Bike Crash Recovery | Ou td oor D og s | S k y Di v i n g Fa m MAY-JUNE 2022 // FREE
THE INLAND PACIFIC NORTHWEST GUIDE TO ADVENTURE + TRAVEL + CULTURE
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Intro Dispatches Get Out There Provisions Last Page COVER PHOTO: AARON THEISEN
Sometimes the best picnic rock is in the middle of the river, like this one on the Vermilion River in British Columbia’s Kootenay National Park. 4
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M AY- J U N E 2 0 2 2 WWW.OUTTHEREOUTDOORS.COM PUBLISHERS Shallan & Derrick Knowles EDITOR-IN-CHIEF Derrick Knowles
We Have Your Summer Toys!
ASSOCIATE EDITORS Jon Jonckers Lisa Laughlin DIGITAL EDITOR Amy McCaffree SENIOR WRITERS S. Michal Bennett Carol Corbin Adam Gebauer Sarah Hauge Summer Hess Justin Short Aaron Theisen Holly Weiler CONTRIBUTORS Lucas Arnold Crystal Atamian Bradley Bleck Paul Delaney Jennifer Ferrero Eric Gonzalez Tabitha Gregory Vince Hempsall Jim Johnson Rich Leon Alana Livingston Ammi Midstokke Sarah Peterson David Phillips Angela Schneider Ashley Voykin Sergei Yaromich ART + PRODUCTION Jon Jonckers Shallan Knowles
TO REQUEST COPIES CALL 509 / 822 / 0123 AD SALES Derrick Knowles: 509 / 822 / 0123 derrick@outtheremonthly.com OUT THERE OUTDOORS Mailing Address: PO Box #5, Spokane, WA 99210 www.outthereoutdoors.com, 509 / 822 / 0123 Out There Outdoors is published 6 times a year by Out There Monthly, LLC. No part of this publication may be reproduced without written consent of the publisher. ©Copyright 2022 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 / Out There Outdoors 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. PROUD MEMBER Of
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I N T R O Connecting In the Great Outdoors
NICE CAMPFIRE! PHOTO: SHALLAN KNOWLES
JUST AS THE PANDEMIC lockdown started, my friend Carol suggested we go for a camping trip. Being that it was her birthday, and the thought of our kids entertaining each other outside after a few months of extreme indoor togetherness, it was a quick, affirmative yes. Derrick, as usual, did most of the packing, and off we went to
a primitive eastern Washington campsite. Derrick was setting up camp when I noticed the pile of wood he had just chucked out of the back of the truck. I asked where the hatchet was and if everyone was ready for a fire, since I was cold. Derrick, who unbeknownst to me had just realized he’d forgotten the tent poles, pointed in the direction of the axe and
suggested in an agitated tone that Carol could help me chop the wood and start the fire. I shot him an expletive-laced look that meant I’d rather chop him. At the same time, Carol announced that she had never split firewood before, and while I got the fire going, Derrick sheepishly set about hunting for sticks to prop up the tent. This exchange has become a constant joke in our lives now, where Derrick will suggest I ask Carol for help if I’m doing anything remotely “outdoorsy,” even if Carol is in another state on a different trip. It’s his way of saying he’s sorry for underestimating me. (He seems to have forgotten that I kept a fire going in our woodstove for OVER a week one winter while he was off backcountry skiing.) I often wonder how frequently things like this happen—where we decide what a person is or isn’t capable of based on the limited understanding we have of them. We often make up ideas about what our friends can or cannot do based on what we see on social media. More importantly, how often do we decide if we will join an invite, or include friends or a new acquaintances, based on the limited view we see online? Carol invited me on a bike ride a few weeks ago. My first thought was that I couldn’t keep up with her, and she would be disappointed with the ride. This probably comes from hearing Derrick talk about not getting enough exercise on mellow rides or hikes for so many
years. Yet Carol’s response was golden: “It’s about the friendship, not the miles.” As an extrovert, often looking for connection in social media, playing in the outdoors for me is not primarily about fitness or other adventure objectives; it’s about connection. For Derrick, an introvert who doesn’t frequent social channels and feels like there is limited time for exercise and connection with nature, his outings are about something very different. Both are okay. Both kinds of outdoor time are important. The point of all this is to remind ourselves not to amplify inaccurate perceptions about others that might create further barriers to potential connection and quality time spent outside. The key to making connecting outdoor adventures work, it seems, is self-awareness of our motivations and fitness levels, expectations of ourselves and others, and making sure we’re all communicating about these things. After our chuckle about my fire-building skills, I hacked up some kindling, balled up some paper, and made a nice hot fire while Derrick made a make-shift, pole-free tent in the back of the truck where we slept comfortably. In the morning, he brought me coffee and breakfast while I was curled up in my sleeping bag. We all do what we can and what we’re good at out camping as in life, but, as we now like to say, if you need some serious help out in the backcountry, you’d better ask Carol. // Shallan Knowles, Publisher
MAY-JUNE 2022 / OUTTHEREOUTDOORS.COM
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DISPATCHES PUBLIC, PRIVATE AND DIY SPOKANE RIVER CLEANUPS PLANNED SPOKANE, WASH.
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to get outside near the water and help the Spokane River. For all the cleanups, the two non-profits provide supplies, guidance, and trash disposal. Last year 1,000 volunteers removed over 25,000 pounds of trash and litter. Upcoming public cleanup projects include June 25 near the University District/Downtown Spokane, June 25 near Mission Park, and Sept 17 in Spokane Valley. Learn more and sign up at Spokaneriver.net. (OTO)
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Two local conservation non-profit organizations, the Spokane Riverkeeper and Spokane River Forum, are teaming up again this year with local volunteers to clean up the Spokane River, and they need your help. This year’s cleanups include multiple options: public group cleanups, private organization or business cleanups, and DIY cleanups that you and your family or friends can pull together whenever it fits your schedule. It's a fun and easy way
OUTTHEREOUTDOORS.COM / MAY-JUNE 2022
RIVER CLEANUP TIME. // PHOTO COURTESY OF THE SPOKANE RIVERKEEPER
BEVERLY BRIDGE NOW OPEN ON THE PALOUSE TO CASCADES TRAIL VANTAGE, WASH.
For thru-users of the Palouse to Cascades Trail, the Columbia River has long posed a challenge. Previously known as the Iron Horse Trail or the John Wayne Trail, the PTCT is officially a state park. This 289mile trail traverses Washington state from Cedar Falls to Tekoa, near the Idaho border. Users of the trail previously could travel the trail up to the Columbia River where the Beverly Bridge, out of use for 42 years, required a detour over the Vantage bridge using motorized vehicle transportation. As of Friday, April 8, this is no longer the case. After years of planning and advocacy by the Palouse to Cascades Trail Coalition, Washington State Parks, and involved citizens, the Beverly Bridge has reopened with new railing and decking—a redesign specifically for non-motorized trail use. The bridge, owned by the Washington Department of Natural Resources but maintained and managed by Washington State Parks, represents a series of bridge improvements east of the Cascades on the PTCT, including the newly reopened Tekoa Trestle and bridges destroyed in recent
wildfires. About 500 people attended the grand opening of the restored bridge, including cyclists, hikers, horseback riders and walkers. Johnny Buck from the Wanapum Tribe, Gov. Jay Inslee, and a handful of other elected officials from around the state attended the windy and joyous public event. As activities like bike packing, longdistance hiking, and horse packing become more popular throughout the Northwest, long-distance trails like the PTCT can be a vital contributor to the economies of rural towns in Washington. The Palouse to Cascades Trail highlights the beauty, splendor and diversity of the state, from lush forests, lakes and rivers, to arid, craggy deserts and rolling farmland. This nowconnected trail offers limitless recreation opportunities. When you go, plan your trip by visiting parks.wa.gov/521/Palouse-to-Cascades. Sections between Beverly, Wash., and the Idaho border require pre-registration, and Discover Passes are required for day use. (Carol Corbin)
TAKE ON THE GREAT SPOKANE PARKS CHALLENGE SPOKANE, WASH.
Ask a Spokanite what “getting outside” means to them, and you’ll get a wide range of answers: Going on hike to see the first buttercups of spring. Taking the dog for a walk after dinner. Riding a Lime Scooter at Riverfront Park. Letting the kids run and climb at a playground. A common thread in these activities is that they all can happen at, and because of, the Spokane County parks system and its 100-plus parks. Our parks are places we can enjoy Spokane’s beautiful natural environment, even if our preferred forms of outdoor play are very different. It was an appreciation of this diversity and commonality that led Gene Fitzpatrick, president of Spokane City Credit Union, to invent The Great Spokane Parks Challenge. In the challenge, participants pledge to visit 24 Spokane parks in celebration of the Spokane Parks Foundation’s 70th birthday. The challenge is free and open to all, and Gene hopes that participants will explore and appreciate Spokane parks, or even find a new park they didn’t know existed. For the first 70 people who complete the challenge, SCCU offers the prize of a day pack and a donation of $150 to the Spokane Parks Foundation, with the goal of $10,500 total donations. SCCU will also donate $50 for the first 70 people who complete half the challenge, visiting 12 parks. Spokane Parks Foundation, which supports parks and related activities throughout Spokane County and its municipalities, is thrilled with the collaboration. Executive Director Terri Fortner’s wish for the Great Spokane Parks Challenge is that it will encourage people to renew their connection to Spokane parks. “So many people have a favorite park, or special memories of parks they have visited,” she says. “And I hope the challenge creates an additional sense of ownership, a reminder that all the parks you might visit are our parks, our public lands.”
SCCU has a longstanding relationship with Spokane Parks Foundation, one of its preferred community charities. The credit union has devised creative, communityfocused programs like the Great Spokane Parks Challenge to make giving back to the community a regular part of how they do business. The Great Spokane Parks Challenge is running now, and SCCU invites everyone to join. (You don’t have to bank at the credit union to participate.) Completing the challenge requires a visit to 24 parks, and the submission of a selfie or location photo at sccu.net to document the visit. As of press time for this article, 163 people were signed up, and 17 people had already finished! Julia Rowe, one of the earliest finishers, is particularly enthusiastic. She, her sister, and her friend visited 24 parks by March, and they are now on a mission to visit all 102 parks before the challenge ends on October 7, 2022. As a transplant to Spokane, she finds the challenge is helping her get to know the city better. She has particularly enjoyed discovering curiosities like Browns Park’s surfboard-themed climbing wall. But, she says, “The best part is the donation, of course. The more you see all the different parks, the more you understand it’s important to support them.” During the pandemic, parks became a haven like never before, letting friends and families gather while feeling safer outside. Now, as spring arrives, and we hope for a change of seasons on many fronts, it’s the perfect time for community members to rekindle a special relationship with Spokane parks for all the different ways that we enjoy the outdoors. We’ll see you in the park! If you are interested in joining the Great Spokane Parks Challenge to benefit the Spokane Parks Foundation, go to sccu.net/ parks-challenge/ to learn more and sign up. (Sarah Peterson)
FIRST-EVER KETTLE FALLS SUP CUP JUNE 5 KETTLE FALLS, WASH.
A new all-levels paddleboard race with recreational and competitive divisions is coming to the water near Kettle Falls in northeast Washington. The race route is approximately 3.5 miles on the Kettle River, beginning at Napoleon Boat Launch and ending at North Lake RV & Campground. There will be a post-event gathering at Northern Ales Brewery for all participants and guests, with awards for top finishers in each division. Registration includes a welcome packet and a t-shirt. Participants need to bring their own SUP gear, including a PFD (required in Washington State), and must be 18 years of age by race day. The race caps a weekend full of events and festivities at Kettle Falls Town & Country Days. Check out the event Facebook page for more information or register at Paddlesignup.com. (OTO) MAY-JUNE 2022 / OUTTHEREOUTDOORS.COM
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Bike Walk Montana
Invites you to join us for a ride along the
GREAT DIVIDE ROUTE created by Adventure Cycling, or a walking tour of Butte, Montana June 18, 2022
Divide Scramble 2022 registration is open!
Choose from three bike routes: 1. Golden Eagle 1 (33 miles) 2. Golden Eagle 2 (57 miles) 3. Grizzly (68 miles) …or a four (4) mile walking tour highlighting Butte history and geology! For detailed routes, pricing, volunteer opportunities, and more.... RidetheDivideMontana.com
DISPATCHES HIGHER THAN USUAL SWAN MORTALITY DOCUMENTED IN CDA CHAIN LAKES HARRISON, IDAHO
Under the bucolic waterway of the Chain Lakes of the Coeur d’Alene River lies the toxic legacy of the Silver Valley’s productive mining history. According to the Basin Environmental Improvement Project Commission, the Coeur d’Alene River delivers 200 tons of lead to Lake Coeur d’Alene each year. Along with signs along the basin stating not to disturb the sediments, the most visually striking evidence of this ongoing heavy metal pollution is the death of migrating tundra swans. This spring has seen higher than usual deaths of tundra swans. In early April the lakes near Harrison, Idaho, were dotted with numerous white piles of feathers in the cattails and along the shoreline. These swans in particular accumulate lead while they feed and digest sediments in flooded fields and along the shore. Counts of dead birds for this season are still preliminary, and there can be a number of factors on why this spring has seen higher mortality.
The remediation of toxic sediments in the CDA basin is one of the largest brown field projects in the country and involves the EPA, local counties, the Coeur d’Alene Tribe, and both Idaho and Washington states. Most of the work so far has focused on areas around Kellogg, but this year work to dredge contaminated sediment from the river will move downstream near the Old Mission State Park. Additionally, there is the task of restoring the wetlands. In 2007 the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service worked with a local landowner to create an easement on farmland that contains uncontaminated wetlands. One thought is to try to haze swans away from the contaminated wetlands to those that get water from uncontaminated streams. There is plenty of restoration work still needed along the river to safeguard the health of wildlife and water quality. (Adam Gebauer)
BikeWalk Montana is a statewide advocacy group working to make walking, biking, and rolling safe and accessible for all. For more information see bikewalkmontana.org
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A new trail run called The Kan that includes 50k, 25k, and 10k distance options is set for the trails and slopes of Mt. Spokane July 9. According to the event website, The Kan will provide a mountain 10
OUTTHEREOUTDOORS.COM / MAY-JUNE 2022
race feel, but on a fast and quite runnable course that includes some of the best trails on the mountain. Aid stations, post-race food and beverages, and finisher awards and t-shirts are included for all racers. Details at Ponderosaracing.com. (OTO)
GRAB YOUR GRAVEL BIKE FOR THE DIVIDE SCRAMBLE JUNE 18 BUTTE, MONT.
2022 marks the second year for the Divide Scramble ride near Butte. This one-day, fully-supported event features three different mountain or gravel bike routes of 33, 57 and 68 miles. All three rides are in part along the Great Divide Mountain Bike Route, and the 68-mile ride also includes a portion of the Continental Divide Trail. This year’s event will also include a four-mile
guided history and geology walking tour on the paved trail system overlooking Butte. The event is a fundraiser for Bike Walk Montana, a non-profit that works to make biking, walking and rolling in Montana communities safer and more accessible. This year’s Divide Scramble ride is capped at 200 participants so register soon at RidetheDivideMontana. com. (OTO)
CELEBRATE PALISADES TO RIVERSIDE CONSERVATION CONNECTION MAY 14 SPOKANE, WASH.
The moose, deer, bobcats, monarch butterflies and coyotes will never know how much work went into protecting the 11 miles of woods and green space they use to move between Indian Canyon and Riverside State Park. But you can hear the story and celebrate with the partners who made this permanent protection possible Saturday, May 14 from 9 a.m.–1 p.m. at Rimrock to Riverside. Spring on the Rim is a celebration of the permanent protection of land that sits between Palisades City Park and Riverside State Park, the focus of a longtime effort by Friends of Palisades, concerned citizens, city and county parks, and Inland Northwest Land Conservancy. In the morning, there are more than a dozen outdoor activities, guided or DIY. The morning will culminate in live music, food available for purchase, and the story of how important natural spaces can be saved when a community comes together. In the morning, conservancy members and partners will lead events ranging from guided nature journaling to a three-hour gravel bike tour, bird watching, wildflower walks, and outdoor photography, just to name a few. Parking and events are free but registration is required. There will also be several DIY options available, provided by Inland Northwest Land Conservancy, at the Houston Road/Rimrock Drive trailhead. At lunchtime, Good Dilla will be offering food for purchase, and local artist Ian Arnold will be playing live music. “As we work to transfer ownership of Rimrock to Riverside to the City of Spokane through funding by the Spokane County Conservation Futures Program, we are eager to recognize the work and passion that has gone into this project. And we want to welcome the public to this place so they can fall in love with it the way we have,” says Dave Schaub, the Conservancy’s executive director. So bring your family and friends, and enjoy spring in this beautiful natural space, only minutes from downtown Spokane. Learn more or sign up to participate at InlandNWLand.org/Spring_on_the_Rim. (Carol Corbin)
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NEW RUNNING CAMP LAUNCHED SPOKANE, WASH.
Are you interested in kicking your running up a notch to feel better, stronger, and less achy? Maybe your spring training for a race didn’t take off like you wanted it to. Or maybe you created some new aches with your spring training but have your sights set on another race or two this summer or fall. If that sounds like you, the new RUN READY Specialized Strength and Mobility Camp might be for you. “Runners often have the mindset that in order to be a stronger runner, we just need to run more or run longer,” says camp organizer Trey Nichols with Northwest Mobile Physical Therapy Specialists. “More often than not we need to get stronger with resistance training.” The four-week camp, says Nichols, offers specialized strength and
mobility training specifically for runners. Nichols, who started Northwest Mobile PT during the pandemic says that the idea for his RUN READY camps got started after several attempts to improve his own knee pain from running, including new shoes, stretching, ibuprofen, taping, and resting. “None of my efforts brought lasting relief. It wasn’t until I got serious with strength training that my pain went away and stayed away.” Nichols says each of the four camp sessions will last about 60 minutes and will focus on different exercises that will end with a fun competition and a prize. Nichols adds that the camp will benefit those who are just getting into running as well as those who are comfortable with races. More info at Nwmobilept.com/events/p/run-ready. (OTO)
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Spokane, WA | In the Flour Mill MAY-JUNE 2022 / OUTTHEREOUTDOORS.COM
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DISPATCHES CELEBRATE BIKE EVERYWHERE MONTH IN MAY
SPOKANE, WASH.
Play it safe above and below a dam. Getting too close to a dam is dangerous—and not just for swimmers and people on float tubes. Currents and changing water conditions can pull you underwater or over the dam whether you’re swimming, boating or even on the bank. Keep away from dams. Always follow posted signs and observe safety barriers. Wear your life jacket and safety whistle—they can save your life. For information, visit myavista.com/watersafety
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A project of the Spokane Bicycle Club, the all-volunteer run Bike Everywhere Spokane festivities include a month’slong series of guided group rides, cyclist networking events, a free Bike to Work Week breakfast, and a final party, all with the goal of increasing cycling participation and awareness of what a great place Spokane is for riding a bike. The Spokane Bicycle Club is encouraging area cyclists to find any excuse to leave the car at home and get on bikes during the month of May. Free Bike Everywhere Spokane events include: • Bloomsday Bike Corral: Sunday, May 1, with free, secure bike stowage for Bloomsday participants. • Latah Creek Trail Ride: Thursday, May 4. Explore Latah Creek paths, Highbridge Park, and quaint Vinegar Flats neighborhood on a guided group ride. • Mothers Day Bike and Hike Ride: Sunday, May 8. Seven-mile ride on the Centennial Trail and residential streets to Drumheller Springs Park for snacks and a hike in this historic, little-known natural area. • Ben Burr Trail Ride and Knitting Klatch: Monday, May 9. Seven-mile bike tour of three recently created natural areas on the southside, plus the Ben Burr Trail with a finish at a coffee shop with optional knitting. • Children of the Sun Ride: Wednesday, May 11. Ride the Children of the Sun Trail to its southern terminus in Hillyard (nine miles).
• South Hill Natural Areas: Sunday, May 15. Tour five natural areas plus the Ben Burr Trail (about nine miles). • Bike to Work Week: May 16-22. Includes multiple cool events detailed below, but the main point here is to get you all riding your bikes to work for the week. • Pancake Breakfast in Riverfront Park: Monday, May 16. Kick off Bike to Work Week with Roast House coffee and blueberry pancakes in Riverfront Park with others riding their bikes to work. • Ride of Silence: Wednesday May 18. A silent procession in Riverfront Park to honor cyclists killed or injured on the road. • Energizer Stations: Friday, May 20 (National Bike to Work Day). Grab free snacks, coffee, and other goodies at energizer stations around Spokane just for riding your bike to work! • Bike Tour of Historic Corbin Park Neighborhood: Sunday, May 22. Join Spokane’s Historic Preservation Office for a bike tour of Spokane’s historic Corbin Park Neighborhood (4.5 miles). • Bike Everywhere Wrap-up Party: Friday, May 27. Bring along your dinner and celebrate Bike Everywhere Month at Manito Park (ice cream treats, water, and prizes provided). • Ben Burr Trail Ride: Sunday, May 29. Enjoy the paved Ben Burr Trail, University Bridge, and bike/ped trails in the East Central area (nine miles). Find all the event details at Spokanebicycleclub.org/page-1858669. (OTO)
BIKE TO WORK DAY PANCAKE BREAKFAST. // PHOTO: COURTESY OF SPOKANE BICYCLE CLUB
WEDNESDAYS IN THE WOODS RETURNS TO RIVERSIDE SPOKANE, WASH.
A series of beloved free evening events, presentations, and workshops with cool outdoor swag and occasional free ice cream at the Bowl & Pitcher at Riverside State Park is back again this June (6:30-8 p.m.). Save the date for your favorite programs and find more info at Facebook.com/ Riversidestateparkfoundation. (Discover Pass required.)
SpokaneCleanAir.org 12
OUTTHEREOUTDOORS.COM / MAY-JUNE 2022
• HOOT SHOW June 1: Join the West Valley Outdoor Learning Center and experience the incredible world of raptors. • RIVERSIDE HISTORY June 8: Riverside State Park Ranger Paul Neddo will educate and enlighten us on the history of the
Pacific Northwest and the fur trading encampment that settled on the Little Spokane River. • MOOSE, COUGARS, AND BEARS, OH MY! June 15: Being outdoors with wild animals doesn't have to be scary—learn how to deal with animal encounters. • CAMP COOKING June 22: Learn how to make a delicious camp dinner of camp nachos and camp crepes with just a little effort and minimal cleanup. • WILDERNESS FIRST AID June 29: Join the Experts at Spokane County Search and Rescue to learn the basics of how to avoid injuries while out in the wilds, plus how to treat minor injuries. (OTO)
T.J. MEENACH SPOKANE RIVER ACCESS TO RECEIVE FACELIFT SPOKANE, WASH.
One of the best known and most widely used access points to the Spokane River for recreational floaters is about to undergo a massive remodel. Beginning this spring or summer, the T.J. Meenach access, just downstream from the bridge of the same name, will undergo a complete redesign as part of the bigger City of Spokane stormwater runoff project designed to keep pollutants out of the river. “The city is working to restore T.J. for public use while meeting our needs for a clean river is a great example of leveraging resources to meet multiple needs,” said Andy Dunau, Executive Director of the Spokane River Forum. Construction, which includes repaving and installation of utilities between Northwest Boulevard down T.J. Meenach to the bridge will take place throughout the summer and into fall. Work on the river access is not slated until fall, after the prime floating season. The area, which currently serves both commercial and recreational floaters, will be upgraded with an entirely new configuration. Access will be flipped to eliminate an awkward turn and allow
entrance off an exit to Downriver Drive from T.J. Meenach. Once inside, traffic will move one-way toward parking that will accommodate over 30 vehicles, plus spaces for users with rafting trailers. A new designated launch area for rafts will be constructed at the end of the park—an area that now serves as the entrance. There will also be a turnaround to ease traffic flow. Between the parking lot and the river will be a swale that will help handle the stormwater. A new trail will form a border along the river and help the shoreline riparian environment. Currently about 5,000 acres of stormwater from northwest Spokane flows untreated to the Spokane River at end of the T.J. Meenach bridge. To address this situation, the city has already begun a series of six projects that will divert the initial flush of stormwater to about six acres of grassy swales for treatment. Five of those six acres will be at the disc golf course located just west of Downriver Golf Course. The disc golf course will also be rebuilt and upgraded as part of the swale construction project. (Paul Delaney)
AVISTA PARTNERSHIP BRINGS NEW PARK TO THE SPOKANE RIVER SPOKANE, WASH.
