Mount Baker Experience, Spring 2021

SPRING 2021

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Discover breathtaking views and majestic scenery in Oregon and Washington. Book your RV site, cabin getaway, yurt or tent site today and experience all that the Northwest has to offer!

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Our Thousand Trails Camping Pass is offered by MHC Thousand Trails Limited Partnership, Two North Riverside Plaza, Suite 800, Chicago, IL 60606. This advertising is being used for the purpose of soliciting sales of resort campground memberships. This document has been filed with the Department of Licensing, State of Washington as required by Washington Law. Value, quality or conditions stated and performance on promises are the responsibility of the operator, not the Department. The filing does not mean the Department has approved the merits or qualifications of any registration, advertising, or any gift or item of value as part of any promotional plan. Subject to availability. Reservations required. Offer valid on new reservations only.

Offer valid on standard RV sites, cabins, yurts and tent sites only. Offer excludes Tiny Houses at Mt. Hood and Leavenworth locations. Reservation of 2 night minimum and 6 nights maximum required. Rates do not include taxes. Book by April 1, 2022. Offer valid for stays May 1, 2021 through April 15, 2022. Amenities vary by resort. Not available during holidays or special events.

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MOUNT BAKER EXPERIENCE Special publication of The Northern Light and All Point Bulletin PUBLISHERS Patrick Grubb and Louise Mugar EDITOR Ian Haupt

CONTRIBUTORS

PUBLICATION DESIGN Doug De Visser COPY EDITOR Grace McCarthy INTERN Conor Wilson

MBE Spring 2021

ADVERTISING DESIGN Ruth Lauman • Doug De Visser ADVERTISING SALES Louise Mugar • Molly Ernst

CONTRIBUTORS IN THIS ISSUE: Sean Bagshaw, Brett Baunton, Jack Bardi, Radka Chapin, Ian Ferguson Jason Griffith, Katie Griffith, Andrew Grubb, Grant Gunderson, Elizabeth Kimberly, Jason Martin, Audra Lee Mercille, Marcus Paladino, Tara Nelson, Skye Schillhammer, Evan Skoczenski, Matthew Tangeman, Jeff Vander Stucken, Re Wikstrom, Luca Williams EMAIL: info@mountbakerexperience.com WEB: www.mountbakerexperience.com FACEBOOK: facebook.com/mtbakerexperience TWITTER: twitter.com/MB_Experience INSTAGRAM: instagram.com/mtbakerexp If you can see Mt. Baker, you’re part of the experience. Mount Baker Experience is an outdoor recreation guide for and about the Mt. Baker region, distributed from Seattle to Vancouver, B.C. and published by Point Roberts Press, Inc. Locally owned, the company also publishes The Northern Light, All Point Bulletin, Pacific Coast Weddings, Waterside and area maps.

Vol. XXXV, No. 2. Printed in Canada. ©2021 POINT ROBERTS PRESS 225 Marine Drive, Blaine, WA 98230 TEL: 360/332-1777 NEXT ISSUE Summer 2021 • On stands June Ad reservation deadline: May 3 ON THE COVER KC Deane pushes the limits outside of Bellingham, Washington, as the sun sets over the San Juan Islands.

Grant Gunderson photo.

TARANELSON

Tara Nelson, a former reporter for The Northern Light, owns and operates Taradactyl Design and co-owns Terra Firma Consulting & Stuff, a political campaign consulting and design firm based in Snohomish County.

KATIEGRIFFITH Katie is a climbing coach, guide, and writer.

She searches for the lessons that climbing can teach us about personal development, community care, accessibility, and sustainability.

Ktgriffith.com.

IANFERGUSON On weekends Ian is either chasing waves, freediving or doing his best ‘snowboarder’ impression. During the week he daydreams at his day job about buying a van to drive to Mexico....

He doesn’t care how cliché it sounds.

ELIZABETHKIMBERLY When Elizabeth Kimberly isn’t teaching geology at WCC, you can find her seeking alpine powder turns, winding through forests on a bicycle or writing in a notebook and drinking kombucha.

JASONGRIFFITH Jason is a fisheries biologist who would rather be on a summit than down by the river. When he isn’t fiddling with his camera in the mountains, he lives in Mount Vernon with his wife and two boys.

GRANTGUNDERSON One of the ski industry’s preeminent photographers, Grant has shot for every major snow sports and outdoor publication worldwide.

Grantgunderson.com

JASONMARTIN Jason is the executive director at the American Alpine Institute, a mountain guide and a widely published outdoor writer. He lives in Bellingham with his wife and two kids.

EVANSKOCZENSKI Evan Skoczenski is a lifestyle and landscape photographer born in Bellingham. He spends almost all his time chasing light and the next adventure.

LUCAWILLIAMS Luca Williams is a certified rolfer in Glacier.

She helps snowboarders, skiers and other outdoor enthusiasts get aligned and out of pain.

Website: lucasrolfing.com Blog: movingwithgravity.wordpress.com

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MOUNT BAKER EXPERIENCE | SPRING 2021

AUDRA LEEMERCILLE Audra Lee Mercille is a Pacific Northwest-based freelance adventurer. She found photography as a way to display her love and gratitude for the mountains and landscapes that inspire her.

RADKACHAPIN Radka is a mental health therapist during the week, an avid climber, skier, backpacker and photographer on weekends, and a full time human servant to a Border Terrier named Mossy. Radkaandchris.smugmug.com

MARCUSPALADINO Marcus Paladino is a surf and outdoor photographer living in Tofino, B.C. He strives to have simple descriptions like ‘surf shot’ or ‘nature photo’ fall short. That’s when his work becomes art. Marcuspaladino.com

JACKBARDI Jack Bardi is a road cyclist for Gateway Devo, and an amateur baker. He is also a full time student studying public health and nutrition at WWU.

ANDREWGRUBB Born and raised in the heart of the Salish Sea, Andrew is a skier, organic farmer and environmental educator.

MATTHEWTANGEMAN Matthew is an adventure photographer with a passion for deep powder, alpine granite and not making it back to the trailhead until way after dark. mtangeman.com

SKYESCHILLHAMMER Skye Schillhammer is a rider, photographer and cinematographer for Transition Bikes in Bellingham. When he’s not on assignment or on a bike, you can find him deep in the woods building trails and soaking in the PNW.

SEANBAGSHAW Sean Bagshaw is a landscape and travel photographer, photography educator and experience junkie based in Ashland, Oregon. OutdoorExposurePhoto.com.

JEFFVANDER

STUCKEN

Jeff Vander Stucken is a professional cycling and event photographer based in California.

He also enjoys photographing landscapes and surfing. Jeffvsphoto@smugmug.com.

MountBakerExperience.com

PUBLISHER’S NOTE

by Pat Grubb

T

his month marks a year since the world effectively shut down in the face of the coronavirus pandemic. In the (apparently) immortal words of Jerry Garcia, what a long, strange trip it’s been. For many people around the world, it’s been a year marked by personal tragedy and deep pain while for a few, it’s been one of gain. According to news reports, the wealth of nine billionaires increased by $360 billion this past year. The rest of us have just tried to survive as best we could while facing an uncertain future.

One of the ways that people coped was by turning to the outdoors for recreation and respite. Mt. Baker saw a flood of visitors seeking safety in the outdoors – so much so that the ski area encouraged patrons to arrive early in order to find parking.

Hopefully, people who discovered the benefits of outdoor life will continue doing so once we’re through this pandemic. (Let’s also pray for shorter lift lines while we’re at it! Remember, depending on conditions, the ski area will be open until May 5 …)

We hope this issue inspires people to explore and expand their personal horizons. Got a standup paddle board? How about signing up for the WA360? You’ll start off in Port Townsend, paddle south to Olympia, turn around and paddle north to Point Roberts and then head back to PT. Nothing easier than that but you could always do it in a sailboat or kayak or any boat-like thing that doesn’t have an engine. How about a hike around Lake Chelan’s shoreline? Surf the Washington coast?

And, of course, there’s always award-winning photography from the best photographers of the Pacific Northwest.

Have fun and be safe out there (an article on what to expect if you need search and rescue to come for you tells you why).

x

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COURTESY OF THE WINGS

Elizabeth Kimberly and friend take to the sky to find new lines

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OUTDOOR SCHOOLS

CHASING WAVES

Filling the gaps during Covid-19

Surfing on the Olympic Peninsula

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NEWSROOM Swimrun and other adventures

FARMS 14 FAMILY Good food in the foothills

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SKI, BAKE, RIDE A bike racers day in the life

RESCUE IN TOWN 16 BACKCOUNTRY 43 NEW What to expect when help is called

The Heliotrope opens in Glacier

TREATY ACT 18 BIRD Protecting the vagrants

GUIDE 44 GEAR New for spring

19 WA360 The 360-mile motorless race

20 GALLERY Photos for a changing season

CHAIR 32 LAST Mt. Baker Ski Area open till May

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LIKE A LION 33 STRETCH Sitting stretches for the office

AND LODGING 42 DINING Staying plump in Cascadia

CHELAN LAKESHORE Backpacking to Stehekin

BAKER SUMMIT Celebrating a 65th birthday

SPRING 2021 | MOUNT BAKER EXPERIENCE

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Newsroom

Notes big and small from around the region Aspire Adventure Running

Peninsula Adventure – Gravel Unravel After canceling its Gravel Unravel race last June due to the pandemic, Peninsula Adventure Sports will return to hosting the event in 2021, but this year the event has been turned into a three-race series.

Gravel Unravel is an endurance bike race over the gravel trails of the Olympic Peninsula, featuring both competitive and noncompetitive races.

The first race of the series, Hoh-ly Roller, will take place May 1, on the west end of the Hoh and Clearwater rivers. The second race, Sol Grinder, on June 5, uses the gravel roads west of Lake Crescent in the Olympic National Forest. Bon Jon Pedal Vender, the final race, happens June 26, starting and ending at Worthington Park Village in Quilcene, and climbing Bon Jon Pass.

All races come in three distances: short (25-35 miles) medium (45-55 miles) and long (65-85 miles). For adults, the races cost between $60 and $85 depending on the distance. For minors, all races are $35. Rides will get $5 off each ride after their first one if they sign up at the same time.

For more info or to register, visit peninsulaadventuresports.com.

State parks offer free day access Washington state residents will be allowed free day access to state parks on designated days throughout 2021.

Vehicle access to state parks usually requires a Discover Pass, which costs $10 for the day or $30 for the year. On free days, visitors can enter any state park without a pass.

Free access only applies to state parks; a Discover Pass will still be required on lands managed by the state department of fish and wildlife and the department of natural resources.

Free days also do not apply to overnight camping or sno-parks, which require their own pass.

Here are the remaining free days in 2021: • Saturday, April 3 (Springtime Day) • Thursday, April 11 (Earth Day) • Saturday, June 5 (National Trails Day) • Saturday, June 12 (National Get Outdoors Day) • Sunday, June 13 (Free Fishing Day) • Wednesday, August 25 (National Park Service Birthday) • Saturday, September 25 (National Public Lands Day) • Thursday, November 11 (Veterans Day) • Friday, November 26 (Autumn Day) The parks commission manages over 100 state parks, including Birch Bay State Park, that make up 120,000 acres of land in the state.

