| Pacific Northwest Exposure log (2004-07-15 -> 2004-08-04)
Leaders: Sarah Fox, Anderson Heagy and Jay Kinney
Students: Anna Belk, Hannah Cheever, Anna Dickerson, Robert Griffith, Harrison Hamlet, Phillip Neill, Alli Russell, Caroline Tanner, Andrew Taylor, Andrew Triggs
Opening Day
We are out of Seattle and heading up the the San Juans to start our sea kayaking section. Looks like we have a tremendous group. Everyone is already getting along so well.
...And so begins another adventure for us all. Our Pacific Northwest Moondance started without a hitch as ten new students landed at the Seattle airport. Anna B, Anna D, Alli, Hannah, Andrew Triggs, Andrew Taylor, Caroline, Philip, Harrison, and Robert began gelling immediately and cemented the bonds by naming their team "The Griswalds." Hailing from six different states and having a variety of interests, these youngsters promise to bring a lot of energy to everything that we do.
After everyone had arrived, we packed up our trailer and piled into the van for a short trip to the Anacortes ferry. Along the way, we all began to get to know each other better. Philip kept us laughing with his incessant jokes, and it was quickly apparent that he would be the entertainer of the group. The ferry ride from Anacortes to the San Juan islands was gorgeous, and before we knew it, we were on Lopez Island, setting up camp and learning how to pitch our tents.
We awoke early the next morning to rendezvous with the sea kayaking guides. They distributed dry bags to hold all of our gear and showed us how to pack them for a two-night trek. We spent the next couple of hours learning a variety of sea kayaking skills, one of which was the "wet exit." In order to safely kayak, we needed to know how to exit a boat should it happen to flip over. Although the water was bone chilling, we all successfully demonstrated the ability to execute a wet exit. Anna D was especially impressive with her quick exit and even quicker re-entry into the boat. Apparently, the cold water strengthened her lightning quick reflexes and gave her the ability to jump out of water into a boat like a flying fish.
After a quick lunch of sandwiches and carrots, we packed up the boats and embarked upon a 13 mile trek to Jones Island. In his glistening white kayak, Harrison quickly proved to the group that he was an adept paddler. No one could slow him down. As we paddled among the beautiful San Juan Islands, we were treated to some spectacular scenery. We gazed at the snow-capped Mount Baker on the Horizon, ogled at the hazy mountain ridges of British Columbia in the distance, and even saw an occasional seal stick his head above the surface before diving back underwater. The sun beat down on us all day, but a cool breeze and frequent water fights kept everyone from burning up. We arrived at our campsite on Jones Island around dusk, quickly set up camp, and enjoyed a great pasta and sausage dinner.
The following morning, we spent the first part of the day exploring Jones Island. From the rocky cliffs of Jones, the views of all the other San Juan Islands were astounding. We also enjoyed spending time discovering a variety of marine life on a rock point that we dubbed "Barnacleville." Andrew Taylor demonstrated a fascination with the various sea stars, sea urchins, and eels, and he was never hesitant to pick one up for a little hands-on learning.
After lunch, The Griswalds participated in some team building activities, including the Spider Web and the Trust Fall. Although everyone took these activities seriously, Hannah quickly emerged as the leader. Her experience with similar activities allowed her to help the team conquer each challenge. At the end of these activities, the five girls and Philip went on a sunset paddle around Jones Island. The rest of the boys graciously stayed behind and helped prepare a delicious meal. On the brief kayak trip, Alli took a turn steering one of the large, 3-person boats and did a fantastic job. Steering is no easy task, but she handled it flawlessly.
The following morning, we woke up and broke camp early to catch the tide as it was heading out. The day began a bit chilly and windy, but by noon, the sun had scattered the clouds, revealing another bluebird sky. As we paddled the 13 miles back to Lopez Island, Andrew Triggs powered his "Red Dragon" kayak with forceful strokes. He too proved to be a Griswald who knew how to handle a boat. Before we knew it, we were back where we'd started 3 days earlier. After unpacking and cleaning the boats and gear, the Griswalds enjoyed a delicious cookout lunch with burgers, chips, and homemade salsa. We spent the rest of the day relaxing and continuing to get to know one another. Robert entertained everyone by writing a hilarious 5-chapter story about our entire sea-kayking experience. He left the Griswalds wondering if they had the next Samuel Clemens on their hands.
That night, we built a friendly campfire and massaged each other's sore shoulders. We also played "Two Truths and a Lie" where everyone told two truths and a lie about themselves while the rest of the group tried to guess which fact was untrue. Anna B. fooled everyone with a whopper about a rusty nail in her foot, proving to everyone that while she may not be the loudest Griswald, she's still pretty darn clever.
Today is Day 5 of our adventure, and we are currently seated on the ferry that will take us back to the mainland. We will drive to the North Cascades National Park today, and tomorrow we will begin the backpacking section of the trip. During that section, we'll hike along the east bank of Ross Lake, we'll summit Desolation Peak, and we'll keep getting to know each other along the way. This Moondance Adventure is off to a great start, and it is going to keep getting better as the days march forward.
