Out There Monthly - August 2017 by Out There Outdoors

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COntents

Features

STILL CRAZY After 30 Years!

11 | Llama Packing 19 | Wild Times in the Grand Canyon 26 | Two Ways to Love the Kettle Crest 1987

2017

niversary! 30th An

Join us as we celebrate our 30th Anniversary providing great chairs and gear to people all over the world...from the mountains to the seas, and everywhere in between! #MYFIRSTTIME

11 columns

departments

13 | Everyday Cyclist

14 | Gear Room

16 | Out There Kids

15 | Camping

17 | Eatology

18 | Race Report

All Summer

Unlimited Paddleboarding With Purchase of a Season Pass

20 | Lifestyle 21 | Hiking 23 | Running 24 | Climbing

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august 2017 www.outtheremonthly.com Publishers

Shallan & Derrick Knowles Editor-in-chief

Derrick Knowles Managing Editor

Summer Hess Associate editor

Jon Jonckers Special section editor

Amy Silbernagel McCaffree Digital Editor

Siobhan Ebel Copy Editor

Andrew Butler Intern

Alicia Leggett Contributing Writers:

S. Michal Bennett Katie Botkin Kelly Chadwick Hank Greer Summer Hess Jon Jonckers Derrick Knowles Katie LeBlanc Janelle McCabe Amy Silbernagel McCaffree Kyle Merritt Harley McAllister Ammi Midstokke Brad Northrup Skye Schillhammer Holly Weiler Contributing photographers:

Leah Bendlin Shallan Knowles Mark Petrie Aaron Theisen Art + Production

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Mailing Address: PO Box #5 Spokane, WA 99210 www.outtheremonthly.com, 509 / 822 / 0123 FIND US ON FACEBOOK Out There Monthly is published once a month by Out There Monthly, LLC. No part of this publication may be reproduced without written consent of the publisher. ©Copyright 2017 Out There Monthly, LLC. The views expressed in this magazine reflect those of the writers and advertisers and not necessarily Out There Monthly, LLC. Disclaimer: Many of the activities depicted in this magazine carry a significant risk of personal injury or death. Rock climbing, river rafting, snow sports, kayaking, cycling, canoeing and backcountry activities are inherently dangerous. The owners and contributors to Out There Monthly do not recommend that anyone participate in these activities unless they are experts or seek qualified professional instruction and/or guidance, and are knowledgeable about the risks, and are personally willing to assume all responsibility associated with those risks.

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On The Cover: A hiker crosses a log bridge over Blodgett Creek in the Bitterroot Mountains of western Montana.

Photo: Aaron Theisen

Intro: Where the Blacktop Ends One extra-long Labor Day weekend, my

brother Scott and I unexpectedly drove nearly 1,000 miles in three days, hiking, camping, and wandering at will across a vast swath of public lands in northcentral Idaho. Our goal was pretty simple. See as much of this wild, remote country as possible in 70 or so hours. Leaving Spokane, we passed through Lewiston, then east up Highway 12. From there we left the blacktop behind. The next 400 miles we covered were on unpaved backroads deep in the Bitterroot Mountains. We camped along the Clearwater River; backpacked into alpine lakes; traversed a large chunk of the famed Magruder Corridor (a primitive, rough road that is the only thing that separates two of the largest wilderness areas in the Lower 48, the Frank Church and Selway Bitterroot); hung out along

the upper reaches of the Selway River; drove past giant ponderosa pines, ancient cedars, and mile after mile of untouched forest; and spent a final night camped near the Lochsa River before hiking in for a hot springs soak on our drive home. Along the way, we visited countless cool, out-of-the-way viewpoints; historical sites; tiny mountain towns; and remote, side-of-the-road campsites, swimming holes, and trailheads. By the end of it all, we were road weary yet buzzing with the potential for future adventures into this vast wonderland of wilderness. The real joy of this trip was that all of this backroad driving and backcountry hiking and camping was completed at virtually no cost, beyond fuel and minimal provisions, since we traveled across public lands owned by all

Americans. There are few places in the world beyond the public-land-rich American West where you can hike, bike, float, drive, hunt, fish, and camp on hundreds of millions of acres of forest, mountains, and desert without being harassed by land owners, threatened by thieves, or charged excessive fees for the “privilege.” In the recent past, the likelihood of a political attack on our American system of public lands was a distant, unlikely threat. But that may no longer be the case. Conservationists, recreationists, hunters and anglers, and other public lands advocates from across the political spectrum are increasingly sounding the alarm for all of us who value access to the trails, rivers, lakes, campgrounds, and backcountry to pay attention so that all

public lands stay in public hands. Read Harley McAllister’s article on page 30 for a longer take on this issue, then find a politically active conservation or outdoor recreation organization that fits with your interests and values to help stay informed and ready to write or call elected officials the next time any piece of anti-public lands legislation comes up for a vote. It’s up to all of us to ensure that the American system of public lands and the outdoor opportunities they provide will still be here for future generations that will need access to the Great Outdoors more than ever. Derrick Knowles, Editor

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Conservationists Work to Protect Whitebark Pine on Kettle Crest In 2015, the Colville National Forest (CNF) signed the Whitebark Pine Enhancement Project decision that uses vegetation management, prescribed burning, and other methods to help improve growing conditions for whitebark pine on the Colville National Forest. Beginning in July 2017, the CNF has partnered with the Kettle Range Conservation Group (KRCG) to help implement the project. Whitebark pine is an ecologically important tree species that inhabits the harshest subalpine locations and acts to prevent soil erosion, retain snowpack, and provide highly nutritious seeds to birds and bears. Unfortunately, whitebark pine is declining across its range from a combination of invasive blister rust, pine beetle infestation, and competition from shade tolerant conifers. These factors have impacted whitebark

WTA Welcomes a New Executive Director

Earlier this year, the Washington Trails

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pine on the Colville National Forest where blister rust infects nearly half of the trees, and pine beetle infestations have become the primary agent for declines in larger trees. The KRCG, with the help of volunteers and contractors, has begun thinning around whitebark pines on Copper Butte in the Kettle River Range. Most whitebark pines in this area have been affected by increased competition from younger subalpine fir, and by cutting or girdling these younger trees, the whitebark pine will have increased growth and resiliency to pine beetles and other disturbances. To volunteer for this project or for more information contact Tim Coleman, Executive Director of the Kettle Range Conservation Group, at 509-775-2667. (Jon Jonckers)

Association (WTA), the state’s hiking trail advocacy and maintenance organization, hired Jill Simmons to be the new Executive Director. “First and foremost, hiking is my happiness; it’s what I love to do most. I actually found out about the WTA job by looking for a hike on the website, and within an hour I had applied,” says Simmons, who has hiked on five continents and completed the Wonderland Trail in four days. WTA is a nonprofit group with 35 year-round employees, more than 15,000 member households, and an annual budget of about $4 million. The WTA website recently marked a milestone of 105,000 trip reports on trail conditions around Washington, including over 470 trip reports in the Spokane and Coeur d’Alene area.

In addition to providing one of the most-used online guides to Washington’s trails, WTA encourages urban youth and their mentors to get outdoors through its Outdoor Leadership Training and gearlending program. It also coordinates trail-building and maintenance efforts that involved 4,700 volunteers working 150,000 hours on 240 trails on public lands across the state in 2016. On the WTA website, Simmons says, “I believe that WTA has a leading role to play in shaping the future of Washington through its work to protect trails and connect the growing number of Washingtonians to the outdoors. WTA’s bold strategic plan coupled with the enthusiasm and commitment of the entire WTA community sets the organization on a strong course for its next 50 years.” (Jon Jonckers)

The Harvey Manning Peak Challenge Over the July 4 weekend, ultra runners Ras Vaughan and Seth Wolpin became the first people to complete the Harvey Manning Peak Challenge, a route linking 18 peaks in the Issaquah Alps on the west side of the Cascades. The challenge involves covering approximately 100 miles with around 40,000 feet of elevation gain. The course was designed by George Orozco, a fixture in the Seattle running community. The Issaquah Alps is an unofficial name for the highlands near Issaquah, Wash., including Cougar Mountain, Squak Mountain, Tiger Mountain, Taylor Mountain, Rattlesnake Ridge, Rattlesnake Mountain, and Grand Ridge. The term was invented in 1977 by

noted nature author Harvey Manning within the pages of his guidebook “Footsore 1,” elevating their status from foothills to “Alps” to advocate preservation. Many of the peaks on the route have faint trails to their summits. Others have no trail at all. Reaching many of the summits, Orozco says, “requires the person to do a little homework and study maps.” To date, only two other people have attempted the route. Even Orozco has never given it a go. “I am not that crazy!” he says. “I have tagged most of the peaks in the challenge. Just not in one go.” Ras Vaughan and Seth Wolpin completed the challenge in 78 hours, 36 minutes. (Jon Jonckers)

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Spokane’s Bryanna Petrie Wins the Missoula Marathon Apparently, the fifth time is a charm for local runner and coach Bryanna Petrie. She has consistently

focused on winning the Missoula Marathon, and, in 2017, she eventually succeeded. “I have raced the Missoula nine times now, five times in the full and four times in the half marathon. I even ran it pregnant twice. It’s like Christmas in July for me, and it has become a family tradition,” says Petrie. The Missoula Marathon is one of the region’s best marathon events. In 2010, the Missoula Marathon won the Best Marathon in United States award by “Runner’s World Magazine.” In 2011, the Missoula Marathon was named the Best Tourism Event by the state of Montana. It features a fantastic course along the Clark Fork River, and the local community has really embraced the event. “The course crosses two different rivers. You get breathtaking views at the top of the only climb, and it’s shaded for the most part once you get into town and run through neighborhoods near the University of Montana,” she says. “Then you finish on the Higgins Street Bridge over the Clark Fork. There’s even fireworks at the start and the volunteers and spectators are all awesome.” Petrie has her Master’s in Human Nutrition (Certified Nutritionist), is a certified marathon coach, mother of two youngsters, and she coaches cross country at Mount Spokane High School. “I broke away from the top females at mile three because I felt the pace was too slow. I was a good 100 or 200 yards ahead of them around mile 10 according to my husband. I honestly don’t know at what point I told myself I got this. I didn’t know how far back the other females were, but it was getting harder for me to push. Finally, at mile 16, I started to feel confident,” she admits. This was her 12th marathon overall, and she definitely plans to return to Missoula next year. (Jon Jonckers)

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New App Aids in Exploration of Northeast Washington

If you like to hike, bike, camp, fish, float, boat or hunt the uncrowded trails, forests, lakes and rivers of the three Northeast Washington counties, the brand-new Northeast Washington Insider app is a wayfinding tool that provides a map of the region with details about different destinations, attractions, and local businesses. The app also rewards users the more sites they check out. The Tri County Economic Development District launched the free app that encourages users to visit new places by offering points that can be redeemed for goods or services at local businesses. The app’s Explore button takes users to a map of the tri-county area which has pins indicating destinations around the region. Clicking on each pin on the map gives more information about that

place. Locations are assigned a point value which can be collected when one is within GPS range of a location. Pushing the “Collect Points” button while physically visiting a location will add the location’s points to a user’s point total. Most point collection locations are worth 10 points. Points accumulated with Northeast Washington Insider can be redeemed for goods or services at locations listed in the app. For instance, redeeming 100 points (collected by simply visiting 10 places), users of the app can earn a 15 percent discount off their purchase at the ChewVino wine bar in Chewelah, Wash. Northeast Washington Insider is available now as a free download on the iTunes App Store and Google Play. (OTM)

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More than just an event… it’s a Lifetime Experience!

