Adventures NW Magazine Spring 2015

ADVENTURES NW >>>

ALASKA!

4 Awe-Inspiring Adventures in the Great Land THE WILD PACIFIC TRAIL RUNNING IN THE RAIN storm watching windows on the sea 3 great hikes for spring STEPH ABEGG’S WILDFLOWERS ANA MARIA SPAGNA TRULY EPIC WILDERNESS FUN WITH THE FUZZ >>> EXTENSIVE OUTDOOR EVENTS CALENDAR INSIDE

SPRING 2015

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CONTRIBUTORS Steph Abegg is an avid climber and photographer. She spends her summers adventuring around the western US and the remainder of the year residing in Bellingham, Washington where she is a math instructor at Western Washington University. Her popular website provides a wealth of information on photography, as well as detailed beta from her many climbing and birding road trips.

Check it out at StephAbegg.com Susan Conrad is a writer and photographer whose tenacious exploration by sea kayak has fueled her stories and images of the natural world for decades. An introvert trapped in an extrovert personality, she organizes and hosts Blazing Paddles—A Paddling Film Festival to keep her speaking and social skills intact. She is currently deep in the throes of completing her debut memoir Inside about her 1,200-mile solo sea kayak expedition to Alaska.

Craig Dunstan-McGrail is a woodworker and a photographer who has exhibited his work in numerous shows around the Pacific Northwest. He has lived in Montana, Utah, and now calls Bellingham, Washington home. His photography can be seen at SoloSkyStudio.com.

Sue Madsen backpacks, skis, scubadives shipwrecks, sea kayaks, target shoots and rigs the odd, over-sized fossil to low flying helicopters. Outdoor partners claim her real passion is an uncanny ability to annoy them by recognizing over 100 birds by song alone.

In her spare time, Sue bagged degrees in forestry & fluvial geomorphology, and works full time as a salmon restoration ecologist.

Christian Martin’s stories have been published in The Georgia Review, Sierra, Science & Spirit, Crosscut, and many other publications. He also contributed to the books The North Cascades: Finding Beauty and Renewal in the Wild Nearby and Conversations with Tom Robbins. Martin lives in Bellingham, Washington, where he enjoys hiking, yoga, sea kayaking and making soup. Visit his web site at moontrolling.com

SPRING | 2015 Volume 10. Issue 1 Cami Ostman is the author of Second Wind: One Woman’s Midlife Quest to Run Seven Marathons on Seven Continents (Seal Press) and is a longstanding member of the Greater Bellingham Running Club. She is a life-coach, family therapist, and the co-director of the Wind Horse Half Marathon (which raises funds for one of Bellingham’s sister cities). She lives in Bellingham, Washington.

Avid nature photographer Nancy Sefton frequently visits NW rocky shores during low tide, where “I can photograph marine life while staying warm and dry!” Nancy has produced many children’s environmental videos, and is also an artist specializing in nature subjects. She resides in Poulsbo, Washington.

Christine Smith is the chef and naturalist aboard a tour boat that cruises in the San Juan Islands and Alaska. When not cruising the Inside Passage, Christine spends her time trail running, skiing, bird watching and tending to her two cats, Oswald and Harriet.

Though she tends to wander, Abigail Sussman still considers Whatcom County home. As a kid, she enjoyed Choose-Your-Own-Adventure books and considers reading the landscape an extension of the same pleasure. For more stories and publications check out: abigailmsussman.com

COVER PHOTO: Tyler Mitchell

A Look Ahead: Our Summer Issue

10 Best Bike Trails on Galbraith Exploring Rainier’s Ice Caves Quest Racing Climb Mount Baker This Summer

If Tyler Mitchell is not busy shooting a wedding or engagement photos, you’ll likely find him fly fishing, split boarding or running up a mountain with his dog. He hasn’t decided if his next race is going to be a 5k or a 50k. Check out his work at TMitchellPhoto.com

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INSPIRATIONS IN THIS ISSUE

Confessions of a Storm Watcher

Sue Madsen

10

John D’Onofrio

14

Exploring Olympic Tide Pools

Nancy Sefton

18

Running in the Rain

Cami Ostman

24

A Passion for Wildflowers Steph Abegg

26

Exploring the Root Glacier John D’Onofrio

28

The Wild Pacific Trail BC’s Amazing New Coastal Route

Windows on the Sea

Paddling the Inside Passage

Susan Conrad

30

A Walk in the Brooks Range

Abigail Sussman

36

Nothing to Fear at Fords Terror

Christine Smith

40

A Journey of the Sea and Soul

The Language of Humility

Profiles in the North Cascades

Christian Martin

Ana Marie Spagna

42

“When you realize how perfect everything is you will tilt your head back and laugh at the sky.”

- Buddha Alaska!

Out & About 3 Great Hikes ... for Spring Bright Lines Cascadia Gear eARTh: The Art of Nature Race | Play | Experience Calendar Advertiser Index Next Adventure

7 8 9 22 44 45 45 49 50

stories & the race|play|experience calendar online.

Photo by John D’Onofrio

DESTINATIONS

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ADVENTURES nw > FIND Adventures NW is available free at hundreds of locations region-wide: throughout Whatcom, Skagit, San Juan, and Island counties, at select spots in Snohomish, King, and Pierce counties, and in Leavenworth, the Methow Valley, Spokane, and Wenatchee.

The magazine is also available at all REI locations in Washington and Oregon as well as at numerous locations in the Vancouver, BC metro area and through races and events and at area visitor centers.

> SUBSCRIBE Receive Adventures NW via mail anywhere in the US or Canada. Visit AdventuresNW.com/ subscribe for subscription info.

> ADVERTISE Let Adventures NW magazine help you reach a diverse, receptive audience throughout the Pacific Northwest, and be part of one of the most valued and engaging publications in the region. Info is at AdventuresNW.com/advertise or by writing to ads @ AdventuresNW.com. > CONTRIBUTE Adventures NW welcomes original article queries—including feature stories, expert advice, photo essays, the Next Adventures shot, etc. For information: AdventuresNW.com/contribute.

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SPRING | 2015 Volume 10. Issue 1

> EVENTS Have your outdoor-related event, race or public

outing listed in the quarterly Race|Play|Experience calendar and in our comprehensive on-line version. Visit AdventuresNW.com/ submit-your-event to post events or contact Sue @ AdventuresNW. com for details.

> DEADLINES Spring Ad reservations Feb. 1 Final ads & calendar listings Feb. 4 Summer Ad reservations Apr. 27 Final ads & calendar listings May 4 Fall Ad reservations Aug. 3 Final ads & calendar listings Aug. 7 Winter Ad reservations Oct. 26 Final ads & calendar listings Nov. 2

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Alaska A

laska is epic.

One runs no risk of hyperbole in describing this larger-than-life state with whatever superlatives can be dredged up at Thesaurus.com.

Alaska isn’t just this country’s wildest place. It contains some of the most dramatic landscapes (and seascapes) on God’s green earth.

See, I told you. Hyperbole is not a problem.

I’ve been fortunate enough to spend some quality time in our 49th state over the last thirty-or-so years.

Each adventure was superlative - and unique - but needless to say, these visits barely scratched the surface. Alaska is big.

In addition to the uber-dramatic landscapes, Alaska offers wilderness on a scale that is truly mind- blowing.

The state has a population of less than 750,000 (300,000 in Anchorage), 1.3 square miles for every man, woman and child. If Manhattan had a similar population density, it would contain

26 people. We are talking vast open spaces, wilderness on a primeval scale.

The sense of solitude - and ecosystem wholeness - is profound.

Lucky for those of us in the Pacific

Northwest, Alaska is easily accessible. A three and a half-hour flight from SeaTac or better yet, a three-day excursion on the Alaska Ferry out of Fairhaven and you’re there. And no matter where you find yourself in Alaska, wilderness is close at hand. The only difficult part is choosing your adventure.

In this issue, we’ve got some beguiling options for you. Everything from easy hikes to grand life-changing expeditions. Explore a glacier. Set off across the trailless Brooks Range. Lose yourself in surroundings that will redefine your sense of scale.

So read on, be inspired and start making travel plans!

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Out&About

Protection for ANWR

President Barack Obama has proposed designating some 12.3 million acres of the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge (ANWR) in northern Alaska as wilderness.

The proposed wilderness designation would make virtually the entire Refuge off-limits to oil drilling - including the 1.5 million acre coastal plain, an area that has been identified as containing significant reserves of petroleum.

Achieving permanent wilderness status for these lands will require an act

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of Congress, unlikely in the extreme considering the current political climate, but Obama’s move means that the area will be managed as wilderness until Congress - or a future administration - mandates a change. Should the current Congress attempt to overturn this decision, such an act would be met with a certain veto from the President.

While temporary, the move was met with celebration in the environmental community, which welcomed what is the largest single addition to the country’s inventory of designated wilderness lands in the half-century since the Wilderness Act was signed into law by President Lynden B. Johnson.

Seismic surveys done in the 1980’s projected the potential for ten billion barrels of oil in the disputed coastal plain - enough oil to meet U.S. demand for approximately one and a half years.

But prior surveys have proven to be wholly unreliable. A 2002 survey in the National Petroleum Reserve-Alaska also determined that there were ten billion barrels of recoverable oil but subsequent exploratory wells led to that estimate be-

ing reduced by 90 percent in 2010.

In addition to the ANWR protection, Obama has called for a ban on oil exploration in a 10 million acre area offshore in the Beaufort and Chukchi Seas.

Protecting Alaska’s vast wilderness has a contentious history. One milestone was the Alaska National Interest Lands Conservation Act, a piece of visionary conservation legislation signed into law

by President Jimmy Carter on December 2, 1980, setting aside over 157,000,000 acres of land for conservation, an area larger than the State of California.

At the signing ceremony, Carter was eloquent: “Every time we dig out minerals or drill wells, every time we ignore erosion or destroy a sand dune or dam a wild river or dump garbage or create pollution, we’re changing the living Earth.

Sometimes this change might be beneficial, but we should always change the world in which we live with great care...

We must face the fact that these threats to the quality of life will mount inexorably in the years ahead. We’ve tried to look forward to the year 2000, and we’ve been very concerned at what we’ve seen. We

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must face the fact that these threats to the quality of life will perhaps be the greatest challenges which this nation must face.”

Fun with the Fuzz: Running for a Cause One of Cascadia’s favorite road races, Fun with the Fuzz is coming up on April 18 in Bellingham. The annual 5K race supports the Behind the Badge Foundation, an organization responsible for taking care of the families of fallen police officers as well as maintaining the Washington State Law Enforcement Memorial located in Olympia. 100% of the proceeds go directly to the foundation.

Cash prizes are awarded for the overall first-, second-, and third-place finishers in both the Men’s and Women’s Divisions and T-Shirts are free to the first 1500 registered runners. Start time is 9 AM at the Bellingham Police Department, 505 Grand Ave. Register at funwiththefuzz5k.com. ANW

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Great Hikes ... for Spring

Boulder River

Big trees, a free-flowing river and a picture-perfect waterfall invigorated by spring snowmelt make this short and easy hike a favorite. Strolling a mile through the trees transports you into the Boulder River Wilderness and to the aforementioned waterfall (a beauty, even by our discerning standards). A truly idyllic spot for lingering. Beyond, the trail climbs through remnants of old-growth and the forest is magical. After a little over four miles, the path ends on the bank of the river. I have camped here in the past - it’s a delightful Baker River Trail place to spend a peaceful spring evening.