By mid-May, Upriver Park on the Spokane River (just east of the University District and Mission Park) will provide a new natural open space for outdoor recreation and enjoying the river. Avista has dedicated three acres at Mission Avenue and Upriver Drive to a park that will allow river access and water-based recreation while contributing to an ecologically healthy shoreline. The park project involved vacating about a third of a mile of Upriver Drive, separating Centennial Trail users from motorized vehicle traffic in what has historically been a challenging spot for the Trail. “Upriver Park will be a revitalized space that provides more recreational access to our beautiful river,” says Garrett Jones, director of the City of Spokane Parks & Recreation. “The native vegetation, improved river views, and widened Centennial Trail are all incredible and desired assets to add to the park experiences in our community.” Loreen McFaul, executive director of the
Friends of the Centennial Trail concurs. “Avista’s commitment to stewarding the Spokane River and Centennial Trail continues to make a positive, unique impact. Upriver Park sets a new standard for how the land between the Centennial Trail and Spokane River can be stewarded as greenway, healthy wildlife habitat, and riparian area for native plants.” McFaul adds the park was thoughtfully designed with amenities like a wider Centennial Trail, trailhead parking, open views, and new public access to the Spokane River. “Many Spokane residents feel unsafe on the Centennial Trail near Mission Park and along Upriver Drive because of the proliferation of illegal camping, litter, and overgrown trees and shrubs blocking open views to the river,” she says, noting that the new Upriver Park will change that. “We are grateful to Avista for this beautiful community gift and encourage all jurisdictions and developers to repeat this concept along all 40 miles of Centennial Trail and the Spokane River in Washington.” (Carol Corbin)
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GET OUT THERE INLAND NORTHWEST SPRING WILDFLOWER HIKES By Rich Leon
THE SPOKANE AREA IS BLESSED with many
great places to hike and enjoy our wide array of wildflowers. These are a few of my favorites that I have enjoyed over the 40-plus years I have lived in Spokane. Before you go out on your wildflower quest, it’s a good idea to pick up a wildflower book. My favorite is one I have had in my backpack for a long time: "A Field Guide to Rocky Mountain Wildflowers." The book has held together really well considering all the use it has had over the years. Another really good book to have is "Plants of Southern BC and the Inland Northwest." This book not only has good information on wildflowers but
also on trees, shrubs, ferns, and lichen. It is one of my go-to books. It is a little heavy for the backpack but is worth its weight in gold. As the saying goes, "April showers bring May flowers." The month of May along with June can bring an explosion of beautiful wildflowers or in some dry years a very disappointing short season. It is the middle of March as I write this article and I don't have a crystal ball to tell what sort of wildflower season we will have this year. It could be great or it could be a bust. All I can do is tell you about some of my favorite places from past years and hope it doesn't get too dry too early this year. Happy
wildflower hunting! TURNBULL NATIONAL WILDLIFE REFUGE
(Cheney, Wash.) This area has probably the best variety of wildflowers in the Inland Northwest. There are many different hiking trails along with a 5-mile auto loop. In addition to all the waterfowl, this 20,000-acre natural area supports a large variety of wildlife, including white-tailed deer, coyotes, beaver, and moose. Some of the wildflowers you might see are Bitterroot (state flower of Montana), sticky geranium, yellow bells, prairie smoke, camas, and death camas, along with a
lot of balsamroot just to name a few. Be sure and check for ticks before you leave the refuge. You don't want any little hitchhikers going home with you. ILLER CREEK CONSERVATION AREA
(Spokane Valley, Wash.) This is one place you will want to bring your camera. Iller has some very unique wildflowers not found in other areas around Spokane. One is Clarkia (a member of the evening primrose family). Clarkia was named after William Clark of the Lewis and Clark expedition. Other wildflowers include mountain lady slippers, clematis, monkshood, and
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OUTTHEREOUTDOORS.COM / MAY-JUNE 2022
LEFT TO RIGHT: BITTERROOT, TURNBULL WILDLIFE REFUGE // BEARGRASS, MOUNT SPOKANE STATE PARK. // CLARKIA, ILLER CREEK CONSERVATION AREA // TRILLIUM, MOUNT SPOKANE STATE PARK // STICKY GERANIUM,TURNBULL WILDLIFE REFUGE. PHOTOS: RICH LEON
honeysuckle. DISHMAN HILLS NATURAL AREA
(Spokane Valley, Wash.) The picturesque cliffs and ravines not only make this place an interesting area to explore but also a wonderful place to find a variety of wildflowers. As you roam around the many trails you are likely to find glacier lilies, Rocky Mountain iris, fairy bells, balsamroot, and fireweed.
for a variety of reasons but especially the Nordic ski trail area because of the beargrass. The area has beargrass every year, but these plants only produce a major bloom about once every seven years. When a big bloom happens, it is a sight to behold. On the lower part of the mountain (especially trail 100), you can find trillium, mountain bluebells, two different coralroot, bunchberry, paintbrush, and fairy slipper orchids.
MOUNT SPOKANE STATE PARK
KAMIAK BUTTE
(Mead, Wash.) This is one of my favorite places for wildflowers. I like all the different trails
(Pullman, Wash.) This spot is about a 60-mile drive south of Spokane but well worth it. Surrounded on
all sides by the wheat fields of the Palouse, this 3,650-foot-tall island of pine, fir, and larch has some amazing views. On a good wildflower year the hillsides can be covered in a sea of yellow from the balsamroot. It is a great place to bring the kids for a selfguided nature walk on the 3.5-mile Pine Loop Trail. Don't forget to pack a picnic lunch.
OTHER NOTABLE INLAND NW WILDFLOWER HOT SPOTS
Other areas you might want to visit are Slavin Conservation Area (Spokane), Antoine Peak (Spokane Valley), Little Spokane River (North Spokane), Riverside State Park (Spokane), and the Liberty Lake Conservation Area (Liberty Lake, Wash.) Please be aware that some areas in Washington require a Discover Pass such as Mount Spokane and Riverside State Parks. There is an entry fee for the Turnbull Wildlife Refuge, and other areas such as the Little Spokane River do not allow dogs; all other natural areas require dogs to be on a leash at all times. //
TUBBS HILL AND MINERAL RIDGE
(Coeur d’Alene, Idaho) Both of these popular North Idaho natural areas offer some great views, and there are also plenty of wildflowers to see.
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The Trailhead
Inland NW Trail & Outdoor News By Holly Weiler
GLACIER NP PERMIT SYSTEM EXPANSION
Glacier National Park is expanding its permit system in 2022. This is the second year of the pilot permit system aimed at reducing crowding within the park. Anyone planning to visit areas of the park requiring a permit will need to create an account on recreation.gov in order to apply. In addition to permits, each vehicle entering the park will also require a vehicle pass (or interagency pass). FREE PARK AND FISHING DAYS
Due to a recent legislative change, Discover Pass fee-free days in Washington will now extend to all state-owned public lands (including Washington State Parks, Department of Natural Resources, and Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife). There will be three opportunities to take advantage of this change in June, with fee-free days to mark National Get Outdoors Day on June 11, Free Fishing Day on June 12 (which actually extends to the whole weekend, so a fishing license will not be required on either July 11 or 12), and Juneteenth on June 19. If you take advantage of the free fishing opportunity, remember that while a fishing license and Discover Pass will not be required that weekend, all other Washington fishing rules still apply. Check the WDFW website for information on the body of water you intend to fish. SPOKANE SUMMER PARKWAYS RETURNS
Celebrate Summer Solstice with a return to Spokane Summer Parkways on June 21! Four miles of city streets connecting Manito and Comstock parks will close to vehicle traffic from 6–9 p.m., allowing nonmotorized users to hike, run, bike, scooter, skateboard or unicycle down normally busy streets. Local organizations will have informational booths set up along the route with lots of fun activities to enjoy along the way. This event is free and intended to promote a healthy lifestyle. TRAIL PROJECTS, CLEANUPS AND OUTINGS
Trailwork and public lands stewardship projects around the region are getting started in earnest and will begin to venture into the higher elevations in late spring. Watch the local trail organizations' volunteer offerings for National Trails Day on June 4. Here are a few late-spring into early summer projects: • The Chelan-Douglas Land Trust offers citizen science early morning birding outings to gather information about birds returning to post-fire landscapes. Advance registration is required for the group outings, or independent data collection can be coordinated with the Land Trust. 16
OUTTHEREOUTDOORS.COM / MAY-JUNE 2022
• Evergreen East has new trail projects planned at Mackenzie Natural Area and Liberty Lake Regional Park, along with ongoing projects at Mica Peak and Mount Spokane. • Friends of Scotchman Peaks Wilderness offers both guided hikes and trail stewardship projects. Spring highlights include trail maintenance days in the lowlands at Ross Creek Cedars and up high at Star Peak. • Idaho Trail Association has spring trailwork trips planned at various locations including Priest Point, Priest Lake, the Mickinnick Trail, and Boulder Meadows Spring. • Inland Northwest Land Conservancy offers hikes, trail maintenance, and other stewardship activities. Spring offerings range from wildflower hikes to noxious weed identification and removal, to trail building projects on INLC-managed lands. There will also be a celebration of the work on Rimrock to Riverside hosted by INLC on May 14. • Okanogan Highlands Alliance is planning spring trail maintenance events to the Virginia Lilly area west of Republic and Pine Chee area near Oroville. • Pacific Northwest Trail Association has regular volunteer work parties aimed at new volunteers, drop-in work parties for experienced volunteers who are willing to work alongside PNTA Performance Crews, and Backcountry Trips that require two or more days of camping/backpacking along with volunteer trail maintenance. Late spring highlights include northeast Washington trips such as Fir Mountain and Sweat Creek, Silver Creek and Abercrombie Mountain, and trails in the Sullivan Lake area. • Spokane Riverkeeper will be hosting two river corridor cleanup events on June 25, with one group focusing on the University District/Downtown and another focusing efforts on the Mission Park area. • Washington Trails Association will be hosting spring day trips within Spokane County Parks and Mount Spokane State Park; a weekend camping opportunity at Indian Creek Community Forest hosted by the Kalispel Tribe Natural Resources Department; and Backcountry Response Team Trips to Bead Lake, Sweat Creek Basin to Clackamas Mountain, the Salmo Loop in the Salmo Priest Wilderness, and East and West Butte in the WenahaTucannon Wilderness. Find signup links to volunteer opportunities with several of these great nonprofits on the Out There stewardship volunteer calendar: O u t t h e r e o u t d o o r s . c o m / v o l u n t e e rscheduling. //
SWEAT CREEK WILDS. PHOTOS: HOLLY WEILER
Hike of the Month SWEAT CREEK BASIN TRAIL TO MAPLE MOUNTAIN, NORTHEAST WASHINGTON
The Sweat Creek Basin Trail to Maple Mountain is an excellent spring day hike with good options for turning it into a backpacking trip. The first portion of the trail from the Sweat Creek Picnic Area to Hunter Spring (4.5 miles) is on the official route of the Pacific Northwest Trail. Those who would like to turn a visit here into a backpack trip may want to consider continuing north on the PNT route, but a nice day hike option is to turn off to the east at Hunter Spring and continue out to Maple Mountain. The trail to Maple Mountain is not as well maintained, and some route-finding skills may be necessary, but the trail traverses through mostly open forest and is blanketed with wildflowers in the spring. The benchmark for Maple Mountain is not on the highest point, but is instead on a third subsidiary peak with a bald top that boasts fantastic views to the northeast. Take in the views of Canada in the distance, along with arrowleaf balsamroot, Calypso orchids, and bitterroot at your feet. This area will see multiple trailwork crews with both the Pacific Northwest Trail Association and Washington Trails Association this spring, so consider joining one of the project days as part of your visit here. Note that the area is open rangeland, and cattle may be on the allotment beginning in early June. The full hike is 14 miles round-trip and includes 3,000 feet of elevation gain. The hike to Maple Mountain via the Sweat Creek Basin Trail should be considered moderate from the trailhead to Hunter Spring, and then more difficult due to less maintenance on the Maple Mountain Trail section. Getting there: The Sweat Creek Picnic Area is located on the north side of Highway 20 at 8.7 miles west of Republic, or 31.8 miles east of Tonasket. A paved road to the turnoff and a well-maintained gravel parking lot make this an easily accessible backcountry route. The trail starts just behind the CXT toilet. (Holly Weiler)
MAY-JUNE 2022 / OUTTHEREOUTDOORS.COM
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People in the Wild
A Man Called Fish By Ammi Midstokke
FISH AND HIS HOMESTEAD. PHOTOS: AMMI MIDSTOKKE
THERE IS A SENSATIONALISM that we’ve
begun to demand in regard to outdoorsing. It isn’t just that we’re looking for those who have climbed the highest, run the farthest, survived the extremist. We’re demanding a story that makes them worthy of this level of soul suffering journey or our interest: shitty childhood, trauma, grief, drug recovery, some salacious deservedness. Fish may or may not have any or all of the above. The only thing one senses in his presence is that he’s at home outside. Shelter, whether on land or sea, is fine and all that, but mostly for sleeping. If ever there was a rule book for how to do life, Fish probably burned it to make a campfire. Or used it for toilet paper. He is dispensing financial advice as we move up the trail. Pay off your house as fast as you can, don’t let them banks keep your money, that’s your money. A mile alongside Fish is arguably loaded with more wisdom than any meeting I’ve ever had with a financial advisor. And that’s just the money talk. Fish is in his 60s but only his silver hair and variety of adventures give him away. There’s no poetic story about a life-altering hunting trip or some deep connection he had with his father in the outdoors. His dad was a trucker, passed away when Fish was a teenager. I don’t ask what they called him then. “We were out in the Pokono Mountains when there wasn’t nobody there,” he says of being a normal kid growing up in rural
Pennsylvania. He went outside a lot. He liked it. He thought maybe someday he’d be a forest ranger. When Fish got out of high school, he went to work for the mill like everyone else in small-town Pennsylvania. They had good wages and poor outcomes and Fish was a bit too curious about life to last long. So he joined the Coast Guard, then decided to head into the wilderness for a month before he became an indentured civil servant. Maybe this is what put the mountains into his blood, or maybe it’s in all of ours and we just don’t know until we’re there. When Fish had leave, he hiked. When he finished his time, he stuffed a metal-framed Kelty pack (it weighs over seven pounds) and hit the Pacific Crest Trail for a thousand or so miles. It was 1980. The “trail” was more marked than it was cut. He lamented the manzanita, still crisp in his memory. That pack and its collection of patches hangs next to his Osprey now. He’s not beholden to some kind of old-school misery and a flannel sleeping bag with a metal zipper. His transition to water versus land was not a direct result or resentment of that adventure. Rather, someone asked him to help sail a boat somewhere and so he hopped aboard and learned how to sail. Then he sailed for another decade plus, bouncing around islands, falling in love with his bride, Red, on the high seas. Or maybe a port town bar, but any of it sounds romantic when the
word “Caribbean” is thrown in. “She was a cougar before it was a thing,” he says as he shows me her collection of art. She lets Fish talk. Her long, silver hair is as shiny as her eyes are keen. She still paints and produces an incredible amount of art. Most of it sold, but there are a few pieces she just cannot let go. They decorate the walls of their octagonal cabin. Their art show travels are what brought them to the Northwest along with Fish’s love of mountains. Far off the beaten track, they own a swath of land that is nestled into the canyons of the Cabinet Mountains. They had been on the search for some years. “I told them, ‘Don’t even bother showing me anything that’s been logged,’” he says. The giant, 100-year-old cedars and firs sway in the early spring wind above our heads. They feel like towering guardians watching silently over the valley. Long ago, the land had been a camp in the early 1900s. Then it had been owned by a Native woman who moved her teepee around each season until she found the perfect place to build. The couple upgraded the bare-bones cabin by chinking the logs and insulating the floor. Strange artifacts from the land’s history still surface in the soil every spring. They decorate the exterior of the various structures on the property: wood shops, green houses, outhouses, and the one with the corrugated metal roofing as walls to keep the bears out.
“What you have here is as close to the beauty of the Trinity Alps as you can find,” says Fish. Then he describes creeping up the backside of Mount Jefferson, breaking through the trees into a panorama of this perfect peak above the high desert. One gets the impression he could accurately describe every peak he’s seen as if they were lost loves he still daydreams about. “Mount Saint Helens, though,” he says, almost with a sigh, “that was the perfect shaped mountain. Until it blew.” Long gone are the days of carrying a 75-pound pack with 15 days of food stuffed into it. He still goes out on multiday trips, just with lighter gear. And when he showed up at the trailhead in his lifted Jeep, he hopped out like he’s decades younger than he is and right in his element. The truth is, and Fish seems to embody this, it is in our nature to be in nature. We are creatures of this earth and its elements. These cities and suburbs are rather like zoos of humanity. To be in the forest, to sail the waters, to tend the land, steward trails, build homes with bare hands, explore—these things are in our blood. Anyone who has made a campfire or crawled into a tent knows the feeling. It’s like coming home. Ammi Midstokke lives with her family in North Idaho, where she observes outdoorsy people in their natural habitat. She can be contacted at ammimarie@gmail.com. MAY-JUNE 2022 / OUTTHEREOUTDOORS.COM
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EVERYDAY CYCLIST
Why a Proper Fit Matters By Justin Short
BIKE FITTING IS A CURIOUS ANIMAL.
Sometimes a bike will fit like a glove right out of the box; sometimes it doesn’t. Other times you may find that the bike fits well but then discover when you’re far away from home that you’re sitting on a medieval torture device. Maybe your rump is fine, but your wrists are killing you, or your neck, or a knee. Hopefully this article helps you decide if and what level of bike fit you need for pain-free pedaling. In the long-gone days of my youth, the proper fit on a BMX bike was the simple matter of adjusting the wheelbase and handlebar reach to facilitate better wheelies. Too long and the front wheel wouldn’t come up. Too short and you fell off the back. Striking that balance became particularly important the more time I spent off the ground. In my early 20s I got my first road bike. I wondered why it felt like I was holding onto the front axle. I really needed eyeballs on the top of my forehead to see the road ahead at that angle, but I was young and my thirst for adventure was stronger than my dislike of the discomfort I experienced. My second road bike, a 1981 predecessor of the modern adventure gravel bike, magically fit like the aforementioned proverbial glove. After that bike disintegrated, I spent more than a decade trying to recreate that fit on other bikes. Over the years I was riding less and less, so the perfect fit didn’t matter as much, until Thomas Yeates of the Bike Hub talked me into racing the 700-mile Cross-Washington Mountain Bike Route. I immediately booked a level 3 fit with Brice Erickson at B&L Bicycles in Pullman, Wash. As Bike Fit Sam, owner of Ambassador Cycling on the South Hill says, “Cycling is a perceived low-impact activity, but it’s repetitive. If something is off in your fit, you can create an overuse injury or blow something out.” I now schedule a fit checkup every year with Bike Fit Sam as the riding season ramps up into the absurd ultra bikepacking events that have captured my imagination in recent years. And so far I’m
Make an IMPACT…
still relatively comfortable after 36 straight hours of riding. “Not everyone needs a pro fit,” says Sam. “A bike shop will get you close, and that’s good enough for most people.” So when is it time to schedule an appointment with one of the great pro bike fitters we have in the Inland Northwest? Pain: Even if you don’t have acute pain, you don’t know how much better cycling can be if it actually feels good to sit on your bike. Post-injury: Your fit can be modified to take the load off of a joint or appendage. Injury prevention: If you’ve signed up for your first Iron Man or century, or anything beyond your normal scope of riding endurance, it becomes more important to have your fit dialed in.
GO by BIKE
Reduced activity/fitness: It’s normal for experienced riders to make small adjustments as their fitness fluctuates throughout the season. So chances are that bike that’s been collecting dust in the back of the garage for 15 years will get a signed confession out of you if you spend enough time on it. New bike: Possibly the best reason for a bike fit. Your fitter will probably be as excited as you are. The best advice is to ride your bike and feel it out. If your bike doesn’t feel like an extension of your body, maybe consider an appointment with Ambassador Cycling, Brice at B&L, Katrina Vogel, or Paul Sharp, just to name a few. Your friendly neighborhood bike nut probably knows them. //
*May is bike to work month *Specials on commuter accessories
Justin Short got his annual bike fit checkup with Ambassador Cycling in preparation for the 350-mile Odyssey of the VOG bikepacking race out of Salem, Ore., in late May. He will probably ride the thing straight through, unless he comes to his senses. MAY-JUNE 2022 / OUTTHEREOUTDOORS.COM
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provisions
(n.) food drink, or equipment, especially for a journey.
PHOTO: ALANA LIVINGSTON
WILDCRAFTING AROUND THE INLAND NW
FARMERS MARKET RECIPE: Roasted Radishes with Rosemary and Honey Radishes are plentiful at farmer’s markets in the spring, along with fresh herbs and local honey. Substitute for baby spring potatoes, if you want.
