Adventures Northwest Magazine Summer 2022

ADVENTURES NORTHWEST

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SUMMER 2022

Cascades Calling Terra Incognita in the Picket Range A Cabin in the Sky The Cascade Loop

22 02 2 20 2

Whatcom Arts and Culture Guide Inside!

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INSPIRATIONS

IN THIS ISSUE

The Paycheck of a Lookout Janitor The Benefits are Excellent!

David Inscho

16

Ted Rosen

24

Craig Goodwin

32

Nick Belcaster

36

Ryan Rickerts

42

Ainslee Dicken

50

Neil Schulman

54

James K. Papp

60

The Trail Builder’s Art The Legacy of Russ Pfeiffer-Hoit

Summer in the Cascades Days & Nights of Splendor

The Cascade Loop Washington’s Ultimate Road Trip

Climbing Jacob’s Ladder Terra Incognita in the Pickets

Mapping Cascadia A Passion for Cartography

Playing in Poseidon’s Den Kayaking Ocean Rock Gardens

Cascades Calling A Story of Communion

DESTINATIONS Extraordinary Days Out & About 3 Great Hikes ... for Summer Bright Lines: David Whyte eARTh: The Art of Nature Mountain Haiku Field Trip: Mitkof Island Cascadia Gear The Next Adventure

10 12 13 28 40 59 62 64 66

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COMMUNITY, CONNECTION, COMPETITION

JUL 9 , 2 0 2 2

Bellingham Traverse AUG 20, 2022

SE P T 1 0 , 2 0 2 2 PHOTO © PAUL BIKIS

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Volume 17. Issue 2

CONTRIBUTORS

SUMMER | 2022

Nick Belcaster is an adventure journalist who is based in Bellingham but calls the ancient ice and spires of the North Cascades home.

He contributes to local and national publications, and his work focuses on the intersection of recreation, energy, and the environment.

James K. Papp’s art is inspired by mystery and awe. The camera and pen are magical portals for him to connect more deeply with the world—his work honors connection with Nature as our ally to cultivate more harmony in life.

David Whyte is the highly acclaimed author of a dozen books of poetry, among them River Flow (2006), Pilgrim (2012), and The Sea in You (2015), all from Many Rivers Press. Born in Great Britain, he now lives in the Pacific Northwest.

Mark Bergsma has been making photographs for more than 40 years. Initially, creating art from nature was his goal, and it still plays a heightened role in his work today. His photographic journey has had a profound effect on his life. Visit him at markbergsma.com

Ryan Rickerts is a photographer, aspiring novelist, and lifelong resident of the PNW, who grew up in North Idaho and moved to Bellingham in 2000.

The local mountains never cease to inspire him to keep finding adventure in the unknown places nearby. Visit him on Instagram at @ dove_prism.

Emily Zimmerman grew up in Bellingham among a family of artists. She is an illustrator, muralist, and painter who has also worked in design and currently runs BellinghamArt, a children’s art school. When she isn’t being creative, you can find her outdoors – usually with at least one dog in tow.

ANW

Ainslee Dicken is a freelance writer, poet, and aspiring novelist. Born and bred in the Pacific Northwest, she harbors an obsession for fantasy and science fiction. When she’s not writing or reading, she’s moving; whether hiking, traveling, or walking around the neighborhood.

Craig Goodwin is a full-time nature photographer based in Black Diamond, WA. You’ll find his work at art shows throughout the Pacific Northwest.

Bill Hoke came to the Pacific Northwest in 1970 and began a lifetime of climbing and hiking.

He’s hiked—mostly solo— more than 1,500 miles in the Olympic Mountains and is the editor of the newly published fourth edition of the Olympic Mountains Trail Guide for Mountaineers Books.

David Inscho is a believer in coffee, beer, and the profound power of wilderness.

When not at his day job, he can be found backpacking with his camera in the silence of our public lands.

COVER PHOTO: JASON GRIFFITH

Ted Rosen is a freelance journalist, IT professional, and former chairman of the Bellingham Greenways Advisory Committee. He enjoys guitar, photography, and complaining about litter.

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Neil Schulman is a writer/photographer living in Portland, Oregon, where he also runs a river conservation group.

You can find his work at neilschulman.com.

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9

EXTRAORDINARY DAYS

T

here are no ordinary days.

I recently heard this bit of wisdom and was struck by the profound simplicity and truth of those five words.

There are no ordinary days.

This speaks to the fact that our reality is more about creation—that is, we create it—than about the external circumstances imposed upon us. We are the architects of our lives and, therefore, should we believe it to be true, have the power to elevate our lives to whatever level rings the bell for us each and every day. Being a “victim of circumstances” is often a choice.

With this in mind, you have it within your grasp to make the summer ahead the best summer of your life. Head for the hills, take that long, impractical backpacking trip you’ve been putting off for who

Your guides to the islands

GULF ISLANDS A Boater’s Guidebook

knows how many years. Spend a day sitting on a rock beside a river, listening to the subtle variations of the river’s sonata.

Grab a boat, a paddle, and a loved one and cast off from the familiar harbor to follow your imagination to places you’ve never been. Challenge yourself. Life goes by in the blink of an eye.

So many of us have big plans about future adventures, epic accomplishments, and that ‘trip of a lifetime.’ Without doubt, my friends, it is a mistake to defer these ambitions.

But don’t settle for one big outing. Take the time to experience the healing balm of nature every day. It’s not hard to find. We are blessed to live in a place where beauty is all around us. There are no ordinary days.

In Cascadia, summer is a waking dream: alpine meadows emerging from winter’s snow, riotous carpets of wildflowers crowding the edge of the precipice, the lush duff of ancient forests, the sweet and evocative aromas of a retreating tide. The music of owls.

As we (hopefully) emerge from these years of pandemicfueled deprivation, our salvation might be in recognizing what we have long taken for granted—a connection to the natural world, authentic experience, community, art, etc.— and choosing to elevate these bountiful gifts to front and center in our lives.

Shawn Breeding and Heather Bansmer

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Nooksack Salmon Enhancement Association's

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Whatcom County Saturdays and Sundays June 25 - Sept 4 Learn about salmon, NSEA, how to recreate responsibly, and join a Community Work Party to restore salmon habitat All opportunities are free and open to all ages!

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Out&About

Northwest Tune-Up: Bikes, Music, and Beer

Those of us who live in the Pacific Northwest love our festivals. We enjoy a proud tradition of knowing how to have a good time during the precious days of summer, celebrating such things as seafood, tulips, lentils, Shakespeare, Sasquatch, cannabis - you name it. But with its focus on bikes, music, and beer, the Northwest Tune-Up—debuting this summer on the Bellingham Waterfront—promises to hit an exceptionally sweet spot on the PNW festival landscape.

Bellingham’s mountain biking community, led by the Whatcom Mountain Bike Coalition (WMBC), is a thriving sub-culture, a passionate and ever-growing multitude of recreationalists who have proven themselves skilled in the art of making good things happen. Proficient not only at creating and maintaining the area’s plethora of bike trails, the WMBC is also adept at forming alliances and coalitions with a variety of diverse stakeholders to promote their passion for mountain biking. Bellingham has become a major mountain biking destination, thanks to their efforts.

Although the WMBC has been organizing events around Bellingham for decades, the Northwest Tune-Up promises to be the biggest celebration of mountain biking culture that the City of Subdued Excitement has ever seen.

Photo by Jason Curtis

“A decade ago, Brandon Watts and I started the dream of showcasing our amazing bike community and the trails that drew both of us to Bellingham,” explains Eric Brown, festival co-creator and longtime executive director of the WMBC. “We’re also passionate about craft beer and music, so we’re thrilled to have an all-star team from the beer, bike, and music industry bringing the NW Tune-Up to Bellingham.”

The Tune-Up will take place July 8-10 and will feature live music on two stages, races, demos, and—needless to say—beer. Twenty-four craft breweries will be on hand, representing the absolute best of the PNW art brewers.

In addition to the activities on the waterfront, downhill races, demos, and trail rides will be offered on Galbraith Mountain, the local mountain biking Mecca.

A Celebration of Sustainability: Wild Foods of the Salish Sea You’ll have a chance to engage with the rich marine environment of the Salish Sea with all your senses at this Lummi Island Wild Food Camp, happening June 9-12 at Nettles Farm on Lummi Island. With gourmet meals, fine wines, and deluxe accommodations at Nettles Farms BNB, the term “camp” is Photo by Marla Aufmuth perhaps stretched a bit. Riley Starks, a well-known champion of the local marine ecosystem, life-long fisherman, and original owner of The Willows Inn hosts this four-day immersion in paradise.

The folks at Moondance Kayaking will be on hand to facilitate off-shore seaweed foraging, and guests will enjoy a wild salmon cookout prepared by Starks himself at the beach, on nearby Clark Island. I’m not sure, but I don’t think it gets any more classically Cascadian than that. In addition to the salmon and the seaweed, guests will enjoy a succession of extraordinary meals prepared by Chef Ona Lee, known for her use of hyper-local ingredients. A portion of the proceeds will support the Salish Center for Sustainable Fishing.

