Made a quick weekend trip up to Owhi campground for the annual excursion with the DeForests. The crew has been expanding almost every year. As fellow Colorado expats we started the tradition when we both arrived in Washington and the inaugural trip was Wynoochee Lake in 2014 (top shot below). These days there is no more lounging around, the hikes are getting shorter, and there is a lot more gear...
As a sign of the changing times, even the kayaks stayed at home for this venture but don't make my mistake. The kayaks are key for opening up even more impressive mountain views from Cooper Lake. The campground itself was a very slight walk-in setup which keeps the RVs away and you are connected to a trail system that links up to the Pacific Crest Trail.
The important public service announcement that I wanted to share is pay attention to your tent placement: On Saturday morning, Orrin sounded the alarm at 5:30am and I realized I was surprisingly comfortable on the sleeping pad. Thanks to that soothing drum on rain on the tent, we had a couple inches of water under and around the tent. Keeps body parts from falling asleep but Kat's shoes were trying to float out of the vestibule and we weren't sure how long the floor would last before it started to leak through. So we chucked everything into the pack and play, pulled the kiddo from the pack and play, and bolted for the truck. Major love for the REI tent, no idea how it has stayed waterproof with a dog as a resident.