Photo by John D’Onofrio

Trailhead: The end of French Creek Rd., off SR530 near Darrington (23.6 miles from I-5).

Baker River

After a long winter where the predominant color scheme in the lowlands is grey, the greenery to be found along the Baker River Trail is positively electric. Everything from pale to lime to chartreuse to olive to...well, forest green, a delight for your eyes. The trail wanders upriver, beneath massive cedars and through moss gardens that would be at home in a Japanese garden, reaching its terminus on the banks of Sulphide Creek. The way is flat and easy: five miles there and back.

Trailhead: End of the Baker Lake Road (26 miles from SR20).

Horseshoe Bend

Here’s a perfect hike for a rainy day beside the roaring Nooksack River, a dramatic whitewater tumult in spring. The Horseshoe Bend Trail is short and exceedingly sweet, suitable for an hour or two of rainforest reverie on even the dreariest of days. The trail meanders alongside the rambunctious Nooksack - all swirling eddies and foam - for a short two and a half miles and then peters out. No worries - turn around and enjoy the mossy ambiance and thunderous watercourse for a second time.

Trailhead: Mount Baker Highway, 1.8 miles east of the Glacier Public Service Center (Ranger Station).

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Confessions of a

T

HINK … what’s the story you tell others around the campfire?

Chances are your best memory is not the “perfect hike”, the flawless first descent, or even the classic climb. Warm sunny days and flower-filled meadows are great, but these don’t make good tales. The stories that you tell are about the winter camping trip trapped in a snow cave by an unexpected white-out (with a lover and a bottle of wine), or the “short” kayak trip in which you find yourself trapped by a storm (tucked safely high up on a storm-swept headland) watching waves attack the rocks below! How many of your outdoor adventures include leaning into the unexpected wind and howling back at it? Like it or not, it’s weather that makes our outdoor adventures real.

All my best “there we were” outdoor stories are the ex-

periences where the unexpected does a bit of howling at the tent door. I confess I’ve got a voyeuristic passion for weather.

I’m a storm-addict. But before you look down your nose and suggest a good, solid and responsible 12-step program, think again of your own best outdoor memories!

The Cape Growing up in the midwest, my best friend and I spent each spring glued to the weather radio, ready to race out to the top of the hill each time there was a tornado warning. So when the forecast predicted heavy swell and potential hurricane-force winds off the Washington Coast, I wheedled and coaxed my favorite adventure companion until he agreed to head out with me to Cape Flattery. We loaded up the truck with all the necessary gear: muck boots, Mustang survival jackets, hard hats (for errant flying

Story by Sue Madsen

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Storm Watcher

branches), chainsaw and a winch to clear downed trees.

Things were relatively calm as we boarded the ferry to Port Townsend, but rain was beginning to fall, dark clouds loomed in the west, and WSDOT had slung caution tape across all of the doors to protect the less prepared from being swept off the outer decks. Perfect conditions for winter storm watching.

We made our way across the Olympic Peninsula, navigating past small mudslides and swollen creeks. Hitting Clallam Bay around 4 pm, we found the town shut up tight and the local gas station out of gas. “Check Ray’s grocery just before you hit Neah Bay,” said the clerk. Ray’s was running on fumes, but spared us enough to ensure a return trip. All gassed up, we arrived just as the sun set.

Big breakers roared and tumbled offshore as we pulled into the Hobuck Beach Resort on the Makah Reservation. Popular

with surfers and kayakers during the sunny summer months, the resort is all but deserted in winter. Our cabin was cozy, and well stocked with a Coleman lantern and flashlights in every room for use in the inevitable power outages. The winds picked up as we crawled into bed that night, and sure enough, the power blinked out about 10 pm. So far so good!

The next day I got up early. Steady southwest winds of about 40 mph drove sand and salt spume down the beach.

Walking was difficult, requiring that one lean into the wind.

Gale driven drops stung my face like needles. Dante the wonder dog raced ahead, trailed by a pack of motley reservation hounds. Nothing like a brisk morning constitutional in a tempest to get the blood pumping.

The real treat was yet to come though: 32-foot swells were predicted to hit the north coast late in the afternoon. About 3 pm

Photo by Bob Williamson

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post. Tatoosh Island and its lighthouse loomed in the distance under a heavy sky.

As it had been doing since 1857, the steadfast light winked through the storm, warning off ships unlucky enough to be caught out in the maelstrom. Cormorants wheeled and dived overhead, and the translucent gray-green swells occasionally offered glimpses of seals surfing the chaos.

Tempting the Tempest

Wave Watching

we headed up the hill to the half-mile-long Cape Flattery trail.

Branches overhead whipped in the wind as we picked our way down the slick boardwalk. At the end of the trail a wooden platform juts out over the edge of the cliff like the prow of some long-lost sailing ship. White horses rushed up surge channels and reared against the rock cliffs as if to reclaim this terrestrial out-

Storm season in the Pacific northwest runs from late October through March. “Pineapple Express “ is the name given to large storms that slam into our area from the southwest, and they typically deliver both high winds and copious amounts of rain. Arctic fronts sweeping in from the north can also bring some wild action.

There are many fine places to storm watch on the north

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coast. If a remote cabin at the end of the earth is not your style, try a luxurious weekend on the western coast of Vancouver Island at Chesterman Beach near Pacific Rim National Park or an invigorating stroll on The Wild Pacific Trail near Ucluelet. Or go even further, off the grid – one of my most memorable storm highs was watching cargo ships crash through the tricky waves and currents of the Columbia River bar on a Thanksgiving weekend at Cape Disappointment State Park. For a quick fix closer to home, try an afternoon visit to Washington Park in Anacortes, or Sandy Point, just up the coast from Bellingham.

Whatever the destination, there is nothing like a cracking good storm to make one appreciate the opportunity to curl up in front of the fire and plan the next adventure.

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The Wild Pacific Trail BC’s Amazing New Coastal Route Story and photos by John D’Onofrio

T

here is something about the edge of the sea.

The unbounded energy of waves crashing on sculpted rocks with its attendant deluge of negative ions, the wind-lashed trees, the profusion of life - aquatic, terrestrial and avian. In the Pacific Northwest everybody loves a walk beside the ocean. Accordingly, there exists a plethora of well-known trails along these northern coasts that traverse the spectacular edge of the continent and I consider myself fortunate to have enjoyed most of them.

A new addition, the Wild Pacific Trail near Ucluelet, British Columbia, may be the most beautiful coastal trail of them all.

The Wild Pacific Trail is an easy 10 kilometer walk (so far) - but allow plenty of time for stopping. The ‘Wow Factor’ is off the charts! The coastline here is awe-inspiring and the trail itself is a thing of beauty. The story of its creation is as amazing as the jaw-dropping views. It all began with Oyster Jim Martin, the visionary trail builder responsible for this extraordinary route.

Oyster Jim

Oyster Jim is an artist. His canvas is the Pacific Coast on the western edge of Vancouver Island. His brushes are shovels, chainsaws, a miniature front-end loader.

He, virtually single-handedly, conceived, surveyed, engineered and constructed the Wild Pacific Trail.

This new addition to Canada’s

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prolific catalogue of trails is unquestionably, undeniably of world-class caliber.

Oyster Jim (or OJ as he is known locally) is a master of composition. He has wound the route through the windtormented trees that crown the cliffs, framing a succession of jaw-dropping vistas, each unique, each a variation on a theme of awesome. He has taken down trees and judiciously pruned others, all to maximize the dramatic views.

How does one man create a trail? Jim describes himself as an “average guy” - which is true enough if you imagine ‘average’ to be synonymous with ‘super-human’.

It all started back in 1979. Jim had relocated from his home in Colorado to the hamlet of Ucluelet - literally, the end of the line in Canada. He found the laid-back west coast life style to be agreeable with his artistic and restless temperament. He prospected for gold, milled wood, did some fishing, became a shellfish farmer (hence the “Oyster Jim” nickname), whatever it took to maintain a foothold on the myth-drenched western rim of Canada.

In the course of these endeavors, he became a frequent visitor to the wild shoreline west of town, where he fished from the rocky headlands, a place that soon captured his imagination.

By the early 80’s Oyster Jim began thinking about constructing a trail along this epic coastline, a nearly impenetrable fortress of rain forest. The notion took hold of him. He began exploring the headlands in earnest, scouting out possibilities for a route, an effort that sometimes required crawling on his belly through the salal that grew ten-feet high.

Jim is a passionate guy and he shared his thoughts with the community. Some folks thought it was a good idea - impractical but interesting. A lot of people thought he was crazy.

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And there was a problem, a big problem: most of the land along the coast was owned by the Canadian timber giant MacMillan Bloedel (since purchased

by Weyerhaeuser in 1999). Scenic trails were not their specialty.

By the end of the 80’s the timber industry, which had been one of the economic engines fueling Ucluelet, was in decline. So Jim sent a letter to Charles S. Smith, Head of Properties for MacMillan Bloedel, enquiring as to whether they might be interested in allowing him to construct a trail through their real estate.

They politely declined.

He sent another letter. Oyster Jim Martin They declined again. And so on.

But Oyster Jim was undeterred. He brought the idea of a trail to the District Council in 1988 and continued to work on MacMillan Bloedel’s Smith. It took 16 years but Jim finally got the go-ahead to build.

“In 1995 the economy in forestry and fishing collapsed, exposing the writing on the wall for this village,” Jim explains. “We needed a big asset. In 1999 the Lighthouse Loop [constructed on Federal lands] opened and the potential was realized. I had been crowing about ‘World Treasure, another Eighth Wonder of the World’ all big talk - but now it could actually be realized, so in 2002 they [MacMillan Bloedel] agreed to allow a trail to be established on their property.

“Charles S. Smith deserves huge credit for his eventual support of the expansion of this trail,” Jim declares. “He had some prodding!”

Trail Artistry Today, the Wild Pacific Trail includes 10 kilometers of tread that winds along headlands, beaches and through magnificent forests. A work in progress, it is hoped that one day it will extend stories & the race|play|experience calendar online.

north along the coast and connect with existing trails in Pacific Rim National Park.

The trail is unique in that it is the manifestation of one man’s vision.

Oyster Jim has routed the trail not for expediency but to maximize the beauty of every step. Given more-or-less free reign, he has sculpted a route that accentuates the contours of this majestic coast, thinning trees and creating angles of view that inspire an artist’s soul.

“I take out trees, limbs and brush to frame all the views in a way to keep them ‘soft and pleasing’ to the eye,” he says. “I climb trees and scale cliffs to do whatever is necessary to clear the best view.”

The Wild Pacific Trail proper consists of three sections - the Lighthouse Loop, Artist Loops and Ancient Cedars/Rocky Bluffs section. The walking is easy throughout. Oyster Jim has deliberately built a trail that is so smooth and even that you won’t have to look down. He doesn’t want you looking at your feet. He wants your gaze to be lifted to the wonders that surround you.

The Lighthouse Loop was the first section completed. It offers up stunning views of Barkley Sound from the southern tip of the Ucluelet Peninsula, weaving its way above the rocky shoreline and through the coastal forest. It passes beside the Amphitrite Lighthouse, a west coast classic. Originally built in 1906 in response to a horrific shipwreck offshore, the lighthouse that you see today was rebuilt in 1915. A side trail leads to Terrace Beach, a First Nations site.