More info: floraandfungiadventures.com

More information: nwtuneup.com.

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Road Access to Heliotrope Ridge, Skyline Divide Trails Stymied by Flood Damage Winter flooding has damaged both the Glacier Creek and Deadhorse Creek Roads in the Mt. Baker-Snoqualmie National Forest, closing both roads to motorized traffic for the foreseeable future. The Glacier Creek Road provides access to the Heliotrope Ridge Trail, and the Deadhorse Creek Road provides access to Skyline Divide. According to the US Forest Service, re-opening the roads could be a long way off, precluding motorized access Heliotrope Ridge. to these extremely Photo by John D’Onofrio popular trails.

The Heliotrope Ridge Trail also provides access to one of Mt. Baker’s most popular climbing routes.

“Deadhorse Creek has the potential for getting at least a temporary fix as early as this summer, but that is not guaranteed,” says Glacier Public Service Center Lead Magenta Widner. “Glacier Creek looks like it could be a few years due to the location.”

More info: www.fs.usda.gov/mbs

Letter to the Editor Share your thoughts!

Write to editor@AdventuresNW.com

What We’re Fighting For People need to see what it is that we are fighting for when we say “save the planet”. The planet will go on—we are saving ourselves, life, and all the beauty that we can enjoy. We are the Earth and to love Her is to love ourselves. Your magazine helps people see that. Your mission has never been more important than now.

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3 Great Hikes for Summer

Artist Ridge

Artist Point qualifies as one of the supreme automobile-accessible viewpoints in the North Cascades and maybe the country. The Artist Ridge Trail, emanating from this sublime parking lot is a crowd-pleaser, suitable for the whole family (and yes, there are crowds). Its an ideal place to take non-hiking out-of-town visitors. Partly paved, this lollipop loop (only 1.25 miles round trip) offers more of a stroll than a hike but delivers endless views of some of the North Cascades’ marquee peaks, including Mt. Shuksan, Mt. Baker, and the jagged Border Peaks.

Look for a series of small tarns along the ridge, each with an elegant mountain reflection in its still waters.

Trailhead: End of the Mt. Baker Highway (WA-542). Bear right just before the upper ski lodge for the final 2.6 miles. Note: Access to Artist Point is typically not possible until mid-summer due to snow.

Northwest Forest Pass required.

Goat Lake/Elliot Creek This hike is a two-for-one delight. By incorporating the Elliot Creek Trail (thus making it a semi-loop of 10.5 miles), one could spend a happy day both gawking at the spectacular cirque that cradles Goat Lake and enjoying a peaceful walk beside a picturesque and quintessential North Cascades stream. Owing to its fairly low elevation (3200 feet), Goat Lake is an excellent early-season hike when snow blankets the higher elevations. The sight of Cadet Peak rising over the lake’s aquamarine surface will surely prime the pump for summer adventures yet to come.

Trailhead: The end of Elliot Creek Rd. (FR-4080), .8 miles east of the Mountain Loop Highway, 19.5 miles south of Darrington. Northwest Forest Pass required.

High Pass The trail to Winchester Mountain is very popular, but the side trail to High Pass sees less traffic and offers beguiling close-up views of Mt. Larrabee and the Border Peaks. The route diverges from the Winchester Trail .25 miles from the trailhead at Twin Lakes and traverses a shoulder of Winchester with beautiful views down into the Silesia Creek Valley. After a few Photo by John D’Onofrio High Pass switchbacks that elevate you to Low Pass, it’s smooth sailing to High Pass, 2.5 miles from the junction. A somewhat sketchy climber’s path leads up from the Pass to even more dramatic views of the jagged rock ridge known as The Pleiades.

Trailhead: Twin Lakes, at the end of the Twin Lakes Road (FR-3065), 7 miles from Mt. Baker Highway (WA-542). The last 2.5 miles (past the Yellow Aster Butte Trailhead) are extremely rough – 4WD and high-clearance are mandatory. Northwest Forest Pass required .

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As the Stars Come

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The heartbeat of Cascadia

17

T

o be at work and at play at the same time is to know inspiration. To labor with passionate commitment on something you believe in is to know fulfillment.

But to simply awaken at 6521 feet to a dazzling sunrise is to experience the exalted treasure of one of Washington’s remaining fire lookouts.

I became lookout chairman 14 years ago, working with the Mount Baker Club and the U.S. Forest Service to preserve the historic Winchester Mountain Lookout, built in 1935, from the ravages of extreme weather and visitor damage.

The club restored the lookout from near-ruin in 1982 with resourceful dedication, and I’m grateful to be a part of the ongoing effort. I typically visit about four times per year and sometimes log more than 14 nights in a season. The idea is to get the work done in May and June, so it’s open to the public from late

July through about mid-September when the first snows require shuttering again.

Arrival at the lookout is always a familiar, homey embrace: the door is opened to an anchoring smell of old wood and cured enamel paint; the attic hatch is unlocked

The janitor’s paycheck is found in the crimson sunset, the resolute counsel of mountains, the generosity of penny-whistle birdsong, and a six-figure inner peace. That is pay enough. and pushed back to the memorable fragrance of cedar shingles and turpentine; the braces are liberated to prop the shutters open to brilliant sunshine, once again chasing away winter’s damp and cold.

Thanks to 80 panes of glass, there is little difference in the 14 x 14-foot shack between inside and out. Once the shutters are opened, the mountains

practically walk in like welcome houseguests. Though I try to time my visits with the best weather, it’s not always sun and games, especially during extended stays. Sometimes clouds descend, erasing the mountains, and the focal distance shrinks, but the imagination expands.

Storms roll in, and clouds build quickly into great generators of electricity. Through the distant thunder and thundering hail, an ominous buzz can sometimes be heard on the singular lightning rod on the roof peak, the sound of “Mr. Zappy” contemplating a visit. Fortunately, I’ve never experienced a direct lightning strike to test my nerve.

Usually, though, inclement weather means spruce trees just outside the windows comb droplet gems from passing clouds, capturing light, not unlike a radiant chandelier in the gloomy calm.

One doesn’t typically associate privilege with janitorial duties, but the feeling is inescapable when the tide of cloud recedes.

A roll-call of summits reveals a dream

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team of North Cascades mountains: Tomyhoi, Redoubt, Larrabee, American Border Peak, The Pleiades, Ruth, Luna, The Pickets. And then there are the celebrity mountains, Shuksan and Kulshan, so prominent they command most of the attention. One can see the restful mirrors of Twin and Tomyhoi Lakes far below.

In contrast, the freshly- masticated geometry of a clear-cut de- Winchester Dawn lineates the US/ Canada border only about 1.5 miles away.

While cleaning the windows, my focus will often shift from the panes muddled with handprints, food, and smashed bugs to the brilliant range of rock and ice beyond. It reminds me of where I am, surrounded by the spectacular tumult of mountains, a slow-motion tectonic storm we call the North Cascades, those mountains that capture winter so well and hold it long into summer.

The attic is the janitorial heart of the lookout, a veritable ReStore of salvaged hardware and tools: screws, nails, nuts, bolts, and washers sorted into respective jars or old coffee cans; nails stored in mouse-nibbled boxes; hooks, latches, and eye screws dangle from shower cur-

stories & the race|play|experience calendar online.

tain rings fastened on rafters above like big keychains. Old hand tools including hammers, screwdrivers, pry bars, tape measures, carpenter saws, hack saws,

paintbrushes, hand drills, hand planes, files, a drawknife, a glazier point gun, and one indispensable vise are each fixed to a panel like a memorial to the old ways.

An assortment of paint options in traditional Forest Service fire lookout colors: forest green, pale mint, and gray are tucked away on the far side under the low roofline. All the better to blend this little shack into the dominant mood of northwestern skies. Winchester’s particular gray is called ‘Silvery Moon,’ a rather romantic color name that certainly reflects some of the finer nights I’ve spent there, as cross-hatched parallelograms of light skated over and around me while I slept.

Although there is no paycheck, one could think of my position of lookout

janitor as a union job because I belong to a coalition of humanity that ascends to a summit cabin in the North Cascades on a summer afternoon. We pay the sweaty dues and accordingly enjoy the benefits. I, too, unfurl my sleeping bag onto the thin mattress in almost-forgotten silence. I too gather snow— remnant of winter—to melt into water, that most basic of human needs. I count myself as just one of many who visit and care. I’m the same kind of pilgrim; only I may have a hammer in hand pounding a piece of steel in the vise to fashion it into a needed fastener. Really though, my and other visitors’ goal of

The heartbeat of Cascadia

19

doing no damage and cleaning up after placing an occasional window, or slowly themselves should find a place in every coaxing the old shack back into plumb, I human being’s heart, no matter where get to sit, sweaty in the white-hot fusion they find themselves. In reality, the janitor’s paycheck is found in the crimson sunset, the resolute counsel of mountains, the generosity of penny-whistle birdsong, and a six-figure inner peace. That is pay enough.

