ADVENTURES Autumn Splendor Sharing the River with Salmon The Accidental Free Soloist Larch Madness Free.takeenjoyshareAUTUMN 2022 NORTHWEST
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Make a Difference Day Orca Recovery Day 2022 FALL COMMUNITY PROGRAMS Nooksack Salmon Enhancement Association's October 22 October 15 & STREAM STEWARDS PROGRAM Saturdays | October 1 - December 10 | 9 am-12 pm Come plant a tree and learn how restoration can help salmon and local waterways! All ages and abilities are welcome; tools provided. Extra special Community Work Parties this fall include: SALMON DISCOVERY PROGRAM Select Days | October 29 November 26 Come see salmon as they return to local creeks to spawn. Learn about their journey, what threats they face, and how you can help! Free, open house, and fun games and prizes are included. Opportunities are offered throughout Bellingham and Whatcom County. Scan the QR code for more information about each program! sbrown@n sea.org | 360 715 0283 | www.n sea.org/stewardship Thank you to our gracious funders and supporters:
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The heartbeat of Cascadia 7 INSPIRATIONS IN THIS ISSUE DESTINATIONS Sharing the River with Salmon John McLaughlin 16 The Accidental Free Soloist Alone at Last on Forbidden Peak Tim Ahern & Brian Povolny 22 Autumn’s Magic Alan Majchrowicz 30 Letting Go Lori Nelson Clonts 34 The Turning Point Autumn in the Enchantments John D’Onofrio 40 Alaskan Autumn Along in the North Rich Bowers 48 Art & Nature 10 Out & About 12 3 Great Hikes ... for Autumn 13 Bright Lines: Rob Lewis 20 eARTh: The Art of Nature 24 Mountain Haiku 49 Field Trip: The Dolomites 54 Cascadia Gear 56 The Next Adventure 58 “… and then, I have nature and art and poetry, and if that is not enough, what is enough?” - Vincent van Gogh Photo by John D’Onofrio Since 1967 LFS Marine & Outdoor has served the Pacific Northwest community. Now, with several stores in Western Washington and Alaska, LFS maintains its roots in Whatcom County with our flagship store and corporate office at Squa licum Harbor in Bellingham. The secret to our 50+ year success story has been dependable and reliable service through the most challenging times. We understand that our customers rely on us to help them navigate a successful boating and outdoor experience. That is why we’re here for you, and that is why we’re here to stay. 851 Coho Way, Bellingham, WA 360-734-3336 • 800-426-8860 www.go2marine.com “They have so much stuff!! Its a great place for any outdoors person or even DIY people. They have good prices too.” - Google Review Serving ForAdventuristsWashingtonNorthwestOver50Years.
8 The heartbeat of Cascadia to read ANW GALBYWINTERRACES 2 nd SATURDAYS NOV –AspireAdventureRunning.comMARCH GALBRAITH MTN TRAIL RACES short/long trailhotfamily-friendlyoptionsapplecrispworkPRESENTED BY C O M M U N I T Y T R A I L S E R I E S SIGN UP FOR 1 · SIGN UP FOR ALL 5
Rich Bowers moved to Bell ingham, WA 21 years ago and has been a Director, Board member, and volunteer for a number of conservation orga nizations. Today Rich is retired, focused on wildlife and natural landscape photography and how people can help protect and enjoy wild resources. Learn more at Northwestriversphotography.com
Catherine Darkenwald Print
Alan Sanders Photo Illustrations
John D’Onofrio Publisher/Editor john @ adventuresnw.com Alicia Jamtaas Copy Editor Adventures Northwest magazine www.AdventuresNW.com Distribution: Sherry Jubilo, Aaron Theisen, Bigfoot Distributing, JM Distribution, Gold Distribution Services Adventures Northwest magazine is printed by Lithtex NW Printing Solutions, Bellingham, WA.
Director jason @ adventuresnw.com Ethan D’Onofrio Digital Media ethan @ adventuresnw.com
& Digital Account Manager catherineadventuresnw @ gmail.com Roger Gilman Poetry Editor roger @ adventuresnw.com
When not photographing, Greg teaches natural history, marine mammal ecology, and wildlife techniques at Western Washington University. View his photography at greggreenphoto.com.
The heartbeat of Cascadia 9stories & the race|play|experience calendar online.
Nick Belcaster Staff Writer
Greg Green is a career ecologist, who has devot ed over 45 years to marine and terrestrial wildlife ecol ogy in the western U.S. and Alaska, and a dedicated na ture/wildlife photographer.
on Elwha River. He works with other members of the national River Field Studies Network steering committee to connect rivers, people, and science through immersive field-based education.
Brett Baunton is a photogra pher who is enthusiastic about wilderness exploration and environmental advocacy. With photo credits ranging from Na tional Geographic to National Parks his latest passion project is advocating for Wild and Scenic protection of the Nooksack River on Instagram @wildnooksack. www.brettbaunton.com
Brian Povolny is a retired orthodontist who indulges his love of moving through nature by rock climbing, backcountry ski ing, cycling and windsurfing. A longtime resident of Seattle, WA he also enjoys writing about his experiences in our beautiful region.
CONTRIBUTORSVolume 17. Issue 3 AUTUMN | 2022
Lynn Zimmerman is a landscape painter who works out of her studio in the Creekside Building in Belling ham, WA. The former founding di rector and teacher of BellinghamArt, her work has been featured in galleries and muse ums in Whatcom and Skagit Counties, as well as Vancouver, B.C. See more of her work at Lynnzim mermanfineart.com ANW
Accounting accounting @ adventuresnw.com
COVER PHOTO: STILLETO LAKE BY KEN HARRISON
Bill Hoke came to the Pacific Northwest in 1970 and began a life time of climbing and hiking. He’s hiked—mostly solo— more than 1,500 miles in the Olympic Moun tains and is the editor of the newly published fourth edition of the Olympic Moun tains Trail Guide for Mountaineers Books.
fense of the more-than-human world. He is the author of the poem/essay collection The Si lence of Vanishing Things. In ad dition, Dark Mountain, Cascadia Weekly, Counterflow, The Atlanta Review, Southern Review, and others have published his work.
nick @ adventuresnw.com
After a successful career compos ing music for TV & Film in Holly wood, Ken Harrison moved his family to the PNW in 1992, search ing for a better quality of life. The mountains became his refuge. He skis, snowshoes, camps, and hikes hundreds of miles on adventures from BC to the Olympics with Boomer’s Hiking Club, a group he founded. With photography as his hobby, Ken is able to capture those magic moments along the way.
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Alan Majchrowicz is a profes sional landscape and nature pho tographer living with his family in Bellingham, WA. His images are widely used in magazines, tourism, advertising, and calendars. His fine art prints are found in healthcare facilities, offices, and private residences. You can view his photogra phy at: alanmajchrowicz.com
Oksana Brown
Jason Rinne Creative
Tim Ahern is an avid hiker, backcountry skier, and kayaker, focusing mainly on the Pacific Northwest and East Greenland. His college degrees are in bio chemistry, oceanography, and Russian literature, and in addi tion to writing travel articles, he is an illustrator and has published three books on James Joyce.
Lori Nelson Clonts is a visual artist and writer who lives in the foothills near Maple Falls, WA. She graduated from Humboldt State University in 1984 with a BA in Art. When she’s not in her studio creating, she en joys swimming, adventuring with her husband and dog, and tending her garden.
Born in Anacortes, WA, Rick Lindberg has held day jobs in the roofing, waste manage ment, package delivery, graphic design, and filmmaking indus tries. In spite of, and because of this, he has spent much of his spare time in the North Cascades. He also continues his attempt to paint with oils.
John McLaughlin is an En vironmental Sciences faculty member at Western Washing ton University. He is inspired by the potential to restore rivers through research
Through poems, essays, and activism, Rob Lewis works to bring the power of language to the de
ART AND NATURE
Happy Autumn!
Camping Encouraged! …on Strait of Juan de Fuca shores… Salt Creek & Dungeness Recreation Areas www.clallam.net/Parks
- Edward Abbey
In addition to the more than 100 photographs on display, Illuminations will also feature multi-media presentations, lectures, and opportunities to meet the artists.
Art and Nature.
And here’s a secret: People will protect what they love. And Lord knows, Gaia needs protecting.Ourfocus on the aesthetic has not gone unnoticed. In June, we were honored to receive the Bellingham Mayor’s Art Award. This autumn, we’re thrilled to be presenting Illuminations, a photography exhibi tion at the Jansen Art Center in Lynden, WA. This show may very well be the largest photography exhibition in the history of Northwest Washington, featuring the work of many of the outstanding nature photographers that have graced the pages of Adventures Northwest over the years.
We are dedicated to sharing the amazing beauty of our remarkable corner of the world via world-class photography, a cornucopia of nature-inspired art (painting, sculpture, you name it), poetry (including recent contributions by the poets laureate of both Washington and Oregon), and of course the stories themselves, which are more about life-affirming experiences than death-defying exploits.
>>> Go to to read ANW10 The heartbeat of Cascadia
“All we have, it seems, is the beauty of life in art and nature, and the love that these inspire.”
The opening reception is on October 20.
Adventures Northwest magazine is about bringing the two together.
Our mission is to inspire our readers to discover (or rediscover) deep connections to the land, to find solace amid the tumult of modern life, and to fall hopelessly, irretrievably in love with Gaia.
And why not? Cascadia is undoubtedly one of the most beautiful places on the planet, home to a thousand iterations of ‘magnificent.’ Our landscapes stir the soul and capture the imagination.
Stop by and say hello.
The heartbeat of Cascadia
11stories & the race|play|experience calendar online.
