Mount Baker Experience | Spring 2014

ADVENTURES IN THE PACIFIC NORTHWEST

SPRING 2014

Liz Daley: Mountain Slayist Hut-to-Hut Skiing Spring Summit Hikes

MOUNTBAKEREXPERIENCE.COM

SPECIAL PUBLICATION OF THE NORTHERN LIGHT

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MAY 25, 2014

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MOUNT BAKER EXPERIENCE | SPRING 2014

From Mt. Baker To Bellingham Bay 7 Sports • 4,000 Racers • 500 Teams Over 90 Miles Of Pure Fun MOUNTBAKEREXPERIENCE.COM

PUBLISHER’S NOTE

BY PAT GRUBB

L

ocal legend Franz Gabl, 92, passed away in January. Born in Austria in 1921, he was drafted into the German army and fought on the Russian front until captured by enemy forces. He managed to escape and returned to his home in St. Anton in 1945.

In 1948, he won a silver medal in downhill racing at the Winter Olympics in St. Moritz, Switzerland.

Franz went on to become the head coach for the Canadian women’s ski team and subsequently, the men’s team as well.

Franz moved to Bellingham and became a local fixture of the Mt. Baker ski community. He ran and operated a ski shop and

school on the mountain as well as one in Bellingham. He was instrumental in planning and organizing the first Ski to Sea race in 1973.

The next time you ride down Gabl’s under Chair 5, think of Franz and his contribution to the snow community.

It’s been a strange winter, weather-wise. As I write, we’re still waiting for serious, sustained snowfall – we’ve got our fingers crossed. At least we’re not living back east. Brrr!

This issue is kind of a transitional one, seeing as it covers subjects such as building your own snow cave as well as more Springlike subjects such as hiking.

We’re looking forward to our summer edition – it will be all about running, biking, hiking and climbing.

Pray for snow!

MOUNT BAKER EXPERIENCE PUBLISHERS Patrick Grubb and Louise Mugar

SHUKSAN

Official Mascot of the Mount Baker Experience

backcountry

EDITOR Ian Ferguson

STAFF WRITERS Ian Ferguson Brandy Shreve PUBLICATION DESIGN Doug De Visser

ADVERTISING DESIGN Ruth Lauman Doug De Visser

ADVERTISING SALES Molly Ernst Judy Fjellman Janet McCall Catherine Darkenwald OFFICE MANAGER Amy Weaver CONTRIBUTORS IN THIS ISSUE Brad Andrew, Brett Baunton, Nathan Dalla Santa, Grant Gunderson, Dylan Hallet, Dylan Hart, Jason Hummel, Kossette Isakson, Patrick Kennedy, Aubrey Laurence, Sue Madsen, Jason D. Martin, Heather Nelson, Patrick O’Neil, David Riffle, Neil Schulman, John Scurlock, Cory Tarilton, Kat Thorney, Quinn Welsch EMAIL: info@mountbakerexperience.com

FACEBOOK: facebook.com/mtbakerexperience

WEB: www.mountbakerexperience.com

TWITTER: twitter.com/MB_Experience

If you can see Mt. Baker, you’re part of the experience. Mount Baker Experience is a quarterly outdoor recreation guide for and about the Mt. Baker area, published by Point Roberts Press, Inc. and distributed from Seattle to Vancouver, B.C. Locally owned, the company also publishes The Northern Light, All Point Bulletin, Pacific Coast Weddings, Waterside and area maps.

Vol. XXVIII, No. 2. Printed in Canada. ©2014 POINT ROBERTS PRESS 225 Marine Drive, Blaine, WA 98230 TEL: 360/332-1777

Winter, Spring, Early Summer

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NEXT ISSUE Summer 2014 • On stands late May Run • Hike • Bike • Climb Ad reservation deadine: April 18

ON THE COVER Liz Daley, mountain guide and professional snowboarder, rides down Mt. Baker’s Coleman Deming Glacier.

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SPRING 2014 | MOUNT BAKER EXPERIENCE

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SPRING 2014 IN THIS ISSUE

26

Bellingham’s new park – the largest local park in Washington

28

GETTING RAD WITH LIZ DALEY Guiding on Mt. Baker and in Chamonix

10 SPRING SUMMIT HIKES

19

BUILD YOUR OWN SUP

DIY in the spring, paddle all summer

20 THE BONNINGTON TRAVERSE

From Dirtyface to Seymour

Natural spas off the beaten path

12 HOT SPRINGS CIRCUIT

Hut-to-hut skiing in southern B.C.

22 SPRING GALLERY

No adventure is out of reach

30 PHOTOGRAPHIC MEANING

Maëlle Ricker heads to Sochi

39 RACING TOWARDS STEWARDSHIP

16 HELI RESCUE TEAM

32 WILDERNESS COOKING

33 GELATO AND ESPRESSO

An interview with Jason Hummel The last resort is in jeopardy

Improve your craft

Tips for better backcountry meals

Stay active

37 MUSIC HIGHWAY

SNOW CAVES

Survive snowy nights in style

MOUNT BAKER EXPERIENCE | SPRING 2014

A glacier tele skier’s unique technique

Great local musicians

38 CYCLOCROSS NORTHWEST

43 FLOWING DOWN THE MOUNTAIN PHOTO BY DAVID RIFFLE

Gear up for the season

36 EVENTS CALENDAR

Saving the local women’s division

On Mt. Baker Highway

34 SPRING GEAR GUIDE

Rec. NW melds recreation with conservation

39 MOUNT BAKER: A LOCAL HISTORY 40 THE LAST VIEW 42 SKI TO SEA 2014

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OLYMPIC DREAMS

14 BACKCOUNTRY PHOTOGRAPHER

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18

A friendly, dirty pursuit

8

BIRDING FESTIVALS Along the Pacific Flyway

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Sign-up online or onsite to win great DOOR PRIZES! Sponsors & Partners Best Western Plus Lakeway Inn, Bellingham Whatcom County Tourism, Sustainable Connections, Mount Baker Experience, KISM and Adventures NW Magazine, Port of Bellingham, Village Books, Lithtex NW, Greenleaf Accounting, Brownlie, Evans, Wolf and Lee.

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Recreation Northwest.org SPRING 2014 | MOUNT BAKER EXPERIENCE

5

AT HOME IN THE SNOW

BUILDING A SNOW CAVE IS A GREAT WAY TO SURVIVE THE ELEMENTS DURING COLD NIGHTS IN THE MOUNTAINS.

STORY AND PHOTO BY IAN FERGUSON

W

hether you want to claim first tracks at the resort the next day or stay warm on an extended camping trip, building a snow cave can help you stay warm and cozy through cold nights in the mountains.

Snow is a tremendous building material. Once disturbed, it sets up like concrete in a matter of minutes. Because it traps air molecules between ice crystals, it insulates nearly as well as goose down. It can be sculpted with just a shovel, and in the spring near Mt. Baker, it’s (usually) abundant.

Growing up in New England, my brother and I built forts in the snow banks that piled up in our driveway every winter.

We envisioned miniature snow mansions complete with slides, escape tunnels, secret entrances, pantries and game rooms. Inevitably, the forts would turn out to be little more than a couple of connecting tunnels, and would usually be destroyed in the ensuing snowball fight.

The idea that digging snow is harder than you might expect is something to consider when thinking about creating your own snow cave. I forgot this small detail when my friends and I skied out from the backcountry lot at Heather Meadows at 3 p.m. in the midst of a blizzard, shovels in hand. Three hours later I was soaked to the bone, shivering and sore, but we had a banger snow cave and we passed the night in relative comfort despite dire conditions outside our home in the snow.

My companions, Kat Thorney and Taylor Riopel Smith, learned how to build snow caves (also known as “quinzees”) from instructors while earning backcountry leadership certifications. I followed their lead, and the results worked out well.

Disclaimer: this article is for inspirational purposes only, and should not be taken as an instructional manual. Surviving a night outdoors in the winter is no joke; it requires proper gear and the knowledge to use it.

HOW TO BUILD A SNOW CAVE • Choose a location well away from any avalanche run-out zones. To do this, imagine a line of sight between yourself and

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MOUNT BAKER EXPERIENCE | SPRING 2014

the top of any nearby slope. If the angle between your line of sight and the flat ground beneath your feet (called the “alpha angle”) is 20 degrees or greater, you’re too close to the slope.

If you’re not good at judging angles, err on the side of caution and get farther away. If your chosen spot is near trees, make sure there are no dead branches or trees that might fall on your shelter.

• Make a pile. If the snow depth at your chosen site is greater than 6 feet, you can skip this step. Otherwise, create a roughly circular pile of snow at least 6 feet tall with a diameter at least a meter longer than the height of the tallest person in your group.

• Pack it down. Stomp on the pile, hit it with your shovel, roll on it or pat it with your hands. You don’t need to pack the snow very much thanks to the next step, but make sure you’ve hit every area of the pile.

• Wait for at least 20 minutes before digging. Disturbed snow crystals re-bond and harden over time – you’ll be amazed at how even the fluffiest powder firms up after it resettles. Giving the pile 20 minutes to half an hour of settling time ensures that it won’t collapse on you during the digging process.

• Dig your shelter so that the lowest point is the entryway.

This might require digging a trench outside your snow pile before beginning to dig into it. When tunneling into the pile, keep in mind that you’re going to have to remove a lot of snow through the entrance hole. We built our entrance hole 4 feet tall and 3 feet wide to minimize crawling during the excavation process. It helps to have one person excavating and everyone else clearing excavated snow in a single-file conveyor system.

Once you’ve tunneled in a couple of feet, you can angle the tunnel upward and start to widen out a chamber.

• Be an architect. You can get pretty creative in your chamber design, but keep a few things in mind: • Cold air settles, so a foot-wide trench angling down from the sleeping area to the entrance hole will do wonders for keeping the space warm.

• Packed snow weighs about 800 pounds (350 kg) per cubic

meter, and domes are the strongest structures in nature. Make your ceiling a dome, and smooth it out so it doesn’t drip on you if it starts to melt.

• If you’ll be hanging out in your cave (as opposed to just sleeping), make a space tall enough to comfortably sit up in.

We created a “mud room” between our sleeping shelf and our entrance tall enough for standing. It was a convenient place to cook and put gear, but it required a lot of digging.

• Smaller spaces will stay warmer. Try to strike a balance between the structural integrity of your cave, the amount you’re willing to work, how warm you want to be and your tolerance for tight quarters.

• Snow is stronger than you might think, but make sure your walls are thick enough to support your ceiling. You can use the measurements on an avalanche probe to gauge the thickness of your walls and roof. Shoot for about a foot or two of thickness, with walls thicker than the roof. Dig up as high as you want to go before digging out as far as you want to go. If the chamber will be more than six feet wide, consider leaving structural columns of snow to support the roof in the middle.

• Poke ventilation holes. Opinions vary on this front. Our small ventilation holes were promptly covered by falling snow and we had no trouble breathing, but carbon dioxide can collect in a confined space and cause asphyxiation.

• Personalize your space. Sticks poked into walls make great hooks for hanging gear. You can pile snow for shelves or dig out nooks for lanterns or food. If you really want to contain body heat in your cave, you can reseal the entrance hole by stacking blocks of snow, waiting a few minutes for it to harden, then carving out a smaller entrance tunnel, which you can then plug with a backpack. We left our entry hole wide open and our space hovered at a toasty 38 degrees Fahrenheit all night.

• Put down sleeping pads to insulate yourself from the snow while you sleep. It goes without saying, but you’ll need a warm sleeping bag.

• Mark your cave by standing up skis or poles around its MOUNTBAKEREXPERIENCE.COM

perimeter. This will prevent wayward snowmobilers from running you over in the night – although a wellbuilt quinzee would easily withstand the weight.

Building and sleeping in snow caves can be fun, but it’s not for the claustrophobic. I found out firsthand how nerve wracking it is to lie helpless under literally tons of snow. If the roof of our snow cave had collapsed on us, our chance of survival would have been nil, and that thought made for a troubled night’s sleep. I needn’t have worried – destroying the snow cave in the morning was almost as hard as creating it. No amount of jumping or stomping would budge the thing, and we had to dismantle it chunk by chunk with our shovels. You should always destroy your snow cave to prevent the formation of an air pocket that could collapse under an unsuspecting traveler during the melting season.

Don’t put yourself in a survival situation and expect

to build a lifesaving quinzee on your first try. Like other winter camping skills, it requires practice.

WINTER CAMPING TIPS: Your body burns a lot of energy when trying to stay warm, so eat a lot of high-calorie food, especially before bed. Fatty nuts such as cashews are great.

Work slowly so as not to sweat. Wet clothes can quickly lead to hypothermia. In fact, it’s a good idea to bring a complete change of dry clothes – and avoid cotton.

Down clothing and sleeping bags are warmest, but lose their insulating properties when wet.

Put boot liners and gloves in the foot of your sleeping bag while you sleep. Your body heat will partially dry them out.

A bottle of hot water in your sleeping bag can provide up to an hour of extra warmth.

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WITNESS THE GREAT MIGRATION

BY NATHAN DALLA SANTA PHOTOS BY DAVID RIFFLE Northern Light2014.pdf 1 1/27/2014 10:56:00 AM

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live performances • exhibits • lectures • classes

The RARE Expo returns again this year featuring new ideas in reuse and sustainability in the arts including entertainment, exhibits, seminars, and workshops — plus an expo-hall full of remarkable artist and business booths with green ideas. Locations throughout downtown Bellingham. No doubt, you’ll find some inspiration for creative reuse, too.

Fo r e ve nt s c h e d u l e s a n d i n fo r m at i o n v i s i t w w w. a l l i e d a r t s . o r g o r c a l l 3 6 0 . 6 7 6 . 8 5 4 8

FESTIVALS TO INSPIRE YOUR INNER BIRDER

or bird watchers, spring is a magical time of year in the Pacific Northwest.