HikeOfTheMonth Sherlock Peak, Colville National forest // By Holly Weiler Jeff Lambert, top of the world. // Photo: Holly Weiler

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With expansive views of the Selkirks and a

wildflower-lined trail, northeast Washington’s Sherlock Peak is an ideal August hike. While Abercrombie, its taller neighbor, receives all of the attention, Sherlock Peak is an equally gorgeous destination. For explorers with a little extra time, test this opinion by taking advantage of the nearby campground at Silver Creek and exploring both Sherlock and the more prominent Abercrombie (see Hike of the Month, October 2014, for a description of the long route for this hike). But if you only have time to explore one, try Sherlock for the trail less traveled. Hikers will pass the remains of the Keystone Mine in the early portion of the hike, and there are additional old mines nearby. The early miles of the hike are on an abandoned roadbed, which eventually narrows to nice singletrack switchbacking up the southwest flank of the mountain. At 3.4 miles each direction, the trail stops short of Sherlock’s summit at 6,365 feet. However, peak baggers can easily make it to the top by ascending the open slopes. Groups should consider fanning out to avoid beating a path through the fragile mead-

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ows. From the top, Abercrombie and Hooknose are the prominent peaks to the northeast. On a clear day, the views southeast extend to the Pend Oreille River. Adventurous hikers can take the unmaintained route leading to Gunsight Pass and South Fork Silver Creek Trail. Or, they can stick to the Sherlock Peak trail proper, which boasts rocky outcroppings with spectacular views, even without gaining the true summit. Time a visit right, and hikers may even be rewarded with ripe huckleberries along the trail. Distance: 6.8 miles round-trip. Getting There: Take Highway 395 north to Colville, then Highway 20 east to Aladdin Road. Continue 25.5 miles, then turn right on Deep Lake/Boundary Road. Continue 7.3 miles, passing Deep Lake, then turn right on Silver Creek Road, which becomes Forest Service road 4720. Take a slight right and follow the signs to road 75, which ends at the Sherlock Peak trailhead. No pass/permit required. //

give back to our hiking trails

August 5 is Washington Trails Day! Celebrate by joining the Washington Trails Association (WTA) for volunteer trail work at Mount Spokane State Park. Visit wta.org/volunteer to sign up.

OutThereMonthly.com / August 2017

Backcountry Hiking is Better with a Four-Legged Friend

By Katie LeBlanc Top: Family llama trek at swan divide. // This photo: Multi day trek. Photos: Katie LeBlanc

Four-legged friends are the best hiking bud-

dies—particularly when they carry the wine, hum sweet-nothings in your ear, and provide protection while trekking in the Wild West. Llamas tell an ancient story through their legacy careers as backcountry packers, granting humans assistance with economic livelihood and recreational pursuits. They are also intriguing with their comical appearance, quirky personalities, and superhero abilities to survive in some of the world’s most rugged terrain. This camelid species has my attention as an entertaining hiking companion, and it possesses the unexpected qualities of a great backcountry partner. An Andes mountain native and a relative to the camel, llamas are born with ample genetics to easily get them through days of hiking in the Rocky Mountains. As low-maintenance as they are sure-footed, steep and rocky terrain is no match for these “camels of the clouds.” They began their packing-for-humans career about 5,000 years ago and were bred to carry the weight of early goods over the high mountain passes of South America. Some of the earliest llama packers helped to connect communities of people through commerce and trade. In modern days, they continue packing for people who simply want to connect with pristine backcountry places.

I’ve always considered my dog as the best hiking companion (sorry husband) but pondered alternatives when introduced to llamas. Apparently, llama trekking is a known practice that I’d never considered before taking a trip with Swan Mountain Llama Trekking. When first hired by an outfitter to promote Montana horseback riding and fishing, I chuckled when the llama brochure appeared. I wondered: do you ride the llama? Do they spit on people? And, how could a hike possibly be fun with a pack animal? The first thing I discovered is that guides assist a lot when hiking with a llama trekking outfit. Getting ready for an overnight trip requires efficiency. They place gear into specialty packs, taking care to evenly distribute weight, and eventually attach packs to the backs of the lovely assistants. And there’s more good news: hiking with wine and fishing gear just got easy with this backcountry assist. Llamas can carry about 20% of their body weight, packing loads of 60 to 80 pounds for multiday trips. That’s a lot of wine. When finally packed, hikers take a lead rope while the llama follows alongside, traveling at about a 2 mile-an-hour pace. They occasionally jump on and off the trail, which can be alarming at first, but their unearthly heightened awareness keeps the animal from running over people. Though the trek is

an ultra-light experience for the hiker, it is not a desired pace for an ultra-light trail runner. There’s definitely a time and place for this unique venture. Llama treks bring out smiles on family trips and groups that don’t want to carry backpacking weight yet seek the experience to get away from it all. And no, llamas don’t spit on people, though they might occasionally spit at other llamas when provoked. At times llamas behave strangely, as if they’re aliens living on earth. They occasionally let out a throaty hum to communicate, and other animal species quickly shy away from the creature when encountered on the trail. Horses don’t appreciate the llama’s extraterrestrial appearance, and wildlife such as bear and coyote will keep their distance. Llamas are extremely alert, responding to new intruders by approaching with curiosity and intent; it’s why they are used on farms to protect agricultural herds from potential predators. This behavior is reassuring when recreating in Montana’s bear country. In fact, guides will tie-up llamas around trail-food storage to protect snacks from hungry critters of the night. Llamas also embody amazing attributes; their camel genetics make the species incredibly lowmaintenance for backcountry travel. They graze on leaves and twigs while hiking and rarely need to stop to eat. Additionally, llamas are excellent for both hiking and backcountry hunting, as they can go without drinking water for up to three days. These packer friends can be tied safely to a tree and left alone for a couple of days before the hunter returns to retrieve the llamas, who then assist with packing out harvested game. No, I could never replace my best canine hiking buddy of 10 years; dogs are much more affectionate than llamas. However, the llama herbivore is onewith nature and won’t compete with your treasured piece of cheese; their prehensile lips are too busy grasping every stick in sight. And perhaps their agile lips can be trained to hold-up a bag of wine for a thirsty camper. Oh, the trail dreams that surface when spending days in the woods telecommunicating with a pack animal. Maybe backcountry travel is better with a llama! For more information on backcountry llama trekking in Montana, check out Llamatreksmontana.com. //

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Everyday Cyclist Volunteer Magic // By Hank Greer

Love an event? Sign up to volunteer! // Photo: Hank Greer

Spokane has no shortage of cycling events. It’s great to have diverse options, but with so many to choose from, how can Spokane support them all? Well, it requires more than attendance. What goes on behind the scenes to make that road race, mountain bike race, cyclocross race, organized ride, not-quite-so-organized ride, or community event happen is the contribution of volunteers. Bill Bender, Spokefest president, has an allvolunteer board with individual responsibilities who also recruit about 250 volunteers for helping with registration, staffing checkpoints on the day of the event, obtaining permits, obtaining and paying for traffic control by the Spokane Police Department, renting porta-potties, renting street barricades, obtaining a sound system for the start, arranging for volunteer medical support, arranging for and running food stops, obtaining volunteer mechanical support from bike shops, sweeping and marking the course, and getting sponsorship dollars and prizes. Whew! Wendy Zupan of Round and Round Productions puts on the 24-Hour Mountain Bike Race in Riverside State Park. For that race she’s had to take a different approach. All of the participating teams are required to provide a volunteer, who may or may not be a member of the team itself, to help set up and put away tables and chairs, stuff swag bags, handle late registration, staff the start/finish to track racers coming in and going out, and staffing checkpoints to keep track of racers on the course. Volunteering is a great way to give back to the community. I know a gentleman, Kevin Miller, who does a double shift at Summer Parkways and works all day during Spokefest. Kevin describes himself as “An old hippie who hopes that by volunteering I can help other people enjoy a bike ride. And,” he adds, “maybe they will continue to ride and start commuting and park their car a few times a week. Oh, and to make the world a better place to live.” Spokane could use more people like Kevin. You may have seen him. He sports a big bushy moustache and wears bright striped knee-high cycling socks. He says “Hi” to everyone passing by. Say “Hi” to Kevin as well as all the other volunteers and thank them for being out there. Another reason to volunteer can be to scope out an event. Maybe it’s a race or a type of racing you’re

not that familiar with but you’re thinking about getting into. Volunteering gives you a close-up view and puts you in contact with people who know the sport and can help you get started. Have you heard people talk about cyclocross or mountain bike racing, but you’re not sure it’s for you? Help set up and break down a course and watch what happens in between. You may have found your calling. The same thing applies to road racing and criteriums. Volunteering is a great way to have fun and make it fun for the participants. Do you play an instru-

Another reason to volunteer can be to scope out an event. Maybe it’s a race or a type of racing you’re not that familiar with but you’re thinking about getting into. ment? Well, now you have a captive audience, and they will thinks it’s wild that you’re playing for them. Exaggerated traffic control antics, cheering, or just waving hello while rockin’ some wild socks puts smiles on everyone’s faces. It makes the hot days more tolerable, the long days less tiring, and most importantly, makes it more fun for everybody. Volunteering is also a great way of getting your children involved in the community and the sport of cycling. The first time I brought my kids out to work at Summer Parkways, their attitude was along the lines of “Do we have to?” When they were done, it changed to, “Hey, that was fun.” Bringing your kids out to different cycling events exposes them to different facets of cycling, which may pique their interest. What’s key here is that the multitude of cyclingrelated events in our area happen because enough people give of themselves to make them happen for us. And if we all took turns, we’d have a better sense of appreciation to go with all the fun we had. // Hank Greer is back at the helm of OTM’s Everyday Cyclist column. He wrote about adventure commuting in May. AUGUST 2017 / OutThereMonthly.com