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MOUNT BAKER EXPERIENCE | SPRING 2021

Aspire Adventure Running organizes single and multi-day running adventures in wilderness terrain across Cascadia and Northern California, and has several trips for the upcoming spring and summer seasons.

Trips consist of long-distance runs, of varying miles and difficulties, through mountains and beaches during the day, while nights are spent camping, eating and sitting around a fire. Trips cost between $300 and $450 for a weekend, and $1,000 to $1,600 for longer trips. Prices also rise as dates approach.

The next trip will take place May 28-30, on Sucia Island, and will be an educational course for runners looking to receive a Wilderness First Aid certification, focusing on skills for backcountry runners.

In June, the company will offer four trips to several locations including: Desolation Peak Trail, Ross Lake and the Lost Coast Trail in California. Longer trips, ranging from 50 to 95 miles will be scheduled in July and August.

To view the full schedule and register, visit aspireadventurerunning.com.

Quest Races Quest Races has set dates for adventure and swimrun races taking place throughout Washington.

During an adventure race, teams are given maps with checkpoints, identified 30 minutes prior to the race, and must decide the best route to take to reach the finish, combining several different endurance sports.

The first race on the 2021 calendar is the Kulshan Quest on June 5. It will involve mountain biking, kayaking and trekking through the Chuckanut mountains. On October 2, Quest Races will host Island Quest, which will run through the mountains and coastline of the San Juan islands. Both races offer a three- and 12-hour option.

Quest Races will also offer two upcoming swimruns, of which teammates will both run and swim a distance between three to nine miles, while remaining within 10 meters of each other. The two swimrun races are scheduled for June 6 at Lake Padden in Bellingham and August 1 at Seward Park in Seattle. Both races will offer a long, and shorter ‘sprint’ course options.

For more information, visit questraces.com.

Recreation Northwest Experience International Experience International, a Bellingham non-profit that promotes technical and culture exchange in fields related to agriculture, business, and resource management, has created Bike Northwest.

Bike Northwest is a new project with goals of reconnecting community members during the pandemic, through guided bike tours, while learning about food systems, ecology and natural history of the Pacific Northwest.

Bike rides will go through a variety of locations including: The Skagit Valley, Galbraith Mountain, farms around Everson and the Olympic Rainforest. Single and two day rides will range from $250 to $750.

The next available ride will be: Tulips, Artists and Beer: The Best of Skagit County on April 24 and 25. Riders will bike through the Skagit tulip fields while learning about grains and barley from nearby farms, and enjoying local food.

For more information and a full schedule of rides, visit espint.org.

Recreation Northwest, a Bellingham advocacy group that promotes outdoor recreation and improvement, has announced a series of plans and partnerships for the rest of 2021.

The group has partnered with Bellingham Parks, WWU Recreation Management & Leadership and Woodstock Farm, and will continue several of its programs as well as its education and advocacy for the improvement of parks and recreation.

The group plans to use its main stewardship location at Fairhaven Park, continuing to improve trail conditions, public access and connecting the park with Woodstock Farm. The group will also to work with doctors and health care providers for its parkscptions program, which helps treat community health issues by providing equitable access to recreational opportunities.

Come spring they plan to offer small group outdoor classes, teaching basic and advanced skills in hiking, backpacking, camping, van lifestyle and more. They will also to lead park tours teaching about the social and natural history of Bellingham’s parks. The classes will be hosted at its native plant gardens in Fairhaven Park.

Recreation Northwest plans to release its calendar of events for the rest of the year in April. Visit recreationnorthwest.org.

MountBakerExperience.com

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Lake Padden Park Sunday June 6, 2021

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MOUNT BAKER EXPERIENCE | SPRING 2021

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WhereElegance Meets Nature AT THE HEART OF MOUNT BAKER

LOCATED IN GLACIER, WA / MT. BAKER Our focus is on quality over quantity. Our handpicked, beautiful homes are as close to the Mt. Baker wilderness as you can stay.

They are fully stocked, immaculately cleaned, and have many personal touches throughout. All of our homes have free WiFi. Choose from yearround indoor hot tubs and swimming pools, to summer outdoor pools, dog-friendly chalets , private hot tubs, soaking tubs, & more!

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Courtesy oF

Taking to the sky to scope new ski lines around Mt. Baker Story By Elizabeth Kimberly

Y

our vantage is different from the sky. With wings, you can kiss volcanic summits and lenticular clouds in a matter of minutes. You can witness a landscape’s patterns – like avalanche crowns concentrated on south-facing slopes, where northerly winds deposited meters of snow; or the consistent elevation of snow line from the most recent storm, wrapping around every mountain in sight along the same band; or the strategic patchwork of clear-cuts across the foothills. You can unearth secret mountain troves: Alpine

swimming holes, ski lines, dream campsites. With wings, you can chase the sunset.

Kody Spencer has been discovering secrets from the sky since he was 4 years old – courtesy of his dad’s tutelage, and eventually courtesy of his pilot’s license and the wings of his vintage Cessna. On a sunny day in late December, I had the honor to ride in the passenger seat of Kody’s plane. The motivation? To scope ski lines on some of the peaks surrounding Mt. Baker. An unusual high-pressure spell had led to stable snow conditions in the high alpine, and Kody was scheming

ways to fly with his other set of wings (his skis).

Within seconds, we were airborne taking off from Bellingham. With our fingers on the windows, we giddily traced the curves of our favorite backyard bike trails. I could see my house, its roof cloaked by the green canopy. There’d been a rare lowland snowstorm the day prior, and the fresh coating accentuated the topography we flew above. As we ventured farther east, the Nooksack River squiggled beneath us, and the foothills grew taller and more voluminous. We glided past the Twin Sisters Range and I spotted a little cirque we Photo by Paris Gore

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MOUNT BAKER EXPERIENCE | SPRING 2021

MountBakerExperience.com

Photos by Elizabeth Kimberly

had stumbled upon last summer. It had felt like a secluded cove only known to us on that late summer starry night – nestled in a bowl between the red dunite-rich walls of the South Twin and shadows of the old growth.

But up here in the sky, its idyllic locale was no secret. It was so obvious, and all too alluring.

While Kody loves the expansive perspective he gets from flying, he also cherishes the accessibility it offers.

One of his most memorable flights is to Stehekin – a roadless village tucked along the shores of Lake Chelan – last summer. Reaching Stehekin normally demands a sixhour journey via car and ferry, but it can be reached in a mere 50 minutes by air. Kody also appreciates the mental challenge. “Including flight planning and execution, risk analysis and decision making, flying requires a lot more focus than most other things I do,” Kody reflects. “There is very little margin for error. In skiing you can push it and crash, in flying you can’t, so you have to be extremely aware with what you are doing and where the line is.”

We ventured east toward Mt. Baker. Concepts I teach

in my geology class are starkly apparent from 11,000 feet.

The curves of the Nooksack River’s meanders are indeed directly proportional to the channel’s width – a commonly known relationship in the world of fluvial geomorphology. Crevasses do align exactly perpendicular to the glacier’s direction of flow. North-facing slopes hold more snow and house more shade-loving conifers. The foothills – in their parallel north-south trajectory – are relics of the Cordilleran Ice Sheet’s flow some 16,000 years ago.

We rounded the iconic Roman Wall on Mt. Baker and ventured toward Mt. Shuksan and Mt. Larrabee. Beneath us, little skiers dotted the slopes of the Mt. Baker Ski Area – its terrain so strikingly dwarfed by the towering peaks in its vicinity. Kody tilted the wings toward the steep northwest couloir on Shuksan, one of 50 commitment-demanding classic North American ski descents.

Like most Cascade couloirs, its ribbon of snow is narrow and bound by metamorphic rocks, delicately perched above cliff bands and amidst crevasses. It looks even more formidable from the sky. It’s on Kody’s bucket list.

Around 4 p.m., the solstice light began to fade. As the sun dipped beneath the horizon, its rays set the Canadian mountains on fire. And then the alpenglow show (for which we had front row seats) made its way south: First, Mt. Larrabee, and then Mt. Sefrit. Like a slow-moving electrical current, the evening’s last light crawled across the range, setting mountains ablaze one by one. To our west, the San Juans were barely visible, bathed in the setting sunlight. It was time to return to the airport.

I have come to know this landscape’s mountain tops, loamy single-track and salty shores on my feet, my skis and my bicycle the past few years. But being in the sky, with wings, gave me new eyes. Perhaps, what was most striking was the interconnectedness of it all – glaciers terminating in rivers, log jams redirecting streamflow, the Nooksack’s path of least resistance toward the sea. If I squeezed my eyes, I could almost see spawning salmon, and the precise elevation where lowland raindrops are replaced by mountain snowflakes.

Thanks, wings.

x

SPRING 2021 | MOUNT BAKER EXPERIENCE

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Good Food in the

Foothills Story by Andrew Grubb

T

hose of us who live in the steep valleys of the North Cascades are aware of the difficulties of short days, torrential rain and cold nights. Few are as deeply cognizant of those challenges as the people who choose to make a living from the land. Kragnes Family Farms, nestled at the foot of Black and Bald mountains, just east of Maple Falls is an inspiring testament to an intimate knowledge of these unique conditions. In a landscape that is naturally carpeted in firs, cedars and moss-covered maples, Ben, Tyne and their farm dog Timber, have transformed overgrown, waterlogged fields into a vibrant mosaic of nutrient-rich vegetables, endlessly colorful flowers and sustainably managed grasslands for a variety of livestock.

Before moving to the Northwest, Ben and Tyne started and operated a successful 13acre vegetable and chicken farm in the Red River Valley of Minnesota on a small section of a large conventional farm owned by Ben’s father. Their plot produced enough food to supply 175 Community Supported Agriculture (CSA) members as well as various restaurants, stores, schools, food shelters and farmer’s markets. Both raised on farms in the region, Tyne and Ben had access to the knowledge and resources of family and friends and honed their skills growing vegetables and raising animals without the use of synthetic pesticides or fertilizer. As their operation grew, they dreamed of being able to farm in a place where they could explore the mountains and ski during the winter months. In 2014, they found a classic Cascadian farmhouse on a bend on the Nooksack River, historically known as the Loop Ranch. After a few more seasons back in Minnesota, they moved across the country with their favorite tools and broke ground.

While many of us may struggle to grow a few tomatoes or onions during our short growing season, Ben and Tyne have expanded their operation to seven acres of organically grown vegetables, a small orchard and 15 acres of verdant pasture, home to cattle, sheep and chickens. The success of their operation can be attributed to their past farming experience and taking the time to learn to work with the environmental conditions of a microclimate in which few others would choose to farm. As part of their mission to provide fresh local produce to their community at an affordable price, they market over 50 varieties of vegetables through a weekly CSA box program as well as local farmer’s markets. During the summer months there is always a diverse selection of vegetables, herbs, flower arrangements and handmade soaps available at their onsite farmstand.

Much of their success comes from deep knowledge of organic farming practices and utilization of rare machinery and tools from a bygone era of smallscale farming, such as their three post-war era Allis Chalmer G cultivating tractors. Ben’s mechanical prowess and careful planning saves thousands of hours a year of arduous manual cultivation, even if some hoeing of weeds is occasionally necessary. Tyne once told me that Ben’s father had warned them to avoid any tool with a handle or else they would end up working too hard.

