Living in Bellingham I am constantly aware of the Cascade Mountains, but often forget about the incredibly diverse Salish Sea that is home to an incredibly vibrant and diverse ecosystem. Summer is such a great season to explore the marine environment, especially with a group of excited boys. I am always excited for these camps with their long days and consistent interaction with one group.
Our first day started at Bloedel Park. Situated at the outflow of Lake Whatcom it is a fitting place to begin our week. Hot sun and excitement summed up the morning; Introducing ourselves, playing games, and staying hydrated. Once deep into the park we dropped our packs, donned water shoes and explored the upper reaches of Whatcom creek. Turning over rocks we uncovered crawdads and with every step we scared up large bull frog tadpoles. The aquatic life fascinated us and we spent most of our afternoon exploring the creek and all its life.
Our second day was an exploration of the Chuckanuts via Pine and Cedar Lakes trail. This notoriously steep trail climbs into the heart of the Chuckanuts past deep ravines and huge cedar trees. We began the steep uphill at a nice pace, steadily gaining elevation toward the lakes. With the steep climb behind us we found new energy as the trail rolled and traversed the last half mile to pine lake. At the lake we ate lunch, identified some of the wetland plants living in this ecosystem and enjoyed the sunshine. Soon the boys had developed a modified game of spiders web that incorporated the narrow boardwalks along the shoreline and out to the small island. Their creativity and enthusiasm for this game were evident as they scampered across the board walk and ducked behind the large stands of hard hack. After a pleasant closing meeting in the sun we made our way back down to the parking lot.
The next day we all met for the much anticipated mud flats outing. This outing promises to be adventurous, expansive, and always muddy. After getting down to the beach we immediately made our way toward the delta of the Nooksack. As we made our way toward the delta of the nooksack we were able to look East toward the headwaters of this river, the Sisters and Mt baker. It was an amazing experience to be able to see both the headwaters and terminus of the Nooksack all in one view. We started following a group of Coyote tracks through the sand. We examined their gait, size and talked about differences between a Coyote and domestic dogs track. As soon as we reached the broad expanse of the delta we could not contain our excitement and immediately rushed into the water to explore. We spent the remainder of the day swimming, watching birds, finding dead fish, and roaming across the mud flats. 
The morning arrived and we loaded up Moose (our newest member of the bus family) for the trip down to Bay View state park and Padilla Bay. Excitement was high as we skirted along the base of the chuckanuts and out onto the flatlands of Skagit County. Upon arrival to Bay View State Park we unloaded our gear and set up camp for the evening. After we had completed our camp chores we got back in the bus to head down to deception pass for the afternoon. Our day flew by; watching wild tidal action, enjoying the beach, swimming in the ocean, building forts, carving, and lounging on the beach. With the sun getting lower in the sky we decided it was time to pack up and head back to camp for dinner.
The next morning we awoke with a full day ahead of us. After heating water, making hot drinks, and eating our Oatmeal we began packing up our camp to free up the day for an exploration of Padilla Bay. After loading up the bus we drove the short distance to the interpretive center. The interpretive Center was a great opportunity for us to see some intertidal creatures close up, learn about our native species, and see what a special and unique tidal ecosystem we have. For the remainder of the Afternoon we explored the trails behind the interpretive center, played games, found giant pine cones, and enjoyed the ripe blackberries along the trail.
Thank you explorers for such a wonderful camp. You all are a joy to spend time with and as a group are full of energy, excitement, and curiosity. Thank you parents for all of your support and sending your boys out with us each day. Make sure to check out our photo gallery for more pictures from our camp.
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