ScenicBoys

Ross Lake

The North Cascades are one of the largest protected mountain ranges in the United States. Even just driving through these "American Alpes" you'll get the since of how wild this territory is. Over 300 icy blue glaciers crown alpine peaks that give this National Park it's name. Between ancient conifer forests are several giant emerald colored lakes that hold small islands with extremely remote camp spots. We knew this would be an excellent place to have a three day Scenic Boy Adventure.

Our roommate, Kyle and his boyfriend, James joined us on our drive to Bellingham where we met up with Ranger Mike (a Ranger for the North Cascades NP) and a new friend, Alex. We all got to the Ross Lake parking lot at about 8am, from the highway we had to hike a mile down to the shore for Ross Lake. From the banks of this green reservoir we had to call the Ross Lake Resort to send a motorboat to ferry us across. Prior to our arrival we had made reservations for some canoes to play with for a few days. The resort is very quant, with a handful of floating cabins and boat rentals this is the ideal spot to start a North Cascades camp trip. 

Once we all got to the middle of the lake, we had to pause and take in the overwhelming beauty of our surroundings. The glaciers and snow caped mountains dominated the sky, and millions of trees filled the space between the alpine and the lake. As we paddled on small coves came into sight, with tunnels make of tree lims and waterfalls filling the lake with ice cold water. 

Our first camp spot was four miles from the resort on a small spit that formed a private bay. After camp was set up and we all had a bite to eat, we set out to explore our little piece of heaven. We found and examined friendly Alligator Lizards and Western Toads, played a few games with rocks and drift wood, and braved the chilly water for a refreshing dip.

The next morning we continued up the lake to another amazing camp spot, this time on an island. We were eager to keep exploring so we quickly set up camp and hopped back in our canoes to paddle a mile across to lake to the Big Beaver trailhead. It took us a bit to get across due to the wind and choppy water, but we all eventually made it across safely. We followed Big Beaver Creek a few miles up the canyon, passing giant hemlock and fir trees. Feeling like there was more fun and fewer people on our side of the lake, we turned around and headed back.

An hour and a half later we make it back to our island, completely tuckered out from the strenuous paddle across the lake. The wind had pickup and blowing against us. It seemed as though every time we paused, our canoe would drift farther and farther the opposite way we wanted to go. Thankfully the water behind our island was calm and smooth. The 6 of us spent the rest of the day practicing our fly fishing and gathering firewood. 

The third and final day of this canoe adventure, we took our time paddling back to the resort. It turned out to be the nicest day of the trip, so we soaked up some sun and enjoyed the views. Sadly when we returned home we realized most of the video we recored was lost. So this post is videoless. We hope you all can still get the since of how spectacular and fun this trip was for us, and hopefully we can make it back there with a new camera.

Scenic Boys: Ross Lake from scenicboys on Vimeo.

Siouxon Creek

What is it about waterfalls that completely relaxes and refreshes the human spirit? Could it be the sound of millions of water droplets rushing to reconnect, or the feeling of cool mist that fills the air and moistens the skin? Whatever the reason, waterfalls have an unparalleled ability to make us completely forget about the craziness of the man-made world.

Scenic Boys: Siouxon Creek from scenicboys on Vimeo.

While the rest of Seattle was celebrating Pride under the Space Needle, the ScenicBoys hit the trail on a parade of our own. With booty-shorts (under our hiking pants) and rainbow flag in hand, we set out to hike though an old growth forest - sharing our beautiful day with all the gay woodland creatures.

The trail followed Siouxon Creek through a lush green forest. Varieties of ferns and moss blanketed every available surface and through the giant fir trees we could see the crystal clear pools at the base of waterfall after waterfall. 

It was amazing to see that familiar Caribbean turquoise water here in the Pacific Northwest. But even-though the water looked inviting, it was only warm enough to dabble your feet in and wet your hair. I'm sure by late summer, this area will be prime for skinny dipping. 

Our camp was 7 miles in from the trailhead right next to a beautiful green creek. Layers of pine cones and moss made the forest floor soft and almost hollow sounding. With the culmination of the babbling brook, the soft ground and warm air, we had a wonderful night's sleep.

The next morning we crossed the creek to the opposite side of the valley. This section of the trail was hardly used by anyone before us and allowed us to get naked and freely bathe in a smooth rain forest stream.

On our way back we found a beautiful group camp area surround by waterfalls and only accessible by a foot bridge over a fern filled gully. Perhaps one day the Scenic Boys could lead you and your friends on this gorgeous waterfall adventure.