Adventures Northwest Magazine Winter 2019/20 by John DOnofrio

ADVENTURES NORTHWEST WINTER 2019/20

WINTER IN PARADISE

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INSPIRATIONS

IN THIS ISSUE

Requiem for the Salish Sea Orcas

Ted Rosen

Winter Bliss at Artist Point

Bob Kandiko

No Going Forward, No Going Back

David Gladish

Light and Shadow

Kenni Merritt

The Art of Hokking

Don Portman

Saving Chuckanut Island

Peter Frazier

Do They Really Say “Mush”?

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DESTINATIONS Hope 9 Out & About 10 3 Great Hikes ... for Winter 11 eARTh: The Art of Nature 23 Outside In 28 Bright Lines 50 Vital Signs 52 Field Trip: Cirque of the Unclimbables 53 Cascadia Gear 54 Race | Play | Experience Calendar 55 Next Adventure: Manning Park 58

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WINTER | 2019/20

Long ago, Kathy and Craig Copeland rearranged their lives to make hiking the white-hot molten core of their shared identity. They built their livelihood on a unique ability to express the wonder, joy, and exhilaration they feel in wild places. They’re now Canada’s most prolific hiking-and-camping guidebook authors. Visit hikingcamping.com . Linda Conroy’s poems have appeared in a variety of journals such as Muse Pie Press, Plainsongs, Raven Chronicles, and Clover. Her book, Ordinary Signs will be published this winter. Peter Frazier spent 25 years as a customer researcher, user interface designer, and usability and brand consultant. He is now the Managing Partner of Heliotrope Hotel and Hotel Leo in Bellingham. He and his wife Aimee have raised two children in the PNW and enjoy time together sailing and hiking. David Gladish is a writer, climber and backcountry skier based in Shoreline, WA. Besides his strong addiction to good coffee, his life mission is to be well, play hard and live simply. Dawn Groves is a writer who lives in Bellingham, teaches WordPress at Whatcom Community College, and finds peace in paddling the Salish Sea. www.dawngroves.com Ria Harboe lives on Lummi Island, Washington, and maintains studios on the island and in Bellingham. She exhibits her work in numerous local galleries, festivals and studio tours. Visit her at www.ria-harboe.com

After a successful career composing music for TV & Film in Hollywood, Ken Harrison and his family relocated to Bellingham, WA. in 1992. When the music industry changed, Ken easily found his second passion: selling real estate. Adventures with his hiking club helped Ken discover his third passion: capturing amazing images of the outdoors through his photography. “Looking at life as always an adventure” sums up Bob Kandiko’s philosophy. Retired after 33 years as a middle school science teacher, he now has endless time to plan and execute trips with his life companion, Karen Neubauer, and friends. Sarah Laing is a nutritionist, author and co-founder of S&J Natural Products, which offers CBD-infused products for healthy lifestyles. She is currently writing her second book, The Cannabinoid Diet. Nils Larsen is a backcountry skier, instructor, ski shop owner, filmmaker and photographer. In 2005 he traveled to the Altai Mountains in Northwestern China, documenting the traditional ski culture still practiced there. This experience was the inspiration for Nils and Francois Sylvain to start Altai Skis in 2011. Kenni Merritt became an avid photographer when she and her husband, Tom Barrett, moved to Bellingham in 2000. With camera and tripod always at the ready, they can be found running, hiking, snowshoeing and kayaking in the glorious Pacific Northwest and hiking in the desert Southwest.

CONTRIBUTORS Don Portman owned and operated a ski school and ski-rental business in the Methow Valley for more than 40 years and was a founder of the trail system there. A former equipment editor for SkiTrax magazine, Portman has skied hundreds of kilometers testing ski gear. Ted Rosen is a member of the Bellingham Greenways Advisory Committee and has been a champion of land conservation since his youth in the industrial wastelands of northern New Jersey. He enjoys writing, day hikes, photography, guitar, and the occasional pale ale. Shane Russeck is a modern day photographer, adventurer, and explorer, based in Los Angeles. His background in fine art and his passion for Americana and outlaw culture make his work both raw and visceral. Check out his photography at: shanerusseckphoto.com. Renowned aerial photographer John Scurlock has been photographing mountains and glaciers since 2002. His images have appeared in numerous books and publications such as The American Alpine Journal, Rock & Ice, Ski Journal, and Climbing Magazine. His groundbreaking book, ‘Snow & Spire: Flights to Winter in the North Cascade Range’, was published in 2011.

COVER PHOTO BY: KEN HARRISON

A Look Ahead:

Our Spring Issue

David Guterson’s Turn Around Time Trail Running 14 Hours: Bay to Baker…and Back! Trek Across Greenland Climbing in the Canopy Remembering Fish Town

Photo by Ken Salzman

Volume 14. Issue 4

Your Listing Specialists Sally Farrell 360-393-7339 sally@sallyfarrell.com

Diana Burgon 360-927-8588 diana@burgonteam.com

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HOPE

s we approach the third decade of the twenty-first century, we find ourselves inundated with mixed messages.

The steady drumbeat of impending doom is certainly unmistakable. Our society grows ever more divided and tribal: our differences amplified and our common ground ignored. The gap between the “haves” and the “have nots” literally grows wider every day. The promise of global connectivity promised by digital technologies has largely left individuals more disconnected from each other than ever before. And the environment—our home on which we all depend—is under unprecedented attack. When it comes to the environment, it is not hard to see that our current trajectory leads to an execrable destination. On this, many can agree. And herein lies a glimmer of hope. It is said that change happens when the pain of staying the same is greater than the pain of changing. Certainly when we’re ensconced in our comfort zone, the impetus for change is minimized. It’s hard to dispute that our comfort zone grows more threadbare every day. Thanks to the increasingly impossible-to-ignore signs (extreme weather, almost constant forest fires, rising sea levels), it has become preposterous to suggest that we should “stay the course”. The kind of paradigm shift that we need is becoming undeniable at long last, ironically catalyzed by the very forces that resist it. Andy Warhol said “they say that time changes things, but you actually have to change them yourself.” We stand together now, with an opportunity to make change happen. In this issue, we explore several examples of what happens when threats to our environment become so great that “business as usual” is no longer a viable way forward. In Ted Rosen’s Requiem for the Salish Sea Orcas we are presented with a long list of problems to solve if we are to save these iconic creatures. The list is daunting, but the sight of the orca Tahlequah carrying her dead calf for 18 days last year somehow transformed the conversation about the Salish Sea and interjected a new urgency in our collective consciousness. Peter Frazier’s piece, Saving Chuckanut Island shines the light on how, as individuals, we can each make a contribution. The legacy of stewardship on this tiny island extends back for more than 40 years, harkening back to conservation legends George and Lois Garlick and maintained today by Frazier and his wife Aimee. As Chief Leah George-Wilson of the Tsleil-Waututh Nation says of the problems facing the orcas and the Salish Sea, “We’re out of balance right now, but I think we’re in a period of transformation: we are becoming what we’re supposed to be, and what we’re supposed to be is naut’sa mawt, one heart, one mind.” The message is clear: We all have to be activists now.

