ScenicBoys

Ptarmigan Ridge

With summer behind us and cooler weather closing in, the Scenic Boys 2010 season is slowly winding down. But don't get your undies in a twist just yet.  Autumn colors will soon arrive giving us a few more opportunities to capture the brilliance of seasons changing.

Scenic Boys: Ptarmigan Ridge from scenicboys on Vimeo.

This past weekend we invited a couple new friends: Alex and Brad, to join us on a fun adventure up north to visit Ranger Mike at his new place in Bellingham, WA. The four of us left Seattle Friday night and drove up to meet Mike, Micah, and Brady. A delicious dinner awaited us, followed by a ruckus night at the only gay bar in Bellingham, and finally a nice long soak in Mike's hot tub before calling it a night.

The following morning we met up with Emilia (Micah and Mike's friend) before driving east toward the 3rd highest volcano in Washington: Mount Baker.  Driving to nearly 5,000 ft. past the Mt Baker ski area, we passed some amazing views of the surrounding alpine peaks in the North Cascades National Park. It was a beautiful fall morning and the parking lot was bustling with adventurous families. Thankfully most of them were not there for the hike so the trail wasn't all that busy.

With mighty Mount Shuksan behind us and Mount Baker towering up ahead, we hiked along the easy alpine trail to Ptarmigan Ridge. Views of icy blue glaciers in the distance and mountain sides painted with spectacular red and orange shrubs. The contrast between the blue sky - full of smooth lenticular clouds - and the breathtaking autumn colors made this location ripe with Scenic Boy photo ops! :)

 

Alex was a Scenic Boy fan long before this trip and he was eager to experience his first photo shoot.  With a gusty wind and crisp chill in the air, he proceeded to strip down and brave a freezing snow field.  High above the surrounding valleys and vistas, Alex stood in a patch of resilient summer snow taking directions and looking stunning with seemingly little effort... and he has some beautiful photos to show for it!

                              

Brad was next in line to show off his scenic backside.  He'd been searching the area for just the right spot and before long had found a gorgeous view.  He also stripped down and embraced the elements for another fantastic shoot. The wind was whipping around so hard it was a challenge for him to even get dressed again.  You can't argue with Nature!

After a relaxing afternoon taking in these exceptional mountain views, we turned around and hiked the 5 mile trek back to the cars. Later on we made camp along the banks of the Nooksack River - the same great location we camped last summer.  We parted ways with Emilia leaving the boys to share stories, beers, and fun around the campfire. We stayed up until looming clouds engulfed the moon light and foretold of a rainy night ahead.

 

Burning Man 2010

The ScenicBoys survived another Burn and lived to tell about it.  Dare I say, we flourished this year!  

See last year's post HERE

10 of our best friends joined us on this year's Burning Man adventure.  We called our camp The Emerald City Glam Cocks. Though we didn't register ourselves as a Theme Camp, we ended up creating quite an amazing venue and living space for friends and guests to enjoy.

Our new friend Gerg, who we met through ScenicBoys, contacted us prior to the event and offered to help us find a good camp spot. While we were caravaning down to Black Rock City, Gerg had already staked claim to an amazing spot for us.  We were able to exchange a few emails on the way down (technology... AMAZING!) and miraculously found the space with no trouble at all.  

8:45 and Florence was our new playa address, and a place we soon called home.  A stellar location for so many reasons: Our neighbors were all fun, amazing people.  It was a short bike ride from the pottys, but far enough away to avoid their mid-day smell. PEWW!  There were plenty of good hangouts and amenities close by.  But best of all, there were no other tall structures near us, making our Glam Cocks Tower visible from several blocks away, day or night.  

Oh yes, we constructed a 2-story tower, complete with a living room, solar shower, and observation deck. :)  This structure was our collective gift to the Playa.  It served our camp as a comfortable space to relax, share meals, share showers, and meet new friends.  For anyone who stopped to chat, we offered an all-access pass to the top floor.  From 20 feet off the ground, the entire city and open playa was clearly visible.  A spare set of binoculars offered our guests hours of people watching enjoyment.

We owe a great deal of gratitude to each of our fabulous campmates: Tiger, Kyler, Ranger Mike, Awks, Seed, Clover, Bink, Tuesday, Nibbler, Peep, gerG and Taggered.  While Zephyr and I (Banger) had a vision for making a camp of this size a success, we couldn't have made it a reality without the hard work... and hard laughs from each of these amazing friends.  Several months earlier, we began meeting regularly to organize the logistics of camplife.  Once committees were established, each of us signed up for specific tasks and worked together to contribute something meaningful to the entire group.  

We met SO MANY new friends and SUPER CUTE boys!  The city was overrun with hotties this year. :)  It was a pleasure meeting a handful of guys we've met through this site.  The BackCountryBoys stopped by our camp and chatted for a while. Dan (from the Lollipop Guild @ 7:30 & G) stopped by too.  It was great to meet you guys!

A few boys from Denver, a couple from Eugine, another from Road Island and a very cute fire dancer from Tahoe all became extended members of our Playa family and joined us on some of the most amazingly crazy nights. We have plans to see some of these guys soon and hopefully take them on a backpacking trip or two.

We have big plans for next summer and won't be able to attend Burning Man 2011: Rites of Passage.  It's sad to think we'll miss out on that experience, but rest assured we have something MUCH BIGGER in the works. ;)

Scenic Boys: Burning Man 2010 from scenicboys on Vimeo.

Shi Shi Beach - Olympic National Park - Part 2

We know everyone is excited to hear all about our adventures in Black Rock City/Burning Man, but y'all will have to wait till the next post. ;)  Until then we have the second-half of our trip to the ocean with George, Adam, Kate and Paul.

The night before we stayed up late dancing around the bonfire in our underwear and running into the chilly water of the Pacific ocean. The next morning we all knew we'd have to leave this beautiful place at some point, but first we wanted to explore the arches while the tide was low. 

With breakfast in our bellies and cameras in hand, we hiked a mile down the beach to the Point of the Arches. The water was pretty low, exposing many different coastal critters. It's amazing to see such vibrant colors on the otherwise gray rocks.  Purple, orange and red ochre sea-stars, bright green anemones, and thousands of mussels covered the rocks up to the high tide line. For the first-timers, touching these creatures was a real treat. As for us more conditioned explorers, these ever-changing tide pools are always fun to see up close.

Scenic Boy George already had a pose in mind when we shot him. In his last photo he was cupping a full moon over his head; this time he decided to continue the unconventional stance with a 'vogue' on the rocks.

Adam has been eager to become a Scenic Boy for some time now.  Our friends are always so brave and good-natured, we love incorporating them into our artistic ambitions.  It was super cold up there, but thankfully his little otter body kept him warm enough to finish the shoot. 

We asked our straight friend Paul if he'd like to do a Scenic Boy shoot, but I think his bashfulness got the best of him. But he did take his shirt off for us and show his smokin' torso. Maybe next time we can get his pants off too. :) 

Shi Shi Beach is a beautiful coastal hike that adventurous hikers of all fitness levels would enjoy. It takes a while to drive to, but it's without-a-doubt worth every effort to get there.

Scenic Boys: Shi Shi Beach part 2 from scenicboys on Vimeo.

Next Post: BURNING MAN 2010!!!!