbled upon a snake. No worries, though, it was only about a foot and a half long and totally incapable of unzipping our tents! Liz, Somer, and Britt then treated us to a very delicious dinner of cous cous, veggies, and chicken followed by angel food cake - no one went hungry on this trip!
The next day we finished up our tour of the Deschutes with another twenty miles, and minus a sunburn here and there, it turned out to be quite a success. We took out just south of Maupin, WA and about twenty feet from the Columbia River which is known for its amazing kite surfing in that area. After a relaxing two hours in the van, we arrived at the Bivouac campground in Smith Rock State Park. Bryan and Caroline whipped up a mean pasta and marinara with awesome spices and fresh veggies, it was quite nice to discover we had talented chefs in our midst!
With full bellies, we had our first "high-low-high" Moon-Up (a nightly activity we do to kind of wrap up the day) and most people had trouble coming up with a "low" of the trip which is more than exciting.
The next morning, we met our rock climbing guides who instructed us in how to put on a harness, tie belaying knots, belay, and climbing safety in general. We hiked a short ways to our first routes, whereupon Jesse dominated each rock face. It seemed like he was just dancing up the wall; we all enjoyed watching him and even challenged him to race one of the guides!
Though the weather was definitely hot and the climbing very physically challenging, we were able to relax in the gorgeous Steelhead Falls. At the Falls, everyone jumped off the cliffs into the chilly water and basked in the sunlight - allowing their aching muscles to rejuvenate for the next day.
We have two more days of climbing, ending with the notorious Monkey's Face that includes the Tyrolean traverse, a short climb and then a very long rappel. Our two days of experience before then should definitely suffice! Hope all is going well out in the "real world" and we will talk to you very soon! Until next time.
Peace,
John and Beanie
Trip Update 7-18-08
Hello all friends and family of our wonderful group!
We are currently in good ole Concrete, WA preparing for our backpacking section and the weather could not be better! We arrived here in Rasar State Park (just a hop, skip, and a jump from Canada) just last evening and caught up on our sleep this morning. Liz, Somer, and Britt were back at the stove with a very filling pancake brunch; Alex threw in her two cents, as well, giving the younger kids a few pointers on pancake batter thickness.
Though the high-desert environment of central Oregon was absolutely breathtaking, our skin is definitely enjoying the denser climate of the North Cascades.
Before arriving here, we enjoyed 2 more successful days of rock climbing at Smith Rock. An area called "Spiderman's Buttress" treated us well with 5 different routes and one rope specifically designated as rappel practice for the looming Monkey's Face. Jesse once again entertained us by completely dominating the most difficult or "spicy" route at the very beginning of the day. Despite a bum wrist, resident funny man Jon was right there behind him. The red rocks treated us well as everyone reached the top of most of the ropes set up for us - we have quite a group of "rock stars", if you will. Before the heat of the day really set in, we hiked back out of the park, spoiled ourselves with a scoop more of Huckleberry's ice cream (a local 'scream stand with locally grown fruit...absolutely delicious), and headed into Bend, OR for a "town day". The kids scattered in small groups around Bend to check out the local flare. Bend is a great mountain town, approaching Aspen-like caliber with climbers, bikers, skiers, runners, etc walking around enjoying the local restaurants and boutiques.
We returned to the campsite feeling slightly refreshed after a taste of "real civilization" and a Talking Heads jam session in the van then headed to bed as the infamous Monkey's Face awaited. With a quick bar and an apple, we headed up Misery Ridge in the morning to begin our most challenging day yet. Jilly rose to the occasion and paced us up the steep hike - blisters and all. Once there, the guides led us through the schedule of the climb/rappel/traverse and we got under way. Fearless climber Jesse slid across the 340 ft high Tyrolean traverse first, making sure to pause and enjoy the surrounding views. He was followed by Caroline who has been granted "Rookie of the Year" for climbers in my book. Though tentative at first, Caroline was no doubt a Monkey's Face champ and was very glad that she completed the entire thing. Two of Caroline's cohorts Liz and Rosemary also conquered their fear of heights - 340 ft is extremely high when sitting on a rocky edge with nothing beneath you but very distant, jagged boulders. All in all, these two leaders are very proud of their group's performance at the Monkey. We hiked back down, packed up, and said "aurevoir" to the awesome Bivouac campsite we had called home for 3 days. You may think we'd be sick of Huckleberry's at this point, but some of these Moondancers managed to guzzle down the famous "Monkey" which is 4 scoops of mouth watering greatness before we embarked on our drive to Washington.