Abram Dickerson & Jarrett Manca of Aspire Adventure Running dish up the Apple Crisp
“The Galbraith Winter Community Race Series is an open invitation to the trail running community to be more engaged with the mountain,” Dickerson says. “The WMBC has long had the lead on stewarding the trails and working to ensure continued public access to the mountain, and we’re proud to have their support and partnership on this event. We’re asking that all runners join the WMBC as members, thus adding their financial support to sustaining the trails. Also, each race weekend, we’ll be hosting post-race trail work
will have an opportunity to explore all the faces and pockets of the Aspire,mountain.”aBellingham-based purveyor of supported trail runs since 2015, is also working with the Whatcom Mountain Bike Coalition (WMBC) on stewardship of Galbraith’s extensive trail network.
“We’re really focusing on a fun, communitycentric experience,” Dickerson explains. “We want runners of all abilities, families, and friends to look forward to each month’s race. We’ll have a short option and a long option. Over the course of the winter, folks
“Weparties.really hope that the running community will show up for the monthly race, enjoy Aspire’s signature dutch oven apple crisp at the finish, transition to a couple hours of trail work, and wrap the morning with lunch and a beverage at one of Bellingham’s craft breweries.”
Galbraith Community Race Series to Debut Lake Padden Relay September 3rd, 2022 Blanchard Beast Trail Run October 15th, 2022 Turkey Trot November 26th, 2022 GREATER BELLINGHAM RUNNING CLUB www.gbrc.net MISSION CONNECTING RUNNERS. BUILDING COMMUNITY. GIVING BACK. For more info on membership or these upcoming events: Ovenell’s Heritage Inn Log Cabins • Guesthouses • Historic Ranch 360.853.8494 ovenells-inn.com 46276 Concrete Sauk Valley Road, Concrete, WA Fully Equipped Cabins Open Year Round
Photo by Trent Banks
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12 The heartbeat of Cascadia >>> Go to to read ANWAdventuresNW.com
“Galbraith mountain is an incredible community resource,” Dickerson says, “while it has a long history with the mountain bike community, the trails are a source of joy to outdoor enthusiasts of all stripes, including many in the trail running Thecommunity.”racesare open to all ages and abilities and will end with finish line celebrations held in Aspire’s heated tents. Apple crisp, coffee, and pero will be offered.
&Out About
Galbraith Mountain, long an iconic mountain biking destination near Bellingham, WA, will be home to a new trail running race series this winter. The Galby Community Race Series, organized by Aspire Adventure Running, will consist of five races on the mountain, according to Aspire’s Abram Dickerson. The races will be held on the second Saturday of the month from November to March, culminating with the Galbraith Mountain Trail Race, planned for April 8.
Share your thoughts!
Trailhead: Rainy Pass, near milepost 158 on the North Cascades Highway (WA-20). Northwest Forest Pass required.
The Human Element
Enjoy your panoramic mountain views with a heaping sidehelping of fall color? Yellow Aster Butte awaits. After climbing through a deep green forest, you’ll emerge into the technicolor highlands beneath the Butte and traverse meadows of heather, mountain ash, and huckleberry, resplendent in their autumn finery: crimson, orange, purple, and gold. Soon Koma Kulshan comes into view. And Shuksan. One last push will bring you to the top of the Butte and a view of mountains without number, including the Border Peaks and Pickets. The final ascent is—in every sense of the word—breathtaking. Total round-trip dis tance is 7.5 miles with 2100 feet of elevation gain. This is another super-popular hike, and parking along the rough-and-ready Twin Lakes Road can be challenging.
Channel in the San Juans to be renamed
For the first time in over a decade, there’s a new calf in the endangered Southern Resident orca group known as K Pod. This spring, after receiving video and photographs of a killer whale and her calf traveling within a tight group of family members, field biologist Mark Malleson from the Center for Whale Research (CWR), along with his swimming‘Spock’confirmedcolleagues,thatK20wasindeedwithanew calf, dubbed K45. K45 is the first calf born into K Pod since 2011 when K27 ‘Deadhead’ gave birth to K44 ‘Ripple’.
More info: www.whaleresearch.com/2022-37 New calf K45.
Write
The first stop on the famed 23-mile Golden Lakes backpacking loop, Upper Eagle Lake offers a spectacular east-side dose of autumn’s rich color palette. The heartbreakingly beautiful lake sits at 7100 feet beneath the graceful spires of aptly-named Sawtooth Ridge, as dramatic a place to savor the season as you’ll find in the North Cascades. A pilgrimage to Upper Eagle makes no undue demands of the wandering beauty-seeker; the round-trip hike is 12.4 miles with a forgiving 2350 feet of elevation gain. Be sure to allow ample time for lakeside awe.
Yellow Aster Butte
Upper Eagle Lake Photo by John D’Onofrio
More info: juan-county-channel-indigenous-businessman-and-politicianwww.dnr.wa.gov/news/board-approves-naming-san-
The heartbeat of Cascadia 13stories & the race|play|experience calendar online.
Photo courtesy of Center for Whale Research
to editor@AdventuresNW.com
Trailhead: From the Mt. Baker Highway (WA-542), turn left just past a highway maintenance facility, near milepost 47, onto the Twin Lakes Road (FR 3065). The Trailhead is located 4.5 miles up this unpaved road. Northwest Forest Pass required.
Elected officials in Washington approved the renaming of Harney Channel, a San Juan Islands’ waterway between Shaw and Orcas Islands, after one of the first Indigenous elected officials in Washington. The proposed name, Cayou Channel, will honor longtime Indigenous businessman and local politician Henry Cayou. Cayou lived his entire life in the San Juans and served as a San Juan County Commissioner for 29 years. He died in 1959. The approved name proposal will be added to the Washington Administrative Code, and the Washington State Board of Natural Resources will pass the proposal along to the United States Board on Geographic Names for federal review. “He was a bridge between the Indigenous and white cultures, and adopting his name will honor the First Peoples who lived in harmony with the natural world for millennia before us,” the proposal says.
3 Great Hikes for AutumnMaple Pass Loop
A New Calf for K Pod
- Russ WhatcomPfeiffer-HoytCounty
I appreciate the way in which you capture the human element. We grow as a community when we get glimpses of humanity in each other. As always, you do a good job of capturing the natural beauty of our area. Your cover photo is drawing me back up the slopes of Mount Baker. I know that you will keep advocating for increasing trail opportunities and I hope that your mention of opening up the Canyon Lake Road will be just the push that works.
Trailhead: From the North Cascades Highway (WA-20), turn right on the easy-to-miss North Fork Gold Creek Road (4340), just south of Twisp. At 6.6 miles, turn left on Road 300 and follow it for six miles to the Eagle Lake/Crater Creek (431) Trailhead. Northwest Forest Pass required.
Upper Eagle Lake
Once upon a time, a solitude-seeking hiker could spend a lonely day of wonder on the Maple Pass Loop. Not anymore. This 7.5mile loop has become justifiably famous as a supreme fall color hike in the North Cascades. But crowds can be mitigated (if not avoided) by hiking mid-week and starting early. However, the wonder is still plentiful, and the non-stop views of jagged peaks framed by golden larches are the stuff that autumnal dreams are made of. The Loop visits Lake Ann, Heather Pass, Maple Pass, and a broad shoulder of Frisco Peak, all of which are worthy of adoration. Total elevation gain around the Loop is 2000 feet.
Letter to the Editor
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As a society, we have ventured onto the hy drologic equivalent of a steep and unstable snow slope. Climate change raised the avalanche hazard level from high to extreme. Last sum mer, the mass mortality of Chinook salmon in the South Fork of the Nooksack was a stark warning—a shooting crack in the snow we are traversing. Flooding last November was another red flag, an avalanche on an adjacent slope that swept up many in our community. In our position of danger, it is imperative to return to safety without delay. It should not matter whether we want to
I determined six bound
Story by John McLaughlin Photos by Brett Baunton
ski down our unstable slope, pause to photograph the view or attend to any other interest. Returning to safety must
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The Nooksack River and her iconic salmon are in grave danger.
aries on human impacts delimiting environmental safety in the Nooksack basin. We have exceeded five bound aries, and we are at the edge of the sixth. We have paved over too much land, removed most floodplain forest, withdrawn too much water from the river, developed too much land surrounding the Lake Whatcom water supply, and polluted groundwater with too much nitrate. We cleared too much for est in the lower basin, but we remain at the edge of that boundary due to for est protection on federal lands in the upper basin. If we continue to exceed the boundaries, conse quences will likely be severe. The river will become unstable. Flooding will become more extensive and frequent. Low summer flows will become lethal. with Salmon
Sharing the River
be our top priority. If an avalanche triggers before we reach safety, nothing else will Recentlymatter.
Shawn Breeding and Heather Bansmer A Boater’s Guidebook GULF ISLANDS bluelatitudepress.com Your guides to the islands
16 The heartbeat of Cascadia >>> Go to to read ANWAdventuresNW.com
Water users will get cut off. Water qual ity will become unacceptable. Nooksack wild salmon will go extinct, starting with Chinook. Unless we restore safety rapidly, these impacts likely will become irreversible.
Dire warnings about environmental peril have become routine in our media landscape. Our leaders gather regularly at international meetings, where they acknowledge climate change, ocean acidification, extinction crises, and other threats. Then they draft agree ments inadequate to the problems and fail to follow through with effective ac tion. “Blah, blah, blah …” Local and regional approaches have been better,
As residents of Salmon Country, we are obligated to restore safety for
salmon and our human neighbors. Salmon define our region, and our identity with this place compels us to defend our Salmon Country home against existential threats.