Hundreds of thousands of birds from a variety of species migrate along the Pacific Flyway all the way from Alaska to the tip of South America.

“Estuaries, where salt water meets freshwater, provide a lot of food and make an ideal stopover for many bird species,” said Paul Bannick, wildlife photographer, field guide author and winner of the Canon award in the International Conservation Photography Awards. “Farmland, open space, parks and flat, wet meadows attract all sorts of birds.”

Since Northwest Washington and lower B.C. feature these landscapes in abundance, it is one of the best places in the world to see snowy owls, tundra swans, snow geese, great horned owls and peregrine falcons.

For many, the best way to witness these birds and learn all about them is by attending one of the many fantastic birding festivals in the area. The Wings Over Water Northwest Birding Festival in Blaine, Washington features informative presentations from scientists and bird scholars along with opportunities to view a plethora of bird species in a concentrated area of coastline.

“Wings Over Water is great because you get to hear speakers talking about birds and within an hour you can see and photograph the birds you were just hearing about,” Bannick said.

The annual festival returns to Blaine March 14–16. Festival planning chair Debbie Harger was not always a bird enthusiast. However, 10 years ago while exploring Blaine’s Drayton Harbor, a friend gave her a pair of binoculars.

“I expected all the birds to look like ducks, but I looked out and was absolutely amazed by what I saw,” Harger said. “After that, I was hooked.”

To get a glimpse of the variety of bird species that traverse the Pacific Flyway, come to the Wings Over Water Northwest Birding Festival and experience firsthand what makes the Northwest a premier birding location.

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WINGS OVER WATER BIRDING FESTIVAL

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When: Friday, March 14– Sunday, March 16 Where: Blaine, Washington Website: www.wingsoverwaterbirdingfestival.com Hear from expert ornithologists, then head outside to view and photograph a huge variety of seabirds, migratory birds and raptors, all on the scenic shores of Blaine and Birch Bay.

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EDISON BIRDING FESTIVAL

When: Saturday and Sunday, February 8 and 9 Where: Edison, Washington Website: www.edisonbirdfestival.com Veteran birders and novice enthusiasts alike will be inspired by this fun-filled birding festivals.

BRANT WILDLIFE FESTIVAL

When: Saturday, March 1 – Monday, April 21 Where: Parksville and Qualicum Beach, Vancouver Island, B.C. Website: www.brantfestival.bc.ca Celebrate the Brant goose with wildlife tours by Pacific Rainforest Adventure Tours, bird watching and an eagle release – or just have some lunch with the birds.

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PORT SUSAN SNOW GOOSE & BIRDING FESTIVAL

When: Saturday and Sunday, February 22 and 23 Where: Stanwood, Washington Website: www.snowgoosefest.org Every year, tens of thousands of snow geese migrate all the way from Russia to spend the winter in the Northwest. Come see them, along with some of the largest concentrations of waterfowl, raptors and shorebirds found along the entire Pacific Flyway.

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GRAYS HARBOR SHOREBIRD FESTIVAL

When: Friday, April 25 – Sunday, April 27 Where: Grays Harbor Estuary Website: www.shorebirdfestival.com Come see the spring migration of hundreds of thousands of shorebirds as they make their annual journey through Grays Harbor. Spectators may even witness the fastest creature alive – the peregrine falcon.

THE GREAT BACKYARD BIRD COUNT

When: Friday, February 14 – Monday, February 17 Where: Anywhere Website: www.birdsource.org/gbbc Wherever you are, get outside and count some birds!

Bird populations are complex and scientists rely on citizen-science projects like bird counting to help them answer tough questions about migration, population and location. Print a birding checklist and submit count results on the festival’s website.

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9

6 HIKES SUMMIT

FOR SPRING

STORY AND PHOTOS BY AUBREY LAURENCE

TIFFANY MOUNTAIN

DIRTYFACE LOOKOUT SITE: PEAK TRAINING

F

or peak-seeking hikers who have exhausted their lowland winter hikes and are itching for something bigger and better, spring can be a frustrating time. Even though warmer weather and longer days are melting snow in the high country, many summits are still unattainable due to gated roads, snow-buried trails and avalanche-prone slopes.

But if you’re willing to do some driving, and possibly even a little snow slogging near the summits, you do have some great options to consider. Spring snowfall largely determines accessibility, of course, but the five summit hikes below tend to melt off earlier than many other peaks, and all of them offer healthy elevation gains and spectacular views.

Round-trip distance: 9 miles (14.5 km) Total elevation gain: 4,000 feet (1,219 m) High point: 5,989 feet (1,825 m) Directions: Drive east on US 2 for 85 miles (137 km) to Coles Corner, which is about 15 miles (24 km) before Leavenworth. Turn left/north onto State Route 207 toward Lake Wenatchee. After about 4 miles (6.4km), veer left onto North Shore Road, then turn right onto a service road just before the Lake Wenatchee Ranger Station. The trailhead is just up the road, behind the Ranger Station. A Northwest Forest Pass is required.

If you’re looking to shed some winter weight and/or train for summer climbs, Dirtyface is your mountain. With its whopping 4,000 feet (1,219 m) of gain over 4.5 miles (7.25

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km), this hike will give even seasoned hikers a challenge. After ascending a dizzying number of switchbacks up the mountain’s southern slopes, you’ll reach the former fire lookout site.

Being careful not to step on any rusty nails, spin around and drink in the incredible views in every direction, highlighted

by Glacier Peak to the north and beautiful Lake Wenatchee directly below.

MOUNT SEYMOUR: VANCOUVER’S ALPINE ESCAPE

Round-trip distance: 5.5 miles (9 km) Total elevation gain: 1,476 feet (450 m) High point: 4,753 feet (1,449 m) Directions: Take the Trans-Canada Highway (BC-1) to exit 22B toward Mount Seymour Parkway. Merge onto Fern Street, then a right onto Mt. Seymour Parkway W. After 2.7 miles (4.34 km), turn left onto Mt. Seymour Road. In 8.3 miles (13.35 Family Restaurant km), park in the resort parking lot on the right. The trail starts in the Open Everyday far corner of the parking lot, adjaat 7 a.m. cent to the chair lift.

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MOUNT BAKER EXPERIENCE | SPRING 2014

Mount Seymour gives hikers an easily-earned glimpse into the alpine wonderland that is the B.C. Coast Range. In just a few minutes of moderate hiking, you’ll come to a clearing with views of Vancouver.

Not long after, you’ll reach fantastic views devoid of cities and towns, with the jagged, snow-capped Coast Mountains providing an impressive backdrop. In the spring, the snowy trail is usually packed down by hik-

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ers and snowshoers. Bring snowshoes if there has been recent snowfall. Many hikers slide down the trail on the return trip, either glissading in hiking boots or using plastic bags as makeshift sleds.

MOUNT SI: THE “OLD” WAY

Round-trip distance: 7–8 miles (11–13 km), depending on which way you go up the Boulder Garden Loop Trail Total elevation gain: 3,500 feet (1,067 m) High point: 3,980 feet (1,213 m) Directions: Drive east on I-90. Take Exit 32, take a left onto 436th Avenue SE, take a left onto E. North Bend Way, and then take a right onto Mount Si Road. In about half a mile (.8 km), park in one of the two “Little Si” lots on the left (the second one is a few hundred yards closer to the trailhead). A Discover Pass is required.

Mount Si is a very popular mountain to hike year-round, but very few hikers take the Old Si Trail (aka Old Big Si Trail).

Compared to the standard route, the Old Si Trail offers a much better experience with fewer hikers, more elevation gain and closer parking. For a short distance in the beginning of this hike you’ll be on the Little Si Trail, and just before the top you’ll link up with the standard Mount Si Trail, but its long middle section receives very little traffic (refer to the Green Trails Map 206S for your two route options on the Boulder Garden Loop Trail). And while many people just think of Si as a training peak, the summit view of Seattle, Rainier and the Olympics never gets old.

DRIVEWAY BUTTE: STEEP AND RUGGED, BUT WORTH IT

Round-trip distance: 8 miles (13 km) Total elevation gain: 3,200 feet (975 m) High point: 5,982 feet (1,823 m) Directions: From Marblemount, follow Highway 20 (North Cascades Highway) east for 70 miles (112.6 km) to Klipchuck Campground (FSR 300) on the left. Drive about a mile (1.6 km) to the trailhead parking area, which is on the right, just before the campground. From the parking area, you’ll have to hike a short distance toward the campground before taking a right onto the Driveway Butte trail.

A Northwest Forest Pass is required.

If you don’t mind a bit of deadfall hopping, mud/snow sloshing, branch dodging and log crossing, this hike will reward you tenfold. In the first section, you’ll switchback up a steep slope toward a pass, and if you’re lucky, you’ll encounter some elusive chocolate lilies along the way. The burnedBURNED OUT FOREST ON THE TRAIL TO DRIVEWAY BUTTE out middle section is a bit rough and rugged with lots of deadfall and leg-scraping bushes, but it keeps the crowds away and it makes for a great core workout. Try and stick with it because once you begin to ascend the slope in the final section, the views really TIFFANY MOUNTAIN: BIG REWARDS FOR LITTLE EFFORT Round-trip distance: 6 miles (9.7 km) begin to open up. From the summit, which once held a fire Total elevation gain: 1,800 feet (549 m) lookout, you’ll have grand views of the Gardner range, Silver High Point: 8,242 feet (2,512 m) Star, Methow Valley and so much more.

Directions: From Winthrop, drive north on East Chewuch Round-trip distance: 5.5 miles (8.9 km) Total elevation gain: 2,000 feet (609 m) High point: 2,804 feet (855 m) Directions: Take US 101 about 30 miles (48 km) south of Port Townsend to Mount Walker Viewpoint Road (FSR 2730). If locked, park at the gate (don’t block the gate). The trailhead is about a quarter mile (.4 km) up the road on the right. No pass is required.

River Road (9137). In about 6.5 miles (10.5 km), just before the bridge that crosses the Chewuch River, turn right onto FR 37. At almost 8 miles (12.8 km), take the right fork, continuing on FR 37, and at 14 miles (22.5 km), keep right again to stay on FR 37. At almost 20 miles (32.2 km), take a left onto FR 39. Then, at almost 23 miles (37 km), reach Freezeout Pass. Park at the pass; the trailhead is on the right/east side of the road. Before you go, call the ranger station to make sure the road is snow-free to Freezeout Pass. A Northwest Forest Pass is required.

The hike up this easternmost Olympic mountain is short, but it sees very few hikers in the spring, offers a variety of wonderful views from its two summit viewpoints and features a well-built trail with a steady gentle grade. Enjoy the solitude before the road opens up to cars (typically late spring), and you can even hike the road up or down to create a longer loop option. From May to June, blooming rhododendrons provide eye candy on your way to the top. From the North and South viewpoints, soak in views of Mount Constance (the third-highest peak in the Olympics), the Hood Canal, Seattle and many other Puget Sound landmarks. On a clear day, you might even be able to see four Cascade volcanoes: Baker, Glacier, Rainier and St. Helens.

While many 8,000-foot (2,438 m) peaks in the North Cascades permanently hold glaciers and snow, Tiffany Mountain, on the east side, tends to melt off much earlier than you might expect. Even when it does hold lingering patches of snow, it rarely poses any dangers or difficulties, as long as you stay on route.

From Freezeout Pass, you’ll hike up a broad, forested ridge that slowly opens up to grassy meadows. After about 2.5 miles (4 km), head left/north (the trail to the right/east goes to Whistler Pass, which makes for a good extension, if you’re up for it) and follow the sometimes-faint trail up Tiffany’s southern slope to the spacious summit. Cast your eyes far into the horizon – in any direction – and ponder the serene views.

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11

HOT SPRINGS CIRCUIT

T

here is a feeling of discovery in coming around a bend in the trail and seeing wisps of steam rising from still, dark pools, and something primal about slipping into a wilderness hot springs. Such secret places are known to have been sacred to native cultures the world over. Battles have been fought and claims “jumped” to maintain ownership of such sites.

A friend and I set out on a quest to visit such sites. Our interest was piqued by a chance dis-

covery of a map of the “Hot Springs Loop” drive, a 500-mile circle route in northern Washington and southeastern British Columbia. The route takes travelers through the scenery of the B.C. Rockies – up the Slocan Valley, over Rogers Pass and down the east Kootenay trench, with the Bugaboos to the west and Yoho National Park to the east. Stops along the way include a number of developed hot springs – Ainsworth, Nakusp, Halcyon, Canyon, Radium and Fairmont to name a few.

Surely, we thought, there was more to this. In addition to all the fancy spas and resorts there must be wild secret places where one can go back in spirit to earlier days.

Our trip kicked off with a leisurely drive along the Washington state highline over Rainy Pass, north to Tonasket, through Colville then north to Ione, Washington. Crossing the Canadian border, we drove up the east side of Kootenay Lake under the long shadows of the setting sun. The feature attraction at Ain-

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sworth Hot Springs resort, our first stop, is a hot spring-fed cave carved into the hillside.

After a quick breakfast the next morning we paid the $10 fee for a one-time soak and went in to explore. The Ainsworth springs originate above the resort in the Cody Caves area.

Water works its way down through porous rock to a depth of about one mile until it strikes what is known as a lakeshore fault.

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formed stalactites and other lovely spelotherms such as soda straws and flowstone. The cave is a natural sauna, so after a few quick circuits we retreated to the openair pool to enjoy the cool morning air and breathtaking views of the lake below.

The real adventure began after our morning dip. We loaded up the truck and headed north to search for an undeveloped spring site located on provincial forest land along the banks of the Halfway River just south of the town of Nakusp. The bone-rattling drive along a potholed gravel forest road seemed much longer than the advertised 11 km (6.83 miles). Just as we were beginning to think we’d missed the trail, we rounded a bend and found a narrow parking strip choked with 10 or more vehicles. So much for solitude. Still, we’d come this far, so

we gamely set off down the steep trail to the river.

