Mount Baker Experience Spring 2015

ADVENTURES IN THE PACIFIC NORTHWEST

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or northwest skiers and riders, a warm winter has melted dreams of backflips over the Baker road gap, bottomless laps on Pan Face and sidecountry pillow lines. You know it’s bad when the northeast is having a better snow year than Mt. Baker, but how bad is it, really?

The Northwest Weather and Avalanche Center recorded a snow depth at Mt. Baker Ski Area of 33 inches on February 1, which is 27 percent of normal, with records dating back to 1926. The record low for that day was 17 inches in 1981; the record high was 234 inches in 1933.

According to Mt. Baker’s website, we haven’t had a season this un-snowy since the winter of 1976-77. The chart shows snowfall and snowbase depth statistics from three of the worst snow years (including last winter), all of which went off with tons of snow in late February/March. “Looking at the statistics, previous comparable seasons have seen fantastic spring snowfalls,” the site points out, remaining optimistic for the rest of the season.

In a recent blogpost, northwest weatherman extraordinaire Cliff Mass recognized that warm/dry 800-392-BOOK early winters •invillagebooks.com the north• Exit #250 off I-5 Open Daily west are often followed by cool/wet springs,

but he didn’t seem to think this year would follow that pattern due to a high pressure ridge that shows no signs of leaving.

“Virtually every tool at my disposal suggests that the preternatural warmth will continue,” he said.

There have been some great days at the ski area – the week after Christmas stands out – but by and large, the view from White Salmon Lodge has been depressingly bare.

As Glacier snowboarding legend Jeff Fulton said, “We’re all just trying to suck it up, wait it out and hope for more snow.”

Meanwhile, the mountain biking and whitewater kayaking have been great, trail running is a year-round sport and you can even get wacky and take your ice tools to a rock crag like Jason Martin (see page 42).

For dedicated snow seekers, a little vertical effort can pay off. Contributor Cory Tarilton pointed out this season’s advantages in a post to the “Backcountry Skiers and Snowboarders of BHAM” Facebook wall: “Road access is awesome right now, snow is pretty safe, the snowpack is fat up high and snowline practically starts in the alpine... Anyone want to get weird in the mountains this week?”

That’s the spirit, Cory.

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SPRINGin2015 this issue

MOUNT BAKER EXPERIENCE PUBLISHERS Patrick Grubb and Louise Mugar EDITOR Ian Ferguson

STAFF WRITERS Steven Guntli • Kara Furr PUBLICATION DESIGN Doug De Visser

ADVERTISING DESIGN Ruth Lauman • Doug De Visser

PHOTO\RYAN DUCLOS

ADVERTISING SALES Catherine Darkenwald • Janet McCall Molly Ernst • Judy Fjellman

32

BANKED SLALOM: 30 Legendary Years

26

OFFICE MANAGER Amy Weaver CONTRIBUTORS IN THIS ISSUE: Brad Andrew, Lynn Beck, Ryan Duclos, Todd Elsworth, Marty Grabijas, Jason Griffith, Garrett Grove, Matt Gruchey, Grant Gunderson Dylan Hart, Jason Hummel, Patrick Kennedy, Justin Kious, Sue Madsen, Jason Martin, Tyler Mitchell, Amanda Nayfield, Tara Nelson, Tore Ofteness, Eric Parker, Spencer Paxson, Andy Porter, Barb Roy, and Rylan Schoen.

EMAIL: info@mountbakerexperience.com

47

31

SALES & EDITORIAL ASSISTANT Kara Furr

WEB: www.mountbakerexperience.com FACEBOOK: facebook.com/mtbakerexperience TWITTER: twitter.com/MB_Experience iNSTAGRAM: instagram.com/mtbakerexp

PHOTO\TARA NELSON

PHOTO\CHAD WHITE

SPEARHEAD TRAVERSE

OLYMPIC HIKING

CATCH THE WIND

Touring the Whistler alpine

Three favorite hikes on the coast

Sailing the San Juan Islands

GO UP, MY FRIEND Warm winter woes

10 NEOSHELL NORTHWEST

Almost better than being naked

16 SNOWSHOE ARTIST’S POINT Adventures of an indoor enthusiast

18 DOWN ON THE DELTA

Kayaking the mouth of the Nooksack

22 SHOWCASE

Inspiring images of the NW outdoors

28 ULTRA TRAIL

21 ROD IN HAND Flyfishing Africa 6

14

THE EDGE OF DESCENT

Explore underwater shipwrecks

MOUNT BAKER EXPERIENCE | SPRING 2015

Get ready for race season

OOPS In the article “Mountain Masters” in the MBE Winter 2014 issue, Andy Sahlfeld’s name was spelled incorrectly. We regret the error.

Get active this season Dining and lodging guide

42 DRYTOOLING

Healthy, filling and simply delicious

PHOTO\MATT GRUCHEY

Vol. XXIX, No. 1. Printed in Canada. ©2014 POINT ROBERTS PRESS 225 Marine Drive, Blaine, WA 98230 TEL: 360/332-1777

38 WHERE TO STAY & EAT

Debauchery and tribal unity at LBS

34 BACKCOUNTRY CHILI

30 LBS 101

35 TRAINING PRINCIPLES 36 SPRING EVENTS

You can get there from here

PHOTO\COURTESY WASHINGTON DIVERS

4

NEXT ISSUE Summer 2015 • Out mid-May Hike • Bike • Kayak • Climb Ad reservation deadine: May 1.

Not as dirty as it sounds

44

PHOTO\RYAN DUCLOS

PHOTO\JASON GRIFFITH

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.

ON THE COVER Shawn Obra rides one of the many fantastic trails near Bellingham. Photo

by Justin Kious, jkious.com

SUBDUED ENDURO

Mountain biking in Bellingham MOUNTBAKEREXPERIENCE.COM

PUBLISHER’S NOTE All signs are pointing towards an early start to springtime activities this year. Given the paucity of snow this winter perhaps it’s just as well. (Though we’re still hoping the snow god takes pity on us poor snowriding souls...)

This issue features stories and photographs running the gamut of outdoor Northwest adventure activities. From kayaking the Nooksack River delta to hiking the Olympic Peninsula, there should be something that appeals to all

SHUKSAN Official Aussie of the Mount Baker Experience

denizens of this area. There’s even a story about fly fishing in Africa written by a newcomer to these pages. Who knew you needed a passport to go fishing?

Take some time to read the issue and then start celebrating spring by picking a sport and getting at it! As long as that choice doesn’t require a lot of snow, you’re sure to have fun.

CONTRIBUTORS MBE Spring 2015

CONTRIBUTORS

BradANDREW

Brad is a Bellingham based freelance action sports photographer who spends his winters chasing snow. He is a husband, father, and student of life.

ToddELSWORTH As the executive director of Recreation Northwest, Todd enjoys biking, hiking, and paddling, and will try anything twice.

Connect at recreationnorthwest.org.

GarrettGROVE Garrett is a professional climbing, biking and skiing photographer currently residing in Leavenworth, WA.

DylanHART For Dylan, taking still and moving pictures has sent him to unexpected places, kept him up when others were asleep, and given him purpose and direction.

JustinKIOUS Born and raised in the Pacific Northwest. Constantly trying to capture fresh lines.

TylerMITCHELL If he’s not busy shooting a wedding, Tyler is either coaching T&F at Mount Baker High School, fly fishing or running up a mountain. TMitchellPhoto.com.

ToreOFTENESS Born in Norway, Tore’s life-long love affair with aerial photography began in 1964, while serving in the military.

AndyPORTER Andy’s love of the outdoors began at age 16 with an Outward Bound program in the Sawtooth Wilderness. Find him online at andyporterimages.com.

LynnBECK

Lynn is a personal trainer and group exercise instructor. She spends part of the year living and training people in The Place Where Life Is Perfect – Glacier, WA.

MartyGRABIJAS Marty is a product developer and a PSIA ski instructor who spends a disproportionate amount of time pushing his envelope in the outdoors.

MattGRUCHEY Born in the Pacific Northwest, Matt is a writer and photographer who never goes anywhere without his flyfishing rod.

JasonHUMMEL Jason is an outdoor photographer from Washington who has documented numerous first descents in the North Cascades.

SueMADSEN Sue backpacks, climbs, sails, scuba dives, skis, snowshoes, kayaks, chases storms, target shoots and rigs the odd oversized fossil to low-flying helicopters.

AmandaNAYFIELD Amanda is a physical therapist in Bellingham. When she’s not at work you can find her climbing, hiking, skiing and running in the mountains.

EricPARKER Eric spends his time whitewater kayaking, skiing, climbing and working on various commercial and editorial photography projects. He lives on the Columbia River.

BarbROY Barb is a freelance photojournalist, specializing in outdoor adventure stories. She lives in the Pacific Northwest.

RyanDUCLOS

“The mountains are calling and I must go.”

– John Muir ryanduclos.com bellinghamphotographer.com

JasonGRIFFITH Based in Mount Vernon, Jason is a fisheries biologist, member of Skagit Mountain Rescue, husband, and father of two young boys.

GrantGUNDERSON One of the ski industry’s pre-eminent photographers, Grant has shot for every major snow sports and outdoor publication worldwide. Grantgunderson.com

PatrickKENNEDY The only passion that rivals Patrick’s board sport obsession is the need to explore.

Sometimes a lucky camera goes along for the ride. patrickkennedyphoto.com

JasonMARTIN Jason is a professional mountain guide and a widely published outdoor writer. He lives in Bellingham with his wife and two young children.

TaraNELSON Tara is a freelance writer and digital media specialist living in Bellingham. She enjoys hiking and chasing her ill-behaved Brittany Spaniel in her spare time.

SpencerPAXSON Spencer is a Bellingham local and Pacific Northwest native who rides professionally for The Kona Bicycle Company.

RylanSCHOEN A fortune cookie once told me: “This is a good time for you to enjoy the outdoors.” I have always trusted that cookie.

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n the beginning we had wool sweaters and mountain shells made of cotton or poly-blend fabrics. When it rained, life was generally miserable. Then came pile fabrics and Gore-Tex. When it rained life was bearable, if not good.

While early iterations of performance fabrics had their flaws, they were better than smelling like a barnyard animal and pretending you weren’t getting more soaked by the minute. Since its introduction and through its subsequent evolution, Gore-Tex fabric has remained largely unchallenged as a market leader.

Enter NeoShell by Polartec. The basis of its mechanics and physics could fill this publication. For those who geek out on such details, a

PHOTO\BRAD ANDREW

wealth of information that ranges from sketchy to spot-on is available online. In a nutshell, the fabric incorporates a micro-porous polyurethane layer that is hydrophobic (essentially waterproof), highly breathable and stretchable like a softshell. When it comes to field performance, the bottom line is NeoShell breathes far better than most waterproof/breathable fabrics, and still keeps the wearer dry.

In my experience, NeoShell makes it necessary to wear more substantial base- and mid-layers when my physical output is anything less than a fast walk. Due to NeoShell’s higher rate of breathability my core wasn’t basking in a humid tropical environment like it would have been with less-breathable fabrics. This is a plus during higher-output

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activities such as scrambling around Cascadia, but when riding lifts on bitterly cold days NeoShell’s higher level of breathability creates a sensation of vulnerability – like maybe I left a vent (or my fly) open.

When ramming around the backcountry on wet days NeoShell is the bomb, allowing me to stay dry from both the rain and perspiration without having to mess with vents and zippers. So if you can layer up a bit more during those few really cold days, NeoShell

may be the ideal waterproof and breathable fabric for our environment.

I put two jackets crafted with Polartec NeoShell fabric through the wringer during the northwest’s rainy season, skiing inbounds, skiing backcountry and bucking and splitting wood for the stove. If they can handle that, they can handle anything, and either of these two superb jackets will seamlessly take you through all four seasons.

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Everything functioned flawlessly, allowing me to fully enjoy my time outdoors. I never needed major pit zips when searching out powder in our El Niño winter. If I had one gripe – and I can usually find several in any piece of equipment – it’s that I would like a bit more room in the chest pockets for climbing skins in winter. For summer use, that’s a non-issue.

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Coastal hikes on the

OLYMPIC PENINSULA STORY AND PHOTO BY TARA NELSON

CAPE FLATTERY, OLYMPIC PENINSULA

W

ith snow-capped peaks, coastline, wildflower meadows and mossdraped rainforests, the Olympic Peninsula is absolutely loaded with spectacular hikes and vistas. Only a 30-minute ferry ride from the mainland, the peninsula is one of those rare places in the continental U.S. that is only a few miles away and yet still feels as wild and remote as before the days of early settlers.

Of course, the remoteness also means you’ll more than likely have limited cell phone reception and your GPS might not work. No problem; simply visit one of the local information centers where a real live person will give you an intricately folded piece of paper known to your grandparents as a “map.” With that, you’ll soon be getting back to life the way nature intended, and experiencing the timeless joy of trying to refold the map and put it in your glove box.

The Olympic Peninsula has too many hikes to do in under a day – or probably a lifetime – so here are a few favorites to get you started.

Cape Flattery

Round-Trip: 1.5 miles (2.4 km) Elevation Gain: 200 feet (61 m)

An easy trek through misty Sitka spruce forest, the Cape Flattery trail pays off big time. Here you can stand on the edge of the northwestern-most point of the continental U.S. as the turbulent waters of the Pacific Ocean and the Strait of Juan de Fuca crash into the rocks more than 200 feet below. The meeting of these waters creates unbelievably beautiful and rugged scenery, with sea

stacks and deep narrow inlets carved into the cliffs. Look out and see seabirds ride the waves, inhale the cool salty breeze and feel the wind in your hair. Washington really doesn’t get more untamed than this.

les or Forks) and you may want to consider parking your car in one of the private lots along the way to the trailhead (about $15 to $20 per night). As with all coastal hiking, remember to camp above the high tide mark.

Shi Shi Beach and Point of Arches

Ozette Triangle

Round-Trip: 4 miles (6.4 km) to Shi

Shi Beach or 8 miles (12.8 km) to Point of Arches Elevation Gain: 200 feet (61 m) Note: Trail not safe for pets.

Named by the Travel Channel as one of the most beautiful beaches in the world, Shi Shi (pronounced shy-shy) can easily be done in one day.