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Out&About

Outdoor Alliance Launched

Bellingham-based Recreation Northwest has announced the launch of the Washington Outdoor Business Alliance. This new addition to the non-profit’s portfolio of programs is designed to further the organization’s mission of promoting outdoor recreation. “The Alliance was formed to connect, protect and grow the outdoor recreation ecosystem in Washington State,” explains Executive Director Todd Elsworth. “We serve as the collective eyes and ears, heart, mind and voice.” Founded in 2013, Recreation Northwest is a grassroots organization serving the recreation community in a variety of ways including the popular Parkscriptions Program (a collaboration with local health providers to improve community health by “prescribing” outdoor recreation). The new Alliance is in keeping with the

organization’s well-established advocacy for the local and statewide outdoor recreation economy. According to a 2015 Washington State Economic Benefits impact study, the outdoor recreation economy generates $21.6 Billion annually in the state, supporting 199,000 jobs. For comparison’s sake, the technology industry supports 191,000 jobs and aerospace supports 94,000. In Whatcom County, the outdoor recreation economy generates $705 Million in recreational expenditures and boasts 279 businesses supporting 3,728 jobs. The Outdoor Alliance (including a Seattle chapter) offers recreation-oriented business people the opportunity to participate in hosted gatherings (formerly called “Basecamps”) “to socialize, share and learn from colleagues in the industry,” according to Elsworth.

Letters to the Editor Share your thoughts!

Write to editor@AdventuresNW.com

SEARCH & RESCUE Your Don’t Doom the Spot article perfectly sums up the current situation in the backcountry. I live in Whistler where we have seen an explosion in the number of backcountry users over the past few years. Along with this increase in users there has been a corresponding increase in search and rescue calls for people, who to a great extent, are utterly unprepared to be in the backcountry. The challenge is how to reach the newcomers to the backcountry in order to educate them about proper backcountry etiquette and preparedness. Bryce Leigh - Access and Environment Director, Alpine Club of Canada-Whistler section

Founding members of the Alliance include regional companies such as Gear Aid, Superfeet, Port of Bellingham, Trail Boss, KAVU, Moondance Sea Kayak Adventures, SMC Gear, eqpd, Pandion Consulting and the North Cascades Institute. The Alliance will also host next year’s industry-focused conference, the Washington Outdoor Summit on October 9th, 2020, in Bellingham. The Summit brings together individuals, businesses, organizations and land managers with shared goals of advocating for our recreation economy, increasing outdoor participation and protecting public lands. Jon Snyder (Outdoor Recreation and Economic Development Senior Policy Advisor to Washington Governor Jay Inslee) has been a participant and keynote speaker in these annual summits

GENTLE PERSUASION I just read the most recent issue of your magazine. I wholeheartedly agree with your editorial (Don’t Doom the Spot). Thank you for writing it. I frequently hike with one of the Trailblazer groups out of the Bellingham Senior Activity Center, and I will be thinking about how to gently persuade novice hikers to help preserve this beautiful corner of the world. I also appreciated the article on the Tatshenshini River. I recently went to Alaska for the first time via the Inside Passage, and I am in awe of the wild landscapes in Alaska and the Yukon. This article painted a vivid picture of a river I may never see but can now imagine in my head. Penny McGinty - Bellingham

SOUL FOOD What an issue! ANW will be hard pressed to top this one (Autumn 2019). Each quarter I pick up a copy at the Co-op as though I’ve just latched on to the pot of gold at the end of the rainbow. How I look forward to the beauty, adventures, spiritual quests, and more. Benjamin Jordan (The Endless Chain) is beyond amazing. I was enthralled and grateful that he and you have shared so much soul with this reader. You touch so many in such a high and positive way. In my mind, I’m right there with you...breathing in the cold, clean air...touching the soft, snowy mountains...enjoying snow tea… L.S. - Bellingham 10

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3 Great Hikes for W inter

Boulder River Falls

since their inception in 2016, sharing Olympia’s recreation policy updates with attendees. Cailin O’Brien Feeney (who is currently serving in the same capacity for the State of Oregon) has also served as keynote speaker. The Washington Outdoor Business Alliance is part of a growing collaborative national network, joining similar organizations in Oregon, California, Idaho, Colorado, North Carolina, Maine and Vermont to support the booming business of outdoor recreation. Elsworth says that Recreation Northwest will continue to host its annual Expo, a popular community celebration of all things outdoors, held each year at the Bellingham Cruise Terminal. Next years Expo will take place on Saturday, May 2nd, 2020 and will expand its footprint to include three off-site locations in addition to the Cruise Terminal: Marine Park (paddling and camping demos/ clinics and a lineup of camper vans & recreation vehicles), the Community Boating Center, and Evil Bikes (bicycle demos, shuttles and entertainment). ANW

Tucked away in the green mountains outside of Darrington, the Boulder River Trail affords almost year-round access to a verdant river walk beneath moss-draped cedars and fluted cliffs. The scenic highlight is reached in only 1.5 miles from your car: a pair of waterfalls that stream 200 feet down green cliffs on the far side of the river, cascading in terraces and over the polished rock to the watercourse below. Thanks to its low elevation (1000 feet), this hike is snow-free for most of the winter and the minimal elevation gain makes it an ideal hike for kids. The trail goes on past the waterfalls through remnants of old-growth, ending in 4.5 miles at an old ford on the river. Trailhead: The end of the French Creek Road (FR-2100), 3.7 miles from WA-530, 23 miles east of Arlington (near mile post 41).

