Burton Speaks

This last weekend I was invited to go camping with some friends, one of whom has a family cabin up on the Washougal River. In the interests of "getting out" and trying to enjoy myself, I went - though since I was carpooling this involved getting up "early" on a Saturday, not something I usually voluntarily do.

We arrived at the cabin early, to un-shutter the windows and generally prep it for having people around. The cabin was nice - it had electricity, but no running water. (The outhouse was just around back.) We got the place ready for company (we were expecting to have between 15-20 people come by) and prepped the inner-tubes for the river float.

By the time the "party" was rolling, fun was being had. I got in the first group of people to go down the river on the tubes - LOTS of fun, though the water was too shallow in places and rafts would have been better than inner tubes (since they'd draw less water and I would have therefore bumped my ass on fewer rocks.)

After the river float we BBQ'd dinner for the 12 or so of us that were left. I ate far too much, as is my habit. (Doh!) Once it started getting dark we made a campfire and roasted marshmallows with which to make s'mores. Delicious!

Jumping backwards a bit, you, my dear reader(s?) should know that the first thing I saw when I walked in the cabin was the biggest freaking spider I've ever seen. It may or my not be common knowledge, but I'm somewhat irrationally terrified of them. So, while I was invited to sleep in the cabin, I declined (despite the death of the aforementioned spider) and borrowed a tent to sleep outside. Hermetically sealed inside my canvas lining of protection, I spent the night in nature happily separated from the elements (except for the ground, which was very present and very uneven.

Getting up in the morning I was somehow convinced to go for a morning dip in the river. It was surprisingly tolerable, once I got in the water and started moving around a bit. After getting out, drying off, and getting dressed the remaining six of us cleaned up, shuttered the cabin, and took off. The original four of us then took Highway 14 out the Columbia Gorge where we crossed over the Bridge of the Gods (still a $1.00 toll) and headed back towards Multnomah Falls for a hike.

We strolled around the Wahkeena Falls/Multnomah Falls loop of which I'm extraordinarily fond. The views were breathtaking, but the trails were crowded. It was a fantastic end to a fun trip.