2 bunches radishes 2 Tbsp extra virgin olive oil 1 pinch sea salt, to taste 1 Tbsp chopped fresh rosemary 1 Tbsp honey Preheat oven to 425°F. Grease a baking sheet with 1 Tbsp of the oil. Wash, trim, and quarter or halve the radishes and place them in a bowl. Add the rosemary and drizzle with the honey and remaining oil. Toss to coat evenly. Roast them for 30–35 minutes, stirring occasionally to cook evenly. Should be wrinkled and crispy on the outside and soft on the inside when done. Enjoy with a yogurt dip or curried mayo. (S. Michal Bennett)
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OUTTHEREOUTDOORS.COM / MAY-JUNE 2022
Spring is upon us and there is no better time to learn about and taste Mother Earth’s bounty. If you are new to foraging, I strongly recommend getting a book with information on how to identify edible plants including pictures, such as “Pacific Northwest Edible Plant Foraging” by Willow Walsh. Many books will break down what seasons you can find edible plants, where to find them and even recipes. Additionally, there is a fun board game simply called “Wildcraft” that makes learning plant identification fun and easy for all ages. Spring promises some of the most delicious, fresh, and nutrient-dense plants. Very plentiful and easy to find is miner’s lettuce. Look in shaded and moist areas. I usually find a ton at the base of trees in a wooded area. It is very fresh tasting and excellent in salads or as a garnish (like microgreens or sprouts). Dandelions are also easy to find and ample. Make sure they are not growing somewhere that might be sprayed with chemicals, toxins or fertilizers. The whole dandelion plant is edible. They can be eaten raw, cooked like spinach, made into tea (or wine), and even used as a coffee substitute. Wild Onion is another plant you can forage in the spring and into fall for the bulbs. Look in a drier area of woods or along rocky ledges. They grow in clumps similar to chives, arching at the top with a cluster of white flowers. When all else fails, smell it. (Alana Livingston)
CRAVE NW: The Foodie Event of the Summer
Stoke the campfire; the sight and smell of smoke rising from the fresh meat or veggies cooking over the fire is a summer delight. Imagine combining the cooking talent of over 15 regional chefs each night with an outdoor party—a big party for hundreds of your new friends—in an outdoor setting this July in Spokane Valley. Small plates from each booth combined with regionally made wine, beer or cider is a satisfying flavor delight. Crave NW is the place to be for a few nights each summer, with 45+ chefs, 20+ local producers, 12+ breweries and ciders, 12+ wineries, and live music. The event offers some of the best food from the region in a festive format that also promotes the foodie visionaries of our area—the restauranteurs, the brewers, and the tastemakers. Crave NW is a three-night epicurean escapade. The final night (July 16) caps off with Fire & Smoke, the campfire version, but the first and second nights are equally fun. July 14 is Burger Night, and it is a hearty competition—see chefs make everything from beef to salmon and maybe even mushroom burgers. Check out July 15 for Foods from Around the World; if you fancy yourself a traveler, that’s your night! Each night enjoy music, good company, and explore friendly vendors from local businesses that you can get to know personally. Tickets available at Cravenw.com. (Jennifer Ferrero)
CHALICE BREWING: Fermentation Science in Downtown CDA Situated next door to one of the most wellknown bars and restaurants on Sherman Avenue in Coeur d’Alene lies the warm haven of a brewery and taproom: Chalice Brewing. Owners Brian Engdahl and his fiancé Kate Ohlrich consider themselves lucky to have opened in 2021 in this 1918 downtown building, and they’ve honored the history of the space with exposed brick walls, dark wood accents and bar that are reminiscent of a European pub. No TVs also means more conversations and fewer distractions, which many in the community find refreshing in the downtown corridor. And while their system is still small, meaning their excellent in-house brews are limited, the tap list has been carefully curated. “I’ve tried to make sure each beer is something I would be happy to have produced,” says Engdahl. Engdahl got hooked on brewing beer as a teenager helping his brother home brew. As a sophomore in high school, he wasn’t allowed to drink the beer, but he truly enjoyed the work. “I thought, man if cleaning is this fun, what will actual brewing be like?” says Engdahl. His dad had always encouraged him to make his own decisions and own his own business, so when Engdahl decided to pursue a degree in fermentation science, his dad was completely on board. “It was a good way to apply science and get rewarded on the back end with a product like beer,” Engdahl says. After graduating and spending a few years learning the brewing industry at Ancestry Brewing in Tualatin, Ore., he and Kate decided to open their own craft brewery in Coeur d’Alene. Kate had been to CDA many times as a kid for gymnastic competitions, and the beauty, down-to-earth people, and future of the area appealed to them as they planned to start their own business and a family. As they approach the end of their first year serving North Idaho and Spokane, they hope to continue bringing positive competition and collaboration to the local brewery community as well as solid and interesting brews to imbibers. Check out the live music on the weekends and look for their back patio to be opening soon. (S. Michal Bennett)
FIVE WAYS TO ENJOY INLAND NW MICROGREENS
In the Inland Northwest, microgreens are one of the first fresh greens available in the springtime and contain highly concentrated levels of vitamins, minerals, and antioxidants. With a quick, 15-day turnaround from planting to harvest, local farmers can start microgreens in their greenhouses as soon as the season allows enough sunlight. Microgreens are commonly found in an array of varieties at farmers markets and in grocery stores. Find them on the online LINC Market (lincfoods.com) along with many of the ingredients in these top five microgreen dishes for spring in the Inland Northwest! 1. Layered Onto the Year’s First Burgers on the Grill A layer of flavorful foliage between the patty and the bun. 2. Tossed with Lemon Pesto Gnocchi This dish is so fresh and bright! Use pesto from Footehills Farm and add sauteed mushrooms from Happy Mountain Mushrooms for a more filling variation. 3. Mixed Into Rice Noodles with Thai Peanut Sauce Add sliced carrots and radishes from Full Bushel Farm to make this cold noodle salad extra colorful and inviting. 4. Added To Avocado Toast with Red Radishes and Lemon Vinaigrette Make your avocado toast even more filling, nutritious, and beautiful with a sprinkling of microgreens. 5. Incorporated Into a Black Bean Taco Bar Microgreens stand out as a stand-in for lettuce. Pair with ramekins of cotija cheese from Lake Wolf Creamery, pickled red onions from Andersen Organics, and Habanero Hot Sauce from Iggy’s Alive and Cultured. (courtesy of LINC Foods—The Local Inland Northwest Cooperative@Lincfoods.com). //
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23
RUN WILD
The Need for Speed
THE LAST COUPLE OF YEARS have been A
LOT. I know we all feel this. Thankfully, running—my unbreakable habit, my life partner, my ride-or-die—has been there for me every step (hey there, pun) of the way, even for the steps that have felt slow and belabored. For quite a while now I haven’t run many races or attached any sort of goal around my runs, and that’s been just about right for my capacity. My frequent rotation of leisurely runs has been good for my mind, body and soul—but lately I’ve been feeling ready for a new season. I’ve got the itch to see if I can push a little harder and get a little faster. There are many reasons to pursue an increase in speed. Maybe you want to cross the finish line a couple of minutes sooner in your next race. Maybe you want to get stronger. Maybe, like me, you want to give your body and your mind a challenge, to see what you’re capable of, and enjoy riding
By Sarah Hauge
high on the extra burst of endorphins that comes with those tougher efforts. Whatever your motivation, the steps below can help you get there. Run with a speedy friend. If you make a plan to run with a friend who’s a little faster, you’ll go a little faster, too. If you’re feeling taxed, make your faster friend do the talking. It’ll help the miles fly by. Speed work makes the dream work. Try adding a weekly speed-focused workout to your running repertoire. You could try a track workout (Google “running track workouts” for suggestions), which keeps you on the track’s level, slightly springy surface with clearly marked distances. Basic track workouts include 100-meter repeats (run hard for 100 meters, run easy for 100 meters, repeating that pattern 6–8 times), 200-meter repeats (the same thing, but
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with 200 meters of running hard followed by 200 meters easy, 6–8 times), or 400meter repeats (run one lap hard around the track followed by an easy lap, repeat 6 or so times). (See Runner’s World article “The Ultimate Guide to Track Running for Beginners” by Ashley Mateo for more ideas.) Remember to sandwich every speed workout between a warm-up and cool-down. Or for a fun, non-track option, try a fartlek run. A fartlek (“speed play” in Swedish) is a run where you pepper your average pace with irregular bursts of speed. For instance, run a couple of blocks at your typical pace, then make a race-pace push to a landmark like a mailbox. The key with a fartlek is to keep things playful and not super regimented. Sign up for some races. Self-directed speed workouts aren’t your thing? Skip the midweek speed workout and sign up for a series of weekend races instead. You’ll push yourself on the race course (thanks, race-day adrenaline!), avoid the drudgery of the track, and get a finisher’s medal or t-shirt to boot. Strength train. With a stronger core, upper body, and lower body, you’ll simply have
more of what it takes to push harder and feel good doing it. Consider adding fullbody strength training into your routine a couple of days a week. (FitnessBlender.com is a great, free resource.) Check your gait. Go in for a gait analysis with your physical therapist or at a knowledgeable running store like Fleet Feet. They’ll study your gait and assess all sorts of metrics about your stride, which will help you determine if there are ways you can hone your form for a better performance. Rest. Last but not least, make sure you’re getting enough sleep and taking days off. Rest is a critical part of getting faster and stronger—and avoiding injury. On non-rest days, avoid the temptation to make every run a hard run. You’ll benefit more by having a weekly speed workout surrounded by some more average-paced runs and rest days than if you push the pace every single time. // Sarah Hauge is a writer, editor, and runner who lives in Spokane with her husband and two children. She writes the Run Wild column in each issue of Out There.
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HEALTH & FITNESS
From Cyclocross Racing to a Hip Replacement By Bradley Bleck
X-RAY OF AUTHOR'S BIONIC HIP. PHOTO: BRADLEY BLECK
I BROKE THE HEAD of my femur crashing
on the third lap of last fall's Coeur d’Alene cyclocross race. Dismounting my bike to run down an embankment, I tripped and went down like a sack of potatoes. The pain was immense. As the EMT put it, “like having your arm ripped off.” Only worse. If ever there was a “Your Mileage May Vary” story on injury recovery, this is it. Not only that, but this is a “glass half full” look at my recovery.
Surgery Recovery Begins The day after my injury I had a bionic hip installed. Two days later I was home, struggling to navigate the seven steps that confined me to the bedroom and bathroom. Arriving home signaled the beginning of my recovery. Told to keep all weight off my leg for eight weeks, my recovery regimen consisted of painfully moving my left foot to the floor, hoisting myself up with the walker, hobbling to the bathroom, doing my thing, hobbling back, then painfully lifting my leg back on the bed before collapsing exhausted. Thank goodness for the “trucker’s toilet” that kept these trips to a minimum. Over the next few weeks, I moved from the walker to crutches, adding the kitchen and living room to my ambles, braving those seven steps, but still returning exhausted to bed. Six Weeks into Recovery I’d had enough of inaction. I braved the stairs (13 of them each way!) to the basement so I could ride my indoor bike. After the stairs, the hardest part was getting on the bike. The first ride lasted 15 minutes. The second, 22. The third, 30. I pedaled with minimal resistance, but it was something other than lying in bed or sitting in a chair. The next week, I began rowing workouts, beginning with 10 minutes and slowly extending the time. At week eight, the surgeon had me putting weight on my leg. One-fourth my body
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weight the first week, then half the next week, then three-quarters, and finally 100 percent. That was when I started walking around the neighborhood. The walks started short and grew to 3 miles. There was discomfort, but no pain. With week 13 I began a Zwift fitness program to get ready to ride outdoors. Here the loss of fitness and strength was quantified. The numbers are not definitive, but my cycling FTP dropped from 244 watts to 196. From not much to a good bit less. On Strava, I had a fitness score of 74 just before my accident. It was 17 when I began riding again. As of this writing, that score is up to 40, and my FTP is at 214. Progress. Also with week 13, though maybe something I should have begun earlier, was adding hip exercises and yoga. I followed each indoor ride with either 15–20 minutes of yoga and hip exercises or 20–30 minutes on the rowing machine. The yoga was basic: front planks, side planks, bridge pose, bird dog, and reclining leg lifts that could someday become Anantasana. The exercises were hip flexions, abductions, and extensions without resistance bands. The poses were initially 10 seconds per pose, then 15, 20, and 30 seconds. Each week I increased the number of sets from one to two to three to four. I’ve since added resistance bands to the exercises. The payoff to all of this was a ride with friends along the Snake River. We rode 50 flat miles, half with a headwind. It was not fast, but the sun was out, the sky was clear, and I was on my bike. But in terms of recovery, it’s only just begun. // Bradley Bleck shared his memories of his first pair of skis, Gresvig Jets, in a preCOVID edition of OutThere. When not teaching English classes at Spokane Falls Community College, he’s enjoying life riding his bike indoors and out and hoping to once again be pack fodder in road and cyclocross races around the region.
NATURE
Tribes Work to Get Salmon to Historic Habitat CHINOOK SALMON are a cultural and
ecological keystone species for the rivers of the Inland Northwest. These salmon, among other anadromous, ocean-going fish, were blocked from their historical migration routes with the TRIBAL FISH BIOLOGIST CASEY BALDWIN construction of Grand RELEASES ACUSTIC TAGGED CHINOCK AT Coulee Dam in 1942. SANPOIL. PHOTO: Yet this spring THE ADAM GEBAUER the Spokane Tribe of Indians, Colville Confederated Tribes, and the Coeur d’Alene Tribe, along with help from the U.S. Geological Survey, are conducting phase two of a 20-year project to reintroduce this once abundant and important subsistence fish upstream of that dam. Paired with previous adult and juvenile releases, this study will be the first large-scale formal research investigating the behavior and survival of these juvenile fish as they make their way through Lake Roosevelt, passing Grand Coulee and Chief Joseph dams, followed by the successive downstream dams on the Columbia River equipped with fish passage.
This is a truly collaborative process, pooling resources between the three tribes. Chinook salmon being released were first raised in the Coeur d’Alene tribal fish hatchery. The Tribes then release juvenile chinook into their waterways: Hangman Creek, the Spokane below Nine Mile Dam, and areas of Lake Roosevelt. The releases are timed so that as the fish move downstream, they will create a larger and larger sample size. The Tribes are using two different tracking devices: a passive integrated transponder (PIT tag), like ones used in pets, and an acoustic tag. The PIT tags will generate data for the life of the fish as it passes through the dams on the Columbia on its way to the ocean, and then hopefully in 2–3 years on its return as an adult swimming upstream through the dams with fish passage. According to Colville Confederated Tribal fish biologist Casey Baldwin, “The acoustic study that is occurring this spring is the first
large-scale pilot study to evaluate survival in reaches of the blocked area and through the dams, and it will also provide some data on travel times and behavior near the dams.” Due to size and battery life, acoustic tags will provide data for an average of 80 days. The Tribes share the maintenance of 50 acoustic arrays in Lake Roosevelt. The acoustic tags can be monitored from approximately 200 meters away of an array, whereas the PIT tags must come within five feet of a reader. The PIT tag readers are located in fish passages on Rocky Reach Dam and other downstream dams. For this season, the study has a sample size of 770 acoustic tags and approximately 4,500 PIT tags, released at nine different sites. The Tribes will be repeating this study for the next three years. Although this season marks the first formal study on juvenile chinook behavior and survival, there have been previous adult and juvenile releases for both cultural and research purposes. Releases in both the Sanpoil and the Little Spokane Rivers reveal that habitat above the dams is suitable for successful reproduction. In the Sanpoil River, the Colville Tribe has confirmed successful spawning through the
By Adam Gebauer documentation of redds (spawning nests) and out-migrating juveniles past the dam the following spring. This past fall the Spokane Tribe released 50 adults, 20 with radio tags, in the Waikiki springs area of the Little Spokane and found nine redds, although their surveys were limited due to private property river access. If landowners along the Little Spokane are interested in helping the reintroduction effort, they can contact Spokane Tribal Fisheries about conducting surveys within their private waterways. The fish of the Columbia River were and are the cultural touchstone for the Tribes of the Upper Columbia. The salmon that once ran from the streams of northeast Washington and North Idaho to the ocean and back supplied up to 75% of the subsidence diet and were the focus of seasonal gatherings, trade, and ceremonies. As the late Colville Tribal elder Mary Marchand once said, “If you bring back our salmon, you will bring back our culture.”// Adam Gebauer tries to be outside for work and play as much as possible. He last wrote about federal funding for public lands in the March issue of Out There.
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BIKING
24 Hours of Riverside
An Around-the-Clock Party on Wheels Returns FOR 20 YEARS, the 24-hour mountain bike
race at Riverside State Park was a Spokane mountain bike institution each spring. Then came the word that the 2019 event would be the end of an era. Long-time organizers Round and Round Productions had ridden the wave of 24-hour racing through the heyday of the 2000s and determined it was time for one final party on wheels before moving on to other things. As 20 years worth of racers contemplated the end of an era, interest in the race surged once again. And after that final lap of that presumed
and decades spent racing competitively, working and announcing at bike events (Bulger), the two seem perfectly matched to pull off a comeback for 24-hour racing in Spokane. WHAT’S NEW FOR 2022
Ewing and Bulgers’ approach to the new and improved 24 Hours of Riverside seems to be right on track with what many of today’s riders are looking for too. “The thing about the 24-hour race format is that it’s such a great party atmosphere,” says
By Derrick Knowles
(the two have a long-standing bit of trickery between them that involves sneaking an ancient bike pedal back and forth into each other’s possession), this year’s festival of around-the-clock riding at Riverside will be one to remember, even if that memory is a bit hazy and comes with a few scars of questionable origin. And there’s some legit, new fun to be had this year too. Riders can look forward to the return of a long-absent beer garden with Millwood Brewing as the sponsor, more food truck options, a kids bike parade
a few laps between beers and bullshit sessions back in camp. Each team can set their own rules as far as how many laps each rider completes too, says Bulger. “If you want other people to do more of the riding, go for it. You guys do you,” he says. “My hope,” adds Ewing, “is that people have a kickass time and that the experience is so much more than just riding around in circles for 24 hours.” WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW
When/where: At the stroke of noon on Saturday, May 28, 2022 (Memorial Day weekend) at Spokane’s Riverside State Park, the starting gun will fire, signifying the start of one crazy, fun-filled weekend. Take turns pedaling with your pals for 24 hours and see what kinds of magic and hilarity can transpire! Team requirements: Rally somewhere between one and nine of your homies of varying degrees of cycling seriousness and sign up under the appropriate team category. Each team also needs to recruit one semi-competent/sober volunteer to help keep the event wheels turning. Having a volunteer provided by each team to work a four-hour shift is an essential part of the event, says Bulger. “Volunteer jobs are actually pretty fun, and they make sure the event can happen without a massive expense to the registration costs.” Your own Discover Pass (one per vehicle) is also required.
RAISING HELL AT THE 24 HOURS OF RIVERSIDE. // PHOTO CREDIT: LUCAS ARNOLD
final race, many long-time fans of the event were left with an unquenchable thirst for more. Three years down the road, 24-hour mountain bike racing at Riverside is set to make a comeback Memorial Day weekend (May 28–29) 2022 thanks to the passion for the original event and a heap of creative vision that new race directors Eric Ewing and Pat Bulger are bringing to the table with this year’s 24 Hours of Riverside. “A lot of people were disappointed that the event might go away,” says Ewing, “so Pat and I said to ourselves, somebody needs to keep this thing going.” Ewing and Bulger were both involved with the original Round and Round-produced event for years, and with 17 years of experience in race timing (Ewing) 28
OUTTHEREOUTDOORS.COM / MAY-JUNE 2022
Bulger. “I honestly think 24-hour racing is due for a revival.” For most riders, it’s more about the festive vibe than competitive riding, explains Bulger, noting the appeal of camping out, having beers, and staying up and riding laps late into the night with a bunch of friends. It’s also where cycling is going, he adds, pointing out the explosion of interest in gravel biking and bikepacking. “People want to ride for an insanely long ways and then camp and have fun sitting in the dirt, and that’s what they get to do at a 24-hour race.” The main thing Bulger and Ewing hope to bring to 24 Hours of Riverside this year is a festive atmosphere. And judging by the look and feel of the event website and their prankster approach to working together
Saturday evening with Kona Ice treats, bike movies in the village at night, contests for the best decorated camps and team names, glowing inflatable arches along part of the course, and, no doubt, other unexpected shenanigans. HOW SERIOUS DO YOU NEED TO BE TO SIGN UP?
Ewing and Bulger expect several dozen hardcore solo riders to hit the course all alone for the whole race this year, as well as other teams that will be taking things pretty seriously. But they are quick to point out that most of the other teams will be a mixed bag ranging from semiserious racers to groups of buddies and semi-acquaintances more in it for a doing
What’s included: Camping Friday and Saturday nights as well as food are included in the cost of registration, including a meal from the food trucks on Saturday, a baked potato feed at some ungodly-late hour Saturday night, breakfast Sunday morning, and a postrace meal and awards presentation. Sign your team up here: 24hoursofriverside. com/registration Event motto: “Life should not be a journey to the grave with the intention of arriving safely in a pretty and well-preserved body, but rather to skid in broadside in a cloud of smoke, thoroughly used up, totally worn out, and loudly proclaiming ‘Wow! What a ride!’” (Hunter S. Thompson). Derrick Knowles is Out There editor and publisher. He plans to ride down to Riverside and cheer on friends at this year’s 24 Hours of Riverside.
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GEAR ROOM NATURAL PATCH MOSQUITO PATCHES FOR KIDS
LIFETIME STEALTH FISHING KAYAK
Kayaks are a great, affordable way to reach some of the best off-shore fishing spots at Inland Northwest lakes. The General Store in Spokane carries two models of Lifetime fishing kayaks, including the Stealth 11-foot model. This kayak has excellent stability, and the added length makes it faster and improves tracking. Other features of these boats include a
hatch and cargo net lacing for fishing gear storage, adjustable padded seat and back, molded foot wells for secure foot bracing, rod holders, and selfbailing scupper holes. Check out more Lifetime recreational and fishing kayaks at The General Store in Spokane and The General Store Outpost in Spokane Valley. (Wil Wheaton)
SALEWA DROPLINE MID BOOT
This light boot (30% lighter than a typical hiking boot) that some consider a burly hiking shoe offers plenty of ankle and foot protection and is made for moving fast in the mountains without sacrificing stability. The Pomoca outsole is designed to keep mud from building up that can be a traction killer. It also has a rockered
sole profile and a rubber toe cap to blunt the blows from painful toe strikes. One of the biggest innovations is the Ankle Protector System, a thermoformed heel cuff that provides extra lateralsupport for your ankles, especially when going downhill. MSRP: $179.95. Salewa.com/en-us (Wil Wheaton)
PACKTOWL PERSONAL TOWEL
These awesome travel towels are thin and light, making them easy to pack around. Yet they still dry you off as well as much bulkier, heavier towels. Made from quick-drying microfiber, they also come in a bunch of cool prints. The Polygiene odor control feature is very important for a pack towel if, like me, you spend a lot of time
swimming in wild, critter-rich waters or are out in the backcountry away from soap and real showers for days or weeks at a time. Perfect for summer swimming adventures, backpacking trips to alpine lakes, river floats, or to keep as a spare towel in your vehicle or RV. MSRP: $11.95-$44.95. Packtowl.com (Wil Wheaton)
TOWERBALL YARD GAME
TowerBall boasts of being the next classic backyard game, and I can see why. Think cornhole, only more challenging and fun. It’s also waterproof and packable so it’s easy to take it with you to the park or on camping trips or barbecues. It’s a fun, all-ages toss game that multiple people can play together at the same time, where the target is a four30
OUTTHEREOUTDOORS.COM / MAY-JUNE 2022
sided, 360-degree collapsible tower with a range of one-to-four holes on each side. It comes with eight soft balls and a backpack carry case and can be used indoors or outside. Come try one out at the Spokatopia Outdoor Adventure Festival July 9 at Camp Sekani Park in Spokane. MSRP: $189.99. Calibergames.com (Wil Wheaton)
Keep mosquitos and other biting bugs away from your little ones with these all-natural patches that stick to kids’ clothes. The patches contain a blend of natural citronella and essential oils instead of DEET or Picaridin. The Buzzpatches slowly releases oils to repel bugs and last up to eight hours. If a child already has a bite, Natural Patch also has itch-relieving MagicPatches to take care of the itch. Way easier and more fun than spraying kids with bug repellant! MSRP: $14.99-$36. Naturalpatch.com (Derrick Knowles) CALIFORNIA COWBOY HIGH WATER SHIRT IN DESERT FLORA
This ultimate year-round après party shirt now comes in new designs, including Desert Flora, which was hand painted by California Cowboy’s textile designer and, as they say, pays homage to the thorny yet alluring cactus. The High Water is made for social outdoor outings from festivals to the beach or boat and comes with plenty of fun features that will especially compliment
your boozy outdoor adventures: a bottle pocket for safe beer storage, an interior pocket for slimmer cans and seltzers, a bottle opener pocket, a sunglasses loop, and a dry pocket for safe phone storage in case you get a little tipsy and spill your drink. This badass tech party-wear shirt is also towel-lined for a super soft feel that’s also breathable and water absorbent. MSRP: $145. Shop. californiacowboy.com (Derrick Knowles)
LIFESTRAW COLLAPSIBLE SQUEEZE BOTTLE FILTER
I haven’t been a fan of other squeeze filter systems I’ve used, but this 650ml, soft squeeze filter from LifeStraw changed my tune a bit after using it on a Hells Canyon backpack trip this spring. The flow was better than other MALOJA PINZAGENM JERSEY
This slim fitting, narrow-cut jersey for biking or trail running features a stylish, all-over mountain silhouette. Made from light, stretchy, and perforated 100% polyester material, the Maloja Pinzagen jersey is soft, tough, and exceptionally breathable and quick drying, with its open-pored construction and deep chest zipper. Three back pockets create plenty of water and calorie storage, and the Polygiene odor control treatment will keep it smelling fresh between washings. Like all activewear from German-based Maloja, the quality, comfort, functionality, and style of this piece is worth every penny. MSRP: $119. Malojaclothing.com (Wil Wheaton)
similar filters, and the squeezing seemed easier on my hands and fingers. The bottle is BPA free, extremely durable, and at 3.2 oz, packs down small for weight and bulk conscious hikers or cyclists. MSRP: $32.95. Lifestraw.com (Derrick Knowles)
GCI SLIM-FOLD COOK STATION
ELK MOUNTAIN YUKON BELL TENT
This yurt-like Bell Tent from Idaho-based Elk Mountain is a lighter, less expensive, and more durable version of many other canvass wall tents on the market. It’s perfect for creating a large, protected sleeping or hangout space on camping trips, especially when bugs or inclement weather is part of the picture. Of course they are also your best camping bet for fall or winter hunting or fishing trips. Elk Mountain sells traditional wall tents and bell tents, the latter of which come in 13-, 16-, or 20-foot sizes and are much easier to set up and move around than a wall tent. Each tent comes with four screened
windows, four screened peak air vents, a zipped floor, and zippered front door. Each tent also comes complete with a frame and all the ropes and stakes needed for a secure set up, and it comes compatible to add a wood stove and stove pipe (also available for purchas e separately). The tent’s polyester canvas material is strong, mold resistant, waterproof, and lighter than traditional cotton canvas. C om e c h e c k out one of these Elk Mountain Bell Tents at the Spokatopia O u t d o o r Adventure Festival July 9 at Camp Sekani Park in Spokane. MSRP: $695-$1,095. Elkmountaintents.com (Derrick Knowles)
MSR LOW DOWN REMOTE STOVE SYSTEM
The Low Down Remote Stove Adapter by MSR is an upgrade for your canister stove, and has transformed the way I use my MSR Pocket Rocket stove. In the past, cooking in our camper van or outside on notso-level dirt, I have almost knocked over the stove or my cooking pot multiple times. With kids and dogs, the threat of spilling your meal or even starting a fire from tipping a canister stove is amplified. This new stove adapter turns your canister stove into much
less tip-prone cooking burner that can also fit a larger pot for cooking bigger meals. The fold out legs create a wide, stable base that lowers the stove height, and the remote valve and fuel line move the flame control away from the stove and pot allowing for better temperature adjustments. It folds up super compact too and weighs only 6.2 ounces. MSRP: $49.95. Msrgear.com
We often cook elaborate meals while out camping, which means I’ll typically have a lot going on at my outdoor kitchen, including tables and cooking surfaces littered with chopping boards, spices, and ingredients; pots and pans full of food on multiple burners; and maybe a charcoal barbecue going all at the same time. The GCI Slim-Fold Cook Station has revolutionized my camp kitchen set up. It’s compact, one piece, easy and quick to set up and clean, and has multiple surfaces for stoves, pans, food, and more. A heat-
resistant aluminum countertop is the place for stoves or grills, and four plastic foldout side tables give you plenty of room for everything else. There’s also a lower rack for drying dishes or stowing food items or kitchen organizers, plus a variety of features including beverage holders, stem glass holders, and hooks that can be used to hold garbage bags or to hang cooking utensils. It’s also plenty stable, surprisingly light, and the frame is constructed of powdercoated steel. MSRP: $110. Gcioutdoor.com (Derrick Knowles)
WANDERWILD KIDS’ BACKPACK
Cool designs and lots of pockets and features set the Wa n d e r w i l d kids backpacks apart. Great for school, travel, or outdoor adventures, these packs were created by two moms with a passion to encourage families to get out and explore together. Wa n d w i l d backpacks are made with durable, waterresistant materials with an ergonomic kid-
friendly design. Other features include added pockets for electronics, fidget tabs for fingers that never stop moving, and a mesh side pocket for water bottles. Wa n d e r w i l d also gives a portion of each sale to selected organizations that address childhood hunger, education needs, and spreading kindness. MSRP: $55. Wanderwild.com (Derrick Knowles)
Editor’s Note: Unless otherwise stated, product for these reviews was provided by the brand at no cost to the reviewer. Out There strives to only review quality products and provide honest, thoughtful, and entertaining gear reviews, but readers should always do their own research before making a purchase.
