Camping + New Job = Best Week Ever!

What a wonderful week this has been! David got his cast off on Monday, and we left the doctor's office and went straight over the pass to go camping. After pondering where to go, we decided upon Owhi Campgrounds on Cooper Lake. You have to pass through Roslyn, an old mining town, and then drive a ways along Cle Elum Lake. Finally we reached the campgrounds where we packed all of our gear on our backs and hiked down to the lake. It was beautiful! We were especially excited to try out our new tent that we bought off of Steep

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Owhi Campgrounds

It's a pretty great little tent. After we set up camp, we started the fire. David and I have both been into "Out of the Wild" on the discovery show, so we decided to try out some new backcountry techniques. David bought a magnesium flint with us to see how it worked. It's a little tricky (at least for me) but he had it down by the end of the trip.

We made some chili for dinner and enjoyed a peaceful evening in the woods. The next morning we woke up to a beautiful sunrise, and almost dream-like lighting coming through the trees. Photos had to be taken, it was gorgeous!

We picked out a trail on the map of the area and started an attempt to hike to Pete Lake. Unfortunately, this was a failed attempt. We hiked on a trail right along Cooper Lake. It was a beautiful trail, and we even found some hidden campsites to save for a future date. The problem was that the entire trail was loaded with fallen trees, overgrown brush, and tricky navigation where sometimes the trail wasn't visible. It was pretty frustrating. After we reached the end of Cooper Lake, the trail was no longer visible so we had to turn back. It was sad, but at least we were able to help clean out the trail by chopping down twigs and branches that were in the way for future travelers.

Despite the fact that we didn't make it to our destination, the hike along Cooper Lake was beautiful. Large sweeping views of mountains towering above the lake, reflecting onto the perfectly still surface of the water.

David on the hike.

We returned to camp and decided to play catch and relax for the rest of the evening. I noticed this plant near our campsite with the sun shining through the leaves and took a few shots of it.

We relaxed the rest of the evening and proceeded to make a massive fire that was fueled mostly by pine cones. We had people camping relatively close to our site, and it seemed as if we were having a competition to make the biggest fire. Unfortunately I didn't get a shot of the final product, but I did get the glowing embers.

That night, we heard some bottle rustling around while we were in the tent. I don't think I can imagine anything more terrifying while camping than knowing that there is something lurking right outside your tent. From the sound of the animal, I concluded that it must have been a deer, but it was pitch black outside, and I was half asleep, so I can only imagine the worst at the time. It made me start thinking about what we would do if there was actually a bear outside. We don't have any form of self defense for an animal like that. I've read up on some tips in Backpacking magazine and I think next time we can have a better set up of where items are placed within our campsite. The next morning we were sad to leave, but we were ready to take a shower. I had to be back in Seattle for a working interview, the final interview of the hiring process at Teatro Zinzanni.

For those who don't know, I've been working as a cocktail waitress at the Red Door in Fremont for two years. While I love the staff and all of the cocktail knowledge I've gained, I can honestly say that I'm over it. I don't want to serve frat boys anymore, I don't want to clean up piss or puke, and I don't want to deal with drunk college kids who won't even tip a dollar on a 10 dollar drink. Lame. The good news is, after an amazing night of watching cirque and acrobatics and trapeze while shadowing a cocktail waitress, I got a job offer and gratefully accepted! I can't wait to start there. I can't wait to see the new show, and I can't wait to wear a costume, fishnet stockings and feathers in my hair at work! It's a beautiful place for a date, an anniversary, a birthday, any celebration, and I'm so excited to start a new page of my work experience. I will miss my friends at the Red Door, but I always know that I am welcome there.