Recap Part Two: Summer

I’ve neglected this blog for a few months now, and it seems a shame to ignore everything that’s happened in the mean time. This is the second part in a two-part series playing catch-up.

Rocky licking ducklings

Coming from the harsh cold of the Midwest, Oregon spring is paradise. It was lovely to be reunited with my family and dogs and to have minimal obligations for several weeks. I spent that time working around the house, riding my bike, and relaxing as much as possible. I needed some time to get away from the intensity of college.

The cutest picture ever taken

My lovely sister had just hatched a batch of ducklings. We were having tons of fun playing with them and Rocky, our border collie, in the lawn and I got a few nice pictures of it. No ducklings were harmed in the process.

Mountain bike leaning on old growth tree

I also got the opportunity to spend some time in some very special places. Marys Peak, a 4000’ mountain in the coast range, is home to my favorite trail and some of the most beautiful forest I have ever experienced. There is no way for pictures to do it justice. There’s something very awe inspiring about being out in a relatively undisturbed old-growth forest. It feels like the trees have souls.

Boone sitting on the edge of a bridge accross the Yaquina River

Yaquina Falls is a remote, completely unmarked and mostly unkown spot that I had been trying to find for several years. The clues finally came together, and my friend Boone and I made the trek on a quiet Sunday in early June. It took some serious scrambling and bushwacking to make it to the falls. The scale of the falls surpassed any expectation I had. It is a truly magical spot.

Upper Yaquina Falls

I took my camera on a shot some video just for fun, but it ended up turning out well enough that I pieced together a short edit of the day. The music is by a friend of mine, the incredible Nevan Doyle.

Alex and Dalton at the top of Marys Peak

Alex and Dalton, friends from the Copper Country Cycling Club at Michigan Tech, dropped by for a couple of days on their two-month long mountain biking road trip. We made the trip up to Marys Peak, as well as a few of my other favorite local spots.

Standing on top of Mt. McLoughlin

My dad and I climbed Mt. McLoughlin in Southern Oregon. It’s become a bit of a tradition for us to climb a new peak each summer.

Mountain biking at Blackrock

I put in a solid 1000 miles on my mountain bike, and made it out to some fun trails including these at the Blackrock Mountain Biking Area near Falls City, OR. Hopefully it was some decent prep for the collegiate racing season.

Canoeing with my mom at Davis Lake

The family (part of it, anyhow) even managed to get out on camping trip to Davis Lake for some canoeing and relaxation.

Three Creeks Lake with Cascade peaks in the background

As the summer was coming to a close, I managed to fit in a spontaneous 3 day backpacking trip in the wilderness east of Broken Top. It was a fantastic trip with great friends. The glacial lake was a nice swimming hole as well. (Photo evidence is coming as soon as I can get ahold of it.)

The highest point on Tam McArthur Rim

Broken Top

The finale of my summer was a week-long canoe camping trip down the Willamette River. That story is more than deserving of its own post, so we’ll see if it comes together.

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