This year we returned to the Wyeth Campground in the Columbia River Gorge on Sunday and setup camp for the week long adventure. Wyeth is a fairly primitive U.S. Forest Service campground but we like it. Weather was overcast and drizzly but improved a little on Monday. By Tuesday it was getting hot. We had 10 high school students. Our son-in-law Chris Layton went along because we needed a trained medical person and a fire fighter-paramedic fits that description. He brought along our grandson Noah who had a great time too.
Each evening after the days activities we have a campfire to discuss the day and have a Bible message. Some evenings we have a skit and/or an educational presentation. This year we discussed how the Columbia River Gorge was formed and some geological information.
Monday was a day to hike so we went up to Triple Falls which is a four mile hike round trip. The falls is a beautiful place and there is plenty of room for having lunch while enjoying the falls.
Grover & Goni at Ponytail Falls which is on the way to Triple Falls.
That night we went into Hood River to go swimming at the local pool. It is an opportunity to swim and get a warm shower. They have a Tarzan rope and most of the kids gave it a try.
On Tuesday we went to LaCamas Lake to learn paddling and safety skills. We had three tipovers but it was warm enough that nobody cared. We found a Tarzan rope on one of the islands in the lake and everyone took a try at swinging into the water.
Wednesday was the Eagle Creek hike up to Tunnel Falls. This is a 12 mile round trip hike to a great water falls that has a manmade tunnel behind it. We then go a short distance past the falls and have lunch. It takes most of the day and Noah made the entire trip. The tired group then went up to Hood River to the pool again but most of our group was pretty tired. We did go have ice cream at Dairy Queen and then had our camp fire.
On Thursday we canoed down the Sandy River near Troutdale. It was a hot day and everyone enjoyed the opportunities to get wet. We swam in the river and in general had a great time. The river was full of people trying to cool off and it was difficult at times to maneuver the canoes around all the people in the water.
Friday afternoon was the whitewater rafting trip down the White Salmon River. The river starts on the glaciers of Mt Adams and is very cold. Everyone wears a wet suit to keep warm because of the 40 degree water. Because the air temperature was in the mid to upper 90s nobody seemed to notice the cold water.
The tired group helped break camp and pack up on Saturday morning and they all headed home. Everyone felt good about the week and are looking forward to next year.
.JPG)
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