The route begins at the Makah Indian Reservation and meanders through dense forest and bogs via cedar-planked boardwalks.

At about 1.25 miles, you’ll reach an old section of trail and half a mile of muddy terrain. After that, you’ll need to make a final descent down a steep 150-foot slope using ropes and sand ladders installed by park officials. For this reason, dogs are not allowed on this part of the trail. At the bottom, you can continue to the beach or head south on the trail for another 2 miles to Point of Arches, a mile-long display of sea stacks and natural arches.

Note: If you plan on hiking any of the beaches on the Makah Indian Reservation you’ll need to buy a $15 recreational use permit from the Makah Tribal Center in Neah Bay. If you are planning an overnight hike, you’ll need a permit (available in Port Ange-

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This 9.4-mile loop offers a little bit of everything. The trail begins at Lake Ozette and meanders through dense, waterlogged rainforest and along more than 3 miles of beach at Cape Alva. Enjoy the view of nearby islands, sea stacks and tidal pools, and look for petroglyphs at Wedding Rocks, a cluster of boulders about halfway along the coastal part of the trail. Then head back along the boardwalk trail as it follows the scenic Ozette River.

Things to keep in mind:

Even a hot summer day can turn cloudy and cold along the coast, so prepare accordingly. Remember the 10 essentials for

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Round-Trip: 9.4 miles (15.1 km) Elevation Gain: 300 feet (91 m)

backpacking: navigation, sun protection, insulation, illumination, first-aid supplies, a lighter, multi-tool, nutrition, hydration and emergency shelter.

During peak summer months, campgrounds are often full to capacity, but you can almost always find a site at Hobuck Beach Resort ($20/night). The resort, located on the beach just south of Cape Flattery, has more than 85 campsites as well as fresh water, picnic tables and hot showers for guests (no quarters required). Hobuck Beach Resort is located at 2726 Makah Passage, Neah Bay and can be reached by calling 360/645-2339 or visiting hobuckbeachresort.com.

Plan for at least three days, as getting to the peninsula and back can take a full day, depending on your destination. Be sure to make ferry reservations at least two hours prior to your sailing, and arrive 20 minutes early so you don’t miss the boat. You can get real-time updates and make reservations by calling the Washington State Ferries reservation system at 888/808-7977.

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PHOTO\COURTESY WASHINGTON DIVERS

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ou’ve skinned the Mt. Baker backcountry and split-boarded up and down the icy razors of the North Cascades and Coast Range. You’ve carved the first tracks on a bluebird day – epic! If you enjoy the feeling of exploring vertical terrain, you might try an adventure that extends the vertical edge in the opposite direction.

Scuba divers drop a hundred feet or more over the edge into a cold, dark sea to explore local shipwrecks. Like backcountry skiing

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and boarding, wreck diving puts you in an alien, cold and frightening but totally beautiful world. And, just like hanging out in avalanche terrain, your choice is to either do it right or do it deadly.

Local shipwrecks have a fascinating and sometimes terrifying allure. They make excellent artificial reefs and are home to a dazzling array of northwest marine life. They also offer an unparalleled opportunity to explore parts of the ship rarely accessible to

non-mariners. Imagine peering down the rusting barrel of a large-caliber, ship-killing cannon, only to notice you’ve disturbed an indignant and very grumpy giant Pacific octopus. And “giant” means just that; adults typically weigh about 30 pounds with an arm span of 14 feet. Larger individuals weigh up to 110 pounds with an arm span of 20 feet, and there have been reports of specimens weighing 600 pounds with tentacles stretching 30 feet across. Octopuses are able to

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MOUNTBAKEREXPERIENCE.COM

RESOURCES change the color of their skin to match their surroundings.

The inland seas of the northwest offer some of the premier wreck diving in the world. A recent trip to Nanaimo, B.C. with Washington Divers provided an opportunity to explore the wrecks of the HMCS Cape Breton and HMCS Saskatchewan. We set out on a rare sunny November day, but after donning our gear and rolling into the water, we quickly fell away from the warmth and sun of the surface.

The descent down the buoy chain was a freefall through waving layers of misty green.

Ten feet, 20 feet, 30 feet … down and down into the darkness. Suddenly through the gloom, the skeleton of the Cape Breton’s radar mask beckoned.

We landed amid-ships and headed aft, watched by the wary undersea skeleton crew that now mans the ship. Feather stars covered the ship’s rails, and a quillback rockfish peeped out of a deck ventilator. At 90 feet, cloud sponges clung to the aft-deck wall. At 110 feet my dive buddy fumbled a light, accidently dropping it deep into the darkness of the flooded engine room and startling a pair of wolf eels. Diver Pete started to penetrate the wreck to retrieve it, but realizing that we were all beginning to feel the effects of nitrogen narcosis, we waved him off. Nitrogen narcosis feels like being drunk, and navigating the dark bowels of a ghost ship while “narc’d” is not a good idea.

Reaching the end of our allowable bottom

The tower of the HMCS Cape Breton

time, we worked our way slowly up the buoy chain. Hanging suspended for a safety decompression stop to prevent the “bends,” we checked out the tiny skeleton shrimp and other creatures encrusting the ascent line.

The safety stop provides extra time to allow nitrogen to pass out of your blood and into your lungs to be exhaled. Otherwise, the nitrogen can form bubbles inside the body – one symptom is joint pain. The bends can kill you if you come up too fast, so warmth and light could wait.

The HMCS Cape Breton, a World War II “Victory” ship, was sunk in spectacular fashion near Nanaimo in 2001. At a keel depth of 142 feet, she lays at the absolute limit of “no-deco,” or no-decompression, diving. After lazing in the sun for the required surface interval, we dropped back to visit the grave of her nearby sister ship, the escort destroyer HMCS Saskatchewan. In the green shadows, we descended along fields of orange and white plumose anemones, swimming scallops, fleets of rock fish, the grumpy giant Pacific octopus and a lurking cabezon at least as long as a diver.

The Salish Sea offers a wide variety of intentionally sunken ships and true “ghost wreck” sites. Other B.C. sites include the SS Capilano, which went down north of Texada Island in 1915; the side-wheel schooner Del Norte, which foundered between Galiano Island and Valdes Island in 1868; even a sunken 737 airliner near Chemainus. Intentionally sunk “artificial reefs” are rare in the U.S. and most shallow wrecks have been removed. As a result, local U.S. waters hold only a few score of large, historical wrecks.

But skilled divers still drop onto the likes of the burned Point Possession ferry deep off southern Whidbey Island, or risk cold depths and tricky currents to visit the legendary Alaskan cargo ship Diamond Knot, rammed by a freighter near Port Angeles in 1947.

Wreck diving is not a beginner’s pursuit.

Local wrecks are almost always deep, cold and come with genuinely life-threatening hazards. Even relatively tame wrecks menace divers with entangling lines, currents, low visibility and overhead obstructions.

Some divers swear ghost wrecks are bitter, vengeful scenes of tragedy, just waiting for an untrained diver before taking one more life.

If you’re willing to take on a new vertical challenge, you’ll need “the edge” of solid skills, specialized knowledge and headsup training. Start by taking specialty dive courses taught by local wreck divers.

WRECK DIVE TRAINING:

VIDEOS WORTH THE LOOK:

Bellingham: Washington Divers 360/676-8029 Gone Diving 360/738-2042

The Sinking of the Cape Breton: youtu.be/UHXEmWnUqr8

Nanaimo BC: Sundown Diving 250/753-1880 Sea Dragon 604/329-3486 Vancouver: Ocean Quest Dive Center 604/436-1157

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PHOTO\BARB ROY

HMCS Saskatchewan Dive: artificialreef.bc.ca/index.php/ saskatchewan-videos

Hike Bike Shop

Since 1970

The Exotic Grocery

Deli Grocery and Gifts Natural, Sustainable, Organic

Highway 9 Van Zandt, WA Just off Mount Baker Hwy.

SPRING 2015 | MOUNT BAKER EXPERIENCE

15

UPHILL BATTLE An indoor enthusiast ventures into the dreaded outdoors STORY AND PHOTOS BY STEVE GUNTLI

7

:30 a.m.: My wife Nicole attempts to wake me up.

At 7:30 a.m. On a Sunday. In these situations I become devout, quoting whatever real-sounding scripture I can conjure that might buy me a few more minutes of sleep. “Yea, for verily the Lord said that Sunday was a day of rest, and restliness is next to godliness, and verily thou shalt hit thine snooze button, which is holiest amongst all buttons, and thou shalt sleep for another 15 to 20 minutes.”

Nicole the Philistine doesn’t buy it and tells me to hurry up; we’ve got to get the snowshoes into the car if we’re going to meet our friends by 9 a.m. She reminds me that this trip was my idea in the first place, that I’d been promising to spend more time outdoors, that we’d been living here for three years and had only been up to Mt. Baker once. I grumble and climb out of bed.

8 a.m.: I’m awake and semi-conscious, slurping down cereal and trying to remember why I pitched this story idea in the first place. It seems much more in keeping with my skill set to write a hard-hitting expose about playing “Donkey Kong” in my underwear.

I’m wondering if I can convince Nicole that’s actually what the article is supposed to be about. No dice. I’m being particularly sulky, so Nicole pulls out the big guns: if I go on this snowshoeing trip, we will stop at The North Fork Beer Shrine on the way home. I finish my Corn Pops and get ready to go.

9 a.m.: We meet up with our friends and divvy up driving duties. Tim helpfully provides directions to Mt. Baker (turn right and keep going) and we cut through the thick Bellingham fog on our way to what must surely be a snowy bounty.

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9:30 a.m.: We pass the beer shrine, and I almost drive the car into a ditch. It’s difficult to keep your eyes on the road when you have your nose pressed to the driver-side window glass like a kid drooling on a candy store window.

10 a.m.: We’re getting close to the Mt. Baker Ski Area, and there’s still no snow. In fact, I can’t remember the last time I’ve seen trees so green, covered in moss that dangles from their branches. I jokingly (not jokingly) suggest that the trip is off; we should go get beer and pizza now.

10:30 a.m.: We arrive at the Heather Meadows parking lot. Snow is there after all, thin and muddy though it may be. The parking lot is almost completely empty, a fact I am grateful for a few minutes later when I attempt to pull my snow pants up over my heavy boots and stumble around on the pavement.

11 a.m.: All of us are geared up and ready to head up the mountain, and I’m suddenly struck with a case of snowshoe envy. Everyone else in the group is rocking some cutting edge shoes – futuristic diamond shapes with strong, solid bindings and little cheater bars installed on the heels to make hiking up steep slopes easier. Mine are a pair of handme-downs from the late ’80s that are only a few steps up the evolutionary ladder from tennis rackets. To make it worse, Nicole and I only have one set of poles, so we each take one and amble like 18th century dandies up the mountain. I vow two things before we set off on the hike: I’m never doing this

again, and I’m going to buy new snowshoes.

11:30 a.m.: I grudgingly admit that I’m starting to enjoy myself. The air is crisp and clean, and it’s a perfectly pleasant 50 degrees out. Despite having to stop every five minutes to re-tighten the straps of my snowshoes, I feel like I’m getting a good amount of exercise and it’s not entirely unpleasant.

Even though my cohorts assure me this isn’t the highest quality snow, it’s all about the same to me, and I’m having a good time.

11:45 a.m.: My positive attitude dissipates when I see the hill we have to climb.

Everyone else approaches the hill as a moderate challenge. In my mind, it’s a sheer 90-degree trek up a vertical, glassy surface with no handholds and a 100 percent probability of death. I try and fail to build my strength through the power of whining.

11:50 a.m.: About midway up the slope, I realize I can stop at any time to take photos, and no one will realize I’m actually out of breath and hideously out of shape. Just go ahead of me, guys. I’m a journalist. I’ve

journalisty things to do.

Noon: Finally, I make it to the top of the monster hill, and have a moment to catch my breath and drink some water. I’m relieved when Tim and Jill assure me that was the worst it gets.

12:30 p.m.: Our destination is actually in sight. We opt to stick to the trails rather than forge our own way up the steep slope to the summit. My legs are burning, and I’m still stopping frequently to tighten my bindings, but now I also have to chip awkwardly at the ice accumulating under my heels. My pole keeps falling apart, too.

1 p.m.: We finally arrive at Artist’s Point.

I take a second to admire the view of gorgeous Mt. Baker and Mt. Shuksan and the verdant, fog-kissed valley stretching out below us. Then I flop over in the snow and refuse to stand up for another five minutes.

1:30 p.m.: Rested, refreshed and fed on an essential feast of granola bars and cocoa, we strap our shoes back on and prepare to head back down. I’m feeling suddenly eu-

phoric. I have energy to spare, and I can truly appreciate the grandeur of the view and the camaraderie I feel with my friends. Or maybe I’m just psyched about the beer and pizza. Let’s call it 50/50.

2 p.m.: The trip down is proving to be much faster than the trip up, mostly because we’re sliding down the steeper sections on our butts. John and Jill slide down first, and I achieve some fantastic speeds while riding down in their butt grooves. This goes all right until we reach the big monster slope. John veers off wildly and almost hits a tree. Jill frantically course-corrects to avoid following him. I can’t decide which route to take and go rogue, carving a third trail as I struggle to dig my snowshoes into the crumbling snow. I’m quite certain I hit about Mach 5 and got a little air before I was able to stop myself. I’m able to shake it off, and the rest of the walk down the slope is uneventful. By this point, I have more snow than feet in my shoes.

2:30 p.m.: We arrive back at the parking lot, and I learn to walk again. I’d gotten so used to Godzilla-stomping my way around the slopes that my normal stride feels anticlimactic. I’m soaked head to toe, sore and accumulating the beginnings of a sunburn, but feeling strangely accomplished. Warren Miller isn’t going to be making a short film about me anytime soon, but I’d set a goal and accomplished it with only minor physical injury. Besides, it made my wife happy.

3 p.m.: Beer. Pizza. Sweet manna from the heavens. This trip was totally worth it.

x

Don’t let pain keep you off the

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SPRING 2015 | MOUNT BAKER EXPERIENCE

17

KAYAKING the Nooksack Delta

BY TODD ELSWORTH

s a modern-day explorer and sight seeker, I’m constantly looking to immerse myself in the flora and fauna found in our collective backyard. Or is it our front yard? From my daily view of Bellingham Bay, the meandering, sidetracking mouth of the mighty Nooksack River seems more like the latter.