The Artist Loops are perhaps Oyster Jim’s supreme accomplishment. It is here that you can most completely appreciate his aesthetic bent. The trail winds along the shoreline through picturesque wind-twisted trees from one

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Experience the nearby Wild Pacific Trail, one of Canada’s scenic wonders and one of the most beautiful coastal hikes in the world.

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MAP

©

SCHRAMM DESIGN

and storm-watchers from every corner of the globe. Formed in 1999, the Wild Ucluelet AQUARIUM Ucluelet Harbour Pacific Trail Society wild pacific trail.com . d is a vibrant, passionR sula Penin ate non-profit orgaUcluelet, BC nization dedicated to Community Centre promoting, protectP Interpretive Trail ing - and expanding . ula Rd Te Penins P Be rrac rive - the trail. Donations D a e ch Ancient Cedars ine P Mar are collected from 2.6 km loop Wild 0.9 km loop Pacific P enraptured trail usWild Pacific Trail Trail ers to help pay for Pacific maintenance.

Ocean 6.75 km 2.6 km 0 km 8 km 4 km 3 km And Oyster Jim 15 min.

15 min.

20 minutes 45 minutes 1 way 45 - 60 min. loop + view stops (+ view stops ) (20 min. via beach) (+ 15 min. for Ancient Cedars loop ) can still be found Rocky Bluffs Artist Loops Big Beach Park Lighthouse Loop most days out on the trail, constructing a new viewing platform or improving the spellbinding vista to another, what Jim sleeper wave, a pounding that left his calls “streaming postcards.” Along the son with nine stitches. Luckily, Jim says, drainage in a boggy patch. He is indisway he has constructed a series of small they were not carried off the rock shelf, putably in his element. At 66, he shows wooden platforms, just big enough for a to “the meat grinder” below it. That no sign of slowing down and his infecpainter and an easel (or a photographer would have been certain death, he says. tious passion is undiminished. As we turn and a tripod). Some of the platforms Even on this relatively calm afternoon, to leave, he immediately returns to the are mere steps down the trail from the one look at the frenzied surf and jagged backbreaking work of setting the posts for a wooden railing that will create safe last one but as soon as you step up onto rocks confirms his analysis.

The Ancient Cedars/Rocky Bluffs access to a new viewing platform. Oyster them you can see that each one offers something unique: a new perspective, a route offers a walk among mammoth Jim certainly doesn’t shy away from hard red cedars and along some of the wild- work. different focal point.

It is, after all, a labor of love. ANW The viewing deck that holds his est surf-pounded coastline of the Wild “dedication bench” (as well as one for Pacific Trail. Seals, sea lions, otters and The Wild Pacific Trail is open year-round on MacMillan Bloedel’s Charles S. Smith) eagles are ubiquitous. The end of the Vancouver Island’s wild west coast, just outside the stands above one of the wildest stretches line is reached abruptly. This is where, if picturesque fishing village and up-and-coming of this wave-pounded coastline, a place Oyster Jim has his way, the connector to eco-travel hotspot of Ucluelet, British Columbia. of near-disaster for Oyster Jim. It was Pacific Rim Park will branch off.

Check out Lance Blackwell’s aweToday, the Wild Pacific Trail’s fame on the rocks below the deck that Jim inspiring video about the Wild Pacific and his son were caught by an immense is spreading. It draws hikers, aesthetes Fo

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Rocky Bluffs

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Windows on the Sea Exploring Olympic Tidepools Story and photos by Nancy Sefton

I

am bent over double, unable to stop a steady slide down a slope of green slime, tennies soaking, shoulders in knots. Add a sniffly nose, blue hands, and legs that collapse like a folding chair when I try to stand after long periods of crouching. Without warning, the sea sends an occasional scout wave to lick hungrily at my cold, wet feet. I’m in heaven.

At the water’s edge, sharp rocks uncovered by today’s low tide jut up like the half-buried spine of a T-Rex; the sea is a relentless sculptor. From beyond a rugged promontory shrill sounds of youthful enthusiasm fill the air. “Hey Dad! C’mere and see this neat thingamajig with all the legs!

Wow, look! This purple creepy-crawly is eating a green watchamacallit!”

On my first foray into coastal Washington’s low tide zones, I knew little about the occupants of the diminutive pools strewn before me. By now, time, experience and some handy field guides have taught me much. I now know what the purple creepycrawlies are, and why they’re so busy gobbling those green whatsits.

When moon and sun pull back the sea twice every 23 hours, marine animals representing every biological group, from crabs to clams, are showcased for the coastal hiker.

Colorful life decorates rocky walls, When the tide is low, pockets of water become crowded havens for marine animals content to wait out the return of the sea

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aptly named tide pool sculpins begin shallow pools, and narrow channels. skittering here and there in zig-zag traSome creatures become dormant when jectories, camouflaged so well against the exposed to air, their shells closed like pebbles that they’re invisible until they trap doors. Others occupy shallow pools, move. carrying on their normal lifestyles, deNearby, a couple of little black rocks fending themselves, feeding, even reprosuddenly sprout jointed legs and lurch ducing while they await the sea’s return, across the bottom – hermit crabs draga promise never broken. ging their borrowed snail shells like RVs For many inhabitants, the intertidal as they forage for food. But in the next zone is a tough neighborhood, a temporary home between a rock and a hard place. Tidal pools are heated by the summer sun, and salinity increases as the water evaporates. Open coasts take it on the chin from the sledgehammer blows of wind-blown water.

Nevertheless, many small sea creatures seem unfazed by this inhospitable real estate. The exposed shore may This small snail without a shell percolate with life, the ocean advertises its toxic nature with its colors, a warning to would-be equivalent of downtown; it’s bright predators as it rests in a shallow pool often Standing Room Only pool, it’s a free for-all. A pile of hermits for some residents like mussels, barnacles frantically joust over an empty snail shell and oysters. that’s larger than any of theirs. Hermits To fully appreciate nature’s clever grow, but their confiscated armor doesn’t adaptation, one must get up close and - so periodically the vulnerable crabs personal. need to trade up for a larger home. I The magic is in the details: clinging won’t await the outcome. feet, suction cups, gripping fibers, cusAll around me, sea stars grip the tom shell shapes, rubber necks, impregrocks. The Pacific’s colorful ochre star nable armor, a camel-like tolerance for with its five stout arms is the Jesse Owens the sun’s heat. of the intertidal zone, a voracious carniI sit quietly on the edge of a shallow vore that creeps across the exposed shore, pool strewn with small pebbles. Shortly shamelessly gorging itself in mussel and the bottom begins to stir. Two-inch fish

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barnacle beds.

Sea stars travel on thousands of tube feet lining the undersides of their arms.

Ending in suction cups, the tiny feet also serve as a superior clinging device, allowing stars to hang on beneath stormdriven waves. Perhaps most important, tube feet facilitate dining. When the star encounters a delectable shellfish, such as a mussel, it envelopes its prey and the tube feet handily pry the two shells apart. And now comes the obscene part: the star actually inserts its stomach between the shells to devour its victim’s interior soft parts.

If you should see a star all humped up on a rock, you’ve caught it in the act!

Colorful bat stars, not quite so mobile, are scattered helter-skelter in stunning shades of red, orange, blue and purple on the bottoms of dark pools, cartoon stars in a painted sky.

From every nook, giant green anemones blossom like chrysanthemums, some open and inviting, others closed upon themselves. Seemingly created in a moment of whimsy, these flower lookalikes are carnivores, their poisonous tentacles spread to seduce the unwary.

As I watch, a tiny blue crab accidentally wanders onto the central disk of a green anemone, and ooops! the outer ring of tentacles begins to close over it. Not a pretty sight, as the victim goes down for

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forested coastlines? Raccoons are unabashed opportunists, roaming the shore at low tide, reaching tiny fingers beneath the rocks to pull out small crabs and other live edibles. Cryptic litBlood Stars and Sea Urchins tle minks aren’t often seen in the forest, but at low tide they emerge to scurry about in the open sand flats and around the rocks, gorging.

Black bears too take advantage of the daily seafood buffets. On more remote coasts where human travel is negligible, I’ve lain low watching a bear shuffle through wet sand or turn over barnacleencrusted boulders to find a snack.

Where rocky Giant Green Sea Anemones cliffs rise almost vertically, marine creatures are stratified, condominium-like, according to their tolerance to exposure.

High up, the “splash what about those zone” is usually dry furry four-footed more often than wet. inhabitants of Here, you’ll see mostly barnacles and limpets, animals protected by stout shells that ward Locally owned since 2004 off desiccation. The next zone below these 2 Locations in Bellingham is the “high tide” zone, • NW Ave and I5 - exit 257 festooned with certain • James St. - next to Trader Joe’s hardy seaweeds, plus 4 time “Best Of...” award winner more shelled animals.

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the third time into the anemone’s gullet, only one tiny claw emerging in a silent plea for help. In the same tide pool, a neighboring anemone is busy spitting out shell bits from a luckless crab it probably dined on yesterday.

The anemone, a fairly stationary creature, has another trick up its tentacles. As I lightly brush one with my fingertip, I feel the characteristic sandpaper grab as myriad microscopic darts are fired into my skin, the anemone no doubt anticipating a grandiose lunch. While I can easily withdraw, a passing sculpin getting this close would be instantly paralyzed and

sucked down - like that sorry crab - into the anemone’s central mouth.

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I have my camera A black bear attends a low tide banquet, overturing boulders in hopes of finding with me. For sevsmall crabs and other marine edibles eral years I lived in a warm water paradise and actually got hooked on photography while scuba diving along technicolor coral reefs. After returning to the northwest, I remember watching one couple venture into our frigid waters, seemingly dressed for space flight in those obligatory diver’s dry suits, staggering under a hundred pounds of lead. Not for me. So here I am among the tide pools, contentedly photographing exotic species without getting wet.

I sit very still by a narrow surge channel, a crevice between rocks. From its dark depths, a red fluid form rises to the surface, extends tapered tentacles into the exposed yellow rockweed and probes for a meal. Unmindful of me, the octopus casually penetrates a forbidden world.

All along the shore, the sea delights in offering a hint here, a clue there, tantalizing fragments tossed up to tantalize

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Poetry from the Wild

Just Another Thing

by Sam Moore Another thing I have observed Is that At the close of day When the blue Shadow Spreads like liquid Across the green Gold meadow And the last bright Light Burns candles On the mountain tops There is a mute Moment In the dying day When time seems To pause And stops And then Slowly The concert resumes And rhapsodies rain On and on When suddenly Strangely It hesitates And halts

the imagination.

The molted crab’s abandoned shell is a half-told tale. The mussels and barnacles, their doors closed to strangers, keep their secrets until the waters rise. The spent heap of bull kelp piled upon the rocks alludes to a Top Snails gather in small groups, snug inside their secreted shells when drowned forexposed to air est, its canopy afloat on the far surface like a girl’s hair.

Best Tide Pooling on the Olympic Peninsula: An empty • Numbered beaches north and south of Kalaloch snail shell, the • Ruby Beach ocean’s refuse, is • Second and Third Beach south of La Push an object of desire.