There are many strategies to restore safety. However, we need to apply them rapidly and aggressively, just as a skier in danger must return di rectly to safe terrain.
1. Go outside, notice salmon, and bear wit ness to their remarkable lives. They are inspiring and vital to our home. When we get to know salmon, we care about them. When we care enough about salmon, we will act on their2.behalf.Follow Indigenous leadership. The Lummi Nation and Nooksack Tribe have lived with salmon since
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You might ask, “How does this involve me?” or “Why get upset over issues beyond my control?”
on, opportunities are more promising. Here, our options match the scale of the problems. Solutions are within our reach, if we choose to reach for them.
The heartbeat of Cascadia 17stories & the race|play|experience calendar online.
but they still lag far behind bench marks required to address global issues. For the Nooksack River and her salm
time immemorial, and they understand salmon better than anyone. The Tribal Habitat Strategy, gw∂dzadad , provides a strategy to restore safety. Study and help imple ment3.it.Leave river gravel
Like many northwesterners, I spent a lot of time in the wilderness and became fascinated with how wood altered streamflow. My curiosity led me to the University of Washington to do my doctoral research into the patterns and effects of wood accumulation in an old-growth forested drainage network. I found that wood has a pronounced impact throughout the network and that big trees were essential in forming logjams that defined the morphology of channels and floodplains. In valleys with migrating channels, logjams create stable islands where trees could mature and thus provide future big trees.
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The idea caught on, and since its conception in 1995, hundreds of ELJs have been built in the PNW and worldwide. ELJs have not only restored hundreds of deep pools, islands, and miles of side channels but have also been used to protect infrastructure and property in ways that improve salmon habitat. Restoration of the “large wood cycle” will become more and more critical for building ecosystem resiliency to the warming climate. The future of
Tim Abbe is an internationally recognized engineering geologist and hydrogeologist based in Bellingham, WA. credited with conceiving and pioneering engineered logjam technology now used around the world. He has led over 150 restoration projects in Washington, Oregon, Hawaii, Idaho, California, and Alaska.
Big Trees and Salmon
Big trees and salmon, two of the most iconic representatives of the Pacific Northwest (PNW), are integral to river ecosystems.
in place. In and adjacent to rivers, gravel absorbs floodwater and main tains river flow during summer droughts. These functions magnify when logs lie in the river chan
by Tim Abbe
During my research, I began thinking about how to restore the function of big trees that take centuries to grow. The challenge was how to create stable logjams with smaller trees. The solution was “engineered logjams” (ELJs) that would emulate the functions of natural logjams.
Powerful
6.model.Demand
Erika Block, clarinet
JAN 15
The heartbeat of Cascadia 19
ing rivers and river flows lives and works here: Tim Abbe of Natural Systems Design. We should invest his expertise in our home river.
4. Restore beavers. Like wood and gravel, beaver dams on side channels and tributary streams store floodwater and maintain flows during summer droughts. Salmon, particu larly coho, were closely linked to beavers in our region. Bring back beavers, and salmon will follow.
David Feingold, guitar
Anthony McGill, clarinet
Denise Dillenbeck, violin
NOV 6
that our leaders integrate environmental boundaries and climate mitigation into comprehensive plan ning. Existing comprehensive plans include neither—they are designs for salmon extinction. As our leaders begin the
Joshua Roman, cello
5. Restore floodplain forests. In the Pacific Northwest, rivers stripped of forests become volatile sewer pipes. Restoring floodplain forests reduces flooding downstream, increases summer flows and creates better salmon habitat. Unfortunately, only 21% of the lower Nooksack remains forested. Nooksack Salmon Enhancement Association (NSEA), allied organizations, and many landowners are working to restore riparian forests, but they need our help. Planting trees is easy and rewarding. Fully restoring floodplain forests will be more complex and require working collaboratively with landowners. Whatcom County’s project to restore the Canyon Creek floodplain, led by John Thompson, is an excel lent
Holiday Magic!
An afternoon of seasonal delights. DEC 11
Harmony from Discord Meets Mozart’s Requiem
Vivaldi Reimagined
Yaniv Attar, guitar
Ashley Becker, soprano
Wu Fei, guzheng
Shanir Ezra Blumenkranz, oud with WWU and BCC choirs
FEB 26 Romance
Elisa Barston, violin violin Archibald-Sešek,
APRIL 23 Transported Dawn Posey,
Amber
viola JUNE 4 SEPT 25 DON'T KIDSABOUTFORGETOURPROGRAMS: Classical StudentTake-a-TeenKidsRushBYCP For tickets please go to MountBakerTheatre.com For details, please go to BellinghamSymphony.orgwww.jazzcenterofbellingham.orgFALL 2022! 2nd & 4th Wednesdays SHOWS START AT 6:30PM Doors at 6:00 | Tickets at 5:30 Shows are Now Held at THE FIREHOUSE ARTS & EVENTS CENTER 1314 Harris Ave, Bellingham $20 admission, $10 students 7SEPTEMBERTH: FIREHOUSE HOUSEWARMING PARTY Free Admission, Live Music, Raffles, Video, Silent Auction 14TH: GEORGE GARZONE W/JERRY STEINHILBER TRIO 28TH: BRAIN KIRK QUARTET Tribute to Chick Corea & Gary Burton 12OCTOBERTH: ARI HOENIG TRIO with Gilad Hekselman & Matt Penman SPECIAL SHOW: $30 GENERAL, $15 STUDENTS 26 TH: DAVE MEDER TRIO 9NOVEMBERTH: JIM ROTONDI/DICK OATTS QUINTET 23 RD : MICHAEL WEISS QUARTET 14DECEMBERTH: ANN REYNOLDS TRIO - Inspired by Women Composers 21 ST: THOMAS HARRIS QUINTET - Special Holiday Show 11JANUARYTH: GREG WILLIAMSON QUARTET 25TH: DUENDE LIBRE
American Voices
7. Practice reciprocity. The privilege of living here con notes the responsibility to give back. Most people do not live where rivers froth with wild salmon. Our children will not either, unless we act decisively. Look in the mirror or rain puddle and ask what you have done to restore this precious gift. Then do whatever it takes to be proud of your answer. When floods and other natural disasters strike, we set aside differences to help neighbors in need. We should invest similar effort and compassion to prevent future disasters by restoring environmental safety. Returning to environmental boundaries and restoring salmon are challenges greater than any individual or organization. We must work together as if our lives are at stake, because they are.
A story in a previous issue of this magazine mentioned an avalanche that buried three people (Mea Culpa , Winter ’21). A year after the accident, I returned to that area in safe conditions with one of the survivors. By then, he had taken an avalanche awareness course, and he was selective about snow conditions he traveled in. He had miraculously escaped death in dangerous terrain and then took care to remain well within safe boundaries. Unfortunately, our community has also crossed boundaries into danger. Now we must follow his example in our collective return to safety.
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By Rob Lewis
20 The heartbeat of Cascadia
A prayer for Bessie is a prayer wrapped in moss a plea enscrolled in heartwood branches spread open reaching Streamingsoul-bare.outwardthrough the leaves light falls as though wanting to andkneelcreeks fly fast over the polished stone thefresheningthousand green growsandandasanothinglivesofAmeanings.compendiumsacredintenthere,less,storythatdeepensitrisesinitscomplexitycontinuitywise.
POETRY FROM THE WILD A Prayer for Bessie
“Helping clients and their families plan for this adventure we call life” Taf T BarreTT WEALTH MANAGEMENT GROUP of Wells Fargo Advisors Wells Fargo Advisors is a trade name used by Wells Fargo Clearing Services, LLC. Member SIPC
Photo by John D’Onofrio
In April, 2022 more than 1,000 people sent letters to the Washington Department of Natural Resources (DNR) opposing the proposed “Bessie” timber sale in the Lake Whatcom Watershed, east of Bellingham, WA. As a result, the sale was stopped and DNR announced the creation of a new carbon reserve program (the first such state program in the nation) that includes this beautiful second-growth forest.
next comprehensive plan update, we must insist they act to restore salmon habitat and environmental safety.
Duff for notbetweenthatforofisAastoofliftingitsintoemergingbutalmostsoftenedsalamanderssnagsforowls,oldgrowthnotold,justitsmultistoriedepicwater-holdingsonglayersnothingbutlifesimplylivemeanttolive.prayerforBessieaprayerforthelastlastthingsthestringsremainusyetcut.
Dr. John McLaughlin is an Associate Professor of Environmental Science at Western Washington University’s Huxley College of the Environment. His teaching and research interests center on population ecology, wildlife ecology, and conservation biology. Learn more about McLaughlin’s research on the health of the Nooksack Basin at www.ecologyandsociety.org/vol23/iss2/art43/
Photo John D’Onofrio
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Had I been nuts? Not at first. I started the trip with a partner, someone I had known since high school. We were college-age at the time. Russ
Story by Tim Ahern with Brian Povolny Illustration by Rick Lindberg
Irecently watched the movie Dirtbag, about the northwest climber Fred Beckey. It tells the story of our famed local adven turer whose guidebooks to the Cascades have greatly aided all Northwest climbers. About midway through the film, there is a beautiful panorama of Forbidden Peak near Cascade Pass, and with dramatic music soaring in the background, the narrator extols the grandeur and daunting nature
as if the world was somewhat out of whack. I am not a rock-climbing legend—anything but—however, there was my strange experience of summit ing Forbidden Peak without a partner or protection. Free soloing, I guess you would say. Only this was during a time when nobody was free soloing, or at least when it wasn’t the thing it is now.