While they’re still two of the hardest working people you could have the pleasure of knowing, the care and intelligence put into their work results in a scale of production seemingly impossible for one couple with occasional help from friends. When combined with a climate most farmers would not even consider for growing, Kragnes Family Farms is a miraculous blessing for those who desire healthy local food in the foothills. Find Ben and Tyne working in the fields, moving chickens through the pasture or creating a variety of farm products from soaps to dried flower bouquets, available at their self-service farmstand/walk-in cooler.

Anyone interested in learning more about how to grow healthy food in our climate without chemicals should take the time to stop at Kragnes Family Farms, 7996 Mt. Baker Hwy, the next time they drive east on Highway 542. Even the most seasoned farmers and gardeners can learn a lot from the work Ben and Tyne have done there. They can also be reached through their website at kragnesfamilyfarms.com or by calling 360/599-1095.

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What to Expect in a

Backcountry

Rescue Story and photos by Jason D. Martin

Y

ou’re sliding down a pristine snow slope, miles from the trailhead.

That’s when it happens. Your binding pops, your ski shoots away, you spin around and fall.

You slide uncontrollably into the rocks. The impact as you slide over jagged pieces of granite is jarring. It radiates through your body.

But finally, you come to a halt.

Your initial assessment is that you’re a bit beat up. Your clothes are ripped, you’ve got scrapes on your hands and legs, but you seem to be in one piece.

“I’m okay,” you yell up to concerned partners. “I’m fine!”

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MOUNT BAKER EXPERIENCE | SPRING 2021

But then you try to stand up. And that’s when you realize that you are not – in fact – fine. There’s tremendous pain.

Your leg doesn’t look right. The line along your shin is no longer straight and smooth. There’s a viscous purple and black bulge where the bone is jagged and broken beneath the skin … and you’re still miles from the car …

This is when the clock starts to tick.

The call for help comes from the backcountry in a variety of ways. Sometimes, a party is able to get a phone call out.

Sometimes they’re able to send a transmission with a satellite messaging system like a SPOT or an inReach. Sometimes a runner comes out with information for rescuers. And sometimes there’s no information. The party is just reported missing or late.

In nearly every case, the information that is provided to rescuers is incomplete. A 911 operator is seldom fluent in backcountry knowledge. Important information can be left out that might only provide a sketch of the reality on the ground for the rescue team.

Who is going to respond is yet another question. If you are in a national forest, the most common response will be facilitated by a sheriff ’s deputy and a volunteer mountain rescue team. If you’re in a national park, professional backcountry rangers will likely respond. The ranger team may request a volunteer mountain rescue unit for assistance, or it may facilitate the rescue on its own. It depends on the location and the situation.

If a person is injured at 2 p.m. and the party is able to get a call out immediately, then the rescuers will likely be notified by 2:30 p.m. They’ll meet at 3:15 p.m. and then drive to the trailhead. From there, they’ll make their way up the trail and in to the injured patient. A fast backcountry response will take place in under four hours from the time of notification. More commonly, the rescue team will not arrive for five hours or more from the time of notification.

But what about a helicopter…?

A helicopter response is not a given. It’s often cloudy and helicopters cannot fly in the mountains when they cannot see. Mountain pilots are specially trained. And the most ideal helicopters have a hoist. This is used to lower and haul rescuers and patients in complex terrain where landing isn’t possible. For these reasons, there are only a few helicopters that are regularly used in northwest Washington for mountain rescue operations, with the most common being a Navy helicopters based at Naval Air Station Whidbey Island.

The Navy helicopter pilots are very good, as are their mountain rescue technicians. But there is only one helicopter and one team there that will respond. If the helicopter is already in use, then local authorities will try to line up another one. But even if they are able to wrangle another helicopter, it will certainly be coming from farther away.

The combination of scarcity (there aren’t that many heliMountBakerExperience.com

WHATCOM COUNTY SEARCH AND RESCUE UNITS There are several units under the heading of the Whatcom County Search and Rescue Council.

Whatcom County 4x4 Unit – A unit populated by those with high clearance vehicles and/ or off road vehicles. Their focus is on the transportation of SAR teams, equipment transport, vehicle search and vehicle recovery (vehicles that have fallen off Forest Service roads).

Summit to Sound – Specializes in ground searches while overseeing specialty teams. The specialty teams include those with ATVs, horses and dogs. In addition to classic ground work, the team also provides swift water search and rescue/recovery, as well as people power for evidence searches.

Bellingham Mountain Rescue Council – Skilled in mountain terrain including on snow, glaciers and in steep/technical terrain that requires the use of ropes and other high-angle equipment.

The unit runs and/or assists with many regular SAR operations, but its focus is on technical rescue.

Whatcom Emergency Communications Group – Provides radio communications in the event of an emergency. They also provide support for other SAR communications needs.

Whatcom County Dive Rescue – Focuses on underwater search and recovery, as well as assistance with evidence searches. The team uses both scuba equipment, as well as supplied-air breathing equipment that allows for communication with the surface.

Whatcom County Snowmobile – Specializes on the transportation of personnel and equipment in snow environments.

copters that can do this kind of work), and hazard (sometimes these things crash), lead incident commanders to try to avoid helicopter requests. They most commonly request air support when they believe that a patient’s life is in danger.

When a ground team arrives at a patient several hours after notification, that’s often when the real work begins.

The unfortunate truth of a mountain rescue is that it is incredibly slow. As such, when the team arrives, they find one of two things: They find a stable patient or they find a deceased patient. Due to the speed of rescue, it is incredibly unusual to arrive and save a patient with some kind of heroic medical maneuver. If that happens, it generally comes from the patient’s backcountry partners, not from rescuers who arrive hours later.

If a team arrives and discovers the patient is on a cliff face or in a crevasse, or the patient is pinned by a tree or a rock, the team will have to set up a technical rescue system. The Bellingham Mountain Rescue Council (BMRC) regularly employs ropes, pullies and mechanical advantage systems to retrieve stuck, stranded or injured parties that cannot be extracted any other way. This can be dramatic, but it can also be painstakingly slow.

In a ground rescue, the patient will be packaged in one of two ways. The person might be packaged in a litter-sled in a snow environment, or in a litteron-a-wheel in a dry environment. Occasionally, a patient is sledded down to a dry trail and then transferred to a wheel.

As with everything else, wheeling a patient on a steep, rocky or heavily rooted trail can be incredibly slow. The movement of a wheeled litter requires a lot of rescuers. There is usually at least one on either side and on each end of the litter.

Often, there are a dozen other individuals who swap out in these duties, as a ground rescue is incredibly taxing.

It should be obvious, but a ride down the trail in a wheeled litter is not comfortable for the patient. In addition to the uneven terrain the patient has to deal with along with their injury, it’s also common for the patient to become nauseous. The combination of the litter’s movement and the trees above can create a car-sickness type response in many patients.

The descent to the trailhead on a wheeled litter is also quite long. With a strong litter team, the evacuation still might only move one to two miles per hour down the trail.

On the plus side, most rescues in Washington state are free. Rescue teams are populated by dedicated volunteers. It is part of the sheriff ’s department’s responsibility to facilitate these types of rescues, as it is for the National Park Service. And the cost of Navy helicopter rescue is placed squarely in their military training budgets.

In Whatcom County there are several different backcountry Search and Rescue (SAR) units, and they are all looking for dedicated volunteers. If you have some backcountry skills, and you want to give back to your community, check out the sidebar for more information.

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A pair of sandhill cranes at the George C. Reifel Bird Sanctuary in Delta, B.C. A 2011 study commissioned by the U.S. Fish & Wildlife Agency found that bird watchers spend nearly $41 billion annually on trips and equipment. Local community economies benefit from the $14.9 billion that bird watchers spend on food, lodging, and transportation. In 2011, 666,000 jobs were created as a result of bird-watching expenditures.

Local congressman supports migratory bird protections to aid local economies Story and photo by Tara Nelson

E

very year more than 350 species of migratory birds fly through northern Whatcom County bringing birding enthusiasts and visitors from all over the country and, with them, thousands of dollars in tourism revenue for small Whatcom County cities.

The mudflats and area surrounding Blaine’s Drayton Harbor and Semiahmoo Spit in particular are recognized as one of the most important northerly bird areas of Washington and serve as a pit stop for birds such as loons, brant, dunlin, great blue herons, red-breasted mergansers, bufflehead ducks, mallards, grebes, bald eagles and peregrine falcons.

Now, thanks to a bill being co-sponsored by U.S. Representative Rick Larsen (D-WA) those birds may be better protected after a 2017 Trump administration rule change would have made them more vulnerable to industrial threats.

If adopted, the bill – originally sponsored by U.S. Representative Alan Lowenthal (D-CA) – would reverse the Trump administration rollbacks of the Migratory Bird Treaty Act (MBTA).

The act, which was passed in 1918, creates a uniform system of protection for more than 1,000 migratory bird species that migrate between the U.S. and Canada – about 350 of which use the Pacific Northwest as their flyway, cutting directly across Whatcom County.

Under Trump’s re-interpretation of the law, however, the federal government cannot pursue penalties on companies that, through negligence or bad practices, kill a significant number of

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birds. Environmental groups criticized the decision saying that it ignored the intent and language of the law to protect and conserve birds.

Larsen visited Wiser Lake in Lynden in January along with North Cascades Audubon Society president Steven Harper and Robert Kaye, who is a member of the chapter’s conservation board.

The visit was part of a round of talks with Whatcom, Skagit and Snohomish county Audubon Society chapters to discuss the rule change.

An important economic driver Larsen said he is ready to work with the Biden administration to safeguard the MBTA and look for ways to support migratory birds in this year’s spending bill. He also said he sent a letter to Deb Haaland, the incoming Secretary of the Interior, in December, to let her know that he opposed the Trump administration’s rule. Larsen blieves Haaland, who is one of the first Native American women to serve in a presidential cabinet, will be more friendly to measures that will strengthen the MBTA instead of weaken it.

“Migratory birds are an important environmental symbol and economic driver for communities in the Pacific Northwest,” he said in an email.

A U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service (USFWS) report shows that birding festivals and events provide substantial economic benefits for communities. For example, in the Rio Grande Valley, birding is estimated to provide $463 million to the economy annually and 6,613 jobs in the region, according to a study by Texas A&M University. Even individual bird sightings can generate economic impacts in the case of rare species, such as a black-backed oriole in Pennsylvania that generated at least $218,000 in local spending by visitors.

While birding for just a day, Larsen said they saw 10 separate bird species including a 2-yearold bald eagle, a pied-billed grebe, cackling goose, American wigeon, common and hooded mergansers and snow geese.

Hunting of migratory birds provides an additional economic benefit of approximately $7.6 billion. Birds also provide economic value through subsistence hunting – a critical source of food for many residents, including for Alaska Natives and tribal communities, without which people may need to pay significant additional costs.