• Hole in the Wall at the north end of Rialto Beach At each tiny pool I’ve stared • Cape Alava (a 3.5 mi. hiking trail from Lake Ozette) through the sea’s look• Salt Creek State Park west of Port Angeles off Hwy. 12 ing glass into a tantalizWhen To Go: ing world I can never be Our lowest, or “minus tides” roll back in spring and sumpart of. The tide turns at mer. Graphs are available on the web, displaying tidal last and water flows like a highs and lows in feet and meters. Try to arrive at the shore an hour or two prior to the lowest tide so you can transfusion into nooks and follow the water out. To avoid getting stranded, turn channels, bringing renewal. around at lowest water and precede the tide back in.

But for air-breathers like the raccoons and me, curfew is Tidepooling Etiquette near. As the sea inches forLet’s face it: the welcome mat is not out for us trespassing, trampling humans in this fragile habitat. Children ward, intertidal residents reespecially should be reminded to tread carefully, and sume their normal lifestyles, never touch the animals. Overturning rocks to see what while I, the uninvited, retreat lives underneath may expose delicate creatures that could die from exposure. to higher ground.

ANW

In the silence Just before dawn

Sam Moore has lived in the foothills of the North Cascades for 46 years.

He is a poet, painter and goldsmith.

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23

Running in the Rain Story by Cami Ostman

I

Probably because I grew up in the rain, I never minded it much once I became a runner. I mean, I didn’t necessarily itch to get out in it, but if I planned a run at 9 am and the rain was coming down, I still stepped out the door. Doing so made me feel hearty and proud of myself.

Then three years ago I got it in my head to run the Chuckanut 50K. This race takes place in March, which as we all know is a wet month in Western Washington. In the preceding cold months, I trained by covering every part of the course at some point during all kinds of nasty weather, just so I would be as ready as I could be.

On the frigid morning of the race, the sky promised an all-day soaking. While I stood around at the starting line getting drenched, along with everyone else, a fleeting inclination to go home flitted through my mind, but I pushed it away.

I overheard the man standing next to me, however, say to his companion, “The minute it starts snowing, I’m calling it quits.”

We did get snow that day. By the time I got to the long hill that winds up Cleator Road there was a thin icy pack of it on the ground with more white coming down. And the wind was cold… bitterly cold!! There were even a few minutes of hail at some point during my nine hours on the course.

But mostly there was rain - insistent, relentless rain. Always a pokey runner who expects to be at the back of the pack, I was nevertheless surprised at how slowly the miles ticked away for me that day. The mud along the Lost Lake Trail alone took me more than an hour to get through. By the time I crossed the finish line in Fairhaven Park (I was dead last, just FYI), I was covered in thick, dark mud, soaked to my bones, and frankly confused about what I had just been through.

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Photo by Stephanie Bender

f you live in the Northwest, especially on the west side of the Cascade Mountains, you get used to rain.

When I was a teenager, I used to love strolling the mile between my house and my best friend’s house when it was pouring outside. There was something so gloriously messy about walking unconcerned through puddles and arriving at her door freezing and soaking wet. I would borrow her dry sweats while she made me something warm to drink, and we would spend the afternoons discussing the deep, existential questions teenage girls talk about - and boys.

The next day I stayed in bed all day. While sipping on hot tea, I made myself a secret vow, “Life is too short. I’ll never, ever, ever run in the rain again.”

Two weeks later, on a rare clear day, I attended a track workout with a group of women who naturally wanted to know how my race had gone. Regaling them with the toils of climbing up and then slipping down the final big hill, “chin-scraper,” when it was thick with muck drew groans of sympathy. But when I announced that I was never going to run in the rain again, my friends burst out laughing.

“That’s ridiculous! How are you going to pull that off? You’ll never run!”

“I’m telling you, it’s nothing but the treadmill for me if there is one drop of water falling from the sky,” I promised.

And I kept that promise for months. Between the end of March and mid-July that year I watched all five seasons of Big Love while running on my treadmill in my garage.

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What a great series!

Unfortunately, when you protect yourself from the elements, you also prevent yourself from developing flexibility and dexterity. By the time I started running outside regularly again in August, I hardly remembered how to pick up my legs to get around the ruts and roots on the trails. And I was irritated if the temperature wasn’t exactly 63 degrees. Also, I was bored with my own thoughts; I couldn’t remember what to do with my mind on a long run without a screen in front of me.

I had stayed dry, but I’d stopped growing as a runner during those months in my garage.

When October rolled around and the leaves started to turn and the skies became thick with black clouds, I had to make a decision. Go back to my treadmill and find a new series to watch or re-acclimate to the wind and rain? I ambivalently chose the rain - because I knew it was the healthier choice.

The thing is, rain - as with many uncomfortable elements in our lives - gives us something to contend with and, thus, gives us the chance to toughen up, to learn something about what we are made of.

Like plodding through difficult conversations with a teenage child or fumbling your way through the first stages of a new job, pushing oneself out the door for a run on a really wet day is the necessary discomfort that leads to something better on the other side.

This morning I woke up to the plunk, plunk of rain on my roof. Last night I’d

told myself I would get out for a run before starting on the pile of work I had to do, but as I lay still in the darkness of my bedroom, I thought, “Ah, well, maybe tomorrow morning will be drier.” And then I thought better and climbed out of bed to suit up. If there is one thing I’ve learned since my brief moratorium on running in the rain, it’s that if I suit up for a run (or really for anything in life if you think of “suiting up” as a metaphor for doing the practical things that get a person ready for what she needs or wants to do) and go stand in front of the door, I’ll probably open it and walk out.

So that’s what I did.

Out on the trails through Whatcom Falls Park where I take my daily runs the wind was gentle, hardly disturbing the bare branches of the trees, but the raindrops were huge and swollen. You know the kind. Not the drizzle of an all-day haze, but more like the dripping from a hundred unrelenting leaky faucets in the sky. Like every runner I know, I’ve invested in some good gear, so although I was sopping wet within minutes, I was warm enough, and I ran with a sense of equanimity, already feeling good about myself for making the choice to get out the door.

When I reached the falls, I came to a stop and stood on the bridge to watch the creek. The falls were gushing hard over the rocks this morning, and I closed my eyes to listen to their grumbling rush. They seemed to speak to me, telling me they were always there whenever I might need a moment of stillness.

I’ve run over that bridge hundreds of times over the last many years, but this morning was the first time I’ve ever stood still and closed my eyes. While I was listening to the rushing water, I remembered the spring of Big Love and thought about how you can’t close your eyes while running on a treadmill.

Life is too short not to run in the rain, really. Whatever elements we face when we step out the door, the experience is always richer than staying safe and dry inside.

ANW

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Steph Abegg A Passion for Wildflowers One of my favorite aspects of macro photography is its ability to capture and preserve the fleeting details that enliven the world around us: a tiny insect on a blade of grass, a group of gleaming water droplets on a leaf, a row of ripples in the sand, a curtain of icicles on moss, a bright flower in bloom. In the spring, I relish those stolen moments when I can snap my macro lens onto my camera and immerse myself in the colorful and melodious world of nature.

Visit Steph Abegg’s website at StephAbegg.com

From left to right, top row: Pink Monkey Flowers, Western Anemone, Columbine Middle row: Butterfly visit, Lupine petal, Foxglove anomaly Bottom row: Red Columbine, Foxglove, Avalanche Lily, Harebell

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27

Exploring

the Root Glacier Story and Photo by John D’Onofrio

W

rangell-St. Elias National Park is America’s largest national park, about the size of Connecticut and Massachusetts put together. The vast majority of this UNESCO World Heritage Site is accessible only by bush plane - a wilderness as remote as any in the National Park system.

The one notable exception to this logistical obstacle is the area around Kennicott, an old mine site turned ghost town turned tourist attraction. Still, getting there requires a 59-mile drive down the McCarthy Road, an unpaved track built on an old railway bed. The road ends abruptly at the Kennicott River, where you will leave your vehicle and cross the river on a footbridge. From there, a shuttle van will run you the five miles up the road to the Kennicott site where the trail to the Root Glacier begins.

The trail is easy, traversing old moraines for two miles beside the Kennicott and Root Glaciers, reaching a signed left turn that descends to the toe of the glacier. There are campsites here and a food storage box to keep your edibles safe from the resident bears.

The way trail provides simple and safe access to the surface of the glacier.

Traveling across the vast surface of the Root is remarkably straight-forward, although you’ll definitely want crampons. The crevasses are easy to see and avoid (and beautiful to gaze into). Such easy wandering on the surface of the ice is a rare treat and an excellent introduction to glacier travel for the uninitiated.

ANW Spending a day exploring the blue ice is rhapsodic.

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Paddling the Inside Passage A Journey of the Sea and Soul Story and photos by Susan Conrad

The ocean - the open stuff - is alive, bounding, rebounding, crashing, rolling, breaking, sucking back, roaring, hissing, thundering, and ominously quiet. ~ Sea diary, June 2010, Dixon Entrance, Alaska

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I

t’s been said that a person doesn’t take a trip, but rather a trip takes a person. The Inside Passage took me - in a kayak - from Anacortes, Washington, to Juneau, Alaska. It took me through glacially carved landscapes and impenetrable forests, narrow channels and wide ocean passages, barreling fronts and mixmaster waves. It was a journey of the sea and the soul that took me both north to Alaska and inward, as I discovered the depths of my own strength and courage. I have still only begun to understand its impact.

The Inside Passage is a narrow artery that connects with, and is a part of, the 64 million square miles that comprise the Pacific Ocean. The most scenic and challenging paddling trip in North America, it’s touted as a holy grail for those accessing it in long, skinny boats. This alone was enough to lure me into planning an expedition up its labyrinthine coast.

Seattle is considered the official starting point and Skagway the terminus where one literally runs out of ocean, about 1,300 miles later. After traversing through a snippet of northwest Washington, including an oblique trajectory through the San Juan Islands, the route extends north along British Columbia’s coastline. Dixon Entrance plays sentinel to the

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Alaskan boundary and from there the “IP” snakes its way up Alaska’s panhandle, where Skagway waits at the pinnacle like a grand finale.

Departure

My journey began in spring 2010, from a crescent-shaped public beach at Washington Park, just outside Anacortes, Washington. A poignant departure arranged by a small group of friends included a champagne-christened bow, a round of goodbye hugs, and a gentle shove to my stern that had me paddling away from the safety and protection Icebergs flaunt their beauty during of Fidalgo Island. Ten the last few weeks of the expedition strokes later, as I rounded a small public dock, two old salts rigging their fishing boat asked where I was headed.

“Alaska,” I replied matter-of-factly, with a deliberate pause between my strokes. I could hear my friends chuckle on the beach behind me, and my big, toothy grin could have lit up the ocean. Sixty-six days, 1,148 miles, 102 dark chocolate bars, 28 ibuprofen gel caps, seven temper tantrums, five anxiety attacks, two pairs of underwear, one foul wetsuit, and a million magical moments later, I laid my paddle down in Juneau, Alaska.

During that time I lived indefinitely in a wetsuit, paddled marathon distances for weeks on end, forged friend-

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ships with quirky people in the strangest of places, and pretended not to be intimidated by 700-pound grizzly bears and 40-ton whales. I lived my dream.

That dream entailed paddling through wild, steep country, subject to strong currents and wind. The realities of hypothermia, dwindling food supplies, non-existent The final campsite on Stephens Passage beaches, and extreme tidal differences - alarmingly rising walls of water measuring over twenty feet -were part and parcel of the journey. At times I floated in a magical world among whales and icebergs and immeasurable beauty; other times I paddled wildly with fear at my back.