I was shaken out of my reverie concerning the exploits of the intrepid Beckey with the sudden recollection that I too had climbed Forbidden Peak back in the early 1970s. And the weird part was I had once stood on its sum mit, Allalone.the next day, I felt queasy,
Alone at Last on Forbidden Peak
of this magnificent mountain. On the movie screen, the mountain’s ridges stand out boldly above the icy abysses below.
The Accidental
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Even though I would never choose to do a risky thing like this, I had no choice here, and that fact somehow allowed me to completely surrender to the sheer joy of moving over the rock.
dispatched the climb before skirting the East ridge and preparing to take the final summit from the north face.
gan punching his stomach while moan ing. He complained he had stomach troubles and felt like puking and faint ing, worrisome symptoms to observe in a climbing partner which dictate taking stock, resting, and perhaps planning a slow trip back to the tent once the per son feels up for it. On the other hand, it was a sunny, windless day, perfect conditions for our planned climb. The part of the route I could see didn’t look easy but appeared manageable. My twenty-year-old brain weighed the op tions. I untied Russ from the rope that had joined us up to that point, settled him in a safe place, and headed for the summit.Igave myself up to the vividness of the challenge with all cylinders firing
sonably straightforward snow climb, but nowadays may require a more complicated and time-consuming rock scramble. Forty-plus years ago, though, we quickly
had distinguished himself by being part of a group that designed one of the first expedition tents having the nowcommon design that uses flexible rods in sleeves to support its thin rip-stop nylon covering. On this trip, we took one of his “Omnipotent” prototypes to Boston Basin. I’m not sure how much climbing experience he had under his belt. I had been rock and glacier climb ing since the previous year after taking a university course on mountaineering.
Free Soloist
It was about this time that Russ stopped, laid down on a rock, and be
On August 2, 1972, we set off from the parking lot at a fast pace that both us had thought the other had set (this is how young men hike). After a night in the basin, we traversed westward and upward to the south face of Forbidden, which, in those days at least, was a rea
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By Lynn Zimmerman
Clockwise
So much for unplanned free solo ing. It reminded me of the cameraman not daring to watch as Alex Hannold performed one of his crux moves on El Capitan in Free Solo. Just as I imag ine Alex may have done, I had tested my abilities on a once-in-a-lifetime ad venture while at the same time causing someone to worry themselves sick over
it was best not to linger and started the descent. Down-climbing is always harder than ascending, and there were many steep gullies and chimneys full of loose rock
Forbidden Peak Photo by John D’Onofrio
to navigate. At one point, I sent stones bounding down one of the chutes,
and all antennae up. It was a curious feeling, climbing past all the web bing people had anchored in place to use for their downward rappels. If all went well, I would be heading down the same route without any such assistance. That thought con tinued to grow in my mind the longer the climb view,mentmyminutestop,Icontinued.Eventually,reachedthespentafewenjoyingaccomplishandthebeforeIdecided
from above left: Autumn Tapestry, End of Summer, Silver Creek, Dawn on the River, Northwest Fairyland, Beautiful Ditches, La Conner Morn
The Changing Light
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causing a great deal of racket. When I eventually returned to where I had left Russ, he wasn’t there. I hurried along the traverse to the East ridge, where I was surprised to see a pool of vomit. A
Meandering, reflective waterways under luminous, temperamental skies; the land both gentle and rugged. Cedars and sweet grass. Such rich inspiration for a landscape painter with an eye for beauty. What gratitude I feel when observing the Pacific Northwest’s meeting of land and sea and finding the courage and support to be a painter in its midst. Those meandering waterways and luminous skies often appear in my paintings. Changing light and the ebb and flow of the tides contribute to the mystery and beauty of this magical place: a paradise for painters.
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little further along, I found my buddy lying pale and listless. He had heard the noise of the rockfall and, after calling my name repeatedly with no response, feared I had fallen. He had scrambled back along the path we had taken, but the whole ex perience had been too much, and he couldn’t go on.
COME SEE WHERE CREATIVITY HAPPENS
Here is his account of what happened: “As Tim and I scouted the buttress, I found a possible starting point for the route
it. And now here I was, all these years later, shaken by the idea that this had actually happened.
Hours passed. There was no answer when I occasionally called Brian’s name. Holy crap, I thought, I hope he’s OK. I made dinner in the dark, feeling sick to my stomach. This re union climb had suddenly turned into something completely outside the scope of what I had imagined. Finally, very late at night, Brian returned.
Printed maps available at locations across Whatcom County
Several months after writing the above account, another memory bubbled out of the recesses of my mind: I also had once witnessed an unplanned free solo by someone else. It was on a trip to the Sangre de Cristo Range in Colorado with a friend I had taught to climb but who subsequently did things way beyond me, including several ascents of El Capitan. Years had passed since Brian Povolny and I had climbed regularly, and now here we were camped at the base of Crestone Needle just before evening. We chose to climb the Ellingwood Arete route, a soaring buttress that ends at the rocky summit of the 14,000-foot peak. We were unsure exactly where to start the climb and decided to hike up to the base of the buttress before dinner to find the route. I was absorbed in deciphering the possibilities when I realized Brian was no longer in sight. There was no response when I called his name; he had disappeared.
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exit. I now reasoned (using that word loosely) that I could escape on some 4th class ledges where they intersected the buttress, about 400 feet higher. When I reached the ledges, one look told me they were a bust, no matter what they were rated. As I took in my predicament, it dawned on me that there was only one way to get off this peak: climb to the sum mit and descend the normal but compli cated descent route. I knew the ascent and descent routes only from the description in “50 Classic Climbs of North America”. Oh shit, this is not at all what I had in mind.Iclimbed carefully and deliberately, paying close attention to signs of previ ous parties—pitons, scraps of webbing, evidence of walked-on vegetation—to be sure not to get off route. I was wearing a thin cotton shirt, pants, and rock shoes and had no harness, rope, food, or water. My primary recollection of the climb now is a feeling of great exhilaration. Even though I would never choose to do a risky
but had done a bit of it on my own. What to do now? Call to Tim for assistance? Or, if I climbed a little higher, maybe find another way down? Guess which I chose. I climbed further, but there was no
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and climbed up a few moves. Alarm bells should have gone off because I didn’t really have the confidence to reverse them. I suppose I thought Tim would be im pressed that I’d not only found the route
I chose a variation (now rated 5.9) on the upper part of the route because it was a chimney and a crack, things I was accus tomed to from climbing in Yosemite. Exiting the chimney, how ever, was a delicate and exposed move. I recall looking down into a void through the bomb bay chimney: that put a scare into me, and I promised myself that this would be my last free solo. Soon,
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thing like this I had no choice here, and that fact somehow al lowed me to completely surrender to the sheer joy of moving over the rock. I felt a deeper connection between my body and the rock than I’d ever experienced, and I think I learned a little of what makes free soloing seductive enough for people to repeatedly risk their lives doing it.
feet down a gully until it became ap parent that it was heading in the wrong direction. Uh oh, I had missed the descent route at the summit. Current route de scriptions caution against entering this gully and tell of unplanned bivouacs and numerous rescues of climbers who’d made this mistake. The obvious choice here would have been to retrace my steps, but suddenly I felt too weak to climb back to the summit in time to avoid darkness. The real descent route had to be off to my
I traversed the mountain, found the complex route down, and somehow made all the right choices as darkness fell, stumbling into our camp at Colony Lake after dark. Tim was not the least bit amused by my story and felt that I’d ru ined our adventure. He’d suffered several hours of anxiety wondering if I was dead or injured on some ledge somewhere on the mountain, and now that I was alive and well, he got downright pissy. I sure can’t blame him, and today I can hardly believe it was me who did that climb so unprepared. I was lucky then and still am because I count Tim as a friend to this day and my free solo of Crestone Needle is now just a memory of an amazing experience!”
I needed to find my way down quick ly. I took off in the direction I thought was the descent route and got about 300
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however, I could see the summit, and easy scrambling was all that remained. I could hardly believe that I’d climbed the whole 2000-foot route in just 90 minutes! As I crested Crestone Needle, I released all the tension of the climb with a tremendous howl of triumph. To the west, I could see the sun setting over Great Sand Dunes National Park and the Rockies.
left. The terrain over there looked steep, and I didn’t know if it was passable since I couldn’t see all of it. But the tempera ture was dropping rapidly, and spending the night at 14,000 ft in a cotton shirt seemed suicidal, so I struck off traversing on this unknown ground, knowing that the margin for error was slim.
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So, I guess I have been on both sides of free soloing: the thrill of ac complishing it and the fear experienced while witnessing it. Together they cap ture in high contrast the nature of the event, something that may not guaran tee a long life if indulged in too often, but certainly a striking moment for all involved.
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before the snows settle in for the long winter ahead. Visitors are transported into a sublime world of multi-hued splendor: mountain peaks freshly dusted with snow, forests of golden aspen, maple, and larch, and brilliant red shrubs and berries. See more of Alan Majchrowicz’s work at alanmajchrowicz.com. Visit AdventuresNW.com to view an extended gallery of Alan Majchrowicz’s photography Top row (L to R): Raindrops on Aspen Leaf; Subalpine Larches, North Cascades; Autumn, Pasayten Wilderness Middle row (L to R): Maple Leaves in Autumn; Red & White; Lake Ann Bottom row (L to R): Autumn Larches, Yoho National Park; Liberty Bell Mountain; Autumn in the Columbia Mountains
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Every in the Northwest has a special magic, but autumn and long dark days. is and bright; of Selkirks, Cascades—a of autumn finery
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crisp
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season
bothersome insects, and—from the sub-arctic to the
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The heartbeat of Cascadia
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Story by Lori Nelson Clonts
The moment I scooted along on my butt towards the airplane’s open door, I knew this experience was all about letting go. Of course, I generally understood how this particular act of faith would unfold, but I hadn’t allowed myself to think things through step by step. Instead I was taking the just do the next thing you have to do approach.