A long-embattled policy change In August 2020, a federal court struck down the Trump administration’s interpretation, ruling that it is “contrary to the plain meaning of the Migratory Bird Treaty Act” and “runs counter to the purpose of the MBTA to protect migratory bird populations.”

However, on November 23, the USFWS published an environmental impact statement (EIS) on the proposed rule and found that although changes to the MBTA would increase the legal certainty for companies, companies would be less inclined to implement best practices to reduce incidental bird takes, resulting in “increased bird mortality.” Nevertheless, the USFWS upheld the Trump administration’s rule change.

The Biden administration had also delayed the implementation of the Trump administration rollback of MBTA protections, which were finalized just weeks before Biden’s inauguration.

As of press time, Biden had also proposed a new rule taking aim at Trump’s rollbacks, an U.S. Interior Department spokesperson said, adding the department would also reconsider its previous interpretation of the MBTA “to develop common sense standards that can protect migratory birds and provide certainty to industry.”

“Delaying the implementation of the Trump administration’s illegal rollback of the Migratory Bird Treaty Act is the right thing to do,” said Sarah Greenberger, interim chief conservation officer, National Audubon Society. “This delay will allow a full reassessment of the rule change and we are hopeful that these critical bird protections will be reinstated.”

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Explore our walking and biking trails Stroll our historic district with its unique shops, restaurants and art galleries.

Stay in one of our Bed & Breakfasts, Inns and Vacation Rentals.

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360-678-8463 on Coupeville’s historic waterfront

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Canada United States

Point Roberts

5 Bellingham

Anacortes

Victoria Oak Harbor

WA360:

Port Townsend

You don’t have to be nuts, but it would sure help Story by Pat Grubb

W

hat do you do if you’ve been holding the longest race in North America since 2015, one that won’t let you use an engine, that presents some of the trickiest sailing challenges such as tidal currents running at 16 knots with whirlpools 30 feet across and six feet deep, that crosses two international borders and a pandemic shows up that forces those borders to close?

Yup, that’s what happened to R2K, otherwise known as Race to Alaska, using whatever power source someone chooses

as long as it isn’t engine powered.

Well, anyone crazy enough to come up the idea for R2K is not going to be stopped by a little border closure. Nope, those folks at the Northwest Maritime Center in Port Townsend scratched their heads for a bit and came up with WA360, a 360-mile race that goes counterclockwise from PT up to the buoy off Point Roberts down to Olympia and back to the PT. How you do it is up to you, whether it’s a sailboat, kayak, standup paddle board or any other kind of non-motorized boat thingie.

The race starts on June 7 and you’ve got two weeks to finish it. You start at Port

Everett

Whidbey Island

Townsend, head south to Olympia, turn around and go north until you get to the buoy off Point Roberts, turn around again and head for the finish line which used to be the starting line at PT. Not including the start and finish line, there are four waypoints you need to get by but remembering them will definitely be the easiest part of the race.

Fun dilemma: Which way do you want to go, through Deception Pass or the Swinomish Slough?

There are three classes: the go fast, the go

Seattle

Tacoma

5 Olympia

Continued on Page 45

When the snow melts...

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MountBakerExperience.com

Clockwise from top left: Climbers descend below Mt. Baker’s Roman Wall past the active crater and ridge to Sherman Peak. Brett Baunton photo. | KC Deane and Jon Hansen through dense forest outside Bellingham, Washington. Grant Gunderson photo. | Jumping for joy. Skye Schillhammer photo. | Amy Arnts finds a puddle on a sunny day at Galbraith. Evan Skoczenski photo.

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Clockwise from top: The view of the Cascades from Three Fingers Lookout outside Darrington, Washington. Evan Skoczenski photo. | Dropping in. Skye Schillhammer photo. | Jake Leonard climbs the first ascent of his new route "Afterburner" on Snow Creek Wall, Leavenworth, Washington. Matthew Tangeman.

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GALLERY

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MOUNT BAKER EXPERIENCE | SPRING 2021

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GALLERY

Wildflowers color the view of Mt. Baker along the High Divide Trail. Radka Chapin photo.

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Clockwise from top left: Olivine takes in the evening light and Mt. Baker from Ptarmigan Ridge. Audra Lee Mercille photo. | Malcolm Daly drops the tool belt and replaces his steel toes with 7mm booties during a much needed and sporadic day off to enjoy this little vision on Vancouver Island.

Marcus Paladino photo. | Campfire stories and good times with friends on Baker Lake. Audra Lee Mercille photo. | Madison Rose Ostergen shows off the kicks. Re Wikstrom photo. | Sixteen-year-old Nelson Gosoeman drops into a steep line around Mt. Baker Ski Area. Grant Gunderson photo.

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Clockwise from top left: Break time with a view of Ragged Ridge in North Cascades National Park. Jason Griffith photo. | Dustin Nelson during his 3 a.m. grooming session for Mt. Baker Ski Area. Evan Skoczenski photo. | Springtime fire by the Nooksack River with Amy and Ollie. Evan Skoczenski photo. | Zak Griffith settles in for a long winter’s night on the shore of Baker Lake. Jason Griffith photo. | Bitterroot flowers in Methow Valley. Jason Griffith photo. | Lettin’ it loose on Galbraith. Skye Schillhammer photo.

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Moss, mud, and masks How forest schools are filling the gaps for families during Covid-19 Story by Katie Griffith Photos by Kat Schaumberg

H

ead into Fairhaven’s Hundred Acre Wood Park on a Wednesday around noon, and you might just stumble across 20 children sitting on stumps and logs, quietly eating lunch and listening with rapt attention to story time. This is the weekly routine of Mossy Mentors, a new forest school for kids that gathers rain or shine to unplug and connect with the natural world.

When Kat Schaumberg and Katie Robison first met, they immediately started talking about creating an outdoor program together. Kat studied environmental education at Western and has worked as an outdoor instructor for years, and Katie has a background in Montessori education. Until the pandemic hit, their shared vision felt like a far-off dream.

After hearing about so many young kids spending their days in front of screens as their main form of learning and connection, their plan felt more urgent.

Kat recalls them saying to each other, “We can do this, and this is actually a need in our community right now.”

Kat and Katie founded Mossy Mentors at the end of September 2020. Yin Dwyer, who has worked as a pre-school teacher and met Katie through an informal outdoor play group, joined as the third founder. Within a few weeks, there were 24 young forest explorers signed up to connect with nature in the Fairhaven park. The Bellingham school district’s distance learning schedule leaves Wednesdays free for most students, so the program has been meeting weekly on Wednesdays from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. With many extracurricular activities canceled, Mossy Mentors has offered something positive that families and kids can rely on every week.

“Our routine has changed so much that nature has provided Zoe that constant that she really needs,” says Tana Kaiser, whose daughter attends Mossy Mentors. Zoe’s time at forest school also provides Tana with a much-needed break to run errands, since she and her husband both work full-time while trying to support their daughter as she completes 2nd grade online.

After checking in with parents and taking temperatures, students at the forest school gather in a spaced-out circle to learn the theme for the day that will guide their activities, observations, and movement.

“Home” was a theme early on in the program, and the kids used sticks, moss, and ferns they found in the woods to build forts. Tana loved the collaborative nature of this project, saying the skills that Zoe used working with other kids will transfer to projects at school, and designing the forts gave them a hands-on lesson in engineering.

Erin Leedom, whose son Jack attends Mossy Mentors, started working again last spring, so the program lining up with her son’s distance learning schedule was a big help. Erin also appreciates that “through all the lessons they’re learning in nature and stewardship of the land, they’re also teaching these kids how to take care of themselves in a way.” The natural consequences created by the forest, especially when it’s pouring rain and one of the kids refuses to zip up their coat, teach tangible lessons about choice and outcome.

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ABOVE: The older boys explore natural bridges.

ACROSS TOP LEFT: Michelle using invasive English Ivy to make forest art.

BOTTOM LEFT: “The Littles” help each other navigate wet terrain.

TOP RIGHT: The older boys trust walk – guiding their blindfolded peers through the forest.

BOTTOM RIGHT: Sasha, looking for salamanders around the wetlands.

A BIG MOMENT FOR FOREST SCHOOLS Since forest schools fall under “childcare” in Washington, which is considered essential, similar outdoor programs resumed while public schools remained mostly online.

Melissa Esposito, co-founder of Feather and Frond Forest School, started programming again in late summer after closing down in March. She has seen a big increase in demand, especially for their program that has traditionally served homeschoolers, since all kids are “homeschooled by default” this year.

“Forest school definitely satisfies the need for children to be outside and to stay safe and healthy and also be social,” Melissa says.

Similar to Mossy Mentors, Feather and Frond encourages deep connections with nature, allowing play and curiosity to drive the learning. Children learn the names of trees and plants through the process of harvesting certain types of wood to make a fire or by creating a wild edible feast to snack on.

While Melissa says “forest schools are having a moment,” she hopes for even greater integration of outdoor learning

with traditional education beyond the response to the pandemic. Melissa has been teaching children in nature for 16 years, and she is glad to see forest schools becoming more normalized. “If it were up to me, public school would be four days a week, and forest school would be the fifth day for everybody.”

Operating outdoors does not mean that the forest schools have let their guard down around Covid-19 safety protocols.

Programs participants wear masks when they are within six feet of one another and socially distance when possible. At Feather and Frond, each group has a designated hand sanitizer fairy, a participant who makes sure everyone sanitizes before eating snacks or lunch.

Kat of Mossy Mentors sees masks and social distancing as an opportunity for kids to learn how to communicate about personal space. While initially she and the other mentors had to reinforce behavior, she says the kids self-regulate at this point, asking one another to mask up when they get close. Jack’s mom Erin says that seeing all of the kids wearing masks when she picks up her son puts her at ease, and the program leaders have been very communicative around Covid-19 protocol.

MountBakerExperience.com

OUTDOOR EDUCATION AND PUBLIC SCHOOLS TEAM UP FOR SOLUTIONS THAT WORK Though public health experts have emphasized the benefits of outdoor learning this year, Covid-19 has been devastating for many existing programs. In a survey of 995 environmental science and outdoor education organizations completed last spring by UC Berkeley, only 22 percent of respondents said they would definitely be able to reopen if social distancing continued through December 2020, while 30 percent predicted that they would definitely be unable or very unlikely to reopen.

To mitigate potential losses to the outdoor education field, this report recommended that programs “redeploy environmental and outdoor science educators to work in K-12 school settings,” partnering with school districts to get more kids learning outside.

In Bellingham, the Vamos Outdoors Project spearheaded a partnership like this over the summer, working with the school district to offer in-person programming for children from migrant worker families. This led partners within the Whatcom Coalition for Environmental Education to start conversations on how they could similarly support students in the fall.

The result of these conversations was the Connections Program, which brought together many existing outdoor programs and the Bellingham, Blaine and Mt. Baker school districts to offer in-person school support and outdoor enrichment for students who could stand to benefit most from it.

Licia Sahagun, executive director of Wild Whatcom, served as the program lead for the partnership with Bellingham Public Schools. She said the school district played a crucial role in identifying which families to serve, since school counselors and principals were able to recommend students who were falling through the cracks of distance learning.

