Our Locations
Songaia CoHousing (Our Basecamp), George Center for Community (Our Office), the Olympic Peninsula, and the North Cascades.
Rite of Passage Journeys wilderness programs take place in some of the most beautiful places in the Pacific Northwest. Our backpacking programs start and end at our basecamp at Songaia CoHousing Community in Bothell, Washington while our backpacking programs take place on the Olympic Peninsula and in the North Cascades.
We also offer workshops and events at our office location in the Lake City Neighborhood of Seattle at the George Center for Community. We joined this developing community center in the Spring of 2012 and have offered a variety of events in the chapel space as well as the dining hall. We are excited to be a part of this community and look forward to sharing it with you. Download driving directions to the George Center for Community by clicking here.
The view from Anderson Pass in Olympic National Park. A site commonly visited by our Coming of Age Programs. The Olympic Peninsula is in the northwest corner of the state of Washington (the Evergreen State). Within it are a national forest and a nearly one million-acre national park. Roads provide access to the outer edges of the park, but the heart of the Olympic Peninsula is wilderness; a primeval sanctuary for humans and wild creatures alike. It is a unique geographic province consisting of five major landscape settings: temperate rain forest, rugged mountain terrain, large lowland lakes, cascading rivers, and saltwater beaches. Its diverse ecosystems are home to a remarkable variety of plants and animals. From tiny unique flowers on icy peaks to sea stars in foaming tide pools, numerous species find refuge in the sanctuary of the Olympic Peninsula. Geology, climate, isolation, history and sheer size mean it protects relatively intact ecosystems, making it a priceless living laboratory. Influenced by mountains and sea, the Olympic Peninsula has a wide range of climate conditions. About twelve feet of rain falls each year on the west-facing valleys, sustaining the temperate rain forest. The east side of the mountains lie in a "rain shadow" with only 25 inches of annual rainfall and much dryer conditions. Like everything else about the Olympic Peninsula, the weather is extremely variable, from season to season and place to place. Overall, the Olympic Peninsula has a moderate marine climate with pleasant summers and mild, wet winters. Summers tend to be fair and warm, with high temperatures between 65 and 75 degrees F. July, August and September are the driest months, with heavier precipitation during the rest of the year. A sunset at Strawberry Point in Olympic National Park's coastal region.
The Olympic Peninsula
The North Cascades National Park is in the upper western portion of the state, located on the edge of the Canadian Border. It is known for jagged peaks, deep valleys, many glaciers (over 300 glaciers - representing 1/3 of those remaining in the lower 48 states) and miles of quiet and solitude. The North Cascade National Park is currently recognized as one of the best and untouched National Parks for visits with only about 400,000 visitors per year in comparison to Olympic National Park’s approximately 4,000,000! The Northern Cascades are among the youngest mountain areas in the world and their geological form is still actively taking shape. Water is an important part of the park system. Small trickles from glaciers collect into raging rivers located in valleys of Hemlocks, Cedars and Douglas Firs. Up above the valley on rocky ridges one may only find a few lichens, insects, birds, and piles of snow. There are few places we can go that are as untouched and majestic as the North Cascades. We feel fortunate to have them so close to our home. Participants enjoying a hike down into deep valley in the North Cascades.
North Cascades National Park
 A view of Songaia CoHousing Community from above. |
Songaia CoHousing CommunityThe office and basecamp for Journeys are at Songaia, a cohousing community in Bothell, Washington (near Seattle). Some of the workshops we offer also take place here, as do the seasonal sweat lodges. Songaia is a close community of families and friends. It combines private housing with shared community resources. It is located in a semi-rural area on 11 acres of wooded hillside, gardens, orchard, and meadow. You are welcome to read more about it by clicking here. |
The shared community life at Songaia is very active. Members gather frequently for meals, singing, work parties, celebrations, men's and women's circles, and social activities. The connections create a strong network of caring friends and neighbors, and is a safe, supportive environment where children, elders, and families of all types live lightly on the land.
George Center for Community
St. George's Episcopal Church originally opened its doors in the Lake City neighborhood of Seattle in 1959. After 52 years of operation, the church officially closed in May 2011. When this happened St. Andrew's Episcopal Church in Seattle was tasked with maintaining the building and grounds while creating a vision for the future of the site. A design team was formed in October 2011, in order to create a vision of partnership with the surrounding community. Design team members went out into the community and talked with residents, business owners and various institutional members of the Lake City Community using an informal interview process. From these discussions, the design team made a commitment to seed 5 new programs and projects while also introducing a variety of new partners to share the space. Rite of Passage Journeys joined in partnership in the Spring of 2012 --- we are one of two resident partners.