(Derrick Knowles)
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BOOK REVIEWS
Summer Reading
ON THE TRAIL OF THE JACKALOPE BY MICHAEL P. BRANCH
Humor matters—especially when describing a taxidermy hoax originated in 1932 by two young boys from Wyoming that still fools people today—and in “On the Trail of the Jackalope,” humor, history, and science find equal seats around the fire. When investigating the Jackalope or Bigfoot you have to be willing to indulge your imagination, suspend disbelief. But you also have to keep one foot grounded in the reality of the western landscape, or the story doesn’t work. Michael Branch traces the threads of
jackalopiana from Wyoming to some unlikely places. Who would have guessed this antlered bunny appeared in artwork from Renaissance Europe, has inspired death metal music in Spanish, and is known in numerous German and Swedish folktales? (Google wolpertinger, seriously). Did you know jackalopes only breed during lighting storms, or that jackalope milk is an aphrodisiac? Jackalopes have inspired alcohol names, team mascots, restaurants, comic books, and songs of all genres (check out Branch’s publicly accessible playlist on Spotify). But if you thought jackalopes only existed in gift shops, think again. It turns out horned rabbits really do exist! As Branch reveals, Dr. Richard Shope’s research into the warty protuberances on cottontail rabbits would reveal the mechanism behind a virus that causes cancer (Hello HPV vaccine). Yep, human curiosity about real-life jackalopes has put us one step closer to curing cancer. Providing a depth of research and vivid language akin to Robert Michael Pyle’s Where Bigfoot Walks or Jack Nisbet’s Visible Bones, Branch follows a trail that provides more vistas than expected. (Crystal Atamian)
WAS IT WORTH IT? A WILDERNESS WARRIOR’S LONG TRAIL HOME BY DOUG PEACOCK
If the name Doug Peacock doesn’t ring a bell, you might remember the fictional ecowarrior character Hayduke from author Edward Abbey’s “The Monkey Wrench Gang” and “Hayduke Lives.” In those nearly half-century old pieces of Western adventure fiction, Abbey bases elements of the protagonist Hayduke, a beer-swilling, gun-toting, nature-defending Vietnam vet, on his good friend Peacock, who has gone on to be a successful writer himself. Royally pissed off at the destruction of the West after returning from Vietnam, Peacock retreated to the wilds of the Rocky
Mountains and Yellowstone National Park to film and photograph grizzly bears as he slowly recovered from the trauma of war. Those experiences also inspired his lifelong efforts to protect one of the last pure and good things he saw in the word that was left worth saving: big, wild chunks of nature and the wildlife—from grizzlies to pica— that depend on such untrammeled spaces to survive. “Was It Worth It?” documents many of the wilderness and solitude-loving iconoclast’s wildest adventures in some of the most offthe-beaten-path places in North America and beyond. This book documents some of Peacock’s real-life adventures, many with the underlying aim of protecting wild nature; stories include working fire lookouts near Glacier National Park, searching for traces of the last known grizzly bears and jaguars in Mexico’s Sierra Madres and tigers in Siberia, hiding out from park rangers during his stealth grizzly research years in Yellowstone, and traversing the emotional topography of grief after burying his friend Abbey in an illegal grave in the Sonoran desert. “Was It Worth It?” is also a stark reminder of how much wild nature has been lost in the decades since many of the exploits in this book unfolded; it is a call to get outside, to experience and defend the wild places and wildlife we have left. (Derrick Knowles) //
#SmokeReady
Keep indoor air clean. Create a cleaner-air room in your home with a portable HEPA air cleaner.
SpokaneCleanAir.org 32
OUTTHEREOUTDOORS.COM / MAY-JUNE 2022
Born for this. Redesigned from the ground up, the all-new Tundra’s design pays homage to Toyota’s legendarily adventurous look. Bold lines, bulging fenders and a powerful front grille hint at the capability that lives under the sheet metal and show onlookers that this truck can handle the toughest demands.
TOYOTA.COM Prototype shown with options. Payload Capacity is the calculation of GVWR minus curb weight and should be used for comparison purposes only. The maximum amount of passenger and cargo weight your vehicle can carry is the Load Carrying Capacity indicated on the label(s) on the driver’s doorjamb. MAY-JUNE 2022 / OUTTHEREOUTDOORS.COM
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SPOKANE'S AWARDWINNING #1 TRIPADVISOR RANKED ADVENTURES What is Mica Moon? Mica Moon Zip Tours is Spokane’s only true zip line canopy tour adventure. We also have an aerial trekking park that is state of the art. Both adventures are proudly ranked #1 by TripAdvisor and are onveniently located between Spokane and Coeur d’Alene in Liberty Lake, WA. Come enjoy an incredible zip lining tour or aerial park adventure or do BOTH with our mind-blowing combo tour!
Zip Lines Our regular tour is approximately 3 hours long. It begins with a short and informative 15-minute shuttle ride from our comfortable reception area at the Liberty Lake Portal to our property halfway up Mica Peak, south of Liberty Lake. From here, guests will take an exciting ride in specially outfitted UTV’s on panoramic trails to the top of the property. Our friendly guides will then guide you through nine zip lines ending with our Big Mama zip line and 2/3 of a mile of joy!
Aerial Park
A self-guided tree-top wonderland, you move from station to station, more intense as you get higher or just stay on the lower obstacles and enjoy the perfect adventure for you. You are strapped in the entire way and the obstacles vary in degree of difficulty. From rickety bridges to Ninja Warrior style challenges, go through the aerial park and create your own adventure. They are 3 hour sessions so you can tarzan around until your heart is content.
Visit micamoon.com to book your next favorite adventure! 34
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THE UNPARALLELED ADRENALINE RUSH The Mica Moon mission statement is to provide in a professional and unforgettable way an opportunity for residents and visitors to the Spokane area to experience its natural forest treasures from unique perspectives and celebrate their associated wonder, freedom, and growth by stretching personal perspectives and comfort zones. We want our guests to feel that they had a truly amazing time, and in the process, learned as much about themselves as they did the secrets hidden in our backyard wilderness. With this in mind, we at Mica Moon spent two years and tens of thousands of dollars working with biologists, geologists, arborists, historians, governmental agencies, and experts in experiential learning to create the Mica Moon Zip Tour. We hire only the best guides, and train them in every aspect of their job so that they can maximize our guests’ experience.
"The zip tour was amazing!! I took my kids along and it was fantastic. Our guides were awesome!! Professional, knowledgeable, funny and entertaining. I would definitely recommend going and will go again in the future." - Eric R. "Our adventure with Mica Moon was fantastic from start to finish. Would highly recommend this place to all my family and friends looking for a fun recreational activity!" - Tony M.
CLIMBING
New Bouldering Guide to the Spokane Area ALLYSON COCHRANE CLIMBING AN UNNAMED BOULDER AT MCCLELLAN. // PHOTO: JON JONCKERS
SPOKANE HAS NEEDED a quality bouldering
guidebook about as long as the city has needed a north-south freeway. Nate Lynch
and Shane Collins initially started writing this guide almost 10 years ago. Both guys are solid climbers with outstanding
By Jon Jonckers
climbing resumes, and they were passionate about creating a chronicle of all the great boulder problems in the Spokane area. Bouldering is a form of free climbing that is performed on small rock formations without the use of ropes or harnesses. Climbs generally vary between eight to 15 feet, and the climbers frequently use crash pads on the ground to protect them in case they fall. The new book, “Spokane Bouldering,” features over 700 boulder problems from beginner to expert. It also includes important historical context, quality climbing photos, and historic notes about various locations. Both authors did extensive research with local bouldering legends, including George Hughbanks, Arden Pete, Marty Bland, Johnny Goicoechea, Bryan Franklin, Alex Nikolayev and Steve Moss. All that research and years of work show too. The book is over 240 pages, which means it’s thicker than the Loomis, Bland, and Speaker climbing guidebooks combined. More importantly, Collins and Lynch paid close attention to property lines, and confirmed that all of these boulder problems are on public land or on Craiglandia (private land near Tum Tum with public climbing permission.) The book also includes 65 projects—difficult climbs that are waiting
for their first ascents. Eastern Washington has been a climbing hotbed for decades and hosts two of the best indoor climbing gyms in the nation, Wild Walls and Bloc Yard. The region also features a diversity of climbing on basalt, granite, and limestone rock. So it’s no surprise that there has been a spike of climbing activity at many local climbing areas. For example in recent years, the Fisk State Park, more commonly called McClellan, has seen a sharp rise in rock climbing development, especially bouldering. This place, featured prominently in the guide, is a wonderland for climbing and bouldering. Arguably the hardest boulder problem in the guide is The Elitist (V12) at Tum Tum. Additional noteworthy climbs include Revolution, Love Taker and the Middle Finger of Fury. All of these climbs require a lot of fortitude, and mental preparation. Spokane Bouldering” is available online at Sharp End Publishing, or you can purchase the book at REI, Rambleraven and other outdoor gear outlets. // Jon Jonckers has been an Out There contributor since 2006, and he still enjoys sharing his love for the region with anyone willing to listen.
SLIDE. S U R F. SWIM. 102 Waterslide Dr.
www.slidewaters.com
509-682-5751
Open Memorial Day to Labor Day
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July 9, 2022
Get TIckets NOw!
camp sekani park
www.spokatopia.com 36
OUTTHEREOUTDOORS.COM / MAY-JUNE 2022
Thank you to Event Sponsors!
One day. a whole summer's worth of fun! KAYAK & PADDLEBOARD DEMOS
Try sit-on-top kayaks and a variety of paddleboards on the lake-like waters of the Spokane River at Boulder Beach.
NEW THIS YEAR— HYDROFOILER DEMOS!
Using the same technology as America’s Cup sailboats, the Manta5 Hydrofoiler allows riders to pedal on the lake with or without electric assist and explore a wide range of waterways. If you can ride a bike and swim, you can ride the Manta5. Learn more at Cdaaquasports.com.
LIVE MUSIC & BEER GARDEN
Americana tunes by Matt Mitchell and other live acts. All beer garden proceeds benefit Evergreen East and local MTB trails!
MTB JUMP SHOW Watch skilled riders fly through the air at the Camp Sekani jump park.
UPHILL MTB SHUTTLES
One day each year at Spokatopia, enjoy shuttle rides for you and your bike to the top of Camp Sekani singletrack.
KIDS & FAMILY ACTIVITIES
Kids games, BMX and kids’ bike demos on the pump track, naturebased kid programs, and other family activities.
GROUP RIDES, CLINICS, & BIKE DEMOS
Take a skills clinic, join a group trail or gravel ride, or check out bikes from local shops including the return of some bike demos this year.
GAMES, PRIZES, & FUN COMPETITIONS
Play yard games, win outdoor gear, and watch or try your hand at fun competitions.
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G N I D D E R NS H W O S T E K R I B E M TA I N N U M O M U S SIX INLAND NW T H E IS E N BY AARON
THERE ARE PLENTY OF EXCELLENT MOUNTAIN BIKE TRAILS SCATTERED THROUGHOUT THE DRIER REACHES OF THE PACIFIC NORTHWEST SURROUNDING SPOKANE, BUT THESE SIX DESTINATIONS STAND OUT AS ROAD-TRIP-WORTHY TARGETS. THEY EACH OFFER A CONCENTRATION OF TRAILS FOR ALL LEVELS OF RIDERS, ACTIVE TRAIL-BUILDING CLUBS HARD AT WORK ON NEW TRAILS, AND MOUNTAIN TOWN OR CITY AMENITIES THAT MAKE A MULTIDAY BIKE TRIP THAT MUCH MORE MEMORABLE. (OTO)
HOOD RIVER, ORE.
The town of Hood River sits in the transition zone where the Columbia River Gorge shifts from dripping hemlock to dry foothills, where the last stringers of wet westside weather blow themselves out on the river’s legendary gales. It’s long been known for its wind-surfing scene, but the tailgates and trailheads around Hood River tell a story about the town’s rise to fat tire fame. In the 1990s, trail builders began constructing rogue freeride lines—massive gaps and high-wire, high-consequence wooden features in the forested hills of Post Canyon 10 minutes southwest of downtown Hood River. But the tracks ran afoul of the county forestry department, which manages the land for its primary economic use of timber extraction. After a catastrophic windstorm in 2012 toppled scores of trees onto the trails and the salvage logging that followed disturbed the area even more, local builders approached the county to plead their case for new trails. Thanks to the efforts of the Hood River Area Trail Stewards (HRATS) and its volunteers, the county acquiesced. And although the county continues to manage the area with timber top of mind, Post Canyon has weathered the storm and come out of it a stronger trail network, showcasing the trail-building transition from rocky, root-tangled tech to contemporary bench-cut jump and berm trails. One look at Family Man Staging Area, one of the main portals to Post Canyon, shows that, although Post Canyon may have matured, there’s still plenty of highenergy riding here. Come midweek and you’re just as likely to see preschoolers on push bikes rolling out next to big senders. The bidirectional trails, like Lower- and Upper Eight Track, are smartly laid out and rarely overwhelming to ride; riders going uphill aren’t likely to hit a wall or stall out on steep climbing turns, but beginners can build their descending skills on the return trip. Meanwhile, expert riders can descend from the top of Upper Eight Track on Bad Motor Scooter and Upper Grand Prix, where one immaculately crafted berm after another connects massive tabletops, step-ups and step-downs. Upper Eight Track also ties into a broader network of singletrack and motorcycle trails that honor the area’s legacy of chunky, suspension-testing tech. Now, though, the trails are legal and sustainable. This year, HRATS has ambitious plans to give Family Man a facelift and expand Golden Eagle Bike Park and Pump Track in coordination with Hood River Parks and Recreation. It’s all part of a plan to nurture a grander transition: from beginners to lifelong bikers. Spring is an ideal time to visit Hood River: Passing showers give the trails a regular refresh but don’t tend to be day-drenching affairs. When in town, don’t miss the legendary Dirty Fingers Bicycle Repair, a Hood River institution and an all-in-one bike shop and pub. Next door, KickStand Coffee & Kitchen will get your caffeine and calories sorted. HRATS, informally known as the Hood RATS, build and maintain the trails at Post Canyon in addition to backcountry trail networks along the Hood River and across the Columbia, so consider making a donation after enjoying their trails. 38
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TOP: THE MODERN INCARNATION OF POST CANYON FEATURES TRAILS THAT FLOW WELL IN BOTH DIRECTIONS. // BOTTOM LEFT: GOING LEGIT DOESN’T HAVE TO MEAN WATERED-DOWN TRAILS, AS THE BIG, BEAUTIFUL BERMS OF UPPER GRAND PRIX DEMONSTRATE. // BOTTOM RIGHT: TRAIL SIGNS ON STUMPS ARE A REMINDER THAT POST CANYON IS A WORKING TIMBER FARM. // PHOTOS: AARON THEISEN
WENATCHEE, WASH.
On the sunbaked east slope of the Central Cascades, Wenatchee has developed into a shoulder-season destination for riders on both sides of the state, thanks to the hallmarks of east-slope riding: towering pines and steep, flowing descents on the sandy ridgelines that separate the Wenatchee Valley from the Cascade Crest. In the foothills on the west side of town, #2 Canyon has transitioned from a rogue riding network to a fully sanctioned and Forest Service-supported trail system. The Central Washington chapter of Evergreen Mountain Bike Alliance put the public’s pandemic-inspired desire for outdoor activity to work for them, building out miles of new, buttery-smooth trail to connect to classics like Stairway to Heaven. The flowing berms on New Sundance replaced a heinous fall-line climb but kept the spectacular views of Mount Stuart and the central Cascades, while The Still added a swooping, 3-mile loop that flows equally well in both directions. And Evergreen has ambitious plans for even more miles this year. Thirty minutes west, Leavenworth Ski Hill/Freund Canyon rewards riders with immaculate flow and a bird’s eye view of the Bavarian-village vibe of Leavenworth— that is, if you can take your eyes off the sidehill gap jumps of Rosy Boa.
SANDPOINT, IDAHO
TOP: STAIRWAY TO HEAVEN WAS ONE OF #2 CANYON’S FIRST SANCTIONED TRAILS, AND LIKE ITS CLASSIC ROCK NAMESAKE, IT’S NEVER GONE OUT OF STYLE. // BOTTOM LEFT: THE SCHWEITZER BASIN TRAILS CONTINUE THE FUN BEYOND THE BIKE PARK’S BOUNDARIES, AS DAMIAN-EACHANN DILLEY FINDS OUT ON UPPER FLO. // BOTTOM RIGHT: IF YOU CAN TAKE YOUR EYES OFF THE TIGHT SINGLETACK, THE VIEWS FROM THE BUCK MOUNTAIN LOOP ARE PHENOMENAL. PHOTOS: AARON THEISEN
Despite being home to Schweitzer, one of the largest ski resorts in North America, Sandpoint locals and tourists alike often refer to the city on Lake Pend Oreille as a lake town that just happens to have great skiing. And although they share similar sentiments about the community’s trail offerings, Sandpoint is quietly developing into a dirt destination. The transformation is in large part thanks to the Pend Oreille Pedalers (POP) and their work on the Syringa Trail Network on the west side of town. Syringa, which encompasses a trio of public lands and private parcels—Sherwood Forest, Pine Street Woods, and Velo Tout Terrain (VTT)—offers a healthy mix of kidfriendly rollers and expert-level tech. And POP continues to add new trail as fast as people can ride them; this spring, they have already opened two new trails in VTT, the newest acquisition at Syringa. Zen Garden and Chaos Theory add intermediate- and expert-level tech to VTT’s entry-level berms and rollers. Meanwhile, up on the mountain, Schweitzer is putting the finishing touches on three new flow trails, a beginner, intermediate and expert. With these new additions, Schweitzer adds some modern manicured lines alongside its notoriously gnarly old-school tech trails like Pinch Flat. And it’s only the beginning: Like its neighbor down by the lake, Schweitzer is building them as fast as its guests can ride them.
METHOW VALLEY, WASH.
If you haven’t ridden the Methow in May, go. Now. The wildflower displays on the open sage-covered hillsides, with the snow-capped battlements of the North Cascades in the background are second to none. First, the bad news: The catastrophic wildfires that surrounded the Methow Valley last summer decimated the Chickadee trail system at Sun Mountain, where the Methow chapter of Evergreen Mountain Bike Alliance had just completed a three-year building campaign on trails such as Thompson Ridge—a trail that had opened the year prior and offered a backcountry mini-epic to the popular trail network’s forested, flowered tracks. The good news: The Methow Valley boasts a number of other trail systems, such as the classic singletrack loop on Buck Mountain and the Rendezvous Hut network outside of Mazama. Better news: The community in the Methow Valley is resilient and has already been hard at work raising money to rehabilitate its trails, which are a pillar of the recreation economy and the community’s identity. Support the Methow Valley’s efforts to recover by shredding, sipping and shopping in the region—and go the extra mile by donating money or muscle to Evergreen’s “Bring ‘em Back!” rebuilding campaign. MAY-JUNE 2022 / OUTTHEREOUTDOORS.COM
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MCCALL, IDAHO
Like Sandpoint, McCall is known first and foremost as a lake town. And like its North Idaho counterpart, this southwest Idaho community on the shore of Payette Lake boasts its share of excellent biking, with trails that bridge buffed-out flow to backcountry epics. The Payette Lake Trail (PLT) aims to combine the two. Modeled after the Tahoe Rim Trail, the approximately 30-mile Payette Lake Trail will circumnavigate the mountain lake on mostly new, modern singletrack. And, like the famed Tahoe Rim Trail, the PLT will feature near-constant views of the lake far below. So far, crews have completed the west leg, which ties in with the Payette Rim Trail, a McCall classic. This season, Brundage Mountain Resort, in collaboration with the Central Idaho Mountain Bike Association, will build an 8.4-mile connector between the resort’s 30-mile lift-served singletrack system and the Bear Basin trails, a 15-mile network of flowy machine-built trail on Forest Service land just outside town. The latter trail system connects with the Payette Rim Trail, which means that, in seasons to come, riders will be able to drop off the top of Brundage and circumnavigate the lake, all on trail—proof that McCall is truly both a mountain biking and lake town.
