By Turtle
The history of kinky camping in the Pacific Northwest: an oral history. Dates are approximate.
In the Woods (ITW): 2001 – 2011
Paradise Unbound: 2000 – 2014
Renegades Rendezvous: 2015 – 2017
The Gathering Northwest: 2016 – 2019
The Frolic: 2021 – current
Impact Events and The Gathering: 2021 – ??
Stone Soup: 2023 – current
Ironically, the people who started it all are still behind it all here in the Pacific Northwest. If you ever get the chance to sit down and hear some of the stories of our esteemed elders, you’ll definitely never regret it. They came before us and helped create a world we can all live in now.
ITW started behind a bar in Kendall called The Holy Smoke Tavern, which is now a church. ITW went through two venues before they were unable to find a new home. The bar contacted some people about mowing the grass behind the bar, and it was immaculate. The second day of camp, someone who helped mow everything showed up in a station wagon with his kids to see what the event was. They were turned around at the gate, of course! The mower was very upset!
The initial camp had Tasting Tents for Sybian rides, rope bondage, and mummy works among other things.
“We didn't have any idea what we were doing!” They built an outside dungeon from scratch with tools and wood. There was a huge suspension piece that allowed for several people to be suspended on it at once. All of the dungeon furniture that was built was painted red by topless and naked submissives, who also ended up red by the end of it. Folx were playing as soon as it dried! The stories of the camp exploded on Yahoo chat and more people showed up. The sun came out on Sunday. A couple was doing a flogging scene. The bottom was tied to a St Andrew’s cross.
“I remember Santana was playing in the background.” The woman was told to hold on to the chains until she collapsed from the beating. When she finally went down, Allena (one of the CSPC’s founders) came running down.
“Is she okay? Is she okay?” Allena asked. And oh, was the woman ever so okay!
Their second location was near a refinery in Ferndale. It was almost in the Puget Sound! They set up a huge net structure there. It was called The Slabs. The slabs were two poured foundations for buildings that were torn down due to lack of permits.The guy who rented it to them didn't own it and that became a problem as soon as the owner found out!
ITW set the standard for kinky camping. They put the idea out there and then kinky camps were popping up all over the place. There were a few classes, a bondage rope contest, and sheets for gloryholes. Lou Reubens even got his start there. They cooked a few community meals on a stove that took “four men and a boy to move.” They never found a fourth venue.
Paradise Unbound at the Long House was a joint venture to some extent. Over time, the CSPC built a big outdoor kitchen stocked with appliances, outdoor showers and toilets, and a big covered stage with a green room. You could walk around the huge property to find nooks with shrines snuggled away and niches with hanging beds. A pool and hot tub were constant favorites. Everyone volunteered for two hours. We had quite a few vendors for the time and even a mobile coffee cart by the end of Paradise’s run. One year, we did a fundraiser with those pink yard flamingos. You could pay to Flock someone and flamingos would end up all over their campsite. You could also pay to either have them removed, Flock someone else, or keep from being Flocked. I personally Flocked the camp of the head Pirate and his girls. The entire Pirate crew took all of the Flock flamingos hostage in a cage and carried it up on stage during dinner. They auctioned off the right to end the Flocking!
One woman asked her partner to marry her at Paradise. That's an amazing story! She got all the other girls to help her while someone was playing with him with a knife, holding the blade to his scrotum! She entered the dungeon in a wedding dress and popped the question. Allena became a licensed minister and quite a few couples tied the knot in its beautiful surroundings.
The stories those trees could tell! Some crazy scenes went down in the Cigar Lounge at night! Human ashtrays, cigar service; deeply twisted scenes that took several people working in conjunction to fully implement them.
I remember the smoking area outside the pool turned into an all night game of kinky Cards Against Humanity. One year, there was a full size pet agility course. A sexy kitty ran it repeatedly to get others to follow her through the course. It was made up of things to crawl under, jump over, cones to go around, and a huge hamster tunnel made out of refrigerator boxes.