Visible from Lummi Shore Road, the Nooksack washes sediment down from the mountains and through the valley until it widens out to form a delta on the north side of Bellingham Bay. Deltas form as alluvial-laden rivers release their cargo as they encounter an open body of water. The river water slows as it encounters the resistance of tide and ocean current. As the velocity slackens, sand and silt drop to the riverbed, a delta is born and destined to evolve throughout its life.

The Nooksack River delta possesses a set of fingerling channels. An aerial view of the delta looks like the roots of a tree reaching deep into the earth, attempting to find a solid anchor. But these “roots” erode the land they penetrate, so the landscape is constantly in flux.

My geologist friend Al Ragan and I paddled the outskirts of these calm waters a year ago. The flexing and fluctuation of the river piqued our curiosity. We wanted to explore where the Nooksack River travels as it connects with and empties in a dynamic dance of water and land at the edge of the bay. We researched a round-trip route and timed the tides so we could circle the delta’s evolving islands.

It was mid-January and the river was high but had receded from floods weeks earlier.

We launched our kayaks and paddled upstream into the eastern side channel down-

18

stream of Silver Creek. A rain only lasted for a few minutes and the wind was on vacation. The blanketed sun showed no signs of brightening our day and we remarked at what a strangely beautiful day it was in a dull, drab and non-photogenic sort of way.

It was one of those Pacific Northwest days that Tom Robbins described: “… when the sky resembles bad banana baby food ... and

were not intimidated by our presence, nodding approval as we floated past their posts.

Eagles are obviously at the top of the food chain, as demonstrated by the decapitated duck carcass left on display.

We planned to stay right and follow the main channel as it empties out on the east side of the bay past Fish Point on the Lummi Reservation. Calmly drifting downriver we

the witch measles that meteorologists call ‘drizzle’ are a chronic gray rash on the skin of the land.” Seriously.

As we entered the main channel at the logjam peninsula a large bald eagle was strategically standing sentinel, with others scattered amongst the trees in the distance. They

witnessed how the river is redirected into new channels as old routes become clogged with debris and the delta fills in over time.

The main channel used to flow into Lummi Bay on the west side of the peninsula where the Lummi and Red rivers still leak out. We had been told that man had long ago rerout-

PHOTO\TORE OFTENESS

A

MOUNT BAKER EXPERIENCE | SPRING 2015

ed the river to where it now empties out in the protected bay.

The banks of the delta are covered with freshly downed trees and chewed limbs gathered by beavers to build their lodges deeper in the woods. Their little footprints fresh in the sand made me wonder about their whereabouts. The silence surrounding us was broken only by birds calling out and the sound of the water rushing past branches that hung into the river.

When I first heard a loud “plop!” I thought it was a big fish. Then I saw the culprit – large chunks of sand dropping from the river’s deep-carved edge as if demonstrating how sediment is added to the riverbed. The seasonal abundance of geologic slough makes the river look like a soupy mudflow winding its way through the countryside.

Just before Fish Point we followed a smaller channel to get closer to the inside passage of the delta. Immature and adult bald eagles glided the across the delta and congregated en masse close to Lummi Shore Drive.

They perched comfortably on dilapidated pilings built to hold log booms before they were floated downstream to nearby sawmills. Their calls echoed across the bay as we exited at the river’s mouth.

A timely tide provided enough draft for us to cross the delta as we searched for the eastern channel to make our return. The middle channels are impassible once you get up to the old logjams.

The opening is elusive and finding the passage takes patience and local knowledge.

A hard 90-degree left signaled we were on track. With almost effortless paddling upriver, we were back at our starting point.

Mission accomplished!

x

MOUNTBAKEREXPERIENCE.COM

Lutherwood Camp & Retreat Center June 5, 6 & 7, 2015 Glacier, WA

Excelsior Campground • Mt Baker Snoqualmie National Forest

• Summer Camp • Facility Rentals • Challenge Courses • Zip Line • Environmental Education

• Contract Trips • Outdoor Adventure Camps • Trail Races • Day Camps

Lutherwood is located on North Lake Samish. We’ve got over 100 acres for you to explore while you camp and play!

1185 Roy Rd. • Bellingham, WA

(360) 734-7652

Office@CampLutherwood.org

CampLutherwood.org

THE CHALET AT MT. BAKER A camp & retreat site for churches, schools, and non-profit groups

• Accommodates 40-100 people • 1/3 of a mile from the lifts at Mt. Baker Ski Area • Launching point for trails in Heather Meadows and the Mt. Baker Wilderness T S I R Y OF N I AM

$35 for 3 days

of camping and music Share your passion for music and make new friends.

All ages and levels welcome. Play in jam circles as well as one on one. All acoustic instruments welcome!

Camping onsite, nearby lodging available.

For more info: www.MusicSkillShare.com or 360-599-1518

Visit our website to learn about our winter camps for Middle School & High School students!

FIRSCHALET.ORG

| 360.733.6840

13th aNNual

Fu N Fo r th e eN ti r e Fa M ilY !

Northwest BirdiNg Festival Blaine • Birch Bay • Semiahmoo

MarCh 13, 14 & 15

h Kids’ Activities h Expert Wildlife Speakers h Wildlife & Geology Field Trips h Live Raptor Presentations

h Food, Art & Craft Vendors h Wildlife Exhibits h Photography Workshops h Wildlife Boating Cruises

Friday, Mar. 13 • Festival opening reception at semiahmoo resort 5 - 7 Pm saturday Mar. 14 • all daY BirdiNg eXPo at Blaine Middle school 975 h Street sunday, Mar. 15 • exploring Birch Bay Birds

april 3 & 4, 2015 • bellingham, wa live performances • exhibits • lectures • classes The RARE Expo returns this year with new ideas in reuse and sustainability in the arts. Events will be at the Allied Arts gallery located at 1418 Cornwall Ave. and venues around downtown Bellingham.

Birding & Photography Field Trips and a Workshop Presentation by Whatcom Conservation District at BP heron Center in Birch Bay State Park

.com

EvEnt SponSorS

Blaine

ChAmBER oF CommERCE & ViSiToR inFoRmATion CEnTER

discover the magic of creative reuse Fo r e v e n t s c h e d u l e s a n d i n f o r m a t i o n v i s i t w w w. a l l i e d a r t s . o r g o r c a l l 3 6 0 . 6 7 6 . 8 5 4 8

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wingsoverwaterbirdingfestival.com • 1-800-624-3555 SPRING 2015 | MOUNT BAKER EXPERIENCE

19

experience Whidbey & Camano Islands PHOTO: Rick Lawler “Coupeville Historic Waterfront District”

Lavender Wind

Whidbey Island

At the fArm. At our shop.

New: Sweet Patio Tea Room • Relax with tea & baked goodies Pamper with skin care • Essential oils, sachets and more!

Farm open in the summer. Lavender shop open all year.

Farm: 2530 Darst Rd. Coupeville, WA • 360-678-0919 Shop: 15 Coveland St. Coupeville, WA • 360-544-4132

Toll Free 877.242.7716 www.lavenderwind.com

Penn Cove Mussel Fest March 6 - 8

www.penncovemusselsfestival.com

Whidbey Working artists sPring invitational shoW March 7 - 8

www.whidbeyworkingartists.com

Penn Cove Water Festival

M

s in t he Ke t t le s us s e l

May 16

Camano Island Chamber of Commerce CamanoIsland.org • (360) 629-7136

www.penncovewaterfestival.com

MeMorial day Parade May 23 Concert & Picnic

www.coupevillechamber.com

Clinton Chamber of Commerce DiscoverClintonWA.com • (360) 341-3929

Mountain Bike and Poker Ride The 17Th annual

Camano Island

2015 sTudIo Tour arT lIves on Camano Island

Whidbey Island

Get inspired by the art.

Be amazed by the nature.

March 7, 2015

2 Weekends • 5 days

10am – 1pm www.musselsinthekettles.net

mother’s day Weekend may 8th, 9th, 10th Fri-Sun • 10am-5pm

encore Weekend may 16th, 17th Sat-Sun, 10am-5pm

www.CamanostudioTour.com

MADE POSSIBLE IN PART BY ASSISTANCE FROM THE SNOHOMISH COUNTY HOTEL‑MOTEL TAX FUND.

Coupeville Chamber of Commerce CoupevilleChamber.com • (360) 678-5434

Greater Freeland Chamber of Commerce Freeland-WA.org • (360) 331-1980

Langley Chamber of Commerce VisitLangley.com • (360) 221-6765

Oak Harbor Chamber of Commerce OakHarborChamber.com • (360) 675-3535

PHOTO: Rick Lawler - “Deception Pass”

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MOUNT BAKER EXPERIENCE | SPRING 2015

MOUNTBAKEREXPERIENCE.COM

ROD in Hand: An African fly-fishing adventure

STORY AND PHOTOS BY MATT GRUCHEY

T

hose of us who fly-fish in the Pacific Northwest are well aware of how fortunate we are. Not only is this the home of all five Pacific salmon species, it is also the native land of both cutthroat and rainbow trout (the latter’s sea-run variant, the steelhead, is one of the most revered freshwater sport fishes in the world). The spectacular mountain ranges and lush temperate forests found in this small piece of heaven create some of the most picturesque fishing landscapes imaginable, and the relatively mild climate makes the region fishable yearround. Indeed, an ardent trout fisher might question whether there is any real reason to travel elsewhere in pursuit of quarry while the most avid of local anglers could fish a different river every week and never have to fish the same one twice.

Still, sometimes a change of scenery is nice, even if it serves only to remind us of how great our own stomping grounds are.

And one of the advantages of fly-fishing is that it practically necessitates an idyllic setting, especially in trout fishing, where the target species thrives in clean, cold, well-oxygenated waters with abundant food sources. By bringing its user out from the city and into these tranquil settings, the fly rod itself serves as a tool for adventure.

So when I had the opportunity to backpack across seven southern African countries last year with my good friend Matt, I never doubted that the fly rod would be coming. It would serve as a good excuse to venture off into lands less traveled.

Our adventure began in northeast Tanzania, where we found ourselves fishing on the slopes of Mt. Meru for what we called “colonial trout.” Though these rainbow trout were in fact hatchery specimens, they were now thriving in the same river in which European colonialists had fought so stalwartly to introduce their wild brethren. The river flowed down the mountain and through the grounds of an old German mansion that had been refurbished and turned into a lodge.

As we sat on the lodge’s veranda, gazing at the snow-crested cap of Mt. Kilimanjaro off in the distance, the nostalgia was palpable.

More than 100 years after European settlers had first cast a fly rod out on the river, Matt and I stood with our own rods in hand, ready to carry on the tradition.

From Tanzania we headed southwest to Malawi, a small, land-locked country bordering Tanzania to the extreme south.

In northern Malawi lies the Nyika Plateau which, at over 6,000 feet above sea level, possesses the right conditions to sustain a healthy trout population. We paid dearly to get there, though. Twenty-four hours of cramped bus travel across Tanzania, not including the six hours spent broken down on a small God-forsaken road with nothing to eat but fried goat entrails. I have to admit that after the cow testicles in Dar Es Salaam two weeks prior, that goat liver tasted as good as sirloin.

Our tribulations weren’t over, however.

Accessing the trout dams in the heart of the plateau required a grueling 50-kilometer (31-mile) hike up a mountainous escarpment and across rolling plains of sun-burned grasses. Our 54-year-old ranger and guide, Henry, put us to shame by wearing sandals, chain smoking hand-rolled cigarettes and carrying an 8-pound Soviet-era rifle, all without so much as a complaint. We quickly put that shame behind us when the first rainbow trout rose to a dry fly the following day.

The trout fishing was much the same in the highlands of Zimbabwe in terms of scenery and weather, but we were drawn to the northern reaches of the country in search of a sinister-looking creature, the tigerfish, reputed by some to be, pound for pound, the strongest freshwater fish. The mighty Zambezi River, the physical border between Zambia and Zimbabwe, hosts an abundance of these tigers. We had success, though very little, during a 90-kilometer (56-mile) canoe trip downriver through crocodile- and hippopotamus-infested waters. Our efforts were most rewarded during a stay on a small island on the Zambian side of the Zambezi, where we fished 10 hours a day for nearly a week. While some might say spending an entire day fishing without a guarantee of catching anything is lunacy, they have only to be holding a rod when a tigerfish smashes the fly to understand it all.

The last leg of our fly-fishing journey took us into South Africa’s Drakensberg Mountains, working our way southwest down the coast to Cape Town. I have never fished in a more striking landscape than the ’Berg.

Towering peaks with names like Monk’s Cowl and Champagne Castle served as stunning backdrops to trickling streams that flowed down from their highest reaches. The evening sun at dusk would cast a spectacular reddish glow across the jagged horizon and illuminate every detail of the rocky crags.

The rainbow trout living in these mountain streams were small, many still sporting their juvenile markings, but active and fearless.

Within mere seconds of casting a small mosquito into any swirling eddy we could be sure that some trout, gripped by a reckless abandon, would rise quickly from the depths and sip the fly under.

We left the Drakensberg and continued down the South African coastline, where we fished for carp-like yellowfish on a river known as the Umkomaas, often within sight of towers of curious giraffes. One evening, just as the sun had disappeared beyond the hills, I found myself in a rather strange predicament. While standing knee-deep in the river and battling with a fair-sized yellow on the line, a rather mangy-looking jackal appeared from the brush and began pacing the shoreline. One hand I kept on the rod and the other I waved about frantically, simultaneously making growling noises to try to intimidate the animal to no avail. I ended up screaming for Matt to abandon his station downstream and help me out, which he did with a few well-aimed throws of stone.

I must say that such a predicament never arose while fishing back home.

By the time we reached Cape Town, we had backpacked across seven countries and caught fish in six. It was a trip of many firsts for us: first time fishing in a foreign country, first time fishing near crocodiles and hippos, first time fishing from a dugout canoe. What I realized after all of this is that fly-fishing and adventure travel are immensely compatible. Despite the great affection I bear for the Pacific Northwest’s natural splendor, there is an alluring novelty to fishing in foreign settings. Just as the fly-fisherman must constantly adapt to changing circumstances around him in order to be successful, I think it’s just as necessary that he change his scenery from time to time, even if it’s only to remind himself of his good fortune.

x

Travel Guides: Both the Lonely Planet and Bradt travel guides are handy to bring along, though in recent years they’ve tended to cater less and less to the true shoestring backpacker. As for fishing literature, Bill Hantsford-Steele’s African Fly-Fishing Handbook is a must-have.