Cape Alava

Photo by John D’Onofrio

When you reach Cape Alava you will have arrived at the western-most point in the contiguous United States: nothing but azure waves from here until Asia. It’s a sweet spot, a dramatic meeting of land and sea, classic Olympic wilderness beach. The trail from Lake Ozette is easy, a mostly level 3.5 mile walk across boardwalk and soft forest duff (unlike the mud fest on the trail to Shi-Shi Beach). Plan your visit here during a low tide to maximize beach exploration. Tskawahyah Island is dramatic, surrounded by wave-washed round rocks that give it its other name, Cannonball Island. The island is a sacred space for the Makah people and is closed to all visitation. Wander the beach north for an inspiring mile to the mouth of the Ozette River (a low tide is necessary) or head south to Wedding Rocks (Makah petroglyphs) and Sand Point, where the Sand Point Trail will whisk you back to Lake Ozette (total distance: 9-10 miles). Trailhead: Lake Ozette Ranger Station, at the end of the Ozette Road, 21 miles from WA-112, 32 miles south of US-101.

Eagle Cliff Cypress Island is a gem in the San Juans, a pristine and tranquil place, accessible only by private boat. This hike begins at Pelican Beach, an anchorage with six mooring buoys and home to a lovely campground managed by the Department of Natural Resources. From the beach, the trail to Eagle Cliff heads southwest through beautiful forest for .3 mile to a junction with the well-marked Eagle Cliff Trail. Turn right and start climbing. It’s only a mile to the top but you’ll gain 750 feet of elevation en route, culminating in gorgeous views to the north out over Lummi Island and the snow-capped peaks on the Canadian mainland. Trailhead: Pelican Beach Campground, Cypress Island (boat accessible only)

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Requiem for the Story by Ted Rosen Photos by Shane Russeck

he orca population of the Pacific Northwest is dying. There isnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t much debate about this: every expert in marine biology agrees. The local orcas, known as the southern resident killer whales (SRKW), have had population fluctuations since the 1970â&#x20AC;&#x2122;s, but the latest data shows a population in permanent decline.

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This is really bad news. As apex predators, the orcas are our marine canary-in-a-coalmine. Their health reflects the overall health of our environment. As they go, we go. Sure, we Pacific Northwesterners will still be physically alive after our orcas are gone. But the health and se-

curity of our marine environment will continue to deteriorate, leaving us with cratered salmon populations, polluted waterways, and compromised freshwater sources. The plight of the orcas is as much about us as it is about them. The southern resident killer whales are the icons of our region. Long before Europeans appeared, the native tribes recognized these mighty hunters as our

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Salish Sea Orcas allies among the waves. A Tlingit legend describes an ancient hunter named Natsilane, who sought vengeance against his wifeâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s family, who had mocked and betrayed him. Natsilane carved the image of a mighty blackfish from yellow cedar. This wooden fish came to life in the water and attacked Natsilaneâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s dastardly in-laws, tipping their boats and

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killing them. This alarmed Natsilane, who asked the blackfish to never harm humans again. Their pact continues to this day. There is not a single documented case of a wild orca killing a human being. Every native tribe of the Pacific Northwest has their own legends and beliefs, but all of them view the orca as a powerful friend, a sentinel of the sea

who watches over marine creatures and humans alike. We can hardly ask for a better description of these creatures. As we bumble about, degrading our environment, the orcas call to us from the waves. Orca populations inhabit nearly every ocean and sea, but our southern resident killer whales are a quirky bunch. Unlike the vast majority of or-

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cas, the southern residents don’t hunt marine mammals. They much prefer salmon. Chinook salmon in particular. One can hardly blame them. For millennia the salmon of the Pacific Northwest have been plentiful. But this dietary restriction is proving to be their downfall as salmon populations face challenge upon challenge. Our SRKWs are the smallest population of orcas in the Northeast Pacific ocean and are the only endangered population of orcas in the United States. Comprised of three pods (J, K, and L), they currently number 73 individuals, a 30-year low. In July

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2018, the world gasped in horror as videos emerged of a J-pod mother known

as J35 Talequah carried aloft the dead body of her deceased calf. It was the first calf born in three years, making its

loss all the more troubling. In April 2019, the L pod was spotted in Monterey, California, sporting a healthy threemonth-old calf, which was welcome news. Then, in August 2019, it was discovered that three whales - one from each pod - are missing and presumed dead. This is demonstrative of the southern resident decline: one step forward, three steps back. In addition to the southern resident pods, we also have one “transient” orca family known as AT1. The transients are genetically distinct from the residents. They prefer eating marine mammals and although they occasionally cross paths with the southern resident pods, they do not breed with them. In the 1980’s our local transient whales were counted at 22 individuals, living together in their own little tribe. Then, in 1989, the Exxon Valdez oil spill occurred in Alaska. AT1 whales were spotted inside the spill area. Not surprisingly, eleven of the whales went missing (presumed dead) within a year. Other members of AT1 have been found washed up onshore in the intervening years. AT1 currently numbers just 7 individuals and are considered to be on the edge of extinction. The southern residents and transients are in such a poor state that it’s hard to find a silver lining. We asked whale expert (and founder of the Center for Whale Research) Kenneth Balcomb III how he appraised the current health of the SRKW pods. “The SRKW population is critically endangered, and cannot possibly >>> Go to AdventuresNW.com

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meet any of the recovery goals that have been set by the US and blubber biopsy. government agency responsible for their survival. The SRKW “Bottom line is, we know from the fecal hormones that population is on a ‘fast track’ to extinction due to many 69% of females that are getting pregnant are losing their failures in normal reproduction; however, because these are calves before the calf is born alive. That’s a huge amount of naturally long-lived animals the last whale to die or disappear loss. She’s putting a lot of energy into gestating these fetuses, may be decades from now… and we can wring our hands and out of that, an almost 70% loss. 23% of those losses are until then. in late term. So, as we know from humans, not only does it “The physical health of individual whales has been quite take a toll on the body to get pregnant and stay pregnant, for variable over the past twenty years, dependthese females 23% are losing them in late ing upon seasonal availability of suitable term, which is very dangerous for the mom We have really created prey resources–notably chinook salmon. because it’s harder to pass a dead fetus that Virtually all SRKW are long-term under- a great hypocrisy in this big.” country by judging all nourished and skinny episodically during The most pressing problem for the critical development stages of their life cy- things by marketplace rules. health of the SRKW is the dwindling stock cle. They are in survival mode, and humans of chinook salmon. The whales are wholly are doing little or nothing to remedy that.” dependent upon robust salmon runs to According to Dr. Deborah Giles, Science and Research survive. In the Pacific Northwest, wild salmon have faced Director for Wild Orca, not only are the SRKW pods showhabitat destruction since the 19th century, when mining ing signs of malnutrition, but their calving rate has hit catafacilities poisoned the creeks and rivers. Industrial pollution strophic lows. and hardened shorelines continue to damage salmon habitat “We do actually know a fair bit about how they’re doing to this day. Hatchery programs have been implemented, but physiologically even though we can’t take blood from them. these efforts are a double-edged sword. We have a lot of information about them in the form of Again, Dr. Giles: fecal samples from our team and also aerial photography “Hatcheries were looked at, and in a lot of cases they were, from the drone team and also things like breath analysis and have been, vital to saving salmon runs. Unfortunately,

