Summer 2017 (in photos)

Last summer, do to a heavy hit of depression and heartbreak, as well as living in a town in which I didn't really have many friends, I didn't do much of anything. As the rains of fall came on the realization that I had wasted the whole summer hit me hard. I vowed to do more this summer and for the most part succeeded. I could have done more, but I could have done way less! Here is a brief photo essay of some of selected adventuring this summer.

Kyle and Petra's Wedding
June 24th-June 27th
Guemes Island, WA

There is something magical that happens when two of the best people in the world get married. Kyle and Petra are two of my best friends and I was so happy to get to spend 4 days celebrating their wedding with them and the rest of the (many!) people who love them. An added perk was getting to spend time with one of my best friends, Erika, who I don't get to see to much since moving away. This was a bittersweet weekend for me because it signified the end of an era. Two years prior I moved away to Olympia, went through a breakup, and soon after the wedding, Kyle and Petra moved to Arizona. Our friend group now lies scattered to the wind. RIP to a few of the best years of my life (aka good friends are hard to find)! None of these photos were taken by me.

Goodbye Camping Trip for Kyle and Petra, Cape Alava and Sand Point, WA
July 14th-July 16th

I started planning this trip with the intention that other folks from our friend group would come. In the end it was just Petra, Kyle, and I. I guess they know who loves them the most. It was great to get to have one last adventure before these guys ditched the PNW for the SW. At least we are still on the same coast! These photos were taken by Petra, Kyle, and myself.

Falling Awake, a workshop with David Abram, Cortes Island, Canada
July 30th-August 4th

These photos are from an incredibly workshop that I attended with the author and cultural ecologist David Abram at Hollyhock Retreat Center on Cortes Island. It was great to spend time being a weirdo in the woods with new friends, to swim in the Pacific Ocean with the jellyfish, bioluminescence, and humpback whales, and to stay up all night in a hot tub, gazing at a sky littered with stars, in instantly deep conversation. If any of you happen to come across this, special thanks to Eve, Kim, and Laura for making my time at Hollyhock so meaningful!

Total Solar Eclipse, Corvalis, Oregon
August 21st

I was one of the many people who traveled south from Washington to see the totality of the total solar eclipse. The 3 extra hours I spent in traffic on the way home were totally worth it. I was lucky enough to watch the eclipse with my best friend Rheannon and her awesome husband Jim. Plus I got to see two of my other awesome friends Soso and Joellen. Not many photos from this one, but so it goes. Who takes photos when you are gazing upon something as intense and overwhelming as the eclipse? The answer to this is everyone but me. The only photo from this day was taken by Jim. My friends are fancy. We had waffles with fresh whip cream and coca nibs while waiting for the Sun and Moon to work their magic.

Beach House, Seaview, WA
September 1st-3rd

I spent a few days at my friend Gillian's beach house with our other friend Janet and her wonderfully wild son Wiley. The name fits. There is nothing quite so psychedelic as the beach at sunset!

Ape Cave with Jenny Pea, Mt. St. Helens, Skamania County, WA
September 11th

More times with one of my best friends. Jenny Pea and I hiked two miles underground through the Ape Caves, which are lava tubes,  at Mt. St. Helens. It's amazing what you can get up to in the deep dark of a cave. Thanks to Jenny for being such an amazing adventure partner!

First Weekend of Wildlife Tracking Intensive, Wilderness Awareness School, Duvall, WA

I recently enrolled in 10 month wildlife tracking intensive through the Wilderness Awareness School located in Duvall, Washington. All of these pictures, with the exception of the wooden statue, were taken either on the WAS property or under the Novelty Hill Bridge, also in Duvall.