Awakening in a fire lookout can be a sweet confusion of surrendering the dream world for a dreamy reality. At dawn, with one eye open, the sleeper may behold smoldering pink clouds in the east The Office or the sight of the moon fading away and blending with the gathering of light seemingly focused on the sumlight of a new day. mit shack from every snowy peak that After an afternoon of mopping, resurrounds it. Then, as an antidote to all pairing, painting, removing garbage, rethat heat and light, I sip a mug of iced

green tea that I steeped and stashed in a snowbank that morning.

Around me, each window pane is a framed portrait of mountain beauty, a seat in a gallery of Cascadian art. It’s also a time to indulge in a book from the lookout library—all donated, many of them favorites: Ed Abbey, Annie Dillard, Henry Thoreau, Walt Whitman, Gary Snyder, and Mary Oliver. Evenings are a time to appreciate the steep gradient of color in the west, from burnished blue to purple-pink to fiery red. It is a time to burrow into a cocoon of feathers and rest, a time to contemplate the kindly ghosts of the past.

Sure, there are ghosts at Winchester, but not necessarily those of the dead.

Instead, I refer to the companionable

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Photo John D’Onofrio

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spirits of those who devoted their life-energy and passionate commitment to restoring the lookout. They have names like Gary Hauffle, BK Smith, Ed Alm, and Scott Welker. Their signatures are found in the carefully crafted logbook or carved onto the handles of tools in the attic. I find following in their

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23

The Trail Builder’s Art The Legacy of Russ Pfeiffer-Hoyt Story by Ted Rosen

I

f you’re like me, you’ve been on a remote hiking path in the North Cascades and thought to yourself, “Gosh, this trail sure is remote and rugged and well-maintained. I wonder who humped all the way up here to build it?”

You’d be surprised at how often the answer is Russ Pfeiffer-Hoyt.

Russ and his team of intrepid trailbuilders have blazed trails across the Pacific Northwest for nearly five decades.

Whether it’s a local trail on private land or a substantial trail project for the US Forest Service, Russ and his crew can handle every aspect of the project.

According to Russ, new trails usually start with visioning: what the land manager expects from their new trail.

Next comes siting the trail. This involves deciding where the path will go–and why. With a firm commitment to the trail plan, he starts with heavy equipment for clearing and construction. Yet despite all the brute power and technology, in the end, it always comes down to McLeod rakes, pickaxes, and sweat.

I asked him about how he approaches new trail projects.

“When I design a trail, I start by trying to understand the land manager’s purpose for the trail. Often, with the US Forest Service, the purpose is to be part of a transportation network–to get from point A to B. In that case, I calculate the elevation difference between A and B and take the maximum desired grade (steepness) to calculate the minimum trail length. Using that length, I look for the best combination of moderate slope, well-drained soil, and natural beauty.

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After choosing the general area, I flag a trail location, using a clinometer (an instrument used for measuring the angle or elevation of slopes) to measure trail grade,

I learned that if you work for your reputation and not for money, you are more likely to end up with both. all the while looking for unique trees or points of beauty that I can incorporate into the route.

Russ Pfeiffer-Hoyt and Sophie Dixon, granddaughter of Erin Trimingham of the Stimpson Family at the Stimpson Family Nature Reserve.

Photo by Susan Trimmingham

“When I build a trail for an organization like Whatcom Land Trust, the goal is not getting from point A to B, but rather to create an experience where hikers can meander through the glory of the land. This is both much more work to design, and more satisfying. I start by becoming familiar with the whole property, walking a grid pattern, and keeping notes

of the features of the land, both areas that I might include in the trail and areas to avoid. Using these notes, I make a map of the general trail location, trying to incorporate at least one example of the various natural feature types into the route.”

Russ showed me his dog-eared notebook, rainproof yet worn from decades of use, its pages incised with carefully scribbled notes. Indecipherable to me, it was a chronicle of years spent in untrammeled forests, calculating elevation and grade, noting features and contours, accounting for wetlands and obstacles, and marveling at the possibilities.

So that partly answered my question: those trails I enjoy so much didn’t simply grow out of deer trails. A lot of thought, preparation, and plain-old elbow grease went into making my trails so enjoyable. But I needed to know: who are these people? Who are the unseen faces that labor in remote forests, paying careful attention not only to the trail but the culverts and drains that keep it viable?

So I asked Russ about his past, trying to figure out what led him to this unusual and often thankless job.

“I was born in Seattle, raised in Kirkland, graduating from Lake Washington High School. I grew up with three brothers, so sports–especially baseball–were a major activity for us. I also wrestled and ran cross country. When I wasn’t outside, I read the World Book Encyclopedia over and over, curious about everything. When we grew up, our part of Kirkland was largely forested, so much of our time was spent in the woods.

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we wanted. We hiked and camped, even if all we could do was camp along the railroad tracks. We spent part of each summer with our grandmother in Bellingham, often visiting the Nesset farm in Saxon, as she was a Nesset.

The Nesset’s farming, logging, and love for nature strongly influenced me. My grandfather, originally from Sweden, was partner in a large logging company and sawmill in Darrington. From him, I learned that if you work for your reputation and not for money, you are more likely to end up with both.

“Our oldest brother, Steve ‘Sven’, got the rest of us brothers interested in hiking in the Cascades. Incidentally, Sven started the Sven Hoyt Community Garden on 32nd St. in Bellingham, which we still own. The largest impact of my childhood was losing our dad to MS when I was seven. While I wouldn’t wish that experience on anyone, it gave me the perspective that life is finite and that I should strive to follow my mom’s

teaching to ‘leave the world a better place than I found it.’”

Russ’ handiwork, Canyon Lake.

Photo by Rand Jack

After high school, Russ enrolled at Evergreen State College in 1971, making

young Russ Pfeiffer-Hoyt one of its pioneer students among 1,128 in its first-ever academic year.

“Evergreen was a wonderful experience for me. I concentrated my studies on the human use of natural resources.

My most memorable experience was six months of independent study in a small village in Southern Spain. I soon became accepted as a “hijo del pueblo” (son of the pueblo), working with the men every day, farming and herding with methods little changed from the Roman era. I also did a year of forestry. While at Evergreen, I worked as a caretaker for free rent, commuting to school across an inlet of Puget Sound by kayak.”

After college, Russ slotted himself into his destiny. Knowing he wanted to work in the outdoors but not sure what form such a career might take, he let it evolve naturally.

“After Evergreen, I worked planting trees and cutting shake bolts. My wife Cindy and I picked apples to pay for six

An AAI rope team passes the striking Black Buttes on the descent from Baker’s summit back to high camp.

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Russ Pfeiffer-Hoyt’s Trails 1) Stimpson Trail 2) Port Whitehorn Trail 3) Canyon Lake Trails 4) Pine and Cedar Lakes Boardwalk 5) Elbow Lake Trail 6) Goat Mountain Trail Reconstruction 7) Hannegan Pass Trail Reconstruction 8) Wild Goose Trail 9) Shadow of the Sentinels Boardwalk 10) East Bank Baker Lake Trail (Noisy Creek to Blum Creek) 11) Happy Creek Boardwalk 12) Jensen Family Crest Trail 13) Maple Creek Bridge 14) Boulder Lake Trail 15) Fisher Creek Trail Reconstruction 16) Pacific Crest Trail - Suiattle River 17) Indian Creek Bridge 18) Elliot Creek Trail Reconstruction 19) Weden Creek Trail Reconstruction

months of our honeymoon in Europe.

My brothers and I wanted to work together, so we bid on a US Forest Service

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20) Big Four Trail Segments 21) Mount Pilchuck Trail 22) Middle Fork Snoqualmie Trail 23) Twin Falls Bridge 24) Mason Lake (Ira Spring Trail) 25) Greywold River Bridge 26) Monument Park Trail 27) Shannon Ridge Trail 28) Lake Serene Trail 29) Baker Preserve Trail Reconstruction 30) Prince Creek Trail 31) Clark’s Point Trails 32) Green River Trail (Mount St. Helens) 33) Arlecho Creek Trail 34) Anderson Creek Bridge 35) Snoqualmie Lake Trail Reconstruction 36) Rainier View Trail 37) Grouse Creek Bridge 38) Fire Creek Bridge 39) Cussed Hollow Creek Bridge

trail contract, largely learning on the job.

We hadn’t planned to make it a career, but one trail job led to another. Our brother,

John, worked with us for one year and then went back to school to become a doctor. He has been president of Northwest Pathology in Bellingham for many years, helping grow the company into one Rafting the backhoe of Bellingham’s across Baker Lake to larger employers.” build the East Bank Trail.

Photo by Russ Pfeiffer-Hoyt The US Forestry Service trail jobs continued to roll in. Russ became intimately familiar with the USFS trail guides, specifications, and standards, a dizzying array of bureaucratic exactitude, the kind of thing that scares away fly-by-night contractors, leaving only the toughest and most resilient to win bids. And win, he did.

Russ and his team built trails, in-

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stalled bridges from Ferndale to Lake Chelan, and occasionally further afield. Some of his bridges are quite striking, so I asked him about them.