I should mention that I am not a thrill-seeker. I’ve done some alpine and rock climbing and quite a bit of downhill skiing, but I never pro gressed past the ferris wheel at the carnival when I was a kid. I do not come from a family of risk-takers. I’m terrified of flying. On turbu lent flights, I clench my husband’s forearm so tightly I leave bruises. I recently took a ride on a fairly tame zip-line. That’s been the extent of my thrill-seeking adventures until recently.Iwas attracted to the idea of skydiving all my life, but thinking I’d like to do it and actually doing it are two very different things. At fif ty-eight years old, I finally worked up the courage. My husband, Lee, heard me bragging to a friend about my newfound audacity and bought me a skydiving gift certificate for my birthday. His investment sealed the deal.
smithereens.Isigned the forms on the com puter pad with a flourish. (I might be wrong about that moment in the plane when I was about to jump— perhaps this was the moment when I truly let Fortunately,go.) the weather had cleared, and harmless-looking white clouds—my dad would call them mare’s tails and buttermilk clouds – accented the blue sky. Lee and I had arrived a little early, so we wandered out to the observa tion area to watch a planeload of jumpers land. We peered up into the bright sun, shielding the glare with our hands, and watched as the tandem skydivers swayed and spun, then floated down and landed just yards away from us. They stripped off their suits and harnesses in a few minutes and now filled the prep area with exuberant smiles. I felt the presence of adrenaline like one feels the ionic pulse of energy after a thunder storm. But, more than ever, I wanted to
light. The forecast on my phone showed clouds, raindrops, and lightning strikes during the hours between 2:00 and 4:00. I was scheduled to jump around 2:00 after a brief instruction period. The ex citement I’d felt over the preceding days was turning to disappointment. I could drive the two hours to Snohomish and
reminding me in upper case letters that SKYDIVING IS DANGEROUS AND CAN LEAD TO INJURY OR EVEN DEATH. The authors of this document didn’t hold back. People are imperfect, it said. Equipment is sometimes faulty. These people you are trusting with your life may not be trustworthy, and do you really, REALLY, understand what we are telling you because you are about to jump out of a plane with a flimsy piece of cloth between you and the fast-approaching surface of the earth, and the earth does not care if you get sucked into it, caus ing your molecules to separate into
On the morning of my scheduled jump, the weather was unstable as it often is in the Pacific Northwest in early sum mer, so when I called Skydive Snohomish to confirm the jump, they were not sure my 1:30 class was going to get the green
see if the weather cleared or reschedule my jump. The thought of putting off the experience caused more anxiety than the idea of jumping, so I opted to go and take my chances.Aftera warm welcome, the smiling receptionist at Skydive Snohomish direct ed me towards a computer station where I signed an absurd number of disclaimers. There were several pages to sign: each
Letting Go
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At 1:30, my fellow jumpers and I gathered in the classroom area to watch a short instructional video that showed divers flying through the air wearing ex pressions of pure joy and delight.
But I bought what they were selling. Judging by the faces of the jumpers I’d just seen in the field, I was sure that skydiving was undeniably one of the most euphoric experiences anyone could pos sibly have, so why wouldn’t the people in the video be smiling as if they’d just given birth to their first child? The video told us the most important things to do:
Hold up your feet.
“How’s it feel?” asked Vladimir.
Vladimir pushed my shoulder back a bit, forcing me to turn and look at my backside.“You look good,” he said.
accent, directed us to get on the floor to practice the arching position used during free fall and how to hold up our feet when landing so the instructor could take the impact. He took a quick look around to make sure everyone was on board with these moves, and then he led us outside to the departure area to suit up.
I’d been dreading two things about this adventure: One, I would be weighed in front of everyone, and two, the jump suit wouldn’t fit properly. Silly, I know, but these are the obstacles that hang us up in life. Not so much jumping out of a plane. To my delight, they did not weigh me, maybe because I was obviously well below the 220-pound weight limit.
Vladimir took a medium jumpsuit off the rack and then turned around to give me the once over. He put back the medium, and I thought surely he was reaching for a large. But no, he took a size small off the rack and confidently handed it to me and helped pull it over my shoes. I yanked the stiff, thick, navy blue suit over my street clothes and zipped it up.
When the video was over, our in structor, Vladimir, a good-looking, mid dle-aged, energetic fellow with a Russian
I asked, wondering if there might be problems with mobility.
“Um, well, I don’t know. It seems a little tight. Do you think it’ll be alright?”
do what they had just done.
I laughed. (So maybe I’m wrong again. Maybe that was when I let go.)
The day had warmed up, and waiting in the jumpsuit was getting a little claustrophobic, plus the harness was heavy. Flying through the cool blue sky was sounding better all the time. Finally,
No doubt about it, I am falling, and I am disoriented, and I am terrified like I have never been before.
“Oh, sure. They’re showing us the smiling ones,” a woman in the row be hind me said to her daughter. “What about the ones that are terrified?”
I kissed my husband goodbye, and our crew of ten walked to wards the runway where our sturdy-looking plane awaited us.
Our plane ascends quickly, and I fall back into the lap of my instructor. Vladimir yells words in my ear, but I don’t catch them all. Ultimately, I realize he’s reminding me how the jump will go down. Vladimir will harness me to his chest like a baby
shoves.Everyone
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“These guys are going to join us,” says Vladimir. He gestures toward two men I had not been aware of standing next to me. The two jumpers beside me are smiling like they are the makers of the happy juice. They have that thrill-seeker glow. One of the guys has long, pale hair that is wind-blown to perfection from previous jumps. The other guy’s eyes sparkle like the stars in the heavens. My heart is thumping so wildly that I look down to see if my chest is visibly heaving.
The pilot is young. He appears with that smile everyone has
around here like there is happy juice in the water.
lines up on the plane’s floor, each of us nestled between the legs of the person behind us, the person ahead of us nestled between ours. We look like kids making a choo-choo train on a slide. I am at the head of the line. No one sits between my legs, which affords me an excellent view out the windows to my left and the roll-up door to my right. I’m in an altered state, a condition something like shock. All my senses are on high alert. The cerulean sky seems bluer than I’ve ever seen it; the rumble of the plane is more pervasive than thunder.
I’d managed to keep relatively calm until then, but I knew there would be no turning back once I got on the plane.
Vladimir and I are jumping after Wind-blown Dude and Sparkle Eyes, so the other four newbies and their instructors board ahead of us. The plane has no seats. The engine is so loud that talking is out of the question, so we crawl aboard on our hands and knees, obeying our instructors’ gentle pushes and
Wind-Blown Dude and Sparkle Eyes casually climb aboard even as they prepare to jump out of an airplane and sail through the heavens with a feeble sail and a prayer! I leave my legs in a straddle position in case they need to join our choo-choo, but they are moving straps and doing things on the floor that are unfathomable to me.
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“That is why we jump out,” he yells back.
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in a front pack.
How sweet. He’s trying to comfort me.
“Do NOT fall. You will DIE,” says my amygdala.
I’m in no condition to memorize the sequence of events he describes, but I appreciate the distraction. I take in the view.
“I hate planes,” I yell.
Vladimir attaches my harness to his and adjusts buckles and straps. Finally, he slips an aviator’s cap on my head, fastens it un der my chin, and places the oversized goggles over my sunglasses. I know from watching the video that this is the last thing he will do before we exit the plane.
“I am going to tap you on the shoulder, and then you should cross your arms over your chest. Then you will put your arms out to help us stabilize during the free fall. Then I will… then you will….”
“Oh, my God. Oh, my God, oh my God,” I hear myself saying. I am looking at the shifty roll-up door vibrating under pressure. This is the moment I realize I am about to actually jump out of a plane and that there is nothing but air beneath me for 13,000 feet. I don’t know if I can do it. Could I actually have come this far and not be able to get myself out the door? Of course, Wind-Blown Dude knows what I’m thinking or hears what I’m saying. He and Sparkle Eyes must catch rides with novice jumpers all the time. I think they are enjoying my fear.
“I’ll be fine,” he says with a big grin as he lifts the quivering roll-up door and jumps out.
tidily into the sky.
I inch forward and dangle one foot out the door, then Vladimir pushes me out of the plane, and I tumble into a force I am not prepared to reckon with. I guess I thought this would be like flying or floating, but no, this is falling. No doubt about it, I am falling and am disoriented, and my brain tells me perfectly ra tional things, but my instincts want to obey their prime directive.
Sparkle Eyes is laughing because Wind-Blown Dude prob ably uses this line all the time, and then Sparkle Eyes leans into the cerulean void and gets sucked out the door sideways.
“Don’t worry,” says Wind-Blown Dude.
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“GO, GO, GO!!!” I hear Vladimir yell in my ear, but I want to exit nice and neat like they show in the video— the jumper sits on the edge of the doorway and hooks her feet under the plane, and when the instructor is arranged behind her, they push off
“They are heavier than us,” says Vladimir. “They are falling a little faster.” The traffic and the buildings below are not doll-sized anymore. I feel a wave of remorse that my experience will soon be over. How quickly I am pulled back into my usual habit of imagining the future and abandoning the present. It seems impossible, but we will land pre
Makea
“It doesn’t matter which way is up. You’re in the sky. So shut up and enjoy the ride,” says my inner thrill-seeker.