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hatchery production has not been wellregulated. Essentially, the more hatchery fish in the system, the more mouths to feed. And that’s taking vital resources in the form of prey away from the wild chinook salmon. The reason this is bad is because wild chinook salmon have the gene to grow pretty big, whereas hatchery fish don’t. And so the more hatchery fish you have in a system, the more hybridizing occurs between hatchery and wild fish and it’s resulted in the physical shrinking of the wild stock. So hatcheries have been both a blessing and a curse for wild chinook salmon, which are the ones the whales have evolved to eat.

“Hatchery fish swim in the habitat, and whales intercept them, but

not preferentially. Hatchery fish are lipid-poor compared to wild fish, so they’re less fatty. And they’re smaller.

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We’re lucky if we see a 30 pound wild chinook nowadays. Hatchery fish are smaller than that. They average about 12-15 pounds. Think about that in terms of how much the whales have to forage to find the 300 to 350 pounds of meat they need daily to survive.” Failing salmon runs affect us all, orca and human alike. Hatcheries have acted as a band-aid solution, but they don’t resolve the fundamental issues. We’ve dammed too many rivers and polluted too many creeks and seascapes. The orcas have been shown to suffer from elevated levels of PCB’s in their bloodstream and mother’s milk.

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Pollution from storm water runoff and industrial waste have rendered Puget Sound and the Fraser River delta poisonous for orca and salmon alike. In response, last May Governor Jay Inslee signed five crucial orca recovery bills into law, providing $1.1 billion to invest in habitat restoration and toxic cleanup. This rare outburst of smart legislation will go a long way in resolving a host of problems, but it may be too little too late. Ken Balcomb of the Center for Whale Research had this to say: “The slate of initiatives offered by the Governor’s Orca Task Force (OTF) and the Governor consisted largely of dusted-off projects from the past that never received funding. The politicians in OTF rode on the backs of the SRKW in hopes that some of the projects would finally get attention. There are many worthwhile projects that were elevated to the slate, but also raised were some agency self-serving pork bar-

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rel dishes commonly served at political functions.” Along with the Orca Task Force legislation, there is also a call to remove the lower four dams on the Snake

River. These low-capacity hydro dams are barriers to the salmon that historically migrated there. While the dams can be removed with no meaningful impact on power

Our Relations Under the Waves In August, Lummi Nation held a Sna’teng, a traditional naming ceremony, for the Southern Resident Killer Whale population on a beach at H’eT’atCh’L, an ancestral village site on Orcas Island in the Salish Sea. Traditional names connect family members to one another, to ancestors, to culture, and to spirit. In receiving the name Sk’aliCh’elh, the qwe’lhol’mechen (orcas) were affirmed as members of the Lummi family. “We call the orcas qwe ‘lhol mechen, which means “our relations under the waves,” said Lawrence Soloman, Secretary of Lummi Nation. “Now we can call those relations by their proper name, Sk’aliCh’elh.” “The Southern Resident Killer Whales are like us: they depend on these waters for their survival, for their well-being, for food and recreation, for their spirituality as well,” Leonard Forsman, Chairman of Suquamish Tribe and President of the Affiliated Tribes of Northwest Indians explained. “What they need is more salmon, more clean water, less vessel traffic. They’re asking for the same things that we’ve been asking for.” “What happens to them, happens to us,” said Chief Leah George-Wilson of Tsleil-Waututh Nation. “We’re out of balance right now, but I think we’re in a period of transformation: we are becoming what we’re supposed to be, and what we’re supposed to be is naut’sa mawt, one heart, one mind.”

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Take Action for Orcas Things may look bleak for the southern resident killer whales, but there are some things you can do to help: • Give generously to organizations working to save the SRKW, such as Wild Orca (wildorca.org), Center for Whale Research (whaleresearch. com), Orca Conservancy (orcaconservancy.org), Orca Network (orcanetwork.org), the Whale Museum (whalemuseum.org) and the Langley Whale Center (thewhaletrail.org) • Contact the Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife (wdfw. wa.gov) and ask them to include the SRKW as stakeholders in their annual fisheries quota. • Limit your own salmon consumption. Purchase sustainably caught fish. • Attend meetings of your local municipal committees that oversee public works and remind them that storm water runoff mitigation and clean waterways are top priorities for you and your fellow voters. • Publicly decry any residential or commercial development that hardens shorelines or impinges on creeks and rivers. • Go whale watching with whale-friendly tours that strictly observe the regulations regarding proximity. To know the SRKW is to love them. • Change your landscaping habits to include native, creek-friendly practices on your own property.

generation, it will take years to study, plan, and remove the dams, and many more years for the salmon to rediscover the lower Snake River and rebuild their spawning grounds. According to Wild Orca’s Dr. Giles, we may not have that kind of time. “The whales are declining so fast. They’re not going to be able to wait for those dams to come down. We’ll have to do something in the interim because if those dams came down today we still wouldn’t have those salmon runs available to the SRKW for many years. These whales can’t last that long without some major overhaul or other major change.” According to Dr. Giles, dam removal should remain a top priority, but it isn’t the solution we need today. Instead, we need to re-think how we apportion fishing rights in the Pacific Northwest. “(We need to be) factoring in the whales as a major stakeholder in fisheries management decisions. So when the total allowable catch of fish is being divvied up, the whales need to be considered a major stakeholder by commercial and recreational fishing interests. Right now they’re not. They’re lumped in with what’s called ‘natural mortality’. And that means anything that happens out in the ocean happens in a black box. You don’t really see what’s going Visit Orca Network’s