“If it weren’t for Covid, we wouldn’t have worked so closely at the district level,” says Licia, and she hopes that this relationship building will pave the way for partnerships in the future. Licia would love to see outdoor learning implemented at every grade level, so each classroom would visit a local greenspace at least three to four times a year.

THE NEXT CHAPTER FOR MOSSY MENTORS In January, Mossy Mentors began offering a new “Forest Play Time” for three to five year olds, and they created a second time slot for kids ages four through ten on Thursdays.

The program leaders are committed to making connections to nature accessible for all, so they offer tuition on a sliding scale and also offer opportunities for full scholarships.

Also in the works at Mossy Mentors is a year-round program for middle schoolers that Kat calls “Adventure Squad.”

As a former participant and instructor of wilderness-based adventure education programs, Kat has noticed a gap between a remote backpacking experience and its integration into the day-to-day lives of youth participants. She hopes to build on these experiences during the school year, cultivating an on-going relationship with nature and mentoring youth to become active leaders within their communities.

As kids start to go back to school in person, forest school isn’t going away, and for many families it remains the most fun part of their week.

When Jack started class in person again in January, his new schedule left Wednesdays mostly free. Erin thought she would want her son at home these days to check in, but Jack said, “No way! I’m not missing Mossy Mentors!” Time spent in the forest, exploring with friends and supportive mentors has become an integral part of his routine. As his mom Erin said, “It’s a reminder that there are good things coming out of this pandemic.”

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Last Chair

Still time for a couple more runs

L

Story by Ian Haupt • Photo by Audra Lee Mercille

ast chair. It’s when many head to their cars to pack up and hit the road early. It’s the time to reunite with family and friends that went separate ways just a few hours earlier. It’s a time usually filled with adrenaline and excitement soon to be replaced by hunger and exhaustion. The parking lot begins to slowly empty as the caravan heads toward the lowlands. Some are already gone (likely season-ticket holders), while a small few – dumbfounded by where the day went – remain on the mountain, eager to hit the bottom with time for one more. Some have this attitude toward the season as whole, maybe even going to the extent of keeping track. They just cannot get enough.

Those leaving or who are already almost home may head out early because they have had enough, while others have the wisdom to know there’s always another day. And they would be right this year. Conditions permitting, the lifts at Mt. Baker Ski Area will continue running everyday until May 5. It’s almost like opening up night ski on Baker. The call for last chair is extended. So, you can let that eagerness simmer for a month or two.

Or not, it’s already March. How many more runs can you get in?

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MOUNT BAKER EXPERIENCE | SPRING 2021

MountBakerExperience.com

Stretch Like a Lion

Here are some of my favorite sitting “stretches.”

Turn away from your computer or your job for a minute and take a deep breath or two.

If you can, walk around, but if you can’t, just do these simple stretches while you are sitting.

First, stand or sit up in your chair so that your sit bones have equal weight on them.

Turn your head and neck to the right and to the left a few times and then look up toward the sky. Now stretch your arms out wide and do backward arm circles while taking deep breaths.

Then take a few seconds to side bend to the right and left, making sure you are actually stretching to the side, not to the front or back.

Finally, look around, if no one is watching you, try a variation of the ancient yogi lion pose, simhasana. Open your mouth wide, stick out your tongue and exhale deeply as if you are growling. Hopefully, after a few of these stretches, you start to feel like a lion at rest, ready to pounce when you need to.

Sitting stretches to do throughout the day Story and photos by Luca Williams

But ask now the beasts, and they shall teach thee.

Job 12:7

I

n the early days of mankind, we learned from the animals that surrounded us. In some southwest indigenous cultures, they say that spiders taught people to spin thread and weave cloth. When I was in Rolfing school, over 15 years ago, my muscles were constantly taut and hard. My teacher said, “Luca, think about a lion’s muscles. Are they hard and firm when they are at rest?”

In that moment, it dawned on me that when I saw videos of lions at rest, their muscles were soft looking.

It wasn’t until they pounced on their prey, fought to protect their territory or ran that their muscles rippled and contracted.

For years, my muscles stayed tense even when I was at rest, and I was in pain, especially in my twenties. When I started to relax my muscles like a lion at rest, the tight muscle-bound look that I had admired for so long, began to slowly disappear and so did my pain.

Learning from lions and other creatures became my mantra. As my life became busier with kids and work, I was frustrated that I didn’t have an hour a day to stretch.

Then I remembered that lions don’t stretch an hour a day as a chore they need to complete. They stretch, luxuriously, all through the day. I wasn’t looking to become ultra-flexible or a ballerina or gymnast. I just wanted to be a lioness.

My goals were to be flexible enough to keep me feeling youthful and to help me realign after I had been sitting, lying down or working in awkward positions. My other goals were to be able to tie my own shoes in older age and to smile when I get out of bed in the morning, instead of groan.

So, I looked again to the lions that stretch when they first wake up. They stretch after they have been sitting for a while, staring out at the world or digesting their meal. They yawn and do their version of downward dog. I began to mimic them in my human way. When I wake up, I stretch. After I have been sitting down, driving or working for a while, I stretch. Before I go to bed, I stretch. My stretch sessions are a minute or two long, and if I get some time for a longer yoga session, I consider it a blessing.

When I saw results of less discomfort, I asked clients to start stretching all through the day.

Those who already had a stretching or yoga routine took to this concept immediately. For those who didn’t have a routine, we developed one by setting a timer on their phones. Every hour the phone dings, they do a few stretches before they get back to work. Within two weeks of this routine, their necks were longer, their shoulders were wider and their chests were less depressed. It only took eight to 16 minutes woven throughout the day.

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SPRING 2021 | MOUNT BAKER EXPERIENCE

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Chasing waves

on the Olympic Peninsula Story and photos by Ian Ferguson

I

t was 5:30 in the morning in the dead of winter – I was in my car in the middle of nowhere. I had spent the night curled deep into my sleeping bag, searching for the optimal position for warmth. I never quite found it.

The night before, I set out on a long, heavily caffeinated drive. I started in Bellingham, hopped on a ferry from Whidbey Island to Port Townsend, then droned my way down the dark slough of two-lane highways of the Olympic Peninsula until I arrived.

Trying to shake off my morning fog, I endured myself with all the extra clothes I could find and got out of the car. The dialogue in my head that morning was harsh, as it often was on mornings like this. “Why the hell do you keep doing this to yourself, Ian?” “For the waves,” I reminded myself. All I wanted was to be home and warm. I started the car and started driving again. I had some scouting to do.

All year long I am eyeing the surf reports trying to decide when to pull the trigger for trips like this.

In the winter, that habit becomes a compulsion.

Snowboarders and skiers get excited about a downpour outside their lowland homes, knowing the snow on their local mountain will be another foot deeper the next morning. I get excited too, because crap weather usually means great waves, if you know where to look.

I drove for hours that morning, tracking many miles up and down the north coast of the Olympic Peninsula searching for waves. I checked every established surfspot that exists in the region (that I know of) and I found nothing. Not willing to throw in the towel, I decided to go back to the spot that had the most potential.

As I drove into the parking area, I accidentally looked up

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MOUNT BAKER EXPERIENCE | SPRING 2021

and caught a glance of a sign that I usually try not to acknowledge. Smeared in red, dripping paint on a piece of plywood nailed to a tree, I read: If You Don't Live Here Don’t Surf Here I immediately looked away, trying not to let it get to me.

As much as I wish I could be, I am no local to these regions.

I drive for hours and catch ferries to find surf. That immediately removes me from the list. But a spooky sign isn’t going

to stop me from surfing. If the waves are good, I’m going out.

Still, when I surf in these areas, I have to stay on my toes.

I had packed a bag and brought my boards and wetsuit to the beach. It could be a while before the waves picked up, if they did at all, and I was prepared with a book and a couple of beers.

I had surfed here a few times before and I recalled from those sessions that the waves could go from mediocre to superb in minutes. And once it got good, there was no telling

how long they would last. With huge tidal exchanges and a small range of swell directions that can work, you must be ready in an instant to pounce on an opportunity.

I watched for a while and decided it was time to get out there. I worked my way into my wetsuit, strapped on my boots and gloves and waxed my board, all while keeping a close eye on the waves. They seemed to be growing taller on the reef, with better shape by the minute.

My suit flooded with water as I began wading out to the lineup. I gasped with each wall of whitewater I pushed through.

I watched the waves roll in as I approached the take-off zone. The sets moved in from the northwest, showing themselves as small, elevated lumps in the deep water. In an instant, the lumps morphed into large, blue-grey walls. Then, for just a moment, they slowed as if not ever wanting to break. Eventually, after the lip of a wave reaches a critical mass, it lurches forward and crashes with terrific violence.

The immediate transition from deep water to the shallow reef causes the tops of the waves (the lip) to pitch out, forward and around, creating an air cavity. This is known as a tube, or barrel.

Watching this stunned me. I had never seen waves of such consequence from the water. Nor had I ever surfed such consistent barreling waves before.

Cautiously approaching the lineup now, I sat myself at the back of the pack, content with picking off the smaller waves no one else touched. I was filled both with energy and terror.

I noticed that everyone in the lineup seemed to know each other. They were all cracking jokes and talking surf. I knew my presence was probably not welcome. Or at the very least not appreciated. I stayed focused on the waves and made sure not to be in anyone's way. No one acknowledged me in MountBakerExperience.com

the slightest – I took this as a good thing.

My first wave had to be a good one. I needed to prove, both to myself and to those in the lineup, that I was worthy of being there. I intently watched the other surfers – studying their movements, trying to soak in their knowledge.

Eventually my wave came to me. It was the first wave of a set, a bit smaller than the others. I paddled toward it, then angled back to shore and paddled hard. I watched the surface fall out beneath me as I rose with the wave. I eyed my trajectory, sprang to my feet and set the heel edge of my board hard into the face of the wave.

I shot down the line with more speed than I imagined possible. The wave’s power coursed through me. Its intensity was overwhelming.

I angled down into the flats and carved back to the face to cut speed and stay in the sweet spot. I grabbed my rail, dropped my back knee and felt the roaring cavity start to envelope me.

Sounds of churning, tormented water filled my ears from every possible direction. The air around me seemed to grow still and warm and for just a moment my percep-

tion of time came to a halt.

I held on with everything I could, but streams of water blinded my vision. Events were unfolding too quickly to make calculated decisions. My instincts guided my movements, but there was only so much I could do – it all seemed like chaos.

Then the lip of the wave cracked me in the head, tweaking my neck forward in a painful jerk. I leaned forward and braced for impact. But I did not get pummeled into the rocks. Instead, I shot out in front of the wave and straightened to the beach as it closed out behind me. To my astonishment, I had made it.

Kicking my board in front of me, I laid back and let the wave’s whitewater pass me. I tumbled and said my goodbye to the wave. It had graced me with an excellent ride. I would go home happy.

I surfed for three more hours before I finally crawled back on shore exhausted. The many waves I had caught were sketchy, some unmakeable, but each was as invigorating as the one before.

A post-surf bliss immediately came over me. I sat on the beach for a few moments, and I contemplated how lucky I

was – days like this were rare. My soul smiling, I headed to the car, packed up my things and headed home.