DAVID GOODE GETS THE DROP ON DOUBLE SHOT AT JUG MOUNTAIN RANCH, A PUBLICLY ACCESSIBLE TRAIL SYSTEM AT JUG MOUNTAIN RANCH COUNTRY CLUB NEAR MCCALL // OPPOSITE PAGE: LEFT: BRAYDON BRINGHURST GETS AN AERIAL VIEW OF BOISE’S CAPITOL BUILDING FROM THE BOISE BIKE PARK ON THE EDGE OF DOWNTOWN. // RIGHT: THE TRAILS OF BOISE’S FOOTHILLS TRAIL SYSTEM WIND SOME 200 MILES INTO THE GULLIES AND GRASSLANDS NORTH OF TOWN. KELSEY WEBSTER FINDS BOTH ON THE WATCHMEN TRAIL. // PHOTOS: AARON THEISEN
Join the ride. Make a difference.
JUNE 18, 2022
This one-day bicycle ride with 150-, 100-, 80-, 40- and 25-mile routes is presented on June 18, 2022, by the Sandpoint Rotary Club to benefit the Book Trust program of the Lake Pend Oreille School District and other Rotary community youth service projects. The 150-, 100and 80-mile routes incorporate a newly paved route through Montana, alleviating traffic congestion on the customary routes leading into Clark Fork, Idaho.
FOR ROUTE MAPS, FAQS, NEWS AND REGISTRATION:
CHAFE150.ORG
OUR SPONSORS MAKE IT HAPPEN. WE THANK YOU! PRESENTING SPONSOR:
GOLD SPONSORS:
SILVER SPONSORS:
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Living Local
ORGANIZED BY:
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BOISE, IDAHO
Idaho’s City of Trees is also the city of bikes. Centerpiece to Boise’s biking bona fides is the Boise Foothills trail system, which encompasses some 200 miles of tread radiating out from two-dozen trailheads across a patchwork of private and public lands only minutes from downtown. The urban trail network has earned the city the honor of being an International Mountain Bike Association gold-level ride center, one of only seven in the world. From the trailheads, often at the end of tree-lined residential boulevards, the singletrack curls and snakes through the scalloped ridges and ravines that border Boise to the north. Ask a local for a favorite route, and they’ll likely recommend the one closest to their driveway; they’re uniformly good. And from most of those trailheads, riders can climb some 5,000 vertical feet to Bogus Basin Bike Park. Here, amid subalpine firs, a far cry from the dry sagebrush below, riders can circle the ski hill on Around the Mountain—Idaho’s top-rated trail on Trailforks—or sample the lift-served trails that have received the input and manpower of the numerous pro riders that call Boise home. //
VISITWENATCHEE.ORG
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KIDS LEARN MOUNTAIN BIKING SKILLS AT DIRT CAMP. // PHOTO COURTESY OF EVERGREEN MOUNTAIN BIKE ALLIANCE, EASTERN WASHINGTON CHAPTER
statewide association, hosts its camps at Beacon Hill/Camp Sekani in Spokane for ages 8–13 (girls-only session available). Other statewide chapters host Dirt Camps for kids as young as 6 years old. Evergreenmtb.org
Why Kids Need Summer Camp More Than Ever By Amy McCaffree
CONNECT. ENGAGE. ENCOURAGE. These
three action words guide my experiences whenever I work with children, especially adolescents in their tenuous stage of development. As a mom and a public school teacher (and former camp counselor), I know firsthand how important it is for young people to be encouraged and emotionally supported by positive adult role models. Today’s Pandemic Generation—as they are referred to by researchers, teachers, and mental health professionals—continue to struggle with gaps in emotional-social development, increased media consumption, and less time spent outdoors being physically active. Current mental health statistics are daunting. According to “Five-Year Trends in US Children’s Health and Well-being, 2016– 2020,” a research study recently published in JAMA Pediatrics, there have been significant increases in diagnosed mental health conditions—27% for anxiety and 24% for depression. Survey data also revealed an 18% decrease in children’s physical activity. This makes summer camps for kids more important than ever. Camps provide a welcoming, safe, and supportive community. Time spent away from home forces children and teens to unplug from media, and it teaches independence, responsibility, and resilience. Camps can also help develop their communication, participation, and leadership skills. Strengthening personal competencies, like self-identity, self-worth, and self-respect, also builds confidence and courage. This, in turn, breeds hope and motivates goalsetting—all qualities important to positive mental health. Adrenaline-pumping thrills and ageappropriate risk-taking can be pivotal during childhood, especially for adolescents. How so? Imagine the euphoria and pride after ziplining, making it to the top of a climbing wall, winning a canoe race with cabinmates, 42
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MT. SPOKANE MOUNTAIN ADVENTURE & MOUNTAIN BIKE SKILLS DAY CAMPS
or landing a mountain-bike jump. Northwest mountains, forests, and lakes provide a setting primed for adventure, and this list of adventure camps in Washington and Idaho will provide adventure opportunities and teach specialized recreation or nature-based skills. No matter a child’s age, just one week of camp will improve their well-being and create lifelong memories. And don’t be surprised if you hear that it was the best week of their summer. ADVENTURE CAMPS—SUMMER 2022
Mt. Spokane Ski & Snowboard Park expanded its summer day camps program. Mountain Adventure Day Camps (three days, ages 5–14) feature outdoor games and activities such as hiking, climbing, and crafts, while teaching environmental stewardship within Mount Spokane State Park. Mountain Bike Skills Camps (four days) teach technical riding skills, flattire fixing, and trail maintenance. Sessions tailored for beginners and all levels (ages 7–15) as well as advanced riders (ages 10–17). Includes daily bike games and trailriding. Mtspokane.com
BREAKWATER EXPEDITIONS:
Teen Wilderness Trips Specializing in backcountry trips (7-14 days) and high-adventure recreation, including canoeing, canyoneering, backpacking, whitewater rafting, and sea kayaking. Though headquartered in Sandpoint, Idaho, adventure travel destinations include Moab, Utah; Yellowstone and the Missouri River; and Puget Sound’s San Juan Islands. Breakwaterexp.com
Introductory backpacking courses for high-school and middle-school age youth with multiday expeditions in either Olympic or North Cascades national parks. Backcountry and technical outdoor skills include compass navigation, map reading, gear management, food prep, risk assessment, and basic first aid. High-school course includes alpine snow travel with an ice axe. Peak7.org
Kids learn technical mountain bike skills—including balance, obstacles, drops and jumps, and uphill and downhill riding—and gain confidence on their mountain bikes. Evergreen East, the Eastern Washington Chapter of the
SCHWEITZER ADVENTURE DAY CAMP
Atop Schweitzer Mountain, Adventure Camp for ages 6–10 includes hiking, chairlift rides, swimming, village games, climbing wall, and trampoline jumper. Transportation is provided from mountain base. Schweitzer.com SOLE—SELKIRK OUTDOOR LEADERSHIP & EDUCATION
SOLE
EVERGREEN MOUNTAIN BIKE ALLIANCE: Dirt Camps
Fa m i
Adventures day camps are based at Riverside State Park with sessions for ages 8–11 and 12–15. Three recreation-focused options are available: 1) All Adventures: hiking, kayaking, rafting, rock climbing, and other recreation; 2) Climbing Adventures: rock climbing instruction at indoor climbing gyms, followed by outdoor rock climbing with instructors from Peak 7 Adventures; 3) Wild and Wacky Water Adventures: survival skill-building plus the “All Adventures” activities. Wilderness Survival Camps, based at Camp Sekani Park, feature hands-on scenarios requiring teamwork and problemsolving during introductory (ages 6–9) and advanced sessions (ages 9–14). Skills include fire and shelter-building, navigation, rope and knots, tool use, and knife safety. My.spokanecity.org TWIN EAGLES WILDERNESS SCHOOL
PEAK 7 ADVENTURES: BACKPACKING
CAMP SPALDING
Overnight camps for grades 1–12 (plus a family session) with waterfront and adventure recreation that includes paddling, water trampoline, and “The Blob”; horseback riding; archery; rock climbing; high ropes course and zipline; and mountain boards. Camp Spalding is located on 500 wooded acres at Davis Lake, near Newport, Wash. Campspalding.org
SPOKANE PARKS & RECREATION DAY CAMPS
Gu ly A d v en t u r e
i de
designs and facilitates experiential outdoor education programs. Programs include Junior Naturalist day camp for ages 4–9; Outdoor Leadership day camp for ages 10–12, with adventure and service-learning activities; and Backcountry Expeditions for ages 13–17. Soleexperiences.org
Day and overnight camps connect youth with nature while teaching survival skills, including foraging, making fire with friction, wildlife tracking, and natural shelter building, and much more. Due to high demand this summer, a waitlist is available. Twineagles.org WASHINGTON TRAILS ASSOCIATION:
Youth Volunteer Programs Community service projects focus on building and maintaining hiking trails in Washington State. Choose between Day Work Parties for ages 10+ and week-long Summer Volunteer Vacations for ages 14–18, which includes camping. Three teen trip options: Frontcountry, Backcountry (prior experience required), and Shared Identity (all girls crew and LGBTQ+ crew). Wta.org
WILD WALLS CLIMBING GYM:
Indoor Climbing Camp Located in downtown Spokane, Wild Walls offers week-long camps for ages 7–14. Although indoor, it’s no less adventurous to learn top-roping, bouldering, belaying, climbing technique, slacklining, and much more. No experience necessary. Wildwalls.com. //
has an aerial adventure park with over 30 obstacles that are 30–70 feet up in the tree canopy. The variety of levels and heights allows guests of all ages and abilities to customize their experience to their individual comfort level. Micamoon.com ZIPPING DOWN THE MOUNTAIN. // PHOTO COURTESY OF MICA MOON.
TIMBERLINE ADVENTURES
Local Ziplining for Families YOU DON’T HAVE TO DRIVE far for an exhilarating zipline experience this summer. Here in the Inland Northwest, we have three zipline parks that make for an easy day trip and a great summer adventure for families. The sensation you get when you set off down that zip line is similar to riding a roller coaster. It’s speed, the risk mitigated by safety, the feeling of weightlessness, and just look at that view. It’s a reality experience that gets everyone off their electronic devices and into the outdoors to make one of the best memories of the summer. Here’s what the three local zipline tour companies offer for adventurous families of varying ages, abilities and group sizes. MICA MOON ZIP TOURS & AERIAL PARK
Liberty Lake, Wash. “This was a great experience with my mother, sister and niece. Three generations on a family trip. Once in a lifetime! Ian and
By S. Michal Bennett
Ben were wonderful guides and incredibly helpful and patient with my 87-year-old mother and a sister with a fear of heights!” —Randall, Tripadvisor Awarded Tripadvisor’s coveted Travelers’ Choice award in 2021, Mica Moon Zip Tours & Aerial Park puts safety first without sacrificing on the fun. “Sometimes when I’m driving up the mountain to check on something, I’ll stop and turn off my motor, and I can hear laughing and singing up the mountain,” says owner Rik Stewart. “It reminds me why we do this.” Mica Moon’s ziplines accommodate children 6 years old and up, although lighter kids might be challenged at the bottom, he says. Still, Mica Moon guides make sure every person has the best, safest experience. Steward and his staff, he says, enjoy watching families laughing together, being challenged, and cheering each other on. In addition to nine zip lines, Mica Moon
Coeur d’Alene, Idaho “Beautiful and exciting experience above Coeur d’Alene. Everything was first class, from the retail shop where the adventure launches, to the seven lines of increasing speed, distance, height and excitement, to the two footbridges, to the excellent guides. Really enjoyed this with my two teenagers.” —John, Timberline Adventures website
Timberline offers four unique zip tours appropriate for kids ages 7 and older and individuals up to 260 pounds. One of their tours includes a treehouse, which was featured on DIY Channel’s “Treehouse Guys” show. On the Treehouse Lunch & Zip, guests get to enjoy Timberline’s award-winning zipline tour alongside a delicious lunch from The Local Deli in Hayden, Idaho. The views of Lake Coeur d’Alene from Timberline’s seven zip lines above Beauty Bay are absolutely breathtaking. Two sky bridges and two auto-belays add additional thrilling elements. After finishing the tour, you shuttle back to Timberline’s office where you can grab a drink, shop for a keepsake, and savor the awesome memory you and
ROUTE TO THE
ULTIMATE
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your family created. Ziptimberline.com SILVER STREAK ZIPLINES
Wallace, Idaho “Safe, fun, great memory! I would definitely do it again. My family loved it and being outdoors together in a beautiful area was really special.” —JCV, Tripadvisor
Silver Streak is spread out on over 263 acres of mountain above Wallace, Idaho, with 10 zip lines and a downhill mountain bike park. There’s also a pump track, a mountain bike jump line, and about 2.5 miles of bike trails (from beginner to advanced), with more to come. Silver Streak can accommodate kids age 10 and up that weigh over 85 pounds on their ziplines, as well as grandparents up to 92 years old. “For a lot of people,” says owner Scott Haney, “it’s a once-in-a-lifetime thrill, so we send them on the Bucket List zip tour.” But they also have guests who zipline around the world and then come back to Silver Streak every year. Located a short drive up in the mountains from historic Wallace, Idaho, there’s a little something for everyone at this de Fa m mountain adventure il y Gu i Ad v en t u r e park. Zipwallace. com. //
CHECK “MOST AMAZING RIDE” OFF YOUR BUCKET LIST. Trail Open May 27–September 18 Reserve Your Seat at RideTheHiawatha.com 208.744.1234
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CAMPSITE GEOLOGY FUN. // PHOTO: SHALLAN KNOWLES
Geology Made Fun for Kids Behind every pretty mineral or rock is a story about Earth’s processes, muses Justin Rice, the geologist behind Liberty Lake, Wash.-based GeoKidz, which offers two different geology kits for kids as well as a kids geology subscription box. “My passion really lies in telling these stories,” he says. GeoKidz kits include a mix of beautiful rocks and gemstones, experiments, geology tools and educational materials that describe how the rock specimens were formed. “When our son was three years old,” says Justin, “we bought him a backyard explorer themed kit that was all about bugs. We had so much fun digging up creepy crawly specimens and finding cool rocks along the way! This made us wonder if there were similar geology-themed kits available.” After not being able to find a quality one, Justin and his wife Melia started putting together their own kits, and GeoKidz was born. The GeoKidz Adventure Kit was the first one to come out and includes the tools and information you might find in a Geology 101 lab course, says Justin. “It includes everything you need to start identifying rocks and minerals as well as tools to get outside and start exploring.” Justin and Melia say they love doing science experiments at home with their two kids, ages 5 and 2. “A lot of these experiments find their way into our kits. Sometimes it requires us adding a geology twist to a classic DIY experiment. Some of our other ideas have come from discussions with customers and even seeing what interests kids that come to our events.”
By Shallan Knowles
cutting through them too. “We call them wishing rocks (you make a wish as you skip them across the river), and our kids’ wishes are typically for dad to do something embarrassing.” Learning About Geology with Your Kids Justin explains that it’s important to remember geology is the study of the materials as well as the processes that shape our planet. “I like to focus on the processes more with young kids. Kind of a look at the forest instead of the trees approach.” An easy example, he says, might be describing how the Colorado River carved out the Grand Canyon. “We even model this in our backyard sandbox! We spend hours building landscapes in the sandbox, adding a garden hose, and voila, we have a model to teach about erosion, sediment transport, and deposition.” Making it easy to teach your kids about geology, the new GeoKidz subscription boxes offer monthly lessons and experiments that take kids through the bigger picture lens of learning how rocks and minerals form to then focusing in on more complex Earth materials and processes. Justin says the boxes start with a higher level of looking at geology and progressively get more subject focused. “These are perfect, bite-sized, lessons to start learning geology.”
Incorporating Geology into Your Summer Adventures If you want to plan some family geology outings this summer, the Rice family recommends carrying copies of the Roadside Geology Series books for the places you are already going camping, Geology Hot Spots Around the Inland hiking or biking. “These books provide a Northwest great summary of a region’s geology as well The Inland Northwest has plenty of as a detailed driving log that points out interesting rocks and geologic formations important geologic features,” adds Justin. to explore. The Rice family makes annual Or find some interesting geology hot spots family geology trips to the Emerald Creek in the books and explore someplace new. Garnet site near Clarkia, Idaho, for garnets and Red Top Lookout near Ellensburg, To learn more about GeoKidz’ geology Wash., for blue agate. “We also love kits and subscription box, visit the GeoKidz camping along the North Fork of website at ExploreGeoKidz.com; find the Coeur d’Alene River. I love the Rice family’s great geology the Belt Supergroup rocks that content on Facebook, Instagram, comprise much of the Coeur Twitter or TikTok; or subscribe d’Alene district for the stories to the free GeoKidz blog for they tell of our ancient, almost educational experiments for alien planet.” Justin says his families to do at home delivered de Fa m il y Gu i kids love finding smooth to your inbox at Geokidz. e Ad v en t u r river rocks with quartz veins wordpress.com. // 44
OUTTHEREOUTDOORS.COM / MAY-JUNE 2022
FISHING WITH DAD. PHOTO: AMY MCCAFFREE
Start Them Fishing Young “I GOT A FISH!” Every time a kid hooks one is
exciting—just as much as the very first catch. Spin (bait) fishing is simple and inexpensive recreation, making it a highreward, low-barrier activity for the whole family, including anyone with limited mobility or neuro-diverse or sensory needs. Time spent at a lake as well as repetitive, predictable fishing tasks are calming. Basic gear and lake access are all that’s needed to get started. Here are three ideas for your family to get started with this lifetime sport. Learn the Basics Casting from the bank or a dock is easier than wrangling kids into a boat. Fundamental skills include learning how to cast a spinning-reel rod, set the drag, and set the hook. (Fly fishing requires different gear and skills, so it’s best to take a class and do lots of casting practice before heading to a lake or river.) Recommended resources: Idaho Fish & Game “Learn To Fish” (idfg.idaho. gov); Trout Unlimited (tu.org); and The International Game Fish Association (igfa. org; free online course for youth/beginners). Visit a Family-Friendly, Fish-Stocked Lake In Spokane County, good choices include Fish Lake, West Medical Lake, and Lake Spokane. In north Idaho, visit Round or Cocolalla Lakes. (Find more recommendations at OutThereOutdoors.com.) Check online for your region’s fish and game schedule for stocking local lakes with hatchery-raised fish. Thousands of rainbow trout are stocked in lakes every spring and summer in Washington and Idaho. Attend a Youth Fishing Event Idaho Department of Fish and Game has a traveling “Take Me Fishing” Trailer that visits various lakes throughout spring
By Amy McCaffree
and summer. All equipment, bait, and instruction is provided, and no fishing license is required while the trailer is on-site. Upcoming visits at Panhandle locations during May and June include Post Falls Park Pond, Hauser Lake, Round Lake, Cocolalla Lake, and Rose Lake. More information at Idfg.idaho.gov/fish/trailers. Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife also hosts fishing events for kids including an annual event in May at Clear Lake, 16 miles west of Spokane. The registration fee includes a rod and reel for kids to take home too and a t-shirt.
Open Memoral Day Through Labor Day Weekend!
Where to Buy Fishing Supplies Support locally-owned Inland Northwest businesses that sell fishing supplies, including The General Store in Spokane, General Store Outpost (Spokane Valley), and Silver Bow Fly Shop and Swede’s Fly Shop (all in Spokane); North 40 Outfitters (multiple locations); and Orvis Northwest Outfitters and Fins & Feathers Tackle Shop (both in Coeur d’Alene). Free Fishing Days In most states, children under age 14 don’t need a fishing license. For Washington State, a child can fish regardless of if a parent has a state license. Idaho, meanwhile, requires a non-resident parent to buy a state license in order for a non-resident child to fish. Take advantage of free fishing days, when all ages can fish without purchasing a license. Here are the dates for 2022: • Montana: Mother’s Day and Father’s Day weekends, May 7-8 and June 18-19. • Oregon: First weekend in June (June 4–5). • Idaho: Second Saturday in June (June 11). • Washington: Second Sunday in June (June 12)—also a Discover Pass fee-free day, including DNR boat launches. • Find events for other states at Takemefishing.org. //
More Tips for Fishing with Kids
Wear life jackets. It’s best practice for children to wear a correct-fitting life jacket for dock fishing, even if not planning to get on a boat or other watercraft. Northwest waters are chilly even on hot summer days. Life jacket laws vary by state. In Idaho, children age 14 and younger are required to wear one at all times while on a watercraft. In Washington state, the age requirement is 12 and younger. Many recreation areas have a life jacket loaner station, including popular lakes in north Idaho and eastern Washington. Practice environmental stewardship. Teach kids how (and why) de Fa m il y Gu i to minimize their impact on aquatic habitat and the plants and Ad v en t u r e animals that live there.
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CAMP SEKANI PUMP TRACK // PHOTO: DERRICK KNOWLES
Make your teen’s summer vacation the best ever! Time to unplug and reconnect with friends and nature! Backcountry camping trips include canoeing, canyoneering, backpacking, and sea kayaking. CHOOSE FROM THREE WILDERNESS ADVENTURES RIVERS & ROCKS IN UTAH JUNE 27-JULY 6 BOOTS & PADDLE IN YELLOWSTONE & ON THE MISSOURI RIVER JULY 8-21 SAN JUAN ISLAND SEA KAYAKING JULY 23-29 Save $400 for doing two of our teen trips or $700 on all three! Our wilderness adventures provide space for a deeper dive into a teen’s sense of self and help develop life skills for successful personal journeys.
Let Kids Ride
By S. Michal Bennett
THERE ARE PLENTY OF PLACES to pedal with your little people, but here are a few Inland Northwest favorite riding opportunities that bring kids, families, their bikes and energy together for added fun on wheels.
Lilac Century Bike Ride May 22 The Spokane Aurora Northwest Rotary Club has hosted the annual Lilac Century Bike and Family Fun Ride for close to three decades as a fundraiser benefitting many local activities and community projects within the Spokane community. Courses include 100 miles, Metric Century (66 miles), 50 miles, and 25 miles, with a 12-mile Family Fun Ride on the traffic-free Children of the Sun Trail that has some elevation and a rest stop at the Hillyard turnaround. The rides start at Mead Gymnastics Center/Union Stadium in Mead, Wash., and cover some scenic terrain, including Peone Prairie, the foothills of Mt. Spokane, and Green Bluff. 24 Hours of Riverside May 28-29 Most riders come to complete laps on a 13-mile course in Riverside State Park as a team or solo, but the new five-person teams have a junior option to include kids 18 and under, making this annual bike event more family-friendly than ever. There’s also a kids bike parade planned for Saturday evening this year with Kona Ice treats. And the camping is great family fun if mom or dad are racing, with bike movies in the village at night and contests for the best decorated camps. Annual Lake City Bicycle Collective Bike Month Bonanza May TBD Celebrate Bike Month with activities for the whole family, including a bike rodeo, used bike sales, a raffle, vintage bike swap, and a bike safety check station. All proceeds go to the Lake City Bicycle Collective. Wednesday MTB Race Series at Riverside State Park May-June For nine consecutive Wednesday evenings, this popular annual event at Riverside State Park keeps “racing” fun and simple for anyone on a dirt-worthy bike. Each week features a different racecourse, and kids 18 and under ride for free courtesy of sponsors.
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The Route of the Hiawatha Trail May-Sept Mountain bike or hike the 15-mile rail trail with 10 train tunnels and seven trestles.
