The Details: Wooching & Van Winkle Turn Offseason Into Adventure
April 08, 2015 | Football, General
By Mason Kelley
GoHuskies.com
Psalm Wooching hung from a cliff on Mount Pilchuck with one hand.
Why? Well, for the 6-foot-4 outside linebacker from Hawaii, the better question is why not? Not to mention it made for a great photo.
Through three years in Seattle, he realized most of his time had been spent in the University District. After a childhood spent outdoors, Wooching felt the need to explore.
"Being from Hawaii, I just love the outdoors," he said. "I grew up outdoors. I'm in Seattle. It's beautiful. It's green everywhere. I see all these pictures on Instagram and Facebook, all these wonderful sights, so I might as well take advantage of it."
About the same time, kicker Cameron Van Winkle started to feel restless. He was tired of spending his weekends on campus.
Van Winkle and Wooching are good friends off the field, so the pair decided to spend the offseason sharing "adventure weekends."
"We live in Washington, so there are so many different things we can do on the weekend, might as well get out of the city a little bit and get a little adventure on, enjoy what Washington has to offer," Van Winkle said.
Their first trip was out to Rattlesnake Ridge near North Bend. If there was a ledge to climb, or hang from, Wooching was the first to volunteer.
They visited the Big Four Ice Caves east of Granite Falls. Hiking deep into the forest, passing avalanche warning signs with nearby fallen trees giving meaning to the message.
They entered the mouth of the massive hollowed out ice dome, but didn't venture all the way back.
"I've never really seen something like that up close and personal," Van Winkle said.
Sometimes the duo embarked on their adventures together, sometimes they went with others, but they tried to turn every weekend into an opportunity to see something new.
After hearing about the views from the top of Mount Pilchuck, Wooching added the hike to his list. It was a nice day when he headed north so he left the house wearing rugby shorts, converse and a T-shirt. He was warned it wasn't an easy hike, but he thought to himself, "Come on, I can do it."
Less than two miles up the trail, he was waist deep in snow. Despite being unprepared, he was undeterred.
"I hiked up to the top and took a picture hanging from the ledge with one hand," he said.
Why did he do it? Why not?
Van Winkle and Wooching scaled Mount Si. And then hiked its neighbor Little Si.
When it came time for spring break, Van Winkle headed for Hawaii. Wooching went to Yosemite. While Van Winkle enjoyed the beach and explored the lava beds, Wooching hiked Upper Yosemite Falls barefoot.
Now focused on spring football and working toward the season ahead, Washington's adventurers were asked about their favorite experiences from their weekend explorations.
For Van Winkle, it was the trip to the Big Four Ice Caves. For Wooching, it was the trip up Mount Pilchuck.
"It's really refreshing to get up there and clear your mind," Wooching said.
As much as they enjoyed the adventures, the camaraderie built through sharing those experiences with a teammate meant just as much.
"We're all about bonding, getting to know our teammates better," Van Winkle said. "Little adventures like that, outside of football, makes your friendship more concrete."
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