We had an amazing first week full of excitement, laughter, thrills and bonding. Our adventures began in Mt. Hood, Oregon at a beautiful campsite. At the campsite we enjoyed a great game of football, swimming at the pool, fun bonding activities, bonfires and s’mores! While in Mt. Hood, some trip members skied the mountain while others enjoyed mountain biking. Many of the skiers were thrilled to have the opportunity to do tricks at the terrain park.

After an incredible few days in scenic Mt. Hood, we arrived in Seattle and had a fierce Whirlyball tournament! The next morning, the group went kayaking in Seattle and enjoyed beautiful views of the Seattle skyline. For some of the trip members, this was their first time kayaking! Later on in the day, we went to the Museum of Pop Culture. The museum recently opened a Marvel exhibit, which many of the trip members were eager to explore! We saw many costumes and props from famous Marvel movies such as Captain America’s costume in “Avengers: Age of Ultron.”

Afterwards, we walked across the street to the famous Space Needle and enjoyed scenic views of Seattle. Right outside of the Space Needle we were able to watch a hilarious street performer who made the entire group laugh hysterically and made us balloon animals and swords. That night, we went to a Seattle Mariners’ game and many of us snacked on roasted grasshoppers – a popular snack at baseball games in Seattle!

The following day was the 4th of July and we had a great time celebrating! We started off the day singing and cheering on the bus, which was decorated in red, white and blue, and had 4th of July themed food bags for each trip member. We drove to an amazing amusement park and went on thrilling roller coasters and waterslides. For some of the trip members, it was their first time going on a waterslide or roller coaster! We ended the day at a beautiful pier and went on a Ferris wheel where we enjoyed views of the Seattle waterfront.

The next morning we left Seattle and enjoyed a very scenic drive to Whistler. From the bus we were able to see beautiful mountains and rivers. After arriving in Whistler, we walked to village to explore and many of the Americans were excited to try poutine, a Canadian classic!

The following day was very exciting day, as we went on our Via Ferrata tour. The group took a gondola towards the top of Whistler mountain and then climbed up the rest of the way. It was an amazing and adrenaline pumping experience. Later that night, we had a master chef competition, where the trip members were tasked with making a delicious dessert for the trip leaders to eat and judge. The desserts were judged based on creativity, teamwork, clean up and staying true to the requested theme: Canada.

What an amazing first week and we cannot wait for what’s next! 

The Westcoast Blogger

Interested in visiting scenic Seattle? See our 17-day and 25-day Northwestern Odyssey!