We’re just blazing through this Summer. Michael asked us the other day, “Don’t you guys ever burn out on all this camping?” With a chuckle we replied, “No Way!”
Just thinking about all those long, cold Winter months is enough inspiration to set us off on another adventure. This is our #1 favorite thing to do – there’s simply nowhere else we’d rather be. :)
ScenicBoys: Scatter Creek from scenicboys on Vimeo.
Around the 21st of June we usually celebrate the Summer Solstice – the longest day of the year! Michael took the lead on planning this trip, though our initial (and very well thought out) plans were foiled by rain showers. I swear the harder we plan for these adventures, the easier time the Universe has of setting us on a completely different course. The North Cascades had been our original destination, but we eventually ended up in the Okanagan National Forest near the town of Twisp, WA.
The first night we picked a random forest road well after dark and drove long into the night in search of a suitable camping spot. There wasn’t much available and we ultimately spent the night in a wide-spot barely large enough for the SUV and our two tents. Nothing beats a good attitude and an open mind when things don’t work out as planned. Once the tents were up and everything was situated, we cracked open some beers and gazed up at the beautiful night’s sky. There were so many stars that it was difficult to pick out even the easiest constellations!
The following morning we drove on to Twisp for some breakfast and last minute supplies. The Twisp River Road led us further back into the Okanagans. Relying heavily on the Trusty Road Atlas, I spotted a seemingly easy 4-mile hike along Scatter Creek to Abernathy Peak. The map showed a nice mountain lake at the end of the trail: what a great place to celebrate the Solstice!
It became clear shortly after leaving the car that we were headed down a different trail that what we’d seen on the map. This trail wasn’t even on the map! Thinking something promising would be just around the next turn we pressed on, but after a couple miles we cut our losses and made our way back to car. Let’s try this again!
Upon further scrutiny we discovered the right trail and once again commenced our hike. The trail became instantly steep and continued to climb. For future reference, 4000 feet of elevation gain in about 4 miles is a TOUGH hike! Like, black diamond difficulty. Probably not the best choice for the three rookies (John, Brandon, and Kevin), but they toughed through it and a few hours later we collapsed onto our campsite. At this point we were well above the snowline, but still a mile or more from the lake we’d been hoping to find. What was that about keeping a positive attitude? Haha…
That night we celebrated the Summer Solstice with loin cloths and all the beer we’d lugged up the mountain. I’ve heard there’s good magic during the mid-Summer sunrise, and we honestly tried to stay up late enough to watch it. We held out as long as we could, but one-by-one we drifted to sleep. Oh well, let’s try again next year!
We should have our next Adventure posted in about a week. Our hike up the East face of Mount St. Helens made the Scatter Creek Trail look EASY! So check back soon…
cool pictures in the june snow :)
Posted by: Wayne | July 08, 2009 at 05:55 PM
What a great group of Scenic Boys you have this year. Too bad about Kevin's injury. Hopefully someone took care of the swelling!
As always, thanks for sharing.
Posted by: Podoli | July 08, 2009 at 06:16 PM
"Nothing beats a good attitude and an open mind when things don’t work out".
I think this outlook is what your readers find most rewarding about this blog. It's a breath of fresh air in a cynical online world.
(Of course, the pictures of cute guys don't hurt, either.)
HB8
Posted by: headbang8 | July 09, 2009 at 12:24 AM
I'm beginning to see a pattern for this summer.......loin cloths. Long may this last.
You guys have always had a "go with the flow" attitude about your camping and it's good to see that your friends (every one a hottie to) do also.
Posted by: Mark | July 09, 2009 at 08:14 AM
"This is our #1 favorite thing to do – there’s simply nowhere else we’d rather be."
What a simple and heartfelt statement, our thanks to you for taking us along. Your refreshing outlook seems almost radical in today's cynical world: the ScenicBoy revolution is upon us!
Posted by: Wyler | July 09, 2009 at 07:02 PM
So that's the secret...
They bring along their own masseur... :)
Posted by: Doug | July 14, 2009 at 07:25 PM