The high lasted a couple hours into my drive. Sublime’s “Santeria” came on through the stereo, then “Vienna” by Billy Joel – two of my favorites. I sang along shamelessly.

With music blaring, I tried to mind surf the waves I had caught again. For just a moment I was there – back in the water catching waves. But in an instant it was gone, and so was my high. My emotions shifted to something different.

Something more in tune of longing and frustration.

I wanted to be able to wake up and get in the water again tomorrow. I wanted to be able to surf whenever the waves were good and not just on occasional weekend when my schedule aligned with a swell. I was sick and tired of driving.

I arrived late in the evening – still frustrated, but glad to be home. I had accepted that for now this was my reality.

I can either surf, or not surf at all.

Before bed, I scrolled through all the forecasts. There was another swell lining up next week. Grinning, I wondered if it could possibly be as good as today. I had to find out.

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Fresh corduroy, crackly loaves, trainer sessions A day in the life of a local cyclist with an eye on the pros Story by Jack Bardi

Jack Bardi races outside of Montague, California, at the Shasta Gravel Hugger. Sean Bagshaw photo.

I

’ve been accused of taking on too much, but I don’t know how to live any other way.

On any given day, I try to fit in as many things as possible. As an athlete, the winter months are my favorite time to train. I can spend the morning skiing freshly groomed trails as the sun rises, come home, pull a crackly loaf of sourdough out of the oven, and then hop on my bike in the afternoon for a structured training session. In my mind, a day packed full is a day well spent.

For the last five years, bike racing has been my focus.

As a teenager, I fantasized about bike racing of all kinds.

From the signature wet cobblestones of France and Belgium’s spring classics to the hot and dry climbs of Spain’s Vuelta a España, I wanted to do it all. The first racing I ever watched was the 2015 Tour of California. Seeing Toms Skujins solo to victory on the third stage made me realize that this sport is the sport I wanted to do. This drive to race the iconic monuments, stage races and grand tours is what has kept me focused since I was 14 years old assembling my first road bike with miscellaneous parts from the ’80s.

Now, 21, I race for Gateway Devo, a Trek-sponsored domestic elite team based out of St. Louis that races the professional circuit in the United States. We are an under-25 team that specializes in helping young athletes transition to the professional ranks of cycling.

In the off-season, each morning I start the day with my workout in mind, a couple cups of pour over coffee and a hot bowl of oatmeal. Then it’s straight to the wax room. Slight changes in snow conditions can drastically change the glide of the ski, and different conditions require different waxes, so

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MOUNT BAKER EXPERIENCE | SPRING 2021

waxing every day is crucial to skiing fast. This process is pretty simple, and only takes about 30 minutes (unless you burn your hand or drop the iron on your foot, like I did when I was 5 years old).

On weekdays, I’ll usually head out for a 90-minute or twohour ski. On the weekend, ski sessions are generally three or four hours. Something about fast skis on firm snow makes even the longest and coldest ski sessions fly by.

I have been lucky enough to ski consistently every year. In 2006, my family built a house in Mazama, a small town in the Methow Valley east of the North Cascades that is home to the largest system of groomed cross country ski trails in the U.S. Usually, I get a few solid weeks on the trails before it's back to the west side and full time on the bike, but this year is a little different.

Due to the pandemic, my courses at Western Washington University are all online (oh yeah, I’m a full-time student as well). This gives me the opportunity to attend class from anywhere, meaning more time in Mazama, and more time on the skis. Instead of a few weeks, this year I plan to spend one to two months east of the Cascades, splitting my training between rides on the indoor trainer and on the skis.

After skiing, it is time to visit my dough. The processes for a full day of skiing, riding and baking actually starts around 10 p.m. the night before. This is when I make my levain for the next day’s batch of dough. The levain is a portion of the starter that is combined with flour and water separately and left to ferment until the dough is mixed.

Then in the late morning, I begin making the bread starting with the autolyze, where the flour and water are mixed

together and then allowed to rest before adding the levain.

This process gives the dough a chance to develop elasticity and flavor through enzymatic reaction before the fermentation starts. The initial mix lasts just a few minutes, but the full process takes roughly two hours. This ensures that the enzymes have enough time to work their magic.

For the last few years, I have been maintaining a sourdough starter. I feed it twice daily and store it in a warm corner of the kitchen. Because of this, the starter is always ready to go, and I almost always have something in the works. My most common bakes are the standard country loaf, tomato and onion focaccia, and pizza dough.

Although it may seem like a small hobby, bread is an important part of my routine (I am actually thinking about starting a local bread subscription service). It has become a therapeutic process, relieving the stress and tension of a jampacked day.

The process of baking naturally leavened bread is lengthy, but mostly inactive. Because of this, I have found a way to structure my day so that I am riding, skiing or in class during the longer sections of fermentation, and free to perform stretch and folds, loaf shaping and baking during the gaps in my day.

In the early afternoon, I join my first Zoom class of the day.

By the time the two-hour class is over, the levain is ready to be mixed into the dough. This marks the start of the bulk fermentation, the timed process in which the dough proofs at room temperature. This proof can take four to eight hours depending on the temperature of the room.

During the beginning stages of the bulk ferment, I capitalMountBakerExperience.com

Jack Bardi in the Ski to Sun time trial in the Methow Valley. Janna Bardi photo.

ize on the inactive time to get my indoor ride done. This ride is generally one or two hours, sometimes serving as a recovery session from a hard ski, and sometimes as a focused interval workout. As it is not possible to ride outside with the snow levels and road conditions, I remove the back wheel of my bike and attach it to a stationary trainer, allowing me to pedal in place. This time spent indoors on the bike is an important part of my training plan. It fills in the gaps not covered by skiing.

After my ride, I find myself back in the kitchen once again tending to the dough. Although the fermentation is largely hands-off, the dough does require the occasional fold, where it is stretched and turned multiple times in order to develop structure. I generally find a few minutes here and there to perform a series of three or four folds during the ferment.

In the early evening I join my second Zoom class of the day. This class lasts an hour and a half, ending around the same time that the bread is fully proofed and ready to be shaped.

The process of shaping loaves is relatively simple but needs to be done correctly or the loaves will not rise properly in the oven. First, the dough is divided into 500g portions and quickly shaped into rough balls. After this initial pre-shape, the dough must rest for 20 minutes so that the gluten relaxes, then the balls are folded and shaped into tight cylinders called batards.

After the loaves are shaped, they are placed in proofing baskets and moved to the fridge where they spend the night. This section is the cold ferment, and it allows the bread to develop a sour flavor before it is baked the next morning.

The start of the cold ferment marks the end of the bread processes for the day. The rest of the evening consists of dinner followed by some yoga, stretching and any classwork that still needs to be completed.

I am usually in bed around 11 p.m., getting a solid night’s sleep so that I am prepared for another day of the same.

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A loaf of sourdough. Jack Bardi photo.

Sourdough Formula (2 loaves) Ingredients 1000g high protein bread flour 850g warm water 200g ripe sourdough starter 20g salt Method 1) Start the autolyze by mixing the flour and water in a large bowl. Reserve 50g of the water. Let sit for two hours.

2) Add starter and 25g of the remaining water. Mix thoroughly until the walls of the bowl are dry and all the water has been absorbed. Let sit 30 minutes.

3) Add salt and final 25g of water. Mix thoroughly until fully absorbed and let sit 45 minutes.

4) Perform four sets of coil folds, each separated by 45 minutes. To do a coil fold, lift the dough from the bottom middle of the bowl and pull it up about a foot. Set it back down so it folds on top of itself. Repeat this a few times for one set. Once all coil folds are done, let the dough sit for one hour.

5) Pre-shape the loaves by turning the dough out onto an un-floured work surface and dividing into two equal loaves. Using a bench scraper, turn and pull the loaves against the bench so that it forms a taut ball. Let sit for 15 minutes.

6) Shape the loaves by lightly dusting the tops with flour and flipping them over. Grab the bottom section of the loaf and fold it up to the middle. Grab the left side and fold it across to the right. Do that same with the right. It should now resemble an opened letter.

Grab the top middle section and fold it down to the bottom, leaving two ears of dough on the top right and left. Grab these and crisscross them down the center of the loaf. It should look like a laced shoe. Finally, roll the loaf up so it forms a tight cylinder and place bottom-up in a floured proofing basket. Let sit covered on the counter for 15 minutes.

7) Place airtight covered loaves in the fridge overnight, 12+ hours will yield a delightfully sour flavor.

8) Preheat oven and two Dutch ovens to at 500º for one hour before baking.

9) Remove the loaves from the fridge and turn out onto parchment paper. Score the tops of the loaves with a razorblade and place in Dutch oven. Bake, covered, at 500º for 20 min.

10) Remove lid and lower temperature to 450º. Continue baking for 20 minutes or longer if you like a darker crust.

Jack Bardi follows Peter Stetina at the Shasta Gravel Hugger. Jeff Vander Stucken photo.

11) Enjoy!

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TRAIL STATS Distance: 17 miles, one way Elevation gain: 4,000 feet Max elevation: 1,700 feet Best: Spring or fall, summers are quite hot

Chelan Lakeshore Trail A three-day family hike to the remote town of Stehekin Story and photos by Jason Griffith

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T

he drone of the Lady of the Lake faded slowly as we stood on the dock at Prince Creek, fiddling with gear and eating snacks, delaying the inevitable shouldering of our (too) heavy packs. Our two boys (10 and 12) nervously eyed their loads – the biggest either of them had tried to carry for a day, much less three. The two dozen others who got off the boat with us were much younger, without kids and all planning to hike the trail in two days, compared to our three. Their excited chatter receded along with the boat’s engine, and we were left alone on the dock with the sound of the water lapping gently against it. It was late morning, the weather was pleasant, we were out of cell range and had nothing to do except walk for three days as a family.

The better weather and longer days that spell spring in the Pacific Northwest are sometimes frustrating for avid hikers. Obsessively checking trail conditions and weather forecasts, it often seems like the compelling trails take far too long to come into family friendly condition (i.e. mostly snow-free). Sure, there are valley walks to do, but most of us crave the wide views of the alpine.

What is a hiker to do? The standard answer is to “Go east!” But in March or April, even the peaks on east side of the Cascades are cloaked in snow. Ah, but have you heard of the Chelan Lakeshore Trail? Sure, it isn’t the high alpine, but the trail has some of the best views you’ll get below treeline, with plenty of meadows and rock outcrops that lend themselves to expansive views as you sidle along above the lake, gazing out across at craggy 8000-plus foot peaks still holding the winter’s snow.

Interestingly, the lakeshore trail is a oneway hike without a car shuttle. That’s because neither end of the lakeshore trail is connected to the outside world by road. Instead, the Lady of the Lake shuttles you and your gear to either end. The Lady (actually several boats now) has been transporting people and supplies up and down Lake Chelan for decades. With advance warning, the boats can deviate from their regular run to drop you at Prince Creek, which is the southern end of the lakeshore trail. After hiking to Stehekin, the Lady’s normally scheduled service will bring you back to your car. (Pro tip: Catch the boat in Field’s Point Landing rather than Chelan to save time on either end.)

But back to the hike.