My experience paddling through the Alaska panhandle was perhaps the wildest and most magical of all. On my 45th day at sea, with 700 miles trailing behind my stern and approximately 500 imminent on my bow, I bobbed on the imaginary border that represented the separation of Alaska from British Columbia. Estimating from my chart and nearby landmarks, I had reached a major milestone - I had arrived at the Alaskan border via sea kayak! I paddled up a narrow channel speckled with several inviting beaches.

Brilliant red Indian paintbrush flourished in pockets of sparkly white sand. Shards of mica-speckled obsidian rocks and veins of quartz punctuated the rocky seashore.

The next day my kayak slid over the robust swells of Dixon

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Entrance, and my surroundings, I thought, began to take on a different look and feel. I skidded around the next point, and there it was: an alive, wide-awake ocean. The landscape seemed more open. The mountains loomed bigger. Rocks seemed shinier. The water, more blue. I noticed more hemlocks and various species of deciduous trees in this land of the midnight sun.

It all beckoned me, as if I were paddling into another dimension.

Ice and Whales Several weeks later, nearing Juneau, and the end of my adventure, the ethereal blue ice of Sumdum Glacier hung over my camp, frozen in time, etched in jaw-dropping beauty. It was the most pristine and seductive campsite of the trip so far, in spite of the amusing name. I knew from my pre-trip research that Mount Sumdum, Sumdum Bay, and Sumdum Island shared the same whimsy. John Muir wrote extensively about this area in Travels in Alaska, and not once did he indicate a tongue-in-cheek attitude when he wrote about the Sumdum ice, the Sumdum seal hunters, or the Sumdum Indians. I, on the other hand, couldn’t stop smirking. The Dictionary of Alaskan Place Names reports that the Tlingit Indians who lived nearby named it Sumdum to embody the booming sound of icebergs as they broke off the glacier.

Another account states that from 1897 to 1942 the area was the site of an active mining camp, named Sumdum, complete with

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a tram, brewery, and post office.

Holkham Bay (as Sumdum Bay is now named), where Sumdum Glacier meets the sea, showed no signs of past activity. Camped deep inside the bay I watched icebergs flaunt their allure in front of me, suspended timelessly in the peaceful cove. Some resembled ice sculptures: swans, Volkswagens, crocodiles. Loons, the symbol of wilderness and solitude, floated amongst them on the glassy smooth water. Around the corner of a small rock outcropping, out of my line of sight, something snorted loudly in the water. A sea lion, perhaps?

Paddling north the next day, I encountered several humpback whales competing for attention, giant cetaceans swimming circles around me. One slapped the water with its white pectoral fin, then dove deep, its tail fluke spanning nearly fifteen feet, momentarily suspended between sky and sea. Three other humpbacks intermittently stayed on the surface and sang melodious and

mysterious songs to each other, repeating patterns of chirrups, sighs, moans, and growls. I listened to this hauntingly beautiful outdoor symphony, watching long, curving backs oscillate through the water for a few more magical moments before they silently slipped beneath the surface.

Two bays north, I floated in tranquil solitude - until a super-pod of orcas burst into my reality in full-on frolic mode.

Thirty-foot-long black and white polished bodies cannonballed on the water’s surface. Thunderous claps filled the air, emulating gunfire, as the whales breached and spiraled, then smacked the water with massive force. Their communicative nature resonated across the water as dorsal fins, tail flukes, and a cacophony of sounds surrounded me. My gaze swept in an arc across the bay; I was afraid I would miss any number of sideshows. The big daddies, showing off their triangular, sixfoot-high dorsal fins, paraded in front of me. Swimming powerfully and gracefully,

they undulated and then dove, cutting through the water in a trajectory that had one red kayak in its epicenter. I gasped as one swam beneath me. Looking down in a combination of amazement and fright, it appeared as if a submarine might surface directly below me.

I continued to glide through paradise on this radiant, eye-piercing afternoon. I would pitch my tent one last time that night on a small pebble crescent beach nestled into a slim indentation just north of Slocum Inlet.

Its amenities included profuse amounts of dazzling pink fireweed, a babbling brook, and sweeping views of Stephens Passage. Gastineau Channel, my final approach to Juneau, loomed in the distance. Icebergs floated by; whales serenaded me. As the night opened before me and the pulse of the day slowed, as nature fell into order and my journey drew to its end, I reflected on the many mind-blowing, altogether intoxicating moments of this adventure, along with

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By permission of the artist, Alan James Robinson, www.TheMapGuy.com

the challenges that were, at times, more than I had bargained for. I then realized that this opportunity was not only a passage to adventure, but a journey deep inside myself, a journey that revealed many lessons, and answered questions that I hadn’t yet thought to ask.

Home About a week later I was packed up and ready to disembark Alaska Ferry’s MV Columbia, my south-bound shuttle that would rewind my epic journey in three whirlwind days. I stood on the ship’s tallest deck and watched the nowfamiliar brick building of the Bellingham ferry terminal come into view. Within minutes I could pick my friend Becky out of the crowd, her arms waving high and wildly back and forth to greet me.

My heartbeat quickened as my feet approached terra firma—and the end of this adventure.

I relaxed in Becky’s pickup truck while she negotiated the tapered twists and turns of Chuckanut Drive, and I enjoyed sweeping views of the San Juan Islands and Samish Bay. Further south the road widened and flattened as it ran through the fertile farmlands of the Check out a special photo gallery tracing Susan Conrad’s epic solo journey from Anacortes, Washington to Juneau, Alaska at AdventuresNW.com

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Copyright © 2013 Alan James Robinson • www.TheMapGuy.com

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Skagit River Valley. Soon, we headed west for Anacortes, back to the same beach where I began my trip, seventy-three days earlier.

Standing in the very spot where I launched, I tuned into the memories and emotions of that inaugural day. Feeling gratitude for being safely delivered back to these shores, I put my hands in prayer position at my heart and flowed into three sun salutations, thanking the water gods for where I’d been, for where I was now, and for where I was going. The circle was complete.

ANW Stay tuned for Susan’s book “Inside: A Woman’s Solo Journey Through the Inside Passage.” Her debut memoir will detail her entire epic journey on the Inside Passage. Check out her website at susanmarieconrad.com

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The Language of Humility A Walk in the Brooks Range

F

rom the moment I pull my pack from the truck, heft it onto my back and walk away from the road, I am on my own. It is a relief for me to be dropped off at this lake, free of obligation, committed to nothing but finding my way through wide valleys, over a pass and down a river. I am familiar with the practice of solitude, comfortable with maps and compasses, accustomed to self-reliance. And yet, under this feeling of release is a quiet but steady pulse of apprehension.

The plan is to walk from Galbraith Lake, just off the Dalton Highway, up the Itkimalak River, and over a pass to the Itkillik River. Once at the Itkillik, I’ll inflate a borrowed packraft and float 20 miles before hiking the last five back to my current residence at Toolik Field Station. It’s mid-June: the mosquitos are about to hatch, the bears are foraging in earnest, and there might still be aufeis (sheets of lingering ice on arctic rivers that can trap

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Story and photos by Abigail Sussman

boaters) to avoid. My headnet is close at hand, the bear spray is on my belt, food in a bear can. My trial run with the packraft - on a carpeted floor in the dorm - went exceedingly well. My strategy is to stay upright.

I know that this reticence, this impulse to turn around, will subside with each step forward. Moving beyond the immediate yearning for security is the only way to find genuine refuge. Now, in the ubiquitous arctic sunlight, I steer myself towards the headwaters of an unnamed creek, following the contours of the land, submitting to the rhythm of a truly wild country.

The peaks of the Brooks Range are elders among mountains, approximately 126 million years old, made up of highly deformed ancient seabed. All under ten thousand feet,

these peaks might seem lenient compared to the Alaska Range, home of Denali, some 500 miles to the south. But not more than a mile into the trek, with my usual backpack load and the addition of the packraft, the word lenient has no context. When traveling in the arctic, distance and time are foreign languages.

To say it plainly: it takes forever to get anywhere. In this country, where trees cannot take root, valleys are vivid tributes to the iceage, and tussocks upend even the most sure-footed,

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five miles a day is a respectable goal.

Further into the mountains my route alternates between braided river bed, muskeg, and mercifully solid tundra. I shift my backpack around, a futile response to the changing topography and the weight on my shoulders.

Strapped to each side of my pack is a section of the kayak paddle, yellow blades hovering above my head. My bizarre silhouette moves alongside, a ludicrous attempt at a shadow puppet.

Every step reveals testimony of unrestrained lives: ground squirrel burrows on southern aspects, bear prints in damp river silt, polished caribou antlers, dropped year after year. This is the perspective I seek - to be one animal among many moving through the same landscape.

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My passage is not unique - people have been walking this country for millennia. This kind of trek, without the intent to hunt or move to a seasonal home, is a modern development. Like all indigenous people, the Nunamiut had to be keenly aware of the natural world - reading tracks, listening to other species, interpreting topographic features to make the Brooks Range home. Today, these skills are hard to come by, a language largely forgotten, supplanted by apps, personal locator beacons, and GPS. This is the dialect of the high arctic, a conversation about relationship, awareness, and modesty. I am here to expand my vocabulary.

The simple acts of scanning my surroundings, inspecting freshly turned up tundra, and appraising possible campsites guide me across the threshold between fearful and mindful. Fear is a useful tool but too often stymies intimacy. When turned outward, fear becomes insight, enabling one to focus

entirely on the present.

The second day, clouds gather above Three Sisters, seeming to bring evening to the perpetual day. I will sleep on the east side of the Itkamalik River. The valley is wide but my camp choices are narrow. Ahead, who knows how far, is a flat bench between tussock and talus, and I aim to make this the day’s goal.

It is liberating to be in a wilderness without any development, but with this freedom also comes uncertainty.

Maintained trails, level tent pads, outhouse pits: these all lead us through the terrain easily and efficiently. As I near the bench, more inviting with each step, I realize that even here I am being led - not by a trail or established route but by the land and its inhabitants. While in the arctic, Terry Tempest Williams noted, “If we listen to the land, we will know what to do.� I am rapt with attention.

A low woof. A flash of blonde.

The bear, platinum and glowing in the northern light, is up the steep talus faster than I thought pos-

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The view north from a ridge in the lower Itkamalik River Valley

sible. Small rocks ping down the fall line. A subtle track leads from me to him, from him to me. We both look back, bodies pointing in opposite directions, heads turned towards each other.

Pause. I walk away from the bench, from the camp that was perfect for bear, perfect for human. I turn again, and he is almost at the top of the ridge, watching me. On cue we release from the scrutiny of the other, both satisfied with mutual apprehension.

There is a long history of close as-

sociation between humans and bears - a myriad of stories tell of bear becoming human, human becoming bear, wrapped up in a marriage invariably at odds. We want to be within reach of bears and yet safely apart. In their book The Sacred Paw, Paul Shepard and Barry Sanders describe bears as “a kind of ideogram of man in wilderness”, reminding us of our alternate selves.

That evening, I finally set up camp in a meadow held by a bare cirque. I wonder where the bear went, if he will also bed down and whether I had given him

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enough warning. The fact that he and I were attracted to the same place makes me grin, but does not diminish my gratitude for 24-hour daylight. Like any animal, I want an unobstructed view.

The next morning, as I am making coffee among boulders, the bear gives me a gift. For the next three hours, oblivious to - or unconcerned - with my presence, I watch him wander the valley.