GearRoom backcountry gear Backpacker Medical Kit

organized, and labeled under four categories: wound/burn/blister; cuts and scrapes; instruments; and medication. I chose cuts and scrapes, unzipped the pouch, and handed my bloodied hiking buddy an antiseptic wipe and adhesive bandage within seconds without unnecessary rummaging. A couple minutes later and we were headed back down the trail all bandaged up. Adventure Medical Kits has several options of first aid kits to choose from depending on the type of trip and number of people in your group. MSRP: $15-39. Adventuremedicalkits.com. (Derrick Knowles)

Tailgater Tire Table

that is especially in demand at primitive, dispersed camp sites. When not in use, the Tailgater folds up flat and compact for easy transport, weighing in at 13 pounds. Made of sturdy steel tubing, the table has an expanded metal tabletop that is great for cooking or keeping other camp goods off of the ground. The Tailgater uses square metal tubing with adjustable wing nuts to clamp onto any size tire, with one leg in the front for support. It is easy to level and very sturdy. I used it to support our cook stove and a full five gallon water jug. Setup takes only a minute and is great for when you need just a little more space to keep things off the ground and out of the mud and dirt. (Kyle Merritt)

This compact and relatively-light little first aid kit from Adventure Medical Kits is just right for a small group of backpackers, day hikers, or car campers. Thanks to a hiking companion’s tangle with a Doug fir tree that left his hand dripping blood on the trail, I got the chance to break out my Mountain Series Backpacker medical kit for a little trail-side first aid this summer. The first thing I noticed when I unzipped the water-resistant case, after being thankful I had more to offer than my standard plastic bag of ancient Band-Aids, was that each section of the kit was immediately visible,

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To celebrate our country’s independence, my wife and I took a four-day back-road trip across Northeast Washington and North Idaho. We left the 2-year-old at home with the grandparents and crammed the dog and all our camping gear and bikes into and on top of the Toyota truck, using every spare inch of cargo room. We were lucky to have just enough spare room for a cool new product that was perfect for the type of backcountry car-camping adventure we were headed out on. The Tailgater Tire Table, which attaches to one of your vehicle’s tires, is a 29 inch by 23 inch table that provides extra space DEET-Free Bug Repellent

I picked up a bottle of Bug Protector all-natural bug repellent at the Outdoor Retailer show in Salt Lake City last summer, but didn’t have a chance to really give it a thorough testing until a recent 2-day, 26-mile hike through the well-watered, mosquito-infested high country along central Idaho’s Mallard Larkin loop. With mosquitos, black flies, and horse flies in full force, and the heat making biteproof layering out of the question, I kept my bottle of Bug Protector in my pocket at all times for easy re-application after my profuse sweating eventually Summer Bot Bike Water Bottle Cooler

The makers of Bar Mitts neoprene handlebar mitts that keep your hands amazingly warm in cold, windy conditions while biking or pushing a stroller have come up with another cool product. This time it’s a neoprene case for the water bottle on your bike. Just unzip the Summer Bot, which you attach to your bike water bottle mounting system, and enjoy the beverage of your choice at a much cooler temperature than if it was left all alone to soak up the heat from the blazing summer sun. The Summer 14

OutThereMonthly.com / August 2017

would dilute the magical bug force field that this stuff somehow delivers without the potential ill-effects of DEET-based products. I certainly don’t mind smelling like a hippie, but I did appreciate the scaled-back scent that Bug Protector leaves behind; being consumed by bugs in the backcountry sucks, but smelling, breathing, and tasting overwhelming natural bug spray 24-7 is an annoying distraction. Bug Protector was a breath of fresh air in that regard compared to other natural products. Bugprotector.com. (Derrick Knowles) Bot, which fits bottles up to 20 oz., comes ready to mount with a built in water bottle holder, hardware, and bolts sticking out of the neoprene. Planning a bike trip on the Idaho Hot Springs Loop, the Continental Divide Route, a closerto-home bike packing trip, or even a ride to your neighborhood pub? Pick one of these light, insulating bottle enclosures up and rejoice with refreshing cold water for several hours when the days on the trail or road get hot. MSRP: $29.95. Barmitts. com. (Derrick Knowles)

Camping camping & hiking alone

Finding Safety and Solitude in the Backcountry // By Holly Weiler

You never know who might hop in for a visit when you’re camping alone. // Photo: Holly Weiler

It was too late for me to change my mind when the car pulled up. There were three people and a barking dog, and nothing specific to make me fear them except their questions seemed so odd. I was solo car camping at a dispersed roadside campsite, chosen out of desperation when my planned destination was inaccessible due to lingering snow. I had already broken that cardinal rule of sticking to the plan after telling loved ones at home where I would to be for the night. I was miles away from where I should have been, well out of cell coverage, and I had just finished staking my tent and unfurling my sleeping bag. Suddenly these three strangers pulled in alongside my car, asking about a campground that I knew to be an entire river drainage to the north, at least 30 miles distant. Were they really lost, or were they trying to figure out if I was alone? As they drove away, I seriously considered taking the tent down again and moving to a different location. Then it started to rain, so I settled for grabbing my bear spray from the car and ducking inside the tent. The lost ones must have been harmless, as it turned out, for the rest of the night proved uneventful even as my sleep was fitful. The sound of the rain on my tent, normally something that would lull me into a deep sleep, instead made me imagine I could hear an approaching vehicle for the rest of the night. This experience was an unusual one for me. Wilderness holds many dangers that require a visitor’s respect, but when I feel properly prepared I also feel quite safe. For one thing, it is much easier to mitigate for wild dangers. Once, when on a 50-mile solo trek through the Wenaha-Tucannon Wilderness, I had my heart set on a specific campsite along the Wenaha River. I had hiked nearly 20 miles that day, down a rough, brushy drainage that at one point had me walking in the streambed as the easiest route through heavy downfall. I was exhausted. I stepped into the planned campsite and promptly scared two yearling black bear cubs out of it. The trash in the fire-ring illustrated the main reason

why I can’t trust my fellow backpackers to the extent I’d like, but the true (human) culprits were long gone and posed no additional danger to me. The bear cubs were somewhere nearby, and there was no telling what their mother was up to. The proximity of the little wild rascals left me no choice but to push on to a cleaner camp farther up the river. Once there, I didn’t give the bears another thought aside from my usual care to hang my food high in a tree and well away from my tent. My most serious and dangerous experience while traveling and camping solo in the backcountry occurred on my very first backpack alone. I went into the Eagle Cap Wilderness with a friend who could only stay for the weekend, and I continued for another two nights solo after he left. There wasn’t any evil outside force I had to contend with on the trip. I merely became very sick from the altitude after pushing myself to hike too many miles too quickly. I had gained too much elevation by tagging both Eagle Cap and two high mountain passes in the same day. If I had it all to do over again, I would

Were they really lost, or were they trying to figure out if I was alone? push myself to drink more water to stay better hydrated, and maybe I’d forgo that extra mountain pass. It’s never fun to be sick, whether at home or in the backcountry, but the rest of the experience was well worth it. I thought I had to be more cautious of other people, but my lesson on that trip was to be more cautious with how I treated myself. When camping and hiking alone in the backcountry, I see things I would never see with a group. Sometimes this can be as spectacular as having a herd of bighorn sheep cozy up to me on trail, and other times it is as simple as having a snowshoe hare hop into my very quiet campsite. Backpacking with friends is a wonderful experience, but it’s so different from exploring by yourself. For those who haven’t tried it yet, become as prepared as possible, then venture out to see what you can experience when left alone with your own thoughts and the vast, wild outdoors. //

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Kids++++++

++++++

Lessons learned camping with friends and their kids // amy s. mccaffree

One big happy camping family. // Photo: Amy S. McCaffree

What happens when four families—including

eight adults and 10 children ages 1-11—go camping together over Memorial Day weekend? Fun, adventure, and lessons learned. Here are fundamental ideas that helped our trip succeed.

1. Plan a trip with like-minded families. My three girlfriends and I are all like-minded women—out-

doorsy, non-makeup wearing women in the 38-42 age range; our children attend the same school; and we live within a half-mile radius of each other. Our children and husbands mesh well too. 2. Choose a kid-friendly campground and reserve campsites next to each other. Kid-friendly means lots of activities that children can easily walk to: a lake with a dock and small beach, hiking

trails, meadow, etc. Reserve sites next to each other or across the road so it’s easy for kids to gather and play. 3. Keep expectations simple and plans easy. Every family was arriving to the campground at different times or days. We decided that Saturday would be the day to stay around our campground to swim, kayak, fish and hike. 4. Establish rules and boundaries for the children. Our group rules were: 1. No child can go to the lake without an adult; 2. You must wear a PFD whenever you’re on the dock, in the water, or in a kayak; 3. You cannot enter another family’s trailer or tent; 4. Tell an adult when you’re going somewhere else, whether it’s to another campsite or bathroom. 5. Be a village safety-net. Everyone kept their eyes on each other’s children and practiced freshair parenting—allowing kids to be independent (toddler excluded) and free to explore while hovering as needed to ensure safety and well-being, whether it was around the campfire, in the hammock, at the dock, or in a kayak. 6. Treat all the kids as if they were your own, and understand that no one’s children or marriage is perfect. Help each other as much as you can with child supervision and attending to needs (e.g., BandAids, applying sunscreen). Also, don’t take parenting so seriously that you can’t laugh at yourself. Give yourself a break: everyone’s child sometimes (or often) doesn’t listen to his/her parents, and all couples have their flashpoints and pet peeves with each other. 7. Plan only one shared meal as a group. For Saturday night we had a BYO food for campfire

DO WHAT MAKES YOU HAPPY!

cooking (e.g., hot dogs) and side-dish potluck. For S’mores, each family contributed ingredients to the community table. 8. Bring supplies that can be shared. Hammock, water squirters, swim floaties, sand toys, glo-sticks, art supplies, stuffed animals, books, scooters, kayaks. 9. Decide which gear items are non-negotiable, and don’t over pack. With a toddler along, my friend Erin regretted not bringing their stroller. “I never got to sit down,” she says. For my family, our PFDs, Frisbee and art supplies are never left behind. 10. Plan easy, off-site excursions. At Heyburn State Park, this meant a quick scooter ride for the kids while parents walked along the Trail of the Coeur d’Alenes, followed by picnic lunch and swimming at the beach. 11. Be flexible, creative, and intentional about meaningful conversations and activities. Kids bonded over fascinating, yet simple experiences such as poking a dead catfish with a stick or spotting a muskrat. Around the campfire, we asked questions: Who can tell us a good joke? What is your favorite camping memory? 12. On check-out day, everyone keeps to their own schedule. Parents are busy packing-up and loading vehicles after breakfast. Our only official activity was to take group photos, because by then it felt like camping with a big extended family. // Amy S. McCaffree is the new Special Section Editor for Out There Monthly. You can follow her on Facebook @AmyOutdoorsSpokane.