I dove off the trail at the first faint downhill track. Slipping and scrambling down to the river, we emerged on a wide gravel bar. The bedrock wall about 500 feet downstream looked about right – but where were all the people? Spying a rock cairn, we headed downstream. Sure enough, there were a series of small hot pools just where the river hit a steep bedrock wall … but still no people.

Not quite believing our luck, we shimmied out of our clothes and slipped into the uppermost pool. As we soaked and enjoyed the view upriver, we saw people on a gravel bar about a quarter of a mile upstream.

They looked back at us quizzically, but swift rapids and Continued on page 31

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THE

BACKCOUNTRY PHOTOGRAPHER

An interview with

Jason Hummel

BY IAN FERGUSON | PHOTOS BY JASON HUMMEL

J

ason Hummel’s photographs have appeared on magazine covers around the world, including the magazine you’re holding in your hands. In addition to being a professional photographer, Hummel is an accomplished backcountry telemark skier, and the marriage of his two skills has proven symbiotic.

Hummel has logged more than 50 first descents in the Cascades and captured each trip through his lens. You’ll rarely find him riding a chairlift – much less a helicopter – for a photo shoot, and if you come across one of his images in the glossy pages, chances are he skied or hiked a long distance to create it.

His unique perspective combined with the remoteness of his locations lends an emblematic style to his images. We caught up with Hummel in between projects.

MBE: Was photography a means to make a living in the backcountry, or a passion in its own right? How did you acquire your photography skills?

MOUNT BAKER EXPERIENCE (MBE): Tell us about yourself.

JASON HUMMEL (JH): I’m a photographer, I’m 35 and my hometown is Morton, Washington.

MBE: How long have you been a backcountry skier, and how did you get into the sport?

JH: I began backcountry skiing when I was 5 years old at Mt. Rainier National Park. My parents went to a yard sale and bought the entire family ski gear for $20, or so the family legend goes.

JH: Photography was a passion. It was a way to tell the stories of my mountain adventures better than words could alone. I was a self-taught photographer. Every time I took an image, I would critique myself. Nothing was good enough. It still isn’t.

Over time, I realized that this process is amazing. If I am not satisfied, then I have more to learn. When I have nothing left to

learn, I will have to move onto something new.

MBE: Your photos tend to be “out there” – often hours and sometimes days from the nearest road. What are some of the challenges involved in getting good shots in such remote locations?

JH: Time is the biggest challenge. When climbing, skiing, biking, etc., you are in the process of completing a goal. Time is normally limited. You have to keep up with your partners, and spending even a moment looking for a shot is often too time consuming. Each shot can put you farther and farther behind.

That coupled with the added weight of my camera and lenses, around 15-20 pounds, means that I have to be that much stronger or push that much harder than everyone else. In trips that last days, the challenges intensify, but at the same time you are immersed in those environments. It is a give and take. Your body becomes harder and after a time the challenges are easier.

The biggest trouble becomes recognizing beauty when it is right in front of you. You can become so numbed to the beauty that you don’t recognize it for how unusual it is.

MBE: Why put in so much effort? What about these wild places draws you?

JH: Disconnection. I think that word is a fine explanation

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for me. It’s about disconnecting from my city life, where I am immersed primarily in the past and future. In the mountains I am gripped by the present. Hunger, pain, fear and on the other hand beauty, fascination and awe compress my universe into what is immediately in front of me. More than anything it is the immeasurable peace I find in living in the moment that draws me to the mountains time and time again.

MBE: In your adventures, you’ve come through some hairy situations.

Give us a short story of a close call.

JH: Close calls happened many times, especially in my youth when I refused to be situationally aware. I was too focused on the end game – a summit or descent. One memorable close call was Fortress Mountain, where an avalanche carried me over cliffs and I ended up a thousand feet below the summit, which had been above the clouds. When I emerged from a state of primordial fear back to reality, I found myself below the clouds, atop the avalanche. It was a reawakening for me. I made a promise to myself to be aware.

From that point on, I’ve been in the mountains more than ever before, and I haven’t had a close call since. That was seven years ago.

MBE: What were your top three most memorable first descents?

JH: The Northeast Face of Mt. Fury (June 2003 with Ben Manfredi and Sky Sjue), Klickatat Headwall, Mt. Adams (June 2010 with Josh Hummel and Adam Roberts) and Bonanza, Main Summit (April 2011 with Kyle Miller).

MBE: The American Alps traverse you completed last summer with Kyle Miller was a groundbreaking linkup of major ranges and a longtime personal goal for you. Can you describe the trip in a nutshell?

JH: It was 120 miles, 60,000 vertical feet and 16 days skiing along the crest of the Cascade Range between Hwy 20 and Glacier Peak.

MBE: What are some adventures on your horizon?

JH: I’m hoping to visit Norway and Iceland. If not there, then I will literally pick up a map and throw a dart. I’m itching for world travel.

MBE: What’s your favorite sub-range of the North Cascades?

JH: Picket Range. It is surreal and has so much packed into such a small area. Even with six or seven trips into them, I still feel like there is a lot of mystery left.

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15

HELI RESCUE SAVING THE LAST RESORT

BY JASON D. MARTIN

PHOTOS COURTESY OF SNOHOMISH COUNTY HELICOPTER RESCUE TEAM

I

t’s something that we don’t want to think about. Someone slips and falls. Someone disappears in the woods. Someone is stranded in the mountains. Maybe someone dies.

What happens next depends on where you are. If the incident is serious, you might need a helicopter, but getting a helicopter isn’t always easy. Sometimes the military provides one, sometimes not. Sometimes Homeland Security provides one, sometimes not. These organizations have other priorities that don’t involve search-and-rescue operations. Often the only option is the Snohomish County Helicopter Rescue Team (SCHRT), which is a problem, because this essential service has been de-funded.

This elite team of sheriff ’s department employees, mountain rescue volunteers and volunteer rescue technicians, works all over the state. They have done several missions in Whatcom County and on Mt. Baker.

“Over the last several years we were funded by a federal timber tax,” said Bill Quistorf, the chief pilot for the SCHRT. “Now that tax has expired and it doesn’t look like it’s going to be renewed for a while.”

The team was funded through 2014 by Snohomish County, “but it’s hard to get the county to fund us because they’re trying to fund everything else,” Quistorf explained. “Snohomish County ends up paying for the helicopter no matter where it goes. We’re trying to work with other search and rescue (SAR) organizations and the forest service to find a way to spread out the cost.”

“The county funding has been absolutely critical in buying us time to secure an additional source of funding,” said Miles McDonough, one of the volunteer helicopter rescue technicians. “But it still leaves us without a long-term solution.”

Historically, the timber tax allocated $130,000 to the

helicopter rescue team. The money, specifically designated for direct operating costs, already fell short of the $150,000 required to keep the helicopter flying. Although they regularly apply for grants, most of these restrict the allocated monies to equipment costs, not to direct operating costs such as maintenance and fuel.

The team is scrambling to find ways to fund their operations into 2015. They are currently planning a fundraising dinner at The Mountaineers Seattle Program Center in Seattle on April 19. “Our team does rescues, not fundraising,” McDonough said. “We’d love people to come, but if they can’t we’re looking for anything that could help out; from donations for our dinner to people who might want to donate their time to help us fundraise.”

The SCHRT is one of only two civilian operations in the area with a rescue hoist, an imperative tool when it comes to

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performing rescues in places where a technician has to be lowered in and hauled out. Washington’s thick forests and steep mountainsides make it impossible for many rescues to be performed without a hoist. “The second operation is in King County,” McDonough explained, “but their team is all sheriff ’s deputies. They don’t have any volunteers, and they don’t have mountain-specific training.”

With more than 80 missions a year, the team’s primary focus is on mountain and backcountry environments, but that’s not the only place they operate. “We’re an all-hazard response team,” McDonough said. “We look for lost kids, we rescue people from floods, we looked for people in the river when the I-5 bridge collapsed. We do everything.”

“This is a free resource,” he continued, “that if lost, would have far reaching repercussions.”

WHAT YOU CAN DO TO HELP: 1. Attend the fundraising dinner on April 19 in Seattle at the The Mountaineers Seattle Program Center. Tickets are $100 each and there will be a live and silent auction.

2. Buy a T-shirt or a mug from the Snohomish County Helicopter Rescue Team.

3. Make a donation of product, service, money or time.

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17

MAËLLE RICKER

Interview with a gold medalist

BY BRANDY SHREVE

A

regular competitor in Mt. Baker Ski Area’s Legendary Banked Slalom, snowboarder Maëlle Ricker was the first Canadian woman to win an Olympic gold medal on home soil, when she emerged victorious in the snowboard cross event of the 2010 Winter Olympics in Vancouver. She will travel to Sochi, Russia to compete in the 2014 games February 7–23, which will mark her fourth time competing in the Olympics. We caught up with Maëlle as she prepared for her trip to Sochi.

EDITOR’S NOTE: Just before press time, Maëlle sustained a wrist injury requiring surgery while training in Aspen, Colorado. Her coaches believe she will still be able to compete.

Full name: Maëlle Danica Ricker Born: December 2, 1978, Whistler, Canada Height: 5' 7" (1.70 m) Weight: 141 lbs. (64 kg) MBE: How does it feel to be returning to the Olympics for the fourth time?

MR: I can’t believe it’s the fourth time I will go to the games. Sometimes it feels like yesterday when I was at the opening ceremonies in Nagano 1998, but then at other times it feels like that was a memory from a former life.

MBE: It must be exciting to have the whole world watching you at once, but I suppose it must be nerve wracking as well. How do you handle the pressure?

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MR: The pressure this time around is very different from what I felt in Vancouver in 2010. I tend to step up my level of riding when I put more pressure on myself. Hopefully that will ring true in Sochi as well. I really want to do my absolute best to represent everyone who has worked so hard for and who supports Canada~Snowboard.

I love working technically with my coaches, Marcel Mathieu and Rene Brunner, on very specific movements on my snowboard and especially in snowboard cross (SBX) course situations. This is the easiest way to stay focused and keep progressing through a year that’s full of emotions and external distractions.

There are always different options to make it mold for everyone’s specific needs … and we make sure we get some great powder days in the mix of all the SBX riding.

MBE: Tell me about how you’ve been preparing for this physically and mentally. I know you had a pretty serious concussion during training earlier in 2013. Is that affecting your performance? Are you still going hard or do you feel yourself holding back?

MR: Robert Joncas is our leader

and high performance director. He oversees the whole national team program from half-pipe to slopestyle to SBX and alpine. We have a very regimented training plan set out by a team of experts led by our team physiologist, Ben Sporer.

Along with Ben, our trainer Anthony Findlay, physiotherapist Marilyn Adams and Dr. Jim Bovard help us follow that plan as closely as possible.

Because of this team, I was able to recover and return to snow with 100 percent confidence that we looked after all the details after my concussion in November. I was nervous and feeling a bit rusty at the Lake Louise race in December but now I feel great on my boards and I’ve been pushing my riding every time I strap in.

MBE: Do you get injured often?

MR: We take a lot of bumps and bruises in training. I feel like there’s a fine line between being safe in train-

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MBE: Tell me a little about your boarding style – you have a very unique way of launching yourself through a course. How did you develop your style?

MR: My style in a snowboard cross course is something that comes from a background of free riding and riding half-pipe in Whistler. I try to work every feature for speed while staying balanced and centered on my board down a course.

MBE: What events have you been competing in? What are your expectations for the games?

MR: We just finished racing two world cups in Andorra, a first for our world cup tour. The course was amazing and the country was beautiful and welcoming. I loved it. After the games we will finish the world cup circuit in Switzerland and Spain before coming home to our Canadian National Championships. I hope to be strongest mid-February in Sochi – that would be great.

MBE: How does traveling for competition, events and training affect your personal life? Is it difficult to build relationships and friendships while on the road so much?

MR: It’s difficult to stay in contact on the road. We have busy days on the road with schedules that fill up every hour of the day. It makes it a lot easier [to stay in touch] when we have access to a good Internet connection at the hotel. My friends and family at home are huge support. There’s no way I could keep up this gig without them. My mom and dad are sports fanatics who have supported me day in and day out since I first kicked a soccer ball when I was a kid. I was so happy to be selected to the P&G “Thank You, Mom” campaign because it’s such a neat way to support the families that have sacrificed so much to see their children live out their dreams.

MBE: What keeps you going?

Why push yourself so hard?

MR: I love snowboarding. I love being in a high performance atmosphere. I love traveling the world. I love my team.

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MOUNTBAKEREXPERIENCE.COM

A DIY

ADVENTURE: Building your own paddleboard

BY PAT GRUBB

A

year or so ago, I made a big mistake. I picked up a copy of Wooden Boat magazine, which contained an article on how to build the Kaholo, a wooden stand up paddleboard (SUP). The Kaholo is a kit produced by Chesapeake Light Craft (CLC), a well-known manufacturer of small boat kits.

At the time, my schedule was pretty full both at work and at home. I can’t say I had much free time to do anything other than go skiing every weekend, so what possessed me to send off for the kit I cannot say. Pretty much everyone concluded I was nuts; an assessment no doubt facilitated by the knowledge that I had never been on a SUP before and I could hardly be described as a woodworker or handy in any way other than having the ability to call service people when needed. I couldn’t argue with my naysayers’ logic.

The kit duly arrived from back East and I got ready to work.

First, I had to clean my garage and workbench so I could find the tools I needed. I discovered that I actually had plenty of duplicate tools bought from the local hardware store when I couldn’t find what I needed. All this took some time.

So did clearing out the basement to make space for the project. Man, who knew a basement was a black hole just sucking all kinds of objects into it. Getting this stuff out was almost as impossible as pulling it out of a real black hole.

Mission accomplished, I sat down to read the instruction manual and came up with a production schedule. CLC estimated the average builder would take 40 hours to build the SUP; this meant I could launch on the 4th of July. As Robbie Burns put it, “The best laid schemes o’ Mice an’ Men, gang aft agley.”