With a bit of cajoling, I managed to get the loads hefted and the team pointed north up the hill and away from the lake. An initial climb of about 400 feet to a crossing of Rattlesnake Creek (watch for snakes on this hike, especially in warm weather) presaged the undulating nature of the trail for the next several days.

In and out of draws, burn scars and open pine forest but never far from the lake, the MountBakerExperience.com

views were varied and always interesting – even more so because the abundant bird life visible along the way during the spring migration (Western tanagers, mountain bluebirds, Cedar waxwings, etc.). The ups were never too long, nor were the drops, which is a nice change from hiking in the alpine and was easy on our kids.

Still, after about six miles and a few hours of walking, we could tell that we had better start looking for a nice camping spot to let the boys play for the afternoon (and for us to get caught up on our napping and reading).

There was a short trail dropping down to the lake after crossing Cascade Creek and a rest was called for while I dropped my pack and walked down to investigate. A few of our boat mates were setting up their tents as I arrived but there was plenty of space for both parties to camp without crowding each other. I hurried back to share the good news and saw by the look on our kids’ faces that hiking much more was probably out of the question anyways (there are more camps about a mile further on at Meadow Creek if the Cascade Creek spots are full).

The boys fell in love with our camp spot immediately upon arrival. It was next to a small creek and a few feet from the waves crashing on the lakeshore, driven by the increas-

ing afternoon winds (a common occurrence on Chelan).

They weren’t much use as my wife and I got camp set up, but who could blame them? The outdoors are the ultimate playground for kids, and we watched them amuse themselves for hours as we settled in, gathered firewood, made dinner and prepared for the stars to come out. After a campfire and some s’mores, it was time for a well-earned rest.

The next day dawned – overcast but warm – and we were up and away, back on the trail toward Stehekin by 9 a.m. It was a repeat of the day prior – short ups and downs, burns, open meadows, birds and very few people. We had the whole day ahead of us so we took frequent breaks to snack, bird watch and admire the views across the lake.

We passed the excellent camps at Moore Point (11 miles from Prince Creek) and pressed on a few more miles to the shelter at Flick Creek (~14 miles) where a group was just clearing out after a late lunch. The site is quite small so there is really only room for one party. Camping options are limited and not great beyond Flick Creek (until you get to the excellent campground at the edge of Stehekin at 17 miles). A party after us had to shuffle on and make do further down the trail.

The weather on our last afternoon was clear but quite

windy, with large waves dashing against the point in front of the tent, which strained at its guy lines. We were thankful for the sturdy wood shelter that had recently been rebuilt by the U.S. Forest Service, a great spot to read and cook out of the wind. The evening was a repeat of the night before with more fire, s’mores and star gazing before bed.

On our final day, we had a leisurely start, knowing that the hills were behind us and we only had to walk three easy miles to Stehekin before catching the boat in the early afternoon. We strolled in the warm spring sun, admiring the sparkling lake, keeping our eyes peeled for birds. We had settled into the rhythm of the trail and weren’t in any rush to head home to the modern-day bustle of work and school. We approached Stehekin sooner than we expected, so soon that we stopped a quarter mile short of town, took our packs off and sat by the edge of the lake.

We gazed out at loons on the glassy surface, not quite wanting the hike to be over. It was maybe the first time we had felt that on a backpacking trip as a whole family. We had enough food left to have a trail lunch, quietly admiring what we had accomplished together before reluctantly shouldering our packs (that now didn’t feel heavy at all) and walking into Stehekin.

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65 a

n AM d t. B cl ak im er b Sum in mit g: Sto ry an dp ho tos

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MOUNT BAKER EXPERIENCE | SPRING 2021

by Sk ye Sc hil lha mm er

MountBakerExperience.com

F

or most people, pushing the last thousand feet up the Roman Wall to the summit of Mt. Baker is a big accomplishment. But for my dad, Gary, on this day in May, it wasn’t just another summit, it was also his 65th birthday.

I’m one of the lucky few who still get to enjoy these types of adventures with their parents. Growing up in the North Cascades, it was always a part of what we did. With regular views of these incredible mountains all around us, it just made sense to see what it all looks like from the top.

My dad is not one to shy away from hard work. While many think these sorts of adventures are crazy at 65 years old, he would surely go crazy if he ever stopped.

Twenty years earlier, and long before the splitboard was mainstream, my pops had two boards strapped to his pack while he kicked steps up the same steep slope with me in tow.

Back then I was a mere 10 years old, probably wishing I was catching a lift at the resort, without the slightest perspective on how rad this experience was. I definitely don’t take it for granted now, and gladly kick in the steps these days.

For an ascent like Baker, with 7,000 feet looming in front of you, getting the timing right can make or break your trip. On this particular day, everything came together just right.

With the projected temperatures in the valley hitting the mid 70s, we started this scorcher of a day at 5 a.m., meeting in Schriebers Meadow parking lot. Inhaling the still crisp air, we pushed off into the darkness.

Cold snow and a worn-in skin track made

for fast moving, and before we knew it, we had popped out onto the glacier. Looking up, we could see a few groups ahead, navigating their way through the crevasses. Luckily, this time of year keeps many of them safely covered, a major plus for the ride out.

Just as our stomachs started growling, we breached the rim of the crater, taking a long lunch at one of the most epic places I’ve ever stood on Earth. With a bottomless fiery pit into a volcano to my left, and endless mountain ridgelines leading to the ocean to my right, it is a truly incredible spot. Our early start allowed us a long break to appreciate the powerful and exceptionally vulnerable perch while we ate cheese, crackers and sliced meat – a family favorite.

As we absorbed some calories, the beating sun started to

soften the frozen Roman Wall. Skiing Baker isn’t a technical endeavor, but more often than not, the top 1,000 feet are a frozen crust littered with crevasses. (Not exactly the type of turns I’m after.) But on this day, the clear skies and warm sun created perfect creamy corn snow from the very top.

Giddy with excitement, we pulled in what little oxygen we could find, and booted our way up.

Looking down on our little corner of the country, I couldn’t help but feel an immense gratitude for where I was in the world, and that in a few minutes I’d be laying down more untouched turns in a single run than a full day in a ski resort.

We tipped our boards off the top, and in less than an hour, we slid to a stop at our truck. An incredible day in the books, and a 65th birthday that will be tough to beat.

x

SPRING 2021 | MOUNT BAKER EXPERIENCE

41

EATS BLAINE DRAYTON HARBOR OYSTER CO. 685 Peace Portal Drive 360/656-5958 draytonharboroysters.com Farm fresh oysters served raw, grilled, fried, stewed and other delicious seafood specials.

Local craft beers on tap. Open daily at noon.

JACK NIEMANN’S BLACK FOREST STEAKHOUSE 638 Peace Portal Drive 360/306-8342 Steaks, European specialites & full service bar.

PACKERS KITCHEN & BAR AT SEMIAHMOO RESORT 9565 Semiahmoo Parkway 360/318-2090 semiahmoo.com Enjoy seaside dining with stunning views and a fresh menu of seafood, hand-crafted pizza, and local specialties.

THE RUSTIC FORK EATERY 442 Peace Portal Drive 360/224-6714 therusticforkeatery.com Italian pastas, salads, sandwiches and firebaked artisan style pizzas.

THE VAULT WINE BAR & BISTRO 277 G St. 360-393-0955 thevaultwine.com Extensive wine list, beers & cider. Wine tastings & wine maker dinners. Live music Fridays. Family friendly restaurant.

BELLINGHAM GOOD TO GO MEAT PIES 1306 Commercial St. 360-778-1111 goodtogomeatpies.com Washington’s original Pasty company. Artisan hand pies made from scratch. Order online.

BURLINGTON

GLACIER

SKAGIT’S OWN FISH MARKET

GRAHAM’S HISTORICAL RESTAURANT

18042 Hwy 20 360/707-2722 skagitfish.com Offering the highest quality in local seafood.

Daily lunch specials freshly prepared. Local jams, jellies, salsas, honey and sauces. Visit us on Facebook.

ANNIE’S PIZZA STATION 44568 State Route 20 360/853-7227 anniespizzastation.com Family-owned pizza restaurant focusing on fresh, homemade quality Italian fare. Friendly service, helpful information and great food combine for an unforgettable experience. Take out or limited dine in.

DEMING THE NORTH FORK BREWERY 6186 Mt. Baker Highway 360/599-2337 northforkbrewery.com Handcrafted beer and hand tossed pizza.

New 32 oz. Crowlers are here. Order online for To Go Orders.

EVERSON GOOD TO GO MEAT PIES 128 Main Street 360/966-2400 goodtogomeatpies.com Washington’s original Pasty company. Artisan hand pies made from scratch. Order frozen pasties online.

FERNDALE SILVER REEF CASINO RESORT 4876 Haxton Way 866/383-0777 silverreefcasino.com Diverse dining options from woodstone pizza to award-winning fine dining at The Steak House.

starts here!

X

Mount Baker

e perience 42

WAKE ‘N BAKERY

CONCRETE

Adventure

MAGAZINE

9989 Mt. Baker Highway 360/599-1933 grahamshistoricalrestaurant.com Great food. Legendary bar. Live music.

The heart of Glacier.

6903 Bourne Street 360/599-9378 getsconed.com Open daily from 7 a.m. Serving breakfast burritos, breakfast sandwiches, quiche, soup, paninis, and freshly baked goods. Savory and sweet gluten-free and vegan options. Organic espresso and coffee. Take-out only at this time.

THE HELIOTROPE IN GLACIER 9990 Mt. Baker Highway 360/603-8589 theheliotropeinglacier.com Serving international food – Asian, Middle Eastern and African. Dine in or take out.

MOUNT VERNON THIRD STREET CAFE 309 South Third Street 360/542-5022 thirdstreetcafe.coop Brought to you by the Skagit Valley Food Coop, Third Street Cafe is a community-owned restaurant and bar offering a fresh perspective on Pacific Northwest cuisine with its madefrom-scratch dishes and hyperlocal ingredients.

SKAGIT VALLEY CO-OP 202 S. 1st Street 360/336-9777 skagitfoodcoop.com We make our deli food from scratch using fresh, quality ingredients, sourced from local and organic suppliers whenever possible.

Stop in for entrees, side dishes, soups, salads, sandwiches, or our handmade, organic ice cream. We offer vegan, vegetarian, raw, gluten-free, and whole food choices for every meal.

Since 1986, Mount Baker Experience magazine has inspired outdoor enthusiasts of all ages throughout Washington and British Columbia.

From skiing to kayaking to hiking to surfing, MBE gets readers outside. Whether it’s reporting on environmental issues, stories of adventure travels, gear reviews or epic photography, the award-winning Mount Baker Experience is the publication outdoor enthusiasts turn to when they need a hit of adrenaline. Copies are distributed from Vancouver, B.C. north to Squamish, and south to Seattle and Port Townsend, and on Washington state ferries.

SLEEPS BLAINE NIMBUS AIRBNB RENTALS 360/778-1219 nimbusrealestate.com Two brand new luxurious apartments on the water close to downtown dining, shopping, parks and trails.

SEMIAHMOO RESORT 4565 Semiahmoo Parkway 360/318-2000 semiahmoo.com A casual northwest beach resort surrounded by the Salish Sea. An authentic Pacific Northwest experience for everyone – from families looking for a fun getaway to couples and friends seeking an easy-going retreat.