Inoculations: While the Yellow Fever shot is the only one actually required for entry into most southern African countries, a doctor might prescribe at least half a dozen other inoculations. In addition to the various shots worth considering, anti-malarial pills are highly recommended, as stays in certain countries, especially extended stays, carry a risk (just ask my travel companion).

SOUTHERN WASHINGTON WHITEWATER\ERIC PARKER PHOTO

TRAIL RUNNING ABOVE SAMISH BAY\RYAN DUCLOS PHOTO

SKIMMING PICTURE LAKE\DYLAN HART PHOTO

BAKER BACKCOUNTRY\GRANT GUNDERSON PHOTO

LILLOOET, BC\ GARRETT GROVE PHOTO

BAKER BACKCOUNTRY\RYLAN SCHOEN PHOTO

SPEARHEAD Traverse

STORY AND PHOTOS BY JASON GRIFFITH

“I

t wasn’t supposed to rain today,” I muttered to myself as I got out of the car in Whistler Village and followed Gord and Scott into the outdoor gear store. We’d forgotten a key item, and were scouring the village at 9 a.m. on a Sunday to rectify the situation. We had a long day ahead of us and were already behind schedule.

“Excuse me; do you know if there is a liquor store open in the village right now?”

Judging by the ensuing laughter from the very nice ladies behind the counter, I think they thought Scott was joking. We looked at our shoes and shuffled uncomfortably.

“You’re serious?!”

“Ummmmm, yeah.”

After some even louder laughter, we managed to gather that there was indeed a liquor store open in the Village. While one can often improvise in the case of forgotten gear, whiskey is irreplaceable on a snow camping trip. It would have been foolish (dangerous even?) to embark on a three-day ski tour without some Canadian Hunter.

When you mention visiting Whistler/ Blackcomb in the winter, most everyone thinks of traditional lift-serviced skiing, and

26

for good reason. Boasting over a vertical mile of topographic relief, Whistler/Blackcomb is rated as one of the world’s best ski resorts and hosted many of the 2010 Winter Olympic events. However, you can also use the lifts to access one of the premier multi-

down from the summit of Flute into Whistler Village a couple of days later. Although a slightly abbreviated version has been completed in a mere four hours, most feel that three days/two nights is the right amount of time, especially if you are interested in

day backcountry ski tours in North America: the Spearhead Traverse.

First skied in 1964, this ski tour is typically done in a clockwise fashion, starting at the top of the Showcase T-Bar on Blackcomb and finishing with a thigh-burning descent

climbing a few peaks along the way.

There is one hut along the traverse, but it isn’t at a natural stopping point, so most plan on one or two nights camping on the glaciers of the Spearhead and Fitzsimmons ranges. With large glaciers, continuous ex-

MOUNT BAKER EXPERIENCE | SPRING 2015

posure to avalanche terrain and no easy exit in the middle, the Spearhead is a tour that takes a bit of planning. A good forecast is paramount, as is excellent fitness and competent partners.

We had been watching the weather and avalanche conditions for weeks, and ended up taking a couple days off of work to hit the weather right – or so we thought. The light rain continued as we prepared our packs in the parking lot, and doubts began to creep into our conversation.

After deciding to just go as far as we could, camp, and see what tomorrow might hold, we walked up to the ticket window to buy our single-ride tickets up. The ski area knows how much suffering is involved getting a multi-day ski mountaineering pack into the alpine under human power, and the ticket price reflects this.

Spearhead hopefuls pay about half the price of a full day pass (around $50 USD), and must be ready to show ID, shovel, probe, transceiver and skins.

As we rode a gondola and a series of lifts upwards, the rain turned to blowing snow and it got impressively cold for early April.

MOUNTBAKEREXPERIENCE.COM

This was my first hint that the “Whistler Alpine” forecast is for an elevation lower than you’ll be on for most of the traverse, which is mostly above 2,000 m. The ride up takes some time and involves a bit of skiing between lifts, so you will want to dress a bit warmer than you typically do to start a tour. Despite the delays, we found ourselves skinning away from the crowds at the top of the T-bar and into the solitude of the Spearhead Range by 11 a.m.

The first thing I noticed as we climbed past Blackcomb Peak and transitioned for the easy traversing descent towards Decker was that I needed to recalibrate my eye. For those who are used to touring in the more compact ranges of the Lower 48, the Coast Mountains are massive and sprawling. What looks to take an hour or so to skin can easily turn into half a day’s effort. Thankfully, the weather was beginning to clear and we were treated to increasingly broad and stunning views as we made our way past Trorey and Pattison and began the long climb to the Shudder/Tremor col.

Throughout this section we crossed several large glaciers, but the crevasses were well covered and we didn’t stop to put on harnesses. A good safety margin depends on the snow pack and route choice, however, and people have fallen into crevasses on the Spearhead.

We arrived at the col as alpenglow began to color the peaks, realizing we didn’t have much time to find a good camp. But the lure of a summit proved irresistible, and Scott, Gord and I found ourselves atop Shudder (2,671m), our first peak of the trip, as the sun sank low in the west. When you are snow camping, finding camp is often as easy as locating a flat spot, but we were looking for a flat spot sheltered from the howling north wind. Luckily Gord and Scott had done the trip the previous year and knew of a good area on the aptly named Platform Glacier below.

Camping out in winter conditions is of-

ten character building, and our first night on the Spearhead was no exception. Between digging a platform, building walls, melting snow, boiling water for dinner and refilling

made a half-hearted attempt at Macbeth (2,639m) but having neglected to bring rope and harnesses, we turned around after we hit heavily crevassed terrain. Next time!

our water bottles, it was well past dark and even colder when I finally crawled into the tent and stuffed my boot liners into my bag for the night.

In a few years, this sort of evening ritual on the Spearhead will likely be for those doing the tour on the cheap. B.C. Parks is weighing a proposal to put three huts on the traverse (spearheadhuts.org), with construction potentially starting this year. With the huts will undoubtedly come more people, but on this night we had the wind, cold and spindrift to ourselves.

The next day our self-inflicted hardships were quickly forgotten in the morning light, crisp air and unlimited views as we continued the traverse. A quick skin up to another col, another transition (sense a pattern?), and a stunning powdery run down Ripsaw glacier to yet another transition and another skin upwards. So went day two as we worked our way around the last peaks of the Spearhead and into the start of the Fitzsimmons Range. Enroute, we dropped our packs and

In the early afternoon we descended off the shoulder of Lago down onto the massive Diavolo Glacier and our camp for night two.

This was a much shorter day than the previous, and we luxuriated in the sun and relative warmth, admiring our wild surroundings and the fact that we once again had a huge glacier to ourselves for the night. It would have been possible to press on, or go for a ski that afternoon, but preferring to rest up for a final day of peak bagging we merely watched as a couple of parties glided silently by in the distance.

Day three dawned clear and still, and we were up and away with the sun to climb Fitzsimmons (2,603m), one of the most striking peaks along the traverse. Partway up to the col above camp we dropped most of our gear and headed up Fitzsimmons, hoping to ski from high on the peak. Breakable crust dashed those hopes several hundred meters below the top, but we had a fun romp up and down, enjoying the spectacular views down the excellent north face ski line.

This short climb alone made the trip, but we still had a long way to go and two more summits to ski, so we didn’t stay long. Next up were Benvolio (2,613m) and Overlord (2,625m), both of which could be ascended on skis and provided different and impressive views of some of the other peaks along the traverse, not to mention the countless others spread across the Coast Mountains and other B.C. ranges on this stunningly clear day.

A few more increasingly icy descents and transitions later, we found ourselves at Singing Pass with tired legs attaching skins back to skis for the final climb to the summit of Flute (2,013m), just inside the Whistler ski area boundary. When we crossed into the ski area it was eerily quiet; not a person was around, and no lifts were running. Unbeknownst to us, Whistler had closed for the season the day we began the tour, and we dodged maintenance equipment on our way back down to the village thousands of feet below. The run was surprisingly fun on soft spring snow, and we skidded to a stop right in the midst of the young, clean and beautiful hordes of people about 30 minutes from Flute’s summit. It was a surreal and jarring re-entry into lowland life but somehow a fitting end to one of the best tours the Republic of Cascadia has to offer.

x

GOOD TO KN0W: Length: 34km (21.13 miles) Gear: Standard ski touring and glacier travel gear. Boot crampons/Whippet may be useful if peak bagging.

Single-use lift ticket: About $50 USD; be prepared to show ID, shovel, beacon, probe and skins.

Guidebook: John Baldwin: Exploring the Coast Mountains on Skis Map: Whistler Backcountry; John Baldwin 1999 Best time of year: February through May The huts are coming! Spring 2015 may be the last season before huts start showing up. spearheadhuts.org/the-project/

Whatcom Falls Park

ULTRA TRAIL

Reopening an historic route with an incredible race

BY IAN FERGUSON

Acme

54 MILES FROM BAY TO SUMMIT

BELLINGHAM–MT. BAKER TRAIL

North Lake Whatcom Park South Fork Park Galbraith Homestead

Ridley Creek Trail MOUNT BAKER

Easton Glacier Railroad Grade

Mazama Park Park Butte Lookout NORTH

PHOTO\TYLER MITCHELL

Y

ou see Mt. Baker on the horizon, dwarfing the surrounding peaks, and you wonder how long it would take to get there on foot. Could you do it in a week? Could you climb it once you got there? Cross a flat expanse, scale some hills, and you’re at its base. A long slog up those ice cream slopes and you’re there, on top of the world. It looks possible, if not easy.

A proposed trail connecting Bellingham Bay to the Ridley Creek Trail up Mt. Baker will allow adventurous explorers to give it a try. The proposed route follows Bellingham city trails to North Lake Whatcom Park before going up and over Stewart Mountain to the South Fork Valley, then up Mosquito Lake Road and Middle Fork Road to the Ridley Creek trailhead. The Ridley Creek Trail, recently restored after decades of neglect, accesses Baker’s beautiful southern slopes, with Schreiber’s Meadow, Mazama Camp, Park Butte Lookout and the Easton Glacier all within reach. The distance from Bellingham Bay to Baker’s summit is 54 miles, and it won’t be long before people are setting speed records. They’ll have to beat an impressive time already.

Last August, Daniel Probst, Aaron Poh and Beat Jegerlehner ran the 108-mile round trip, from Bellingham Bay to Mt. Baker’s summit and back in 48 hours and 17 minutes.

Probst and a few others are hoping to cut that time in half to 24 hours this June. Probst is the founder of the Bellingham trail-running group Cascade Mountain Runners, and it’s largely thanks to his efforts that the route is being developed.

Probst has a dream of creating an annual 108-mile footrace called the Mt. Baker Ultramarathon that would run from Bellingham Bay to the summit of Mt. Baker and back, and he’s close to making it happen. After proving the route could be run, Probst and the Cascade Mountain Runners set to work restoring the Ridley Creek Trail with help from the Washington Trails Association (WTA) and the U.S. Forest Service. They opened the corridor, cleared downed trees, graded switchbacks and fixed washout points.

“It’s a couple of seasons away from being in really good shape, but as long as the forest service continues to maintain the bridge over Ridley Creek, the trail will be open for hikers and runners as soon as the snow melts this summer,” Probst said.

Although it hasn’t seen much use in the

PARK BUTTE LOOKOUT IS ACCESSIBLE FROM THE RIDLEY CREEK TRAIL. PHOTO\ANDY PORTER

With the Mt. Baker Ultramarathon, Probst hopes to honor the history of the Mt. Baker Marathons and the early days of mountaineering on Mt. Baker’s slopes.

“It’s our goal not only to revive the original spirit, but also to curate the history of the trail and the original races, and to revive that every year,” he said. “We’re also hoping to advertise the race so that 50 percent of the participants come from outside the U.S., because this is really a world-class route that should be put on a world stage.”

Having raced in some of the biggest ultramarathons in the world, including the 200mile Tor des Geants in Italy, Probst knows the ingredients of a successful ultra. However, his planned route runs into a major obstacle halfway through the Ridley Creek Trail where 3 miles of the trail cross through the Mt. Baker Wilderness on the way to the National Recreation Area. The U.S. Forest Service restricts competitive events in wilderness areas, but the Mount Baker-Snoqualmie National Forest Service has the power to grant

an exception. Probst is rallying local leaders to help make that happen. Whatcom County Executive Jack Louws, who has run four marathons himself, signed a letter of support to help Probst petition the U.S. Forest Service.

“The race is supported by local businesses and the outdoor community, and is set to gain world-wide recognition,” Louws stated in his letter. “The event will fund the construction of a community-supported Bellingham-Mt. Baker trail system, providing a year-round recreation and tourism draw.”

A big part of what makes Bellingham the adventure capital of the northwest is the glaciated volcano 50 miles to its east. Probst believes the Bellingham-Mt. Baker trail would strengthen that connection by establishing a non-motorized path from one to the other.

“This is a way to help Bellingham brand its deep connections to Mt. Baker. Connecting the Bellingham and Whatcom County parks systems to the Mt. Baker National Forest has long been a policy goal, and this would help accomplish that,” Probst said.

Anyone can hike or bike the route today, but much of the route currently consists of logging roads and back roads. Probst hopes to eventually build 30 miles of single track for a continuous trail. Reviving the Ridley Creek Trail was step one; step two is getting the Whatcom County Parks department to permit a section of new trail from North Lake Whatcom Park to a viewpoint at the top of Stewart Mountain. A few miles of user-built trail already exist on the recently acquired county parkland on the eastern shore of Lake Whatcom.

“This section of trail is a key project that we could break ground on this summer,” Probst said. “It would be an opportunity for Whatcom County Parks and Recreation to show that progress is being made in this new park, and the publicity surrounding it will help promote tourism in Bellingham. The trail here is already established; it’s just a matter of formalizing it. There’s a huge community of trail users pushing hard to get going in the new park, and there’s an army of trail builders ready to go.”