For those of you who don’t know Gaelic, a rough translation means I was totally delusional.

The Kaholo comes in two lengths, 12 feet 6 inches and 14 feet; both cost $885 for the full kit. You can buy just the plans and the manual for $89; this will require you to source and cut the wood yourself. The full kit comes with precision cut Okoume marine plywood, fiberglass fabric and resin and a bunch of other things including a Japanese saw. Very cool. You’ll also want a random orbit sander, a jigsaw, plenty of clamps and other small tools. If you’ve already got these tools or can borrow them, you’re good to go with minimal additional outlay. I didn’t have them.

Around this point, you’re probably wondering, “Wouldn’t it be cheaper to just go out and buy a SUP?” Sure, you can head to REI or MEC and pick up a Bic SUP on sale for less than this kit cost. I doubt that you could find a SUP that had the handling and design characteristics of the Kaholo at the same price though. The Kaholo has a v-shaped bow that pierces through the waves and the buoyancy to rise up and over. Built correctly, the two versions weigh 29 and 32 pounds respectively, are fine racers that will allow you to surf long swells once your skills catch up to the board’s capabilities. Plus, they are beautiful.

CLC says there are no other kits out there that are easier for the first-time builder, and they may well be right. This article

isn’t a “how to build a SUP” piece but rather a general overview of what you should be on the lookout for if you decide to build this or another kit. First, pretend the manual is the key to getting into heaven and read it front to back several times before you start the project. Make sure that you re-read each procedure a couple of times before you take the next step. Think it through. Do you understand what they wrote? When they identify a piece, have you identified the right piece or have you got it backwards because the damn thing is upside down?

You will get confused.

as you’ll find them invaluable.

The Kaholo is built using what’s called the “stitch and glue” method. This involves lining the pieces up and “stitching” them together using copper wire (supplied) through pre-drilled holes. The seams are then “glued” together using fiberglass resign with a thickening agent. Once cured, the wires are pulled out. The interior of the SUP has bulkheads and stringers to provide strength, and the entire inside is sealed with a thin coat of resin to waterproof it. The underside of the top deck is fiberglassed for strength and the entire exterior is also fiber-glassed.

CLC reports it took five years to refine the design. They learned early on that the SUP needed a breather tube to equalize the inside and outside air pressure. If the sun heats up the SUP’s interior, the increased air pressure will blow the board apart; an eventuality that reportedly “might have happened during development.”

Fiberglassing isn’t difficult as long as you follow directions.

The resin and the hardener have pumps that shoot out the correct proportions – you just have to count pumps. Less is more – it’s better to mix up another batch than waste or over-apply.

The resin and hardener that CLC supplies is top-notch; if you run out, don’t go buy another brand. There’s something called amine blush, which is a wax-like layer that will rise to the surface when the epoxy hardens. You usually can’t see it, but if it isn’t removed, it will prevent any surface coating (paint, varnish, etc.) from curing properly. I ran out of the brand shipped with the kit and I ended up stripping and refinishing the SUP twice. Ouch.

There’s plenty of opportunity to customize your board. Paint it, varnish it, cover it with fabric, whatever; it’s up to you. With patience (especially in the sanding phase) and care, even a beginner will end up with a beautiful board they’ll be proud to ride.

Addendum: My SUP was finally launched on September 30 and put away for the season the very same day. I’m looking forward to warm weather.

x

OTHER VENDORS/KITS

• Cedar Boat Works out of Portland, Oregon has a number of models (www.cedarboatworks.com).

• Surfboards.com in Burlington, Washington is another option. (www.surfboards.com) • Wood Surfboard Supply has a number of nice looking models (www.woodsurfboardsupply.com).

RESOURCES:

To keep the weight down, less is more. The manual contains grainy black and white photos and sometimes it’s hard to tell exactly what’s going on. This is especially important when you’re fiberglassing, filleting seams or sealing the interior. It’s easy to use too much of the resin and the next thing you’ll know, you have the Queen Mary to paddle. I’ve included some resources to help you along the way – take the time to read or view them,

First and foremost, CLC itself. You can phone or email them: they are really helpful and they get right back to you. Their website also has a builder’s forum and tips for boat builders where you can go find out how to deal with finishes, etc. (www.clcboats.com/forum/clcforum/).

Wooden Boat Magazine: Issues 229 and 230 contain the two-part article on how to build the Kaholo that was my downfall. Digital copies can be purchased for $6.95 each and I highly recommend doing so (www. woodenboatstore.com/category/woodenboat_211current/4). Wooden Boat also has forums where you can soak up others’ expertise before you screw up (forum.woodenboat.com).

Videos: CLC has a sped-up video of the building process. It mostly makes you dizzy and isn’t of any practical use. There’s a professional builder by the name of Stephen Shrier who has 13 videos on YouTube demonstrating each step of the building process (www.youtube.com/user/NoahSurfBoards).

These are invaluable – direct links to the article can be found on Mount Baker Experience’s website.

THE AUTHOR AND HIS DOG SHUKSAN TAKE THE BOARD FOR A SPIN ON BOUNDARY BAY, WITH MT. BAKER IN THE BACKGROUND PHOTO BY LOUISE MUGAR

SPRING 2014 | MOUNT BAKER EXPERIENCE

19

BONNINGTON TRAVERSE STORY AND PHOTOS BY CORY TARILTON

I

n B.C.’s southern interior south of Nelson, the Bonnington Range holds rewards for those seeking snow. Four cabins, built and renovated in cooperation with the B.C. Ministry of Forests and the Kootenay Mountaineering Club, are spread throughout high valleys near the dividing ridges of the range.

Stocked with the basic amenities of stoves, pots, pans, utensils and lanterns, the huts make travel easy, as only light winter camping gear is needed to ski from hut to hut. A 40-mile ski traverse from cabin to cabin offers stunning scenic views of pristine Canadian wilderness along its entire length. Alpine ski lines followed by featured glades from valley to valley complete the trip and make the long drive worthwhile.

The Bonnington traverse is usually done from west to east, leaving from the Bombi Summit parking lot outside of Castlegar and ending at Porto Rico Creek, north of Salmo. Reservations are required and cost $10 per person per night. These can be made through the Kootenay Mountaineering Club’s website.

The funds go for upkeep of the cabins, as well as replenishing the firewood. From west to east are the Grassy Hut that sleeps six, the A-frame Steed Hut that can sleep 10 or more, the Copper Hut that can hold a snug eight, and the Huckleberry Hut that holds a cozy four. The traverse is generally done as a oneway trip, so plan in advance to shuttle cars.

The standard route takes you around the rim of Erie Creek, following a high traverse for most of the trip. There are many aspects from which to choose and alpine bowls flank most of the route. With a large potential for cornice growth and huge slide paths, the ability to find a safe route is indispensable. Each hut is most of a day’s hike and ski away from the next. Wood stoves and a cord of seasoned wood greet you at each hut to

warm your soul and dry your gear at day’s end.

Our group, Ben Gregory, Jacob Mandell and I, left Bellingham for the eight-hour drive to Nelson after finishing finals week of fall quarter at Western Washington University. Near the U.S. border, we realized that Ben had left a recently re-glued skin in a friend’s workshop and we were set back an hour to grab it. After driving long into the night, cooking dinner on timber hauling equipment, completing the final touches of Ben’s skin repair and getting some shut-eye during a snug bivy in the truck, we set out on the traverse. Our plan was to spend one night in the Huckleberry Hut, three nights at Copper Hut and one night in the Steed Hut before skipping Grassy Hut on our exit. We would swap keys with Ben’s roommate and friends as they headed in the other direction on our second night at the Copper Hut.

full moon and white-capped trees, we were forced to make an unplanned bivy. The following morning we made our way to a vantage point. From high on Copper Mountain, Ben spotted a clearing near a large stand of trees and a bulbous mushroom of snow that was the hut’s roof.

We dried our gear and cooked some hot food, and as our friends arrived we took a sunset lap above the hut. Our friends left before light the next day, following our beta on the route that had stymied us in the clouds. In return, they gave advice for the best runs that we could ski as we headed towards Steed Hut. The entire next day we farmed the glades surrounding the hut, finding feature after feature as we set new track every run.

The early season coverage lent itself to plentiful small pillows, and on more than one run one of us said, “I think I was in the air more than I was on snow.”

Cold, clear daytime skies turned to a frigid, shadowy moonscape as the full moon rose and we plodded on.

After an over-stoked wood stove created a sauna experience in the cozy Huckleberry Hut, we awoke the second morning to valley fog and made slow progress towards the Copper Mountain Hut. By midday the sky had cleared and we could see our objective far off along the snaking ridgeline. Cold, clear daytime skies turned to a frigid, shadowy moonscape as the full moon rose and we plodded on. Arriving in Copper Valley, we were greeted by snow ghosts and the deceiving, hutshaped shadows they cast. Unable to locate the hut amidst the

We decided to embark early in the morning for our following two traverse days. On our third travel day as we bid the Copper Hut farewell, the mercury was reading -4° Fahrenheit.

Cold temperatures made for fast travel, quick transitions and great, stable snow. As we approached Steed Hut, we saw the bygone tracks made by our friends, partially filled in with snow from the light breeze that morning. We made a feast of bacon, sausages and bean macaroni soup for our last dinner of the trip.

On our last day we covered the remaining 12 miles of rolling

ridgeline and were able to ski to our car. A note on the passenger seat, left

by Ben’s roommates, thanked us for letting them use our car, but also told us of a melancholy end to their trip. Their Subaru had been broken into at the trailhead and cleaned out of anything valuable. They had preemptively cleared out anything of value from our car, which left us with three fuzzy stations playing nothing but Christmas music as we made the long and weary drive back to Bellingham that night. The goods had been gotten, in more ways than one, but even thievery didn’t overshadow the memories made on our trip to the Bonnington Range.

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SPRING 2014 | MOUNT BAKER EXPERIENCE

21

FACING PAGE TOP: Drew Cyr method grab on Mt. Herman. Photo by Brad Andrew.

FACING PAGE MIDDLE: Rene Crawshaw, Mt. Baker Ski Area. Photo by Grant Gunderson.

FACING PAGE BOTTOM: Pacific Northwest rainforest. Photo by Dylan Hallett.

LEFT: Luke Thorington on the Shuksan Arm. Photo by Brad Andrew.

ABOVE TOP: Paragliders on Blanchard Mountain. Photo by Brad Andrew.

ABOVE BOTTOM: Goat Mountain alpenglow. Photo by Dylan Hart.

ABOVE: Spinning over the Baker road gap. Photo by Dylan Hallett.

RIGHT: Tree-bonk method. Photo by Dylan Hart.

BELOW: Hiker on Table Mountain. Photo by Brett Baunton.

FACING PAGE TOP: Drew Cyr on Mt. Herman. Photo by Brad Andrew.

FACING PAGE MIDDLE: Skiing the backside, Mt. Shuksan looking on. Photo by Dylan Hallett.

FACING PAGE BOTTOM: Mountain biking near Leavenworth. Photo by Jason Hummel.

8,884 ACRES OF POTENTIAL IN BELLINGHAM’S BACKYARD

PHOTO BY JOHN SCURLOCK

BY IAN FERGUSON

T

he seventh largest locally managed park in the United States just came into being in the Northwest’s backyard.

Decision makers in Whatcom County bought 8,884 acres of mountainous land on both sides of Lake Whatcom from the Washington Department of Natural Resources (DNR) out of concern for the watershed, and they signed the deed in January.

As a result, two huge swaths of what had been timberland on a 60-year harvest cycle are now a massive county park, an ecological gem of future old growth forest and a potential home for the ultimate trail network.

THE TRANSFER The saga leading up to the land transfer (known locally as “the reconveyance”) dates back to the Depression era, when logging companies had stripped the land past the point of productivity and couldn’t afford to pay taxes on it. The land was foreclosed to the county, and since the county lacked the resources to manage so much timberland, the state stepped in to manage it in the public trust – with a provision that the county could one day buy back the land as long as it was turned into a public park.

The DNR-managed land went largely unnoticed until 1983 when an old abandoned logging road on a steep slope above Lake Whatcom washed out during a heavy rainstorm. Logs and debris piled up behind a county bridge below, damming Smith Creek. When the dam burst, a torrent of water and debris destroyed houses and swept 80 acres of mud, boulders and timber slash into Lake Whatcom, the source of drinking water for Bellingham and much of Whatcom County. The disaster cost nearly $12 million in 1983 dollars to clean up, and was the impetus behind a growing desire to protect the Lake Whatcom watershed from destructive logging practices.

In 2013, after years of political wrangling from a diverse array of supporters, the Whatcom County Council voted to buy back the land.

“This is a landmark decision that our children will thank us for,” council member Pete Kremen said shortly before the council voted 6–2 in favor of purchasing the land for the sweet price of about $35 per acre. After 10 months of paperwork, the deed was officially signed over on January 22, 2014.

THE PLAN Along with marbled murrelet, a far less endangered species frequents the type of habitat embodied by the park: the northwestern recreationist and all its subspecies, including the Cascade hilltop sprinter, the Whatcom two-wheeled shredder, the Western hoofer and the Coastal equestrian. A variety of recreation groups are meeting with the Whatcom County Parks and Recreation department to plan an ideal trail system.

Mike McFarlane, director of the parks department, knows satisfying everyone is an uphill battle.

“It will be a collaborative process,” he said. “There’s a huge desire to protect the watershed, and many different interests involved.”

COURTESY OF CMR

THE LAND If you’ve ever walked along the Hertz Trail on the eastern shore of Lake Whatcom, you know how beautiful the area is. Sun-soaked in the afternoon, the trail follows three miles of placid shoreline under Douglas firs and western red cedar.

As you walk along, cascading brooks tumble from the steep mountainside, offering glimpses upwards into lush, fern-lined ravines.