Difference APPLYTODAY
to read ANW
I figure it’s been about a minute since we exited the plane, though I doubt my sense of time under these conditions. I
know Vladimir will pull the chute soon, and it occurs to me that putting the brakes on will be like trying to stop a train going full speed ahead. Then, just as I think it will be impossible to slow us down, I am yanked violently upward. My spine just got a massive readjustment. Unfortunately, in the video, they skipped describing this part. “The chute will open, and this is an indescribable experience,” said the narrator in the video. Huh. They could have tried harder.Suddenly
Suited Up Photo by Lee Clonts
“What was I supposed to do here? I should have listened to the instructions better,” says my ego.
“I don’t know which way is up,” says my inner ear.
Behind me, Vladimir reshapes my arms into a flying position and lifts my head. I think he’s pulled the pilot chute because we stabilize a bit, and I can see the miniature buildings and fields below. I feel some relief at being in a stable position in relation to theTerminalground. velocity is 120 miles per hour. That is likely the speed at which we are falling. The roar in my ears tells me so. The force that pushes against my outstretched body tells me so. The little bit of bare skin exposed on my hands is cold. I am not smiling like they showed in the video. I am gritting my teeth and grimacing. More than anything, I want the free fall to be over, but then I think, You are fly ing through the air at 120 miles per hour! How cool is that? Look around. You may never be here again.
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I find myself in a sitting position, delicately descending at a more reasonable rate than during the free fall, and the sky has lowered its booming voice to a whisper. Vladimir presses the chute straps into my chilled hands and shows me how to slow the pace of our descent and how to increase it. Pulling to the left or right causes us to make a graceful swing ing arc. Vladimir jokes that we could land in the Skykomish River, which seems like a pleasant op tion from this viewpoint. He points out otherThelandmarks.ground is approaching more rapidly than I would like. I want to stay up here as long as possible. I ask Vladimir if we can go five miles an hour all the way down to maximize our ride. He laughs and says we have to beat the four teams that jumped after us. Three of the teams are slightly above us. One has gotten past us.
We fall past a sliver of moisture to my left. It is almost a cloud. I see the layers twisting around each other like steam from a pot. The vapor patch provides an other point of reference, and I feel slightly less terrified, but we pass through it in less than a second. I want to remember every thing about this minute of free fall, so I take note of the space around me. Unlike water, the air offers no support. I thought it would be quiet in the sky, but the invisible beast all around me roars.
slows us down, and we touch the grass as gently as a butterfly landing on a flower petal. “You can put your feet down now,” he says, and we are home. Sweet earth. Home Sweet Earth.
stories & the race|play|experience calendar online.
I hold my legs out ahead of me at ninety degrees before Vladimir tells me to. I remember this bit of instruction from the video. The green field rushes up like a mouth about to gobble us up, but just before hitting the ground, Vladimir
I peel off my jumpsuit and hang it on the rack. The next group is there waiting to jump. I must be smiling like I’m on the happy juice judging by how they look at me. I receive my certificate of completion and buy a t-shirt.
Sparkle Eyes runs to catch up with us. “So, how was it?” he asks.
I hold out my hands which shake beyond my control. “Still shaking,” I say.
cisely in front of the runway where we took off. Vladimir takes the straps from my hands and flies us into position. But now we have to nail the landing. A fresh wave of adrenaline surges through my trembling body.
I wonder if experienced skydivers still get a rush like I did. I turn to ask him, but his beaming smile tells me everything.Andin case you are wondering: Yes. I would do it again.
We’re open daily and within walking distance from the mainland. The Whale Museum: promoting stewardship of whales and the Salish Sea ecosystem through education & research. 62 First St. N., Friday Harbor, WA 98250 • 360-378-4710 ext. 30 • www.whalemuseum.org MuseumMuseumWhaleTheFridayHarborSanJuanIslandTheWhaleFridayHarborSanJuanIsland
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As Lee and I walk back to the car,
“When it wears off, you’ll sleep like a baby,” he says, laughing.
40 The heartbeat of Cascadia >>> Go to to read ANWAdventuresNW.com
Leprechaun Lake
The Turning Point Autumn in the Enchantments
Story and Photos by John D’Onofrio
41stories & the race|play|experience calendar online.
The heartbeat of Cascadia
Closer to home, larch forests adorn the eastern slopes of the Cascades, offering an autumnal extravaganza of color that equals any of these, a brilliant flaring of luminous gold before an inevi table blanket of white ushers in the monochrome of winter.
42 The heartbeat of Cascadia >>> Go to to read ANWAdventuresNW.com
When autumn weaves it’s magical tapestry of yellow, crimson and orange, certain places become holy sites. Shrines to the whimsical palette of Mother Nature. The hardwood forests of New England are, of course, famous. The aspen-covered mountains of Colorado. The brilliant magenta tun dra slopes of the arctic.
But an audience with these autum nal Mountain Gods carries a certain risk because the height of the color dis play often occurs at the turning point when the cool, clear days of autumn
During this season, the Enchantments cry out to me with a siren’s call that cannot be ignored. The sweet larches; cold, still tarns; and wild gran ite spires as sharp as knives combine to create an atmo sphere of mystery and power, a place for epic dreams and sagas.
In the morning, we follow the lakeshore to the base of a rock fall, which is surmounted on an ingenious trail, cut through the boulders. The boulders give way to stunted trees and soon we’re eating wasabi almonds beside the shore of Upper Snow Lake. So far, so good.We cross the dam—a strange reminder of the reach of our en gineers—six feet above the dry outlet of the lake and hike beside the sparkling water to the base of Trauma Rib. As you might surmise from its name, Trauma Rib can be, well, traumatic. The cairned route leads up gullies, over roots, and polished rock towards the sky. In places, there are steps chipped into the stone. Occasionally it is necessary to use hands as well as feet. With our grotesquely heavy packs—burdened with provisions for eight days—it’s a workout. As we labor upward into granite country, the clouds gather, swallowing the tops of the highest peaks.
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yield to the fury of winter. Sometimes overnight. Away Energized by anticipation, my com panions and I shoulder our absurdly
Sprite Lake
We top a rocky parapet, and Lake Vivienne suddenly comes into view, surrounded by smoothly chiseled cliffs rising to ragged pinnacles, half-seen
Valhalla.I’dbeen up there before–and in autumn too. I can’t get enough. I’m like that.
heavy backpacks, cross Icicle Creek, and head up beneath Snow Creek Wall through an old burn. Up. And up some more. We drop our packs at Nada Lake, pitch our tents in the shadows of the forest, and cook our dinner on smooth rocks beside the cold, clear water. The clouds part and we get a tantalizing glimpse of the moon rising above black ramparts of stone in the darkening sky.
It begins to rain, changes to hail, then snow, then back to rain—autumn in the Enchantments! We huddle be neath a tiny tarp, scant shelter for the four of us. The wind blows down from the lonely heights, its voice rising to a banshee howl as night falls.
The heartbeat of Cascadia 43stories & the race|play|experience calendar online.
Mountain Goats are ubiquitous in the Enchantments
In the morning, we wake to a white world, silent and still. A few inches of
Alask Inside Passage ~ San Juan Islands
snow have fallen overnight. We load our backpacks and boulder-hop across the outlet of the lake. Climbing the granite face that rises above its surface is made easier by rebar footholds cemented into the rock. Thankfully, rising temperatures have melted the snow. It would be seriously dicey to cross these granite pitchesLeprechaunotherwise.Lake is a scene from a dream, surrounded by glowing larches and fresh snow. We drop our packs on a peninsula that protrudes into the lake and pitch our tents. Sunlight teases the peaks. Our loads lightened, we head up the trail through a wonderland of rock and snow, passing elegant waterfalls and delicate gardens of red and orange. Overhead the ridges are serrated with sharp teeth and blackSpriteshards.Lake, nestled in a rocky bowl, is a sweet, cold little tarn. We climb up and down granite slabs and through a miniature larch forest, each golden bough decorated with a filigree of new snow. We continue climbing to Perfection Lake, its waters crystal clear.
in the clouds. Excalibur, a pyramidshaped rock, rises from the surface of the lake: a scene out of the Lord of the Rings. Scattered larches cling to the walls of the cirque, a luminous gold in the muted light. A welcoming commit tee consisting of five mountain goats passes across the headwall in single file.
In the morning, it’s raining side ways. We pass the stormy day explor ing the rock gardens above the lake, discovering small wonders. In places, the fallen larch needles have collected in patterns among the rocks like amber arabesques. At regular intervals, goats visit.As darkness descends, it begins to snow in earnest.
a ~
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Deeper
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hunkered down at Vivienne, who ven ture out to the impassible granite cliffs that separate our camp from theirs. A conversation shouted across the rocks reveals that they had tried to hike out
As the light fades, we return to camp, and snow begins to fall. By midnight it’s really coming down, blowing sideways. At some point in the middle of the night, we have to emerge and dig out the tent.
Late at night, I am rudely awakened by the need to pee, which means leaving my warm sleeping bag, getting into my frozen boots, and going out into the storm. A family of goats is nearby, revealed in the beam of my headlamp through the swirling snow. As I answer nature’s call, they move in, attracted by the salt in my urine. To be out in a snowstorm at night in my long underwear with goats lunging at my privates is more than a little unnerving.
In the morning, frozen zippers complicate egress from the tent. We gather for coffee beneath the scant sanctuary of our little tarp among the larches. It is clear that we are pretty much stuck here until it warms up enough to melt the snow. Someone mentions that this might not happen until next spring. We inventory our food and fuel—we’ll be fine for at least a couple of days.
By morning, there’s nearly a foot on the ground, and it’s still snowing. We huddle beneath our diminutive tarp, drink coffee and consider our options. There’s no way we can hike out in these conditions, considering the semi-exposed sections of smooth granite we would need to downclimb. Obviously, the rebar would be impossible to find beneath the snow. We have no ropes. Even finding the trail across the convoluted rockscape would be a dubious proposition.