“Bridges are designed by structural engineers. I am sometimes involved with choosing the type of bridge, basing the choice on feasibility, cost, and aesthetics. I took one quarter of architectural design, including structural engineering, at Evergreen—not enough to design a bridge but giving me an understanding of loads and stresses. We have worked on everything from building bridges with on-site materials, and splitting decking from old-growth cedar, to pre-fab steel. Because we often work miles from the nearest road, the location helps dictate the design. If I laid all of the bridges I built end to end, it would be over two miles long. Some of the most interesting bridges that I have worked on have been restoring suspension bridges in Idaho that were built in the 1940s, including some built by German POWs during World War II. They must have thought they had died and gone to heaven to be safe in the mountains of Idaho, doing fun work with full bellies.”

Building bridges and trails is hard enough. Building them when you are many miles from any forest roads–much less paved roads–is a considerable challenge. Russ told me about jobs where he needed to disassemble heavy equipment, have the various parts flown to the site by helicopter, then re-assembled and brought to life so the crew could get to work clearing a trail.

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27

POETRY FROM THE WILD

Home

By David Whyte

Home: A long road on the raven coast on the roof two kayaks bend through the warm air a resonant hum in their tight ropes sings in the evening light.

Headlights switched on as the car dips through hollows and the colors deepen.

We all speak together or are silent.

At Deception Pass the water ripples under our bellies and our souls leap in a sudden feeling to swim north with salmon eyes nudging between islands.

The western sky warms and we ease through the land two lights in the slowly moving darkness outside dew gathers on dry branches my wife turns speaks to me reminds me of a crossing yesterday on a calm sea and we laugh in the dark interior of the car with two friends fallen asleep in the back heading south through the dark night and home.

Photo by John D’Onofrio

What seems impossible to most of us is a mere logistical challenge to people like Russ. He told me about a job at Baker Lake: “My favorite place to work is Baker Lake, in part due

28

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to the logistic challenges. I built four miles of trail between Noisy Creek and Blum Creek before there were any connecting trails. I built a raft to motor my backhoe across Baker Lake to start building the trail. I made an 8’ by 12’ plywood ‘palace’ to stay in, with a wood stove and a pipe from a nearby spring connected to a faucet by the door. I didn’t want that job to end.”

I recently wrote a story in this magazine about Governors Point (Governors Point: Finding Harmony on the Chuckanut Coast, Spring ’21), a spectacular peninsula of Chuckanut sandstone and second-growth forest just south of Bellingham. The new owner plans to build a few houses on the southwest edge of the peninsula and has offered the vast bulk of the beautiful waterfront forest to the public via the Whatcom Land Trust.

Russ has already begun the process of formalizing the trail system there.

“The property owner, Randy Bishop, is donating the bulk of the peninsula for low-impact public use, including a trail and beach access. I am using a similar process to the Stimpson Trail, beginning with a thorough examination of the property. The trail will be about a three-mile loop, winding through stands of large trees, Chuckanut sandstone formations, and saltwater views.”

Nowadays, Russ is getting on in years. He knows he won’t be swinging an axe much longer, but he has hope for the future.

“Our three daughters have grown up working on trails. Our youngest daughter, Megan’s, first job at age two was putting washers on railings at a penny per washer. She was too young to count, so her sisters kept track. At the end of the first day, she took the $3.00 she had earned to the store to buy her first pacifier, learning her work ethic at a young age.

“I have also worked many years with Eric Carabba, now the owner of Backwoods Contracting, who is part of the next

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generation of master trail builders in Whatcom County.”

In addition to blazing trails in the mountainous wildlands, Russ has blazed a few more in the Mount Baker School District, where he has served on the school board for 22 years. A business owner with a keen eye for fiscal responsibility and windows of opportunity, Russ led successful efforts allowing school districts to keep all of their local timber revenue, which has brought several million dollars to Mount Baker School District.

“I ran for school board 22 years ago to take the district focus away from the ‘culture wars’ and back to academics.

I feel that my greatest success is being part of a leadership team that has protected our staff from the social pressures straining our society, allowing them to focus on academics and helping our kids become better citizens. We are working hard to recover from pandemic learning loss. While we still have much to accomplish, I am proud of how our students and staff have weathered the challenges of the pandemic with understanding and grace.”

When it comes to balancing wilderness preservation with recreational access, Russ is philosophical and advocates for careful planning and intelligent public policy.

“The pandemic brought an increased interest in getting outdoors, which has strained parts of our trail system.

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29

The Forest Artist

by Rand Jack

On several occasions, I have walked with Russ as he laid out trails–Stimpson Family Nature Reserve, Lily Point, Canyon Lake Community Forest, Point Whitehorn, Teddy Bear Cove, and now, Governors Point. Russ’s technical skills are matched by an acute understanding of the geology and hydrology that underlie the forest ecosystem and its inhabitants.

But what sets Russ apart is his aesthetic sense and execution as a master trail builder.

He paints on a scale that would dumbfound most artists. He foresees the trail not just through his own practiced and expert eyes but also through the eyes of future generations of hikers. The goal is never just to get from one place to another but always to maximize the experience of the natural world of those walking the trail.

I remember once we were walking a tentative trail layout through the ancient trees at Canyon Lake, and Russ explained, “See, I moved the trail a few feet over this way so that you would then approach head-on those two magnificent trees standing side by side, rather than one partially obscuring the other.” I may have added the word ‘magnificent.’

Russ doesn’t talk that way. He just thinks and works that way. As they say, “the proof of the pudding is in the tasting.” Go out and walk at Stimpson or any of the other Russ PfeifferHoyt trails and see what you think.

Rand Jack is a co-founder of Whatcom Land Trust.

managers strive to keep up with the increased use. Expanding the existing trail systems is important, but the easiest way to keep up with hiking demand is to improve the access and condition

of our existing trails. Whatcom County Parks has miles of trails at Canyon Lake, but they are currently almost inaccessible for lack of a short section of road easement. Elbow Lake Trail needs

Kenneth Kearney

a new bridge across the Middle Fork of the Nooksack. Trail maintenance, especially drainage, allows much heavier trail use without leaving damage. For example, the trails in Heather Meadows (Mount Baker Ski Area) are so well-drained and hardened that the thousands of hikers each summer leave almost no sign of their use. I encourage trail users to join volunteer work parties organized by Washington Trail Association or Whatcom Land Trust.”

So: the next time you tromp along one of our beautiful trails, as you turn to drink in the beauty of the Early Winters Spires or Baker Lake, do give a passing thought to the workers who worked so hard to make your pathway safe and inspiring. And if you have the time, do what Russ says: join a volunteer work party to keep your beloved trails in tip-top shape. Then, the next time you pass through and see that repaired switchback or cleared tree fall, you will surely swell with pride.

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Summer in the Cascades

By Craig Goodwin

S

ummer in the Cascade Mountains is like a second spring. When phlox and trillium start to wither under the heat of summer at lower elevations in the Pacific Northwest, the wildflowers of the Cascades are just getting started. As neighborhood lawns turn August brown, high alpine meadows are lush with lupine and Indian paintbrush. When our regional scarcity of air conditioning becomes uncomfortable, a hike in these mountains offers polar-bear-plungeworthy lakes, foggy mists, and even a few lingering patches of snow.

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35

The Cascade Loop Washington’s Ultimate Road Trip Story and Photos by Nick Belcaster

Washington Pass

I

’ve spent a lot of time exploring the magnificent nooks and crannies of Northwest Washington, enjoying untold splendor along the way. But I had never driven the meandering scenic excursion known as the Cascade Loop.

Described as “Washington’s Ultimate Road Trip”, the 440mile loop traces an oblong circle from saltwater to the Columbia Highlands and back to saltwater, crossing the magnificent Cascade Range twice.

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The heartbeat of Cascadia

Wenatchee businessman Gordon Ohme masterminded the Loop in 1978 when he gathered some of his friends at a local pub. Armed with a map and pen, he and his cohorts drafted a Loop to connect the scenic and recreation hubs of the diverse country north of Seattle. Their devised route spanned a rich palette of vistas, iconic landscapes, and previously off-the-beaten-path destinations. It is this track my traveling companion and I were prepared to traverse on a crisp autumn weekend.

I’d seen a lot of beauty in my years

of traveling this corner of the world, so I approached the journey from a local’s perspective, but one ready for a fresh look at my magnificent stomping grounds. I was not disappointed.

We turned off I-5 in Burlington and headed east up Highway 20 beside the mighty Skagit River, its muscular waters coursing down from the mountains, past the little moss-roofed clusters of homes in towns with names like Rockport and Marblemount, resembling villages in Tolkien’s Middle Earth, blending into the green forest. >>> Go to

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Up we went into North Cascades National Park, a familiar and beloved summertime haunt. We pulled in at the Washington Pass Overlook and walked the paved paths that led to the overlook. How was it that I had never ventured to this little perch above the highway in all my years living in Washington? The view, I found, surprises—and inspires, offering a perfect vantage point of the Liberty Bell Group, rising like Valhalla above the highway.

Crowning the scene were the larches, golden in the afternoon light. The Larix lyallii, or subalpine larch, glow an iridescent orange when autumn comes calling. The sight infected me with what has become known as ‘larch madness’ and I decided to find a place where I could get up close and personal with these magnificent trees.