Much of the new parkland lies up there, extending from the Hertz trail all the way to the summit of Stewart Mountain. With trails scarce, few people wander uphill.

“There are some amazing, really big trees up there,” said Mitch Friedman, a conservation biologist and the executive director of Conservation Northwest. “How they survived the logging cycles to the present day is a mystery, but based on their size they could be 400 years old. You have to see them up close to appreciate them.”

Conservation Northwest was one of two conservation groups leading the push for the reconveyance. The other was Whatcom Land Trust.

In 100 years, Friedman said, much of the park will be old growth. That’s good news for the marbled murrelet, an endan-

gered species of seabird that nests inland and flies to the coast to feed. Their population has declined for decades due to the loss of their preferred habitat: old growth forests within 50 miles of the coast.

“Marbled murrelets nest in the detritus that collects on the benches formed by the large branches of old trees,” said Dave Wernzt, the science and conservation director for Conservation Northwest. “The combination of old trees and proximity to the coast makes the land around Lake Whatcom some of the last prime marbled murrelet habitat in the Puget Sound area.”

In addition to pristine lakeshore, streams and forest, the land also provides mountaintop views.

“The top of Stewart has absolutely the most stunning views of Mt. Baker and the Twin Sisters you can find anywhere.

You’re looking directly across the valley at them,” said Dan Probst, head of the Bellingham-based trail-running club Cascade Mountain Runners.

The west side of Stewart affords views of Lake Whatcom and the coast. In the parkland across the lake, Lookout Mountain offers views to Bellingham Bay and the San Juan Islands. Both Stewart and Lookout are rugged, deeply featured hills rising to about 3,000 feet.

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MOUNT BAKER EXPERIENCE | SPRING 2014

MOUNTBAKEREXPERIENCE.COM

COURTESY OF CMR

COURTESY OF CMR

According to McFarlane, the park will be restricted to non-motorized use. There will likely be a variety of trails for different activities and there will probably be a few remote backcountry campsites, similar to the campsites on Pine Lake in the Chuckanut Mountains. Planners have toyed with the idea of 50 to 55 miles of trails, but it’s too early to be definitive.

All user groups and the parks department agree that they want to see connectivity between trails in the new parkland and the already extensive trail network in the area. Both McFarlane and Probst gave the example of the Pacific Northwest Trail, which runs from the Olympic Range to Glacier National Park in Montana and passes the south side of Lake Whatcom, as well as a nearby trail network on Galbraith Mountain.

“It would be great to connect to that,” Probst said.

“We’d also like to see it connect to trails that lead all the way to Mt. Baker.” Probst is planning an ultra-marathon that would run from Bellingham Bay to the summit of Mt. Baker, after successfully completing the run himself last summer. Citing the global popularity of ultra-marathons, Probst said he thinks the reconveyance land provides a potential corridor for an amazing race that would draw participants from around the world.

The park’s size should allow room for some user-specific trails, McFarlane said. Mountain bikers and equestrians appreciate that fact.

“Taking 25 percent out of the inventory of trails and saying this is dedicated for a specific use gives those users, whether they’re hikers/runners, bikers or equestrians, the opportunity to do their own thing,” said Eric Brown, trail director for the Whatcom Mountain Bike Coalition. “You want to mitigate those conflicts as much as possible, especially for bikers and horses. That would be an ideal scenario and something that’s proven successful on Galbraith.”

Mountain bikers also hope to mix downhill, directional trails into the plan.

Legions of local trail builders stand ready to volunteer their labor.

“We’ve had commitments from trail building groups throughout the county to assist in not only building the trails, but in stewardship as well,” McFarlane said.

“They’ve helped build and maintain many of the trails currently in the parks system, and I’d expect that relationship to continue.”

Watershed quality and habitat conservation will be the two overarching issues in planning the park. Fortunately, roads and parking lots are already in place in existing parks that adjoin the new land: Lookout Mountain Preserve on the west side and Lake Whatcom Park on the east. These parks will become the entrance points to the new trail system. The goal will be to place new trails and other infrastructure in areas that are not highly sensitive in terms of habitat and erosion.

Conservation is the main goal, but recreation isn’t far behind. Even the conservationists are excited about the recreational opportunities the park will provide.

“We love the idea of an accessible park – that people in Bellingham can get on a bus and be in a large wilderness area in a matter of minutes,” said Natalie Whitman, development associate for Whatcom Land Trust.

“It feels indulgent to drive an hour and a half to go for a hike,” Friedman said. “We have an opportunity to provide world-class recreation right in our backyard, to provide a connection to nature and at the same time advance watershed and habitat protection in a meaningful way.”

Striking a perfect balance between conservation and recreation won’t be easy, but so far, everyone seems to be on board.

“The two go hand in hand,” Probst said.

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SPRING 2014 | MOUNT BAKER EXPERIENCE

27

MOUNTAIN SLAYIST

Catching up with

Liz Daley

BY IAN FERGUSON PHOTOS BY JASON HUMMEL

T

o steal a quote from Zoolander, “That Liz Daley … She is so hot right now.”

A Patagonia snowboard ambassador, American Alpine Institute guide and Jones Snowboards team rider, Liz Daley had a banner year in 2013, hosting her own series on EpicTV and guiding on Mt. Baker, the Cascades and in Chamonix.

She’s back in France now, planning major objectives and knocking them off one by one in between guiding clients up and down the glorious Alps.

Her perma-grin and blonde hair

are easily recognizable in the pages of snowboarding media, but it’s her fearless accomplishments in the mountains that stand out. She was the first woman to descend Mt. Baker’s Coleman headwall on a snowboard, and has also summited and shredded Mont Blanc.

Liz is on the cover of this issue. We thought we’d take the opportunity to introduce the rider on the cover, and Liz responded to our questions from France.

Full name: Elizabeth Devon Daley Age: 28 Birthplace: Tacoma, Washington

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MBE: Your title on your website is “Mountain Slayist.” For those who don’t know what slaying big lines means, what exactly do you do for a living?

LD: Well, I guess “slayist” means one who gets rad in the mountains, climbing epic routes and riding big lines, usually succeeding in their efforts. I slay mountains in my free time but I mountain guide for a living. I still slay as a guide but on a different level – it’s all relative I guess.

When a client finishes my trips I’m sure they see themselves as mountain slayists as well.

MBE: How long have you been a snowboarder, and how did you get into the sport?

LD: I started snowboarding when I was 10. My parents aren’t mountain people so they couldn’t grasp my urge to get to the mountains. They also couldn’t afford it. My auntie Janet bought me my first snowboard and my grandpa bought me my first kit and they sent me up on the ski

bus every weekend for lessons.

MBE: Is guiding more of a means to make a living in the mountains, or a passion in its own right? How did you become a guide?

LD: It’s both. I’ve never seen myself working a job I hated. Happiness and quality of life have always been more important to me than money. Being an athlete half the year and a guide the other half has been a huge sacrifice in many ways.

I’m not living a “normal” life full of all the comforts of a secure job, a home and consistent income, but I’m privileged in many ways. I’m living a pretty dream life, I get to travel, make my own schedule, be outside in the mountains all the time and create awesome experiences for others with the same passion.

I was an environmental education major at Western Washington University. After graduating I pretty much dedicated four years to climbing and riding in Europe and all over the western United States, learn-

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MOUNT BAKER EXPERIENCE | SPRING 2014

ing on my own and getting a lot of experience. After spending time in Chamonix I knew I wanted to become a guide, so I came back from Europe, got my Emergency Medical Technician certificate, worked on ski patrol for a season and got a guiding gig at American Alpine Institute the following summer.

MBE: What are some memorable highlights from your snowboarding career?

LD: Coleman Headwall on Mt. Baker. Summiting and riding down Mont Blanc. Kautz Headwall, Rainier. Bonatti Couloir, Italy. And getting sponsors and support to help me keep living my dream.

MBE: You’re also a climber. Where are your top three places to climb in the Northwest?

LD: Index, Squamish and Leavenworth.

MBE: When you’re not riding, climbing or guiding, what do you like to do?

LD: Hang with family and friends.

Go to shows, happy hour and karaoke; bake, go out dancing, get pedicures.

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MBE: Are there any trips or projects in the works you’re excited about?

LD: I just got to Chamonix so I’m pretty excited about my winter over here. There are still so many lines on my hit list I’ve been dreaming of for years. I might be going to Alaska in the spring, which would be awesome – I’ve never been. A horseback trip into the Wind River Range is in the mix as well. We’ll see what unfolds.

MBE: What can a client on one of your trips expect?

LD: I have a few courses. There’s a Mt. Baker threeday summit trip and a Mt. Baker five-day, which is more skills intensive and more riding of peaks in the area.

Then I have a five-day Washington Pass peak-bagging mission, and in that trip we summit and shred three, perhaps four, classic mountains in the North Cascades.

I have a splitboard/ski mountaineering course in the North Cascades where we have a day of rock climbing in Mazama followed by a splitboard/ski approach to some classic alpine routes where we climb some splitter granite, rappel off and shred down. I also have a nine-day volcano mission that is both objective and skills based where we summit and shred Mt. St. Helens, Mt. Adams and Mt. Baker.

A more “skills intensive” course includes things such as crevasse rescue, partner and self rescue from a crevasse, roping up on a glacier, terrain selection for ascending and descending in hazardous terrain, beacon practice and evaluation of subjective and objective dan-

ger. Summiting the Cascade volcanoes and shredding down around 7,000 feet of perfect corn is so cool, it really doesn’t get old. I had a couple guys from Utah tell me last year that my Mt. Baker course was the coolest thing they had ever done. That was pretty awesome.

MBE: Mountain guiding is currently a male-dominated pursuit. Do you have any advice for women who are thinking of guiding as a career?

LD: It’s definitely not an easy way to make a living.

It’s really physically and mentally challenging, but the rewards are huge. It’s especially hard in the Cascades because the weather can be so demoralizing, but when it’s good I wouldn’t want to be guiding anywhere else.

There are a lot of misconceptions about guiding. I don’t think it’s an issue of gender; either sex can guide, and you don’t have to be the strongest or the best climber, or the best skier, but you do have to be able to facilitate a great time, work well with people and make good decisions in the mountains.

I would tell them not to think about the gender issue at all and don’t compare yourself to others. Get the hard skills down first, and then learn how to guide others.

Trust your intuition and be confident in your decisionmaking.

You can find more information about Daley’s Mt. Baker guiding courses at www.tinyurl.com/aailiz

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360-380-4436 pioneerpostframe.com SPRING 2014 | MOUNT BAKER EXPERIENCE

29

PHOTOGRAPHIC MEANING

BY NEIL SCHULMAN

“There’s nothing worse than a sharp image of a fuzzy concept.” – Ansel Adams The sun is setting over the Pacific. The exposure is spot-on, the focus sharp, the composition clear … and the photo is boring. At best, it gets a shrug from viewers.

As Ansel Adams’ quote indicates, technical perfection doesn’t make photos interesting. In contrast, look at Robert Capa’s famous images of the D-Day invasion of Normandy. The photos are blurred and grainy, but they endure because they capture the chaos and madness of combat for those who have never experienced it.

Let’s delve into how to convey meaning with photographs.

After all, photography is a means of communication. Light and visual language are how we say things, but first the photographer must have something interesting to say.

WHAT IS PHOTOGRAPHIC MEANING? Photographic meaning is different from literal meaning.

Photographs must communicate with someone the photographer will never meet, and photos often must stand alone without text, captions or control of the viewing experience. Meaning therefore requires intense distillation. If you can’t describe the meaning you’re trying to convey, you probably won’t be able to make a compelling image.

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Photos that evoke emotions pack far more punch. Think of universal emotions; love, fear, humor, passion and mystery.

Evocative photos can have impact even without much information. The image of my two-week-old niece looking like Winston Churchill never fails to get a laugh. (Image 1) There’s no story – she was just figuring out how her limbs worked, and struck the pose for a split second. One of the most famous images ever made, Steve McCurry’s “Afghan Girl” (http://bit. ly/1axJcZO) tells us nothing about where it was taken or what led to the girl’s haunting look. It’s not necessary. The emotion is enough.

Since the Mount Baker Experience is an outdoors magazine, what emotions drive us? The peace of a week away from civilization? Bone-deep, well-earned exhaustion after a long climb?

The clench in the gut dropping into a big rapid? The only thing that makes Image 2 a kayaking image is the silhouette of the paddle. It’s an emotional image because it evokes both peace and the sense of a journey.

4 MATURE AND IMMATURE SUBJECTS Pioneering climbing photographer Galen Rowell distinguished between immature and mature subjects. An immature subject is one that viewers don’t understand without a fairly literal depiction. Mature subjects are things we’re already familiar with and therefore work on an evocative level because we have an established context. Image 3 only makes sense if you’re familiar with the Buddhist tradition of burning incense to purify and invite spirits. The smoke is a metaphor for religion’s quest to provide answers to mysteries, and the blurred face allows the woman to represent all humanity’s search for meaning. Most western viewers, unfamiliar with Buddhist traditions, can only interpret this photo’s meaning if it’s preceded by narrative images to set the scene.

TWO WAYS OF EVOKING EMOTIONS Photographs evoke emotions in two ways: equivalence and metaphor.

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NARRATIVE VS. EVOCATIVE IMAGES It’s useful to think of images that narrate a story and those that evoke emotions, although some will do both.

Narrative images tell a story in a factual way. Purely narrative images rarely stand the test of time, unless they contain emotional content or narrate a significant event, like the UPI image of Jack Ruby shooting Lee Harvey Oswald. When images are presented together, narrative photos can set the stage for evocative images that follow.

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MOUNT BAKER EXPERIENCE | SPRING 2014

MOUNTBAKEREXPERIENCE.COM

3

Minor White described equivalence in 1963. He would find the emotive kernel of a scene or experience, then use the tools of light and visual language to make the viewer of his images in a gallery miles away and years later, feel the same emotion. Since visual language is so deeply programmed into human consciousness, a skilled photographer can evoke the desired emotion in a way that the viewer doesn’t know why they feel peace, tension or regret when they view an image. But they do, because the photographer has put subtle visual cues in place.