Mostly downhill with shuttle buses available to transport you and your bike from the bottom back to the top. This familyfriendly trail is easily enjoyed by a variety of people from young children to super seniors, and bike and trailer rentals are available. CDA Full Moon Bike Ride May-Oct Monthly, family-friendly, casual community rides under the full moon around Coeur d’Alene. Gather at 6 p.m. for entertainment and beverages and start riding at 8 p.m. Follow CDA Full Moon Ride on Facebook and Instagram for dates and start locations. Kids must be accompanied at all times. NICA Adventure Camps & Race Series— Idaho Interscholastic Cycling League May-Oct This mountain bike league is for youth grades 6-12 and has overnight camp opportunities and a league race series for registered members. 24th Annual 8 Lakes Leg Aches Bike Ride June 9 More experienced youth and teen riders can choose between road biking 30-, 45-, and 75-mile routes through West Plains, Medical Lake, and Cheney, Wash., and there’ll be David’s Pizza and Ben & Jerry’s ice cream to enjoy at the finish. Spokane Summer Parkways June 21 Kids, families, and neighbors on bikes take over four miles of city streets (that are closed to vehicles) connecting Spokane’s Manito and Comstock parks from 6–9 p.m., with informational booths set up along part of the route. Spokatopia Outdoor Adventure Festival July 9 Bring your own bikes to ride the trails with friends and enjoy live music, kids’ activities and games, water sports, uphill mountain bike shuttles, kids’ bike demos on the pump track, and competitions and contests all day at Spokane’s Camp Sekani Park.
CDA Fondo Sept 17 A breathtaking course along beautiful Lake Coeur d'Alene with great swag, course food stations, chip timing, and after party. Look for the all-new athlete village at the new start/finish at McEuen Park. The Family Fondo option is 14 e d Fa m il y Gu i Ad v en t u r e miles from downtown CDA to Higgins Point. //
LET ‘EM RIDE. PHOTO COURTESY OF FRANK BURNS
For Some Pandemic-Weary Parents, Bikes Became the Answer By Derrick Knowles
PEOPLE RESPONDED to the challenges of the find all the info and registration links for pandemic in a lot of different ways. And for Inland Northwest mountain bike team a group of Inland Northwest mountain options for spring, summer, and fall, plus bike coaches and parents wondering how optional race dates throughout the year, all to help their kids, bikes became the answer. in one place. Simplifying the process for After Covid lockdown, says Spokane parents has huge value, but the addition of mountain bike coach Frank Burns, “We saw the summer league that brings kids from that kids were withdrawn and excluded, for around the region together into one team many good reasons, from the interactions has also had a tremendous impact on the that are so critical to the development kids, coaches, and families that are now so of adolescent brains. My buddy is a much more connected, explains Burns. pediatrician and my wife is a psychiatrist, The addition of the summer league really and hearing them talk about what they opened the coaches’ eyes, says Burns. “All were seeing with depression, anxiety, and the kids from the region were put together withdrawal in adolescent populations was into one team and thrived. The kids, scary.” But once kids were able to get back coaches, and families became friends, and out riding together in the spring of 2021, he we competed as one group against other says, kids thrived like they had before. teams in the larger multistate league.” It gave After some thought, Burns says he and everyone a taste of what a successful regional his fellow coaches came to the conclusion approach to youth cycling can deliver, says that bikes are the answer. “Armed with Burns. “We began to ride trails in CDA, this new found insight, we secured the Mount Spokane, Mica, Saltese, and Riverside Bikesaretheanswer.org domain name and together too.” An unexpected outcome, he put up a website to make it easy for everyone adds, was that kids saw themselves as part of in our region with kids to engage in youth a region, as opposed to a small friend group cycling teams.” in a school or neighborhood. Youth mountain biking programs in For kids and families, Burns says youth the Inland Northwest are not new, but bike teams are a great regional communitynavigating the confusing acronyms and building tool, all while delivering fun, disparate programs didn’t make it easy for friends, health and inclusion. Kids in grades families to find the right programs and 6–12 can participate in the spring and summer XC mountain bike leagues, and races for their kids. The Bikesaretheanswer. org site simplifies the region’s youth crossages 6–18 can take part in the fall cyclocross country (XC) mountain biking team and season. Burns says youth of all abilities are race options and brings them all together in welcome and points out that kids typically one easy-to-use web portal. The volunteers self-sort whether they are more interested in behind the effort went a step further riding for fun and being social or competing and also helped fill the gap between the and racing. “At the start of the season, we had existing spring youth mountain bike teams some kids who had not ridden much at all, under the Washington Student Cycling and after six weeks, these kids do multiLeague (WSCL) and the fall youth hour rides and see themselves cyclocross team (School of Cross); as part of a mountain bike team and are ready to race if they brought a summer team under the banner of the National they want to,” explains Burns. Interscholastic Cycling League Enrollment is now open for the summer season. Visit of Montana (NICA MT) into the e Fa m uid Bikesaretheanswer.org for fold. il y G Ad v en t u r e From the Bikesaretheanswer. details. // org website, parents can now
Saturday July 16th 2022
Spokane, WA 30, 45 & 75 Mile Routes
FOR MORE INFO www.lcsnw.org/8lakesride 509.343.5020 cmckee@lcsnw.org Presented by Kaiser Permanente & LCS Northwest to benefit vital programs for children & families
DR. DIANE PAXTON ROGER & KATHY CHASE
REGISTER ONLINE AT:
2022
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MAY IS BIKE
EVERYWHERESPOKANE!
River Permit Arithmetic BY PAUL DELANEY
Bike Everywhere Events!
ON VALENTINE’S DAY, we often exchange
Sun 1, 7:30 – 2:00 PM | Bloomsday Bike Corral Bike tto W Bik Workk W Week - May 16 - 22 Wed 4, 6:00PM | Latah Creek Trail Ride Bike to Work Day - Friday, May 20 Sun 8, 1:00PM | Mothers Day Bike and Hike Mon 9, 1:00PM | Ben Burr Trail Ride & Knitting Klatch Wed 11, 6:00PM | Children of the Sun Trail Sun 15 1:00PM | Southside Natural Areas Mon 16, 7-9AM | Pancake Breakfast in Riverfront Park Media Partner Wed, 18 6:00PM | Ride of Silence Fri 20, 7-9AM | Energizer Stations Celebrating Bike to Work Day Fri, 20, 8:15AM | City of Spokane Bike to Work Ride Commute Sun 22, 1:00PM | Bike Tour of Corbin Park Neighborhood Smart Wed 25, 6:00PM | Appleway Trail Fri 27, 5-8PM | Bike Everywhere Celebration at Manito Park Sun 29, 1:00PM | Ben Burr (South)–Last GREAT Bike Everywhere Ride
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Visit www.Meetup.com/Spokane-Bicycle-Club-Meetup-Group/Events to learn more!
OUTTHEREOUTDOORS.COM / MAY-JUNE 2022
tokens of our love for special people in our lives. But this year it was the day those— like me—who applied to run permitted rivers across the West got an email from Recreation.gov that read: “Hi Paul, Thank you for applying for the Middle Fork of the Salmon River Lottery 2022. The lottery drawing recently took place, and, unfortunately, your application wasn’t selected for a permit…” Got the same message regarding my applications for the Main Salmon, Oregon’s Rogue River, and the Southwest desert run on the Green River through Desolation Canyon. But I’m hardly alone it turns out. Tens of thousands of other river runners received the same jilt that their hopes of enjoying the special solitude a couple dozen permitted rivers in the West offer. River Permit Arithmetic Idaho’s permitted rivers include the Main, Middle Fork, Selway and Hells Canyon of the Snake River and lotteries are administered through the Recreation.gov
portal. It’s a starting point for coordinating more than just river permits. Camp spots, cabin rentals, and many, many more pursuits are covered. If someone put in for a permit on the Main Salmon, their odds for 2021 of earning a launch were about one in 16, with 568 winners out of 8,932 lottery players. For the more coveted Middle Fork stretch of the Salmon River, it was a 1-in-19 chance with 597 in-season launches out of 11,432 applicants. Requests for numbers for Hells Canyon and Montana’s Smith River went unanswered. And if you were chasing after arguably the crown jewel run—Idaho’s Selway River—that falls into the Mega Millions lottery category. For its 62 private party and 78 total launches over the period of May 15 to July 31 your chances are one in 174. Better put, there is a 99.4% chance that a permit applicant for the Selway will not run challenging rapids like Ladle, Wolf Creek or Ham. Despite yet another permitless year in a decades-long drought, I cannot complain. In over 40 years of river running, I have been
PATRICIA RUNNING WOLF CREEK ON THE SELWAY. // PHOTO: PAUL DELANEY
fortunate to run each of the six permitted rivers in the Pacific Northwest—the Smith included—and all except Hells Canyon successfully right side up! Most have been from invites offered by other successful permit applicants, or a cancellation, except for my daughter snagging a 2008 Selway launch on the last day of permit season. Even at very skimpy flows—just 1.1 feet at the Paradise gauge—one word describes the Selway—SPECTACULAR! A Bit of Idaho Whitewater River History For decades prior to World War II, Idaho’s Main Salmon was a workhorse river with wooden scows plying its length top to bottom as the best means for supplying the needs of the sparsely populated region. The so-called “River of No Return” got its nickname as these boats were later dismantled following their journey, never to return to starting points like Salmon, Idaho. Following the introduction of recreational rafting after World War II, the need to try to maintain the pristine setting of the river became necessary. Part of that protection came with inclusion in the National Wild and Scenic Rivers Act—the Middle Fork as an original in 1968 and Main being added in 1980—with permitting for river trips arriving in 1976. River Permit Supply and Demand The demand has only increased since
post ride pick-me-up.
as with most all recreational pursuits, and participation in whitewater rafting continues to grow rapidly. “I think people like to blame Recreation.gov as the source of their frustration,” says Kai Allen, outdoor recreation planner from the Bureau of Land Management in Grants Pass. “But I think the story is actually much bigger. There's just this huge demand for incredible iconic experiences in these places, and there just aren't very many of them.” There are just 23 permitted rivers in the West, with a quarter of those flowing through the Pacific Northwest. Those, and all other rivers, are getting increasingly popular with recreationalists. America Outdoors, which represents a variety of professional outfitters, offers its snapshot of the commercial side, posting on its website, “Overall guided rafting visitation has increased by 36% from 837,499 visits to 1,529,909 visits [2018] since data began in 1990.” Anecdotal evidence from the private boating community would likely offer a similar growth pattern when one visits their favorite river. Inside Look at the Permit Process For many, the big question is just how does that Wizard-of-Oz-like process go once their application has been received? Rather than try to put it in layperson language, Recreation.gov’s website offers this: “Each lottery is randomized by shuffling all the applications using the Fisher-Yates
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Shuffle, which produces an unbiased and random ordering of results. We also use a Cryptographically Secure Pseudo Random Number Generator (CSPRNG) to prevent any inadvertent bias in the lottery process. These random number generators are vetted to produce random numbers that cannot be predicted based upon past outputs, and they don’t allow anyone to predict future or past numbers generated.” Understand? Sure, it’s as clear as Latah Creek at flood stage. Out of whatever that just said, there magically emerge those
coveted launch dates. On the Main Salmon, that’s June 20–Sept. 7; May 28–Sept. 3 for the Middle Fork; and May 27–Sept. 10 for Hells Canyon. Launches vary from five per day on the Snake to seven each on the Main and Middle with a maximum party size of 24 per launch. Oregon’s Rogue River is also one of the original eight streams included in the Wild and Scenic Rivers Act. It has embraced a different means to its end result of allowing rafters down the 34 miles of its wilderness stretch west of Grants Pass.
Put in place in 1978, the Rogue’s permit system is also administered by Recreation. gov but caps its use on a person-per-day quota of 120. That’s equally split between private and commercial use for the season that runs from May 15 to Oct. 15 with successful applicants having their party size fit into the matrix. A Few Northwest Wilderness River Alternatives Naturally, by now, many river runners in the region are taking a “wait until
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Gigabit speeds • Thriving Communities • Outdoor Recreation
next year” approach to the prospect of a multiday wilderness rafting experience. But that need not necessarily be the case. Even though the more famous and hugely sought-after experiences might not be in the cards this year or next, if you have the necessary whitewater river skills and your own or rented gear, consider some alternatives like these nonpermitted but potentially crowded opportunities: • The Deschutes has two sections that include up to Class IV rapids. But it’s a
major rail corridor, so a wilderness it is not, especially along its approximately 96-mile course from U.S. 26 access to the Columbia. • The Grande Ronde offers multiple stretches of roadless river with Class II and a few Class III rapids over nearly 90 miles from Minam to the Snake River. • The John Day forks run about 130 miles with Class II and III rapids in traditional desert canyon landscape. • The Owyhee from Rome to Leslie Gulch might be one of the most remote landscapes of any wild river in the Lower 48. It’s
67 miles of high-desert (4,000 feet-plus elevation), has limited windows dictated by snowpack, but offers spectacular canyons featuring primarily Class III rapids. • The Lower Salmon is often the alternative to jilted permit applicants. It is a true roadless experience with incredible sandy beaches and Class IV rapids. // Paul Delaney began his whitewater adventures over 40 years ago and now has 42 rivers and creeks on his resume. He can be reached at spokanerafterguy@comcast.net.
LEFT: PAT IN FISH LADDER ON THE ROGUE. // HELLS CANYON SUNSET. PHOTO: PAUL DELANEY
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47 Summer Adventure Ideas BY DERRICK KNOWLES I remember being bored for a few summers growing up in the then-rural Spokane Valley. Back then, I was too young to adventure beyond the safety of sanctioned neighborhood boundaries my parents had outlined and too old to still find weeks’ worth of magic in our huge backyard and garden. Since those days, I can’t recall more than a few fleeting moments, mostly during work and social obligations, where the notion of boredom occurred to me. If you love the outdoors and live here too, you know what I mean. There are so many amazing things to do at any given moment in our corner of the planet that a lifetime seems far too short to make the most of it. Nevertheless, every now and then, during the long, increasingly hot days of summer, many of us still find ourselves wondering, “What should I do this weekend?” I hope our annual list of trip ideas helps you have one of your best summers ever!
5. Explore the best of the best paddling lakes around Spokane and North Idaho: Some of these lakes don’t allow gas motors, others may be quiet midweek and busy on the weekends, so plan accordingly. Then load up your SUP, kayak or canoe and go. More info>> 6. Hike a trail you’ve never been on in the Dishman Hills Conservancy: Take your pick from dozens of miles of trails on over 3,200 acres of protected hills and prime wildlife habitat on the edge of Spokane Valley. 7. Learn about the geology of your favorite place: Pick up a copy of the “Roadside Geology” book for wherever your summer trips take you and learn something about the ancient geologic origins of the place where you’re hiking, biking, floating or camping.
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E 1. Explore nature at the Zumwalt Prairie Preserve: Hike the trails and appreciate the incredible native plants, wildflowers, and wildlife at this over 30,000-acre Nature Conservancy preserve in northeast Oregon’s Wallowa County. Scenic back road drives hug the Hells Canyon rim and rugged forest service trails nearby are waiting there to take prepared hikers into the deepest gorge in North America. 2. Trail run or hike the Little Spokane River Natural Area’s Knothead Loop: This 7-mile roundtrip route in north Spokane County gains 1,000 feet, rising from prime riverside wildlife habitat to open pine forest with views up top. Be aware that dogs and bikes are not allowed on this trail system. 3. Get your mountain biking or hiking in on a volunteer trail project: All of these trails we love don’t build or maintain themselves. Give back to your favorite trails by signing up for a trail work party with a local trails group like Evergreen East, Washington Trails Association, Pend Oreille Pedalers, or Idaho Trails Association. 4. Go paddling on Lake Spokane: Start at the Nine Mile Recreation Area boat launch and campground (less than a half hour from downtown Spokane) and paddle your arms off or find a quiet place to bird watch or go fishing. 52
OUTTHEREOUTDOORS.COM / MAY-JUNE 2022
4: LAKE SPOKANE LILLY PADS. PHOTO: CAROL CORBIN // 13: PICKING UP TRASH ON A RIVER OUTING CAN BE FUN. PHOTO COURTESY OF SPOKANE RIVERKEEPER // 26: ARDEN PETE CLIMBING THE MIDDLE FINGER OF FURY AT MCCLELLAN. PHOTO: JON JONCKERS. // 17: PADDLING IN THE HEART OF SPOKANE. PHOTO: SHALLAN KNOWLES
8. Ride Montana’s first shuttle bike park: The new Legacy Bike Park above Flathead Lake near Whitefish opened in 2021, offering 13 downhill trails, camping and the shuttles that make it all possible on those burley downhill bikes. 9. Take a North Idaho mountain bike road trip: These trails are all near Sandpoint, Bonners Ferry, or east toward Libby, Mont. Ride them all on one great road trip. More Info>> 10. Ride or hike Moscow Mountain’s 60+ miles of trails: Located near Moscow, Idaho, this legal trail system on private lands continues to grow thanks to the hard work of groups like the Moscow Area Mountain Bike Association. 11. Take a paddling trip to Cranbrook, B.C.: A few hours’ drive north of Spokane takes you to the western slope of the majestic Canadian Rockies, which happen to host some great mellow paddling spots near the town of Cranbrook. Give Jimsmith Lake and St. Mary’s Lake a try and scan here for more Cranbrook-area paddling and whitewater kayaking adventure ideas.More info>> 12. Paddle a stretch of the Pend Oreille River Water Trail: The water trail stretches across approximately 70 miles of the Pend Oreille River in northeast Washington with environmental and historical points of interests, picnic stops, and overnight campsites along the way.
13. Take a cleanup hike along your favorite river: Hike, bike, or float along the Spokane River, Hangman Creek, the North Fork of the Coeur d’Alene River, Pack River, or another regional stream and bring your own garbage bag to help clean up along the way. Spokane Riverkeeper is also organizing summertime cleanups. 14. Hike the Nelson, B.C., area’s rare Inland Temperate Rainforest: Just north of the border a few hours from Spokane, ancient old growth trees up to five meters thick make up the last-remaining Inland Temperate Rainforest on Earth. Caribou, grizzly bears, wolves, wolverines, and a diversity of native plants and animals still thrive here, and there are plenty of trails to explore. Don’t forget your bear spray and passport. More info>> 15. Hike the trails at Pend Oreille County Park: Just north of Spokane and an hour or so west of Sandpoint, the over 7 miles of trails on 440 acres of wildlife-rich low elevation forest is the perfect place for a quiet day’s outing. Primitive camp sites are also available.
19. Hike to remote swimming beaches along Christina Lake: Wander along the Deer Point Trail from the Texas Creek Campground to find your own hidden swimming spot at one of the warmest treelined lakes in Canada that happens to be just north of the border from Kettle Falls, Wash. More info>> 20. Raft or kayak the Clark Fork River through the Alberton Gorge in Montana: If you don’t have your own gear and experience in class III/IV whitewater, then sign up for a trip with one of several local outfitters like ROW Adventures. 21. Ride past lakes and wetlands on the Trail of the Coeur d’Alenes out of Harrison, Idaho: Harrison is a cool lake town with plenty of fun to be had on the beach, docks, restaurants and bars in town. And the fact that the 70+ mile paved Trail of the Coeur d’Alenes runs right through town makes it even cooler. Bring your bike or rent one in town and pedal east past wetlands and woods often teaming with birds and wildlife for an out-and-back cycling adventure anyone can do. Or arrange a shuttle at the bike shop in town for a longer one-way adventure. More info>>
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16. Take a mining history tour in Idaho’s Silver Valley: Mine tours, ghost towns, historic districts, mining museums, historic buildings and more await in and around Wallace, Idaho. More info>> 17. Go paddle boarding or kayaking downtown Spokane: Bring your own boat and launch under the Division Street Bridge, or just show up in your paddling duds and rent the gear from Fun Unlimited and paddle up the mellow Spokane River toward No-Li Brewhouse and points beyond. 18. Take a ride on a Wallowa Lake Tramway near Joseph, Ore.: Enjoy incredible views as you gain 3,700 feet of elevation on the ride up to the summit of Mount Howard high in the Wallowa Mountains overlooking Wallowa Lake, vast stretches of prairie, and distant peaks. Indulge in a snack or beverage at the mountain-top restaurant and stretch your legs on the hiking trails.
