Summer is officially upon us! And while it may not look like it around here today I’m sure even the rainy Pacific Northwest will be basking in the summer sunshine before too long. It’s a great time to think about summer traditions and plans for outdoor fun! The images I’ve included have a camping theme, but I’d love to hear about all the various activities you have planned.

While my husband and I used to do a lot of camping, now we make an effort almost every weekend to go for a hike during the summer. We are really fortunate to live where we do – there are hundreds of hiking trails anywhere from 20 minutes to 3 hours drive from our home. They’re all at varying levels of difficulty – which is great for me after a long winter and spring spent hibernating indoors.

On one of my favorite hikes last summer we actually ended up doing a lot of creek watching and some splashing around in the creek too. It was during an epic heat wave, which for us meant temperatures over 100 degrees for several days. We ventured over to Lynn Canyon, a popular spot for cliff jumping and hiking, and discovered a new favorite activity – creek sitting. On a day as hot as that one was, there was nothing better than sitting in the most beautiful of natural settings, cooling off, without a care in the world!

We try not to visit any location more than once, but I have a feeling we may find ourselves back at Lynn Canyon this summer when the heat gets unbearable.

As always I’m happy to see the wide variety of items available on Etsy – some that I had never thought of looking for before.

The top picture is a cross stitch pattern from Campfire Chic. Below I found a great knapsack from Bees Netta, as well as some insect repellent from Mirasol Farm and some gourmet BBQ blend from Purpose Design.