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on. But that’s where marine mammals and other fish are coming into contact with both large and small chinook salmon. “Fisheries are managed very tightly. Fisheries managers are re-factoring and re-calculating estimated rate of returns all the time. But we know—and they will admit—that those calculations are almost always short. They routinely overestimate the number of fish that are going to be returning at a specific time. That’s really unfortunate because it’s after the fact that they figure out their numbers are wrong. We shouldn’t be making calculations based on a hopeful wish, but on history. And history has shown that we regularly over-estimate the number of fish that actually return. And so in our bidding of that total allowable catch for the human stakeholders, that’s not good enough. That’s not allowing for whales to eat. That’s what I’ve been asking about for four years. The whales need to be factored in as stakeholders.” It seems pretty clear that we need to provide adequate prey for the orcas. We can’t wait for dam removal or habitat restoration efforts. The time to act is yesterday. Among the few organizations that seek to balance salmon consumption is Lummi Island Wild. They are a small specialized group of salmon fishers who rely solely on reefnetting and selective catching to harvest salmon. Lummi Island Wild boats anchor near Lummi Island. When a spotter sees some fish reach an underwater channel, the vessels raise their net and smoothly

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guide the catch onto the boat, where fish are selectively captured or carefully tossed overboard to live another day. Unlike factory trawlers, which regularly patrol salmon migration lanes and intercept them with massive machine nets (resulting in untold by-catch and wholesale de-population), local reefnetters can harvest salmon smartly and selectively, and provide a superior product for the backyard BBQ chefs who appreciate a high quality fish.

We donâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t have to completely end our salmon consumption. We just have to do it smartly: with sustainable practices and orca-forward fisheries regulations. Not only can we make fast changes to wild chinook health, we can also mitigate the damage caused by marine noise. Orcas rely on sound waves to communicate, locate prey, and navigate their environment. Underwater noise from ships and boats can confuse and harm them. Last May, the US Navy approved plans

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to stage a massive live test of new technologies, including drones, high-tech rail guns, sonar, and underwater demolition. Despite the Navyâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s acknowledgment of the deleterious effects of these practices on marine mammals back in 2001, and despite decades of pleas from marine biologists, the war games continue. Naval sonar and underwater explosives will be used. These technologies cause whales to strand themselves and have been proven to cause deafness, which can be a mortal blow to an already stressed whale. There is currently no plan to halt the tests. Conversely, we humans can also love an animal to death, which has sometimes been the case with whale watching excursions. While such tours create an appreciation for the whales and drives voters to support whale conservation, the presence of noisy boats, spinning propellers and gawking humans can confuse them and cause them to vacate areas where vital food is available. Stricter set-backs on whale watching boats have been put in

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place to mitigate these issues and afford opportunities to view the whales without disturbing them. In Bellingham, Todd Shuster of Gato Verde Adventure Sailing has a solution. As owner and captain of a spacious, comfortable catamaran, he provides whale watching excursions without all the noise. Relying on sails (and a silent electric motor in a pinch), the Gato Verde takes up to six passengers on adventures among the waves to watch whales and even listen to their underwater songs. Lummi Wild and Gato Verde are using innovative harm-reduction ideas to make life a little easier for the SRKW. But in the end, the plight of the SRKW is yet another sad chapter in the history of exploitative practices, externalized ecological costs, and governmental inaction. Here’s an overview from Ken Balcomb of the Center for Whale Research: “It is strange that such beloved

and important icons of the Pacific Northwest are given such a low priority in the machinery of modern human life in this country. Yes, we live in a democracy in which all citizens supposedly have a voice (and majority rules), but we have really created a great hypocrisy in this country by judging all things by marketplace rules (and minority rule). Money is not everything, and alone it cannot sustain anything. “Even the agencies that are tasked with preventing their extinction refer to whales and salmon as ‘living marine resources’ rather than neighbors and important elements of an ecosystem. I am not sure that humans can save the whales or the salmon without changing the basic definitions in our thinking.” Time is literally running out on our orcas. If we don’t get them the salmon they need and a healthy environment to procreate, we will have to say goodbye to these mighty creatures. For thousands of years they have lived

among us in peace and pledged to do no harm. Will we honor the pact made by Natsilane those many years ago? ANW

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Winter Bliss at

Artist Point

Story and photo by Bob Kandiko

he mood of a Pacific Northwest winter is defined by monochromatic clouds and a never-ending somber grayness. The dampness that muffles sound also softens the edges of the scenery. There seems little depth to the view as layers of fog and mist create a two dimensional portrait of the world. Shadows hardly exist. But luckily, the Mt. Baker Highway offers escape from the murky lowlands, a scenic thoroughfare that leads the sun22

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starved supplicant upward towards the gleaming alpine. Follow it through farmlands and into majestic forests lining the surging waters of the Nooksack River, finally corkscrewing up to the sinewy ridgelines and the end of the road. Pulling into the upper parking lot beyond Picture Lake, find yourself among other puffy jacketclad disciples on this pilgrimage to the Mecca of mountain scenery as they pull skis, snowshoes, and packs from their vehicles, their breath forming clouds of condensation in the crisp, cold air.

With the necessary safety equipment (avalanche beacons, shovels, probes, and perhaps personal rescue devices), begin climbing. With each step, smiles broaden and the views out over the winter wonderland expand. Proceed upward, following the summer road which is now buried under feet of snow. The adage, “In winter every mile is two”, is readily apparent as the trail ascends upward through inches—or feet—of fresh powder. Finally one reaches the level area which is the upper parking lot at the true end of the road and the glorious view towards >>> Go to AdventuresNW.com

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Mt. Baker is matched by the opposing view of Mt. Shuksan. To have just one of these monarch peaks to stare at would be reward enough, but to have both, along with countless distant summits, is nirvana. Turning left, one can follow the ridge towards Huntoon Point, also known as Artist Point. In this area something truly magical often happens as the blustery winds plaster the windstunted trees, creating fantastically weird tree hoodoos. Sometimes, not a hint of green needles is revealed under the thick flocking of snow. Under an azure blue sky, this visually-rich scene is the antithesis of the muted lowland environment left behind a few hours ago. Wandering along this ridge is akin to strolling through a modern sculpture garden, with each corner and curve causing one to pause, reflect, and simply exhale. The low angle of the winter sun creates deliciously long shadows that extend forever over the crystalline snow.

The art of nature

eARTh

A Sense of Grandeur: Ria Harboe’s “Church.”

