Dueck's Roost

And to finish off August (and basically the summer of 2017), we have ... Porter and James assist with the flag ceremony for the grand opening of a local performing arts center. And Brooks and Joe opt in for a little splash at G-ma Loo's work party!! Here we go, September!!

Right when you think we're done backpacking for the year, we prove you wrong!!  There's never too much backpacking ... says Kevin This trip is actually kinda special because it's officially Brooks' first High Adventure. Brooks was incredibly excited about it because he was able to go with one of his best friends! Kevin was incredibly excited because it was his first trip along the Coast (the Olympic Coast to be specific). Of course they were both excited to spend time together. I really don't know much about the details of the trip, but I'm going to do my best to pretend that I do:).  To begin their adventure, the guys parked their car at Rialto Beach ( https://www.wta.org/go-hiking/hikes/rialto-beach-hole-in-the-wall ) and took a 2-hour shuttle to somewhere near Shi Shi Beach ( https://www.wta.org/go-hiking/hikes/north-shi-shi-access ). It wasn't Brooks' first-ever backpacking trip, but definitely his first time packing in a pret...

Ready for a short and sweet post?? Solar Eclipse: August 21, 2017 ... Here's what we expected Here's what actually happened Here's the fam (and friends) trying to see the eclipse despite not having thought ahead and purchased eclipse glasses:-) Here's a close up of our carefully crafted viewing contraption Here's the result of our efforts (don't diss it, we were actually quite please;) In all seriousness, it was actually a really cool experience despite not having glasses. I think the most interesting part was definitely how dim but especially cold it suddenly got as the eclipse occurred. Now we just have to wait another 100 years:-)!

The "S" in Seattle must stand for summer, because summer is the most amazing time to be in the Pacific Northwest!! And during the summer our family just about lives outdoors; often camping, hiking, or backpacking.  This particular backpacking trip was with a church youth group. Destination: Tuck and Robin Lakes in the Snoqualmie region. I'm thinking it was the year for granite, because just like The Enchantments, Tuck and Robin Lakes has lots of it! The description on wta.org says this: " Hike to a beautiful granite basin housing two sparkling lakes and big views. Explorations abound with nearly a dozen lakes to look down upon or explore around" ( https://www.wta.org/go-hiking/hikes/robin-lakes ) Sounds exciting to me:-) ...  I think this A-mazing group of guys agrees!! It may not equal The Enchantments in beauty, but I would think it comes awfully close ... I don't think it was quite as difficult as T...