See recently posted trip reports or reports of trips from 2012, 2011, 2010, 2009, 2008.

Recently Posted Trip Reports

On January 1, 2012, Jeffrey King posted a trip report about Alder Lake Park, Winter Car Camp:

Four of us took-to-the hills during the January snow storm to enjoy some winter camping. Yes, I said enjoy! Chaffie, Jennifer, Rick and myself spend 2 nights at site 45 in Alder Lake Park.
We enjoyed good food and nice hot fires thanks to Chaffie – who somehow managed to get an insane amount of wood from the Ranger…for free! We also enjoyed a great 3 hour kayak trip in Alder Lake and up the Little Nisqually River, where we heard 3 or more Barred Owls having a conversation. It was amazing to hear them as we floated silently along on the glass water.
As we had electricity and a heater, we enjoyed the warmth of the Little Loafer as a cozy place to escape the cold. It snowed off-and-on almost the whole time with a low of 27 and a high in the camper of 71!
Thanks Rick, Chaffie and Jen for braving the snow and helping me have a great weekend.
There are some pictures posted!

On January 1, 2012, Roy Vermillion posted a trip report about Hurricane Ridge Snowshoe:

We had a fun trip to Hurricane Ridge. This year we had 15 participants from OutVentures and Ski Buddies.

Friday evening 8 of us camped at the Heart of the Hills campground not far out of Port Angeles. We began arriving just before dark and set up camp. Roy brought the canopy from Ski Buddies in the event it got rainy (and luckily we never needed it). It was cool. Shortly after dark ice crystals began to form on the logs and things around us, but a nice fire kept us warm. We had a appetizers, drinks and a nice dinner there. Others met in Port Angeles, had dinner and stayed at a motel in town.

Saturday morning some people drove over from Seattle as a day trip. We met at the "Lodge" on Hurricane Ridge. Some of us arrived a bit late, but we all got there safely after a little slipping on the icy road. There was a high cloud cover hiding just the peaks of the higher mountains in the park, but still allowing for nice views. Fresh snow had fallen the couple days before our trip blanketing the ground and the trees. We got our gear on and hit the trail. We wandered through the trees and along the road stopping to take pictures of each other and the views from overlooks where we could look to Vancouver Island and over the Elwha Valley. We went to the end of the road then headed towards "Steep and Icy," a steep slope with a really narrow trail. One slip and you will slide thousands of feet down into the valley below. Other skiers and snowshoers had crossed it earlier and were visible on the slopes in the distance. A couple brave members of our group went across it towards Hurricane Hill. The rest of us turned back and had lunch. Then it was a leisurely trip back to the "Lodge" Visitor Center.

Saturday night 5 us camped again. Nick hung out with us for several hours at the campsite before returning to Seattle. We had to make a trip to town for more wood and beverages making for another nice evening.

Sunday morning was sunny, clear and warm. We had a good breakfast, broke camp, went to town for lunch and headed for home.

On January 1, 2012, Andy Aden posted a trip report about Snow Tubing:

I want to say thank you to Jeff Skolnick & son for joining me on this trip. Jeff picked me up from my house around 445pm to give us about 1 hr to get to The Summit at Snoqualmie for our tubing session from 6-9. We then met 2 of my coworkers there with there 2 kids to get the pre bought tickets & start tubing. It was a little crazy at first with so many people at the tubing hill but we just all grabbed a tube & stood in line to blast down the hill. I soon found out there were many different ways to use our tubes & how to get down & then back up the hill. This was the fist time I have ever done anything like this so I was not sure what to expect. Yes we went late & it was dark out but that made it very nice as well. The weather was great & we got to see a few snow flakes. I would love to do this again or something like it. It was so nice to get out & play in the snow a little this weekend. Also I had no idea I would be so sore today...all over from all this fun!
This trip was a blast & it was so much fun to see how fast or how much air I could get blasting down the hills. The 3 of us ended up staying till the very end & made it back into Seattle around 10pm.

On December 12, 2011, Jeffrey King posted a trip report about Holiday Wine and Cheese Party:

Thanks to everyone who joined us for our Wine and Cheese party! I counted about 45 merry men and women enjoying the wine, food and fellowship around the fire...even the kitties came down to see what all the fuss was about!
Thanks to Whitney and Chuck for all the help in getting things ready...and thanks to Roy and Bob for letting us borrow wine glasses!
We wish you all the best in the New Year.
Jeff and Chuck

On November 11, 2011, Jeffrey King posted a trip report about Meet the Board Happy Hour:

Thanks to everyone who came out to meet the new board members and enjoy some food, drink and fellowship!
There were 23 of us...and the girls even out-numbered the boys! We had a great time socializing and meeting several new members in a fun relaxed atmosphere. Thanks to Calamity Jane's for hosting us!
I hope to see you all soon.
Jeff K.

On November 11, 2011, Tom Rowan posted a trip report about Dungeness Spit:

Clare, Karen, Rob, and I had a beautiful if somewhat challenging trip out to the Dungenous Spit yesterday. Check out our photos below.

For those of you who are not be familiar with it, the Dungenous Spit is a 5 1/2 mile spit of sand extending into the Straight of Juan de Fuca from just north of Sequim. At the tip is a lovely circa 1857 lighthouse.

The weather for our trek was surprisingly good. Not a drop of rain. Wasn't that cold either, though the wind picked up dramatically about halfway out.

We set out about 10AM and arrived at the Lighthouse at about 12:30. Two folks from the Lighthouse Association greeted us and escorted us up to the top. Enjoyed the views and grabbed a quick lunch before heading back.

Didn't time the tides as well as we might. The surf was coming back in, which forced us to scramble over rocks and logs during the last 2 1/2 miles. Made for a tougher trek than anticipated, though we did the return trip in close to 2 hours.

Hope to lead the trip again on a warm day next year when the tides are favorable and we can walk on the sand.