If all goes to plan, the Mt. Baker Ultramarathon could happen as soon as the summer of 2016. Meanwhile, you can step out your front door with a backpack and see how long it takes you to stand on Mt Baker’s summit.

x

PHOTO\CHRIS DUPPENTHALER

Klipsun Park

BELLINGHAM

CALTOPO IMAGE CALTOPO.COM

The

last few decades, the Ridley Creek Trail has a storied past. The Mt. Baker Marathons of 1911–13 used the Ridley Creek Trail, then called the Deming-Mount Baker Trail, as their southern route. The Mt. Baker Marathons sent racers from Bellingham up Mt. Baker and back via two routes: one by train to the town of Glacier and up Mt. Baker via the Coleman Glacier, the other by automobile through the town of Deming and up Mt. Baker via the Deming-Mt. Baker Trail and the Easton Glacier. The idea was to pit man against man, train against car and route against route. Joe Galbraith won the race via the Deming-Mt. Baker route, although Harvey Haggard might have won had a bull not blundered onto the train tracks, derailing the train on his ride from Glacier to Bellingham after a successful summit.

“The original race was also a challenge between communities to determine what route up Mt. Baker would be the gateway to the mountain,” Probst said. “The Glacier route got the road, but 100 years later, the Middle Fork route will get the trail.”

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“Y

ou’re a snowboarder from Washington and you’ve never been to Baker? So you’ve never been to LBS?” “What is LBS?” I asked.

“Dude, are you kidding? The Legendary Banked Slalom? It’s the original and longest-running snowboard event on the planet, the annual gathering of the tribe! How have you missed it?”

This was the general reaction from most of my snowboard peers when the subject of Baker arose. It was December 2005 and I was getting the impression I had to make the pilgrimage up the Mt. Baker Highway to be accepted by the snowboard community.

Two months later I got the full Baker experience, living in the ski area’s parking lot for three days during the 2006 LBS. Krush Kulesza, the youth marketing director from Summit at Snoqualmie, had put together an RV for some friends and team riders. I lucked out and snagged the photographer’s spot in the rig once I got myself to Baker.

I learned a few lessons that first year, and the first was to never leave a Volkswagen Golf in the Mt. Baker parking lot for three days in February. Perhaps this year would be an exception, but every other year in history it is a poor idea.

Arriving at the lot I was greeted with concerned looks directed at my mode of travel.

At six the next morning, the windows in the unheated RV were like waterfalls of condensation, and it took nature’s call to get me out of the warm sleeping bag into a 38 degree environment with 99 percent humidity. I had to go, but why wouldn’t the door open? Pushing harder revealed a couple feet of snow fell overnight, blocking the exit. After a struggle I made my way to the White Salmon Lodge bathroom only to find the lodge wasn’t open to the public yet.

Heading back to the RV I couldn’t see the Golf. Walking around I eventually bumped into it, but it was almost undetectable as a car – totally buried and not going anywhere without some serious digging. I went to work with a shovel, remembering the concerned looks from the previous day. Lesson learned.

Next I learned that nobody who goes to Baker during LBS wants to shoot photos when the snow conditions are as legendary as the race, especially if they have a shot at the coveted bronze, silver and gold rolls of duct tape. People go to ride world-record snowpack and race. Everyone in the RV except me had a shot at the tape, at least for the first two days.

I spent the majority of the first day posted at the racecourse, striking out on any really interesting shots. I couldn’t get a decent angle without a media pass, and my focus was divided between the course and the awesome-looking ridge (the Shuksan Arm) behind me.

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Late in the day as I zoomed in on team rider Stacy Thomas with a new, very expensive lens, it simply fell apart in my hands. Stacy flew by spraying snow, as I looked down confused.

Half the camera and lens were in my right hand and the other half were in my left, while the leftover parts disappeared into the snow. What just happened? My only zoom lens was dead, which meant limited photos and $1,500 wasted. I could almost hear the snowboard gods telling me to go play in the snow.

Later that evening the mood in the RV was race-focused. Those who had already qualified for finals were hungry to run the course again, while those who hadn’t were focused and determined on their one remaining chance. I don’t think anyone slept well that night.

The following morning the Golf had disappeared again under another 3 feet of snow. In hindsight, I was falling in love with Baker. I hadn’t realized how good snowboarding could be, and conditions were screaming at me to join in and put the camera away. Nonetheless, I remained focused on looking for LBS story content for day two. Again, it was an exercise in futility; no one wanted a photographer directing them with conditions so good and a race to focus on.

The mood in the RV shifted that night. Half the people in the RV had qualified for finals. The other half temporarily transformed from focused racers to raging alcoholics. Alcohol debauchery ensued with contests revolving around unusual food/alcohol combinations, and painfully wrong mixers such as beef bouillon, skittles, vodka, tequila, raw eggs… you get the idea. Money was on the table if you could keep it down, and it still makes me laugh to think back to that night.

The following morning I awoke to the Golf under another 18 inches of fresh snow and began the morning excavation routine. It was Sunday, finals day, and the energy was palpable.

AT If you can only make it to the Legendary Banked Slalom for \P TO O one day, let it be finals on Sunday. All day, the feeling that the enPH tire snowboard community has gathered in one place is powerful. The people who shape the industry are all there riding Baker together, having a good time. Two of the RV crew made it through finals and managed to win the coveted Duct Tape Trophy in spite of the alcohol Olympics that took place 12 hours prior.

At the awards ceremony, the White Salmon Lodge is standing room only. You may find yourself packed shoulder to shoulder with Terje Haakonsen or a Mt. Baker local, both of whom are likely holding a roll of tape with just as much pride as an Olympian wearing a gold medal in front of millions. For snowboarders at LBS, the size of the audience doesn’t really factor in; it’s the community in the audience that matters. I had found my tribe.

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SPRING 2015 | MOUNT BAKER EXPERIENCE

31

30 LEGENDARY YEARS

The Mt. Baker Legendary Banked Slalom

BY IAN FERGUSON

T

he history of the Legendary Banked Slalom, an annual snowboard race at Mt. Baker Ski Area that began in 1985, is a mirror image of the history of snowboarding.

Back when boards had fins and only went in one direction, snowboarding wasn’t allowed at most ski areas. “Snowboard boots” didn’t exist and bindings required copious amounts of duct tape. It was a new method of sliding down snow that the mainstream saw as crazy, stupid or dangerous, but that didn’t stop a growing number of northwesterners, influenced by the skate, surf and BMX culture of the late ’70s, from carrying their boards into the Cascades and riding untracked powder.

Jeff Fulton was one of the first people in Washington state to get addicted to snowboarding. His parents owned Fulton’s Schwinn Cyclery in Mount Vernon, and when the four snowboards in the Mount Vernon shop didn’t sell because no one knew what to do with them, Fulton grabbed the boards and a few friends to try them out.

Fulton, Dan Donnelly, and Craig Kelly, all

from Mount Vernon, formed an unofficial group of Mt. Baker snowboarders called the Mt. Baker Hard Core (MBHC) along with Eric Swanson, Carter Turk and Eric Jenko.

Unlike other ski area owners, Mt. Baker Ski Area general manager Duncan Howat saw no reason to ban the sport.

“He had always been active and into doing crazy stuff. He did motocross, he would waterski on plywood disks and do all kinds of ridiculous stuff,” said Duncan’s daughter Amy Howat Trowbridge, who is the director of marketing for Mt. Baker Ski Area. “He tried snowboarding and loved it.”

In the early ’80s, the MBHC was improving and growing, and the riders wanted a venue to test their skills against snowboarders from other regions. Bob Barci, a northwest snowboarding pioneer, provided the Mt. Baker riders with snowboards out of his Bikefactory shop in Bellevue, and he formed the Bikefactory Snowboard Team. Fulton had seen a snowboarding contest in Tahoe, and he and his friends came up with the idea to hold a race in a gully that forms a natural

MT. BAKER HARD CORE:

PHOTO\RYAN DUCLOS

halfpipe on Mt. Baker’s White Salmon run.

“We came from a skateboarding background. In skateboarding you’re getting up on vertical walls in halfpipes and bowls. It made sense to hold a slalom race that allowed you to make that banked turn,” Fulton said. “It kind of embraced the spirit of snowboarding more than a flat course would.”

Around the same time, Tom Sims, a snowboard manufacturer from California, was looking for a place to hold a contest and promote the fledgling sport. Most Baker riders were on Sims boards, and Sims was known as the best snowboarder in the world at the time.

Fulton, Barci, Sims and the Mt. Baker Hard Core riders approached Howat in 1984, and the first banked slalom was held in February 1985. That first year it was called the Sims Open. Sims won, and Terry Kidwell (dubbed “the father of freestyle snowboarding”) came in second. Ken Achenbach, inventor of baseless bindings and founder of the Camp of Champions in Whistler, came in third. Kelly came in fourth, and he would

go on to become one of the most influential snowboarders of all time.

The Mt. Baker Banked Slalom quickly became legendary in the snowboarding world.

It became an annual staple, and the best riders from all over the world have come to compete ever since.

Trowbridge received her first snowboard in 1985 at the age of 13, when Sims gave the Howats two SE Pros as a thank-you for hosting the race. She won the pro-women category in 1987 and 1990, and she still has her first board.

“It’s a swallowtail with a fin and it was a great powder board, but it was hell on hardpack,” she recalled. “It was hard to ride snowboards back then. Everybody had really strong calf muscles, because bindings didn’t have backs and people were riding in hightopped tennis shoes and Sorel boots. The really cool thing to do was take out the liners of the Sorels, put ski boot liners in them and then duct tape everything together. Every snowboarder went through, I don’t know, 20 rolls of duct tape a year.”

LOW AND POWERFUL: A competitor 2014 Legendary Banked Slalom. Photo by Ryan Duclos.

Jeff Fulton flies off Home Run Cornice at Mt. Baker in 1982.

Photo by Craig Kelly.

feels the flow in the

32

MOUNTBAKEREXPERIENCE.COM

MOUNT BAKER EXPERIENCE | SPRING 2015

as Sims, Kelly and Shaun Palmer, freestyle master Terje Haakonsen, Olympians Maëlle Ricker and Seth Wescott, and big mountain slayers Xavier De le Rue and Lucas DeBari.

Despite the LBS’ prestigious attendees, all are equal on race day. The local shredder who washes dishes in the lodge for a season pass can ride the lift with Travis Rice and achieve eternal glory if they make it through qualifiers and put up a winning performance in the finals. The course is the great equalizer.

“It’s a tough course,” Fulton said. “Conditions from year to year can be anything from slushy to pow to ice, or you may end up dealing with all those conditions in one weekend. Ruts start to form, and with the length of the course and the banked turns, it’s really tough on the legs. If you’re serious about winning, you’re training for it.”

Standing in the start gate at the top of the course is notoriously nerve-wracking, but don’t worry, an inscription on the start shack reminds you to, “Say your prayers.” So what’s the secret to winning?

“Everybody always says, stay low and be powerful,” Trowbridge said. A low center of balance can help you hold on during the tight turns and power will help you manage the ruts.

“Find your groove and stick with it

through the whole course,” Fulton said.

On the long course, endurance is key.

“Even the pro riders are breathing heavy and collapsing at the bottom of the run,” Trowbridge said.

This year marks the 30th anniversary of the Legendary Banked Slalom, and organizers, along with the rest of the snowboarding world, are “super excited” to put on a great race and celebration, Trowbridge said.

However, an exceptionally warm winter has put the damper on preparations. Normally

E HOM

scheduled for mid February, the 2015 LBS was rescheduled for March 19-22 in hopes of more snow to fill in the natural halfpipe.

With the dismal snow conditions this year, the term “Say your prayers” has taken on new meaning. “We’re hoping for a big March and keeping our fingers crossed,” Fulton said, reflecting the thoughts of the entire northwest ski and snowboard community. “It’s been a tough winter, but we’re all just trying to suck it up, wait it out and hope for more snow.”

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With improvements to equipment, snowboarding gained popularity throughout the ’80s. In the early ’90s, the snowboarding craze reached a frenzied pitch and things got weird for a year or two.

“There was this bubble when money and competition were really huge in snowboarding and media perception was really hyped.

These big tours came to Mt. Baker and handed out big checks for first prize,” Trowbridge said. “They wanted live television coverage and this and that, and they didn’t realize that we’re in the boondocks. It was a total fiasco.”

The race organizers decided to ditch the big money, keep the event in house and keep sponsorship within the snowboarding industry. The decision to stick to the roots of snowboarding is what has made the event truly legendary. Instead of giant checks, winners get a duct-tape trophy, an embroidered Carhartt jacket, a Pendleton blanket and an original piece of artwork from a northwest artist. Artists such as Jamie Lynn, an original Mt. Baker Hard Core and world-famous freestyle snowboarder, have contributed artwork.

Favoring authenticity over big money, the Legendary Banked Slalom remains the gathering of the global snowboarding tribe to this day. The list of winners includes the sport’s biggest names: founding fathers such

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lighter, fresh-tasting version of a winter staple, this white chicken chili recipe will allow you to improvise. We’ve tried it with great results using chicken thighs, wild grouse and pheasant as the protein. You can also use black or red beans instead of white; be adventurous and make it your own!

2 T oil 1 onion, chopped 1 can green chilies, chopped (7 oz) 2 large cloves garlic, minced 3 chicken breasts, cubed 2 14 oz cans white beans (undrained) 1 C frozen corn (or fresh) 1 14 oz can Mexican stewed tomatoes (chopped and undrained) 1 bunch cilantro, chopped Juice of two lemons 2 T chili powder (or to taste) 1 t ground cumin A few shakes of paprika and turmeric (if desired) Salt and pepper to taste Plain Greek yogurt, shredded cheddar cheese, chopped avocado for garnish

Brown the chicken in oil. Add onion, garlic and green chilies. Simmer until onions are cooked. Add beans, corn, tomatoes and spices. Simmer one hour. Add cilantro and lemon juice. Simmer to desired consistency. Add water as needed. Add garnishes.

This chili is great served with homemade cornbread or a nice crusty loaf of bread, especially if you’ve been out burning calories all day in the backcountry.