21: WATCHOUT FOR MOOSE. PHOTO: CAROL CORBIN. // 7: GARNET SAND IN THE ST. JOE RIVER. PHOTO: SHALLAN KNOWLES. // 16: MINE TOUR. PHOTO: COURTESY OF IDAHO TOURISM. // 22: HIAWATHA SUNSHINE. PHOTO: COURTESY OF IDAHO TOURISM
22. Ride the Route of the Hiawatha Trail then check out one of these lesser-known rides near Wallace, Idaho. More info>> 23. Take a multiday whitewater rafting trip on the Salmon River: You’ll need your own gear and experience on this class III and IV wilderness river. You can rent rafting gear from the University of Idaho Outdoor Program, but you’ll still need your own whitewater skills. Or sign up on a Lower Salmon River trip with Spokane-based FLOW Adventures. 24. Go river surfing in Missoula, Mont.: Brennan’s Wave, a man-made river wave, provides year-round river surfing opportunities. Rental boards and lessons are available too. More info>> 25. Get away from the crowds on a hike near Libby, Mont.: Many well-known scenic hikes can get crowded on peak summer weekends these days, but there are still plenty of lesser-known trails throughout the Inland NW where you can find solitude. For instance, there are hundreds of miles of backcountry trails near Libby, Mont., where you may not see another human while you hike. 26. Climb at a new-to-you bouldering area in the greater Spokane area: A long-needed new bouldering guide to the Spokane area is now available thanks to the hard work of climbers and authors Nate Lynch and Shane Collins. Pick up a copy of Spokane Bouldering at Rambleraven Gear Trader and start exploring with your crash pad. 27. Go to Spokatopia July 9 to ride your bike, listen to music and paddleboard: Spokatopia is a one-day outdoor adventure festival at Camp Sekani Park on the Spokane River put on by Out There Outdoors. It’s like having a whole summer’s worth of outdoor fun crammed into one long day. Don’t miss it! MAY-JUNE 2022 / OUTTHEREOUTDOORS.COM
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4O: EASY ACCESS FROM KIWANIS PARK. PHOTO: CAROL CORBIN // 27: STORYTIME AT SPOKATOPIA. // 28: PHIL LINDEN ON THE WAVE. // 39 BART RAYNIAK ON THE SALMON RIVER. PHOTO: SHALLAN KNOWLES. // 45. OLD GROWTH IN NELSON BC. PHOTO: TON WEAGER. // 41. EARLY SEASON POTHOLES PADDLING. PHOTO: CAROL CORBIN
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28. Visit the Little Pend Oreille National Wildlife Refuge south of Colville, Wash.: Bears, elk, moose, bobcat, deer, hundreds of bird species, and other wildlife on over 40,000 acres of public land. What more could you ask for? Explore on a few trails and gravel roads and reconnect with the wild tangle of rock, trees, and feral life that we all sprang from way back when. 29. Take the back road drive between Sullivan Lake and Priest Lake over Pass Creek Pass in northeast Washington: The highlight of this drive is topping out on the pass. Stop and take a hike (trails head north and south from the road) and pick a few huckleberries and watch for wildlife. Better yet, do it on your mountain bike and connect into some sick singletrack trails leading back down to Sullivan Lake. 30. Hike, mountain bike or trail run the Independence Creek Trail northeast of Coeur d’Alene: Make it a long loop using forest roads or an out-and-back through beautiful North Idaho forest along a cool mountain stream. 31. Ride the acclaimed mountain bike trails around Helena, Mont.: Scan here for more info on the trails to ride and other beta. More Info>> 32. Run or fast hike one of the regions popular backpacking routes in one day: Many of the most scenic backpacking loops and outand-back or one-way trails in our neck of the woods are getting more and more crowded. Enjoy the trails and views and limit your impact by doing the whole Salmo Loop, Seven Devils Loop, Kettle Crest Trail, or other popular routes all in one fast push. Go prepared physically and with
all the essentials you’ll need to avoid paying a hefty evacuation bill. 33. Rent a boat on one of the region’s big lakes: Many lakes can get crazy on weekends, but bigger lakes like Lake Pend Oreille and Coeur d’Alene Lake in North Idaho, Flathead Lake in northwest Montana, and Kootenay Lake in British Columbia, offer more elbow room to spread out and do your own boating thing at your own pace. For a quick-access boat rental experience from Spokane on Lake Coeur d’Alene, check out Cdasports.com. 34. Surf the world’s largest standing wave at Lakeside Surf in Chelan: Quite different than the ocean waves you may have surfed, this river-type wave where the water rushes toward you takes some getting used to, but it is a blast that anyone can get the hang of after a few sessions. After opening last spring, this wave is quickly becoming an annual pilgrimage for landlocked Inland Northwest surfers.More Info>> 35. Take a ride over the Columbia River on the Palouse to Cascades Trail: This 289-mile cross-Washington rail trail goes from Cedar Falls to Tekoa, and with the newly updated Beverly Bridge over the Columbia River, riders and hikers can now cross the bridge without a vehicle shuttle detour. Grab your bike and go check out this section of one of our region’s greatest rail trails! 36. Explore the waters and shorelines around Lake Roosevelt: This sprawling water body northwest of Spokane is a lake-lovers dream. Find great fishing, boating, beach camping, hiking, history and more along this 130-mile-long lake. More info>> 37. Explore the backroads and trails along the Nez Perce (Nee-Me-Poo) National Historic Trail: The Trail follows the route taken by many members of the Nez Perce Tribe in 1877 on their noble quest to dodge being forced onto a reservation. The 1,170-mile trail covers backroads and trails
Wake (509) 534 - 4554
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from Wallowa Lake in northeast Oregon to Bear Paw Battlefield near Chinook, Mont. Drive and walk part of the route and learn about the Nee-Me-Poo people’s tragic flight from pursuing white forces while you’re at it. 38. Look down into the deepest gorge in North America from Hells Canyon Overlook: Safely tucked in the middle of nowhere southeast of Enterprise, Ore., along the Hells Canyon Scenic Byway, the overlook offers a rare, vehicle-accessible panoramic view of Hells Canyon. 39. Go river rafting in Riggins, Idaho: The Salmon River, or River of No Return, is one of the longest un-dammed rivers in North America. Sign on with a local guide and spend a day splashing through class III and IV rapids and lounging on white sand beaches above and below the cool river town of Riggins. 40. Spend a few days riding sections of the Ferry County Rail Trail in northeast Washington: This 24-mile rail trail that extends from near the town of Republic to the Canadian Border is big on scenery and rural charm. Find an overnight basecamp in town or at a local campground and check it out. More info>> 41. Go fishing at Potholes Reservoir near Moses Lake: Great fishing for bass, walleye, and trout can be had via boat, paddle craft, dock, or shore on the vast waters of the reservoir from your choice of private resort, state park, or several developed public access areas. 42. Ride the Columbia Plateau Trail: Or maybe just a couple sections of it if you don’t have several days on a fat bike to dedicate to the trail. The 130-mile rail trail that stretches
between Pasco and Cheney, Wash., is known for some rough trail surfaces (dreaded ballast rock) and detours around gated, unsafe bridges. But the wild, off-road scenery is amazing in places and well worth the challenge. More info>> 43. Ride Spokane’s Children of the Sun Trail: This 10-mile, one-way paved path that parallels Spokane’s in-progress north-south freeway is a great afternoon or evening, close-to-home leg stretcher that runs between Hillyard and the Little Spokane River. The trail will expand along with the freeway and should eventually connect with the Centennial Trail. 44. Ride the Centennial Trail from downtown Spokane to Nine Mile Recreation Area: Set up a shuttle in advance then enjoy the one-way, nearly 20-mile trip with a picnic and swim in Lake Spokane, or turn around when you’re ready and ride back home to double your mileage. Or reserve a campsite and make it an overnight urban bikepack trip. 45. Explore some of the Inland Northwest’s remaining old growth trees: Big trees are cool and they provide plenty of benefits to people and wildlife, from harboring clean water and air to creating space for critters to live that need big trees. Check out these regional old growth groves: More info>> 46. Look for birds and wildlife along the scenic auto tour loop at Turnbull National Wildlife Refuge south of Cheney, Wash: Be sure to check out wildlife viewing sites, boardwalks, and hiking trails that lead off the loop into the forest, grasslands and wetlands. And look up and around for birds and other wildlife. Don’t forget your binoculars! 47. Explore the Post Falls Community Forest: Hike through forest, canyons, and along the Spokane River or go rock climbing on the beginner-to-intermediate climbing routes, all accessed from the trailhead at Q’emiln Park. //
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Purchases at qualifying stores only. Promotion runs April 1 – June 30, 2022, and is limited to $2,500 in qualifying purchases, or up to 7,500 bonus points on top of your standard earned points. No limit on the amount of standard earned points allowed. Rewards points typically awarded within three business days after your qualifying transaction posts to your account. Earned points on purchases never expire, with at least one purchase every 24 months. Bonus points expire one year from date awarded. Subject to approval.
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#SmokeReady
People over age 65
Who is most at risk from smoke?
Pregnant women
People with existing health conditions
Children and infants SpokaneCleanAir.org 56
OUTTHEREOUTDOORS.COM / MAY-JUNE 2022
SUMMER ADVENTURE
GUIDE
RUBY HIKES THE SHORELINE TRAIL AT FARRAGUT STATE PARK WITH HER MAMA, NICOLE. //PHOTO: ANGELA SCHNEIDER
Becoming a Better Dog Owner BY ANGELA SCHNEIDER I USED TO BE THAT JACKASS. You know the one who calls out “he’s friendly” while her
dog bounds joyfully along the trail unleashed and uncontrolled. Shep was one of the most gregarious dogs I’ve ever met and, after some time and patience, he came when he was called. That doesn’t mean he should have been off leash in places where he shouldn’t have been. And I learned my lesson the hard way. I was minding my own business on an urban hiking trail in Calgary, Alberta, when I heard screaming and yelling nearby. And barking. I ran toward the cacophony and found Shep trying to make nice with a woman who was shaken to the core. She was terrified of dogs. Since the onset of the pandemic, more of us have dogs. And more of us are outside. Which means more of us are outside with our dogs. The trails are busy, and we’re all looking to do our own thing. Trouble is, doing our own thing can get in the way of someone else doing their own thing. That’s one of the reasons I’ve learned keeping my current dog, Bella, on her leash is the way to go. SIX GOOD REASONS YOU SHOULD LEASH YOUR DOG ON INLAND NORTHWEST TRAILS
1. It’s the Law. Leashes are the law in the City of Spokane. If you get busted with your dog off leash, you can get hit with an $87 fine. The law goes for Spokane County and state parks, too. Want to spend the day climbing to Vista House at Mt. Spokane? Don’t forget your leash, no more than eight feet long. 2. Safety for You and Your Pup. You don’t know what you can’t see. And if your pup is off the trail roaming and loving the smell of every pile of scat, there’s no telling what he can get into. Then there’s dogs like my Bella who likes to roll in the poo. (Need I mention we’re frequent patrons of the do-it-yourself dog wash at Julia’s Jungle in Spokane Valley?). If
you stray over to Idaho and Montana for a day hike, your dog also runs the risk of getting caught in a wildlife snare. Trapping is legal in those states. 3. Unwanted Wildlife Encounters. The dangers of wildlife was one of the first things more experienced hikers taught me when I first started wandering trails some 15 years ago with Shep. An off-leash dog can find potentially dangerous critters like bears, cougars, or wolves, and draw them back to you. Luckily, even in grizzly territory in Alberta, the most dangerous animals we ever saw were deer and chipmunks. An off-leash dog may also spend his time harassing wildlife. And that’s just not cool. We’re already invading their territory. We don’t need to stress them out more with our dogs getting all up in their grills. Number six of the seven Leave No Trace principles is, of course, “respect wildlife.” 4. Peace of Mind. I can’t even begin to tell you how many Facebook posts I’ve seen where people are searching for dogs lost in the woods. The hiking groups in Washington and North Idaho frequently feature people looking for help finding their dogs. The pups just strayed away or got spooked and took off. It’s heartbreaking, yet there’s an easy solution: keep your dog on leash. That way you know where she is at all times. 5. Respect for Others. Not everyone likes dogs. I just don’t get it. I’ve been a dog person my entire life. But yes, there are people on the trails who don’t like dogs, or maybe just don’t appreciate them. They don’t want our dogs running toward them or worse, jumping on them. It doesn’t matter what size either, whether an “oh but my dog is so small and so cute” dachshund or a “no, really, he’s a big softie” Great Dane. Some people even fear dogs, like the poor soul whose day I ruined so many years ago. Even a goofy Lab can leave a person with a bite history terrified on the trail. 6. Some Dogs Don’t Like Other Dogs: I have friends with reactive dogs. They love to go hiking, but lately they’ve been leaving their own dogs at home because too many people think their dogs need to be off leash all the time. “She’s friendly,” they call out. “Mine’s not,” my friends tried to reply. It didn’t matter. The off-leash dog approached, and things spun out of control. Dogs simply aren’t capable of higher-level thinking. They see another dog and their instinct is to approach and check that butt out. It’s up to humans—the ones capable of higher-level thinking, but who don’t always use it—to be responsible dog owners and nature lovers. I take the rules pretty seriously. Even though I used to be a scofflaw, my exceedingly responsible husband has lightened my penchant for risk-taking. It doesn’t help that Bella has been resistant to recall and likes to wander (er, bolt) when she gets the chance. That’s typical for a Maremma sheepdog. Her stubbornness, independence, and defiance are all bits that we love about her. While hiking in Spokane and North Idaho, though, she is on leash. If you frequently enjoy hiking in Spokane, no doubt you have one of the trail apps on your phone from AllTrails or Washington Trails Association. Most of the trail notes indicate whether leashes are required or even if dogs are permitted on the trail. (Note: Dogs are not allowed on trails at the Little Spokane River Natural Area). Let’s all be good ambassadors for our dogs and the growing community of outdoors-loving dog owners and make sure everyone enjoys the trails. // Angela Schneider is an adventurer, writer, and photographer at Big White Dog Photography in Spokane. First and foremost, she is mama to her 8-year-old Maremma sheepdog, Bella.
OUTDOOR DOG PHOTO CONTEST
IS BACK! SCAN HERE FOR
CONTEST INFO CONTEST ENDS JUNE 15, 2022
Prize winners in five categories. Submit your best pup photos online! MAY-JUNE 2022 / OUTTHEREOUTDOORS.COM
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Adventure Begins Where the
Pavement Ends
GRAVEL BIKES IN STOCK
Scan to Get Gravel Ready with
Bikes & Beta
New Trails in Rossland, BC BY BRADLEY BLECK
Come Check out The OTSO Waheela and the new Salsa Journeyer
Oh Canada! You may not be our home and native land, but how we in the Inland Northwest have missed you these two years of pandemic and closed borders. But with COVID-19 (fingers crossed) behind us and border restrictions easing up, we and our glowing hearts are looking to get reacquainted. It’s now time to enjoy those bits of the great outdoors that have been off limits. And what better place to bust out again than Rossland, British Columbia, the capital of Canadian mountain biking less than three hours north of Spokane? IN-TOWN EPIC RIDING
Three Spokane Locations North Spokane
9501 N Newport Hwy
South Hill
3020 S Grand Blvd
Spokane Valley 606 N Sullivan
24HRS A DAY ONLINE SHOPPING @WHEELSPORTBIKES.COM 58
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According to Caroline Rousselle, one of the owners of Revolution Cycles in Rossland (a must visit!), what makes Rossland befitting its status as Canada’s mountain biking capital is the wide variety of trails that are accessible directly from town, no car required. Anyone enjoying these trails has the Kootenay Columbia Trail Society (KCTS) that built and maintains them to thank. The trails, says Rousselle, as described on the Trailforks app, are accurately labeled. When there’s a black diamond, you better not overestimate your abilities or fitness. If you are looking for something Rouselle describes as a “bit more flowy,” then the blue-square intermediate trails are for you. That means, if you want to tackle the local epic Seven Summits, you need to be fit and capable. It may well contain the toughest 30 kilometers (18 miles) you’ll ride, with more than 4,500 feet of climbing. Bring all the food and drink you’ll need for the average five hours it takes to complete. The Trailforks rating for the Seven Summits is “extreme.” And they mean it. Along with a great trail system, Rossland has become a leader in adaptive mountain biking, providing a welcoming space for athletes who have suffered spinal cord injuries that would otherwise keep them from cycling. Similarly, every trail but the Seven Summits, due to the delicate trail surface and ecology, is open to Class 1 eBikes.
SUMMER ADVENTURE
GUIDE
LEFT: MOUNTAIN BIKERS HITTING THE TRAILS. COURTESY OF ASHLEY VOYKIN // ROSSLAND UNDER CLOUD COVER. COURTESY OF ERIC GONZALEZ AND TOURISM ROSSLAND
NEW TRAILS & AMENITIES OPEN ALONG WITH THE BORDER
So what’s happened in and around Rossland since the COVID-19 border closure? Stewart Spooner, operations manager for KCTS, says “We've had quite a few developments in the past couple of years.” The Millennial Trail Expansion opened in 2020, adding 5.8K of trails at the base of Red Mountain with advanced, intermediate, and novice climbing and crosscountry terrain and connections to Paydirt trails. Another new trail is the machine-built, bermed, and jump-filled Dragontail, adding a bike-park experience, though without lift access. Spooner says that KCTS has also created an entirely off-road loop of trails connecting the Larch Ridge trail network, including the popular Monticola trail. KCTS is also developing the new Mxitp Xewílh (Cedar Trail), an 18K moderate trail connecting Nancy Green Pass to the Larch Ridge Trail network and Red Mountain Resort. The lower section will open midsummer 2022, with the entire trail ready for Spring 2023. That’s lots of new terrain for those who have previously ridden the Rossland area. It’s not just that trail system that has grown in Rossland since the border closure. Kylie Lakevold of Tourism Rossland reports that “during the pandemic more new businesses opened versus closed.” New restaurants include Rossberry Hill Bistro at RED Mountain Resort and The Underbelly Bistro downtown. There’s a new chef at The Velvet Restaurant too. Shopping has expanded, there are new and expanded art options, and lodging has improved with renovations at The Wild Turkey and The Flying Steamshovel inns. WHEN TO GO
If you are reading this early in May, you don’t need to hurry to trek north. Rossland’s elevation of 3,356 feet means warm weather will begin later in May and many trails can hold snow in places through June. The subalpine Seven Summits doesn’t typically open until early July, closing in late October. Most trails receive regular maintenance one the snow melts and the trails dry out, but it’s always worth a call up to Revolution Cycles in Rossland for a trail update. Oh Canada, we can’t wait. // MAY-JUNE 2022 / OUTTHEREOUTDOORS.COM
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Summer Outings with Elders BY TABITHA GREGORY THE ROAD WINDS THROUGH A COUNTRYSIDE blonde with wheat, then dips into a brushchoked gorge. Three of us—me, my husband, and my 82-year-old mother—let out a harmony of “ahs” at the sight of the lovely creek and decide this is the place to stop for a tailgate coffee break. We park in a gravel pullout, situate mom in a folding chair under a poplar tree, and pour coffee. While we sit, five species of songbirds sound off, accompanied by frogs and buzzing insects. It’s a beautiful moment in an afternoon outing. Over the past several years, my husband and I have formed a habit of taking mom on outings such as this. The challenges of aging—pain, dementia—are wearing on her and nature seems to give her a measure of relief and pleasure. Experts agree that time outdoors is an important part of overall healthfulness for elders. That’s exactly why Ryan Griffith, Spokane Parks & Recreation’s assistant recreation director, partners with local senior centers to take groups of elderly patrons kayaking and snow shoeing. He says that seniors benefit from being outdoors in myriad ways including exercise, mental stimulation, getting away from the television, and social interaction. Griffith observes that even seemingly simple occurrences like a bird singing or snow falling on a jacket sleeve help relax the mind. Griffith suggests taking along snacks, water, and trekking poles, and recommends approaching the activity with a flexible mindset. Fortunately, the Inland Northwest provides a wealth of opportunities for older residents to get outdoors safely. Together, my husband, mother, and I have been to the summit of a mountain, explored a cave, lolled in green orchards, and wandered through wetlands. Here are four outings around the Spokane area—field tested by mom—to consider planning with your elders.
MUKOGAWA INSTITUTE STROLL OR ROLL
Drive Government Way to Fremont Road and turn into the Mukogawa Institute. Park along Offut Road in front of McNally Recital Hall. Walk west 0.25 mile along Custer Drive under graceful Douglas firs. A row of beautifully maintained red brick officers’ quarters line the way and placards note the year each building was built. Rest on the benches at the roundabout, then either stroll back to your car on the opposite side of the sunshine-dappled parade grounds (along Randolph Road) or wander another 0.2 mile into the forest along paved paths to discover the tiny hidden chapel near Takaoka Hall. Comforts: Shade trees, wheelchair accessible (advise keeping to the low-traffic road instead of the uneven sidewalks), benches at the roundabout and near the Nellie Garry Guest House, covered gazebo with picnic table at corner of Fremont and North Wright Drive. Walking or rolling distance: 0.5 mile along quiet paved roadway with options to extend. Sensory: Birdsong, busy squirrels, historic buildings and interesting architecture, towering pine and fir trees. Cautions: No public restrooms along this route.
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SUMMER ADVENTURE
GUIDE silence to consider the gravity of events that occurred here. Then continue to the Highway 27 intersection. Return directly to Spokane via Highway 27 or take a few more twists and turns through farm, field, and forest on rural gravel roads. Comforts: Outhouse (not wheelchair accessible) and shade trees at Mount Hope Chapel. LEFT: MUKOGAWA STROLL. // VALLEY CHAPEL ROAD. PHOTOS: TABITHA GREGORY
MOUNT SPOKANE SUMMIT AND VISTA HOUSE
Drive north from Spokane to Mount Spokane Park Drive and continue uphill to North Summit Road. Follow the narrow strip of blacktop to the parking area. Walk up to Vista House. Comforts: Wheelchair accessible outhouses along the road and at waysides and picnic tables at Bald Knob Campground. Walking distance: 0.25 mile out-and-back gravel pathway to Vista House. Sensory: Dense forest and undergrowth, broad views, sunshine, and an interesting stone house. Cautions: Sections of narrow winding road with steep no-guardrail drop-offs, and it can be windy up top. VALLEY CHAPEL ROAD TRIP
From Spokane, take Palouse Highway south to the intersection with South Valley Chapel Road. Travel along Stevens and Latah creeks and take a break at one of the pull-offs to enjoy the babbling water. Stop at Mt. Hope Chapel (corner of East Valley Chapel Road and South North Kentuck Trails Road) to stretch legs and enjoy the quiet wheat fields. Take a 4-mile out-and-back side trip drive south on North Kentuck Trails Road to Hanging Tree Historical Monument (watch for the marker pointing the way) and pause for a moment of
Walking distance: As desired at chosen rest stops. Sensory: Birdsong, frog song, rippling creeks, pastoral views. Cautions: Limited restrooms, winding roads. ST. ALOYSIUS WALK OR ROLL
Park on Astor Street in front of St. Aloysius church on Gonzaga campus. Stroll or roll along wheelchair accessible sidewalk to the church, then head east along the smooth brick and stone promenade to Rosauer Center. Walk south between buildings, then follow the walkways, this time west, back to St. Aloysius. To extend the outing, continue on to the performing arts center, visit the Jundt Art Museum or cross the grass to the river’s edge. Comforts: Wheelchair accessible sidewalks and paths, numerous benches, shade trees. Walking or rolling distance: 0.75-mile loop (expand or shorten as desired). Sensory: The church’s granite prayer grotto and its impressive rhododendrons, basaltblocks, pocket gardens, statuary, rockwork and architecture, shoreline, birdsong. Cautions: No public restrooms along the route. // Tabitha Gregory enjoys exploring, hiking, and skiing in the Inland Northwest. She’s written for OutThere Outdoors and North Columbia Monthly and is the author of the historical nonfiction book “Valdez Rises: One Town’s Struggle for Survival After the Great Alaska Earthquake.”
Your best summer yet! Downtown Spokane
Reservations required by phone or online. Rent a boat, jet ski, kayak, or paddleboard.
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Playing Safe in Bear Country BY CRYSTAL ATAMIAN THE WEATHER IS NICE, and the bears agree with you—now is a wonderful time to be outside.
Chuck Bartlebaugh of Missoula, Mont., based nonprofit Be Bear Aware says there is an easy equation to remember when you’re recreating outside—whether it’s in town or in the trees, WILDLIFE + DISTANCE = SAFETY. Black bears aren’t just in remote areas. Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife removed a bear one block south of I-90 just two years ago. Biologist Carrie Lowe points out that “if they can show up there, they can show up anywhere.” Bears are often reported in areas like Dishman Hills and Nine Mile Falls, but Bartlebaugh’s favorite story is about the bear that settled down and was sleeping under the Red Wagon slide in Riverfront Park (the bear was moved without incident). LEARNING HOW TO BE BEAR AWARE
Be Bear Aware was founded by Bartlebaugh in 1976, and since then the organization has produced some of the best bear education materials in the region. They also offer courses in how to deploy bear spray in varying attack situations, and how to handle encounters with bears, cougar, moose, rattlesnakes, and other wildlife. Trainings cover how to use bear spray to deter an attack from a surprised bear as well as encounters where there’s more distance. Always, the primary goal is to learn how to maintain distance and avoid an encounter in the first place. The key is learning what bear sign looks like: bark smoothed from rubbing, hair or scratches on trees, shredded stumps. What does bear scat look like? Google it with your family: it’s a fun way to start the conversation. Bears are attracted to smells, so store food, fishing tackle, harvested fish or game, and even your toothpaste in a bear resistant container or inside a locked vehicle if you are out overnight.
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BLACK BEAR VISITING THE BURBS. // OPPOSITE PAGE: SECURE YOUR TRASH! // FAR RIGHT: CHUCK DEMONSTRATES PROPER USE OF BEAR SPRAY. PHOTOS COURTESY OF BE BEAR AWARE
Whether you are hiking, camping, or mountain biking, make sure to carry bear spray, and have it in a place where you can reach it easily. Bikers move fast through the landscape and need to pay special attention to being aware of any strong smells (bear, or dead animal that a bear might feed on). Bartlebaugh recommends calling out in a way that is non-threatening and human sounding—music will not do the trick, voices will. Bartlebaugh also had specific suggestions for people in residential areas. “It’s all common sense. Clear the brush away from the house so you have a good view (this helps with fire danger too). Garbage needs to go out only on pick-up day, and if you can, get a bear-resistant container for trash. Also, get rid of attractants like fruit that’s fallen from fruit trees.” Lowe noted that rural residents with backyard chickens need to be especially aware because the birds are attractive to bears. She emphasized that as Spokane continues to grow, “more houses are on the outskirts of bear country. Anyone should expect to potentially see a bear where they live.” Bartlebaugh also noted that wildlife feeding and people’s desire to get up close and interact with wildlife is a big problem and is the primary reason behind most human–wildlife conflicts. “We need to learn to enjoy wildlife for what they are and not what they will do for donuts.” A
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culture of respect and avoidance is key, not just for bears, but for all wildlife. Another warning, brought up by both Lowe and Bartlebaugh, was to always keep your dog on leash in wild areas. Bears rarely attack humans, but according to Lowe, a large percentage of those attacks are when a dog is off leash and the bear chases the dog back to the owner. This is also an issue with moose, who are known to get aggressive with dogs. USING BEAR SPRAY THE RIGHT WAY
Be Bear Aware recommends that you carry an EPA-approved bear spray cannister that will spray for at least seven seconds and travel at least 30 feet. Knowing that distance and how far your cannister will spray matters. Importantly, the group states in their trainings that how you deploy bear spray is determined by the bear’s agitation level and how far away the bear is. In addition to courses on bear encounters and how to deploy bear spray, Be Bear Aware has developed a Train-the-Trainer program where anyone can take the course and then learn to become a trainer themselves. This program has expanded in Montana and is being introduced here in eastern Washington. For details or more information reach out at bearinfo@cfwi.org or call 406-239-2315. //
BEAR SPRAY VS. PEPPER SPRAY
Carrie Hunt, from the University of Montana, conducted experiments on what would stop a charging grizzly. She found some potential in personal defense and military pepper sprays, but there were drawbacks. Her research indicated that the ingredients and the delivery method are what makes a spray more effective. Bill Pounds, a volunteer on the study, developed a concentrated formula that could be dispersed in a coneshaped cloud that did not require precise aiming, but could simply be directed downward in front of a charging bear. This helps compensate for the effects of wind, rain, and cold. Bear spray has six times as much spray and is much more pressurized than pepper spray. The contents are regulated by the EPA, and each can has a registration number on the label. It is the capsaicin and related capsaicinoids that are the active ingredients in bear spray; claims of 10%, 20%, or 30% Oleoresin Capsaicin are not indicative of the amount of active capsaicin and capsaicinoids in a spray. This and the spray pattern are what make bear spray so effective; in short, if it’s not EPA registered, it will not work the same in a bear encounter. Make sure to look before you buy. The recommendation based on Hunt’s study is to spray for seven seconds, 30 feet in front of you. The minimum sized can registered by the EPA is 225 grams (7.9 oz.); smaller cans may not have sufficient spray duration to deter a charging bear. Chuck Bartlebaugh of Be Bear Aware said it’s important to ensure that you bring enough bear spray with you; you’ll want enough to deter an aggressive bear and still have some for the hike out.