SPOKANE

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OutThereMonthly.com / August 2017

Eatology Minor Wars with Major Players // By Ammi Midstokke

varieties of coconut oil line the shelves of a local natural foods store. // Photo: Derrick Knowles

The American Heart Association (AHA) just released an incredible heart breaker for most of us: coconut oil will not save our waistlines, marriages, or hearts. In fact, they noted this logic:

Eating + coconut oil = LDL cholesterol LDL cholesterol = Cause of heart disease My boyfriend read that article and showed up in the bedroom with a gallon jar of coconut oil. “Guess we can’t use this in the kitchen anymore.” Sorry folks—the AHA says you wasted your hard-earned dollars on a panacea and a false prophet. But don’t be totally discouraged—they have listed Cocoa Puffs and margarine as heart healthy. Before you take back the five-gallon bucket of coconut oil you got at Costco, let’s review their findings and compare it to a few other studies. Most of us aren’t familiar with the language of cholesterol, but here’s a quick primer: LDL stands for low density lipoprotein, and this is the stuff that likes to stick inside your artery walls. HDL, or high density lipoprotein, helps reduce LDL in your blood. Another important word is triglycerides, or the fats floating around in your blood stream from sugar, alcohol, and Twinkies. We don’t like these to be high since they correlate to inflammation, which is the true culprit in heart disease. In determining risk for heart disease, all of these components are important, but others cannot be ignored: What are the lifestyle and dietary habits of the patient? Is there a family history of heart disease and was Gramps living on scotch, grits, and Crisco? In my opinion, the scope of the AHA release was too limited, and they left out a few hundred studies that question the assumption of elevated LDL being a cause of heart disease. Also, I found dozens of studies that show that coconut oil consumption elevated HDL numbers and reduced inflammatory markers in both humans and rats. But what struck me as most interesting about this particular revelation regarding coconut oil was this: How many super unhealthy people do I know who brag about how they now only use coconut oil? Approximately zero. Take a catalogue of your peers: Who is using coconut oil? Is it your beer swilling, Dorito chomping crowd? Or your pretentious hippie friends who shop at the farmer’s market? Is it those already at higher risk for heart disease? Probably not. But I could not find any peer-reviewed medical studies titled “Correlation of Portland Hipster Extra Virgin Coconut Oil Consumption to Organic Produce

Purchasing Habits.” I did, however, find a study of 116 adult males and females with coronary artery disease (CAD) who were treated with coconut oil and they found that HDL levels improved. You know what else they found? They lost waist circumference, their inflammatory markers improved, their BMI reduced, and their diabetic markers improved. Also, their food tasted amazing. With increasing frequency, we are finding that medical research supports a much different and broader conclusion as to heart disease and many other diseases: inflammation is the common denominator. What causes inflammation? Eating bad food, running too much, fighting with your spouse, lack of sleep, alcohol, sugar, and Cocoa Puffs. When our bodies are inflamed, they start producing more LDL to coat the insides of the arteries. When we start combining these metrics, we can come to more realistic conclusions about ourselves and our risk: LDL cholesterol Taco Tuesday My wife is still mad I forgot her birthday Cinnabon binge Increased risk for heart disease Notice coconut oil is not mentioned in there. I had a young man of 40 in my office recently, panicking because his total cholesterol was elevated, his triglycerides revealed a cocktail habit, and he hadn’t experienced morning wood since his doctor told him he was genetically disadvantaged and prescribed statins. Statins are powerful and useful, in particular with patients who don’t want to change their habits but also don’t want to die. We checked his blood sugar markers (high) and his inflammatory markers (normal) and decided it was safe to approach with some dietary changes. In fact, most of his calories came from dietary fats, proteins, and some nutrient dense carbs (and a limited number of cocktails). We addressed inflammation and cholesterol as a symptom of that. If you haven’t guessed already, his cholesterol numbers returned to normal and he fell completely out of the pre-diabetic range. Probably the most motivating of all was the return of morning wood. And guess what? He keeps his coconut oil in the kitchen. So should you. // Ammi Midstokke wrote about “foodphobia” in July. AUGUST 2017 / OutThereMonthly.com

RaceReport Spokane marathon relay teams handing off the baton. // Photo courtesy of Spokane marathon

Alpine Lakes Wilderness and pass through rolling farmland and forest trails along the banks of Icicle Creek and the Wenatchee River. And Oktoberfest in Leavenworth is a great, festive experience.” There is also a full marathon option, which has a 10-mile downhill start before joining the half marathon course. Teddriven.com/leavenworth-marathon. (Janelle McCabe) Spokane Marathon Relay (October 8)

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OutThereMonthly.com / August 2017

Leavenworth Half Marathon (September 30)

Every weekend in October, thousands of people dig out their dirndls and lederhosen and funny hats and head to Leavenworth, Wash., for Oktoberfest. On the first weekend of the festival, the Leavenworth Marathon and Half Marathon take place, putting a minor damper on Friday night’s revelry but guaranteeing an I-earned-this good time after the race on Saturday. The half marathon begins and ends at the fish hatchery south of town. Distance runners can tend toward seriousness when it comes to their races, but this crowd is decidedly here for the party. Many participants run in the same costumes they wore in the beer halls the night before, and a few others are visibly feeling the effects of last night’s barley and hops. Most runners, though, just adopt a lighthearted approach to the race. After 3.5 miles on a pretty country road, the course takes runners across the Wenatchee River and onto the trails of Waterfront Park. During the 2-mile trail stretch, which runs alongside the river and through groves of deciduous trees, the wind just might stir enough to shower you with gorgeous orange and yellow leaves through the mottled sunshine and blue skies beyond. The trail is soft and wide. It deposits runners on the other end of town, and the next segment is on residential streets. The two out-and-backs in this segment occur right about the time you’re ready to be done, but it’s heartening to get a different view of your fellow runners and cheer each other on. The final segment again goes off-road. The course teases runners by taking them near enough to the finish line to hear the cheering spectators, and then right back out into the trees for another 2 miles. In the last few meters in the trees, the trail winds around and narrows to singletrack, forcing a single-file line until it opens to a field and the finish line. “We offer a unique experience in terms of being a stunningly beautiful course,” says race organizer Ian Crossland. “Runners begin near the

The Spokane Marathon organizers (the Bloomsday Road Runners Club) seem to have a sixth sense when it comes to scheduling this event. Without exception in the past several years, race morning has brought perfect running conditions: cool and sunny. At this point in the running season, many people are winding down their race schedule and are ready for less serious activities, which makes the relay option of the Spokane Marathon a great way to keep moving, but for a shorter distance. Teams of four runners compete in three divisions (women, men, and mixed), but the communal tailgating experience makes friends of many teams by the end of the race. Several teams wear matching shirts, hats, or costumes, and when the fourth runner crosses the finish line, everyone is so excited for post-race carb-loading on Papa Murphy’s pizza that they might forget to check how their team placed (which is probably just as well). The four legs of the relay range in distance from 5.5 to 7.3 miles, and the course takes runners through Browne’s Addition, down the Centennial Trail, along the Spokane River, up Doomsday Hill, through Kendall Yards, and past the falls before ending in Riverfront Park. “Our out-of-town athletes are pleasantly surprised by the beauty and vibe of Spokane,” says race organizer Dori Whitford. “There’s a reason the Spokane slogan is ‘Near nature. Near perfect.’ And I think all the finishers are delighted with our race medal every year.” Whitford says that though the hilly course is challenging, it is less hard on the body than a race that is totally flat. “Working different muscles is a good thing! The secret is to train for the hills,” she says. This is a hometown race. Twenty area high school cross-country teams volunteer for the event, helping with everything from bag check to finish line medals. They dress in costumes, line the course, and staff aid stations as they compete with each other to be voted Best Supporters by the runners. Spectator signs and chants are a fun part of any race, but fall races offer spectators the additional fodder of political campaigns and government missteps to fuel their sign-making creativity. Runners have other distance options to choose from: a 10K (which is now an official qualifier for Bloomsday Second Seed), a half marathon (which is the most popular distance), and a full marathon (which takes the same course as the marathon relay). This year the Bloomsday Road Runners Club is partnering with Fleet Feet to put on a marathon training clinic. Thespokanemarathon.com. // (Janelle McCabe )

Top: Ammi and the elusive Kiwi captain. Middle: Layers of caved out millennia replace the shores of the Colorado Bottom: Havasu Canyon . // Photos: Ammi Midstokke.