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34

MOUNT BAKER EXPERIENCE | SPRING 2015

MOUNTBAKEREXPERIENCE.COM

TRAINING

BY AMANDA NAYFIELD

W

Burlington

ibility). In order to make gains, you must stress your body beyond what is normal or comfortable. For example, if you work as a forester and hike 6 miles a day, you must increase the distance, frequency or intensity of hiking over a period of weeks to become a better hiker. Hiking 6 miles is your norm, and you must stress your body beyond that baseline if you want to improve. Remember, there is a delicate balance to this principle: challenge yourself, but don’t over-train into exhaustion or injury.

4. Adaptation and Progression: Over time, your

body will make physiological changes and the amount or type of workout that once provided an overload stimulus will become easy, and therefore ineffective. It is important to recognize this point in your training and progress using the “FIT” principle: Modify the Frequency, Intensity, and Time (FIT) of your workouts to keep them challenging.

5. Recovery: The importance of rest and recovery cannot be emphasized enough.

The overload principle is designed to stress your body, and it is essential to give your body the time and energy it needs to rebuild and recover. Most gains and adaptations occur during the recovery phase, and if you cut yourself short on this one you risk overtraining, leading to poor performance and likely injury. Part of recovery is cross training and varying your exercise routine.

In addition to complete rest days, make sure you throw easy days and weeks into your training program.

6. Reversibility: If you don’t use it, you lose it! After achieving your goal, work on a maintenance program to prevent reversibility.

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PHOTO\TYLER MITCHELL

ith Ski to Sea around the corner, many hopeful racers are starting to implement training strategies. To optimize your performance and ensure a healthy, injury-free race, it is important to understand a few basic principles of training.

These principles can be applied to training for any type of athletic goal, from paddling fastest down the Nooksack River to climbing Mt. Baker.

1. Individuality: This principle speaks to who we are genetically and how our bodies respond to training. Some of us have more fast-twitch muscle fiber and respond better to high intensity training, while others have more slow-twitch endurance fibers and thrive on low-load, long-duration workouts. Most of us are drawn to sports that fit our genetic makeup, but we can in fact shift the ratio of muscle fibers with our training. Determine your goal (power, endurance or some combination) and create a training program that honors your individual strengths, but pushes you toward your goal.

2. Specificity: It is important that your training is sport-specific. In other words, if you want to be a stronger biker, you had better be biking. Cross training is healthy and important, and many activities that get your heart rate up can help with overall cardiovascular health, but sport-specific training is key. By working the muscle groups associated with your athletic goal, you build tissue resilience and adaptations important for performance and injury prevention.

3. Overload: This is one of the most important principles, and it needs to be applied to all components of training (cardiovascular, muscular endurance, strength and flex-

PHOTO\TYLER MITCHELL

PHOTO\RYAN DUCLOS

for race season

SPRING 2015 | MOUNT BAKER EXPERIENCE

35

Events - See our year round events calendar at mountbakerexperience.com FEBRUARY

MARCH THE WEST VAN RUN: March 1, West

Vancouver, BC. The annual 5k and 10k run and walk not only promotes running on the North Shore but also supports some amazing local organizations. More info: westvanrun.com

AVALANCHE AWARENESS WITH REI:

March 3, Bellingham. Learn how to access avalanche forecasts and other beginner basics of avalanche awareness. More info: rei.com/bellingham

FRAGRANCE LAKE HALF MARATHON AND 10K:

February 21, Bellingham.

Run past serene Fragrance Lake and soak in all hues of green on the Rock Trail in a magical forest above Lost Lake. More info: bellinghamtrail.com MBC ROCK TRAIL TO SOUTH LOST LAKE TRAIL HIKE: February 21, Bellingham. The trails provide hikers with gorgeous views and a peek at the area’s fascinating geology. Five miles. More info: mountbakerclub.org

PENN COVE MUSSELFEST: March 6-8, Coupeville. Come taste Coupeville’s world-famous mussels with chowder tastings, mussel-eating competitions, farm tours, art galleries and activities for all ages. More info: thepenncovemusselsfestival.com MUSSELS IN THE KETTLES: March 7,

Whidbey Island. Mountain Bike Ride through the kettles trails near Fort Ebey State Park. Earn playing cards and win with the best poker hand. More info: musselsinthekettles.net

MBC FARMER’S MARKET TO FAIRHAVEN HIKE: March 7, Bellingham. Join a

group walking from the Saturday Bellingham Farmer’s Market to Fairhaven and back. More info: mountbakerclub.org

FIRST AID ESSENTIALS WITH REI: Feb-

DIRTY DUO TRAIL RUN: March 7, North Vancouver, BC. Challenging North Shore trail run and ride race. More info: mountainmadness.ca

TRAVEL TRIPS AND ADVENTURES EXPO: February 28-March 1, Seattle. 80-

VANCOUVER BIKE SHOW: March 7-8, Vancouver, BC. More info: vancouverbikeshow.com

ruary 24, Bellingham. Learn the basics of first aid kits with the experts at REI. More info: rei.com/bellingham

plus exhibitors, indoor zipline, demo pool and adventure stage. More info: trailtoadventure.com

OUTDOOR ADVENTURE & TRAVEL SHOW: March 7-8, Vancouver. BC’s largest showcase of outdoor gear and adventure travel experiences. More info: outdooradventureshow.ca

WHIDBEY WORKING ARTISTS INVITATIONAL SHOW: March 7-8, Coupeville.

Witness the spectacular talent of Whidbey Island artists. More info: whidbeyworkingartists.com

CHUCKANUT 50K TRAIL RUN: March 21, Fairhaven. Starting and finishing on the level Interurban Trail, the middle 30k is what this race is known for as you climb, traverse and descend the beautiful Chuckanut Mountain ridge. More info: chuckanut50krace.com

PADDEN MUDFEST: March 8, Lake Pad-

MBC BOULDER RIVER HIKE: March 21,

den. Six-mile trail race on wooded singletrack trails in Lake Padden Park in Bellingham. More info: gbrc.net

WINGS OVER WATER BIRDING FESTIVAL: March 13-15, Blaine and Birch Bay.

Explore the incredible variety of seabirds and other birds in Blaine, Birch Bay and Semiahmoo in this annual northwest birding festival. More info: wingsoverwaterbirdingfestival.com

RUNNIN’ O’ THE GREEN: March 14, Bellingham. Get your green on and celebrate St. Patty’s Day with a run/walk in downtown Bellingham. More info: cob.org/services/recreation/races

STEWART MOUNTAIN HALF MARATHON: March 14, Bellingham. First ever

Track your vertical on ski runs throughout the day to raise money for cancer research, with a variety of fun activities all day long. Individual or team competition.

More info: hopeontheslopes.net

36

HOPE ON THE SLOPES AT CRYSTAL MOUNTAIN: March 21, Crystal Moun-

tain. Track your vertical on ski runs throughout the day to raise money for cancer research, with fun activities all day long. Individual or team competition.

More info: hopeontheslopes.net

CAP CRUSHER, CANADA’S TOUGHEST 8K RUN: March 22, Capilano Canyon, North Vancouver BC. More info: coastmountaintrailseries.com

MT.

MBC CROSS COUNTRY SKIING: Febru-

HOPE ON THE SLOPES AT STEVENS PASS: February 28-March 1, Stevens Pass.

Bellingham. This is a relatively easy hike off the Mountain Loop Highway along the Boulder River and into the Baker River wilderness, with waterfalls and old growth trees along the trail. More info: mountbakerclub.org

race to the top of Stewart Mountain! The Stewart Mountain Half Marathon starts at North Lake Whatcom Trailhead (Hertz Trail) and runs along Lake Whatcom before heading up Stewart Mountain. More info: bellinghamtrail.com

SEATTLE BIKE SHOW: February 28-March 1, Seattle. Over 100 exhibitors.

Try the pump track, see Bob Bobke roll, bikes, gear and more. More info: seattlebikeshow.com ary 28, Mt. Baker Highway. Group departs from Bellingham with a pick-up stop at Maple Fuels in Maple Falls. Conditions will dictate the destination. More info: mountbakerclub.org

of fun activities all day long. Individual or team competition. More info: hopeontheslopes.net

ham. Bring your friends and family to check out the best and the brightest in the local and regional outdoor recreation scene. This is your chance to connect with the resources you need for a healthy year ahead. More info: recreationnorthwest.org

MOUNT BAKER EXPERIENCE | SPRING 2015

SPLITFEST:

LEGENDARY BANKED SLALOM: March 19–22.

HOPE ON THE SLOPES AT WHITE PASS:

BAKER BEACON RALLY: March 28, Mt. Baker Ski Area. Search for buried avalanche beacons on a set course to sharpen your skills, have fun with friends and win prizes. Course near Heather Meadows Lodge at Mt. Baker Ski Area. More info: mtbaker.us/events

PHOTO\RYAN DUCLOS

RECREATION NORTHWEST EXPO: March 12, Belling-

BAKER

March 27–29, Glacier.

Gather with fellow splitboarders and head out into the backcountry. Aprés tour party at Chair 9 in Glacier.

More info: splitfest.com

The longest-running snowboard event in the world, the Legendary Banked Slalom celebrates 30 legendary years this spring.

More info: lbs.mtbaker.us

March 14, White Pass. Track your vertical on ski runs throughout the day to raise money for cancer research, with a variety

STIMPSON NATURE RESERVE HIKE:

March 28, Bellingham. An easy 5-mile

MOUNTBAKEREXPERIENCE.COM

SAFE KIDS TULIP PEDAL: April 18, La Conner. Group ride through Skagit Valley during the height of the tulip blooms. Free for kids 14 and under. More info: tinyurl. tulippedal

BIRCH BAY ROAD RACE: March 28, Birch Bay. A beautiful place to run – scenic, fast and fun. 5k, 15k and 30k. More info: birchbayroadrace.com

DO THE BLOOM COLOR RUN: April 18, Anacortes. With color-dusting stations every half-mile, end this 5k looking like a walking piece of art. Raise money for public art in the Anacortes community. More info: anacortesartsfestival.com

PACIFIC POPULAIRE CYCLING TOUR: March 29, Vancouver and Richmond, BC. 100, 50 and 25km options for this early season road ride. More info: randonneurs.bc.ca

FUN WITH THE FUZZ 5K: April 18, Bell-

APRIL

ingham. This fun 5k around Bellingham supports families of police officers who are killed in the line of duty. More info: funwiththefuzz.com

HONEYWAGON RUNS: April 4, Everson.

VANCOUVER SUN RUN: April 19, Van-

Half marathon and fun runs for the whole family in the Nooksack Valley. More info: gbrc.net

EASTER WEEKEND FUN RUN/WALK:

April 4, Oak Harbor. Get ready for spring by starting off healthy while giving back to the community. 5k run starts and finishes at Windjammer Park. More info: active.com

SEMIAHMOO WATER’S EDGE HALF MARATHON & 10K ROAD RACE: April

12, White Rock, BC. Waterfront start and finish, fun course. More info: racepaceevents.ca

ORCAS ISLAND MARATHON AND FILM FESTIVAL: April 10-12, Moran State

Park. Trail races explore Moran State Park’s many mountain lakes, wooded singletrack trails, and the 2,409 foot Mount Constitution on Orcas Island. More info: bellinghamtrail.com

WORLD SKI AND SNOWBOARD FESTIVAL: April 10-19, Whistler, BC. A cel-

ebration of snowsports with on-slope competitions, photo contest, film festival, outdoor concert series and more. More info: wssf.com

ANACORTES SPRING WINE FESTIVAL:

April 11, Anacortes. The festival brings 32 wineries to Fidalgo Island for a weekend of decadent tastings, pairings and lively entertainment. More info: anacortes.org

WHIDBEY ISLAND MARATHON: April

19, Oak Harbor. Providing picturesque ocean views and tranquil farmland, the full marathon and half marathon along with 10k and 5k courses promise to be scenic. More info: whidbeyislandmarathon.com

DELTA TRIATHLON: April 25, Ladner,

BC. Great season warm-up for those with experience and an easy start for those who have never done a triathlon before.

More info: deltatriathlon.ca

POOCH SCOOT: April 26, Bellingham.

Run a 5k with or without your canine best friend. Separate start times for runners without dogs. Fun treats for dogs and prizes from local merchants. More info: poochscoot.com

MAY HAGGEN TO HAGGEN 5K RACE AND WALK: May 2, Bellingham. Run between

the iconic Bellingham grocery stores, from the Sehome location to the Meridian location, and sample Haggen products at the finish line. More info: gbrc.net

ENDURO OF SUBDUED EXCITEMENT: May TBD,

Bellingham.

Four-stage mountain bike race in the amazing Chuckanut trails.

The overall course is about 20 miles long with lots of pedaling and climbing between epic descents.

More info: wmbcmtb.org

PENN COVE WATER FESTIVAL: May 16, Coupeville. An annual revival of the historic Coupeville Water Festival with Native American canoe racing, entertainment, crafts and culture. More info: penncovewaterfestival.com RHODY RUN: May 17, Port Townsend.

The Rhody Run is one of the oldest and best-loved races in the Pacific Northwest.

It winds through the countryside of Port Townsend with mountain and water views. More info: rhodyrun.com COUPEVILLE MEMORIAL DAY PARADE:

May 23, Coupeville. Celebrate Memorial Day weekend with a festive parade and festival in beautiful Coupeville. More info: coupevillechamber.com

WOMAN2WARRIOR OBSTACLE RUNS:

May 24, Burnaby. For women only. More info: woman2warrior.ca

LAKE WHATCOM CLASSIC PADDLE:

May 2, Lake Whatcom. Paddling/rowing race with short and long versions. Starts at Bloedel Donovan Park. More info: soundrowers.org/lakewhatcomclassic

BMO VANCOUVER MARATHON: May 3,

Vancouver, BC. Vancouver’s only marathon and one of the top 10 ranked destination marathons in the world. More info: bmovanmarathon.ca

CHUCKANUT MOUNTAIN MARATHON AND HALF: May 3, Larrabee State Park.

Run the incredible singletrack of the Chuckanut Mountains. More info: bellinghamtrail.com

CAMANO ISLAND STUDIO TOUR: May 8-10 and 16-17, Camano Island. Tour artists’ studios on beautiful Camano Island.