He digs up tundra hunting for squirrels, crosses the river, is swept downstream, emerges frantic and shakes water off of his back. He continues to sniff his way up the other side of the valley, moving steadily. It surprises me that he is climbing so high, into terrain that doesn’t look to be Calorie Rich. But my motivation is different, too. After I lose sight of him, I climb up a loose rocky slope to the ridge on my side of the valley.

The openness of the tundra evokes something other than a sense of insignificance amid a vast landscape. I am very likely the only human in this valley, or any of the valleys beyond, and yet, as I fight to stand upright in a gusty wind high above the river, I feel an exceptional connectedness. Later, during the arctic night, I wake briefly, unzip the door to my tent and peer through binoculars. I do not see my neighbor but fall back to sleep knowing that the bear and I share this valley.

We meet once more on the other side of the pass. As I make my way along a snow-fed creek, a sudden breeze carries my scent down-valley. A blonde

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up dust on the Dalton, and somewhere head appears between boulders below behind me, a platinum blonde bear me, and we once again perform a chomakes his way across the tundra. reography of mutual respect. I give him I took this trip into the northern space and slowly circle my way back reaches of the Brooks Range because toward the notch in a ridge that will I wanted my perspectives to be chalfunnel me into the next drainage. It is lenged, to reexamine long held anxietclear we will not meet again. ies, and to explore a rare wildness. This Eventually, I descend to Itkillik Lake experience was a dialogue about how and early the next morning inflate the to be at home in the world: an openpackraft. It is a relief to let the river’s curness to fear, a grasp of limitations, and rent lead me. Hours later I recognize the an attentive spirit. It is the language of shape of Jade Peak, and for the last time, humility. fold the raft into my pack. It is already ANW late in the day, and so after the longest bog slog I’ve ever experienced, accompanied by the newly hatched mosquitoes, I discover the magic of creative reuse stand on top of april 3 & 4, 2015 • bellingham, wa Jade, just above For event schedules and information visit Toolik Lake. A www.alliedarts.org or call 360.676.8548 resident peregrine wheels above, a semi-truck kicks

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39

Nothing to Fear at Story and photo by Christine Smith

I

first noticed the iceberg when I was up for my 3 am watch. Our boat, the David B, was anchored at Ford’s Terror tucked behind a gravel bar in a spot that was 103 feet deep.

have to wait until morning.

I woke again at 5 am to start my day by making coffee, pastries, and breakfast and to wait for my guests to wake up.

Again I wrote some notes in the logbook about the depth of the water and the weather - rain, heavy at times. I listened to the birds singing outside and checked on

The tide was low, and in the twilight of this rainy Alaskan summer morning, Boots on the ground, the David B far below I could see the berg aground on the other side of the gravel bar.

I wrote some notes in the logbook about the rain and water depth, and wondered how long the iceberg would stay there once the tide began to rise.

I quietly cracked the door of the pilothouse open to listen to the crystal sounds of the rain on the water.

The anchorage was the iceberg: still there. The tidal rapid had a nook nestled between the gravel bar and slowed as it neared the end of the ebb tide. a sheer granite wall carved by a departed I hoped that the iceberg would remain glacier. The only nautical chart for this area long enough for everyone onboard to see. is not for the faint of heart, with a scale of I also hoped we’d get a chance to see it re1:217,828. With that small of a scale there’s float and be carried off through the rapids. almost no detail and it hardly shows that When it was time to go ashore I one could anchor here. The anchorage itself scanned the shoreline and ridge for signs is represented as two rocks and some hash of bears, which were common here. The marks on the land to indicate cliffs. There is trail was glacier-polished granite with a very little hint of how to get in. In the evecovering of moss. It would also be wet. ning when we entered, we carefully skirted I cautioned my companions about how the edge of the gravel bar. My husband, slick the hike would be and how, several Jeffrey, maneuvered the David B slowly times, I’ve seen people bruise their egos over the shallow, while I kept watch at the and tail bones after a slight misstep. What bow, peering into the jade-colored water for passes as a “trail” in this part of southeast unexpected changes in water depth. Once Alaska often feels like a combination of over the shallow, Jeffrey picked a spot with hiking and bushwhacking. a peek-a-boo view of the narrow constricOnce ashore I saw that the iceberg tion that contains the reversing tidal rapids had tilted a little as the flood tide water had that gives Ford’s Terror its name. It was near moved in around its base. I hoped to get a dinner time, so a shore excursion would

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little higher on the trail before it moved. I hurried to where the trail began in a crack in the granite. It was narrow and muddy, and involved some scrambling, but then the route flattened out. At a junction we took a side trail to watch the tidal rapids.

The current now was running really fast.

We stopped and talked about the naval officer named Ford, who in 1899 rowed into the fjord at the moment of slack water. Later, when the flow of water reversed course, Ford and his crew spent six terrifying hours trapped when they discovered a frightening torrent of three-foot high rapids and overfalls where it had earlier been flat. While we talked, the grounded iceberg finally floated free and began to move into the cut. As it gained speed it crossed the shallow spot where Ford’s rapids form.

The ice grounded loudly for a moment on the rocks below. It tumbled and broke into several smaller bergs before it continued on. Our timing couldn’t have been better.

Unlike the iceberg, if you time it correctly, you can safely kayak through “the terror.” It’s a beautiful paddle. Once you pass through the quick water, the fjord opens up, the water slows, and you’re awestruck by the sheerness of the cliffs and the tenacity of the trees that somehow grow from the cracks in the rock. In his book Travels in Alaska, John Muir summarized his impressions of this wilderness in 1880 as, “the very wildest and most exciting description, surpassing in some ways those of the far-famed Yosemite Valley.”

We walked farther up the trail, fol>>> Go to AdventuresNW.com

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Ford’s Terror lowing in Muir’s footsteps, towards a view of the gorge behind the rapids, encountering the first of several tiny kettle ponds cut out of hard granite and surrounded by a cushion of heather and moss. The rain had finally let up. Yellow pond lilies dotted the mirror-like surface and frilly white buckbean graced the edges. I always love finding and pointing out the small carnivorous sundew. It lives in poor soils and to supplement its diet it catches tiny insects with its sticky hairs and then dissolves the helpless bugs into a nutrient-rich buggy slurry, using its digestive enzymes.

Soon we reached a spot overlooking the gorge where 134 years ago John Muir stood with his guide Tyeen as they plotted how to shoot the tidal rapids. The view then and now - was breathtaking. From this higher viewpoint we watched the fast flowing green water swirl and form whirl-

pools. Eddies caught long strands of kelp.

The motion of the water was hypnotic and it was almost unbelievable how fast it flowed. I followed the motion of the water with my eyes to where it slowed and the gorge opened wide and the imposing rocks reached for the sky.

The trail steepened and we crossed into a stand of small trees that were clustered close together. There was another oddball plant - northern ground cone which looks like a pine cone growing out of the soil. It’s parasitic and gets its nutrition from the roots of trees such as alder. Bears like to eat these fleshy starchy plants. I dropped down to get a picture, and the moss was soft against my knees. I also found an orchid called Western coralroot which works with the cooperation of fungal mycorrhizae on its roots to extract nutrients from dead organic material. We were almost ready

to move on when I found one of my favorite flowers, the dainty shy maiden with its waxy-white flower head bowed down. We lingered here a little longer before continuing on to the trail’s end.

We emerged on top of a cliff and I sat down on the rock to take it all in.

Several hundred feet below, the David B looked like a bathtub toy. Two seals, a mother and her pup, swam near the boat. On their shallow dives, we could see them, but when they dove deeper they disappeared in the silty jadecolored water. I wondered if they knew what a fantastical place they lived in.

From this vantage, the half-mile wide entrance to Ford’s Terror gave way to Endicott Arm. The high snow-capped peaks on the far side were partially obscured by clouds. A never ending armada of icebergs, calved from Dawes Glacier, floated silently past the entrance. I put my feet up, pondered the seals, John Muir, and the icebergs, and simply enjoyed the view.

ANW

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Profiles in the North Cascades: Ana Maria Spagna

By Christian Martin

L

ike many people who choose to live in the North Cascades, Ana Maria Spagna has patched together jobs, passions, and pursuits that inform and inspire each other.

Through perseverance and pluck, she has created a life and livelihood in one of the more remote communities in America: Stehekin, a village of fewer than one hundred year-round residents that is accessible only by float plane, a threehour boat ride, or a long hike over the mountains.

“I had never been there, didn’t know you had to take a boat to get there,” she admits. “I arrived and saw those mountains and was completely wowed!”

The community of Stehekin sits at the northwest end of Lake Chelan, a fifty-five-mile-long fjord-like lake carved by glaciers, the third deepest lake in the country. The village is surrounded by steep mountains rising seven thousand feet above the valley floor. There are no shopping malls or Starbucks, though the internet and a few phones connect

Spagna grew up in Riverside, California, but a camping trip to Oregon as a teenager connected her with the natural world of the Pacific Northwest. “I loved the green forests and the blue sky and even the rain,” she remembers, “and I swore that if I ever made it back, I’d never leave.”

After graduating from college, she spent a summer volunteering with the Student Conservation Association in Canyonlands National Park, which led her to apply for jobs in other parks around the West. She landed in Stehekin in 1990 at age twenty-two to work for the North Cascades National Park.

inhabitants to the outside world. Cabins are scattered for nine miles up the valley along the meandering Stehekin River.

Summertime temperatures can be upward of 100 degrees Fahrenheit, while winters bring long periods of snow and subfreezing temperatures. It is a place for people who like solitude and living close to nature.

Spagna was first assigned a desk job, but she spent every weekend exploring the mountains, eventually joining a trail crew. The transitory nature of trail work had her stationed in Dominique Zervas Marblemount for a couple of years 1909 Broadway, Bellingham and then out of 360.733.2010 www.zervaslaw.com Darrington, working in the Glacier Real Estate • Land Use • Business Formation Peak Wilderness, Exceptional Service • Meaningful Solutions for a few more.

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She cleared trails with chainsaw, brush whips, and loppers, maintained bridges, worked on tread with a pulaski, and cleared rockslides with explosives.

She would often camp in the woods for eight days at a time, putting in ten-hour days with a crew of four or five people, mostly men.

“It was empowering to learn to do the kind of work that would usually be men’s work,” she recalls. “Learning to use a chainsaw in particular was a challenge, but I gained confidence and endurance. I love the kind of work where you can see what you accomplished at the end of the day.”

All the while, Spagna was writing about her unfolding life in her journal and turning her experiences into essays. She published pieces in Orion, Utne Reader, Backpacker, Oregon Quarterly and High Country News about the North Cascades trail work, and the joys and challenges of living in a remote community.

“Stehekin is a place where you see people interacting with wild country on an everyday basis,” she explains. “It’s really shaped how I see the world and inspired my writing. I’m very leery of anything that separates nature from the human experience. The more we can see them as integrated experiences, the better our world will be.”

Her essays - displaying a keen eye for natural detail, a wry sense of humor, humility, and a generous, heartfelt style of storytelling - have been collected in the award-winning books Now Go Home and Potluck.

“Any of us doing any work, but especially writers, need some solitude, a quiet place,” Spagna reflects. “There’s something about a place that is left alone like the North Cascades that gives you the ANW grounding to tell stories.”

