The Wisdom of the Native Americans We have a lot to learn from the Native Americans. I think their beliefs and traditions about respecting Mother Earth should be implemented not only while face to face with her in nature, but while in the city as well.
David Allen Sibley: The Sibley Guide to Birds Sphyrapicus ruber: Red Breasted Sapsucker -
Corvus brachyrhynchos: American Crow -
Cathartes aura: Turkey Vilture -
Cyanocitta stelleri: Steller's Jay
...Garet loves birds.
Washington Atlas & Gazetteer We never go on an adventure without our trusty Road Atlas! It's great for finding short cuts, back country camp spots and "Natural Land Features."
Well here is the second installment of the ScenicBoys Caribbean Adventure. :) Thanks to everyone who commented on the last post, hope you all enjoy this one too.
This trip also marked our 2 year anniversary together! Where better to celebrate our anniversary than back at the place it all started? Have we ever mentioned that 2 years ago we fell in love on St. Maarten? It's an exotic, romantic, and at times magical place. I don't know of anywhere else on earth quite like it.
If you haven't been, be sure to check out the photo galleries in the panel to the left. In there you'll find plenty more pictures from all our adventures. Here are some of our favs from the second half of the trip.
Long Baie, second to the last night
Enjoying a nice stroll through the warm water on Cupecoy
Dusty looking out over the Atlantic from Anse Marcel nature perserve. That's Pinet Island in the distance.
Sunset, Long Baie
Back at Cupecoy (can you guess which beach was our favorite?) :)
Underwater Camera! Everyone looks great underwater...
Garet and I had the first week in July off and for months we kept thinking how cool it would be to go on a backpacking trip for the entire week! Imagine how lost we could get with 7 days to explore the wilderness. I did some research, called some ranger stations, and found us a cool trail around a big lake.
So... 2 days before the break started we were having dinner. Garet turns to me and said “Boyfriend, you can stop planning for the mountains, cause I bought us tickets to the Caribbean.” Woah! A Surprise Adventure to the Caribbean?! Not much could make this better except the fact that we were leaving in 48 hours!
As excited as two little school girls we landed on the beautiful island of St. Martin and immediately changed into our swim shorts and went to our favorite beach in the world, Cupecoy. With plenty of time to spend in the warm turquoise water, we drank some rum punch on the beach till the sun set.
We stayed at a little gay friendly hotel called the Royal Turtle Inn. Our room was awesome with a king sized four poster bed and a huge tiled bathroom to die for. With endless adventures waiting for us outside, it was hard at times to leave this comfortable room.
This was our second time to the island so we had a pretty good idea of what we wanted to see again and what new things we wanted to do. At Orient Beach we sat and enjoyed some Carib Lagers and saw tons of boobies. We also took a water taxi to Ilet Pinet, a small island/nature preserve off the northeast coast of St. Martin. Being on the Atlantic side, the waves were huge and crashed just feet in front of us.
At 1500ft, the highest point you can get on St. Martin, you've reached Pic Paradise. This was a hike we did last time, but could not resist another chance to view the island and water from such a high elevation. It was clear enough that day for us to see some of SXM's sister islands: St. Barts and Anguilla.
By mid week, we had nice tans setting in, our hair was lighting and we still had a few days left in the Caribbean. Part 2 of this adventure coming soon.
During our trip to the Federation Forest, our buddy Matt was gathering footage and has put together a wonderfully surreal movie of his point of view. He has done such an amazing job of telling the story, that it seems like a fantastical adventure. And here is a true testament to his talent; his view finder is smashed so he free-hands his visual concepts. Imagen when this boy gets a new camera!
To celebrate the Gemini birthdays, including my own, we took a handful of friends into the woods where we could get rowdy and enjoy the company of each other without the distractions of the city. Ian, Matt, Will, Anthony, and Jessy followed us on a journey through the foothills north of Mt. Rainier as we searched for the perfect camp spot.