More info: camanostudiotour.com LYNN CANYON RUNOFF - 6K, 12K AND 24K TRAIL RACE: May 16, North Van-

SKI TO SEA: May 24,

Whatcom County. The Ski to Sea Race is America’s original adventure race. The relay consists of cross-country skiing, downhill skiing or snowboarding, running, biking, canoeing, cross country mountain biking and sea kayaking.

More info: skitosea.com

couver. More info: sky2coveevents.com

Submit your own events at mountbakerexperience.com

2 Events to Support 1 Cause,

S O

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HOPE

THE

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couver, BC. Canada’s largest 10k road race. More info: vancouversun.com/sunrun

PHOTO\SPENCER PAXSON

loop trail through cedar, alder and maple forest, with beaver ponds, devils club and a chance of early wildflowers. Bring binoculars if you have them. More info: mountbakerclub.org

Ski & Ride For a Cure

Cancer Research and the American Cancer Society Ski & Ride for a Cure Vertical Tracking Event The Ski & Ride for a Cure vertical tracking event is exactly what it sounds like. Participants register for the event, download the “Trace Snow” app and then ride! This is a season-long vertical tracking event for skiers and boarders. You can ski/board and track vertical at resorts nationwide, through May 4th, 2015. The participant(s) with the most vertical attained during the 2014/2015 season will be eligible for prizes. Pure Vertical Competition!

Hope on the Slopes Fundraising Event Hope on the Slopes is an individual and team fundraising and vertical competition over 1 or 2 days, hosted by a resort or ski area, including a variety of fun group activities, fundraising activities leading up to the HOTS event, and prizes for most funds raised and vertical achieved during the one or two day HOTS event.

Hope on the Slopes Resorts and Dates: Mountain High, CA: February 22nd, 2015

www.hopeontheslopes.net

Brundage Mountain, ID: January 24th, 2015 Mt. Spokane, WA: February 28th, 2015 Greek Peak, NY: January 31st, 2015 Stevens Pass*, WA: February 28th, 2015 & March 1st 2015 Breckenridge, CO: February 21st, 2015 Wachusett Mountain, MA: March 7th, 2015

*24 hour events.

White Pass*, WA: March 14th & 15th, 2015 Mt. Hood Skibowl*, OR: March 21st, 2015 Crystal Mountain, WA: March 21st, 2015 Eaglecrest, AK: April 4th, 2015

SPRING 2015 | MOUNT BAKER EXPERIENCE

37

Where to Eat ACME/VAN ZANDT ACME DINER

2045 Valley Highway (Hwy 9) 360/595-0150 acme-diner.com This ’50s-style diner’s friendly staff is ready to serve you great home-cooked food; fresh ground hamburgers, daily dinner specials, gluten free meals, pizza, espresso, homemade desserts and Acme ice cream.

BLUE MOUNTAIN GRILL

974 Valley Highway (Hwy9) 360/595-2200 bluemountaingrill.com Fresh, homemade fare, including baked bread and desserts made daily, steaks and burgers. Open for lunch and dinner every day, and breakfast on weekends. Enjoy a beautiful view of the Twin Sisters.

BELLINGHAM BELLEWOOD ACRES

6140 Guide Meridian, Lynden 360/318-7720 bellewoodfarms.com Visit the distillery, farm, country store and bistro for artisan food products and Northwest gifts.

Visit the website for a full list of entertainment and family activities.

BELLINGHAM BAR & GRILL

1408 Cornwall Avenue 360/733-2579 bellinghambarandgrill.com Whatcom County’s oldest bar and grill, serving steaks, burgers, seafood and appetizers. Full bar.

Happy hour 4–7 p.m. daily. Sports entertainment, two shuffleboard tables and seven pool tables.

Monday night karaoke.

BOUNDARY BAY BREWERY & BISTRO

1107 Railroad Avenue 360/647-5593 bbaybrewery.com In business since 1995, catering to locals and out-of-towners alike. Ten house brews on tap paired with a menu of fresh Northwest locally sourced pub food. Family friendly establishment with daily live entertainment.

CHUCKANUT BREWERY & KITCHEN

601 W. Holly Street 360/752-3377 chuckanutbreweryandkitchen.com Enjoy world-class European-style awardwinning lagers and ales, and a local-centric menu of fresh American cuisine including woodstone pizzas, burgers, seafood, salads and more.

KEENAN’S AT THE PIER INSIDE THE CHRYSALIS INN & SPA

804 10th Street 360/392-5510 thechrysalisinn.com Featuring a seasonal menu, full bar and terrace bar open for happy hour every day, 3–6 p.m.

Enjoy breakfast, lunch or dinner daily with a view of Bellingham Bay and the San Juan Islands from every table.

KULSHAN BREWING CO.

2238 James Street 360/389-5348 kulshanbrewery.com Enjoy great beer in a comfortable taproom with a view of the brewery. Bring your own food or order from on-site food trucks at this neighborhood gem.

TADEO’S AUTHENTIC MEXICAN FOOD

207 E Holly Street 360/647-1862 3040 Northwest Avenue (New Bar) 360/733-3116 Food Truck at Meridian and Pole Road 360/815-6107 tadeosrestaurant.com Authentic and time-tested recipes, fresh ingredients and homemade tortillas. The result?

A menu that bursts with flavor!

WESTSIDE PIZZA

7260 Cordata Parkway, Suite 107 360/756-5055 Pizza made with only the best ingredients available, and dough made fresh every day. The perfect place to stop after a long, hungry day of adventuring.

BURLINGTON SKAGIT’S OWN FISH MARKET 18042 Hwy 20 360/707-2722

1400 Iowa St • Bellingham WA

RV Sales Service • Parts Rentals Consignments wanted

360-734-5112 • 800-891-5323 www.vacationland-rv.com • Well Loved Pre-Owned • Affordable Quality

skagitfish.com Offering the highest quality in local seafood.

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

TRAIN WRECK BAR & GRILL

427 E. Fairhaven Avenue 360/755-0582 trainwreck.com A fun, casual and inviting place to get a beer, wine, cocktail or quick and delicious meal.

Serving customers age 21 and over locally sourced products with a smile and gourmet flair.

CONCRETE

EVERSON HERB NIEMANN’S STEAK HOUSE RESTAURANT

203 W. Main Street 360/966-2855 eversonsteakhouse.com Nestled in the middle of Everson, serving a mouth-watering array of steaks, Bavarian specialties, seafood and desserts to customers since 1993. Offers atmospheres for adults and families alike, including parties up to 50.

GLACIER CHAIR 9 WOODSTONE PIZZA AND BAR

5B’S BAKERY

45597 Main Street 360/853-8700 5bsbakery.com Skagit County’s premier bakeshop serving home-style breads as well as a full array of fresh baked goods and classic American desserts.

Dedicated gluten free. Great food for everyone.

Open 7 a.m.–5 p.m. Closed Tuesdays.

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.

DEMING IL CAFFE RIFUGIO RESTORANTE

5415 Mt. Baker Highway 360/592-2888 ilcafferifugio.com Gourmet full-service menu, serving wine, beer and espresso at reasonable prices. 8 a.m.–8 p.m., Thursday–Sunday for breakfast, lunch and dinner. 15 minutes from Bellingham. New driveup bar. Live music and events. Last stop for WiFi.

THE NORTH FORK BREWERY AND BEER SHRINE

6186 Mt. Baker Highway 360/599-2337 northforkbrewery.com Looking for marriage or a pint of fresh ale and hand-tossed pizza? Our pizzeria, brewery, wedding chapel and beer museum is your place!

Open to all. Monday–Friday: dinner; Saturday– Sunday: lunch and dinner.

10459 Mt. Baker Highway 360/599-2511 chair9.com The perfect place to enjoy a great family meal or a brew after a day on the mountain. Bands play weekends. Try the “Canuck’s Deluxe” pizza, a staff favorite. Open for lunch and dinner. Dine in or take out.

GRAHAM’S RESTAURANT

9989 Mt. Baker Highway 360/599-9883 Grab a stool at the legendary bar and enjoy rotating selections of fine craft beers, ciders and wine. New menu specials – appetizers, sandwiches and dinner.

MILANO’S RESTAURANT

9990 Mt. Baker Highway 360/599-2863 milanosglacier.com Offering fresh pasta dishes with local seafood and produce, plus a diverse selection of desserts.

Milano’s is a Northwest staple in its 24th year of operation.

WAKE ‘N BAKERY

6903Bourne Street 360/599-9378 getsconed.com Open daily 7:30 a.m. to 5ish p.m. Serving breakfast burritos, quiche, soup, lunch wraps and freshly baked goods. Savory and sweet gluten-free options. Organic espresso and coffee. Indoor and outdoor seating. Dine in or take out.

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10459 Mt. Baker Highway 360/599-9944 bluetlodge.com Conveniently located behind Chair 9 Woodstone Pizza and Bar, this six-room inn is ideal for families or groups. Clean rooms have queen-sized beds, a full bathroom and private small patios as well as access to a meeting space.

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9989 Mt. Baker Highway 360/398-9590 or 877/90-BAKER stayatmtbaker.com From mountain chalets to waterfront lodges, Luxury Getaways offers overnight accommodations in newly built vacation homes located in the heart of the Mt. Baker Recreational Area. Perfect for hitting the slopes and relaxing.

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MT. BAKER VIEW GUEST HOUSE

6920 Central Avenue 360/599-2155 mtbakerviewguesthouse.com The Guest House in downtown Glacier sleeps six; two bedrooms, hot tub, kitchen and games.

Airstream Sally is also available for rent. Never raise rates for holidays and no cleaning fees.

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7577 Canyon View Dr., Glacier Springs 360/599-2711 thelogs.com Cozy log cabins with kitchens and fireplaces.

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7425 Mt. Baker Highway 360/599-2999 or 888/695-7533 bakeraccommodations.com Baker Accommodations offers cabins and condos in the resort developments of Snowater,

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7463 Mt. Baker Highway 360/599-2453 or 800/709-7669 mtbakerlodging.com Mt. Baker Lodging offers cabins, condos, chalets and executive rental home accommodations. A number of selected units are pet friendly. Walk-in reservations and one-night stays available.

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Custom built Tiny Homes Because sometimes smaller is better

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Our Clients enjoy peace-of-mind while working with the Mt. Baker area’s oldest, largest and most established vacation rental agency. Mt. Baker Lodging provides friendly and knowledgeable personnel in a fully staffed local area office, utilizing a direct hands-on approach to managing the properties that we represent. Our Clients also have the flexibility of utilizing their homes for personal use between rental occasions. It’s a win/win!

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CATCH the wind

Sailing aboard the Schooner Zodiac

BY IAN FERGUSON PHOTOS BY CHAD A. WHITE

W

hen you cross the gangplank onto the Schooner Zodiac, a 160-foot sailboat based in Bellingham Bay, the first thing you notice is the size of the ship. The mast is as big as a mature Douglas fir, and happens to be made out of one. You could play a game of floor hockey on the deck, and you’d be winded after a breakaway.

The next thing you notice is the crew. A mix of volunteers and paid employees, they come from all walks of life but share a wise, salty vibe. They exude competence, but instead of being intimidating, they are welcoming and friendly.

My girlfriend and I boarded the Zodiac for a three-day cruise around the San Juan Islands in August 2014. The ship is a two-masted, classic wooden yacht that was built in East Boothbay, Maine in 1924 and worked as a pilot boat in San Francisco. She now operates as a charter ship, giving passengers the opportunity to sail on an historic 90-year-old wooden sailboat around the San Juan Islands, Canadian Gulf Islands and Desolation Sound. With 7,000 square feet of canvas, she boasts the largest working mainsail on the west coast.

As we went below deck to stow our things, we noticed the intricate woodwork and brass hardware. Raised edges on all flat surfaces keep things from flying off when the ship heels; portraits of old sailors are firmly attached to the walls and comfortable nooks for eating, reading and sleeping give the impression of a stately mansion rather than a sailboat. I had to remind myself that we were floating on the Salish Sea. Back on deck, the crew was making ready to head out. Soon after the boat left the dock, passengers were invited to help sail the ship by manning a number of stations on a rotating schedule. There’s a lookout at the bow, a navigator in the chart house, a messenger in the stern and of course someone at the helm, steering the behemoth boat with a big

wooden wheel. That was the best station by far. No one was obligated to take part, but no one wanted to miss out on the unique opportunity to help operate a giant sailboat.

As we cruised on engine power towards Lummi Island, a school of harbor porpoises appeared off the starboard side of the ship, repeatedly breaking the surface like sewing needles stitching ocean to atmosphere.

They followed along parallel to the ship for 20 minutes and then veered off, their ripples fading into the distance.

After we passed Lummi Island, the wind

with the unfamiliar labor. Not wanting to burden my team, I pulled hard and didn’t quit, and by the time Brian mercifully called a halt I felt semi-nauseous. I vowed to pace myself next time.

Sails raised, first mate Sam directed the passenger at the helm to catch the wind, and the entire mighty ship leaned over. Wake streamed out behind as we picked up speed, and the speedometer climbed to 12 knots.

The power of the ship under sail was impressive to behold.

Halfway between Lummi and Sucia is-

a school of harbor porpoises appeared off the starboard side of the ship,

repeatedly breaking the surface like sewing needles stitching ocean to atmosphere. was strong enough to raise sail. Brian, a barefooted guy with tattoos and long brown hair, directed two teams pulling in rhythm on two wrist-sized halyards to raise the massive gaff rig and mainsail. Even with the mechanical advantage of a block-and-tackle and six people pulling, my muscles burned

lands, Diane at the bow shouted that she’d seen a whale. Captain Tim grabbed the wheel and turned the boat around, and everyone on board broke out cameras and iPhones to capture the moment. Chad, a professor of photography who had been invited aboard to give a photography lesson

to the passengers, seized the opportunity to teach, and with his guidance I captured the moment just before the gray whale’s tailfin dipped below the surface.

The first day of sailing flew by, and soon we were anchored in Echo Bay off Sucia Island. Dana, an intelligent young woman with glasses and long blond hair, motored the passengers ashore in a rubber tender.

Chad led the group in search of sunset photos, and we spent an hour clicking away.

Madrona trees bathed in orange light leaned over sandstone cliffs, and the setting sun silhouetted a few sailboats offshore. It looked like a postcard in every direction.

Joann, the ship’s cook and most important person, had a burrito buffet dinner waiting for us when we returned to the Zodiac.