Reprinted from The North Cascades: Finding Beauty and Renewal in the Wild Nearby published by Mountaineers Books >>> Go to AdventuresNW.com

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Cascadia Gear:

Black Diamond Venom Ice Axe

Gear Dates Spotlight:

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Essential Tools for Glacier Travel

by Chris Gerston Whatcom County is home to at least 25 glaciers on Baker, Shuksan, Watson, Terror, Bacon, and other local peaks in the North Cascades. The alpine’s stark rock and ice offer dramatic and inspiring high-country travel and with the right knowledge, experience, clothing and equipment, glacier travel is an exhilarating experience.

You’ll need rope, carabineers, slings, anchors, harness, and other technical safety gear. But first and foremost, the right ice axe and crampons are essential for an enjoyable - and safe - experience on the ice.

C.A.M.P. is an Italian company that makes the lightest crampons and ice axes available, and their basic 12-point Stalker crampon features steel for durability, anti-balling plates for safety, and a price that is easy on your wallet. Keep in mind that if weight is an issue, aluminum crampons like C.A.M.P.’s XLC 390 will lighten your load by almost a full pound.

For a general workhorse mountaineering ice axe, we look to our local Whatcom County manufacturer, SMC, for their Capra ice axe. Its pick excels at self-arresting, the wide adze works well for chopping quick flat spots. It carries comfortably in your hand, and is both durable and light. For slightly more adventurous souls who want to put themselves in steeper terrain, we salivate in the shop over Black Diamond’s Venom ice axe with interchangeable picks for mixing up your glacier travel with some steep neve, that perfect condition of summer snow for climbing higher. It also has a bent shaft just below the head of the axe to avoid bashing your knuckles while still allowing it to be used as an anchor without creating a wonky hole. Pure, simple alpine fun. Enjoy!

Chris Gerston owns Backcountry Essentials, an outdoor specialty shop located at 214 W. Holly in Bellingham, WA. Check out more gear reviews by Chris Gerston at AdventuresNW.com

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Climbing Mt Everest

Arc’teryx Cerium LT Down Jacket Warm and light.

That’s the name of the game for mid layers.

The Arc’teryx Cerium LT down jacket nails that objective with style and panache.

The lightest down jacket that Arc’teryx makes at 8.6 ounces, the Cerium LT is constructed using down composite mapping. This technique deploys 850-fill European goose down in the core and moisture-resistant Coreloft™ synthetic insulation in the forearms and underarms to help keep you warm by staying dry. Elastic in the waist helps lock body heat in and the collar, when fully zipped, creates a seal around your neck. One of the two zippered pockets contains a stuff sack that stores the jacket in your pack. The nylon is 20-denier (instead of the 10-denier that is common on ultra-light garments), making it durable enough to wear as an outer layer. Typical of Arc’teryx products, the Cerium LT is thoughtfully engineered and beautifully manufactured.

More info: arcteryx.com

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Race I Play I Experience

7 March - 4 April 2015

MARCH >>> Saturday, 7 March CYCLING Mussels in the Kettles––10:00 am – 1:00 pm.

Non-competitive Mountain Bike and poker ride on Whidbey Island. Three routes: Easy 8+ miles with double track, Moderate 10+ miles single and double track, and Expert 13+ miles technical single track, and a out of bounds area for serious riders.

First 225 adult registered riders receive a pair of socks. All riders receive a free beverage at the Mussel Fest tent, at the Rec. Hall, 901 NW Alexander Street, Coupeville WA.

Thursday, 12 March SPECIAL Recreation Northwest EXPO––Lakeway Inn, 4:00 pm – 8:00 pm. Bring your friends and family to check out the best and the brightest in local and regional outdoor recreation at the Recreation Northwest EXPO at the Best Western Plus Lakeway Inn. Win great door prizes, meet awesome people

and hear great speakers. This is your chance to connect with the resources you need for a healthy year ahead.

Strong Ride––Haller Middle School, 8:00 am – 4:00 pm. Ride through the Oso Landslide, support local trails and tourism. 34 and 56 scenic miles.

Saturday - Sunday, 14-15 March Saturday, 14 March SPECIAL Bellingham St. Patrick’s Day Parade––Ohio Street and Cornwall, 12:00 pm – 2:30 pm.

Bellingham St. Patrick’s Day Parade is a nonprofit, community-wide event honoring local law enforcement & public safety personnel by celebrating and inspiring sustainability in the hope of making our city a cleaner, greener, safer place. The parade begins at Noon on Saturday, March 14, 2015 from the corner of Ohio St. & Cornwall Ave. More info at stpatsbham.com or email us at stpatsbham@gmail.com.

Special thanks to our proud sponsor Boundary Bay Brewery & Bistro.

Sunday, 15 March CYCLING McClinchy Mile Oso

SPECIAL Wings Over Water Festival––Blaine Middle School, 9:00 am – 5:00 pm. Wings Over Water birding festival celebrates the incredible variety of migratory birds that visit Blaine, Semiahmoo & Birch Bay located on the Pacific Flyway in the Northwest corner of Washington State. Saturday activities include wildlife field trips, open water birding cruises, wildlife demonstrations, arts & crafts, kid’s activities, expert wildlife speakers, photography workshops, Uptown Art Painting Class and more! Sunday activities include Birding Breakfast, afternoon workshops and fieldtrips in Birch Bay.

Lake by way of the Interurban Trail.

Trail conditions may include snow, slick rocks, and fallen trees. Supported by a great team of organizers, sponsors, volunteers and ultrarunners.

APRIL >>> Saturday, 4 April

Saturday, 21 March

RUN/WALK Honeywagon Runs––Nooksack Valley Middle School, 8:00 am – 12:00 pm. The 33rd annual Honeywagon Runs consists of a Half Marathon, 4 mile run and a Kids 10 and under 1/2 mile run.

This years race will be Saturday April 4th, 2015, at Nooksack Valley Middle School. Online registration for this event will be open from Sunday February 1st until Wednesday April 1st.

There will be day of race registration.

Entry fees will increase by $5.00 for non members on race day. Register at GBRC.net!

RUN/WALK Chuckanut 50k–– 8:00 am – 4:00 pm. In its 23rd year, the Chuckanut 50k is an ultra marathon that winds its way from downtown Fairhaven to the trailhead at Fragrance

RUN/WALK Tulip Run––Skagit Regional Airport, 9:30 am – 11:30 am. The tulip run is a flat and fast rural course at the Skagit Regional Airport. The 5 mile and 2 mile courses consist of mostly

Craig Dunstan-McGrail: A Singular Vision

As an abstract photographer I use a camera to capture images that are not normally identifiable at first glance and then create a final image that becomes something other than what initially caught my eye.

I enjoy living in the Northwest, but spend far more time in a controlled environment than I do in a natural one. One of my goals as an artist is to use objects and places that I run across in my everyday life. The images shown here are part of my series on storms and other weather-related effects caused by global warming.

See more of Craig’s work at SoloSkyStudio.com Clockwise from top: From Above and Below, A Burst of Yellow, Phfft!, Too Much Sun

The art of nature

eARTh event listings at AdventuresNW.com

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race I play I experience

4 April (cont.) - 24 May 2015 hard packed gravel trails with a small portion being on the road. The course will be clearly marked. Due to the course restrictions, participants must finish within 2 hours. One aid station will be located at approximately 2.5 miles on the 5 mile course. Restrooms located at start/finish area.

bag and a chance to win some of our great prizes.

Sunday, 26 April RUN/WALK Mud & Chocolate Trail Runs Half Marathon––Redmond Watershed Preserve, 9:30 am – 1:00 pm. Trail run with chocolate medals and goodies at the finish.

MAY >>> Saturday, 18 April RUN/WALK Fun With The Fuzz 5k––Bellingham Police Department, 9:00 am – 12:00 pm. The 6th annual Fun With The Fuzz 5k is a road race in Bellingham, WA that supports families of police officers who are killed in the line of duty. 100% of the proceeds are donated directly to the Behind the Badge Foundation. Entry fee includes chip timing, t-shirt, pint glass, grocery

Saturday, 2 May RUN/WALK Haggen to Haggen 5K Race and Walk––Sehome village Haggen, 8:00 am – 12:00 pm. Haggen to Haggen 5k will be on Saturday May 2, 2015 at the Sehome Village Haggen Store.

All participants start at 8:00 am. Finish is at the Meridian Haggen with shuttles back to the start. Day of race registration and packet pick-up begins at 7:00 am. Packets may also be picked

Visit AdventuresNW.com for complete listings of Outdoor events throughout 2015

EXPO

Recreation Northwest

up at the Sehome Haggen from 2-7 PM on Friday, May 2nd. See gbrc.net for more information.

Saturday, 9 May CYCLING Skagit Spring Classic––Bayview Elementary School, 7:00 am – 4:00 pm. This year’s ride through Northern Skagit and Southern Whatcom Counties features splendid rural forest and marine views. Ride includes: our famous homemade cookies, rest stops, sags, showers, end of ride allyou-can-eat pasta feed from 11:00 am to 5:00 pm. Registration open from: 7:00 am to 11:00 am. Food and rest stops are closed at 4pm. Riders that wish to complete a century must be on course by 8am.

Sunday, 10 May RUN/WALK Eugene Marathon–– Hayward Field, 7:00 am – 2:00 pm. Join us for fast times and an action-packed

weekend as Historic Hayward Field hosts thousands of participants, fans and volunteers from around the globe. All your established running events are on the starting block for the 2015 Eugene Marathon including the Kids Duck Dash, 5k, Half Marathon and the ninth annual Eugene Marathon, starting at 7am on Sunday, May 10th.

Sunday, 24 May SPECIAL Ski To Sea Race––Mt. Baker to Bellingham, 7:45 am – 6:00 pm. The Ski to Sea Race is an epic multi-sport relay race from Mt Baker to Bellingham Bay. The relay consists of cross-country skiing, downhill skiing or snowboarding, running, biking, canoeing, cross county biking and sea kayaking. A team will consist of one person for each leg of the race, except for the

Recreation Northwest.org

Lakeway Inn Bellingham, WA Thursday, March 12th 4:00pm - 8:00pm

Featured Speakers @ 7:00pm Krissy Moehl Trail Running Ambassador William Dietrich & Christian Martin Authors: The North Cascades

Where will you run in 2015?

January 11th ..................Lake Samish Runs ....................6.5 & 13.1 miles February 14th ................Two For The Road ...................5K March 8th ........................Padden Mudfest......................6 mile trail run April 4th ...........................Honeywagon Runs...................4 & 13.1 miles May 2nd ..........................Haggen To Haggen ................5K June13th ..........................Race Beneath The Sun............5 miles July 11th ..........................Chuckanut Foot Race ..............7 mile trail run September.......................LK Padden Relay ....................4x2.6 miles November 21st...............Turkey Trot................................5K December 5th .................Fairhaven Frosty......................5K & 10K

Greater Bellingham Running Club • 10 races • $30-$50 Annual Memberships • 501(c)(3) non-profit • gbrc.net 46

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24 May (cont.) - 6 July 2015 canoe leg (2 paddlers per canoe). A person may compete on only one team, and in only one leg of the race.

Saturday - Sunday, 30-31 May SPECIAL Gap2Gap––Yakima, 7:30 am – 1:00 pm. May 30: Jr Gap2Gap Relay – Run, Bike, Steeple Chase, Kayak, Obstacle Course. Teams or Solo. May 31: Adult Gap2Gap3.5k Fjeld Run, 18m Bike, 7m Mt Bike, 5.5k Run, 4m River Paddle. www. yakimagreenway.org 509-453-8280

JUNE >>> Saturday, 6 June CYCLING Apple Century Bike Ride––Wenatchee Valley, 8:00 am – 5:00 pm. Come and Ride for a Reason!