After descending the curvaceous switchbacks on the eastern side of the pass, we pulled into Mazama, a recreation haven boasting an impressive Nordic ski system that churns out Winter

Olympians at a remarkable rate. A few miles of gravel road delivered us to the Goat Peak Trailhead, where we parked and laced up our hiking boots.

A trail of moderate grade ushered us into the realm of larches, delivering us onto a ridge crowned by the Goat Peak Lookout. One of the few fire lookouts still in use during times of high fire danger, the views from the lookout extend for miles: A turn to the right revealed the Cascade Range; a turn to the left looked down into the rolling hills of the Methow Valley, tawny with hay and aspen, and our next destination.

Pulling into Winthrop, the view of the Methow River from the Spring Creek Bridge proved irresistible, and we got out for a closer look at the sparkling water.

The road became more of a back road, passing through the picturesque hamlets of Twisp, Methow, and Pateros on its way down to the Columbia River. We passed between towering canyon walls, the tumultuous river taking center stage.

Few natural features dominate their setting the way the Columbia does. One need only remember that this river is dammed more than 60 times from its headwaters to the sea to understand what an absolute hellion it must have been unbridled.

By now, the light had grown soft, casting long shadows in the canyons. The sweet perfume of sage drifted in through the car’s open window. A sign announced the Columbia Breaks Fire Interpretive Center, and we pulled in, curious. We found three retired fire lookout towers, now keeping guard at the bottom of a canyon. A gravel path wound between each, with information on the impacts of wildland fires, the history of fire management, and how the next “big one” might be prevented.

After a brief stop in Chelan for dinner, darkness fell as we climbed back into the mountains and into Leavenworth’s Icicle Canyon, where we pitched our tent for the evening.

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In the morning, we enjoyed a breakfast of apples from a roadside stand, Cosmic Crisp from the Wenatchee Valley, a proven way to begin your day enlightened. I was inspired to backtrack a little to the sandstone spires of Peshastin Pinnacles, located in the park of the same name near the town of Cashmere. These spires kindled my love affair with climbing when I climbed here as a 13-year-old boy many moons ago. I spent the morning on the rocks, enjoying the nostalgia.

Back on the road, we continued westward beneath gathering clouds.

From here, the Loop ascends to 4,061-foot Stevens Pass, following the rail lines that preceded the road, the surroundings growing greener with each mile. The Skykomish River gathered itself beside the road in a deep gorge tossed by rapids. This is the playground of whitewater rafters during the summer months, but now the river was quiet, and we were alone when we pulled over and walked down to its banks.

It’s a marvel just how quickly the forest changes in the 30 or so miles on either side of the pass. Ponderosa pines and fire-savvy grasses of the steppes

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dominate the eastern side, and on the west slope, rain-soaked Douglas firs tower overhead, dripping with moss.

It was a wonder to traverse through entire ecosystems in a day. But again, the

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the largest of the San Juan Islands— is decidedly on island time. It is a patchwork of historic farms and rambling Salish Sea vistas, a step back in time. (Captain George Vancouver stopped here in 1792, naming the island for his Lieutenant Joseph Whidbey).

After a late lunch of fish and chips, we rambled up the island to Ebey’s Landing, where a broad prairie stretches from one side of the island to the other and then falls away into sea cliffs.

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road called, and we continued westward, headed for the coast.

A steady rain beat on the windows of Cozy’s Roadhouse, built in 1900 and operating as a tavern and community meeting place since 1932. Getting there involved a ferry ride across a rain-whipped Possession Sound to Whidbey Island and we were glad to be indoors.

Insulated from the bustle of the I-5 corridor, Whidbey—

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The art of nature

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began to subside, and almost on cue, a curtain of clouds parted and allowed a sunset view. I stood with my feet in the surf, now nearly 150 miles west of our furthest point on the Loop in eastern Washington. Between the two points, I had discovered a diverse banquet for the senses: sundrenched valleys, green shadow-filled forests, rushing blue-green rivers, snowdappled peaks, and finally, the tranquil murmur of the

Ohme Gardens Ohme Gardens, located on the Cascade Loop in Sunnyside, WA near Wenatchee, offer visitors a chance to stretch their legs and experience an oasis of botanical beauty on a one-mile path that visits four waterfalls, seven pools and offers spectacular views of the Columbia River Valley and the snow-capped Cascades. Herman Ohme created the gardens on what was a dry, barren bluff when Ohme and his wife Ruth purchased the land in 1929. The couple worked tirelessly, transplanting evergreens, creating stone pathways, and watering the nine-acre gardens using five-gallon milk cans. When Herman died in 1971, their son Gordon (the visionary behind the Cascade Loop) took over the care of the gardens. In 1991 the gardens were sold to Washington State Parks and are now managed by Chelan County. The gardens are open to the public from April 15 to October 15.

eARTh

The Ecstasy of Cascadia

Having grown up in a creative family in the Pacific Northwest, it seems fitting that I turned into a nature-loving artist. From a young age, art played an important role in my life. As I’ve gotten older, my painting practice has morphed from a source of income to personal pleasure, and my perspective on nature has also evolved. When I’m out hiking (or skiing, running, or climbing), I notice light creating shapes; colors complementing each other; and shadows framing views perfectly. Combining art and the outdoors gives me a unique way of appreciating our beautiful corner of the country, and for that, I am immensely grateful.

Clockwise from right center: Locust Beach, Baker and the Twins, East Over

the Mountains, Liberty Bell, Making Lines, Orcas Island, Secret Lake

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sea lapping on golden shores.

The Cascade Loop makes it easy to experience this wondrous cross-section of the richness of the Pacific Northwest.

Just get in the car and go.

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The heartbeat of Cascadia

41

Climbing Jacob’s Ladder Terra Incognita in the Pickets Story and Photos by Ryan Rickerts

I

t was August 2020, mid-pandemic in peak backcountry camping season. As many outdoor enthusiasts remember, all mountain trailheads were jammed with eager hikers. Ironically, as we were all trying to avoid crowds and get some fresh air, we created crowding on popular trails (at least in the first few miles). My response was to get more creative with my route planning. I was inspired to plan a major culmination route for my summer of solo scrambling

that included a dash of originality: steep bushwhacking off Stetattle Ridge through unknown territory I was totally gripped, which in climbing terms means being unable to move and too frightened to make a decision to link up with an already remote climbing route, then finish with a bike self-shuttle.

The seed of the idea was planted by local climbing legend Jason Griffith when he shared his discovery of a reasonable scrambling route up Mt. Prophet via a narrow rib of rock that he dubbed ‘Jacob’s Ladder.’ In all the available literature on climbing in the North Cascades, including ubiquitous internet trip reports and the venerable Beckey guides, no evidence existed that this route had been previously climbed.

Griffith reported that the route required no technical rock climbing, and, hearing this, I speculated that I could likely

Stetattle Ridge camp

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handle it without a rope or partner. It seemed like a “bold enough” adventure that would stretch my limits—hopefully without breaking them.

However, since the route had already been described and was no longer a first ascent, I decided to spice it up a bit by adding some unknown variables.

Stetattle Ridge sits proud and prominent immediately opposite the Big Beaver Valley from Mt. Prophet, running approximately the same length as the lowland trail approach from Ross Lake. What if I traversed the ridge, descended to the base of Mt. Prophet, and made a 40-mile loop of it?

No literature existed suggesting this was possible. I found it irresistible.

Stetattle Ridge

directions of North Cascade gems—Jack Mountain, Colonial, and Snowfield Peaks, for starters—are accessing the Southern Pickets for remote and challenging climbing objectives. Within a few miles, they head west towards Torrent

The Route.

The hike to Stetattle Ridge begins by rising steeply from the town of Diablo towards the Sourdough Mountain lookout, then veers to the northwest on a faint, steep climber’s trail through forest brush to reach the ridge — about 5000’ gain in five miles. Most climbers who traverse this long, jumbled ridge with views in all

stories & the race|play|experience calendar online.

Creek, Elephant Butte, and Azure Lake.

I found no evidence that anyone had proceeded strictly along the spine-like ridge after its northern high point at 6,728’. I was intrigued.

To descend north from there through terra incognita towards McMillan Creek and reach an established trail near Big

Beaver Creek at the base of Mt. Prophet was the genuinely exciting part. I pored over the satellite layer on Google Earth and obsessed over the spacing of topographic lines overlaid with images of rock and brush. I imagined a “reasonable” bushwhack without trip-ending cliffs.

The only helpful info came from Steph Abegg, one of the most prolific North Cascades adventurers who meticulously documents her findings for the climbing public. She writes on the SummitPost.org page dedicated to the Picket range: “The Southern Range is noted for slender spires of rock rising above small glaciers on the southern slopes, and is visible from the North Cascades Visitor Center in Newhalem.

The northern walls of the Southern Range are truly awe-inspiring. The basin defined by these walls is one of the most remote places in the continental U.S…From the saddle, it is possible to traverse into Terror Basin or traverse under the northern faces of the Southern Pickets via McMillan Cirque, one of the great hellholes of the North Cascades.”