“We got smashed last night,” the girl says as she pulls long on her cigarette, trying to get a last drag in before we start our descent down the Angel Bright trail. You know a trip is going to be good when the first party members you meet are a veteran Burner and a pair of drunk smokers. Just a week before that, I was driving home thinking about what groceries I’d forgotten and the other things one considers in a responsible adult life when my phone rang. “Hey Ammi, someone backed out of our Grand Canyon trip. You wanna come?” I had a thousand good grown-up reasons to not go. A mortgage, a medical practice to run, a kid who occasionally needs food prepared for her. And the small reality that I had zero whitewater experience. It seemed like a great idea to me. I needed a dose of perspective, which is what I call my regular escapes from civilization and cell phones. Within the first mile of the hike down, I felt purified. It was breathtaking. The trail winds down the canyon’s layers of red, orange, purple, and green in a steep descent, forming a line through the ancient rock until it stretches out across an emerald ledge then disappears again. Somewhere down there flows the mighty Colorado River, making no apologies for its muddy color or fickle mood. We met our rafts at Phantom Ranch: four boats, sixteen humans, and a beer supply that I (naively) thought was obscene in its excessiveness. People were eating sandwiches and drinking Pabst and clearly not taking any of this rafting sport very seriously. The friend who invited me is an ultra-marathoner who chews up mountains for breakfast. I assumed I was getting in over my head, but no one told me to pack a beer bong. I quickly realized this group of people were mostly connected by their annual pilgrimage to Burning Man or a history of river rat escapades requiring the fitness level (and Marlboro habit) of a carnie. I was assigned to a boat with a 350-pound Kiwi who, as far as I could tell, was all muscle,

Wild Times in the Grand Canyon By Ammi Midstokke

sandwiches, and cynicism. It’s difficult to know for sure because he only spoke in single syllable responses. He wore chunky black glasses, a green merino t-shirt, a pair of Chacos, and a life vest with the straps let all the way out. For the next week, I did not see him make a facial expression. He did, however, have a super power of seeing obscure and nearly invisible flora and fauna from miles away. In the Grand Canyon, the rapids are measured on a scale that begins with class 1 and ends with class 10. Just after I boarded we hit the first rapid of the day—a class 8 that would have made me soil myself— except I wasn’t sure if that fell into borrowed dry suit etiquette. I had read the statistics of how powerful that water is, how many thousands of gallons funnel through per second. I knew the rag doll consequences of falling out of a boat. Sure, grandmothers float this thing every year, but my propensity to turn an afternoon hike into a “Good Morning America” episode had me wary. That week was a journey through time and cortisol levels. The river would have tantrums and toss us about the frothy water, and we learned to hoot and holler in praise until it spit us into the calm again. For hours we’d float through the mesmerizing colors and history of the canyon. Life on the river has a different time, like a parallel universe in which nothing matters but the present. Floating, paddling, setting up camp, breaking down camp. People who would otherwise never socialize became friends and cohorts. I watched doctors drop acid and take nitrous hits with their morning coffee. I saw cowboys recite poetry and a college snowflake sing John Prine. I saw people pee in front of each other in the middle of conversation. Even my own shy bladder gave up the battle for privacy. I saw a Georgia girl cat crawl on the sand, lit up by the glow of the fire and mushrooms, casting her shadow on the canyon wall. I saw conflict and resolution, pettiness and pouting, generosity and acceptance.

I watched how the smokers went to war with the non-smokers and, for some days, expected a sort of “Lord of the Flies” revolution. If only I had found a conch shell. It was like I was witnessing a new kind of humanity, something basic and simplified without the external influence of the news and social media. I saw people judge each other by their immediate merits, such as their ability to make giant pots of pasta taste better than freeze dried camp food. I also saw scorpions and lizards that were iridescent blue. I went for hikes into the canyons to see the sipapu—the waterfalls that served as the birthplace of the ancestral natives. I watched a man blow his brother’s ashes into the churning water as another goodbye to a loved one long gone. One day I climbed by myself up to a treacherous cliff, only to realize that my situation was dire at best. I sat there on the eroding soil, scared and jacked up on adrenaline. I stared out at the gaping chasm in the earth. If this would be my last view, surely, surely, I had done something right in my life. When I had the courage to move again, I crept back to safety without plummeting to my death. I topped out on a mesa, collapsed to the earth, and cried. They were tears of both relief and gratitude. I let the time continuum of the desert creep over me. There was no sound, just the gentle movement

of spring blossoms. I could hear my pulse, feel my breath, and see the expansiveness that surrounded me. For the first time in far too long, my head, heart, and body were in the same place. // Ammi Midstokke wrote about “foodphobia” in July. AUGUST 2017 / OutThereMonthly.com

Lifestyle backcountry fashion //

Taking a Few Lessons from French Style By Katie Botkin Layering it up at Laclede rocks in Northern Idaho. // Photo: Katie Botkin

It’s our second day in a row hiking in the

high Pyrenees, and the French woman I’m with is still wearing the chic blue sundress and khaki canvas ankle boots with braid details she wore yesterday. Her bronzed arms were sculpted from roller derby, local meats and veggies, and life in the mountains. I’d almost forgotten how the French do backcountry fashion, which is the same way they do every other kind of fashion—unapologetically, with a roll-out-of-bed-and-look-goodin-five-minutes approach and the attitude that, if you can’t appreciate how sexy they are, it’s not their fault. It’s yours. Before we had set out the first day, I’d changed out of my favorite Patagonia do-everything dress, which is the one I wear to conferences, to the beach and yes, for hiking. I had felt a little weird wearing a dress to shimmy through nettles. Apparently I shouldn’t have bothered. Americans wear yoga pants everywhere, but apparently French women do the reverse and wear dresses to march through beech forest undergrowth on their way up a mountainside.

country will automatically be better if you think you look great, but it never seems to hurt. 4. Think outside the box. Who said that your favorite hiking pants have to be sold as hiking pants? Maybe the right yoga outfit or running

I’m not going to say that your performance in the backcountry will automatically be better if you think you look great, but it never seems to hurt.

Here are a few tips to backcountry fashion we’d do well to take from the French:

1. Superior fabric is your friend. I swear by finespun Merino wool for anything that requires layers. I have a perfect-fit black Icebreaker shirt that I’ve worn to meet with clients as well as across multiple days on a backpacking trek through Glacier. As a natural antimicrobial, wool staves off stink better than most, and it retains heat when it’s wet. 2. Ditch the sale mindset. The French know not to buy things just because they’re on sale. If you wouldn’t buy that hot-pink-and-neon-green tank full price, then don’t buy it just because it’s 60% off. 3. Find flattering cuts on the stuff you need. Investigate the styles and brands that work best for you and then search for deals on those. I’m not going to say that your performance in the back20

OutThereMonthly.com / August 2017

shorts would chafe less and look better if you scored them in a different department. 5. Don’t forget the practical things. Wear sunscreen, get enough sleep and eat well. You’ll feel better all-around if you’re not sporting sun blisters and bags under your eyes. 6. Purge your closet. Life is too short to wear clothes that don’t feel great, look great and smell great under pressure. 7. Consider your feet as your ultimate base layer. After sustaining more blisters than I can count, I’ve moved away from hiking boots and towards more minimalist approach shoes. For most hiking in the summer, I wear Earthrunners —a foot-hugging sandals that look good enough that I regularly get compliments when I wear them around cities. 8. Own it. If my French friend can get up and rock the same outfit for her administrative job three days in a row with a swagger in her step, then you can clearly do the same thing in the backcountry. // Katie Botkin wrote about exploring local creeks in August last year.

Hiking Hiking Northwest Montana’s Backcountry // By Katie LeBlanc

Getaway In Pend Oreille! Montana’s front country hiking becomes backcountry quickly, which makes it easy to get away from crowds. Although a week or more is preferred for a grand-quest into a wilderness area, a weekend warrior can easily find their piece of trail magic in the dramatic and less traveled spaces outside Glacier National Park. With 27 million acres of public lands and a bounty of backcountry routes, the northwest corner of the state offers a lifetime of new places to explore. An attitude of exploration is required for Montana’s heartiest adventures. For example, a hiker can never be sure when a marked “trail” in a wilderness area might suddenly become an overgrown bushwhack from lack of use and maintenance. A scramble to a mountain summit in July might turn into a snowy opportunity for boot glissading. If you’re old enough to recall the ancient tools called a map and compass, keep those orienteering instruments on-hand in case of GPS technology snafus. Equally important to remember is that starting a hike in an 85-degree valley can give way to harsh cold weather conditions in high rocky peaks. Whether hiking into a national park or one of Montana’s 15 designated wilderness areas, always be prepared for the unexpected. If Glacier National Park is your destination, escaping visitor traffic is possible through longer day hikes or with a backcountry permit. Most parkgoers visit popular haunts such as Avalanche Lake or Hidden Lake. Swiftly leave them behind by planning to hike extra miles to overnight sites. It’s a good idea to make online reservations for backcountry

Guided Tours of Metaline Falls Movies

Top Left: Above Lion Creek DrainagePhoto: Swan Mountain Outfitters. // Top right: Backcountry Camping in the Mission Mountain Wilderness. Photo katie leblanc. // this photo: Van lake forest service campground. // Photos: katie LeBlanc

campsites in March or risk acquiring spontaneous walk-in permits at the park. Prepare a backup plan as trails or campsites may close unexpectedly due to bear activity, forest fires, and other environmental factors. Check online for more information on backcountry use in Glacier National Park at Nps. gov/glac/planyourvisit/backcountry.htm. Pushing yourself to the edge of the earth can deliver magical moments; these experiences are revealed to those who are okay with a little backcountry blood, sweat, and tears. The struggle brings the greatest rewards. You’ll find all of the above in Montana’s backcountry if you’re willing to take a well-planned hike into wilder terrain. // Katie LeBlanc wrote about trail running in Glacier National Park in June.

Hiking with Dogs

For those who hike with dogs, bringing them into the backcountry of National Parks isn’t an option. But this opens trip prospects overlooked by many visitors to Northwest Montana. A wooded rural highway winding its way between the Swan Divide and the Mission Mountains provides entry to trails within various public lands, including the Bob Marshall Wilderness. Check out trail access from Montana’s Highway 83 between Big Fork and Seeley. Spend a weekend perched with dramatic views of the Mission Mountains or Swan Mountains. It doesn’t get much better, and the people you meet along the way are scarce.

Epic NW Montana Hiking Destinations Jewel Basin Strap on a backpack for this weekend warrior’s dream trip that samples some of Montana’s finest beauties. Alpine Trail #7 stretches 55 miles across the Swan Mountains from Columbia Mountain to Inspiration Point. The most populated access point is at Camp Misery. Hiking Mt. Aeneas is fast and rewarding, but its heavy use is a deterrent. No problem—you can hike downstream from the crowd from various Jewel Basin access points. Try the lighter-use areas of the Jewel, accessed from Highway 83. In Big Fork, take Forest Service road 5398 (Bear Creek Road), near mile marker 85. Or take a drive past Swan Lake and start your hike from Napa Trail #31. Although you may encounter huckleberries and llamas, hiking traffic should be light. Bob Marshall Wilderness Take a week or more for a Bob Marshall Wilderness trip. Popular points of entry from Highway 83 are from Lion Creek (lion-palisades trail #25) and from Holland Lake area trails. If a week in “The Bob” is unachievable, take an overnight hike from Holland Lake to Sapphire Lake (trails #35 and #42), or walk farther to Necklace Lakes (trail #110). These well-marked developed routes get you closer to wilderness and away from Holland Lake trail traffic. Cabinet Mountain Wilderness To get away from it all without losing car parts on the drive to the trailhead, visit Geiger Lakes (trail #656). Day hike or overnight to wooded routes that open to big mountain views and alpine lakes. Travel further from Upper Geiger Lake to the Cabinet Divide Trail. If you have a compound bow and hunting tags, mountain grouse roasted over a rainy campfire gives new meaning to free-range chicken dinner— a true Montana pleasure framed by Rocky Mountain ledges around Geiger Lake. Rain or shine, the 90 miles of trails in the Cabinet Mountains give any backcountry wanderer days of epic journeys.