We made camp under some big old Hemlock trees, on the shores of the beautiful Huckleberry Creek. It was nice falling asleep to the flowing sounds of the water and waking up to the warm sun peeking though the trees.
Saturday afternoon we took the boys to Federation Forest, one of the unique land features on our trusty road atlas. We weren't disappointed. Miles of wandering trails showed the contrasts in nature that typify the state of Washington - from the dry eastern deserts to the lush western peninsula. Gardens in front of the center highlight edible and poisonous native plants and plants from six of the nine biosystems of this state.
It's become tradition to camp along the far side of the Olympic Peninsula the weekend following Vantage. Last year we snuck away with our best buddy, Patrick, to Shi Shi Beach. This year Dusty and I made the long trek ourselves, but Patrick was there in spirit every step of the way! :)
We left work early Friday afternoon to catch the ferry from Edmonds to Kingston. From there we drove as far west as we could before nightfall. We ended up staying in the Olympic National Park that night. The campground is made up of several loops, but only 3 of them were open - the rest had been barricaded off. Proof of Dusty's amazing people skills, he convinced the camp hosts to let us (and nobody else) set up camp on one of the unused loops, far away from anyone else. We found a beautiful spot along the creek and settled in for the night.
Early the next morning we made our way to the Port Angeles ranger station. To camp along the ocean you need a back-country permit, a pass if you're staying on reservation land, and a bear canister for storing all your smelly-ables. About three hours later we made it to our trailhead at the north end of Lake Ozette. The loop trail is 9.2 miles: 3 miles to the Pacific Ocean, another 3 miles heading north along the beach up to Cape Alava, and the final 3 miles back to the car. This hike is great for hikers of all ages and abilities; both legs of the trail heading to and from the Ocean consist of well maintained boardwalks - complete with stairs, hand rails and bridges! Compared to our hike into Shi Shi, this was a breeze!
We passed centuries old petroglyphs and a rock formation called Hole in the Wall. At about the half way point we decided to set up camp and relax. We explored tide pools and more of the shore line before calling it a night.
The next morning we arose to a male mule deer sniffing around our camp. It's kind of nice waking up in such a peaceful environment, where a little deer will come a check you out. After chatting with the deer we eat breakfast and broke down camp.
It took us about 2 hours to make it back to the car, and then another 4 hours to drive home. But this hike was totally worth the drive. The Olympic Coast is truly a beautiful, magical region. Spending time in a place that has little touch to modern society is an amazing experiance. A complete disconnect, just the way we like it.
Every Memorial Day weekend our extended group of friends (that being every Washington gay we've ever met) convene on the banks of the Columbia River for a 4-day camping extravaganza. We call this wild and crazy rendezvous: VANTAGE!
So many things made this year's trip amazing. We had a nice mix of hot and cool weather; the group was inviting, fun, and relaxed; and hardly a minute went by we weren't busting up laughing. But one of the best parts for us was having Founder and Instigator of www.ScenicBoys.com along for this adventure. Yogen lives in London and happened to be in the US for a business trip. We were so excited when he told us he'd be coming along for the weekend! His plane landed and within an hour we were on I-90 heading east.
It takes just under 2 hours to drive from Seattle to Vantage - quality time to catch up with Yogen and set the tone for an awesome weekend ahead of us. We arrived first and claimed the very best spot in this huge camping area; 3/4 of a mile hike through the sand and briars to a nice flat area nestled against some tall trees and a fence that marks the campground boundary.
We added 4 new ScenicBoys to our growing group of friends (and fans) willing to be naked in front of our cameras... all in the name of Art, of course :) It didn't take much convincing for Yogen to run around nude with us. Lucien and Olivier are also two of our closest friends, though with our different schedules we don't see them nearly often enough. And Drew just couldn't wait to drop trow not only for the camera, but for the entire camp! Way to show 'um how it's done Drew. :)
It's not every weekend we find ourselves stranded in perilous danger, on the brink certain death. :) Our last trip had a close call, but thanks to good camping karma and some extremely friendly people, we made it home safe with nothing more than a good story to show for it!