I have great respect and love for the natural world. It is my “church.” I grew up in the mountains, but now I live on an island. I love to walk and hike and I am often awestruck by the grandeur of what I see and strive to convey this powerful feeling towards the beautiful peaks or the vastness of the sea. My hope is that my paintings affect the viewer almost as much as the scenery inspires me. See more of Ria’s work at ria-harboe.com Clockwise from top: Remembering (La Push), Butte Beauty, Rugged Beauty, Mountain Majesty, Wandering Water

A more perfect winter scene is difficult to imagine. The distance travelled from the car is relatively short but the visual rewards

are rich indeed. Savor the ephemeral moments. The memory of winter light and vivid beauty will warm your soul in the chill grey months ahead. ANW

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No Going Forward, No Going Back Story and photos by David Gladish

Garibaldi Lake

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e were trapped.

Vision was limited to several feet. The light was flat, making it hard to differentiate what was up and what was down. The wind was howling, coming from the north, causing the snow to build up on the slope on which we were precariously perched, creating dangerous wind loading that threatened to avalanche with every step we took. Shooting cracks morphed out of the snowpack, whoomphing noises caused us to stop in our tracks. We were paralyzed with fear. There was no safe way to go forward and no easy way to go back.

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We got ourselves in this mess innocently enough. It was New Year’s weekend and my wife Kristy, and I had three days of freedom to do what we love—backcountry skiing, specifically in the Coast Mountains of British Columbia. Our objective was what is known as the Garibaldi Neve Traverse, a classic point A to B trip that is popular among locals both in the summertime on foot and in the winter on skis. The tour takes you from the lowland forests just outside of the town of Squamish, crosses frozen Garibaldi Lake, climbs up into the alpine glaciers on the flanks of Mount Garibaldi and eventually deposits you back into the wooded groves of old growth forest on the other side of the mountain. The weather forecast was promising with predictions of sunshine and reasonable temperatures. As experienced backcountry skiers, we were prepared with the right tools: shovel, beacon and probe in case of an avalanche. We carried a Personal Locator Beacon (PLB) as a backup in case a rescue was necessary. We had plenty of food and fuel for several nights out. We had the right gear, the right experience, the right weather. On the first night we made it to the Burton Hut and shared a pleasant evening with three new friends we made while conversing over cups of hot tea and sharing adventure stories. Our plan for the following day was to knock out most of the traverse and get the arduous miles out of the way, enabling us to relax out of harm’s way. The weather had other plans. Fog, strong winds and darkening skies forced us to hunker down on our second

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night at the primitive Glaciology Hut. This time we had the place to ourselves and settled in, not knowing if we would have the weather window the next day to press on or be forced to turn around and give up on the route objective. Morning brought sunny skies and cold temperatures, a subtle breeze nipping at our exposed faces. We were behind schedule, I had to get back to work the following day, and we were apprehensive about what the day held in store. Let’s just take a look around the next corner, we thought to ourselves, we can always ski back down and turn around. The next climb Navigating the white world brought us onto the Sentinel Glacier and now we were in true alpine terrain. This is what we came for! Confidence was building, the weather remained sunny and we were enjoying each other’s company. All we must do now is ski down the slope in front of us to the Garibaldi Glacier and then it’s smooth sailing from there, we told each other, ignoring the stiffening wind blowing at our backs. We shuffled our way to the top of the slope, ripped our climbing skins off the bases of our skis and prepared to switch to “ski mode” as the wind continued to get stronger. As we dropped into the snow bowl it immediately became apparent that the wind was worse than we thought. While there was no fresh snow falling and the day was not a high avalanche day, the wind was pushing the snow so rapidly down the slope that that it was causing the snow to build up and create pockets of deep loose snow that were ready to slide at the slight touch of a ski. At this point we were committed. We had been drawn into the false security of the idea that we were safe because the obvious signs of avalanches were not present, the weather was stable, and our confidence was high. Thus, lies the problem with backcountry skiing and the reason it is a dangerous sport. Everything is fine until it isn’t. One minute you are secure, the next you are not. The line between what is safe and what is deadly can be very difficult to discern. We can rationalize our safety in the mountains and that is exactly what we had done. We had let our ambitions of completing the traverse cloud our thinking. It seemed simple enough to ski down one short slope to flatter, more benign terrain below. We didn’t want to retrace our route and bail on the trip stories & the race|play|experience calendar online.

we had meticulously been planning for weeks. We were tricked into believing that we were safe because we felt comfortable. Unfortunately, the mountains don’t care about our feelings. In hindsight, if we had paid attention to one of the most important elements in the wilderness—the wind—it would have been obvious that moving forward was not the best decision. And now we were trapped. We were in the middle of the slope. Going up or down was just as likely to cause the snow to slide, to sweep us down and pull us into the looming crevasses at the bottom of the hill. By sheer luck, we slowly moved down the slope without the snow breaking loose. We belayed each other across a snow bridge with our glacier rope and pickets and navigated the

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OUTSIDE IN Reflections on Wilderness

by Kathy and Craig Copeland

Artistry

No art gallery rivals those open to the sky. Boulders splattered with brilliant lichen. The gracefully tortured pose of a juniper tree. Sensuously complex canyon walls patiently coated with desert varnish. The swirling patterns of flowing water. The humbling magnitude of soaring, jagged, sweeping mountains. These are the awesome, vibrant originals created by the master artist, Gaia. Extracted from Heading Outdoors Eventually Leads Within by Kathy and Craig Copeland (hikingcamping.com)

maze of the glacial crevasses until we were able to find the ravine that would take us off the glacier and into safer terrain. When we allowed ourselves to breath a sigh of relief, we reflected on how lucky we had been. Many ava-

Photo by John D’Onofrio

lanches in the backcountry occur when there has been lots of recent snow, weak layers have been built up and covered or strong sun causes the snow to slide. We hadn’t thought about how easily and quickly wind can pick up and cause

conditions to be unsafe instantaneously. We were out of immediate danger but still had many miles of skiing and route finding to make it back to the car. We were shaken, tired and unclear of the best route forward. With these factors at play, we made the tough decision to spend an extra, unplanned bivouac in our tent, knowing that I would miss an important work event and that our families and co-workers would be worried that we hadn’t made it out at our planned time. A ski traverse is an amazing way to experience mountain terrain. It’s remarkably easy to get away from the increasingly crowded popular backcountry skiing zones and to explore untracked country, offering the prepared skier a sense of confidence and awe that you can’t always experience on a day at the ski resort.