Walking tour of Metaline Falls Bus & Walking tour of Seattle City Light’s Boundary Dam August 12, 13, 19, 20, 26 & 27 September 2 & 3 Pend Oreille Harvest Festival at Glen Cova Keep, Ione, WA September 23-24 For more information and regional events calendar:

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Running Half marathon training for the over 40 crowd // By Brad Northrup Doing so will end up crushing you on race day. As you gradually work your way up, the shorter runs during the week will get easier and easier. Your training plan can obviously be modified if you are working to improve your time. Speed or interval workouts can be inserted during the week, and you can replace a longer run with a 10k race or two as you progress.

Gunhild shows us what can be done after 40. // Photo: Jon Jonckers

I thought I was going to puke. Or soil my

knickers. Or both at the same time. I was hunched over, hands on knees, gasping for breath. Sweat poured from every pore of my body. Two miles into a supposedly leisurely Saturday morning run and I felt like hammered dog poop. What idiot thought that this was a good idea? Oh yeah, this idiot. Fast forward two-and-a-half years. Standing on the podium with a 3rd place trophy in hand and a 1:39 personal record time on the books, I thought back to when I started training to race half marathons. I honestly never thought I would ever run that far that fast at age 45. But all it takes is the right kind of training and the belief that you can do it. I know that sounds cheesy, but it really is that simple. I did it in less than three years, and I was definitely not a runner when I started. Back then, I only ran when chased. Here are some things I learned. Set a Realistic Goal: When I started out, I knew nothing about half marathons or what to expect.

That said, my goal for my first race was just to finish. Shoot, the furthest distance I had ever run in my life was around 7 miles and that was in my 20s. With no experience whatsoever, I figured the most realistic goal was to finish a race, regardless of time. Once you gain experience and an understanding of what your body can (and can’t) handle, then set a time-related goal. Follow the Plan: If you want to run 13.1 miles, your body has to get used to running longer distances, and this takes a period of time—usually about 12 weeks. The formula is pretty easy to follow. Run 3-5 miles 3 or 4 times during the week, and a long run once a week, working your way up to somewhere between 10 to 12 miles. There are all kinds of plans out there on the internet, but they are all very similar. Here is the key: stick to the plan. This is where discipline comes in. You can cheat a little on the shorter runs during the week, but DO NOT cheat on the long runs.

should run at a rate that allows you to hold a conversation with someone. If you are out of breath, you are running too fast. Over time, you will become very comfortable running at a certain pace, which will allow you to speed up or slow down depending on the terrain. Many beginning runners utilize running apps to monitor pace, but I think listening to your body is a better way to go if you are starting out. For my first season, I did not even wear a watch or use any apps—I just ran and let my body tell me when to speed up or slow down.

Stay Motivated: Most normal people don’t just choose to run a half marathon on a whim or because it looks fun. I got into it because I was out of shape. As in an extra 20 pounds out of shape, and let me tell you something: 170 pounds on a guy who is 5 foot 7 does not look or feel good. So I did something about it, and having a goal to lose weight and feel better served as a great motivator. Once I completed my first race, I realized I enjoyed it and started setting time-related goals. The point is have something that drives you to get out and train, especially when you really don’t want to. Staying motivated gets easier as you experience success, so stick with it.

A half marathon is a great goal for most people because it is easily achievable with a reasonable amount of training time and not too much stress on the body. Does it still require hard work and effort? Absolutely. Are there days when you just want to crawl back on the coach and binge-watch Game of Thrones and shove a half gallon of ice cream down your throat instead of going for a run? Yep. But if you refuse to give up and throw in the towel, the reward of finishing is well worth the sweat. //

Maintain the Right Pace: The rule of thumb on training pace is that, on your long runs, you

Brad Northrup wrote about climbing Mount Adams in July.

Lessons learned training for a half I definitely made some stupid mistakes my first year out. Like not carrying water on my shorter training runs during the week. Or choosing shoes based on price rather than performance, and then not replacing them early enough. Also I didn’t invest in good running clothing and had some nasty chaffing in areas I really do not want to talk about. But I did a few things right that helped me on race day, the biggest of which was training on very hilly terrain. Running a lot of hills makes flat surfaces seem easy. I also took extra rest days and got plenty of sleep when my body started to wear down. //

AUGUST 2017 / OutThereMonthly.com

Leaf, Root, Fungi, Fruit Inky Caps // By Kelly Chadwick A troop of Inky Caps, Coprinopsis atramentaria, showing various stages of maturity. // photo: Leah Bendlin

Instead of releasing spores into the wind to

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An interesting side note on shaggy manes is that, in spite of sharing the distinctive and unique qualities of the group, they evolved from an unrelated lineage—the button mushroom. This tendency in nature is called convergent species and has led me

Inky caps are the most pervasive summer fungi in our urban environment.

0: Resolution Run 5K

be carried off in endless raining of zygotes upon the planet surface, inky caps produce an enzyme that eats their bodies. The resulting black slime gets washed away in the next rain. They digest themselves to reproduce. Or, if humans intercept during the short window between eruption and digestion, we eat them. Inky caps are the most pervasive summer fungi in our urban environment. Inky caps are identified by four unmistakable characteristics: growth in often dense clusters, auto digestion into a slimy black ink, oval shape when young, and super-wide, packed gills that are like pages in a book. They come up late spring to early fall in lawns and yards, arising in prolific clusters. They are a “safe genus” since all members are edible and easily recognized. However, two important caveats must be applied. The first is bioaccumulation, a term for the concentration of substances, usually toxic ones, in living things. Mushrooms are adept at extracting toxins and heavy metals from the soil, and some inky caps are being studied for this use. So, be cautious of inky caps near heavily-trafficked, industrial, and contaminated locations. Secondly, inky caps are infamously contra indicative with alcohol due to a mycotoxin, coprine, that triggers Antabuse-like sickness. I do have a fearless friend who tested it out and reported an agreeable intoxication, but it’s generally not a pleasant experience. The species we know of in this group that dependably reacts with alcohol is the inky cap coprinopsis atramentaria. There are three inky caps substantial enough to eat that frequent our landscapes. Mica caps are tawny colored, the size of a date, and adorned with shiny specs on top. The inky cap is grey and the size of an egg. Shaggy manes are the size of a duck egg—white with a shag surface—and considered one of the most recognizable of all mushrooms. The texture and flavor are similar to oysters, including the mineral edge in the palate.

to see life differently— not made of specific organisms, but as spaces in our world being filled. Life is evolving into limitless potential niches of expression and, if the niche works well, multiple species will evolve into nearly the same one. Identifying Attributes: Inky caps grow in bouquets of oval-shaped mushrooms in grass and gardens on white stalks, often above decomposing roots and stumps. In the case of shaggy manes, they can be found on dirt roads and the edges of paths and yards. Thin gills are pressed together with a notably deep blade. Black slime is a key feature for identification, but there will be specimens at different stages of maturity so you can still find fresh ones in the collection. Cautionary Points: Accurately learn the genus before harvesting. They are best sampled in small quantities if in the city. Avoid alcohol with, or for a couple days after, eating Coprinopsis atramentaria (the medium-large grey variety). Culinary Attributes: Inky caps cook faster than many mushrooms. They have a soft texture and refined mineral profile somewhere between seafood and vegetable. Use them in lighter sauces or their virtues will be lost. // Kelly Chadwick wrote about the Ballhead Waterleaf in June.

Climbing Climbing Agnes // By Summer Hess This photo: Touching the Sky. Bottom: a long way to go. // Photos: Summer Hess

I kick steps into the early summer snow, aim-

ing for the saddle before sunrise. Our fluorescent yellow tent grows smaller on the col, and steep ridges hem in the skyline. In a few hours the sun will fry the bites and scratches from yesterday’s 12-hour standoff with mosquitos and devil’s club. I try to maintain an efficient pace, but I am physically worn out from the 4,000 vertical feet of bushwhacking and, worse, I am psychologically conflicted. This ascent was supposed to be a goodbye trip for my climbing mentor, Kevin Klim, who was moving to flat-as-a-flapjack Florida to care for ailing parents. But Kevin is camped near a ledge at tree line with the fourth member of our party, and Matt and I alone move upward on our summit bid. I had never heard of Agnes Mountain when Kevin suggested the peak. It’s not on the Bugler list, which names the 100 highest elevation mountains in Washington, and it has never caught my eye on any map. But Kevin’s relationship with the peak started 15 years ago. While checking off Goode and Logan Peak from his North Cascades tick list, he saw two grizzled men with tiny packs. He inquired about their mission, but they shrugged it off. Agnes—no one’s heard of it—they told him. But their demeanor intrigued him.

“They seemed like the kind of people I wanted to gravitate toward. They weren’t bragging. [The climb] was just something they wanted to do,” says Kevin. Later, when he pored over a map, he saw the full scope of the climb, and added it to his wish list. He’d asked several people to climb it with him over the years, but everyone turned him down in favor of more prominent or easier-to-access objectives. When I first met Kevin in his role as Climbing Wall Director at Eastern Washington University, I would not have accepted the mission either. I took his Climber’s Toolbox class because I needed a break from my studies and wanted to learn how to build top rope anchors. I soon enrolled in every class he taught. At the time, I thought he was a great climbing instructor. Now I realize that he taught much more than climbing; through experiencebased instruction, he has given dozens of students the technical and mental tools they need to make informed decisions as they move through the diverse challenges of the vertical world. Agnes would be my chance to prove that I’d become a competent climber who could meet these challenges. Matt and I gain the spur that leads to the saddle, tap the snow off our boots, and begin scrambling. In classic Cascade style, piles of rock crumble under our feet as we move in spider fash-