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43

I selected the basin below McMillan Cirque as my exit strategy, and somehow I read “most remote places” but missed the section on “hellhole.” Once I arrived, I understood what she meant, and yes, I can corroborate this description.

After locking my bike to a tree in the forest near a trailhead overflowing with cars above the Ross Lake Dam, I parked my car in the town of Diablo and began hiking up the radically steep Sourdough Mountain Trail. Few people were on the trail despite it being near the crescendo of an explosive hiking season. I traveled light with no tent and minimal food, hoping to complete the loop in three days of a solid weather window and hopefully find plentiful water along the way. I did bring an ice axe and strap-on crampons for Mt. Prophet, although neither was ever used.. I wasn’t sure how far I could get each day or where I would camp, but I aspired to reach Luna Camp in one day, climb and descend Mt. Prophet the second day, and have an easy third day

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walking out to the shores of Ross Lake on a relatively flat trail.

After five miles of boulder hopping along the gorgeous ridgeline, my attention focused on the prominent spine of Jacob’s Ladder looming ever closer; I realized my schedule was…ambitious.

Gratefully, water sources were plentiful in the form of small tarns, or ponds of melting snow, keeping me hydrated and allowing for camping almost anywhere. I wanted to get close enough to my planned descent route just east of Elephant Butte to get a glimpse of it and wrap my head around this proposed linkup. Would I be getting through or returning to the car the next day dejected? I found a beautiful flat camping area near good water as crimson colored the evening sky, suggesting my 10-hour day was done. I decided to sleep on it.

I rose early, expecting a challenging day of making up time in order to get back on schedule. Unfortunately, I was

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also highly intimidated by my choices.

I could descend now and reach a high saddle, then pick my way down a steep creek bed (which could be wet, mossy, and cliff-ridden) or stay on the knife-edge ridgeline until the last possible moment and turn left to pick my way through obvious cliff bands on drier terrain.

As I debated this crux decision, I caught a glimpse of a furry creature scampering quickly out of sight amongst the thick heather and boulder fields. My mind immediately projected a wolverine onto the scene. A great deal of my motivation as a backcountry, off-trail explorer springs from this tenacious and elusive creature as they eat this kind of terrain for breakfast. I realized later it was much more likely a big, fat marmot, but the specter of my spirit animal at precisely the moment my fear and indecision peaked was the precise nudge I needed.

I followed the mysterious animal’s direction down the steep brushy spine. I never saw it again.

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Death Needles, Rubble and Whitewater The 4,000-foot drop from Stetattle Ridge to McMillan Creek over four miles would prove to be one of the most terrifying and challenging downhill hikes of my life. It began with steep, brushy terrain with only crumbly rock to hold onto, rotten snags to climb over and avoid impalement on, and worst of all, a phenomenon I call death needles. These are dried fir needles sprinkled on the hard-packed forest floor. Imagine tiny ball bearings lightly magnetized to a roller skating rink floor, then tilted at a 45-degree angle.

The only way to walk on this petrifying surface is to grip the fir trees themselves.

When the trees are spaced too far apart, movement feels as precarious as unprotected climbing moves on rock.

I survived a few hours of this, then moved into the slide-alder nightmare.

As I left the ridgeline, picking an exit point I thought least likely to terminate

in cliffs; I soon encountered impassable brush growing horizontally. I could most efficiently glide along the top in the downhill direction. Imagine floating on two-inch stalks like a scene from a martial arts movie with warriors levitating on mature bamboo. Still, I needed to sidehill to evade unexpected drop-offs. I had no choice but to slide down in the plants’ natural direction of growth and accept the consequences. Turning back at this point by climbing up to the ridge seemed

like a worse option.

Once I finally punched through the brush without major incident and saw a steep, dirt embankment above the raging glacial creek and snowfields below, I was elated. Surely I could now step onto the loose dirt and quickly reach easier going within moments. I regretted my rash decision immediately, as the soil had the characteristics of a lateral moraine, scraped hard and very compact with only tiny rubble embedded in it for texture.

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45

I pictured sliding downhill 70 feet at speed, shredding my hands as I feverishly grasped for futile purchase, only to be dashed into a field of boulders. I was totally gripped, which in climbing terms means being unable to move and too frightened to make a decision. I wanted my ice axe, but it was too late to fetch it from my pack. Forced to make precarious and delicate moves from loose pebble to loose pebble, I held my breath and prayed they didn’t break free.

I reached the creek bed and relaxed for a moment, but the situation remained dire. Four exhausting hours had passed, during which I had covered only two miles. I was miles from any real trail and now faced a new challenge. First: loose, ankle-twisting boulders; next, more unforgiving brush hugging the roaring McMillan Creek and a stretch of reasonably flat old-growth forest on the opposite side. I felt my prospects of climbing Mt. Prophet evaporating as the afternoon’s heat encroached.

The steep, rocky creek bed soon met the banks of McMillan Creek, and a new dilemma dawned on me—this was a raging river! It was boiling and gurgling with frigid snowmelt and ready to dash me and my backpack amongst huge boulders, likely pinning me in place. However, the only alternative was not much more attractive, especially after my experience on

McMillan Creek log bridge crossing

by a large boulder in the middle. It was precariously wet, and my toes dipped in the frigid water, but I could slowly shimmy down its length and reach the other side. Surely this was a good omen.

The following two miles of oldgrowth forest looked idyllic, and I hoped that with the massive trees shading the forest floor, it would be relatively brush-free and easy walking.

Unfortunately, once again, I underestimated the ruggedness of the Cascades

and soon faced a further humbling. I was now climbing over rotten logs four feet tall, jumping or falling off their crumbling sides into thick patches of Devil’s Club. Fallen trees would tempt me to use them as bridges to make better forward progress, only to reach a dead-end when they terminated in airy moves that could not be safely completed with a pack on, and I frequently had to backtrack. A visit to Mt. Prophet’s summit was slipping away once again.

I tried to appreciate the probability that no human had ever traversed this particular patch of land in recent history. That’s why, when I saw a bright piece of plastic littering the forest floor, I was quite surprised to see it was a mylar balloon, likely escaped from a birthday party far west of here. Unfortunately, despite my determined efforts to escape it, the human imprint is everywhere on this planet.

Jacob’s Ladder When I finally emerged onto the well-worn Big Beaver Valley Trail maintained by the North Cascades National Parks system, I knew I would be physically okay, but I had a decision to make.

Do I call it quits now? It was late in the day—almost 4 p.m.—and I hadn’t even reached the base of the Jacob’s Ladder route. Moreover, I was more than a half-

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the mountainside above—bushwhacking through tall alder on the shoreline until I found a suitable log strewn across the banks (if I ever did). My quandary seemed hopeless until I walked just 20 yards downstream and found a miraculously placed log over the river, supported

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day behind schedule, and rescue crews movement covering only 12 miles. I was might be called if I didn’t exit to notify exhausted but hopeful that Day Three friends of my condition on the fourth would be a more victorious one with day. I certainly wanted to avoid that but was loathe to give up the dream of summiting.

I told myself that I would make my way to Luna Camp, just to check out the scene.

After that, perhaps I could camp with the modified plan of summiting Mt. Prophet and exiting partway to Ross Lake, then finish early enough the next day to make that critical phone call.

The campsites looked inviting and peaceful, tucked among the trees near Big Beaver Creek, with no one around except the buzzing and abundant mosquitoes.

But sunset was hours away. So I decided to press onwards up the route, hopefully reaching a high platform with better views and a light breeze to keep the bugs off my face.

My dream of a flat bench with a view of the awe-inspir- Pond, Stetattle Ridge ing Southern Pickets came true around 9 p.m. after 2500 feet of fewer surprise obstacles. steep, technical hiking, so I called it a I enjoyed the unparalleled view of a day. It had been 14 hours of near-constant sunset over the Southern Pickets, and the

bugs relented soon after dark, leaving me in peace in my sleeping bag.

I awoke at dawn, made coffee and breakfast, and attained the long-sought rock ‘ladder’ above treeline by 9 a.m.

Casting my gaze occasionally upwards at Prophet’s summit, I was intimidated. The further I climbed on the sometimes loose and often steep rock, the more doubts crept in. What if those guys were much stronger climbers than me? They had protection if they needed it, but I did not. Did they really not need any of it? The exposure in a few spots along this knife-edge ascent was daunting. I wore a helmet, but a long fall would certainly injure me, and I was clearly out of range of a quick rescue. I moved with the greatest of care, testing every hold for security.

The final scrambling involved some loose scree among ominous dark towers. The sense of isolation was powerful. The trip began to feel like a pilgrimage.

It was unclear which promontory was the highest, so I picked what looked like the easiest. Suddenly, I

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47

was perched on the proper summit, affirmed by the presence of a summit register. Opening the tiny, yellow book titled “Mt. Prophet, 7640+,” I knew my dream had been realized. Of course, this is an emotional moment on any challenging summit, but a bit subdued with no one to celebrate with other than the names of a few recent climbers entered in the register.