As we discuss the situation, the snow tapers off, and the clouds part their leaden skirts, revealing blue skies and—lo and behold—the sun. A mama mountain goat and her kid come to pay us a visit, wondering if we might have
Prusik Peak
We have a second cup of coffee and decide that there’s nothing for it but to sit and watch the snow fall. In early afternoon we venture out into the white and explore our immediate surroundings. Finally, in the afternoon, the snow lets up and then stops altogether, and a few patches of blue appear over head, a most welcome sight.
but gave up after being unable to locate the route in the snow.
Dark towers loom, their summits lost in roiling clouds.
On our hike in from the trail head, we had passed numerous groups of spandex-clad trail runners running the route from Colchuck to Snow Creek. We haven’t seen any spandex for a few days. In fact, we haven’t seen anybody except for a pair of hikers
Back at camp, goats loiter about, eyeing us with what looks like a mixture of larceny and disdain. These goats are famous for their salt cravings.
Escape
44 The heartbeat of Cascadia >>> Go to to read ANW stories & the race|play|experience calendar online. AdventuresNW.com
As evening falls, the wind comes up, and a half-moon rises through tempt estuous clouds. Then, the temperature drops, and it begins to snow again.
the snow melt that occurred over the course of the day, we had decided that unless it snowed again overnight, we would make a run for it in the morn ing. It is blissful to remove my frozen boots and slip into the soft embrace of my sleeping bag.
drop over the lip of Trauma Rib, sun emerges from behind the roiling clouds, and we strip off the layers
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It’s the coldest night yet, and the wind howls with renewed vigor. With
some extra salt. Barb and Rich head off to the granite cliff to try to clear a passage across the snow with my plastic hand-trowel. Brett and I head off in different directions with cameras and tripods, savoring the wild beauty of fresh snow and soaring peaks.I climb a slip pery ridge and gain a view of Sprite Lake, sparkling in the sunshine. A water fall curves down a grooved granite face. Shafts of sunlight il luminate snow-plas tered Prusik Peak with an ethereal light and the gold of the larches is vibrant against the white mantle of snow. White fluffy clouds whip past overhead, but they don’t look threatening. And the snow is melting. Things are looking up.
the
At first light, we emerge from the tents—no new Vivienne.rebarcliffsthemanageablefindtheourway.moreseemleadeningcommencesnow—andbreakcampbeneathskiesthattosuggestsnowontheShoulderingpacks,webegindescentandthegoingquiteacrosswind-sweptanddownthesectionpastAswe
polypro and Gore-Tex that we’ve been wearing more-or-less continuously for days. We down-climb in high spirits.
Where to go from here? It’s an embarrassment of riches. First, the lower basin offers excursions to Perfection Lake, Leprechaun Lake, and Prusik Pass. Then, continue upward on the rough and tumble trail past Isolation Lake and into the upper basin, likely to contain snow no matter when you go. From here, rambles to Tranquil Lake, Aasgard Pass, and an easy ascent of Little Annapurna could occupy you for many full and happy days.
of the Alpine Lakes Wilderness near Leavenworth, WA, the area has been on a strict permit system for years, and securing one of those precious permits requires entering an online lottery. The odds are not good if you’re looking for ingress at high-demand times, such as fall, when the larches are aglow in autumn fire. If you’re not lucky with the lottery, you can take your chances with the smattering of “walk-in permits” distributed each morning at the Wenatchee River ranger station in Leavenworth.
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But when you reach the top of the Rib and feast your eyes on the drama of Prusik Peak and Lake Vivienne, the toil is forgotten. And when its surface reflects the sparkling stars, you’ll find answers to questions you didn’t even know you had.
It’s interesting how much one can enjoy the simple pleasures of being warm and dry. One by one, my companions drift off to bed, and I sit quietly, watching the moon’s reflection slowly make its way across the lake’s surface.
Worth it? Without question.
The morning dawns calm and crystal-clear. We load our packs and start down, past a tiny pond laced with the geometry of overnight ice, reflecting the mountains, the sky, and my happy heart. Birdsong, melancholy and sweet, fills the woods.
As so often happens, our hike was nothing like we’d planned. However, the days in the storm had raised some interesting questions and provided lots of time to think. The sense of vulner ability, of being entirely at the mercy of the elements, was powerful—and humbling.Oneby one, we make our way down through the sun-dappled for est towards home, each nursing our thoughts and savoring autumn’s last hurrah.
If you come in on the Snow Lakes trail, you’ll have ample time to prepare yourself for what waits above, climbing gradually but steadily five miles to Nada Lake and reaching the Snow Lakes at 6.5 miles. You’ll have gained about 4,000 vertical feet with another 2,000 to go before the lower Enchantment Basin. These lakes offer fine places to drop your pack and take a well-deserved rest. Many hikers choose to camp here and tackle the rest of the ascent to the lower Enchantment Basin the following day. Either way, you’ll want to gather your strength for the climb up Trauma Rib, a section of trail so steep that you’ll find yourself grateful for the rebar steps hammered into the rock.
Realistically, you’ll have to devote at least four days to the undertaking and probably (hopefully) more. There are two points of ingress—one grueling (the Snow Lakes route), the other grueling, and daunting (Aasgard Pass). Either way, the glory of the high country will reward your efforts a hundred-fold.
Unique in the Cascades, the peaks here are composed of granite, knife-edged and dramatic. The various lakes, each more delightful than the last, occupy lonely basins between the spires. It’s rugged country—a landscape hewn of rock and winters immemorial. Summer is a fleeting dream, and the snow never retreats completely.
The ground is mostly bare when we reach Upper Snow Lake, thanks to the lower elevation. We descend to the lower lake, establish a camp on a rocky peninsula that reaches out into the wind-ruffled water and relax con tentedly, soaking up the warmth of the late-afternoon sun, watching green reeds dance in the shallows.
It’s that good.
46 The heartbeat of Cascadia
Long-recognized as a scenic zenith of the northern mountains, a journey into the Enchantment Lakes demands a steep price, paid in sweat and grunting, to reveal their charms. The formidable approach—long and with copious elevation gain—is only part of Partit.
start on what turned out to be a monthlong, 8,000-mile trip of a lifetime, made only sweeter by the delay and deprava tions of the intervening two years.
In September of 2021, just a few days after the first opening across the British Columbia border, I was finally able to
There is something special about a solo, extended road trip. So many milestones, and adventures to savor. So many memories to create. As I headed to Alaska, through British Columbia and the Yukon, the andsunrises,dustedvisualsvast-without-numberround-every-bend,cavalcadeofconstantlyfedmysoul:Snowmountains,clearlakes,sunsets,andherdsofcaribou.Travelingalone,onedivesdeepwaxesintrospective.Longstretches
Alaskan Autumn
Alone in the North
Story and Photos by Rich Bowers
“Traveling – it leaves you speechless, then turns you into a storyteller.”
As others have said, when traveling alone, “your mind looks inward while your soul looks outward.”
Lonely Cabin
48 The heartbeat of Cascadia >>> Go to to read ANWAdventuresNW.com
Ibn Battuta
The plan was to retire, buy a truck, take my camera, and head north to Alaska. Two weeks later, COVID hit …
Driving and hiking were difficult. The breathtaking views and colors all around forced me to stop, seemingly, every few feet, to drink in new Alaskan vistas or watch the magnificent wild life. Then, turning around to go back to my campground, I found it amazing how different life and landscapes look when changing direction and perspec tive, to see all you missed by not look ing back Highlights,earlier.of course, included those uncountably vast and beautiful vistas in BC, the Yukon, and Alaska: The fall col ors on the Denali Highway and Denali Park Road; flying out of Homer and
The heartbeat of Cascadia 49stories & the race|play|experience calendar online.
360-degree views of yellow willows, red dwarf birch, brilliant golden aspen, balsam poplar, still-green firs, and clear views had my head spinning and my eyes aching. Which is more beauti ful? What do I photograph? How do I decide which variation on a theme of ‘spectacular’ best captures this north ern autumnal beauty?
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with no interactions and few distrac tions—silent for extended periods, aware, and constantly and acutely present. Traveling alone is a powerful experience: you see the surrounding mountains, lakes, and roads through your own lens. You are wide-eyed, amazed, and in the moment. As others have said, when traveling alone “your mind looks inward while your soul looksAutumnoutward.”in the north country is magical and poignant, as the seasons turn so quickly, heralding the inevita ble approach of the winter season with its snow, ice, and cold. As the nights grew longer and colder, the comfort of a puffy jacket was a joy rediscovered.
rising above Ferry Meadow there are no words for this
Denali National Park’s fall season is short, usually just seven to ten days. Gazing upon the Alaska Range with The Mountain rising above the subalpine tundra, lower-elevation taiga forest, and freshly fallen snow, I knew I had timed my trip perfectly. The
SandersAlanbyPhoto
heading across Cook Inlet, above the clouds, bears, and herds of caribou along the Aleutian Range to Katmai National Park; passing through rafts of sea otters; heading towards two immense, active
But the best part of the trip, better than the bears, otters, or spectacular landscapes, was the people I met.
50 The heartbeat of Cascadia >>> Go to to read ANWAdventuresNW.com
Reflections, Denali Highway
volcanoes (Redoubt and Iliamma) in the Chigmit Mountains and Lake Clark National Park; finding some of the most beautiful camping spots of my life in Tetlin National Wildlife Refuge, with amazing light and sunsets, framed by the AlaskaButRange.closer, more intimate encounters were also memorable, like watching a solitary grizzly wandering near Kluane
bug nets that held strong.