Pleasant conversation over dinner wound into the evening’s photography lesson with a projector screen in the stateroom, and more pleasant conversation and drinks wound into a gradual bedtime as the passengers, one by one, climbed into their cozy bunks and drew the curtains.

We went up on deck to take in the bright stars and the soft sea breeze, and then went to bed completely relaxed. We did it all over again three more times with different destinations, foods, wildlife and conversations each day. We drank beers in the charming fishing village of Roche Harbor, saw imported exotic herd animals on Spieden Island, explored a lighthouse on Stuart Island and had a cookout in Parks Bay on Lopez Island.

The Schooner Zodiac is a powerful piece of living history, and its effect is hard to describe. The words time machine come to mind, but I doubt there was an era as idyllic and relaxing as a charter cruise aboard the Zodiac. When our journey ended back in Bellingham I felt rejuvenated but reluctant to face things like traffic and computer screens. I knew we’d be back aboard the Zodiac someday.

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I

’ve been ice climbing on and off for a long time, but over the last few years it’s mostly been off. I get some days seracing on the glacier every year, and climb the north ridge of Baker at least every other year, but even though I co-authored the Washington Ice Guide with Alex Krawarik, it’s been a while since I’ve really focused on ice climbing.

This winter I decided to re-dedicate myself to the art of climbing waterfall ice. I was excited to get out there and swing my tools, and I couldn’t wait for it to get cold and to stop raining. But as most of you know, it never got very cold and it never really stopped raining.

It’s been a warm and miserable season in the mountains.

Even my old stalwart, Pan Dome Falls at Mt. Baker Ski Area, a climb that is normally in decent shape, has been in poor condition.

So I decided to change my focus. I knew if I was going to get any climbing in locally this season, I’d have to explore the world of drytooling.

Drytooling is the art of ice climbing without ice. In other words, a climber puts on crampons, grabs ice tools and then scratches his way up steep rock faces that have little to no ice on them at all. It’s a ludicrous activity, but it’s also really fun!

Once I made this decision I needed two things. First, I needed partners; and second, I needed a steep, chossy rock face that no one was particularly interested in climbing in rock shoes.

Both things proved easy to come by. A number of my friends were interested, and we found the perfect crag on Hannegan Road only a few feet from the road. The Shuksan crag is an easily accessible cliff face a few minutes up Hannegan Road off the Mt. Baker Highway. There are two bolted lines on the face. Most of the bolts are bad and many of them are covered in moss. It was a perfect place to “redevelop” for drytooling.

The thing about this particular sport is that it’s not easy.

We set up top ropes on the crag and began to work out moves with ice tools and crampons. Drytooling is similar

DRYTOOLING Shuksan Crag STORY AND PHOTOS

BY JASON D. MARTIN

to both rock climbing and ice climbing, but still different enough that it’s not intuitive. This is compounded by the fact that the routes are steep and incredibly pumpy.

The difficulty of drytooling stems from the need to place the pick of the ice tool and crampon points with extreme precision. It’s not uncommon for the potential tool or crampon placement to be something you would never dream of using in a rock climbing setting. A tiny slot you could barely put a dime into can be an absolutely bomber hold. It’s amazing.

It’s also amazingly hard on forearm muscles. Every move requires that you place a tool, crank up on it and then lock off with a bent arm. While locked off, you scratch around with the other tool to find a placement. In some cases a placement is a simple divot that you place your pick on. In other cases, you slide your pick into a crack and crank back on it, torqueing to keep it in place. Or you might slide the entire shaft of the tool into a crack and hang from it like a kid on monkey bars.

Occasionally a tool placement isn’t good. And when a tool pops, it’s often unexpected. As you’re cranking down on the handle, suddenly the pick slips off its placement and the tool kicks back toward your face. So far the hammer on the backside of the tool hasn’t hit anybody on our trips yet, but we’ve had a few close calls.

By the end of the first day, we were all pumped silly. It became clear that to drytool well, I would have to train.

Slowly I got stronger. Every time I went out to the crag I climbed more effectively, and as I got stronger, it became more fun.

Over the next two months, I returned to the Shuksan crag a number of times. We developed four additional routes in the area: two beginner routes and two intermediate lines. Although many of the routes are still a bit dirty, the crag is slowly cleaning up. It will only be a short time before the bulk of the dirt and the moss has been removed simply by the number of people experimenting with the sport on this friendly crag.

Drytooling is an intense and engaging sport. It’s one of the few types of climbing that haven’t seen dramatic development in Washington state. With the introduction of easily accessible drytooling areas like Shuksan crag, perhaps that will change.

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Shuksan Crag Mini-Guide

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MOUNT BAKER EXPERIENCE | SPRING 2015

To get to the Shuksan crag, drive up the Mt. Baker Highway (SR 542) to Glacier. Drive another 13.3 miles and turn left onto the unpaved Hannegan Pass Road just before crossing the Nooksack River near Milepost 46. If you drive over the river and past the campground, you have gone too far. Once on the Hannegan Pass Road, drive for two minutes to the crag on the left.

Four routes are set up on the main wall, and currently they all need to be top roped. Bolts on this wall should be treated as suspect until they are replaced.

To set up a top rope, scramble around to the right. Be wary of icy, wet or exposed areas when setting up top ropes.

1) The crack – M5+ The left-most climb works its way through a small overhang up to a ledge and then finishes in a corner. To set up the top rope, use the fir tree directly above the route. A “set-up rope” that extends the anchor down over the route will make this an easier line to manage.

2) Tricky start – M6+ This bolted route has a very tricky and pumpy start. The difficulty of the route eases as you get higher. There are OK bolts above this climb. You may wish to obtain a belay in order to get into position to set up the route. Don’t use the ancient angle bolt found above the climb in the moss.

3) Pumporama – M7 This is the hardest bolted line in the area. Climb up the angling crack to the horizontal face. If

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MOUNTBAKEREXPERIENCE.COM

you have any strength left at all, continue up to the top. There are three bolts above this climb that can only be accessed from above by rappelling. The bolts are old, so you should equalize them all together.

4) Katie’s corner – M5 This mossy corner is a fun line that is a bit easier than the others. The movement is much less powerful, but the body positions are less intuitive. The use of a “set-up rope” will make it easier to manage the top rope in this area.

5) Beginner’s route – M4 This route is not on the main Shuksan crag; instead it is back toward Highway 542. Walk to the yellow “stop ahead” sign and then bushwack straight into the woods. You’ll see a short crag. There are two potential lines here that cross one another. If you start on the left, a pumpy move leads to less pumpy moves. If you start on the right, easier climbing leads to thinner climbing.

The easiest line starts right and works up left. The hardest line starts left and works up right. This wall has been cleaned up a lot, but is still a bit muddy. As it sees more mixed traffic, it should clean up more. Walk around to the right to set-up a toprope. A “set-up rope” will make it much easier to access the top of this crag.

Note: A “set-up rope” is usually a short

static line that can be used to facilitate top-roping. To learn more, check out Toproping by Bob Gaines or The AMGA Single Pitch Manual by Bob Gaines and Jason D. Martin.

THE “M” RATING SYSTEM In the late ’90s when drytooling slowly developed into a stand-alone offshoot of ice climbing, drytool routes were graded with the Yosemite Decimal System. Climbers soon found that system inadequate.

The sports are stylistically different enough that the grades didn’t translate well. The result was the development of the “M” rating system for drytooling.

M1-M3: Limited simplistic moves on “dry” rock. Generally low-angle.

M4: Some short sections of vertical climbing with some technical moves. Akin to 5.7 or 5.8 rock climbing or WI 4 ice climbing.

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SUBDUED Enduro

PHOTO\RYAN DUCLOS

BY SPENCER PAXSON

“I

t’s like rally car racing but on a bike,” I said, describing to a friend what I would be doing one Sunday in May at the Enduro of Subdued Excitement (ESE).

“You know,” I continued, “racing against the clock on ‘special stages,’ and then moseying through the woods to the next stage. No internal combustion. You’re only timed on descents, there are bacon stations at the top of the climbs and a beer garden and burritos await you at the finish!”

Mountain biking needs no explanation for many people in the Northwest. The riding community is huge in this region, and events like the Enduro of Subdued Excitement on Chuckanut Mountain in Bellingham are a microcosm of the local riding scene.

The bike scene around these parts is endowed with critical elements: spectacular

physical geography, a climate that allows for year-round riding, a widespread culture of blending the outdoors with everyday life and a large community of singletrack connoisseurs, ranging from industry professionals to devoted amateurs.

The ESE is an example of all of those elements coming together. This particular race is a fundraiser put on by Whatcom Mountain Bike Coalition (WMBC), a non-profit organization working to preserve and enhance non-motorized trail access. Through a combination of stewardship, education, advocacy and effective relationships with land managers, elected officials and educational institutions, the WMBC and its volunteer army have created a world-renowned trail system around Bellingham.

The local trails continue to improve through weekly organized workdays and

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thousands of volunteer hours. Projects include Larrabee State Park, Galbraith Mountain, Lake Whatcom Forest Park, city of Bellingham trails, and other projects on Department of Natural Resources land, such as Blanchard Mountain. All of these trails are located within just a few miles of town.

The 2014 ESE was just the second time such an event had been held in Bellingham. The first was the Chuckanut Enduro held in October 2013 as part of the Cascadia Dirt Cup, a regional series of enduro events showcasing world-class trail systems throughout Oregon and Washington. Both enduros took riders through the brawny terrain of Chuckanut Mountain, an approximately 13-mile network of root-laced trails located high above Samish Bay in Larrabee State Park, just south of town.

Being a mostly local event, the ESE’s pre-race gathering was a who’s-who of the town’s fat tire folk, and the neighborly atmosphere seemed to make the cold, rainy weather more of an amusement than otherwise might be the case. After receiving instructions at 9 a.m., more than 100 participants, ages 13 to 60-something, skill levels beginner to professional, embarked on a 1,800-foot climb up Fragrance Lake Road to the start of Stage 1. Each rider had been assigned a start time for each of the four “special stages,” and would spend the next three to six hours navigating the course.

Conditions were wetter than wet for the ESE, and some sections were borderline treacherous, guaranteeing lots of adrenalized storytelling on the transitions between each stage. As much as we riders in Bellingham appreciate the traction of “hero dirt”

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on drier days, we thrive in the slop. And befitting the local spirit of trail stewardship, a workday had already been scheduled for the following weekend to patch up any mangled sections of track.

After 20 miles of mud-spattered fun, riders trickled back to the après scene in Larrabee State Park, complete with burrito truck and beer garden. Bikes and beer go well together, and Bellingham’s healthy microbrew industry ensures events like this are well supplied with nourishing post-ride elixir.

Once everyone had returned, the organizers held a podium ceremony, listing off the fastest times in each category and handing out raffle prizes, and general revelry ensued.

Later in October 2014, the Chuckanuts played host again to the Cascadia Dirt Cup, drawing a sold-out crowd of more than 250 racers. Since then the trails have quieted down to their standard winter traffic (which is still steady), and plans are in the works for future events.

Meanwhile, the WMBC has been putting into action its plans for extending trail systems, with a particular focus on adding over 17 miles of trail to the Chuckanut network.

Be sure to check out wmbcmtb.org to learn more about its work.

The organized racing scene in Bellingham is still somewhat nascent, but it is bolstered by strong growth in the local riding community. In addition to mountain biking, Bellingham also has growing BMX and cyclocross racing scenes, as well as service learning and riding clubs at local schools.

At the end of the day, there is something for everyone on two wheels, and it’s a great community to be a part of.

View at: https://vimeo.com/100661048

Call Kathy Madsen or Cindy Paur at 206.953.1421 or 206.949.4497 MOUNTBAKEREXPERIENCE.COM

ExpEriEncE the north cascades S k a g i t t o u r S 2 015

tour

Dine

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

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

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Located behind Milano’s Restaurant • www.mtbaker.com 360-599-2008 • 888-466-7392 • 9996 Forest St., Glacier, WA

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Glacier 360-599-1943

Glacier Ski Shop

Walk-in reservations and 1 night stays available!

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

R E N TA L S

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

tune shop

Mention ad #1350 for a special check-in gift!

Binding Mounts • Hotwax • Ski & Board Tunes

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360-599-9883

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Glacier, Wa s h i n G t o n

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Serving great food 7 days a week

9989 Mt Baker HWy

ham’ ra

s

h Great Food h Live Music h Happy Hour speciaLs

Extended Hours!

Fri. & Sat. 9AM-9PM

OPEN DAILY • 9am - 5pm

CHAIR 9

Woodstone Pizza & Bar

Full Menu & Family dining

Happy Hour

Upstairs Game room Free WiFi

Mon-Fri 11am-4pm

Watch NHL, NBA & College games - 6 Big-screen TVs Live MUsic - check

Noww SSeeNrrvovin ing

Fresh Baked Goods BrB&earkfeasatkBufarritoss,t Strictly Organic Coffee & Espresso ASoupllL&uDQunaiccheyh Behind Milano’s Restaurant • Open everyday at 7:30 am Behind Milano’s Restaurant • Open everyday at 7:30 am

for schedule

PriVATe rooM available for parties and events.

CATeriNG for all your party needs.

10459 Mt. Baker Hwy Glacier, WA

360/599-2511 www.Chair9.com

Glacier’s Only Hotel Located next to Chair 9 A great place to rest your head after your mountain adventure!

www.bakerbus.org Cheap daily trips to Mt. Baker.

Don’t go out alone! (

www.bluetlodge.com

360/599-9944

Ask about pet-friendly rooms

WINTER Room RATEs:

99 mid-week $

$

129

weekends

SPRING 2015 | MOUNT BAKER EXPERIENCE

47

The Shortest Distance to Far Away 速

The Shortest Distance to Far Away 速 is closer than you think!

Experience easy going islands, year round. Discover friendly towns, sandy beaches, intimate cafes, art galleries, stunning views, wineries, and impressive state parks. Just 70 miles from the Canadian border, you can drive onto either island,

Just 70 short miles from the border!

the north. Find spring and summer lodging specials on our website. Plan your getaway today!

Free maps, guides, lodging and event info at

WhidbeyCamanoIslands.com 48

MOUNT BAKER EXPERIENCE | SPRING 2015

MOUNTBAKEREXPERIENCE.COM