Dueck's Roost

One of our final summer family outings was our annual Linda Loo Weekend. The cousins had never been to Zions Camp before (in Belfair, WA) so we decided that would be our destination this year.  We had our own little tent village right along the road. Nice for watching other campers pull into camp, not so nice for privacy or dust levels;).  It was great spending time together celebrating birthdays, eating lots of unhealthy camp food, and just hanging out! Despite the fact that it was August, it was definitely on the chilly side a lot of the time, so we lived in hoodies a good portion of the weekend--M & G took the hoodie thing to a whole new level. So much to do at Zions!  Lots of fun playing in the big field, utilizing the big rope swings, and riding bikes all over camp. The sun came out one day too which made for great lakeside activities!! Paddle boats, blow up toys from home, & floating docks came in pretty handy. Lots ...

And while we were hiking to Poo Poo Point, Porter was with the Scouts his age, hiking Mt. Adams I'm really not going to pretend like I know anything about it, but I do think it was the South Climb/Lunch Counter Approach that they set out for ( http://www.wta.org/go-hiking/hikes/mount-adams-south-climb ). They headed out on a Friday morning with some great leaders.  And started hiking pretty much as soon as they got there.  Looks like some breaks followed. And plenty more hiking.  I'm guessing this is the Lunch Counter where they will set up camp for the night.  And try to get some rest before an early wake-up call.  And on towards the summit. More breaks.  And then eventually they arrive.  Grateful to be at the top.  With some pretty interesting/cool sites.  And an amazing view!! Nice work, guys!!

First up in August, was this hike to Poo Poo Point in West Tiger Mountain just outside of Issaquah. Odd name for a trail, right? According to wta.org ( http://www.wta.org/go-hiking/hikes/poo-poo-point ), it's a reference to logging steam whistle sounds that use to be heard throughout the area. The cool thing about this hike that makes it a pretty popular destination, is that there's a clearing at the top (also from logging) where people go to paraglide.  I've heard there's a trailhead a little ways outside of town (near a paragliding rental shop), but we ended up parking at Issaquah HS and taking the trail that starts at 2nd Ave. I'm thinking the other could be a little shorter, so maybe better for young children. I did feel like I had to drag Joseph most of the way up, and he was awfully pooped;) by the time we made it to the top.  No pics of us on the trail, but here's what we had to greet us when we finally summited. We were all fairly tired, an...

And to finish off July we have ...  Girls Camp! Fun at Dash Point State Park--real nice, boys;).  Advantage basketball camp.  Porter's Utah trip/Habits for Life camp! Kevin rocks it at laser tag:-).  Trampoline soap-capades. Mae's watermelon cupcakes! Aunt Carrie visits from South Korea!! Girls day up in Bellevue (which means more Din Tai Fung:-)!! Sunny days at the park.  Looks like this big boy needs a bigger bike;).  Now on to August ...