This image of two-time youth champion Eli Nicholson at the Roaring River Slalom is an example. (Image 4) The topic is concentration and focus, but there’s no particular look of concentration on Eli’s face. It’s conveyed via other visual cues: the saturated colors, the green moving water and the blood-red color of the gate he’s striving for. The black background makes it so that nothing exists but the water, the gate and the racer; which is exactly how it feels to compete.

Moby Dick is about more than a man chasing a whale.

Like novels, photographs use metaphors to imply meaning. Image 5 was taken of Mao’s portrait above the entrance to Bejing’s Forbidden City across from Tiananmen Square. Mao both watches over daily life from a higher plane, and remains static as the world moves by.

Taken at the epicenter of the 1989 uprising, this image evokes an authoritarian, surveillance-obsessed government watching over its citizens. Simultaneously, it conveys a sense that the rapid modernization of daily life is passing the communist ideology by posing a fundamen-

5

tal conundrum for China. Mao’s portrait hangs from the famous entrance to the emperor’s old palace, evoking a succession of dynasties and dictators. Meet the old boss, same as the even older boss. All these interpretations can exist side-by-side in an image.

CREATIVE TIPS Here are some ways to jumpstart your creative thinking: Write down words. Before you photograph something, write down as many words about it as you can. To demonstrate, think of an egg: words that come to mind may be white, oval, food, fragile, natural, growth and cholesterol, for starters. Then make one of these words the theme of your image. The same exercise will help you develop themes for travel destinations, sports and people.

Consider the invisible. Remember that photos can’t convey sounds, smells or the feeling of crisp cold air, yet these are huge components of our experience. Give yourself assignments like the smell of rain, the crunch of tires on a gravel road, or whatever non-visual cues

6

…HOT SPRINGS CONTINUED FROM PAGE 13 another bedrock wall blocked the route along the river to our little pools. After enjoying a long soak we dressed and headed back up the hill, angling upstream towards what we figured must be the main spring area. We clambered over a small bedrock hummock and dropped down into the real Halfway River hot spring. A nest of youthful hippie-wannabies was camped under a blue tarp right on the edge of the most desirable riverside pool. Several rustic wooden tubs filled with hot water (and other bathers) dotted the riverbank as we worked our way upstream, congratulating ourselves for our serendipitous “mistake” of heading downhill too soon.

The hot springs loop goes north from Halfway River, across Upper Arrow Lake on a small ferry to Revelstoke, then over Rogers Pass through Glacier Provincial Park to Golden. We bypassed Canyon Hot Springs Resort (closed for the season), and headed south down the Purcell Trench.

A quick stop at Radium Hot Springs, the western gateway to Yoho National Park, revealed a low-key family style bathing center. Kids from the nearby town were having a swimming lesson, while a handful of tourists enjoyed the pool fed by the hot springs. Our target was elsewhere though. The amiable proprietress of the Ainsworth Motel had told us of growing up in Fairmont where her mother had worked at the glamorous Fairmont Hot Springs Resort. She advised us to ignore the main resort, park in the overflow parking lot, and head for the top of a small knoll to the “Indian Baths.” That sounded like our kind of place.

A fabulous series of clear rock-lined pools is perched right on the riverbank, with oh-so-hot water in the top pool gradually working down to a pleasantly warm bath.

enrich your experience. Then find non-literal ways to convey them.

Photos don’t need to be pretty. There’s always room for more beauty in the world, but don’t become stuck on making classic postcard shots. If your goal is to evoke tension, challenge or questioning, beauty may not be the best tool.

Find contrasts and similarities. Seek images where there’s either an obvious conflict, such as in Image 1, between an infant and a very adult pose, or similarities between dissimilar things.

Embrace mystery. Unanswered questions create suspense. A hallway leading into dark, inky shadows hints at something about to reveal itself. (Image 6) Group assignments: Assemble a group of people and pick a theme with many interpretations. Go shoot on your own, then gather to see the many interpretations.

Seeing others’ work will help improve you own.

Neil Schulman is a writer and photographer based in Portland, Oregon. You can find his work at www. neilschulman.com/neilschulman2.

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Fairmont Hot Springs was almost empty, as “tourist” season in the Canadian Rockies seems to be very much focused on summer hiking and winter skiing, without much happening in between. The campground was deserted, so we snagged a spot just as dark fell then headed down to try out the resort pool in the moonlight. Nice enough, and obviously popular with the few families and retirees taking advantage of the off-season. The real treat came the next morning. We hiked uphill at daybreak to find the original concrete bath house, a small tub carved into the “tufa” bedrock, and a series of shallow natural pools colored vivid brown, green and blue against the pale calcareous background. We spent a delightful hour trying each of them, with the mist in the valley hiding the main resort and almost leading us to believe we were alone on an undiscovered hillside.

Next on the list was Lussier Hot Springs, a set of undeveloped pools located in White Swan Provincial Park. The parking area sports toilet facilities and a small changing room, with a well-maintained path leading down to the springs. A fabulous series of clear, rock-lined pools is perched right on the riverbank, with oh-so-hot water in the top pool gradually working down to a pleasantly warm bath where one can adjust the temperature by allowing in as much icy creek water as necessary to remain comfortable. This delightful and peaceful site was almost our own. We shared the spot with one other bather, who spoke of yet another nearby “wilderness” spring called Ram Creek Hot Springs, as well as Dewar Hot Springs, located about 5.5 miles (9 km) up a reportedly “muddy and indistinct” trail. Alas, our time was coming to a close, so those adventures would have to wait for next time.

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SPRING 2014 | MOUNT BAKER EXPERIENCE

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WILDERNESS COOKING

BY KOSETTE ISAKSON PHOTOS BY JASON HUMMEL

FOR MANY PEOPLE, PLANNING MEALS IS A VALUABLE PART OF ANY OUTDOOR EXPERIENCE.

W

hen I consider what has the biggest impact on travellers in the wilderness, it’s easy to think of the breathtaking views, constant fresh air and long days of hard work. Surprisingly though, one of the most important factors of a backcountry experience is also commonly overlooked: food. What you eat has a lot to do with how you experience the wilderness, for better or for worse.

I have been tagging along on my family’s outdoor adventures since I was old enough to sit on a raft without falling out. Now I am in college, and since the day is coming when I’ll be left to my own devices to plan a menu and prepare meals in the backcountry, I set out to learn a few things about backcountry cooking.

When I say “backcountry,” I am referring to a trip that requires you to carry or transport your own gear and food. Mary Owen hiked the entire Pacific Crest Trail, from Mexico to Canada, in 2010. Hiking upwards of 20 miles per day, she learned to appreciate food in ways she never had before.

“Food is pretty central to the hiking community. It was kind of a bonding thing for all of us,” Owen said, referring to the group of hikers she met on her travels.

Generally, the first thing any hiker does when reaching a town is head for the nearest hot breakfast, because on the trail their options are slim. Owen ate ramen noodles, dehydrated mashed potatoes and a lot of Snickers bars – which she quickly tired of. Eating the same foods gets old after a few weeks, not to mention a few months.

Long-distance hikers like Owen look for foods that are calorie-dense to keep up their energy. According to the National Outdoor Leadership School, backcountry travelers burn between 2,500 and 4,500 calories per day depending on their individual physiology and output. Planning to eat foods rich in calories and fat may take some getting used to, but when you’re putting in the miles, you’ll be glad for the energy.

“On the trail, food is food,” Owen said. While she was in the High Sierras in California, a man taught her to crush a tube of Pringles into a small baggy and add it to her dinners for the fat and calorie-rich content.

Owen did minimal planning for her hike, but for many people, planning meals is a valuable part of any outdoor experience. My mother, Kristen Isakson, has been cooking in the

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MOUNT BAKER EXPERIENCE | SPRING 2014

wilderness of Alaska and Washington for 40 years. The array of snacks she brings on hikes never fail to provide nourishment and entertainment during long trail days.

“Variety makes food enjoyable,” she said. “Planning meals is a lot of the pleasure of the trip.”

Owen would agree with this idea. “Food was a big morale booster on the trail,” she said. There were times when she and

her friends could forage for foods like green onions to adorn their ramen noodles, adding brightness to an otherwise dull meal.

There are a few questions you need to ask yourself when planning a menu. How long will you be out? How many people are you cooking for? What’s the weather going to be like? Weather

can determine if you will want hot chocolate or Crystal Light, pasta or a trail salad. In colder temperatures, you may be able to bring along certain “fresh” foods like cheese or sausage.

It’s important to minimize weight anytime you’ll be carrying food and gear into the wilderness. Two great options for lightweight food are dehydrated and freeze-dried. According to www.planyourhike.com, freeze-dried food is lighter and often tastier than dehydrated food, but is usually more expensive. If you don’t have the budget for multiple Mountain House dinners, you may want to try dehydrating.

For some, dehydrating food is a blast. Others have what Christine Conners calls “dehydrophobia” – “the intense and irrational fear of using a food dehydrator.” If that describes you, check out her article for tips on overcoming your fear at www.wildernesscooking.com/dehydrophobia.

Another consideration is your gear. The type of stove and cookware you choose can make a huge difference in weight and what you are able to cook. On shorter trips you can use a propane or white gas stove running on a fuel canister. These stoves allow you to control the temperature, which makes cooking easier and more flexible, but they are also much heavier.

Alcohol-burning stoves can be run with a small container of rubbing alcohol and can be made at home for a small price, but they do not concentrate heat like propane stoves. Aluminum or titanium cookware is the most lightweight, but titanium is more expensive.

One of the best pieces of advice I have picked up so far is this: try your food at home before taking it on a trip. After reading Ray Jardin’s suggestion of “corn pasta elbows,” my mother packed this energizing meal as dinner for nearly half of the days of a backpacking trip. She said that when boiled, corn pasta turns into corn mush.

“It looked like dead corn with red spaghetti strands coming out of it,” she said. Nobody wants to eat that.

It’s important to remember not to be a perfectionist in your menu planning, and to keep it simple. Something almost always goes wrong when cooking in the wilderness. That is one of the best things my mother has taught me about being in the wilderness. Even though planning is a fun and enjoyable part of a trip, you can’t plan for everything, so enjoy your mistakes – they provide opportunities to learn and experiment.

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t Il Caffe Rifugio the walls are tumbling down, and owner Richard Balogh is finally seeing his dream of a walk-up coffee and gelato bar on Mount Baker Highway come true.

“The coffee has always been here, but the gelato has taken some time to figure out,” he said. “My dream was to have one of those long, curving coolers like they had in Italy, but I didn’t have that kind of money or space. So instead I pulled down the front wall of the restaurant to get a standard cooler in, and built my own counters to get what I wanted.”

He then replaced the wall and created a walk-up window to make it easy for passersby to stop and grab a cup of joe or a scoop of gelato on the way home from a busy ski day.

Balogh said he chose to serve gelato simply because of its freshness. “It’s delicious. Everything about it is fresh,” he said. “I’ve had to wait on it so that I could find the right distributor, because I wanted to make sure we were serving a gelato that uses fresh ingredients, which is be-

coming more and more rare.”

Along with the new walk-up window and sweet offerings, Balogh is also freshening up the menu to keep in line with his vision for the mountainside cafe, which is a full-service Italian restaurant serving breakfast, lunch, dinner, pizza, espresso and desserts.

“The original concept of the cafe was for us to serve panini, gelato and high-end coffee and desserts,” Balogh said. “But everyone kept asking for things like biscuits and gravy, eggs and sausage. Out of stubbornness, I’ve continued to make the things I want.”

Balogh is excited about the changes to the intimate cafe space, including the fact that they are now a little more green after having replaced all the heaters throughout the restaurant.

“The next phase is working on the exterior of the cafe,” Balogh said. “We are going to make it look really nice.”

The cafe, located at 5415 Mount Baker Highway in Deming serves espresso roasted by Cafe d’Arte and is open 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. Thursday through Sunday.

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BY PAT GRUBB

SPRING GEAR GUIDE

SAUCONY XODUS 4.0 Sam Alexander, owner of Klicks Running & Walking store in Bellingham, is high on the Saucony Xodus 4.0 trail running shoe. Available in GoreTex, its lower profile and 4mm drop puts you close to the trail while the Vibram outsole protects your foot from rocks and other pointy objects. The Xodus combines excellent traction, light weight and a stable feel in a rugged package. Sam recommends that you try a pair and head up to Galbraith, the Chuckanuts or Baker and see for yourself.

Non-Gore-Tex $110, Gore-Tex $130.

SMITH CORNICE MATTE

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The Archive Collection pieces are exact replicas of original best selling Smith frames from 1988, 1991 and 1993. Each of the five new styles – Cheetah, Mt. Shasta, Marvine, Delano and Cornice – are labeled with its initial launch year and offered in original colors. The glasses are still constructed from cellulose propionate frame material, but have been updated with Carbonic TLT lenses for optical precision, and are available in polarized and non-polarized options.

MSRP $80 non-polar, $119 polarized.

Thierry Werderits at Fairhaven Bike & Ski has the solution for low snow blues – skate skiing. He recommends the Hypersonics for people who are looking for alternatives and want a lot of thrills going downhill. Skate or classic XC skiing is another extension of winter sports; one that gives you a total body workout. Thierry is also a certified XC instructor in case you need help getting into the sport. $249.

TRANSITION RAPTURE PLATYPUS DUTHIE AM10 This bright beauty can carry a full-face helmet and pads on the uphill while holding a 3.0L Big Zip LP Reservoir. It has a pump sleeve, tool and eyeglass pockets, magnetic hose retention and reservoir hang hooks. Its compact size means it can serve as your “go-to” backpack for whatever activity requires convenient hydration. $109.95.