But with a still unfamiliar descent ahead of me and a very long day remaining, my euphoria was, by necessity, shortlived. I needed to move fast and make up for lost time, hoping to find a water source somewhere on the descent. After two full days and a long morning of scrambling, the total mileage so far was 24 miles and over 10,000’ of elevation gain. To reach my bike at the Ross Dam Trailhead tonight would require hiking 16 more with a 5,500’ descent.

The next mile to a nearby false summit required more delicate rock hopping and navigating a few menacing-looking scrambles, and then the route dropped off through heather and forest. The climber’s trail was faint, made of compact dirt with loose sand on top, and very steep. Nevertheless, thirsty and bone-

weary, I pressed on with a renewed sense of urgency.

I staggered out onto the Big Beaver Valley Trail after more than two precipitously steep miles downwards (with much fretting, cursing, and struggling but only a little falling). Now I could shuffle along and try to find joy in the views. Enormous old-growth trees surrounded me, and the bright glacier-fed creek flowed by, but the heat was oppressive, and the biting flies became incessant. I swatted them with my ball cap and kept hustling.

It occurred to me I could reach the Ross Lake boat shuttle and shave tedious miles off the ending, but it was unlikely to work without a reservation, and I had no notion of their schedule. I kept going.

Six miles clicked by in two hours or so, and I found myself near the western shore of Ross Lake at last.

Darkness fell, and the headlamp came out. Abundant bear scat littered the trail and my pace quickened yet again.

Encountering a bear alone in the dark seemed like a bad way to end this nearly successful epic journey.

I limped across the concrete rim of Ross Dam and climbed the last three

quarters of a mile to Highway 20. I was filled with joy to find my bike and climbed, exhausted onto the seat for the ride to my car, coasting into the sleepy town of Diablo under the watchful eye of a security guard around midnight. I had been moving for 16 hours.

I tallied the number of people encountered in three days: a half dozen on the first two miles of the Sourdough Mountain Lookout trail on Day One, absolutely none on Day Two, and only a pair of hikers fetching water near the 39 Mile Campground on Day Three.

If attaining isolation just miles off the highway in a popular National Park was my main objective, I had been highly successful. Summiting Mt. Prophet via Jacob’s Ladder was a total bonus, as I was on the precipice of failure for an entire day. Determining that the linkup from Stetattle Ridge is—and maybe always will be—a completely unreasonable passage might be valuable in its own right. It is comforting to know there are still places on this planet where humans simply don’t ANW belong.

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49

Mapping Cascadia A Passion for Cartography Story by Ainslee Dicken

T

here’s nothing like getting lost—truly lost—to make one appreciate a good map.

copy camera, developing images in a dark room, and spending interminable hours leaning over a light table. But, as times changed, map-making techniques evolved, and Kitterman embraced the digital world with open arms.

Today digital cartography uses existing digital data sets that serve as the base

Without a good map, navigating the backcountry (or local park trails) can be an exercise in wild speculation—or worse. High-quality trail maps make it possible to reach our goals in the great outdoors.

Chuck Kitterman, owner of Square One Maps in Bellingham, knows the value of cartography better than most. His local recreation maps are well-known and well-loved, including maps of Bellingham-area parks and a perennial favorite, his map of the Chuckanut Recreation Area.

Kitterman’s love for maps began Chuck Kitterman making maps.

Photo by Jeff Bates in the 1970s when, as a child, riding instead of hard-copy paper maps. Starting shotgun in his father’s roofing contracwith this digital foundation saves an tor vehicle, he helped navigate the way enormous amount of time. Adding extra to their next client’s location with a large features such as colors and detail is much Thomas Brothers Road Atlas open on easier than it was before Geographic his lap. The joy of the search, ordering Information System (GIS) processes. left and right turns by way of a thousand GIS technology affords cartographers the squiggles and straight lines, built the ability to incorporate all kinds of data foundation for Kitterman’s fascination, into the mix, including location data and an interest that he has turned into his descriptive information to aid navigation. life’s work.

The tricky part, Kitterman says, At college, he majored in geology is selecting the best possible existing and found himself taking a class in cardata set as a starting point. This ‘starttography. The course laid out everything ing point’ data can come from multiple he loved about maps and opened his sources. Not all are entirely accurate. It’s eyes to the beguiling complexity of mapup to Kitterman to decide which ones making, including aerial photography, are of the highest quality, often piecing outdoor exploration, and a personal sense together the best parts from several, an of artistry. often-tedious, painstaking undertakUpon graduation, Kitterman dove ing. Frequently, he finds it necessary to into a career in cartography, which, engage in additional field-checking to in those days, meant working with a 50

The heartbeat of Cascadia

ensure absolute accuracy.

Once sure his raw data is accurate, he prepares it all in a graphics design application. Data parts are grouped into four categories: lines, points, areas, and elevation files. Lines represent trails, streets, or streams. Points symbolize parking areas, trailheads, or playgrounds. Once Kitterman imports the information into the graphics application, he adds appropriate map symbols to represent relevant features.

When the initial setup is complete, it’s time for meticulous reviewing and proofing, which requires more data importation, processing, and positioning. It is not unusual for the proofing process to be repeated several times.

Square One provides cartographic services for Green Trails Maps, the ubiquitous topos found in hikers’ backpacks throughout the western United States. “I’ve got trail maps I’m doing for them in Utah,” Kitterman says. “I also publish my own maps through Square One, including the forthcoming Lake Whatcom Recreation Area map, and have more titles in the works for recreation maps in Skagit and Island Counties.”

And map-making work is never really done. Things change.

New trails are built, existing trails get rerouted, and old ones become decommissioned. Rivers change course, park boundaries change, and development encroaches on open space. Mapping is a complicated moving target.

Over the years, Kitterman has won numerous awards for his work, including for one of his proudest achievements, the digital version of >>> Go to

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the Mt. Rainier Centennial Edition. Recently, Avenza Map Competition featured his Bellingham Parks Map in their showcase gallery of 2021.

For Kitterman, maps combine art and science, and he takes pride in combining the latest state-of-the-art technology with old-fashioned boots-on-the-ground surveying out in the field.

His efforts take him to remote wilderness areas of Washington, Oregon, British Columbia, and elsewhere.

Kitterman loves that part of the job and relishes his time in the backcountry. “I try to maintain a balance,” he says, “but I’m usually sitting around more in front of the computer than on the trail, unfortunately. That’s just how it goes.”

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Playing in Poseidon’s Den Kayaking Ocean Rock Gardens Story and Photos by Neil Schulman

C

runch.

That’s not the sound I wanted to hear at the back of a dark sea cave underneath a basalt headland pummeled by ocean swell. As the stern of my kayak banged into the rock wall, I paddled forward, hard, as the next swell came through.

Not hard enough. The wave pushed me against the cave wall. I pushed myself off the barnaclecovered wall, glad I was wearing neoprene gloves. Then, seizing a gap between swells, I paddled toward the bright light at the cave mouth. As I squinted into the glare, a stench confronted me, followed by a deep bellow.

I know that smell and sound well: sea lions. As I was leaving the sea cave, a bull sea lion was coming in. Not wanting to get into a right-of-way debate with a 700-pound bull with big teeth in a sea cave, I shouted “Hey buddy!” to let him know I was there. He gave me a withering glare and dove under me as I paddled into the brilliant sunshine. Seabirds wheeled around the cliffs. Bruce, my lookout for big swells at the mouth of the cave, headed around the corner toward a double arch; our next play spot. Welcome to a day of kayaking the rock gardens of the Pacific Coast.

Of all the kayaking I’ve done, coastal rock gardens are far and away my favorite. Where the ocean meets a rocky shore, the constant pummeling of waves creates arches, sea stacks, tunnels, caves, and mazes of narrow channels. Add ocean swell to this maze, and you have a dynamic obstacle course

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Karen Dalbey navigates the surf zone

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55

filled with beauty and excitement. Toss in a few thousand seabirds, whales, tidepool critters, and sea lions, and you have one of the richest paddling environments on the planet.

Kayaker’s point of view from a sea cave near Three Arch Rocks, Oregon Coast

In case you’re wondering, whale snot is very gelatinous and hard to clean off of a camera lens.

Coastal rock gardens exist on many rocky coasts. On the west coast, they range from Alaska to Baja, with occasional breaks for long sandy stretches in Southern California and southern Washington. The Olympic Peninsula, the west coast of Vancouver Island, and the Oregon Coast offer some of the best rock gardening in the world.

Climbers have Yosemite, and surfers have Oahu’s North Shore, skiers have Chamonix. Sea kayakers have over 4,000 miles of playground from Cabo St. Lucas to Anchorage.

Elusive Rugged Beauty Separated from crowded tourist beaches by a mile or two of cliffs, the only people who will ever visit these spots are sea kayakers with the skills to launch through surf and paddle through the rocky maze. Powerboats can’t get close without getting chewed up by the rocks, even on calm days. So the only way to travel through these arches, caves, and secret channels is in a two-foot wide kayak

that needs only eight inches of water to float. Nobody else will ever know these places exist.

And exploring these rock gardens is undeniably thrilling. Kayaking here is the “whitewater of the sea,” an adren-

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aline-rich mix of skill and lightning-fast decision-making among waves and rocks.