Sore muscles and tired eyes found reprieve in our van ride here to beautiful Concrete, Washington. Don't let the town's name fool you. Today we divvied up group food and gear, Bryan's previous back country experience and general goodhearted nature as a Leader of the Day has truly helped out as we prepare to catch the Ross Lake Water Taxi in the morning. A dinner of soup and chicken quesadillas awaits!
Wish us luck in the weather department and we look forward to the great stuff we'll have for the next update after backpacking! Don't forget to take a look at the full moon. Have a great weekend, but for now it's time for us to hit the trail!
Love,
Beanie and John
Trip Update 7-26-08
Hello All You Moondance Fans!
We are here on Lopez Island, located in the heart of the San Juan Islands in northern Washington, having just finished an amazing backpacking section! Our good luck streak with weather continued as we were blessed with sunshine, blue skies, and very minimal bugs. After our prep day in Concrete, WA just 8 days ago, we embarked on our third section of the trip by way of water taxi to a place on the northern tip of Ross Lake called Hozomeen. Once there, our first backpacking Leaders of the Day Caroline and Britt paced us up about 4 miles into the North Cascades. They lead us in a discussion of trail etiquette and the super important Leave No Trace philosophy which we tried our very hardest to follow for the rest of the trek. After a particularly early morning and a tough day on the trail, we arrived at our first campsite: Hozomeen Lake. Hozomeen Lake is like something out of a postcard. It is a glacial lake surrounded by jagged peaks and lush evergreen forests. With a good trail lunch in our bellies, we took a dip in the lake - most of us just relaxing and rinsing off, however, Rosemary and Jilly swam the length of the lake (a little over half a mile) and explored the untouched opposite end (yelling back any oddities they may have found). Later that evening, we taught cook crew #3 some tricks about cooking in the back country for 12 people and with a little help they came up with a wonderful pasta marinara with sautéed veggies and seasoned chicken - pretty impressive for some newcomers. The night welcomed us with a long and well-deserved sleep.
From Hozomeen Lake, Liz and Jesse lead us to Nightmare Camp the next day. 5 miles of up and down were indeed taxing, but on the way we saw giant trees, a couple different streams, and several deer. Nightmare Camp is aptly named as huge trees provided a canopy over a campsite well-engrained in the valley of two Cascadian peaks, and a dark setting made for an awesome Moon-Up that included everyone's scariest moments. The floor of the campsite was covered in old pine needles, providing awesome padding for our tents. As Deer Lick Creek flowed alongside Nightmare, Rosemary, Jilly, and Jesse made us a very tasty dinner of backcountry burritos. We had an early morning the next day as 6.5 miles of flat and mostly uphill terrain awaited us.
John and I were pleasantly surprised with the stamina and motivation our group displayed on this day. We knocked out 3 quick miles and had a fun, relaxing trail lunch and then fin shed the hike like it was a walk in the park. At the end of our hike, we reached Lightning Creek which is a campsite at the foot of Ross Lake - fully equipped with a landing dock that Jon immediately jumped off of with very little hesitation. Everyone else quickly followed and we enjoyed a nice afternoon of swimming and relaxing by the water.
The next day we woke up extra early, guzzled down some pb&j bagels and then the sibling duo of Alex and Bryan started us up Desolation Peak. The elevation at Ross Lake is 1600 ft and the elevation atop Desolation Peak is just over 6100 ft. These two extraordinary Moondancers got us up the mountain and summitted at just over 4 hrs That means we gained over 5000 ft of elevation at more than a thousand feet per hour. Very impressive. You might think the uphill climb would be tougher than the downhill; however, with a lot of athletic knees and growing bodies, the downhill took quite a toll on our joints. Though the view of the "American Alps" at the top of Desolation Peak was absolutely breathtaking, our legs and feet welcomed the cold, snow-melt water of Ross Lake at the end of the afternoon. After another night at Lightning creek, which was undoubtedly our favorite spot, we had a relaxing morning and then headed to Devil's Creek. Devil's Creek is located a bit higher in the mountains than Lightning, however, it provided for an amazing outside sleeping spot on top of a cliff that overlooked the lake and had a great view of other peaks. The next morning was almost bittersweet as we knew showers and a little bit of civilization was approaching, but the last day of backpacking also meant being back in the world of time constraints and complexity. We grew to love the simplicity of carrying life in a backpack and living by the light of the day. That's not to say we didn't thoroughly enjoy some local, organic ice cream after we caught a water taxi and reached our van. Maybe our 6 healthy days were cancelled out by the burgers and fries that we ate later, but we certainly had an amazing time and deserved a little treat!
