ScenicBoys

Steamboat Rock State Park

Last weekend the Northwest had a preview of summer with some unusually warm temperatures. So we invited some friends, packed our gear and headed through the farmlands of central Washington, to Steamboat Rock State Park. Michael and Micah (Park Ranger & Marine Biologist) joined us on this 4 hour drive to the fringe of the desert.

We arrived right at dusk, hiked a short distance and found a fantastic spot right next to the waters of Banks Lake. We sat around the camp fire with our beers and vegetable dinners, playing games and telling stories. The desert is always so amazing at night. There were SO MANY stars out and we easily found Gemini, Taurus, Aries, Orion and Capella (the part of the night sky I know best). The best part about watching the stars is that we heard the coyotes enjoying them too.

The next morning Micheal made a yummy pancake breakfast then the four of us started the hike to the top of Steamboat Rock. The initial hike up was a hand over foot scramble, but once we got up there it was pretty much level. The views were so spectacular that we couldn't resist capturing a ScenicBoy moment, and Michael was more than willing model. Good job Buddy!

While hiking, my eyes are usually on the lookout for natures treasures.  I have a small collection of rocks and feathers at home.  While we were hiking around, Micah found me a beautiful peach crystallized Agate.  Thanks Micah!

After a few hours on top of the basalt monolith, we drove back to Soap Lake for lunch (greasy food, mmmm) then explored the Lake Lenore Cave Dwellings. It wasn't hard to imagine cavemen living in these scattered rock dents along the side of the canyon walls. After that was yet another fascinating geologic point of interest, Dry Falls.

A remnant of the Ice Age Floods, this was once the world's largest waterfall. 500 million cubic miles of water (10 times the combined flows of all the world's rivers) gushed over these cliffs in just a couple weeks, sending cataclysmic floods through eastern Washington. This is how this entire area was so roughly shaped. Looking out at the 400 foot high wall - where torrents of water and ice carved the canyon - was a breathtaking sight.


ScenicBoys: Steamboat Rock State Park 09 from scenicboys on Vimeo.

Next weekend is our Beltane camping adventure and also Garet's 28th birthday. We're so glad that the camping season is finally here!

La Push

First things first, a Big THANKS to all our friends and fans for casting your votes in Lonely Planet's Best Travel Blog Awards.  We didn't win (aww shucks) but we were truly honored just to be in running. Congrats to Two Guys Around The World, great site and stories, guys! 

At last the temperatures are starting to heat up around our neck of the woods!  

ScenicBoys Season 3 is under way!!

ScenicBoys: La Push 2009 from scenicboys on Vimeo.

Friday after work we packed up the rental car and headed North for the Edmonds - Kingston Ferry.  We got a little later start than we had planned, and the spot we intended to camp at in Heart of the Hills was barricaded off.  We've run into this problem before, heading out so early in the season, but I thought for sure the foothills of the Olympics would be snow-free by early April.  Wrong!

It was well past dark by this point and we were both exhausted.  Heading back towards Port Angeles, I was half tempted to duck into a hotel for the night.  On second thought that just seemed like a terrible way to start our adventure.  So we continued West for another 20 minutes in search of an open campground.  Nothing was open and sleep was sounding better by the second.  I saw an unmarked dirt road and took a chance.  Luckily it worked and we soon found a nice clearing to park and set up the tent.

 

The night turned pretty cold, but having a warm body to snuggle against makes all the difference!  We awoke to a thick frost covering the tent.  When we stopped at Forks to pick up our back country permit, the Ranger told us last night almost broke the record low!  What is with our luck lately!? :)

We drove out to La Push and then backtracked to our trailhead.  The first 1.4 miles was an easy descent down to the Ocean.  We tried to hike along the beach as much as possible, but even at low tide there are a couple places you have to take the overland trail. They were steep and muddy!

About 3 miles into our hike we arrived at Scott's Bluff - the general area we intended to camp that night.  There were only a few places level enough for the tent on the beach, and the only inland campground was already occupied.  We hiked on another mile to Giant's Graveyard and found a great spot to set up camp.  

The tide was all the way out by this point and the adjacent pools were fun to explore.  I learned a very valuable lesson though: Kelp Crabs can indeed reach behind themselves and they have VERY strong pinchers!!!   

Our hike out the next morning was bit more of a challenge since the tide was high.  At one point we had to make our own trail around an impassable spot.  In a few other places we had to time the waves and make a mad dash before the next wave crashed to shore.  So Fun! :)

And that concludes our first Washington trip of the season.  Next weekend is looking very promising for another camping adventure.  Can't Wait!