Ferndale’s own Transition Bikes is staffed with cyclocross freaks, so it’s no surprise they’d come up with their own take. The Transition Rapture is a versatile cyclocross racer designed to excel in technical northwest-style cross courses. The steel frame comes with rust-proof coating for a long lasting finish no matter what you decide to ride through. The bike comes with features that you normally only see on $2K custom hand built frames – features like internal rear brake cable routing so there’s nothing to get in the way of shouldering the bike, custom dropouts that allow you to run singlespeed or geared, with integrated chain tensioners so you never have to re-adjust tension when swapping out a wheel. At $599 for the frame and fork, the Rapture gets you race ready without breaking the bank. The bike comes with a two-year defect warranty and lifetime crash replacement.

HELLY HANSEN CHALLENGER PERFORMANCE TIGHTS If you want to look good while putting in the miles, you’d be hard-pressed to beat these tights. Available for both men and women, the tights combine compression fabrics with strategically placed supportive prints to support your muscles.

Reflective material and internal key pockets provide even more functionality. $130.

SPRING GEAR GUIDE VOILE DIY SPLITBOARD KIT Want to get into the backcountry but shy on the cash for a factory splitboard? No worries – the Mt. Baker Snowboard Shop carries the Voile Split Kit. This is the real do-ityourself, saw-your-old-board setup.

It includes all gear and instructions on how to split your board. $158.95.

THERM-A-REST VELA DOUBLE BLANKET SLEEPING BAG If the 650-down fill isn’t enough to keep you warm, this double size sleeping bag lets you cuddle up to the person next to you. The Vela blanket comes with loop kits so you can pair it with any mattress, such as two large NeoAir Campers.

You are going to be very comfortable this summer. $229.95 and $279.95.

MSR ULTRALIGHT KITCHEN SET Heading into the backcountry? If you’re planning to sleep in a snow cave and going all-minimal, this 4.8 ounce kitchen set is for you. It includes folding spoon, spatula, ultralight cutting board, salt & pepper shaker, squeeze bottle and dish towel. $24.95.

NORDICA HELLDORADO Glacier Ski Shop owner John Adams says this is an amazing Mt. Baker ski. It’s a full-blown free ride powder ski that also does well on the groomers. It features a wood core with double layers of titanium to stiffen it up. This stable, high rise rocker ski is made in Austria, known for quality construction. $799.

BE LOCAL, BUY LOCAL.

We encourage you to support your local retailers. These winter items can be found at American Alpine Institute, Backcountry Essentials, Comor Sports, Fairhaven Bike & Ski, Glacier Ski Shop, Hidden Wave Boardshop, LFS Marine & Outdoor, Mountain Equipment Co-op, Mt. Baker Snowboard Shop, Northshore Ski & Board, REI, Skiis & Biikes, Sportsman Chalet, Valhalla Pure Sports, West Coast Sports, WWS Boardshop, Yeager’s Sporting Goods and other quality retailers in Washington and British Columbia.

SPRING 2014 | MOUNT BAKER EXPERIENCE

35

EVENTS

Find more events and submit your own at mountbakerexperience.com

FEBRUARY VANISHING ICE EXHIBIT: Now through Sunday, March 16, Bellingham. Whatcom Museum’s exhibition on frozen landscapes. More info: whatcommuseum.org LEGENDARY BANKED SLALOM: February 7–9, Mt. Baker Ski Area.

The legendary race down a banked slalom course pits the best snowboarders in friendly competition at Mt. Baker Ski Area. More info: lbs. mtbaker.us

VANCOUVER INTERNATIONAL MOUNTAIN FILM FESTIVAL: February 7–15, Vancouver. Watch the best outdoor adventure films of 2013, along with keynote speakers and presenters such as Jason Hummel and Kyle Miller. More info: vimff.org ALL-PACES RUN: Tuesday, February 18, Fairhaven. Meet a group at Fairhaven Runners for a friendly, mellow run. Every Tuesday at 6 p.m. More info: fairhavenrunners.com

RECREATION NORTHWEST EXPO: Thursday, February 13, Bellingham.

Meet health professionals, nutrition experts, local gyms, personal trainers, bike shops, running stores, gear outfitters, outdoor clubs, stewardship organization, race organizers and outdoor media. Your number one source for local and regional recreation opportunities. More info: recreationnorthwest.org FRAGRANCE LAKE HALFMARATHON: Saturday, February 15, Larrabee State Park. Run past the serene Fragrance Lake, then through fields of sword fern.

Soak in all hues of green as you run under towering rock faces on the Rock Trail, through a magical forest above Lost Lake. More info: bellinghamtrail.com BIRCH BAY MARATHON: Sunday, February 16, Birch Bay State Park.

This full and half-marathon is a Boston qualifier around gorgeous Birch Bay. More info: birchbaymarathon.com FREE SWIX WAX CLINIC: Saturday, February 22, Fairhaven. Alpine ski waxing clinic at Fairhaven Bike and Ski. Bring yourself and any questions. Free coffee provided. More info: fairhavenbike.com

Maple Falls CaFe and GlaCier ski shop Present

Mt. Baker Film & Photo Festival

EyE oF thE EaglE awards

Best photography and footage of winter around Mt. Baker - ski and snowboard, animals, landscape, mountain biking, people ...

Bring your work to either Maple Falls Cafe or Glacier Ski Shop to be entered. Great prizes for the winners!

Selections presented at Sunday parties at Maple Falls Cafe.

Live music, raffles. Amazing beers and great food.

1St Round - SundAy, MARCh 2, 6-8 pM 2nd Round - SundAy, MARCh 30, 6-8 pM FinAL - SundAy, ApRiL 20, 6-8 pM maplefallscafe.com 360-599-1800 www.glacierskishop.com 360-599-1943

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MOUNT BAKER EXPERIENCE | SPRING 2014

hilly terrain with experienced trail runners. Every Wednesday. More info: fairhavenrunners.com

MARCH

then view and photograph a variety of bird species in Blaine and Birch Bay. More info: blainechamber. com/wow

MOUNT BAKER FILM & PHOTO FESTIVAL: Sunday, March 2, Maple Falls. Submit your photos and short film footage to Maple Falls Cafe or Glacier Ski Shop beforehand, then vote for your favorite in the first round at Maple Falls Cafe March 2.

More info: maplefallscafe.com

SQUIRES LAKE AND ALGER ALP HIKE: Saturday, March 15, Bellingham. Join the Mount Baker Club on a moderate hike along the Pacific Northwest Trail covering about 6 miles round trip and 1,000 feet of elevation. Explore cliff bands, beaver ponds and great views if the weather allows. More info: mountbakerclub.org

B.C. BOAT AND SPORTSMEN’S SHOW: March 7–9, Abbotsford.

The biggest boating trade show in B.C. is now combined with the B.C. Hunting Show. Check out retailers and manufacturers of all sorts of gear, and find great deals. More info: masterpromotions.ca

BELLINGHAM FARMERS MARKET: Saturday, March 15, Bellingham.

Get your organic vegetables direct from the farmer, and peruse many other great locally-made goods.

The winter schedule is once a month. More info: bellinghamfarmersmarket.org

STEWART MOUNTAIN HALF MARATHON: Saturday, March 8.

Run along Lake Whatcom before heading up Stewart Mountain for sweet views and about 3,000 feet of elevation gain. More info: bellinghamtrail.com

RUNNIN’ O’ THE GREEN: Saturday, March 15, Bellingham. St. Patrick’s Day-themed, 40-minute run. More info: fairhavenrunners.com

VBC LEISURE RIDE: Sunday, February 23, Vancouver. Morning group bicycle ride around Vancouver every Sunday with the Vancouver Bicycle Club. More info: velopalooza.ca

WWU PLANETARIUM AND SUSTAINABILITY TOUR: Wednesday, March 12, Bellingham. Learn how easy it is to get to Western Washington University by bus (no parking hassles!), check out the planetarium and learn about the latest sustainability initiatives on campus. More info: everybody bike. com/events

EVENING EPIC RUN: Wednesday, February 26, Fairhaven. A strenuous group run of 1.5–2 hours on

WINGS OVER WATER BIRDING FESTIVAL: March 13–16, Blaine.

Hear from expert ornithologists,

Mt. Baker Music Skill Share Retreat in Glacier, WashinGton

June 6, 7 & 8 $50 for 3 days camping and instruction If you can string three cords together come on out! All levels welcome. Intensive group lessons and jam circles. Camping onsite, nearby lodging available.

For more info: mtbakerchamber.org or 360-599-1518

CRATER LAKE AND COLORADO BIKE SLIDESHOW: Wednesday, March 19, Bellingham. Catch two inspiring bicycle tour stories in the winter bicycle travel series presented by ReSources. More info: everybodybike.com/events CHUCKANUTS HIKE: Saturday, March 22, Larrabee State Park. Join the Mount Baker Club in exploring new trails in the Chuckanuts on an 8-mile round-trip hike that is moderate with hard sections. More info: mountbakerclub.org MT. BAKER SPLITFEST: March 28–30, Mt. Baker Ski Area. Meet up with like-minded backcountry snowboarders, check out the latest gear and head out for a tour.

Fundraiser for NWAC. More info: splitfest.com BIRCH BAY ROAD RACE: Saturday, March 29, Birch Bay. A spectacular run along the shores of Birch Bay. More info: birchbayroadrace.com MOUNT BAKER FILM & PHOTO FEST: Sunday, March 30, Maple Falls. Submit your photos and short films beforehand, then vote for your favorites in the second round of the festival at Maple Falls Cafe. More info: maplefallscafe.com

APRIL SKI MOUNTAINEERING COURSES: March­—May, North Cascades.

April is a great month to learn how to ski in glacial, mountainous

MOUNTBAKEREXPERIENCE.COM

542: THE MUSIC HIGHWAY terrain. Courses on Mount Baker offered by American Alpine Institute and Mount Baker Mountain Guides. More info: alpineinstitute. com, mtbakerguides.com SKAGIT VALLEY TULIP RUN: Saturday, April 5, Burlington. Five-mile run and 2-mile run/walk through a botanist’s paradise. More info: tuliprun.skagitrunners.org SKAGIT VALLEY TULIP FESTIVAL: April 1–30, Mount Vernon. The Skagit Valley comes alive with color for the month of April. The spectacle is a wondrous sight to behold.

More info: tulipfestival.org RECYCLED ART AND RESOURCE EXPO (RARE): April 4–6, Bellingham. Explore beautiful new ideas in creative reuse and sustainability.

More info: alliedarts.org WMBC TRAIL DAY: Sunday, April 13, Larrabee State Park. Join Whatcom Mountain Bike Coalition in building and maintaining trails in Larrabee State Park. More info: wmbcmtb.org MOUNT BAKER FILM AND PHOTO FEST FINALS: Sunday, April 20, Maple Falls. View photo and short film submissions and vote for your favorite in the final round of the three-part festival. More info: maplefallscafe.com LEARN TO GROW MUSHROOMS: Sunday, April 27, Bellingham.

Practical techniques for the home gardner. More info: cascadiamushrooms.com

MAY NORTH SHORE ENDURO RUN: Saturday, May 3, North Vancouver. Fun run in North Vancouver’s North Shore mountains. More info: events.mec.ca VANCOUVER MARATHON: Sunday, May 4, Vancouver. Full and halfmarathons. More info: bmovanmarathon.ca

DEMING

Nooksack River Casino – The Eddy Music & Sport Bar 5084 Mount Baker Highway 360/592-5472 nooksackcasino.com Il Caffe Rifugio 5415 Mt. Baker Highway 360/592-2888 ilcafferifugio.com

Check out these venues for live music!

MAPLE FALLS

Maple Falls Café 7471 Mt. Baker Highway 360/599-1800 maplefallscafe.com

GLACIER

Chair 9 Woodstone Pizza & Bar 10459 Mt. Baker Highway 360/599-2511 chair9.com Graham’s Restaurant 9989 Mt. Baker Highway 360/599-3663 Find them on Facebook.

Cafe 542 7466 Mt. Baker Highway 360/599-1347

Catch Jimmy Brite

FAIRHAVEN PARK FOREST WORK PARTY: TBD, Fairhaven. Help maintain trails in the Fairhaven Park Forest. More info: recreationnorthwest.org

performing at

Graham’s Restaurant, Glacier

SKAGIT SPRING CLASSIC: Saturday, May 10, Burlington. Mark your ride calendar with the 24th annual Spring Classic, a bicycle ride through the Skagit Valley. More info: skagitspringclassic.org

Feb. 13 with Bentgrass, 8 p.m.

Feb. 14 Valentine Show, 6 p.m.

Feb. 27 with Bentgrass, 8 p.m.

WMBC TRAIL DAY: Saturday, May 17, Larrabee State Park. Join Whatcom Mountain Bike Coalition in building and maintaining trails.

More info: wmbcmtb.org

Other concerts found on jimmybrite@facebook.com

SKI TO SEA: Sunday, May 25, Mt. Baker Ski Area to Bellingham.

Celebrate the seven-leg adventure race from the slopes of Mt. Baker to Bellingham Bay. Finish party in Fairhaven. More info: skitosea.com

Meinhardt Merry

JUNE

Find their schedule at bandZandt.com

Robin Wallbridge and Kent Rogers, also members of bandZandt and One Lane Bridge, perform on a Sunday afternoon at Cafe 542 in Maple Falls.

MT. BAKER MUSIC SKILL-SHARE RETREAT: June 6–8, Glacier. Receive lessons and instruction in stringed instruments and hand drumming.

Camp onsite or stay nearby. More info: mtbakerchamber.org

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37

lenge to both road bikers and mountain bikers.

Racers compete by racing through the course multiple times through varied terrain and a series of obstacles, some of which require them to “shoulder” their bike and carry it on foot. Wooden ramps, dirt berms and water-filled pits are common. Cyclists are scored by their overall time. The races are divided by gender and experience.