With nearly forty miles of backpacking under our belt, we have enjoyed this rest and travel day in the San Juans. Bryan is about to whip us up a gourmet dinner of shrimp linguine and then in the morning we head out on sea kayaks!
We look forward to updating you again after sea kayaking, until then, everyone has a little shout out for folks at home:
"Hey Familia, Hope the QC is poppin'. Love, Rosie."
"Hey Fam, I'm having a lot of Fun! Love you, Liz"
"Hi Everybody, I'm having fun. Will call from airport. Took off my cast today and it feels just fine! See you soon and good luck Melea. Love, Jon"
"HI. Love, Britt"
"Hey Mom, Dad, and Anna, I'm having a lot of fun and I'm not dead yet. I miss you. Love, Jesse"
"Hey! I miss you so much and I'm having so much fun can't wait to see you also please fix my computer! Love, Somer"
"No worries, guys, my body has held up fine and I've only bled a little. I love and miss you, Jilly"
"Hey everyone! I miss all of you and I'm having so much fun! So is Bryan. Can't wait to see all of you! Love, Alex"
"Hey y'all! I miss yall so much and I'm having an amazing time! Can’t wait to see yall in a couple of days! Love, Caro"
Talk to you soon!
Much love,
Beanie and John
Final Trip Update 7-30-08
We hope this finds everyone back at home safely and perhaps missing the dry, cool air of Washington! We all said our goodbyes this morning and these two leaders could not miss their group more. It was a truly memorable trip, y'all.
Before we parted ways on the 29th, however, we had an amazing time kayaking in the San Juans. After some burly backpacking, we welcomed paddles and cushioned seats with open arms. On the first day of sea-kayaking, Jilly and Britt acted as Leaders of the Day and helped in organizing and loading all the boats. We stuffed our clothing and gear in dry sacks and were each responsible for paddling our own things for the entire trip - the guides taught us yet another philosophy or means of living simply. Guides Blair, Cathy, Johanna, Dave, Justin, Andrew, and Eli lead us through safety, technique, and environmental talks, fueled us up with a lunch of deli sandwiches and fruit, then it was go-time!
The paddling teams for the 3 day excursion were as follows: Britt and Bryan, Jilly and Somer, Jesse and Jon, John in a single, Beanie and Rosemary, and Alex, Caroline, and Liz filled the triple kayak. The tide was in our favor as we began the paddle; however, Blair quickly recognized that our group may have been slightly exhausted from such a fast-paced, physically taxing previous 2 and a half weeks that he changed our long-distance paddle to a half-day stretch ending at James Island, just northeast of Decatur Island which is just a stone's throw from Canada. On our approach into the National Park of James Island, seals, a river otter, and two bald eagles graced our presence. While the bald eagle is not on the endangered species list anymore, it is still protected - we felt very lucky to see a handful of them throughout our sea-kayaking section. Once on James Island, we unloaded the boats and set up camp, eagerly awaiting dinner.
The weather took a small turn on us once we landed for the evening. The winds picked up, clouds moved in, and the temperature dropped significantly. Luckily, with the help of cook crew extraordinares Somer and Rosemary, the guides whipped up cheese quesadillas and some hot, tasty soup for us. With warm bellies and tired eyes, we had Moon-Up at sunset on a cliff on the north side of the island overlooking the water. While we were sitting in prime whale-spotting position, we unfortunately never saw one breach the surface. Our exhausted bodies graciously hit the hay for the evening and woke up to the smell of sausage and pancakes the next morning.
After breakfast, guides Cathy and Blair lead a discussion in tidal and current navigation specifically pertinent to paddlers. Blair showed us charts and tide calendars that helped us identify exactly where we were, what times would be the best to leave, and certain depths and tide rips that could potentially be dangerous. Liz showed particular interest and aptitude in this area, I was impressed.