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Wandering Spokane's Urban Wilds #SmokeReady
Stay informed about air quality. Check current air quality at SpokaneCleanAir.org
BY ALANA LIVINGSTON SPOKANE IS HOME TO MANY URBAN WILDS. No matter where in Spokane you live, chances are there is a wild-ish natural area near you to explore. Combining urban neighborhoods with these special, scenic places makes for one of the most unique and satisfying hiking experiences imaginable. And with the right guide to point out everything from native plants and geographical features to historic sites and buildings, it can be even better. This was the idea behind the urban walking tours and my business, Wander Spokane, as well as my desire to become a tour guide. These local tours can’t be repeated anywhere else because they are tied to this unique place. This summer, get out there to explore on your own or on one of our guided tours and see some of Spokane’s lesser-known urban wilds. COEUR D’ALENE PARK AND BROWNE’S ADDITION HISTORY
A great starting point is on the corner of Second Avenue and Hemlock at Spokane’s oldest park, Coeur d’Alene Park. The beautiful gazebo in the center of the park was built in 1896 and has been a gathering place for Spokanites for over 120 years. The land for the park was donated after the great fire of 1889 by J.J. Browne and A.M. Cannon as a way of promoting building in the area. Most homes in this neighborhood reflect the era in which they were built. This was an enclave for the elite who made most of their money in the railway and mining industries. OVERLOOK PARK AND LATAH VALLEY VIEWS
Walking west down Second Avenue toward Overlook Park you will pass many homes ranging from the Patsy Clark Mansion (1897) to the Gibbs-Murphy house, the oldest in the neighborhood (1883). Taking in the view of the Hangman Creek valley, directly below you is High Bridge Park located along the banks of the creek. Take time to read the few signs at the top of the hill that tell some tales of the past. To the south you’ll notice some beautiful bridges, including the Sunset Highway bridge. Downstream you’ll see remnants of old trusses both in the water and on land. HIGH BRIDGE PARK WALK ALONG THE CREEK
Starting down the trail to the creek below are plenty of plants, many native to the area. My favorite time to view them is late spring/early summer. Probably the most well-known is the arrowleaf balsamroot that resembles a wild sunflower. Ponderosa pines line the trail and the creek, as well as yarrow, ocean spray, and Douglas fir, all with edible and medicinal uses. 64
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LEFT: REDBAND PARK WANDERINGS PHOTO: DERRICK KNOWLES // CONFLUENCE. PHOTO: ALANA LIVINGSTON
At the bottom of the trail you reach the creek, known by one of two names—Hangman Creek or Latah Creek, depending on who you ask. (In 1858 Col. George Wright had several Native Americans hanged in this valley, hence the name discrepancy). At this point the pulse of the city is out of sight, and the sound of the water and birds take over. PEOPLE’S PARK AND THE CONFLUENCE
Follow the creek north to the Spokane River and the confluence with Latah Creek, a special place to members of the Spokane Tribe and other Native Americans. The river and creek provided Native American inhabitants with salmon and other fish for thousands of years before dams downstream cut off their migration from the Pacific Ocean. More recently, the natural area surrounding the confluence of the Spokane River and Latah Creek is known as People’s Park. This area has several trails an array of beautiful plants and a “colorful” story. During Spokane’s Expo ’74, this area was set up for free camping and soon became its own little community. After the fair ended, it became a place for peace, love, and nude beaches. PEACEFUL VALLEY
Turning back east along the south bank of the Spokane River, walk along the newly paved path toward the Peaceful Valley neighborhood, following the river where you can still hear the raging waters below during spring runoff. Follow the path to Main Street and you will find yourself in my favorite neighborhoods. Peaceful Valley went by many names in its lifetime: Poverty Flats and Spring Flats to name a few. There are many interesting and historical homes in this neighborhood, including the Pietsch House, Groshoff Apartments, and the Cowley School. An unusual feature found in this neighborhood is a series of row cabins. Our hike ends at Redband Park, formerly known as Glover Field. The park was renamed after the redband trout, a native fish to the Spokane River that, along with the salmon, was crucial to the Indigenous inhabitants of the area. The views from Redband Park are amazing, especially from the field looking toward downtown with the power of the river meeting the gorgeous architecture and cityscape. For more information about urban tours of Spokane and Wander Spokane, visit Wanderspokane.com. // MAY-JUNE 2022 / OUTTHEREOUTDOORS.COM
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Backpacking Eagle Cap Wilderness BY JIM JOHNSON WHEN YOU DISCOVER SOMETHING REALLY FUN, there’s potential of going overboard. In just
over a year, I’ve done three backpacking trips to the Eagle Cap Wilderness. Man overboard! For years I had wanted to backpack the Eagle Cap Wilderness in the Wallowa Mountains of northeast Oregon. I almost always go solo and thought its remoteness meant few visitors. Should I run into trouble, I’d be on my own. Overcoming my timidity with a five-day visit in August 2020, I encountered plenty of backpackers, many from the west side of Oregon and Washington. Curious why they’d drive past the Cascades to come here, the answer was simply the beauty. More than once I was told Eagle Cap is more beautiful than the famous Enchantments in Washington’s Cascades. A four-hour drive from Spokane and the largest wilderness area in Oregon, visitation has increased from 30,000 in 2010 to 80,000 in 2020. There’s still no entrance restrictions, though—just fill out a free, self-issued permit at the trailhead. But the increased use means visitors need to be more diligent than ever at following Leave No Trace practices (see sidebar). BACKPACKING THE WALLOWAS TWO HIGHEST PEAK'S
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I was ready to tackle the two highest points in the wilderness, Sacajawea Peak and Matterhorn, by my second visit. I did a steep climb into a high-elevation valley and pitched my tent at 7,770 feet. Despite the increase in hikers and backpackers in the Wallowas in recent years, I was the only person in the valley that night. At camp, I set a store-bought hummus wrap on the ground while setting up. When I reached for it several minutes later, hundreds of tiny ants had infiltrated the package and were swarming the wrap. Wondering if it was salvageable and amazed a huge swarm of ants had so quickly found my wrap, I dumped most out. Though some ants were still coming from inside it, I sealed and returned it to my backpack. I arose next morning seemingly before sunrise. However, I was surrounded by steep mountains, and the sun wouldn’t clear them for some time. I boiled water and added instant ramen. Then more boiled water for the requisite cup of coffee. By midmorning and 2,000 feet of elevation gain, I reached the summit of Sacajawea Peak at 9,838 feet, the highest point in the Wallowa Mountains. It’s only 1.5 miles of additional ridgeline hiking to Matterhorn; however, it's a class 3 scramble, and climbing experience is recommended. I’m strictly a hiker, and trekking poles are the closest I have to climbing equipment. The worst part was immediately ahead—several gendarmes, or ridgeline pinnacles or rock. Some I skirted at the base. Others required finding a climbable route over. Reaching the subsidiary peak between Sacajawea and Matterhorn, I found two young women snacking. Forest Service employees whose jobs are at a much lower elevation, they spent the night near the summit of Sacajawea. I’d seen them up ahead, going the same direction as me, carrying all their equipment. The rest of the way was less stressful with a couple interesting sights—a cave that goes straight down and mountain goats. At the summit I admired the views while eating my ant and hummus wrap. I can attest a hummus wrap tastes good even with ants inside. Matterhorn is 5,000 feet lower and doesn’t resemble the original in Europe at all, but it’s dramatic and beautiful nonetheless. It looks more like Half Dome in Yosemite. I looped back by hiking the Hurwal Divide, lingering at the high point (9,776 feet). Descending in a hurry seems a waste when I spend so much effort coming up. Also, it’s tough to walk away from a fabulous view. I finally forced myself to descend and reached my campsite by walking the entire valley again. I’d be the only person in it for a second night.
SUMMER ADVENTURE
GUIDE NOW o LEFT: GLACIER LAKE ON THE WAY TO GLACIER PASS. // HIKING TO GLACIER PASS IN THE LAKES BASIN. PHOTOS: JIM JOHNSON
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DAY CAMPS AT MT. SPOKANE
LAKES BASIN AND A GUY WHO BIKES TO BACKPACK
In the morning I headed to the Lakes Basin to establish a base camp and do day hikes. I hiked up and spent an indulgent hour and a half at the summit of the wilderness’ namesake, Eagle Cap (9,572 feet). I chatted briefly with several summiteers, except one guy named Bill from Dallas, Texas. When I remarked he’d driven a long way, he corrected me—he came by bicycle. I use my car as little as possible and prioritize personal time for things I enjoy, but Bill has taken the minimalist approach to living to the next level. Before coming here, he backpacked 400 miles of the Idaho Centennial Trail, ending at Upper Priest Lake. I wondered how he gets back to his bike. Bill spends six months a year installing phone systems and the other six bicycling the country to hike and backpack. He’s been doing this for 32 years. For his four-day backpacking trip, he chained his bike to a tree near the trailhead. For one-way, multiday hikes, he asks a local bike shop if they’ll hold it or give names of bike enthusiasts who will. To get back to his bike, he hitchhikes. While hiking down together, I wondered how many other people in the country are out there doing what Bill does. THE HIKE OUT AND BACK AGAIN
My six-day stay ended with a 12-mile hike out. I thought my backpacking season was over, but good weather at September’s end brought me back once more. On my autumn return trip, I climbed Sacajawea and Matterhorn again as a shortcut to beat an approaching storm on my next-to-last day. Gusty winds forced me to squat often along the gendarme-laden ridge, making it slower and more worrisome than before. Arriving late and tenting far from the main camping area near Ice Lake, I awoke to footsteps in the middle of the night, followed by a loud, forceful nostril exhalation. Later, whoever did it came back and did it again. Deer snort as a warning, but I saw mountain goats while descending Matterhorn. I don’t know if mountain goats snort, but whoever was responsible, they’ll have to be satisfied that I left in the morning and won’t return for a while. Snow and temperatures down to the teens were expected by evening. As I hiked out, I inquired of a solitary woman hiking in if she knew about the change. She enjoys the challenge and was prepared. END OF THE HIKE AND OFF-TRAIL CAMARADERIE
I made it to my car, drove to attractive Main Street in downtown Joseph and stopped at a coffeeshop. Indoor comfort and a hot mocha at a window side seat is an elevated pleasure after a wilderness stint. Walking to my car, a woman recognized me from a brief trail encounter my first day in. We compared experiences, small-talked—she and her partner were going to work their way back home to Kalispell, Mont. After parting, I wished I could’ve had a longer conversation. The camaraderie of exploring a unique place made me want to share more experiences and inquire of hers. It’s the same on the trail. Being in the wilderness is such a pleasing experience, and trail encounters add to it. So often a brief chat is interesting and informative. The superb setting and sharing insights with fellow backpackers makes for a memorable and pleasant adventure. That is, if you can avoid the misfortune of tiny ants swarming over your lunch. //
ADVENTURE CAMPS SNAKE RIVER POST PARTY PROBLEMS. // PHOTO SHALLAN KNOWLES
LEAVE NO TRACE MORE IMPORTANT THAN EVER More people are visiting our public lands than ever before, and many places are showing the human-induced wear and tear. When hiking or backpacking, whether it’s urban wilds or real-deal Wilderness, put in the extra effort to limit your impacts on the land and other visitors with these Leave No Trace standards. 1. Pack out all your trash and any left by others. 2. Respect wildlife and don’t feed them. 3. Don’t harsh on the mellow vibe of other nature lovers. 4. Never leave human waste or toilet paper on the ground. Learn how to burry your waste properly (away from water). Better yet, pack it all out or find a restroom. 5. Don’t collect or disturb native plants or other interesting bits of the natural world. 6. Limit campfires to conserve downed wood and lower chances of burning the place up. Watch the stars and night sky instead. 7. Plan ahead to avoid emergency violation of Leave No Trace principles. This could happen, for instance, if you forget your stove fuel, forcing you to cook over a campfire where it’s not allowed. 8. Camp and travel on designated paths and campsites to avoid hacking and tromping your own way through virgin forest or desert. Learn more about Leave No Trace principles at Lnt.org. (Derrick Knowles)
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Moses Lake has fun activities for the entire family. Enjoy a day boating along Moses Lake or hiking one of the local trails. Spend the day sampling wine from one of the local wineries. Or do both! And when the sun goes down, we have you covered with unique night spots to hang out and enjoy the friends you’ve brought with you, or hang with the locals.
www.TourMosesLake.com 401 S. Balsam Street Moses Lake, WA 509-764-3820
events and details at www.cityofml.com
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Arrow Lakes Region is Canada's Best Kept Secret BY VINCE HEMPSALL CANADA HAS A REPUTATION for its northern lights, snow and polar bears. Did you know the country also boasts a region just north of the Washington state border that features sandy beaches, warm lakes and summertime temperatures that hover around 85°F? An easy four-hour drive from Spokane, the Arrow Lakes region—which includes Castlegar, the Slocan Valley and Nakusp—is a family-friendly paradise complete with hot springs, lakeshore hikes, mountain bike trails, vineyards, innumerable paddling opportunities, museums, galleries, a ghost town and plenty of fishing holes for every type of angler. The best part of visiting the region from April to October is the lack of visitors. Popular destinations in Montana, Idaho and Washington are overrun with people in the summertime, but in the Arrow Lakes region of British Columbia, you’re more likely to spot wildlife than human life. It’s simply the best-kept secret for American families who live within a day’s drive of the border. Named for the 144-mile long Arrow Lakes system and the 1,000-foot deep Slocan Lake, the region encompasses three valleys resting on either side of the Selkirk Mountains, connected by the Columbia and Kootenay rivers. Appropriately shaped like a diamond, the region’s southern end is near the Canadian/American border just south of Castlegar and extends both northwest to Upper Arrow Lake and the community of Fauquier, and also northeast up the Slocan Valley to Nakusp and Halcyon Hot Springs. Given the plethora of water, it’s the perfect place for families to visit for a long weekend, a week, or an entire month. There are five provincial parks in the region including McDonald Creek, Rosebery, Summit Lake, Syringa and Valhalla, as well as many private campgrounds and recreational sites where you can set up a tent or park an RV. If your basecamp needs to include more amenities, there are also many hotels, inns, lodges, B&Bs and cabins to suit a range of group sizes and needs. Below are some suggested daily itineraries in the Arrow Lakes, based on your family’s interests. WATER WAYS
From lakes and rivers to streams, ponds, waterfalls and hot springs, there is no shortage of water in the Arrow Lakes region. Fishing, paddling, boating, swimming and beach-side camping opportunities abound. Families with small children will want to start their visit with a swim in the natural ponds on the shores of Columbia River at Millennium Park in Castlegar. This is the largest urban park in the region where you’ll find beach volleyball courts, a bike park and plenty of shoreline fishing spots. Nearby, there are beautiful waterfalls and lakeside camping spots at Syringa Provincial Park on the shores of Lower Arrow Lake. This is where one of the world’s largest Kokanee salmon was caught. You’ll find excellent trout and walleye fishing here and on the Columbia River. After exploring the Arrow Lakes near Castlegar, drive east to the Slocan Valley to join a guided rafting trip with Endless Adventure. You can also rent kayaks, paddleboards and
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LEFT: PADDLING NEAR CASTLEGAR. // RIGHT: SOAKING UP THE SLOCAN LAKE VIEWS. PHOTOS COURTESY OF ARROW SLOCAN TOURISM
#findi ng
Awesome
safety equipment, then go play in the Slocan River or on Slocan Lake. Continuing north, be sure to stop at Summit Lake and Box Lake, where you’ll find excellent trout fishing. Then take your pick of hot springs to visit, including the community-owned Nakusp Hot Springs and the luxurious Halycon Hot Springs Resort. SILVERY TRAIL
Silver mining is what drove development in the Arrow Lakes region in the mid to late 1800s, leaving behind historical locations and mining memorabilia. Start your adventure in Castlegar, the Sculpture Capital of Canada. Visit the perfectly preserved Railway Museum and Doukhobor Discovery Centre that is home to 10 historical buildings that recreate the culture of the pacifist farming people who profoundly shaped this region in the early 1900s. From there, drive northeast along the Slocan Valley to the quaint former mining towns of Slocan, Silverton and New Denver. Nearby is the ghost town of Sandon where you’ll still see many of the old buildings, including the old city hall and powerhouse. Finish your historical tour at the recently remodeled Nakusp Museum to view artifacts from homes impacted by flooding of the valley in 1960s when the Hugh Keenleyside Dam was built on the Columbia River. If outdoor recreation is more your family’s speed, everything is offered in the Arrow Lakes from hiking and biking to golfing and climbing. There are a dozen rock climbing areas around Castlegar, Lower Arrow Lake and Slocan City with hundreds of routes for beginners to experts, as well as a burgeoning bouldering scene. For golfers, in Castlegar you’ll find three courses (as well a disc golf course), plus two other golf courses in the Slocan Valley, one in Nakusp, and one in the tiny community of Fauquier. Of the many hiking opportunities in the region, some of the best family-friendly ones can be found near the Nakusp Hot Springs. Simply pick one of the seven in the area that range from 0.5 to 5 miles in length, then enjoy a relaxing soak in the hot springs afterward. There’s also the Nakusp and Slocan Rail Trail, a gentle grade trail converted from a rail line that runs 28 miles from Nakusp to Summit Lake. Road bikers will love the stunning views and lack of traffic in the Arrow Slocan region. Mountain bikers have their pick of hundreds of miles of singletrack, including adaptive trails at Mount Abriel, south of Nakusp, and the Merry Creek Trails in Castlegar that are famous for their handbuilt structures and stunts. //
NELSONKOOTENAYLAKE.COM Ainsworth Hot Springs | Balfour | East Shore | Kaslo Nelson | North Kootenay Lake
photo: Casey Brown
OUT AND ABOUT
Vince Hempsall lives in the beautiful Kootenay region of British Columbia, where he spends his time rock climbing, backcountry skiing, and mountain biking (when not working). He is the editor of “Kootenay Mountain Culture" Magazine. MAY-JUNE 2022 / OUTTHEREOUTDOORS.COM
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Free Fall Family By Sarah Hauge TANDEM DIVE PHOTO: "THIS PHOTO IS OF ME AND MY TANDEM STUDENT. I ABSOLUTELY LOVE GETTING TO BE A PART OF SOMEONE'S FIRST SKYDIVING EXPERIENCE." PHOTO SERGEI YAROMICH // BELOW: "LAUNCHING FROM THE PLANE FOR A HEAD DOWN FREE FLY SKYDIVE WITH SOME FRIENDS!" PHOTO DAVID PHILLIPS
JUMPING OUT OF AIRPLANES isn’t most people’s idea of family bonding, but it’s a way of life for Spokane’s Kara Kruse and her family. One part of a multigenerational family of skydivers and general manager at Skydive West Plains (along I-90 near Ritzville, Wash.), skydiving was always part of the backdrop. Her dad, Rex Menke, got into the sport around the year Kruse was born and immediately fell in love with it, eventually opening the family skydiving business. The drop zone is the spot where parachutists land, and it has always been home base for Kruse. “My brother and I spent a lot of time as kids in the drop zone, wreaking havoc and being what they call ‘drop zone brats,’” she says, laughing. She did her first tandem jump at age 17 and through the years since has grown an in-depth knowledge base and impressive experience level in the sport and business. Kruse has her coach rating, her instructor ratings, and her tandem rating. She’s done relative work and tandem instruction, she’s flown a wingsuit, she crew jumps, and she loves to free fly, among other disciplines. That adds up to a lot of time falling and parachuting through the sky. “When I’m really using all of my ratings and having fun and jumping, it’s 400–500 jumps a year,” she says. “I haven’t found a discipline in skydiving that I don’t love yet.” “Right now I’m really focused on what’s called free flying—instead of being belly to earth, you’re either in a seated position or with your head toward the earth. It’s really 70
OUTTHEREOUTDOORS.COM / MAY-JUNE 2022
challenging.” Skydiving is full of opportunities to learn and push yourself. That’s what she’s found in wingsuit diving, where you wear a webbed jumpsuit that maximizes air time. “Wingsuiting is definitely not my main thing, but it’s super fun. You can be in the sky for so long, and you can flock with friends like birds,” Kruse says. “What I love about wingsuiting is that it terrifies me. It make me feel like a student and it brings me back to how my students feel on their first jumps. It’s not natural for me. It takes a lot of concentration. It makes me take a deep breath before I jump out of the plane again,” she says. “Then when I go work with a student it’s like, ‘Oh, I know exactly how you feel.’” The best part of skydiving is how it brings people together. “A good friend says you come for the thrill and stay for the people,” Kruse says. An individual’s first skydive is often tied to a momentous event in their life—a divorce, cancer going into remission, a bachelorette party, grieving the death of a child, jumping back to life again after Covid. “Last year we saw people needing to reconnect to everything—the outdoors, people, just excitement,” Kruse says. When someone first jumps, it’s a big deal, and the fun and sense of alive-ness extend beyond the time in the air. The drop zone becomes a bit of a summer camp each year, with RV hookups, tent spots, students’ kids and dogs running around, and spectators coming by to watch. “It’s just so dang fun, and the fun doesn’t
stop once we’ve landed,” Kruse says. “A lot of the shenanigans go on on the ground.” She says that although each skydiver is “so different,” they often share a type A personality and a generous spirit; the local skydiving community has raised tens of thousands of dollars for local and national charities. “People that stick around in skydiving for their whole lives really connect to not just the thrill—it’s very obvious that skydiving is thrilling—but the connection to why people are jumping and the appreciation for what the event means in their lives.” This season, Kruse is especially excited by the number of home-grown instructors working at Skydive West Plains—it’s where they made their first jumps and is where they got their ratings. “That’s a fun thing to have come full circle.” Kruse feels fortunate to have connected with two influential female instructors when she first got into the sport. In the world of skydiving, the number of women is still small. “I think it’s 13% of the skydiving population that’s female now. The instructor percentage is still a very small percentage, which is surprising because females are amazing skydivers—there’s nothing that can hold a female back in skydiving.” Kruse’s young daughter is currently a drop zone brat, just like she used to be. “She says she definitely wants to [skydive someday], she’s just not sure when—to the great dismay of my mother, who made one dive and loved the canopy part but not so much the freefall.” Her mom has never skydived again, Kruse
says with a laugh. If she could go back to her childhood and foresee all that is now happening in the family business, she knows the young Kara would be happy. “I think I’d be pleased. I think I’d be excited that we have this amazing, loving, just vibrant community, and I think that I’d be beyond thrilled that so many of the top staff, the top instructors really, are females. “We have such a great, strong female presence at our drop zone. And I think I’d be extremely grateful that I get to share it with my dad and my brother and my daughter and my partner. I really struggle to think of what my life would be like without the drop zone.” //
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www.VisitSandpoint.com 800-800-2106 MAY-JUNE 2022 / OUTTHEREOUTDOORS.COM
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