National Park and the headwaters of the Tatshinshini River. Other experiences defy description, such as a harsh buginfested night camping at Goat’s Pass, which, after a closer look at the map, turned out to be the more aptly named Gnat’s Pass. No hotels, no internet—but millions of gnats! I counted this as a highlight because I was now definitely in the North Country, comfortable with
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From my experience, if you want to travel during a pandemic, you need to bring plenty of patience and grace. Go knowing that everything is messed up (fires, landslides, devastated communi ties, and road closures), nothing works,
Brown Bear at Brooks Falls, Katmai National Park & Preserve
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The heartbeat of Cascadia 51stories & the race|play|experience calendar online.
it would all work out. A young woman at the “Moose is Loose” ice cream drivein between Homer and Sterling gave me a free milkshake just because I was nice
and no one knows what is going on. Everyone is stressed and trying to figure it out one step at a time. At the end of the summer season, locals were exhaust ed and dispirited by how rude and cruel tourists can be, but they were absolutely thrilled to find visitors that did not fit that mold. It was a mile-by-mile roller coaster for sure.
About a week into the trip, the road and commu nity closures got me down, and I considered giving up and turning around. Then, I found a US Customs officer at Beaver Creek, who convinced me to keep going, telling me
to her. Kim, who told me her life story and then hooked me up with a flight out to Brooks Falls after my original trip was canceled due to wind and rain
Great people, great beauty, time with my camera, readjust ing my own personal lens on life and who I am, understanding the pure love of travel and plotting to go back as soon as possible.
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(which continued for the next week, effectively shut ting down the season for the winter).Therewas the fisher man on the Ninilchik River who had lived in Alaska since 1973 but who was moving to Florida in just a week, or the host at the Homer Spit campground with her sign “Be Nice or Leave,” which really sums it up, in my Comingview.home, at the Peace Arch crossing, the customs officer looked up after glancing at his computer and said, “You’ve been gone a long time; welcome home!” Quickest and most friendly crossing ever.
Liberty Falls in the Copper River Valley
If you live anywhere (but especially in the Pacific Northwest) and have not yet gone to the far north—Go! Book a small plane into Bella Bella, Sitka, or Homer. Take the Alaska Ferry System from Bellingham to Juneau, Haines, or Skagway, and enjoy three to five laid-back days camped in a lawn chair
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There’s a common sentiment among outdoorsy folks, one I often agree with: that the obscurity of the destination is proportional to the worthiness of the adventure. But some places remind me it is only that, a sentiment. On my first trip to the Dolomites, I decided that perhaps it was best to throw that sentiment out the window and let myself off the hook for walking a mere mile from the rental car to one of the most spectacular views I had ever encountered. The incredible access to this famous Italian mountain range was something to take full advantage of, not avoid.
54 The heartbeat of Cascadia >>> Go to to read ANWAdventuresNW.com
Standing there, where hundreds of thousands have stood before, I was reminded that the classics are classics for a reason.
ANW
The Dolomites
Field Trip beyondAdventuresthePNW
Story by Nick Danielson
The heartbeat of Cascadia 55stories & the race|play|experience calendar online. Life is a Journey. Yoga Lights the Way. Offering in-person classesat Bellingham Yoga Collectiveand online in the comfort of your home. Yoga with Susan D’Onofrio Patience, Compassion, Tolerance More info: www.8petalsyoga.com 360-319-1601 READ & SHARE Learn wcls.org/readandshareBorrowmore.thebook. JOIN AUTHOR EVENTS October 8-November 10 "... a trailblazing father, his headstrong son, and their struggles with racism in the tech industry." ~ Kirkus Reviews Adventures Northwest recognizes that people are truly a part of nature, and that an adventure worth having should celebrate our wholeness with the lands, waters, plants, and creatures, rather than subordinating them to our own bravado.” - Robert Michael Pyle Subscribe for Home Delivery at www.adventuresnw.com/subscribe SUBSCRIBE Deep DeliveredConnections.toYourHome. NORTHWESTADVENTURES magazine Visit Orca Network’s Whale Center & Unique Gift Shop Langley, Whidbey Island Support us by shopping or donating online at orcanetwork.org • 866-ORCANET For information on Virtual Youth Lessons, events and days open follow Langley Whale Center, and for whale sighting updates, follow Orca Network! Celebrate Orca/Salmon Month with us in October! Friday, Nov. 25th through Sunday, Nov. 27th Annual Black and White Sale at the Langley Whale Center’s Gift Shop
Check out more of Chris’ gear reviews at AdventuresNW.com
Blundstone Chelsea Boots: These Boots are Made for Walking by Chris Gerston
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reviewSponsored
Cascade Designs Platy ® Water Tank
As with all footwear, I highly recommend trying this boot on in person—the sizing tends to run large. Another key issue about fitting this boot is that the ½ size is the wide fit; that is, a 9 and 9.5 are the same length, but the 9.5 is wider (also, there are women-specific sizes that are narrower than the regular unisex sizes). However, with my moderately wide-shaped foot, I did not find that I needed the wide boot for either the extra side-toside room or the height of my instep. And the wide boots also come with a pair of shims to take up additional space if needed. As always, a pair of Superfeet or Sidas custom footbeds can improve the fit. Fitting particulars aside, pick your color and enjoy the fall!
info: www.thermarest.com
More info: www.platy.com
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All backcountry travelers like to camp near a water source, but sometimes, it’s just not possible. At times like these, it’s a blessing to have a big enough water carrier to sustain thirsty backpackers for a while. The folks at Cascade Designs have a simple but effective solution to this problem: the venerable Platy® Water Tank. Available in three sizes (two, four, and six liters), the Water Tank is lightweight (ranging from 2.7 – 4.16 ounces, depending on size) and collapsible, making it easy to pack.
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56 The heartbeat of Cascadia >>> Go to to read ANWAdventuresNW.com
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Made of durable (BPA-free, BPS-free, and phthalate-free) plastic, it features a sturdy carry handle and a wide-mouth Big Zip™ opening that makes filling (and cleaning) a snap.
Cascadia Gear:
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When it comes to fantastic fall footwear, the Blundstone Chelsea Boot ($189-$219) stands alone. This unisex boot is stylish enough to go with dress pants or dresses, rugged enough to be a regular farm boot, and currently hip enough to wear every day with jeans. The elastic allows for near hands-free exit and entry, and the great insulation underfoot will keep you toasty and warm when walking the dog on chilly autumn mornings. This is a no-brainer, extremely versatile boot that can also be used for après ski.
Waterfall Gallery 701 S 1st St, La Conner, WA info@waterfallgallery.com360-399-1202 A New Art, Decor & Furniture Gallery Inspired by the Pacific Northwest From the Proprietors of The Wood Merchant www.visitburlingtonwa.com • 360.757.0994 “Where the oceans and the mountains are within reach.”Scanme! Samish Overlook 1.8 miles from Oyster Dome Trailhead Lake Samish Rd, Bow, WA 98232 Oak Harbor Chamber.com 360-675-3755 32630 SR 20 Oak Harbor, WA 98277 Photos Credit: Pamela Headridge, Marissa Pederson, & Josh Russo Therm-a-Rest NeoAir® Topo™ Sleeping Pad Since they invented the self-inflating mattress back in 1972, the folks at Therm-a-Rest have never rested on their laurels, maintaining a single-minded focus on engineering a good night’s rest for hikers and campers. The NeoAir Topo continues this tradition. Three inches thick, with integrated insulation (R-Value: 2.3), and their remarkable WingLock™ valve, the Topo delivers comfort, warmth, and ease-of-use. At the end of the day, what more do you need?
Essentials for your next Adventure
Backcountry Essentials, owned by Chris Gerston, is an outdoor specialty shop located at 214 W. Holly in Bellingham, WA.
Gear Spotlight:
The heartbeat of Cascadia 57stories & the race|play|experience calendar online. 360.676.1977 • www.lithtexnw.com 420 E FAIRHAVEN AVE | DOWNTOWN BURLINGTON OPEN MON - SAT 9 - 6 | 360-755-0570 SHOES & EST.CLOTHING1940 810 Metcalf Street, Sedro-Woolley, WA • 360.855.1841 Visitor Center, Fishing/Hunting/Vehicle Licensing www.Sedro-Woolley.com Sedro-Woolley Chamber of Commerce, your place in Sedro-Woolley to go for Vehicle and Vessel Licensing will be once again providing immediate sale of Discover Passes, Fishing and Hunting licensing, too. All with well qualified licensing staff. For over 38 years offering theNorthwest’s best selection of fine 100% American-made woodcrafts. Gifts • Furniture • Salad Bowls Jewelry Boxes • Wood CarvingsCutting Boards • Custom Designs Available 709 South 1st Street • La Conner, WA 98257 • info@woodmerchant.com 360-466-4741 • woodmerchant.com • facebook.com/woodmerchant
photo by GREG GREEN
Silver and Gold
This photograph of fall bigleaf maples reflected on the surface of Silver Lake is the result of a combination of serendipity and the old photographer’s axiom, “f/8 and be there”. Interested in capturing the beautiful autumn light, I was fully prepared that day for any type of photograph—landscape, close-up, wildlife—that might manifest itself. I spent many enjoyable hours exploring various forks of the Nooksack River, from the lowelevation forests to Artist Point above the Mt. Baker Ski Area. After a while, I began to focus on an elevational band where the maple leaves were bright yellow yet still firmly attached to their branches, eventually leading me by day’s end to beautiful Silver Lake and this enchanting reflection.
N Adventure the ext
58 The heartbeat of Cascadia
Michael
A DiNino Financial Advisor 3130 Howe Place Ste 103 Bellingham, WA 98226 360-647-5761
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Wealth Planning That Makes Room for Joy Along the Journey
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