ion over the steep terrain. Agnes’s bold summit triangle appears as we continue the traverse to the saddle—our first close-up glimpse of our objective, which has been eclipsed by ridges and subpeaks for the past 36 hours. It is indeed as Fred Beckey described in his Cascade Alpine Climb guidebook: Agnes is an imposing, Matterhorn-shaped hunk of black granite. Now that we have our eyes on the objective, I perform the climber’s calculus: route description + personal fitness/efficiency on technical terrain + hours of daylight + off-trail descent + miles on established trail + bus schedule and ferry departure times. I think of Cayla, who needed to turn back after giving her all on her first alpine challenge, and Kevin, who could not be persuaded to let Matt or I keep her company instead of him. “You two have the best shot at the summit,” he said. After a long discussion, I agreed. That is, I agreed until I got a good look at our objective. Matt and I both gaze at the dark, pointy massif. It will take several more hours of scrambling and rappelling to even get to final summit block, and from there many more hours of vertical climbing and wayfinding. He outlines the data points as he sees them, and I do the same. We oscillate between two options—continue on our current trajectory, which, given my slower pace, would likely put us in the middle of a heinous bushwhack in the dark. Or, we could ascend one of the nearby subpeaks and forgo the true summit. We settle on the more conservative option. Cayla has a plane to catch, Kevin has to get back to his family, and I’m feeling physically maxed out before the technical climbing has even begun. Matt leads out into an unknown crack system on the Agnes sub peak and smoothly stiches together the remaining hundred feet. Once on top, we survey the depth and stillness of the wild range. The jagged blades of Gunsight Peak pierce the bluebird sky, and Glacier Peak shimmers like a full moon on the horizon. Agnes juts up close enough that we can glimpse some of the cracks and ramps that may one day usher us to the true summit. We rappel, pack up camp, traverse above tree line for as long as possible, then plunge into the sub-alpine madness. A familiar tension accompanies me for much of the alder-choked descent: I feel strong to have come so far, weak to have not made it to the summit, content that I did the best that I could. I beat back devil’s club with my trekking pole, and spend equal mental energy whacking down an even thornier question: Given the time off from work, the cost of the ferry, projects going undone at the house, the impact on our families, and the multitude of other demands that crowd our modern lives, is walking up and down the pathless shank of a remote mountain a worthy use of our precious time? More importantly, since this was one of his last Cascade outings, had it been worth Kevin’s? We get part of the answer as soon as the bus pulls up in front of the Stehekin lodge. Kevin and Cayla are drinking coffee on the deck and offer wide grins at the sight of our tired and dirty faces. We spend the next hour talking over the trip dynamics as we wait for the ferry and eat a huge breakfast. Cayla says she feels inspired by her first attempt at an alpine objective and is eager for more. Matt is psyched to come back with a better route description and try his luck on the summit block. I look to Kevin, and he says, “I was feeling nostalgic, thinking this might be my last climb. But all it’s done is confirmed that I’m not done with climbing—not yet.” It isn’t clear how often Kevin will be able to fly across the continent. But when he does, a generation of climbers will be eager to journey with him into the alpine wilds. I will be the first in line. //

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Northeast Washington’s Wild Heart Two Ways to Love the Kettle Crest

Whether you’re a hiker or mountain biker, the Kettle Crest (or Kettle Range, Sherman Pass area,

Columbia Highlands, or whatever else you call this remote, uncrowded mountain range) includes some of the most scenic trails and diverse habitat in the Northwest. Tucked between the Canadian border and the Colville Reservation west of Kettle Falls and the Columbia and Kettle rivers, the Kettle Range mountains contain some of the largest unroaded and legislatively unprotected tracts of national forest land in the region. On a clear day, you can see the Cascades to the west, Selkirk Mountains to the east, and jagged summits of the BC Kootenays to the north from the top of many of the 6,000-plus foot peaks on a clear day, illustrating just how important the Kettles are as a habitat linkage for many species of wildlife. Roadless regions are great for backcountry recreation and wildlife but can make fighting forest fires somewhat futile. The Kettle Crest has endured some of Washington’s largest fires in modern times. The 2015 Stickpin Fire burned over 50,000 acres along the north end of the Kettle Crest, and the White Mountain Fire of 1988 burned more than 20,000 acres near Sherman Pass. Despite the occasional post-fire push by

some local economic interests to log burned and living trees near the Kettle Crest, the wild character of the Kettles remains largely intact thanks to tireless conservation efforts. Historic clashes between wilderness advocates, loggers, and other interest groups over management of the Kettles and other Colville National Forest lands have given way in recent years to increased collaboration between conservation groups, hikers, mountain bikers, the timber industry, and the U.S. Forest Service, as well as some ranchers, motorized recreationists, and representatives of local government. While many points of contention remain—including friction between some wilderness advocates and mountain bikers who want to maintain access to the Kettle Crest’s coveted sub-alpine singletrack, efforts to come up with a balanced vision for protecting the ecologically significant land, scenic trails, and human-powered access along the Kettle Crest persist. Whether you prefer to pedal or plod along on foot, the Kettle Crest is a spectacular place well worth visiting, respecting, and protecting. // (Jon Jonckers and Derrick Knowles)

Footloose in the Kettle Range By Holly Weiler

Misinformation caused me to miss out on

years of exploration on the Kettle Crest. Wellintentioned people told me the trails were too dry, had too little shade, and were not that interesting. After I finally went to check it out, I felt I had to make up for lost time. I started small and at different times of the year: a hike to Columbia Mountain in summer and a snowshoe outing to Sherman Peak in winter. Later I branched out, exploring the numerous feeder trails up to Kettle Crest #13, a National Recreation Trail and a portion of the Pacific Northwest Trail, learning how to connect the trails to form long loops. Then I started to make my routes even bigger. I realized that the trail south from Sherman Pass to the White Mountain trailhead, when taken as an out and back, resulted in the same distance as a marathon. As a next logical step, I tagged along with a group of friends to hike the entire 43-mile length of the Kettle Crest in a single day, a feat I’ve since repeated a total of four times. Sometimes I don’t understand the full depth of my own motivations, and I’m certain that the Crest as a multi-day backpack trip would be even more fulfilling than a one-day assault. However, sometimes I only have enough time to devote a day to the Crest, and I can think of no better way to experience it all than to hike from one end to the other, soaking it all in. Call me a binge hiker, but here are some of the things that keep me coming back. Sunrise is spectacular along White Mountain and Barnaby Buttes, where snags from the 1988 White Mountain fire cast eerie shadows alongside giant larch survivors and new growth of lodge pole pines. It works equally well at sunset if hiking the trail in the reverse direction. Crossing beneath Bald Mountain, I’ve consumed so 26

OutThereMonthly.com / August 2017

many huckleberries I feared I might make myself sick. And, although no one was there to witness it, I had a five minute conversation with a pika on the edge of Snow Peak, where the rocky slopes provide excellent habitat for this most adorable of mountain dwellers.

At Sherman Peak I have spooked young black bears out of the huckleberry patches. At Columbia and Jungle Hill I have actually run into a handful of other people over the years; it’s nice to know they’re out there enjoying it, too, and it always reminds me

how much I savor the solitude the Kettle Range provides. I’ve had weekends where I didn’t see another human once outside of the parking lot. The south side of Wapaloosie is the most beautiful section, with big views into the distance and fragrant sage. North of Wapaloosie and around the edge of Scar Mountain reminds a hiker that even beautiful hikes have their rough edges, and when hiking south to north, it is a doubly dark section since it approaches the major climb of Copper Butte. It’s easy to forget the pain of the climb when standing on Copper Buttes’ summit, the highest point on the Kettle Crest Trail. North of Copper Butte is a bit of a question mark to me now, as the trail was profoundly affected during the Stickpin Fire of 2015 and closed for all of 2016. Midnight and Lambert Mountain had been impacted by other blazes in the recent past. As of my last visit, just two days before the 2015 fire, they were among my favorite sections: open grassy slopes, gorgeous aspen groves, and stark skeleton trees from the old burn. It may take a few years, but it will no doubt return. From Mt. Leona to Profanity Peak I am bracing myself for the look of a freshly charred forest, but I’ve already hiked near Sentinel Butte this year. The trail was nothing like how it exists in my memory, but already the wildflowers were returning and there were a few untouched stands of trees. Out of the ashes, the lush greenery will return. If anyone says the Kettle Crest is too anything aside from beautiful, don’t trust them, and instead check it out for yourself. // Holly Weiler is an avid hiker and trail advocate who works for Washington Trails Association and pens OTM’s “Hike of the Month” column. She wrote about the Thunder Creek loop in July.

Wheels in the Wilds of the Kettle Crest By Skye Schillhammer

Like many other bikers in the Inland Northwest,

I am hooked on mountain biking. The high adrenaline, heavy consequence riding found at bike parks is sometimes portrayed as the image of this sport, but my love for riding doesn’t end there. In mid-summer, when the sun has moved on from melting snow to giving sunburns, our local trails start to disintegrate from lack of moisture. For more aggressive riding, the loose trails are less than confidence inspiring, and I start to itch for a different escape—one with cooler temps, big views, and separation from the constant summer buzz in town. For me, that place is the Kettle Crest. Every Kettle Crest trip should start early. Not just because of the mileage ahead, or to beat the heat, but because there are few things better than an early morning in the forest. It’s painful at first, but that feeling is quickly replaced with the smells of fresh air mixed with the pine, larch, and cedar trees surrounding you. If you plan correctly, you are also gripping a steamy cup of coffee fresh off the camp stove while you watch the moon fall into the tree line until sun rays begin to filter through. As I

soak in the fresh smells and soft sounds, I prepare for the challenge ahead. The Kettle Crest makes you work for the reward. There is no chair lift and no road to the top—just singletrack that cares very little about the pain in your quads. The ascent to Copper Butte, the highest point along the Crest, takes you up, over, and through a mixture of thick woods, burnt forest, and rocky ridgelines. The ever-changing surroundings keep the mind intrigued through every pedal stroke. The old burn sites are filled with craggy trees eerily charred from past wildfires. Continuing the climb takes you above the burn and into the alpine. Meadows and rock outcrops replace forest as your vision refocuses to the immense view. It’s here that another kind of enjoyment really sets in. I didn’t push through cramping muscles with sweat in my eyes for merely an extreme adrenaline rush. I did it for the views and for the immersion into the landscape. If I were at the top of a bike park trail, I would be gripping my handlebars with excitement, anticipation, and a bit of fear for the jumps, berms and rocks that lay ahead. At the top of the Kettle Crest, I spend almost as much time gripping my camera as I do my handlebars. Even while descending I can barely keep my eyes on the trail, and find myself gazing off in every direction like my head is on a swivel. From alpine ridgeline to under the canopy, the ride is more like a glide. You seamlessly move over the terrain, without a struggle for traction or speed. There are no berms to be roosted or skids to be laid, but this descent doesn’t need any of that to be fun and exciting. Like all good things, it comes to an end far too soon. Luckily, waiting for you at the bottom is a cold creek, and if you planned it right, there are some cold beverages nestled in the water. It’s this quintessential ending to a ride that has you already planning your next trip to the Kettle Crest. // Skye Schillhammer is a professional mountain biker, photographer, and frequent contributor to OTM. He wrote about mountain biking at Whitefish Mountain Resort in June. Left page top: The Crest. Left: wide open views along the crest. Middle: Wild Flowers basking in the sun. Right: Snow Peak Hut. All photos: Holly Weiler. // This page top: fall in the kettles. Middle: Singletrack and sage. Bottom: deep in the woods. Photos: Skye Schillhammer AUGUST 2017 / OutThereMonthly.com

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July 7 Camp sekani park

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OutdoorCalendar WATERSPORTS (August 5) Paddle, Splash, & Play. Where: Lake Spokane. A free event that introduces kids and families to human powered watersports, including canoeing, kayaking, paddleboarding and more! Info: Sckc.ws (and click events).