As with whitewater paddling, things can go wrong; so training, safety measures, and judgment are critical. Because drought has dried up rivers in summer, more whitewater paddlers have turned to the ocean for their rough-water fix. But unlike whitewater kayaks, sea kayaks are also designed to carry gear, so you can enjoy turning coastal paddling into a camping trip. It is indescribably exhilarating to camp on tiny pocket beaches or paddle under waterfalls plunging into the sea.

Unlike whitewater paddling, you’ll have moments that feel like you stumbled into a National Geographic documentary.

Caves and channels have some of the richest ocean tidepools around, filled with massive sea stars. Diving seabirds, pelicans, peregrine falcons, and bald eagles are constant companions. One day I paddled around a rock and surprised a napping raft of sea otters—one of which decided to head-butt my kayak in re-

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sponse. I once surfed a swell through a massive arch, where I nearly jumped out of my kayak in surprise when a 30-ton gray whale came up for a breath right next to me. In case you’re wondering, whale snot is very gelatinous and hard to clean off of a camera lens.

FOR

A Swell Time Ocean swell is big. When it gets compressed by rock gardens, it does weird things—sudden breaking waves, surges that can shove kayaks around, rebounding waves, pour-overs that suck you backward, and waves that drop you onto concealed rocks. Those patterns constantly shift with large and small swells and tide and weather changes.

Fog can turn a sunny paddle into a cold guessing game. Learning to manage ever-changing conditions is the art of seamanship, and it takes time and practice to learn, even for whitewater kayakers, who may know how to paddle a boat in rough water.

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Brent explores a blowhole formed by ocean swell funneling through overhung rocks, Resurrection Bay, AK

Mountain Haiku

By Bill Hoke

Oval Lake morning water perfect cup in my hands drips from my chin Photo by John D’Onofrio

Getting to the rock gardens has a price of entry—the ability to launch and land through the surf. That means being able to size up beach launches and landings, power out through the

surf zone, and come back in safely every time you want to get out of your kayak.

Some capsizes, swims, and rescues will happen in surf zones and rock gardens.

Being able to reliably roll your kayak and rescue others is fundamental.

Gearing Up As any Northwesterner knows, the Pacific Ocean is cold. Drysuits or wet-

suits, helmets, and gloves are critical for keeping you safe in the water. Plastic boats that bounce off rocks are better in rock gardens than more fragile materials.

Rescue gear like towlines, VHF radios, and seasickness prevention aides are essential. So are the skills to use them.

The ocean isn’t just big. It’s also fickle. Forecasts can be wrong. Many times, I’ve driven 90 miles to the coast only to

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look at the conditions and leave without ever taking my kayak off the car. Most coastal kayaking accidents happen when people launch despite obvious signals that the conditions are questionable. It takes a while to develop good judgment. Local knowledge is often key, as is the ability to read a nautical chart and calculate the depth of the water, tide height, and headlands when finding a safe place to land.

Coastal kayaking is a team sport.

You’ll need to find a small group of good

folks who you trust in rough water, who aren’t so gung-ho that they’ll get everyone in trouble, who communicate well, and with whom you enjoy exploring wild places. When you find them, they’ll become your tribe for many years.

And when you paddle through a cave into a beam of light illuminating green water while seabirds frolic at the cave mouth and the whole world smells like the sea, you’ll experience the transcendant joy of playing in Poseidon’s Den. ANW

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Cascades Calling A Story of Communion Story and Photo by James K. Papp

W

hat is the mysterious force that draws some of us again and again to the mountains?

Perhaps over a period of years, we visit a particular meadow, lake, or peak and suddenly realize one day while leaving it that part of our heart is still there. Thus begins a specific kind of love affair with a place that asks for—and even demands—involvement and attention.

hot tea was an absolute joy.

Thirty years later, hiking and backpacking in the Cascades of Washington State is a central part of my life, as impor-

Oh, the North Cascades!

Thanks to an inspired college buddy, my first Cascadian experience was a grueling, sweaty slog on a late summer day straight up the old rootsfor-handholds trail to Lake Serene. After the descent, my knees ached so badly that I vowed it would be the first and last trip ever up that questionable route. Even the sight of the sun setting behind the sheer north wall of Mount Index was not enough Glacier Peak Meadows to sway me.

A few years later, I artant as anything I do. Bits of my heart rived soaking wet at fog-shrouded have been planted here and there, particPinnacle Lake with what I later learned ularly in certain meadows around Glacier was first-stage hypothermia. As my Peak and in precious parts of the Alpine teeth chattered, our party of four forLakes Wilderness. These high places aged for a good half hour in a rockslide became a second home, completing some to find enough dry wood to start the part of me that was unknowingly lost in campfire that would save the day. my younger days when I had temporarily Warming beside that fire with a cup of 60

The heartbeat of Cascadia

forgotten about the outdoors.

Perspective is the first of the great gifts I received by going into the wild.

A gift that came from experiencing the expansive and fragile beauty of wondrously flowered, multi-hued mountain meadows. Places of beauty touch us within. Messages from trees, rocks, and animals may be heard or, more accurately, felt.

Communion with nature changes us. It makes us happier and more complete, better companions to our fellow human beings with whom we share the social order.

And the Cascades offer the opportunity to change your perspective and open your heart, to gain an awareness that I can only deem spiritual. Maybe one day, on a hike from camp—a scramble to the top of a butte overlooking a lake—you realize that the total experience is too large to take in. Drink as one may; the thirst cannot be quenched.

There is no way to fully appreciate this magical landscape in one day—or even one trip.

The hiker’s spirit mingles with the spirit of the place. As a result, a greater vision of one’s life unfolds. A heart more tolerant of others—in the meadow and in the city—opens, creating a new freedom to walk with confidence on the path of life.

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Field Trip Adventures beyond the PNW

Mitkof Island Story and photo by John D’Onofrio

M

itkof Island is precisely in the middle of nowhere, an out-of-the-way-place, even

by Southeast Alaska standards. The Alaska Ferry stops at Petersburg, the only town on the island. Petersburg—despite the ferry accessibility—has a refreshingly authentic feel. Unlike Juneau or Ketchikan, the streets are not lined with shops selling tanzanite to tourists. You can rent a car from the Tides Inn (no Avis or Hertz out here), just a short walk from the ferry dock, and explore the languid landscape at your leisure.

You’ll find empty rock-strewn beaches; distant views of the Devil’s Thumb and the LeConte Glacier (stupendous, even by Alaskan standards); wind-ruffled kettle ponds on a high, lonely road; truly empty spaces. Near the end of the only paved road, Green’s Camp offers primitive camping on the bucolic shores of Sumner Strait, a delightful place to while away a summer afternoon.

ANW

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Cascadia Gear: Outdoor Research Men’s Cirque II Pants The Cirque II softshell pants from Outdoor Research have you covered when the going gets rough. These pants are weatherresistant, breathable, and extremely rugged —and their stretchy fit makes them remarkably comfortable. The technical details are impressive: a harness-compatible waist, reinforced scuff guards, and a cut that accommodates mountaineering or ski boots. And when chill air descends at high elevations, they’ll keep you toasty warm.

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In Praise of Ski Crampons

by Chris Gerston

Every year, more people are getting into the backcountry to escape the inbounds ski crowds. The longer days and firmer snow of spring tours bring a new perspective to skiing as the playing field expands, and skiers can disperse even further into the mountains. In our neck of the woods, the experienced ski mountaineer can often find great snow through July. The tools of the game may change, though, and one needs to decide whether to carry avalanche gear vs. glacier travel gear or both. And as the snowpack changes, ski crampons and whippets may also become essential.

In the North Cascades, ski crampons might be your best friend. Ski crampons do not replace skins for going uphill but augment the skin’s traction during alpine starts or at higher elevations. In slushy conditions, when traversing a mushy slope, they act as a sort of keel and keep the ski from drifting to the side, thus saving energy.

For ski mountaineering or longer traverses, the question is not about whether to bring crampons but which crampons to bring. Whenever possible, I’ll drop boot crampons in favor of ski crampons. I rarely see the need to bring both, as ski crampons are lighter and more efficient in anything but the steepest terrain. Just make sure the crampon is compatible with both the binding and the waist width of your ski.

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the

Next

Adventure

A Place for Us photo by MARK BERGSMA I have completed the strenuous climb to the Winchester Mountain Lookout four times.

It always gives me an overwhelming sense that “the sky is limitless.” The 1300-foot vertical climb to 6500 feet makes you breathless, but the 360-degree views at the top take your breath away. The receding sight of Twin Lakes below is majestic and inspires contemplation. The mountains seem to go on forever. Mt. Baker, Mt. Shuksan, Mt. Larrabee, American Border Peak, the Canadian Cascades to the north, and hundreds of unnamed peaks to the east always make me feel incredibly small. As a photographer, I felt blessed to be there on an evening with dramatic light and awe-inspiring clouds (and a young couple appearing to have the place to themselves). Moments like this are a photographer’s dream.

See more of Mark Bergsma’s photography at www.markbergsma.com

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