A little context for this one. Some of you may remember from 2020 before COVID on the first attempt at this challenge, we hiked with the families of Sam Affolter, and Justin Wahlborg. These are a couple of the people I’ve known since I was a High School Freshman. In the mid-nineties, six of us came together and formed a group we called “The Brethren.” (No, it’s not a cult, it is a reference to the movie ‘Highlander.’)

Due to our…unique…senses of humor, love of 80s cinema, and the fact that we didn’t really fit into any of the other social groups at the time, we quickly developed lasting bonds of friendship that we still have to this day.

Anyway, back when you could buy property in the Pacific Northwest without having to sell internal organs to afford it, Sam purchased a prime spot of waterfront across the Tacoma Narrows bridge on the peninsula, which was the site of a reunion of The Brethren! In this picture, you see five of the original six (clockwise from left): myself, Chad Lind, Justin Wahlborg, Sam Affolter, and Steve Johnson. Missing from this photo is Bear McCreary, who is currently busy taking over the filmscoring industry in Hollywood. Next time, Bear!

The hike we did today was down to the beach, and on the shore for about a couple miles. The descent from the bluff to the beach was actually a bit technical, as Sam and his brother learned a valuable lesson while developing this property: if you build a staircase into a cliffside made out of clay, it does not stay put. I do not even have a picture of this staircase, as it was so hazardous, that I needed both hands free to navigate it! Picture an M.C. Escher painting meets the Battle of Britain, and this was what we traversed.

Once down to the beach, we looked for more oysters for Sams oyster farm. Unfortunately, due to the 110 degree heat this summer, most of his oysters died off, so they needed replenishing.

What we learned so far in this trip:

• If you want to camp, you should probably bring a tent (looking at you, Justin). Thankfully there is a cabin on the property.

• Staircases built into clay will disintegrate in a very dramatic fashion.

• Literally everything can (and should) be cooked with a wood fire.