RUNNING (August 7-11) Glutes in the Koots Trail Running Camp with Jen Segger. Where: Sol Mountain Lodge, BC. Cover the fundamentals of mountain running with trail running camp host Jen Segger, including technique, efficiency, safety and adventure. Info: Glutesinthekoots.com

(August 9, 16, & 23) TriFusion Hot Summer Nights 5k Series. Where: Mead High School, Spokane. This chip-timed 5k road race series includes three nights of family-friendly racing. Registration is on site and opens at 5:15 p.m. with races starting at 6. Each race is $5, and includes a complimentary tech t-shirt for the first 500 registrants on the final night. David’s Pizza will be serving up slices on the final race night as well. Info: Facebook.com/TFHSN5k/

AUGUST

(August 18-19) Spokane to Sandpoint Relay. Where: Spokane/Sandpoint. Cover 200 miles in teams of up to 12 runners on this overnight relay largely on trail and country roads. Info: Cascaderelays.com.

& Jerry’s Ice Cream at the end. The ride is a benefit for Lutheran Community Services. Info: Lcsnw.org/ spokane/index.html

National Lentil Festival, Pullman, Wash. Eat tasty lentils. Drink good beer. And kick it all off with a fun 5k run or walk. Info: Lentilfest.com

(August 19) Tour de Lentil Bike Ride. Where: National Lentil Festival, Pullman, Wash. A 50k, 100k, or 150k bike ride (not a race) through the scenic Palouse held in conjunction with the National Lentil Festival. Info: Lentilfest.com

BIKING

(August 25-27) Silver Race Series #2. Where:

(August 19) Taste T Lentil 5k Fun Run. Where:

(August 5) Blazing Saddles. Where: Colville City Park. When: 6 a.m. packet pickup. 100-mile, 68-mile and 45-mile ride options. All rides fully supported. Info: Blazing100.org

(August 5) 8 Lakes Leg Aches Bike Ride. Where: Cheney, Wash. 8 Lakes Leg Aches is considered one of the best organized bike rides in Eastern Washington with riders enjoying the beautiful scenery of west Spokane, Cheney and Medical Lake. Choose from 30, 45 or 75 mile routes – the 75-mile route passes Willow, Granite, Silver, Medical, Clear, Chapman, Kepple and Fish lakes for the full 8 Lakes ride experience. Each route includes snack stops and SAG support, with David’s Gourmet Pizza and Ben

Silver Mountain Resort, Kellogg, Idaho. Returning for its fourth year, the SRS will feature two distinct mini-series, a 3-race downhill series and a 3-race Super-D series. Pros can compete in all six events to take the King or Queen of the Hill title. These races have a category for everyone, and a variety of courses to challenge all ability levels. So, if you’re new to racing, expect to race against people of roughly your same age and ability level. Info: Silvermt.com

multisport (August 26) Priest Lake Triathlon. Where: Priest Lake, Idaho. Swim, bike and run magnificent Priest Lake. Info: Priestlakerace.com/events/triathlon

SIXMONTH TRAININGCALENDAR TRIATHLONS/MULTISPORT (September 9) Rathdrum Adventure Race. Where: Rathdrum, Idaho. The premier “alternative” triathlon in North Idaho: experience a mountain bike ride on Rathdrum Mountain or along a beautiful treed path, paddle Twin Lakes in a kayak, and then run the trails back to Rathdrum’s charming City Park. Participate as a team or individual, and choose between a long or short course. Info: Rathdrumadventurerace.org

Sandpoint. With a route across Sandpoint’s iconic Long Bridge, offering panoramic views of Lake Pend Oreille and the surrounding mountains, the Scenic Half Marathon attracts hundreds of runners from all across the country. Info: Scenichalf.com

(September 19) Two Bear Marathon. Where: Whitefish, Montana. Run the scenic backroads around this beautiful mountain town on an allnew, all-road course with full and half marathon distances. The race starts and ends at Depot Park in downtown Whitefish, where a free barbeque awaits finishers as part of the post-race party. Info: Twobearmarathon.org.

Info: CentennialBeerChase.com

(October 14) Hayden Lake Marathon.

The full, half, and quarter marathon distance options and the incredibly scenic course make this the perfect fall event for all runners. Enjoy breathtaking views while running past golf courses, lakes, horse pastures, farms, and North Idaho forests. Info: Haydenlakemarathon.org

BIKING

(September 23) Spokane Happy Girls Run.

(September 11) WACANID Ride. Where: Start in Sandpoint, Idaho. Fully supported 6-day ride through Washington, Idaho and Canada. Info: wacanid.org

series, including 5 mile and half marathon distances that take place at six state parks in Idaho and Washington. Info: Trailmaniacs.com/sps

Where: Where: Spokane. Women’s half marathon, 10k and 5k runs with great post-race festivities and fabulous goody bags. Info: Happygirlsrun.com

(September 16) RIM Ride 5-Mile Family Bike Ride. Where: Liberty Lake, Wash. This family-

(September 16) Palouse River 5k & 10k Run/Walk & 1,5k Kids’ Race. Where:

(October 1) Sekani Trail Run.

(September 9) Trail Maniacs State Park Series #4. Where: Riverside State Park. SPS is a trail run

Main Street, Palouse, Wash. When: 8 a.m. A walk or run through the beautiful Palouse region that is part of Palouse Day events and supports GarPal Young Life. Info: Visitpalouse.com/events (September 17) Scenic Half Marathon. Where:

Where: Camp Sekani, Spokane. The 9th annual trail run is a 5k/10k event (plus a free Kids’ 1k) with 100% dirt trails and fabulous course challenges with 700 feet of elevation gain for the 10k run! Info: Sekanitrailrun.com

(October 7) Centennial Beer Chase.

Where: From Spokane to Coeur d’Alene. Run in a group of six people, exchanging at breweries along the way.

friendly ride bike ride takes you on the trails in the beautiful City of Liberty Lake. Safe ride for families and kids. Info: Rotaryinmotion.com

(September 17) RIM Ride. Where: Liberty Lake, Wash. A community cycling event for all ages and abilities, with 15, 25, 50 and 100 mile routes on scenic backroads that explores the beautiful areas of Liberty Lake, Post Falls, Green Bluff and Spokane Valley. Info: Rotaryinmotion.com

FEBRUARY 24-25

AARON THEISEN

RUNNING

AUGUST 2017 / OutThereMonthly.com

Last Page Cherishing our public lands // By Harley McAllister

this land is your land. // Photo: Harley McAllister

Many of my favorite memories took place in

some part of our nation’s public lands—lands held in the public trust for the benefit of all citizens. I was reflecting on this just a few weeks ago as three generations of my family floated down the John Day River in central Oregon. For just a nominal fee to the governing federal agency, we floated

down a wild and undammed river catching fish, navigating whitewater, and sleeping under the stars. The freedom to go and do as we pleased over many miles of rugged landscapes was just the latest adventure that was made possible by having access to public land. Thinking back over the past few years, I can

remember rafting down the Salmon River Gorge with a troop of Boy Scouts and introducing them to the world of multi-day rafting on BLM land. I can recall my two oldest sons catching their first trout on a fly in the Challis National Forest. I can remember squeezing through the narrow, tortured, yet exquisitely beautiful slot canyons of Grand Staircase Escalante National Monument. Some of my sons learned to raft on the Grande Ronde of Oregon, which was designated a National Wild and Scenic River to preserve its natural qualities. Many a camping or hiking trip has been conducted solely on the vast tracts of our National Forests, and a lot of the protein we feed our family has come from national wildlife refuges and designated wilderness areas scattered throughout the West. Before the advent of the United States and its system of public land access, such pleasures were reserved mostly for kings and noblemen. The idea of reserving vast tracks of land for the enjoyment and pleasure of all citizens is an idea that is fundamentally American, and it is a legacy that has been handed to us by men like Theodore Roosevelt, Gifford Pinchot, John Muir, and their peers. In some other parts of the world, only the wealthy have access to wild places. Here we own over 600 million acres in the public estate, with some in every state. The vast majority of it is out west, but it still belongs to every citizen of these United States. Anyone can hike, camp, backpack, hunt, fish, bike, horseback ride, and raft in these areas, and every citizen of the United States, no matter how modest of means, is now landed gentry. They are wealthy landowners, titleholders to the largest piece of public real estate in the world. Unfortunately, there are movements afoot to

diminish, discard, sell or transfer these lands to private interests or land boards. Yet, by the mandate of state constitutions, these land boards do not manage lands for multiple use or for conservation; rather, they must manage for maximum return on investment. Most state lands were granted by the federal government at the time of statehood, and track records with these lands is a sad tale. The nonprofit conservation organization Backcountry Hunters & Anglers reports that Colorado has sold 1.6 million acres of land originally granted to it at the time of statehood. Idaho has sold 1.2 million and continues to auction land today. New Mexico has disposed of 4 million acres that once belonged to its citizens, and Oregon and Utah have disposed of 2.6 and 4.1 million acres respectively. Nevada has the worst track record, selling off over 99% of its original holdings. These places are closed off forever. Our public lands are a rich natural heritage handed down to us by visionary Americans of generations past. They are held in trust by the citizens of the United States for the benefit of the common person and managed for wise multiple use. Adversaries deftly refer to them as “federal lands” to direct attention away from the truth that they are, in fact, public lands—owned by you and me for the improvement of our quality of life. If we want to ensure that our children and future generations of Americans will have access to these lands to enjoy and benefit from them, then we need to be diligent in protecting them from the latest land grab schemes in whatever form they appear. // Harley McAllister wrote about fishing at Rock Lake in July.

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32 OutThereMonthly.com / August 2017 Heading up Scotchman Peak. Cabinet Mountains, ID

Photo: Jim Rueckel