I went with my Venture Crew up to Mount St. Helens the week of August 5-9. We had a great time, and were able to experience the beauty of the mountain, plus explore some fascinating places.

For many people the above picture is one of the most familiar pictures of the mountain. In 1980, Mount St. Helens erupted and spewed ash over many of the western United States. Even up until early this year Mount Saint Helens was still having minor eruptions and building the lava dome inside of the crater. Here is a picture we took while on our trip this year.

On Monday we left Granite Falls about 9:00 a.m. and drove down to Cougar, Washington where our campsite was. We got down there in the afternoon and set-up camp. The young men went swimming after we got the camp set-up and we mapped out what we would be doing the rest of the week.

Tuesday morning we got up and went hiking through the Ape Cave on the south end of the mountain. The Ape cave is a huge (2 mile) lava tube formed during and eruption in the past. Part of the cave is a pleasant walk through the lower end of the cave, but you have to go round trip as there is no exit at that end of the cave. The upper portion of the cave is a much more difficult hike. You end up climbing over several rock falls, and squeezing through some tight spots in the cave for 1 1/2 miles until you get to the far end of the cave where you can climb out to exit. Here is a picture from inside the cave.

Wednesday was the day of the hike to the summit of the mountain via the southern slope. The young men and leaders going to the summit got up and left just after 5:00 a.m. for the trip to the trail head. The hike itself takes 12 hours so it is a good idea to go early. Due to a storm that came in the youth were only able to be on the summit for a few minutes, but they all said it was well worth it.

On Thursday and Friday we explored the area around the mountain and went down to the Columbia River Gorge. We also tried to take it pretty easy since the youth were pretty worn out from the climb to the summit. We did explore the Trail of Two Forests though which has a cool lava tunnel to crawl through. I added a picture of  it and also of the waterfall on the Lewis River we hiked over to.

Me in the lava tube.

The waterfall on the Lewis River.

Saturday morning we packed up the camp and went to the visitor center and observatory on the North side of the mountain. We learned a lot of cool things about Mount St. Helens and the impact of the eruption. All in all it was a great trip, and I'm glad to have had the chance to go with my Venture Crew.

This weekend we took the Venture Crew out to hike the Dungeness Spit. The Dungeness Spit is a tongue of land that runs about 5 miles out into the Strait of Juan de Fuca with a lighthouse at the end. It is a very nice, although long hike and is well worth a visit.

We started out early in the morning and went to see Deception Pass first. It was a beautiful morning, and it was fun to walk across the bridge. I took  some pictures to show the bridge and the current running through the pass.

Here is a view of the bridge.

I took a picture to show how fast the current was through the pass.

We then took a ferry over to the peninsula and drove up to the town of Sequim where the spit is located. Once we parked we took a nice trail that took us down to the actual spit. I took a picture at the beginning of the hike of the crew members that went on the hike. Don't they look happy?

Here is a shot giving some idea of how long the distance the hike is. You can see the spit going off to the right in the picture and along the horizon.

At the end of the spit is this beautiful lighthouse that was built 150 years ago.

We didn't get home until the evening, but I think the hike was well worth it. I hope the youth did as well so they can help convince their friends that the activities we do are fun, and educational.

I had the opportunity to attend Scout Camp up at Fire Mountain yesterday. Due to me being new at Microsoft I wasn't able to stay for multiple days, but with my calling as the Young Men's President I really wanted to take the opportunity to go up see the camp, and let the boys know how important I consider scouting to be.

I was very impressed with the camp and the majority of the staff. They work hard to help the boys earn and really learn about merit badges. It seemed like the scouts were having a good time, and I hope they will look back on camp as a good experience.

Unfortunately I had to leave the camp in the afternoon as one of my young men was having his Eagle Board of Review. The review went well, and the young man achieved his Eagle Scout Award. That is a significant goal, and I hope he realizes he has a duty to lead the other scouts and set a good example for them. The board reminded him of this duty at the end of his review. Now we just have to get the paperwork processed so we can hold his court of honor.

It was a good day. I'm really glad that I took the opportunity to go to both events. I believe it is really important to show the young men by my example that what they are doing is important. Hopefully they saw that yesterday.