American Tradition - Camping at Denny Creek

I haven't done camping for years. Last time I camped was probably more than 25 years ago with my family in Japan. I don't remember the detail of the camping, but I can certainly say that I enjoyed staying outdoor. Since then I have been loved outdoor activities, but I couldn't have an opportunity to do that.

This weekend, I and Colin went to camping at the Denny Creek campground near Snoqualmie Pass North bend, Washington. We(mostly Colin) well prepared for this trip. New tent, sleeping bag, chair, etc... Both of us had camping experiences before, but haven't done it for a long time. Because of its dealing with wild nature, we needed careful preparation for it, otherwise, the trip would be dangerous.

This camping site is beautiful. It sits near Denny Creek (see pic) and each campsite have a privacy. All campsite was full, and no vacant space when we were there. In the site there are the flat sand ground for the tent, fire place, table and chairs. it is surrounded by Seder trees.

Colin tried me have some American tradition experiences. First tradition was Smore (S'More). Following is the sentence from the website Suite 101.

Everyone has memorized the traditional smores recipe by age 8. You poke a stick through a marshmallow, hold over fire and hope it doesn't burst into flames. Insert said marshmallow between chocolate and graham crackers and eat....

They were very sweet and delicious. The activity made me a little bit real American? (see pics) Need an attention to figure just the right time of the melt time of Marshmallow....That is the point of this American tradition.

Sleeping in the tent was fun. Our tent is two person's tent. It is cozy, and has relatively wide inside. Little bit my back was sored after I woke up, but other than that very comfortable.

Dishes we prepared for this camping were:

Firday night: Stake, Salad, Dutch Beer (Colin's American tradition)
Saturday Morning: French Toast, Fruits, Tea or Hot chocolate (Tom)
Saturday Lunch: Roast beef, Avocado, tomato Sandwich (Colin)
Saturday Night: Sukiyaki, Sapporo Beer (Tom)
Sunday Morning: Pancake, Bacon, Egg, Fruits, Water melon, Tea or Hot chocolate (Colin's American tradition)

All the food were so delicious. Beautiful view and fresh air made the food tastes better. We took portable gas range and cook these foods. Some of them were Colin's American tradition. I have learned typical American camping food. I think they are simple and easy to cook and also taste good.

Saturday we took Denny Creek trail. It was about 5 miles round trip. We couldn't get to the Metakua Lake because there was still plenty of snow on the ground. On the way we saw the beautiful waterfall called Keekwule Falls (see pic). The scenery was amazing. It wasn't hard hiking, but after we came back the campground, I felt tired, but it was very comfortable and feel good tired. I hope to come back this trail to reach the Metakua Lake someday this season.

I really enjoyed this camping. Great setting, food, hiking, comfortable tent and camping site made me want to stay longer. This weekend was gorgeous days, and it was around 70-80 degrees. We prepared sunscreens and bug sprays for it.

The next time we will try backpacking. Backpacking is a little bit different. Because of its limited population of the bag, we can't take everything we want with us, and they shouldn't be heavy. This will be challenging for us, but we can enjoy little bit private time, if we do backpacking. I can't wait to go backpacking the next weekend...!