I myself gently pushed over a Dom I had negotiated a later scene with, no exact time or place. I pushed him over while he was squatting in his jeans and leather vest…with my boot. We locked eyes. I ran hard across the stone circle (mini Stonehenge). The area was crowded with people. He tackled me and we rolled in the dirt, wrestling until he had me up against a large stone. We began a body-only impact scene but the community was not about to be left out! Toys began appearing about 6’ from the scene, dropped “accidentally” for use. We communicated by hand signal and it was on! Soon, there were several other scenes surrounding us. The air was filled with screams and laughter!
We had quite a variety of entertainment over the years as well. Bands, perverted 70’s game show contests, the Talent Show, comedians, and a hypnotist. With the hypnotist, there were two rows of chairs on stage. He did his funny routine until everyone but one guy in the back row was left. He was told to stand up and treat the mic stand like a stripper pole…except all he was wearing were shoes and a shirt. Not a damn thing else. People were cry-laughing by the conclusion! During the Talent Show, a certain lovely lady picked up a safety cone with her vagina, no hands! Another “sang” a song in sign language! When one act was not ready to go on, a host began singing Disney princess songs in a high tenor to much acclaim. We had buggy rides pulled by fully rigged-out ponies. There were unscientific experiments to see whether gummy bears in a sling shot worked better when frozen or not. The last couple years, there was a huge hook pull and a ceremonial firewalk that glowed in the night. People were transformed at Paradise.
It’s funny how sights, sounds, and smells will bring back the odd memory. In the beginning of Paradise Unbound, a neighbor was raising ostriches so the camp would need to quiet down to not disturb the giant birds. Now, elders remember the ostriches honk when they hear what we call the “demon donkey” sound off at Kinky Acres today.
Many people were involved in what started as a small gathering that grew to over 400 people over the course of a week. People traveled annually across the country to attend!
The event became Renegade’s Rendezvous when the CSPC couldn't reach a contract with the Long House.
When members of the CSPC began to create their own week-long camp, some folks put together a separate organization called The Gathering. They've had it in several different venues, like Arborea Falls and Whiplash Ranch. Whiplash Ranch was still developing the land. There were big black view barriers and a barn with equipment in it. A hot dog vendor came out and won everyone over with deep-fried Oreos. One year, a woman stood in front of a Dom with a 16-foot whip. That was quite something! They had many classes and entertainment. One person volunteered to be “tortured” with small canes, while she was interrogated by two Doms. She had to guess what the key phrase was using 20 questions. “Twinkle twinkle little star!” she sang.
In 2021, after COVID restrictions began to be lifted, we decided we all needed to get outdoors again and see people. Touch other humans! The CSPC put together The Frolic, which still continues today. It has gone from 15 to 30 people attending a weekend to 150 folx with classes, entertainment, and full meals throughout the entire week. In the first two years, The Frolic took over Kinky Acres for two weekends. Last year, we moved to The Grove in Buckley, which can accommodate more people. We had the Lube Olympics in 2022. The Frolic 2023 included auctioned yurts, a Tasting event, a Swap Meet and Flee Market, and a truly rocking Talent Show with a wide range of acts including readers from Wicked Word Play. As part of our dedication to be a volunteer-run community, everyone volunteers for three hours. This year…well, check out the website.
Also currently occurring is Stone Soup. It's a very organic event created by ELE (Evergreen Leather Events). They also produce Leather Reign. Anybody can teach a spontaneous class and create something new! Stone Soup always sells out and had about 60 people participate last year. It's low cost and everybody brings their own stuff. Everyone volunteers for three hours. Folx sign up for meal dishes to share. It's very low-key. The indoor and outdoor dungeons are open 24 hours and everyone is very risk aware! It's laid back and friendly! Yes, it has portable toilets and outdoor showers. Stone Soup occurs in Clatskanie, Oregon in July.
Join The Frolic Discord channel or Fetlife group to share your stories, clarify historical information, and just get to know the entirety of your community.
How is kinky camping different from a convention? Conventions are usually hectically squeezing as much life into the short time you are all together. Extending the time to a week, we eat together, live together, and share space in a more deliberate fashion, building relationships that go beyond camp. You are surrounded by your community for a week. It’s hard to go back to mainstream expectations, but for a short time, you can just be…your whole authentic You!