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But lesson learned: We had let our ambitions of completing our planned route outweigh the more conservative decision to turn around. We had ignored the element of wind and focused on the rosier aspects of the nice weather and the relatively simple terrain. We had failed to look at the alternatives and had found ourselves in a safe situation gone wrong. And we had gotten lucky. ANW

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Light & Shadow

Winter in the Mt. Baker Backcountry By Kenni Merritt

he Mt. Baker backcountry is magical in black and white. Ever-changing light and shadows continually transform mountain peaks and slopes, highlighting the power and the allure of nature. The backcountry in winter reveals the quiet solitude, the delicate texture of the snow, roiling mountain storms and the infinite sky. The clear air, angle of the light, tonal contrast, shapes and forms all lend themselves well to monochrome. In making these photographs, my goal is to communicate my deep respect for the mountains. I want to share not just what I see, but what I feel when Iâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;m in the ANW backcountry.

Above: Luminous Ridge; Top right (L to R): Kulshan Ridge, Light & Shadow; Middle right (L to R): On the Edge, Bluebird Day; Bottom (L to R): Black & White, Snow Sculpture, Infinite Sky

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Visit AdventuresNW.com to view an extended gallery of Kenni Merrittâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s inspiring images of winter at Koma Kulshan.

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The Art of

Hokking Story by Don Portman Photos by Nils Larsen

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Hokking in the Kettle Range

n the remote Altai Mountains of Northwest China the word for ski is “Hok”. For me, in the North Cascade Mountains of Washington, the word for fun is Hok! Ever since Nils Larsen introduced me to these short, fat skis I’ve had more fun than ever on snow

days. Full disclosure here; I’m a professional. I ran a Nordic ski school in the Methow Valley, spent time as a Heli ski guide and have toured all over North America and Europe. I have experienced lots of fun on skis—but nothing compares to Hoks. A little history: the Tuvan people of the Altai Mountains (where China,

Mongolia, Russia and Kazakhstan come together) have been skiing for thousands of years and there is some evidence that this might be the birthplace of skiing. Skis were primarily used for hunting in the deep cold snow of the region. Travel and winter fun were, of course, part of the ski culture too. The Hoks, as they called them,

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were hand-hued of local Siberian spruce with the tips steamed and turned up before attaching horse hair permanently to the base. In the cold snow of the Altai Mountains, the horse hide allowed for the hoks to climb well and glide smoothly. To this day the Tuvan skis are long, the bindings are leather straps and the boots resemble mukluks. Balance and control are aided by a single pole or Tiak. In 2005 Nils Larsen, Dave Waag and Naheed Henderson travGemsa, Altai Mountains eled to the Altai in search of the roots of skiing and a chance to video and photograph the indigenous skiers there. Equipped with modern telemark gear, the travelers were unable to keep up with the Altai skiers. The combination of insufficient float and constantly taking off and putting on climbing skins became a huge disadvantage. Nils had been a telemark ski tester and consultant for Karhu Ski Company for many years. At one time Karhu built what was meant to be a sliding

snowshoe called the Sweeper. It never really caught on nor performed well. But by using some of the modern technology of the Sweeper and the inspiration of the Altai skiers, Nils, along with François Sylvain developed the Altai Hok of today that performs so well. Hoks come in two lengths, 125 cm for smaller people and 145 cm for bigger people. Balla Hoks are available for kids at just 99 cm. Adult Hoks are short enough to make them super easy to maneuver and turn. The width (124 mm shovel, 110 mm waist and 122 mm tail) provides plenty of float in soft snow. The integrated climbing skin grips well on the uphill and glides smoothly on the down. But they are not snowshoes and they are not traditional skis. The skier’s mindset is important with Hoks. Don’t expect to climb straight up like a snowshoe or AT skis with fulllength skins and don’t expect to zoom downhill with the speed of a well-waxed alpine ski. Pick a shallower line on the uphill. You’ll get to the top almost as

fast and, as an added bonus, your heart rate will be lower. Once on top, there is no transition. The climbing skin stays on so you’re ready to go. Because of the skin, the slightly slower speed of

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Breaking trail in the Methow Valley

the descent adds tons of confidence. Steeper slopes that may have given you pause in the past become an exercise in exhilaration.

Two options are available for bindings: a standard 75 mm three-pin telemark binding or a highly- adjustable universal binding that will fit any snow

boot or hiking boot. Hoks love soft snow. The universal binding works well in powder, wet snow, corn snow and even some breakable crust conditions. Many Hoksters prefer a well-made leather touring boot and a 75 mm three-pin binding for comfort and control. However, if you plan to encounter very firm snow or ice, a plastic telemark boot and a telemark binding is the way to go. The extra power of the plastic boot really helps hold an edge on a ski that wide. Hoks are simple and versatile, allowing for travel in a variety of conditions. If you have gentle terrain, use two ski poles and enjoy the freedom of a sliding snowshoe to explore your snowy wonderland. If your winter world is comprised of hills or mountains, then use a single pole (Tiak), an incredible balance aid. With a single pole and a Hok on each foot you achieve an extremely stable three-point stance. If you feel like you are losing it, put a little

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more pressure on the Tiak to regain your composure. Hoks are serendipitous. They are so convenient and easy to use that I often grab a quick 15-minute tour right behind my house. Longer tours that happily encompass a variety of terrain features are a snap to prepare for, including extended multi-day excursions. People quickly learn to love Hoks. Take Cliff, a life-long snowboarder, and Debbie, a life-long Alpine skier, who often come to skate ski on the huge Methow Valley groomed trail system. Their first Hok experience was a little tour near Sun Mountain Lodge. It was a perfect day with bright sunshine and a few inches of fresh powder snow. They traveled on flats, up and down small hills, across open meadows and through tight aspen groves. Sure, it took a little while to get used to the Hoks and especially the Tiak. But as confidence grew, so did their smiles. Now Cliff and Debbie have toured many of the hills surrounding the Methow Valley even on not-soperfect days with not-so-perfect snow. They love it. They have become dedicated Hoksters and they proclaim Hokking as their favorite winter adventure. They even have the tee shirts to prove it. Although Hoks are easy to use and quick to love, a lesson will help put you in the right mindset and show you some useful tricks to help traveling up and down hill. Lessons are available at the ski shop at Sun Mountain

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Lodge near Winthrop and at Methow Valley Ski School and Rentals in Mazama. The instructors at both places are avid Hoksters. They will give you a great lesson and can direct you to the