The temperatures around Seattle have been stuck in the 60s - a welcome relief from winter, but still not warm enough for any kind of serious camping adventures. And then a troff of warm air (read: global warming) brought record breaking temperatures to the Pacific Northwest. With temps in the 90s, the high-country snowpack was disintegrating... and the rivers were quickly rising. What a great time to drive up into the mountains!
I think the video tells the story best, so watch it to find out what happens! ;)
Here's a shot from the clear cut area just below our campsite. It's always a little sad to see deforested areas, but the speed with which the area has regrown is impressive and very beautiful.
Our next post will be about our annual gay camping trip at Vantage, WA. This weekend we're heading back to the Olympic Peninsula, to discover the western most point in the United States! Can't Wait! Check back soon for more ScenicBoy's Adventures!
The past month and a half have left the Pacific Northwest in an soggy, dreary, and cold mess. With endless gray clouds looming over the mountains in all directions and feet of snow blocking the forest roads to a lot of our favorite camping places. We've been trying to get out of the city the last few weekends but each time our plans have been crushed by uncooperative weather. - BUT, thankfully, our camping prayers were answered and we were able to have our first successful camping adventure of the year. Just in time for Garet's 27th Birthday! :)
Garet and I, along with 4 buds headed east to Taneum Canyon near my hometown of Ellensburg. The sun was shining as we drove across the cattle guard that keeps a herd of Rocky Mountain Elk in this beautiful canyon. After driving a few miles up a gnarly gravel road we found an awesome camp site nestled on the edge of a big meadow.
The nights were full of campfire stories and general goofiness, encouraged by a few cases of Rainier Beer, while the days we spent exploring the wilderness around us and making head bands out of the springtime foliage.
Sunday, after the boys headed back to Seattle, Garet and I went for a hike to the top of the canyon to take advantage of the clear day. It was warm, the snow was melting and some of the wild flowers were in bloom; it was great to feel the presence of Spring. :)
Recently I've been reading a lot about Native American cultures and trying to teach myself how to survive using only what nature can provide. The idea really interests me and I'm excited to read more. This last picture of me in my breechclout was inspired by some of the things I've been learning. If anyone knows where I can get a good elk buckskin to make some garments, please let me know.
To preface this post, I'd just like to say Summer can't come quickly enough. We had a glimpse of Spring before another month of rain, snow and gloom was cast down upon us. We haven't really gone on any adventures worthy of posting about. Until last weekend - we went to Alpacapalooza 2008! Peace, Love and Livestock!! Hahaha...
Alpacas Rock! There were few Crazy ones...
while others were very gentle and pretty!
They all have such aparent personalities!
We missed most of the exhibits and demonstrations, but we got to see a portion of the judging.
I'm still not sure what makes one 'better' than another.
Dusty had to BEG me to go to this show. He gets 'obsessed' every now and again, this time it's with... Alpacas. I'm glad we went though; I learned a good deal about them. Who knows, we might have an Alpaca farm in the future! :)
Thanks Andrew and George for coming along!
It was great to get out of the city and see something new. Hopefully our real spring is right around the corner. Next weekend is looking great, but we're celebrating a friend's birthday. Happy Birthday DJ Kyler! In two weeks our best friend Patrick comes for a visit from Japan. It might be May before we're able to get out on any real camping adventures! All in good time, To say the least we're very excited for another season of travels, adventures, and fun. And thanks to the modern advent of Blogging, you'll be there for every digitally enhanced, high definition experience right along with us. :)
You Showed Me Lightning Seeds: You Showed Me I heard this song in a barbershop a few months back and loved it. Sounds 60's psychedelic. This is the second song in the Ozette Loop video.
Truely Madly Deeply Dualers: Truly Madly Deeply We heard this one on the radio while on St. Martin. We liked it from the start. Liked it so much that it was used as the last song in the first St.Martin video.