Trip Update 7-27-04
The Griswald's backpacking adventure in the Cascades was full of challenging, thrilling, and relaxing activities. Starting off on the East Bank Trail knowing we were about to embark on a 46 mile hike through the beautiful and rugged terrain left us all anxious and excited for the upcoming 7 days. Our first day to Hidden Hand campsite was a great ice-breaker for the section. The relatively short hike to the cozy campsite off the trail made us feel accomplished and confident for the tougher days ahead. 1/2 mile down the trail from our campsite was not only a gorgeous view of Ross Lake but also a perfect cliff jumping site into the water for us to enjoy. Philip and Anna Belk entertained the team with an intense jumping competition. Their love for the water was evident that day and both would be able to enjoy more time in the lake in the coming days. We headed to Rainbow Point the next day and with Anna Belk's confident and cool leadership style, her group arrived early in the afternoon. The dock at Rainbow Point turned out to be a favorite place for the Griswalds. It faced the awesome site of Mount Ruby, which Philip diligently discovered using the Cascades map. That night Caroline and Robert prepared an awesome spaghetti dinner for the group. The Italian meal was only complete, through, with their creative presentation of the dinner, which included both of them drawing handle bar mustaches on themselves and tying red bandanas around their necks! It was a dinner presentation that was tough to rival for the next meals. We left Rainbow Point early that next morning, speaking of; the Griswalds became stellar at breaking camp, organizing gear, and re-packing packs each morning in barely no time at all. Lightning Creek, our next destination, awaited our arrival and we gracefully backpacked the cool 6.5 miles along the lake. With the help of Anna Dickerson's constant enthusiasm and upbeat attitude the team remained energized throughout each day. Her ability to make us laugh made the tougher hikes entertaining. The Lightning Creek site, set right on the lake and with a very large dock, was a sweet spot for our group for the next two nights. Andrew Taylor impressed us all with his log rolling talents in the water and again that evening with his incredibly tasty 'cinnamon spiced' chicken noodle soup. Dinner was early for us that night. Our appetites were satisfied by the cinnamon soup and perfectly browned grilled cheeses, which Harrison happily fixed while sharing his grilled cheese secrets with his cook group. We set to sleep around 6 pm knowing we were to awake around 11 pm! to do an alpine ascent of Desolation Peak, a 6000 foot mountain. With headlamps on and day packs full of snacks, warm layers, and perhaps a journal, our Griswald team began its summit attempt with hopes of reaching the top for a 4:30 AM sunrise. At twelve midnight Allie was serenaded with "happy birthday" tunes on the trail and when we reached the top she excitedly opened her birthday present from home and selflessly shared her birthday cards with all of us. This was hopefully a birthday she will not forget.
The sky was just turning pink when we reached the summit. It was a chilly sunrise, but a breathtaking and rewarding one at that. The descent off the mountain was much faster than the ascent and we were back to Lightning Creek by late morning. A thirteen mile morning left us a bit exhausted and we enjoyed a restful day on the dock. That night the cook group surprised Allie with a chocolate chip cookie cake; it was a yummy treat for all of us. Having successfully completed the toughest part of the backpacking section was a great accomplishment for the team and we were in high spirits for the remainder of the trail because of it. However, the next days trail was still a difficult one, yet we felt well prepared. We faced an arduous 2 mile uphill climb. In the first group up the climb, Robert and Harrison easily made it to the top while both constantly cheered the others to the top. Furthermore, Andrew Trigg's strength shined this day as well. His climb with a hefty pack was notable and inspiring for those of us who struggled a bit up the climb. Backpacking is often looked upon as one of the more daunting sections of Moondance trips by the students. Such anxiety was experienced by Hannah. Nevertheless, her apprehension noticeably decreased as the days passed. After summitting Desolation and making it to the top of the tough 2 mile climb, with the help of Caroline's ever-present encouragement, on the last day of backpacking, her exclamation of "I can do this!" was a major turn-around and accomplishment for her character. The Griswald's enjoyed their last night at Hozomeen Lake, a beautiful and secluded lake set amidst green hills. The next morning was our final day in the back country. A short 3.5 mile hike to the trailhead led us to the very end of Ross Lake. We were rewarded with a sweet water taxi ride out of the Cascades. The 40 minute ride allowed us time to reflect upon not only the terrain we covered but also what a successful and closer group of individuals we had become over the past week. Stay tuned for news about the Griswald's next adventure: Rafting the Deschutes!
NEW LOG
The Griswalds are back again from another amazing adventure. Paddling theDeschutes river, in northern Oregon, was a blast. We spent two days on theriver, with the Orion rafting guides, soaking in the perfect weather and relaxing after a strenuous backpacking section. Setting the tone for two days of R and R were the god-brothers from Atlanta. Robert and Andrew Taylor definitely know how to kick it back, and their ability to chill inspired an entire boat crew to do the same. The other boat (Team Hyper-Light-Speed) took a slightly different approach to their rafting experience. Hyper-Light-Speed members, Andrew Triggs and Hannah, were
self-proclaimed pirates. Feeling it was their duty to get the Chill boat good and wet, Hannah and Andrew would silently dip into the water, swim to the other boat and then pull the unsuspecting relaxers in. This always made
for a good laugh. Phillip, feeling equally responsible for the soaking of his fellow Moondancers, could be found instigating water fights at all times of the day. Needless to say, we were all very very wet thanks to
Phillip. When the Griswalds weren't water fighting or "chillaxing" they could be found learning a thing or two about river navigation. Most folks took a turn guiding the boat, but Harrison really shinned here. Taking his passion for racing to the river, Harrison spent some real quality time behind the oar rig.
Off the river, we had an equally enjoyable time. Anna Dickerson was up to her usually antics keeping the whole family entertained. Whether it's with her off the wall "Dickersonisms" or her general light-heartedness, we can always count on Anna for some fun. Meals on the rafting section were exquisite. Allie proved to be an all-star in the kitchen, cooking up some of the best French toast any of us had ever tasted. And Anna Belk headed up
the "A team" in creating a coos coos and a veggie masterpiece.
All in all it was an awesome trip. Our guides were great, the river was fun, the weather was perfect, and our team couldn't be better. Caroline really summed it up when she said, "The Griswalds are so Rad!"
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