The ride will start in Wenatchee at Walla Walla Point Park, then follow along the Wenatchee River as it winds through Monitor, Cashmere, Dryden and Peshastin until you reach Leavenworth. The 100-milers will continue on, to the Lake Wenatchee Fire Staton where they will turn around for the trip back to Walla Walla Point Park. Please visit www. applebikeride.com for more ride info and to see how we use proceeds!

Saturday, 13 June RUN/WALK Race Beneath the Sun––Fairhaven Park, 10:00 am – 12:00 pm. Join us for the Race Beneath the Sun, a 5 mile race and 1/2 mile kids fun run at Fairhaven Park in Bellingham.

This race takes place Saturday June 13, 2015 at 10:00 am, with the kids run starting 15 minutes earlier. For more information, please see the websitegbrc.net.

Saturday, 27 June RUN/WALK Bridle Trails Park Foundation – Party in the Park 2015––Bridle Trails State Park, 8:00 am – 12:00 pm. 5K & 10K Trail Runs.

Quest Adventure Races Endurance Scavenger Hunt

Sunday, 28 June RUN/WALK Kona Marathon Events––Kona Marathon, 5:30 am – 1:30 pm. Welcome to Paradise! The Kona/Kohala Coast on the Big Island is well known as the ultimate vacation destination in Hawaii. All four races, Marathon, 1/2 Marathon, Quarter Marathon, and 5K courses run along the spectacular scenic drive throughout the Waikoloa Beach Resort offering beautiful views. The Marathon and 1/2 Marathon courses extend into the unique black lava volcanic landscape.

Experience the true aloha of Hawaii.

RUN THE ROCK! RUN/WALK Bellingham KIDS Traverse––Civic Field, 10:00 am – 12:00 pm. Get Hooked on the Bellingham KIDS Traverse, a fun relay race that celebrates the journey of wild salmon. 6 – 12 year olds form solo, tandem and relay teams to run, bike and compete on an obstacle course through Bellingham’s Civic Field. The course includes a Run (1 mi), Mountain Bike (1.5 mi), Obstacle Course (.5 mi), Team TREK (.25 mi).

JULY >>> Thursday-Monday, 2-6 July CYCLING Northwest Tandem Rally 2015––Lakeway Inn Best Western Plus, July 2nd 2:00 pm – July 6th 5:00 pm. Here’s your 2015 cycling vacation. Join us in our coast city during the best time of year. Enjoy

Challenging Terrain Recreation and Expert Teams Professional Courses Qualifier for Nationals

Bellingham, July 25, 2015 Adventures NW, Coast Mountain Culture, Mt Baker Experience, Outdoors NW Kulshan Quest.com

Saturday July 11

28 th Annual

2015

Iron Person & Relay

.3-mile swim 14.8-mile bike 4-mile run

Plus a YOUTH TRI

(flotation devices allowed & parents encouraged to participate with their kids)

360.336.9414 tonyt@co.skagit.wa.us

skagitcounty.net/parksandrecreation event listings at AdventuresNW.com

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6 July (cont.) - 29 August 2015

race I play I experience 4 days of cycling on quiet roads with views of ocean, lakes, mountains, forests, rivers, and farms. What’s waiting for you at NWTR, July 2-6 2015: Fully supported rides, meals with fresh local cuisine, banquet featuring The Atlantics, vendor fair, options for whale watching, kayaking, crab dinner cruise, craft beer tasting party, and on and on!

Saturday, 11 July RUN/WALK Clear Lake Triathlon–– Clear Lake Beach, 9:00 am – 12:00 pm.

Iron Person & Teams, Youth Triathlon.

Saturday, 18 July CYCLING Tour de Whatcom–– Whatcom County, all-day. Beginning and ending at the Bellingham Farmer’s Market in front of Boundary Bay Brewery. Tour de Whatcom offers three routes: 22 miles, 44 miles or 105 miles – each winding through lush, scenic Whatcom County and offering views of Mt. Baker, Lake Whatcom, valleys, rivers, farmland, beaches and Puget Sound in one fairly level ride.

Saturday, 25 July SPECIAL Kulshan Quest Adventure Race––7:00 am – 7:00 pm. Are you smart enough? At Kulshan Quest Adventure Race you are given maps with checkpoints identified 30 minutes before the start. It’s up to you and

Run

your team to decide the routes you take on foot, mountain bike and kayak.

Check out last year’s maps, checkpoints and passport to get a taste.

New to the scene? Try the Recreation (4-6 hour) course. Seasoned or adventurous thrill-seekers try the Expert (8-12 hour) course.

AUGUST >>> Saturday, 22 August RUN/WALK Volcano Rain Forest Runs Half Marathon–– Kona Marathon, 7:00 am – 12:00 pm. FEEL THE POWER of Hawaii while running on the world’s most active volcano, Kilauea.

Saturday, 29 August SPECIAL Muds to Suds––Hovander Homestead Park, 9:00 am – 5:00 pm. Get your mud on! The Muds to Suds mud run features 22 dirty obstacles, including 8 mud pits, that combine athletic stamina and your child hood fantasy of playing in the mud! You will need endurance to complete this 5K obstacle course, humility to wallow in the mud and a

the Bay

Marathon, Half Marathon, 10K & 5K

9th Annual Event

September 27th, 2015 • Beautiful USATF-certified courses, chip timing • Pacing, finisher medals for full and half marathon • Quality short-sleeve tech shirts for all participants • Finish festival with music, food and beer garden!

Save $10 on the full/half or $5 on the 10K/5K with code ANW15

bellinghambaymarathon.org 48

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29 August (cont.) - 27 September 2015 smile to show off at the finish line!

Kids ages 8 and up are welcome to join their parents in this family friendly event.

Saturday, 12 September RUN/WALK Fairhaven Runners Waterfront 15K––Fairhaven Village Green, 8:30 am – 11:30 am. This race’s distance and course are quite unique. A 15K is longer than your typical 5 or 10K, but not as long as the somewhat daunting half marathon.

It’s the perfect length to show off your summer fitness or a great tune up for a marathon in the fall. Rarely can you experience a scenic course on road, trail and boardwalk with views of Bellingham Bay, the San Juans, Mt. Baker and the Olympic Mountains.

Advertiser Index

Allied Arts.................................................................. 39 American Alpine Institute....................................... 13 Appel Farms & The Cheese Shop......................... 12 Appliance Depot...................................................... 21 Avenue Bread.............................................................. 8 Back Porch Wine & Spirits..................................... 23 Bagelry, The.................................................................. 8 Barkley Village Family Dentistry............................ 12 Bellingham Bay Marathon....................................... 48 Bellingham Frameworks.......................................... 13 Bellingham/Whatcom County Tourism............... 29 Boo’s Parlour............................................................. 35 Boundary Bay Brewery........................................... 35 Brandon Nelson - Keller Williams Real Estate.......20 Busara Thai Cuisine.................................................. 38 Colophon Cafe......................................................... 23 Community Boating Center.................................. 21 D’Anna’s Cafe Italiano............................................... 7 Danne Neill - Muljat Group................................... 38 David Mauro - UBS Financial................................. 44 Dawn Durand - Windermere Real Estate.......... 33 Erinn Nobel - eXp Realty....................................... 16 Fairhaven Bicycle...................................................... 23 Fairhaven Runners & Walkers................................ 19 Family Care Network............................................... 9 Favinger Plumbing.................................................... 25 Fun with the Fuzz..................................................... 47 Gato Verde Adventure Sailing................................ 23 GBRC-Chuckanut Foot Race................................ 46 Heritage Bank (Whidbey Island Bank).................. 5 iClean.......................................................................... 25 JM Electric.................................................................. 20 Josh Feyen - REMAX............................................... 35 Ken Harrison/Coldwell Banker Bain.................... 22

Sunday, 20 September CYCLING Chuckanut Century–– Bellingham and Whatcom County, all-day. Come join us for one of the most scenic rides in Washington. Pick your distance ranging from 25, 38, 50, 62, 100, or the double metric century of 124 miles. Ride support & food stops with a wide variety of high-energy food and drinks along all of the routes. All routes are gorgeous: views of the San Juan Islands, Chuckanut and Blanchard mountains, Mt Baker, the Canadian Cascades, Mt Shuksan, the Twin Sisters, Birch Bay, and Vancouver Island.

race I play I experience ingham Bay, San Juan Islands, mountain views and a touch of trail in Bellingham, Washington. Enjoy what many runners have commented is “the most beautiful marathon in the Pacific Northwest. 9th Annual Event. www.bellinghambaymarathon.org

ADVENTURES NW >>>

ANW

Don’t get up.

We deliver.

Visit AdventuresNW.com for complete listings of Outdoor events throughout 2015

AdventuresNW.com/subscribe Photo by Buff Black

Sunday, 27 September RUN/WALK Bellingham Bay Marathon, Half Marathon and 5K Run––7:30 am – 3:00 pm. Come Kulshan Brewery...................................................... 52 Kulshan Cycles.......................................................... 16 Labels.......................................................................... 20 LFS Marine & Outdoor........................................... 39 Lithtex NW............................................................... 49 Mallard Ice Cream.................................................... 32 McKay’s Taphouse....................................................... 2 MBBC/Chuckanut Century.................................... 48 MBBC/Tandem Rally................................................ 49 Mount Baker Mountain Guides............................. 41 North Cascades Institute....................................... 39 North Cascades Mountain Guides...................... 35 North Fork Brewery............................................... 12 NW European Autoworks..................................... 43 Northwest Navigation............................................ 41 Peace Health............................................................... 6 Peoples Bank............................................................... 3 Recreation Northwest - Expo.............................. 46 Recreation Northwest - Traverse/Quest............ 47 ReStore, The.............................................................. 34 Sally Farrell - Coldwell Bain Real Estate............. 25 San Juan Sailing.......................................................... 13 Silver Reef Casino.................................................... 51 Skagit Co Parks - Clear Lake Triathlon............... 47 Skagit Valley Food Co-op........................................ 13 Tourism Ucluelet...................................................... 17 Village Books............................................................. 23 Vital Choice Wild Seafood and Organics............ 21 Whatcom Educational Credit Union................... 41 Whatcom Family YMCA......................................... 35 Whatcom Transportation Authority...................... 4 Whisky Landing Lodge............................................ 15 Yoga Northwest....................................................... 23 Yoga with Susan D’Onofrio................................... 33 Zaremba Paxton PS................................................. 31 Zervas Law................................................................ 42

event listings at AdventuresNW.com experience the natural beauty of Bell-

360.676.1977 • www.lithtexnw.com

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the

Next

Adventure

The View from Jonsrud photo by Paul Didsayabutra It has been my dream to get a shot of Mt. Hood from Jonsrud Viewpoint, located in Sandy, Oregon, about 30 miles west of the mountain. My first two visits to the viewpoint didn’t work out so well. The first time a fog bank was so thick that Mt. Hood was almost invisible. On the second trip I had the opposite problem: not a cloud in the sky. But the third time was the charm. Low-lying fog lingering over the Sandy River combined with the vivid rays of sunrise to make the scene surreal and spectacular.

One thing’s certain: this won’t be my last time to visit Jonsrud viewpoint!

Explore the remarkable photography of Paul Didsayabutra at: 500px.com/PDidsayabutra

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