Cyclocross bikes are typically mash-ups of different types of bicycles. A road bike frame with thick tires, mountain bike pedals and brakes is a common variation.

Mountain bikes work for cyclocross, but can slow the rider down.

Road bikes might provide better speed, but don’t always provide the best traction. Selecting the perfect bike can be an artful balancing act, but many riders just use whatever is on hand.

“You can race on whatever,” said Ian Schmitt, a product manager at Kona bikes out of Ferndale, and a competitor in the Cascade Cross series. “You can race on a commuter bike or you can race on a clunker.”

Schmitt sports a black Kona with a CX-specific “Super Jake” frame.

Another Ferndale bike company, Transition, released their CX-specific “Rapture” in 2013. Prices for stock-fitted, competition-ready cyclocross bikes run the gamut from $1,000 to $6,000.

The courses are usually only a couple of kilometers long, making the sport more spectator-friendly than longer road-racing courses.

Obstacles thrown in for cyclists to navigate, such as stairs, bridges and cones, make for an exciting spectacle. What makes the Northwest – and Whatcom County in particular – unique is the density of “things” on the ground, Schmitt said, such as trees, ferns and the occasional stump.

CYCLOCROSS A FRIENDLY PURSUIT STORY AND PHOTO BY QUINN WELSCH

T

he wind at Cornwall Park in Bellingham was coming at them hard on the last race of the season. It tugged on the white tape that guided the cyclists through the course. It blew them off balance. It pushed rain, mud and leaves into their faces.

“It’s getting nicer out,” one of them said as a blast of wind and pine needles dumped down from the sky.

On the surface, the gritty, mudstreaked cyclocross (CX) racers seem a far cry from the generally easygoing nature of the Whatcom County cycling community. But they will tell you they are no different.

A COMMUNITY SPORT Ryan Rickerts, the founder of Bellingham’s cyclocross series, Cascade Cross, believes the true nature of the sport is not about the competition. From setting up the trails to racing alongside friends, cyclocross is about being a member of a

community.

“We’re all here to have fun,” Rickerts said. “If you go to a race with a thousand people and you don’t know anybody and everyone’s nervous, you don’t get the same vibe.”

The cyclocross season in Whatcom County lasts from October to January and draws crowds from the road and mountain biking community who want to stay active in the off-season.

“It lifts your spirit in a dark time of the year,” Rickerts said.

Rickerts became the de facto leader of the cyclocross community in Whatcom County after inheriting a following in 2006 from the previous cyclocross series, Belly Cross.

In the beginning, Cascade Cross was a three-race series. This year’s series took racers throughout Whatcom and Skagit counties to Bellingham, Ferndale, Maple Falls and Sedro-Woolley.

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The series has since expanded to eight races, drawing in cyclists from Washington, Oregon and British Columbia. The sport is growing, not just in the Northwest, but across North America. Cyclocross is often referred to as the fastest growing discipline in competitive cycling, according to USA Cycling, the governing body for professional U.S. cyclists.

The sport got its start in Europe and is most popular in Belgium, France and the Netherlands. One of the attractions of cyclocross in the Northwest is the sense of camaraderie.

“I try to make it legitimate, quality cyclocross, but with a small town atmosphere,” Rickerts said. “For me it’s about seeing people get outside, bonding over sports. I’d rather see people out here cheering their friends than in front of the TV cheering some team in Seattle.”

GETTING DIRTY Don’t mistake the cyclists’ neighborly demeanor for weakness. Cyclocross can be intense.

“It’s all out. Forty-five minutes to an hour,” Rickerts said. “You really get inside your head. You’re kind of racing yourself.”

Cyclocross is a blend of different styles of cycling that can be a chal-

At places like Cornwall Park in Bellingham, where Cascade Cross hosted the final race of the season, the natural geography and walking trails provide some of these obstacles already. The race left its mark on the park in muddy tracks through the grass.

“The spirit of cyclocross is probably something you won’t understand until you come out and experience it,” Rickerts said.

As the race finishes at Cornwall Park, cyclists take their helmets off and guide young children on training wheels throughout the mud.

Others linger off the track, holding either a beer or a dog leash. It’s moments like these that keep Rickerts at it.

“You can see the smiles on everyone’s faces,” he said. “It’s kind of infectious.”

The cyclocross season might be over, but there’s no time like the present to start training for next fall. Practice for the Cascade Cross series will begin at the Cascade Cross course at 5022 Guide Meridian in Bellingham in July. The park is shared with Bellingham BMX. Rickerts plans to host the first cyclocross race in the first week of October.

x

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ince 1993, South Carolina-based Arcadia Publishing has been producing its iconic Images of America series, which chronicles the history of small towns across America. Local authors gather vintage images and artifacts to preserve and enhance local history.

Now it’s Mt. Baker’s turn. Local photographer and writer John D’Onofrio and northwest historian and filmmaker Todd Warger have put together Mount Baker: Images of America. This 130-page book contains hundreds of black and white images that tell the story of the volcano from its discovery by Europeans to the present day. The book costs $21.99 and can be purchased at local stores such as Village Books, online stores (remember, Village Books has an online store) or from the publisher.

For more information, visit www.arcadiapublishing.com.

PHOTO BY PAT KENNEDY

A local race organization becomes a park steward

BY IAN FERGUSON

T

here are literally hundreds of races held every year in the Mount Baker region. From weekly 5ks in Seattle, Bellingham and Vancouver to annual multi-sport races such as Ski to Sea and the Bellingham Traverse, the opportunities for an outdoor athlete in the northwest are boundless.

For better or worse, every race has an impact on the environment and the broader community. The organization that runs the Bellingham Traverse is seeking to unite the recreation community in an effort to improve those relationships. Putting action behind their philosophy of community involvement and environmental stewardship, Recreation Northwest became the stewards of the Fairhaven Park Forest, an 82-acre parcel and trail network on Bellingham’s south side, recently purchased by the city of Bellingham.

“Our plan is to start with litter patrols and quarterly work parties, but we eventually want to lead the community in conversation about trail planning and management,” said Todd Elsworth, director of Recreation Northwest.

“We've wanted to move into the stewardship realm for awhile, and it just made logical sense to adopt the place we use.”

The Bellingham Traverse sends runners on trails that weave through second-growth trees, over hills and around wetlands in the park. The land is in the watershed of two salmon-bearing creeks (Padden and Hoag’s), so habitat preservation and enhancement will be part of the stewardship goals, Elsworth said.

“Ecological respect and admiration has always been a part of our events, and we’ll continue that in our stewardship. There are a lot of rogue trails, so we’ll be involving the community in discussions of which trails to manage and which ones to discontinue. Our goal will be to choose trails that don’t cut through wetlands and don’t destroy, but enhance the area,” Elsworth said.

“THE BETTER WE CAN BE AS RACE DIRECTORS, THE MORE WELCOMING THE PUBLIC WILL BE IN SHARING THAT SPACE,” ELSWORTH SAID. The move to become park stewards is one of several the organization has made in their recent efforts to coalesce the recreation community. In September, Recreation Northwest held a race Director’s Summit. More than 30 race directors from Whatcom and Skagit County showed up to discuss operating standards and codes of conduct for racers.

“We use parks and trails that are open to the public, so the better we can be as race directors and participants, the more welcoming the public will be in sharing that space,” Elsworth said.

His vision of community involvement extends to the business side of recreation as well. The Recreation Northwest Expo scheduled for February 13 will bring together the many faces of outdoor recreation in the northwest.

“We want to bring runners, road bikers, mountain bikers and paddlers and other user groups into one room, to get the public and the business community of recreation together,” Elsworth explained. “It’s a lot of information sharing and connecting active people who are just interested in having fun.”

Fun is the bottom line for Recreation Northwest, and no amount of community networking will overshadow that focus. Indeed, the organization is working with Brent Molsberry, founder of the San Juan Island Quest, to bring a new sort of adventure race to the mainland this summer. The Kulshan Quest will require participants to navigate their own way to checkpoints using only map and compass. The locations of those checkpoints are kept secret until raceday.

“We’ll still put on kickass races,” Esworth said.

Look for our summer issue at the end of May for a more in-depth article about the Kulshan Quest.

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ki to Sea is a seven-leg adventure relay race from Mt. Baker Ski Area to Bellingham Bay. The race began in 1973 as a means of showcasing recreational opportunities in Whatcom County, but is a continued legacy of the much older Mt. Baker Marathon, which took place in 1911, 1912 and 1913. Racers ski, run, bike and paddle in various forms for more than 90 miles every Memorial Day weekend, ending at a finish line festival in Fairhaven.

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local athletes overcame a new policy that requires each division have a minimum of 10 registered teams.

A fixture of the modern race, the Whatcom County Women’s Division has contributed a popular storyline every year because it showcases the drive and talent of local female athletes. A Ski to Sea newsletter in late September last year warned racers that divisions with fewer than 10 teams would be subject to elimination. This new policy, meant to promote competitiveness within each division, endangered the Whatcom women’s division, which had only four teams last year.

This year, the division will have between 11 and 15 teams, said Mel Monkelis, executive director at Whatcom Events. The dramatic increase is due to the grassroots efforts of racers Beth Hartsoch and Heather Nelson of team Kulshan Cycles who, after hearing about the 10-team minimum, set to work contacting and organizing female athletes in Whatcom County.

“The athletic community in Whatcom County is a tight-knit group,” Nelson said. “Beth knew a lot of cyclists and skiers and I knew the paddle people.”

Hartsoch and Nelson created The Whatcom County Women Ski to Sea Facebook page, which now has more than 200 members, to organize training events and gain publicity for the various Whatcom

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women’s teams.

Hartsoch said she disagrees with the 10-team minimum. While there are plenty of female athletes in Whatcom County, finding time to organize a team, train and compete is a feat in itself.

“The idea that this division is not competitive because it has fewer than 10 teams is, in my mind, missing the fact that just building and maintaining a team for this division is an achievement,” Hartsoch said.

“By the time we get to the starting line, the race is 90 percent over.”

Part of the problem of recruiting female athletes is that many women are preoccupied, in some way or another, with the process of raising children, Hartsoch said. Four children have been born to the Kulshan Cycles team in the past seven years alone.

Nevertheless, Hartsoch and Nelson have recruited scores of willing and able female athletes for the division. The teammates hope to harness this year’s momentum and secure a body of teams that will return to the race year after year. Some of the new teams signing on for this year’s race include Core Kinetics Pilates, W2Sci (Whatcom Women Scientists) and Core Physical Therapy.

“We’re trying to make Whatcom County’s female athletes feel like they’re part of a community,” Nelson said. “I think this year that feeling is really starting to catch on.”

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Breakfast Bu rritos Soup & Quiche ,

Behind Milano’s Restaurant • Open everyday at 7:30 am

PHOTO BY PATRICK O’NEIL

J

ohn Adams, co-owner of Glacier Ski Shop, is pretty easy to pick out on the ski slope. You can usually spot him out on the Shuksan Arm or Hemispheres, and you’ll know it’s him by his shredly knee dropping and his custom, signature

Cozy Log Cabins

kayak paddle. Adams explained how his powder-paddling technique came to be: “When skiing steep exposed lines I like to ski with an ice ax. If I fall I can lean on the ax and self arrest.

This technique works especially well with Telemark skiing because the upper body is facing into the hill allowing you to simply drag the ice ax in a natural position. I found myself having a hard time switching back and forth between poles and the ice

Fireplaces Kitchens

360/599-2711

www.thelogs.com

x

glacier’s only hotel.

eek Stay 2 nights, Mid W l the 3rd is FREE c e Sp ia *excluding holidays

7577 Canyon View Dr. (Glacier Springs) Glacier, WA

ax technique. Switching styles, especially during a scary decent was not working for me.

I decided to stop skiing with poles completely so that the ice ax technique would start to feel more natural, but found it difficult to stay on my feet. I needed to ‘lean on’ something.”

A shortened kayak paddle fit the bill, and Adams hasn’t looked back.

The question is, could ski poles catch on for whitewater kayaking?

bluetlodge.com 360/599-9944

NOW OPEN located next to CHAIR 9 ade Homem ts Desser

A great place to rest your head after your mountain adventure.

Ask about our pet friendly rooms.

CHAIR 9

Woodstone Pizza & Bar • Family Dining

Bar Special s!

HaPPY HouR - Mon. thru Thurs., 11am to 4pm New meNu BlUe T loDge NoW oPeN Check Facebook for schedule

Upstairs Game Room — with Free WiFi! shuffle board, pool tables, ping pong, darts & foosball

Private room available for parties and events

360-599-1943

Glacier Ski Shop 9966 Mt. Baker Hwy • Glacier • GlacierSkiShop.com Best Rates

RENTALS

Downhill • Tele • X-C • AT • Snowboards • Snowshoes VoTeD BeST

tune shop Binding Mounts • Hotwax • Ski & Board Tunes

MILANO’S

R E S TAU R A N T & D E L I • Fresh Pasta Dinners All Day • Daily Specials • Espresso 1 9 • Catering Est. 90 • Soups & Salads 360/599-2863 • Homemade Desserts 9990 Mt. Baker Highway Glacier, Wa. • Wide Selection of www.MilanoRestaurant.us Beer & Wines Open 2-8 weekdays • 2-9 weekends Happy Hour 2-5 • 7 days a week

Enjoy drink & small plate specials during happy hour

10459 Mt. Baker Hwy., Glacier 360/599-2511 www.Chair9.com

SPRING 2014 | MOUNT BAKER EXPERIENCE

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ExpEriEncE the north cascades Skagit tourS 2014

tour

Dine

Explore

Encounter the beauty, adventure and fun of the North Cascades. To learn more about what awaits you, visit www.skagittours.com or call (360)854-2589.

Skagit Tours

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North Cascades Institute Connecting people, nature and community through education since 1986 www.ncascades.org or (360)854-2589 North Cascades National Park Enjoy summer learning and recreation www.nps.gov/noca or (360)85 4 -7200 Photo credit David Astudillo