FERNDALE SILVER REEF CASINO RESORT 4876 Haxton Way 866/383-0777 silverreefcasino.com Located off I-5, exit 260, we’ve got 206 luxurious rooms or suites to make yourself feel at home with beautiful Mt. Baker views, complimentary breakfast, and free WiFi.

GLACIER LUXURY GETAWAYS 9989 Mt. Baker Highway 360/398-9590 or 887/90-BAKER luxurygetaways.com Redefining the cabin in the woods. Luxury Getaways offers a variety of vacation rentals located in the heart of the Mt. Baker Recreational Area. Our accommodations are perfect for hitting the slopes and relaxing.

SERENE MOUNTAIN ESCAPES 360/961-0123 serenemountainescapes.com Where elegance meets nature. High quality vacation homes close to Mt. Baker. Immacuately cleaned, wellstocked, eco-friendly/non-toxic products. Choose from hot tubs, dog friendly, pools and more.

WINTER 2019

SPRING 2019

ADVENTURES IN THE PACIFIC NORTHWEST

ADVENTURES IN THE PACIFIC NORTHWEST

Glacier Research

Squamish mountain bike

guide

hana beaman BC Snowshoe guide protecting the nooksack

ADVENTURES IN THE PACIFIC NORTHWEST

SUMMER 2019

Micah

Evangelista HOMEGROWN MT. BAKER MASTER

Special Publication of The Northern Light

www.MountBakerExperience.com

ADVENTURES IN THE PACIFIC NORTHWEST

FALL 2019

Don’t miss an issue!

Subscribe to Mount Baker Experience for $20/year. Email info@mountbakerexperience.com 360.332.1777 • www.MountBakerExperience.com

MOUNT BAKER EXPERIENCE | SPRING 2021

SURF TOFINO | WOMEN’S WORK | SLUSH CUP

Special Publication of The Northern Light

www.MountBakerExperience.com

BC MINING THREATENS THE SKAGIT FIRST PARAPLEGIC BAKER ASCENT WHISTLER ON A BUDGET Special Publication of The Northern Light and All Point Bulletin

www.MountBakerExperience.com

PUBLISHED QUARTERLY

MountBakerExperience.com

Glacier eats

You Can’t Keep a Good Location Down!

The Heliotrope restaurant in downtown Glacier has filled a culinary gap after the departure of Milano’s to Fairhaven. Aaron, Jenn and Jackson Horwitz are offering limited sit-down service and unlimited takeout Thursdays through Monday. While the menu occasionally varies, the quality doesn’t – prawns are wild caught, the chicken is truly free-range, and the pork is natural and chemical-free.

You’ll find these and other ingredients in such dishes as South African Bunny Chow (no Peter Rabbit here), pork or prawn Banh Mi sandwiches, Senegalese Yassa Poulet and other dishes partially inspired by a world circumnavigation tour that Aaron, Jenn and son Jackson undertook in 2018-19.

While the wine list is equally international in scope, the beer is downright local with the exception of one rice-based lager from Laos. Have one by the firepit in the covered patio. For now, Heliotrope is open Thursday through Monday, 1-7 p.m. Call 360/6038589 or visit theheliotropeinglacier.com.

Come to

the exp

Whether it’s adding easy ordering and take-out options, reduced capacity inside dining, covered and heated outside spaces, the restaurants in Glacier – Graham’s Historical Restaurant, The Heliotrope, Wake ‘N Bakery and Chair 9 – have all adapted to ensure customers have great dining opportunities while remaining safe.

.

Providing quality service for over 50 years to the community and beyond!

• Commercial/Industrial

910 W. Front St. • Sumas, WA 98295 • www.valleype.com

(360) 966-3732 103 West Main Street Everson, WA 98247

er ts!

411 NOOKSACK AVE. NOOKSACK, WA

Lic. # VALLEPE151BM

• Residential

Restaurants in Glacier have adapted to pandemic-life

Nosotros hablamos español

Over 40 year s of experience 360-966-4444

Shirley Schmidt and husband Jesse stoking the fire at Graham’s Historical Restaurant.

• 24 hour service

360-988-9631

Proudly Serving Whatcom County for over 70 Years

(360) 988-2462 617 Cherry Street Sumas, WA 98295

AUTO • HOME • HEALTH • LIFE • BUSINESS

www.KELLEYINSURE.com

We’re Here for You 24/7 • Protecting Your Financial Future Today

John E Tack Construction General Contractor New Construction • Additions Business of the Year Remodels2011•Large Repairs

(360) Family 410-6235 Owned and Operated Since 1929!

Louis Auto Glass

www.johnetackconstruction.com The Only Validated LIC# JOHNEET925KL Auto Glass Company in Whatcom & Skagit Counties.

ouis’ Auto & Residential Glass We Guarantee Your Safety

Spring Special!

with every windshield purchased and installed

Dinner on Us and a Can of Glass Cleaner

Family owned & operated for over 90Replacement years.

Windshield Free Pick up & Delivery Come in and help us celebrate.

1512 N. State St. BELLINGHAM

Bellingham

“Traditional Service Meeting Modern Needs.”

(360) 734-3840 1512 N. State St. • 360-734-3840

Northwest Propane LLC. is locally owned and operated and has been in business since 1947. We service Whatcom, Skagit, Snohomish and Island counties. In addition to delivering propane, we also stock propane parts, and sell tanks from 1 to 1,000 gallons. We take pride in our service and will help with all your propane needs.

1721 E. College Way • 360-424-9759

Lynden 8450 Depot Rd.

Mt. Vernon 420 Suzanne Lane

Ferndale 5494 Barrett Rd.

354-4471 or Toll Free 800-254-4471

MOUNT VERNON

Rock Chip Repairs Free Loaner Cars

Lynden

Mt. Vernon

407 19th St.

1721 E. College Way

(360) 354-3232

(360) 424-9759

To Our Canadian Friends

Doing it Right Since 1929!

LYNDEN

Enjoy Huge Savings with U.S. Prices www.louisautoglass.com 407 19th St. • 360-354-3232 Must present ad for special. Not valid with any other offers. Expires June 30, 2014.

SERVING WHATCOM, SKAGIT AND SNOHOMISH COUNTIES

www.LouisAutoGlass.com SPRING 2021 | MOUNT BAKER EXPERIENCE

43

nutcasehelmets.com

TIGR MINI U-LOCK The original TiGr® mini with reinforced mounting clip.

Strong, lightweight, easy to use, easy to carry bike lock.

Shackle made from thief-resistant titanium, the lightweight, super-strong alloy used in fighter aircraft. $115. tigrlock.com

TRAIL 2650 CAMPO BY DANNER Gaiter-compatible, the Trail 2650 Campo hits the trail running with quick-drying, breathable mesh lining, cushioned footbed on top of a Vibram460 outsole for superior grip on both wet and dry surfaces. $140. danner.com

MONO MATERIAL INSULATOR Just the thing for unpredictable spring & summer Weather, men’s and women’s. 100% recycled, double-weave, stitch-free. $200 hellyhansen.com

VERGLAS INFINITY SHELL JACKET This jacket features new waterproof/breathable technology achieved without the use of chemicals. Includes RECCO reflector for safety, men’s and women’s. $700 hellyhansen.com

BY PAT GRUBB

360-degree lighting provides visibility for the rider and motorists with a 3-hour run time. Adjustable spin dial for fit, magnetic buckle and removable visor, the helmet features two layers of foam for ultimate protection. $150.

E D I U G F F U T S D O O G

NUTCASE VIO MIPS LED HELMET

N

C

s.

Continued from Page 19 hard and the go slow and you get to choose which to enter.

Hint: rowboats and SUPs generally don’t fit with the go fast crowd. The application period ends on April 15 and it costs $550 per team plus $50 per additional team member.

As WA360 says, “Teams are vetted, because we’re foolhardy, but not completely stupid. We review your application, and you are either accepted or will be asked some clarifying

questions or to make some modifications before you are accepted. In some cases, we won’t be able to accept you at all.”

You can take a look at your competition – as entrants sign up, they get promenaded on the WA360 website. The first thing that’s obvious is, you’ll need to come up with a good name, you should have a sense of humor and it definitely helps to have a few screws loose.

Some raring to go include Larry Baxter in Team Lost Cat who will be rowing a 17-footer; Ken Deem in Team Wave

Be part of the Experience.

X

MOUNT BAKER

e perience SINCE 1986

Forager with a 24-foot skull; Scott Baste in the eponymously named Team Scott Baste (easier for him to remember) on a 14-foot carbon fiber SUP; a bunch of people in Team Old Salts in a 40-foot Beneteau monohull; and Lillian Kuehl rowing an 18-footer who says her superpower is her coasting ability while on long-range bike tours.

For more information, go to nwmaritime.org/wa360/ For help for whatever issues you have that makes you feel like doing this race, you’re on your own.

x

‘Third Generation Knowledge’ comes with local experience and being locally connected.

• Call today to learn about the unique real estate opportunities in the Mount Baker region!

MAGAZINE

OUR DISTRIBUTION:

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Providing the finest residential real estate services with uncompromising principles.

Distributed on Washington State Ferries 2019

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NEXT ISSUE: SUMMER 2021

BEST WEBSITE

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Marty Kutschbach Real Estate Broker

Call Marty! 360.319.0695 VIEW MY LISTINGS: www.MartyK.JohnLScott.com SPRING 2021 | MOUNT BAKER EXPERIENCE

45

recreational real estate

Moving

to Bellingham?

Call Jason: Local Realtor, PNW Native, Outdoor Enthusiast 360-305-6917 • jason@jlorealty.com

“Buying our home with Jason was AMAZING. Since we were Local new to Realtor, the Avid Rider area, he gave us insider info about location and neighborhoods, taking and Trail Supporter, into consideration our hobbies and how the home would facilitate our access to them, like trailheads. I would highly recommend him to my Official WMBC Sponsor family and friends.” will donate $500 to the WMBC, ML & SL, Zillow Review $28,000+ donated since 2016 Official WMBC Sponsor

JASON LOEB

$34,000+ donated since 2016

when you buy or sell a home with him.

Dreaming about your Next Epic Adventure?

Choose from over 25 beautiful vacation homes to create memories that matter

www.luxurygetaways.com 9989 Mt. Baker Highway, Glacier, WA SPRING • 360.398.9590 2021 | MOUNT BAKER EXPERIENCE 47

Don’t let pain keep you off the path For those who suffer joint disease, orthopedic care is essential. Rather than riding out this pandemic in pain and discomfort, contact the experts at PeaceHealth Medical Group Orthopedics & Sports Medicine.

We specialize in surgical and non-surgical treatments for shoulder, hand, hip, knee and ankle pain and injuries. And, we are committed to providing the safest environment for your care – be it an in-person appointment or video visit. (Visit peacehealth.org/coronavirus to learn about our COVID-19 safety measures.)

For more information, call one of our convenient locations.

Bellingham | 360-733-2092

Friday Harbor | 360-378-2141

Lynden | 360-733-2092

Sedro-Woolley | 360-856-8820

peacehealth.org/st-joseph/ortho