We began our season early and paid for it in the form of torrential rain and winds for the first weeks.  A few tarps go a long way, and we used every one we had, needing to sacrifice one just for the wood pile.  The water is high, almost higher than I've ever seen it.

An alder fell across our "beach access", but until just recently, the water was well on our side of it.  We've since cut it away, as the waters are fast receding farther away from camp.  I used my new (used) chainsaw, and later, made a dart board for my throwing knife.  It's a rather large one, shown in scale next to my Bowie-style hunting knife, but highly balanced and fun to throw.

At the start of the season, there wasn't much dry wood around.  Lighting fires required a little liquid motivation, but luckily we had plenty of Weber juice to get it going.  Within the first week, I bought a small chainsaw to help ease the load this year.  It's already paid for itself many times over, but is rather small compared to what the pros use.

It truly is a small world.  This year, I met a man my age that happened to, in the mid-80's, live next door to my late and beloved Grandpa, Wild Bill Perkins.  We shared stories and some ice cold beers.  Later, he brought down his "feller's saw".  Now that's a chainsaw!  In less than 30 minutes time, he had doubled the wood pile I've been building over the past few weeks. 

Waters are running high this year. We had a late spring and a mild start to the summer. Most of the mornings so far have been covered in clouds, with the afternoon and evening clear. This has become the norm for the entire summer this year.

With any luck, the evenings will remain clear into August, when the Perseids meteor showers peak. The entire Milky Way is visible at night, and with so many stars, it's hard to point out even the most recognizable constellations.

The place where I camp with John is right on the river. We have to use a wheel barrow to schlep the gear down to it. Being a ways back in the woods gives us a bit of selective privacy. Though it's not far from forest service "camp grounds", this entire fork of the river is only accessible from this site.

You don't need to walk far to find some interesting things to see. The slugs are over 6 inches long, and they really cruise! Under the bridge in the daytime, I can always find at least one bat hanging out. They are about the size of a mouse. Up the road, a massive chunk of rock fell from a cliff face into the river below.  The water now makes a deafening roar flowing through that section. 

An Almost Hidden Entrance

Happily, I spent several peaceful days alone up in Washington following the 4th of July weekend. The drive from Oregon to Washington is a beautiful one. I cross the boarder in Cascade Locks, on the Bridge of the Gods. It is a very old bridge suspended hundreds of feet above the Columbia River Gorge.

The entrance to the camp site is past the last official "pay" campground, along a winding forest road and can easily be missed when driving at speed.  It is quite a ways back from the road, along the Little White Salmon River. With only one unimproved, primitive camp site, you'll never have to worry about camping around strangers. The drive is around 80 miles from where I live, and I don't know any other primitive (free) camp sites in the area. Luckily, I have never driven the almost 2 hour drive and had to find another site due to occupancy in the 10+ summers my family and I have visited it.

Great Place to Cool Off

By the time I got up here, the temperature was already in the high 90's. After the long, hot drive, I slathered on some SPF 50 and jumped in the river. It's amazing that even in such hot sun, the river is bone chilling cold! Just diving in and getting back out is enough to lower your core temperature between gasps and heartbeats. I like to walk in the river in aquasocks, but it's painful until my feet go numb and are used to the cold.

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Further upstream, the river is forced to cut a side path into the forest, encircling an island that only exists early in the season, before it rejoins the river on the other side. In the middle of the summer, the water level drops and this pool becomes land locked on three sides. The lagoons formed in the area are home to many fire bellied salamanders. We find them sitting on rocks under water, some very large.

This particular area of the lagoons has a beautiful boulder covered in moss and plants. The sun shines through this opening for only a few hours a day, with rays of amazing yellow light.

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Gifford-Pinchot, April 2004

This is my favorite photo from my first use of a digital camera, a 3.2 MP Kodak. I love the accidental time stamp! Taken at our camp site in Gifford-Pinchot National Forest in mid-morning, I found a beautiful grove of trees covered in goats bear moss with light coming through the leaves and strands.

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Columbia River Gorge, Washington Side, July 2010

Traveling home from camping on the Little White Salmon River, the Gorge opened up and a spectacular view presented itself. I quickly turned around and got back in position to take a picture. At the same time, a train appeared to block the shot. I waited for around 10 minutes and in the end, the 112th car, an engine, made a perfect addition to the lower right corner of the picture. I think of my Dad when I look at this picture. He is an avid model railroader and shares my appreciation for photography.

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Mt. Hood National Forest, June 2010

On this particular morning, I got up much earlier than my cousin, John. The sun was just rising above the tree tops of the valley east of our camp. The rain from the previous evening was turning to steam and the rays of light looked absolutely stunning shining through it.

I walked to the river and took a series of photos, trying to block the sun and photograph the sun rays in the steam. What I got was more amazing than I could have planned. I will most definitely make a poster out of this one!

(click photo to view original size - may be slow depending on internet speed)