After navigation, we kind of reluctantly put our wet kayaking clothes back on to prepare for the challenge of the day (and maybe of the trip for some...). The guides wanted to learn how to wet exit and rescue in a sea kayak. Now this may seem relatively mild considering it is late July and the weather should be summer-like enough to appease the chill of the water; however, luck would have it that the clouds stayed, and we were given the coldest day of the summer. In order to wet exit, you have to flip the kayak upside down and release your wet skirt from the kayak and then pop out of the water, swim to the heaviest end of the boat (with 2 other people), meanwhile another boat comes over to help flip the capsized boat. After flipping the boat right side up, you must then get yourself back into your cockpit, and pump out the remaining water, which was normally about half the cockpit. 49 degree water and 50 degree air made for a pretty chilly wet exit. Needless to say, we all did it and it was amazingly fun, entertaining, and an obviously incredibly useful skill.
Wet exits were followed by some campfire time to warm up, a lunch of chicken salad roll ups and then a hike around the island to learn about our surrounding habitat and the intertidals. Along the west side of the island we paused to explore the rocks in the intertidals where John, Britt, Jon, Jesse, Caroline, and Somer found some purple starfish and other small marine life attached to rocks. Rosemary even attempted to attach a local limpet (looks kind of like an oyster) to her tongue. After the hike we had some down-time before dinner whereupon Jilly and Alex entertained us with some crazy dance moves. Dinner included some fresh, fried sea cucumber that resembled the taste of fried calamari, long with clam linguine, salad, and hot chocolate.
We had a memorable Moon-Up after dinner, one that we all appreciated and helped our little family become even closer. The next morning we woke up to cream of wheat and bananas, then loaded our boats again and paddled back to Lopez Island. After cleaning the kayaks and changing into some dry (but still pretty smelly) clothes, the awesome kayak guides grilled out for us. While burgers, hot dogs, watermelon, chips and salsa, and ice cream made for an extremely delicious, gigantic lunch/dinner (linner, if you will), it had us begging for some Tums a couple hours later.
Though still pretty full from the cook-out, we found our campsite later and got ready for some healthy competition in Iron Chef. We split the group in half, along with all the cooking and kitchen gear, had the kids vie for the food we had leftover, and challenged them to come up with the best tasting, most creative meal ever. You would think that no too much could come of canned chicken, pancake mix, macaroni noodles, syrup, rice, and a lot of seasonings, but our talented chefs created some very tasty meals. Judges Beanie and John crowned Bryan's team winner of the most aesthetically-pleasing meal while Liz and Alex's team won the taste-bud approval award. Somehow both teams made barbecue sauce and cinnamon seem delicious when put together with onion pancakes and sweet rice. Go figure. Maybe hunger is indeed the best ingredient.
The next morning we boarded the ferry back to Anacortes where we did some awesome van cleanup and parked ourselves at the local thrift store. Everyone bought some crazy outfits for our banquet dinner later that evening. I think we'll all have to agree that Jilly and John won "best-dressed". Well done, you two. Wearing bright colors and odd combinations, we sat down at a local pizza joint and ate until our stomachs hurt from both laughter and maybe a little bit of the hot grease. Who knows? After pizza, we strolled down to a candy/ice cream/old-timey soda fountain and capped off our meals with some homemade ice cream. Yet again, we hurried to find the antacids while jamming out in the van on the way back to our final campsite of the trip. Showered and packed, we had our Final Moon-Up. We expressed our gratitude and appreciation of each other and reflected on what amazing things we have accomplished together in the past 3 weeks. Though there was a lot of laughter, there was something bittersweet about our last Moon-Up all together.
It was hard to sleep on our last night knowing we were waking up soon only to leave this awesome place and crazy new friends. With a short drive to the airport, we got everyone checked in and sad some teary goodbyes at the security checkpoint.
This was an amazingly memorable trip, kids. You kept us laughing and your maturity and responsibility made this seem less like a job and more like 3 weeks exploring with great, new friends. We are both so impressed with how much each of you contributed to our group's success, and you are all already greatly missed. We even found ourselves saying some of your odd or different sayings. I think you all know what we mean....Anyway, we will without a doubt keep in touch and we hope you will all consider joining Moondance again next summer!
Until next time...
Much love,
Beanie and John
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