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Climbing on Hoks

best places to go. Rentals are available at Sun Mountain Lodge, Methow Valley Ski School and Rentals, Methow Cycle and Sport in Winthrop and Cascades Outdoor Store in downtown Winthrop. Cascades Outdoor Store owner Brian Sweet is a super enthusiastic Hokster

and is thrilled to help you find the best places to use Hoks for your level. A great way to get introduced to Hoks is the annual Hok Fest held in late January or early February. Enjoy free demos and lessons and get to meet Master Hokster Nils. The event is held

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at Sitzmark Ski Area near Havillah, Washington. Sitzmark is a small, old-fashioned ski area with a base elevation of 4300 feet in the beautiful Okanogan Highlands of north-central Washington. Itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s a fun, laid-back kind of place just as Hok ANW skiing is a fun, laid-back kind of winter sport. Hoks can be purchased directly from Altai Skis (Altaiskis. com), L.L. Bean, Mountain Gear in Spokane or any of the Methow Valley Ski Shops.

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Saving Chuc Story by Peter Frazier Photos by John Dâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;Onofrio

Evening light and Sandstone

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ckanut Island

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am standing here on the west side of Chuckanut Island trying to understand what I am seeing and what to do about it. This five-acre nature preserve is my responsibility—my wife Aimee and I are the stewards of this Nature Conservancyowned land, officially known as the Cyrus Gates Memorial Preserve. There are beer cans and snack bags strewn about. Someone had illegally camped here last night, and they lit a campfire which they failed to extinguish properly. The fire is now smoldering in the tree roots and acrid smoke is rising from the salal and duff, and it’s hot...really hot, and smoking. We have a photographic record of the island that extends back 115 years. An image on a postcard from 1905 could have been taken yesterday: a forest thick with cedar and fir, graceful madrones twisting curvaceously on the south end above the tombolo. This

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island has never been logged. Just two invasive species have impact: the English ivy volunteers pick, bag, and remove at a work party once a year, and Sapiens, “the worst invasive,” I think, as I look at this potential conflagration and consider what to do next.

Though our nature is to live selfishly for short term gain, one amazing thing about our kind is the ability to understand large systems. I choose to do what Aimee did a few years ago in a similar situation on the island’s north end: bucket brigade. However, I am alone and have no buckets. I call John Perry, a neighbor with a boat and two young daughters, who are on the scene within 30 minutes. The girls and I clamber down to the beach with empty buckets, fill them with sea water, scramble hand over hand back up the trail with full sloshing buckets. We dowse the fire as John idles his boat just off shore. Currently owned by The Nature

Conservancy, the island is inhabited by the iconic species that make up this corner of the Pacific Northwest. Between the Chuckanut sandstone below—shaped near the waterline into fantastical undulating forms—and the very tops of the tallest Douglas fir, are the birds and plants and bivalves that make up the ecosystem I have been living with for a half century. I’ve known this island and bay, its shores and forests intimately. Even in the lifetime of a forest, 50 years is a significant stretch. “Of course,” I think, as steam rises from the nearly drowned fire, “I could have lost all this on my watch.” No land steward wants that. But fire, and human use, has been a way of life on this island for thousands of years. The beaches are covered with fine white shell mixed with sand, and the forest floor is many feet thick with midden, the piles of discarded shells from a couple thousand years of shellfish processing by the Mamosee. Countless times, I’ve imagined these people, who knew and used these same bays and beaches and forests. As I row my dory, swim the waters, or trudge up the trail from the beach to the house on a cliff above the little cove that has

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been my home for so long, I imagine the stories of generations of Mamosee — my neighbors through the continuum of human history here on the Chuckanut coast. In a real sense I feel a greater kinship with them than I do with my contemporaries. “Especially the idiots who started this campfire,” I think, as I wave to John and his girls as they motor away. When I was a boy, an old salt named George Garlick, along with his wife Lois, lived next door. Aimee Frazier paddles beside Chuckanut Island with her faithful dog Gus and a friend George and Lois were biologists and dedicated tween the fir and cedar, on a little-used and the huge sandstone formation that environmentalists. By next door, I path through the woods. As I grew up, cradles all of the Chuckanuts. When mean you could reach their house by I learned about the Salish Sea from Aimee and I were raising our own chiltromping through the salal and Oregon George, and about boats, starfish, crab, dren on Chuckanut Point, we would grape, around the sword ferns, and be“Making it Happen” Since 1984

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make our way to their little house, where there’d be an owl standing on the back of a recliner in their living room, or a raven in the aviary, healing up after being hit by a car, or any number of birds convalescing at their

house. Our children, not surprisingly, delighted in these visits to the Garlick’s house, just as I had as a child. George and Lois were the Chuckanut Island stewards since 1976,

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things, pick up a little litter, host a yearly volunteer ivy pull, and interact occasionally with The Nature Conservancy land steward from Seattle. Of course, there was the time when the two belligerent retired State Patrol guys refused to stop clamming on the beach. Or when someone had a huge wedding on the island, without permission. Or the defacing of the smooth surface of the madrones with carved initials. Or people camping. Or the fires, the damn fires. Then there’s just the fact of greater and greater use, more people in a delicate ecosystem. I turn from the beach and head up the trail once more, past the sign welcoming visitors to our nature preserve. This is

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a new sign— the last one was torn off its posts and burned on the beach. I reflect that even with all this, the island is better treated than when I was a child, as the environmental ethic is stronger now than in the days where garbage was burned, trees and branches cut, and bottles were commonly thrown into the woods. However, over my time here I’ve witnessed the depletion of the smelt and herring runs. The salmon populations have dwindled and the orca are right behind them. Starfish have virtually disappeared over two years. Cedars are under stress and dying around the Chuckanuts and the Pacific Northwest in general. Species are moving north to survive, including humans. We’ve known definitively since 1988 we were in trouble and needed to do something about it, but Sapiens has not acted commensurate with the problems. In fact, “environmentalists” themselves started flying for pleasure in record numbers along with nearly everyone else, consuming more, and producing more carbon than ever before. What we have is not a political problem, but a species problem. Sapiens. Though our nature is to live selfishly for short term gain, one amazing thing about our kind is the ability to understand large systems: to choose, lay plans, take action, and to live with empathy and revel

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in the connection between all things. To me, this is stewardship. No matter the mess we have got ourselves in, what changes are coming towards us, no matter how bad it gets, we each have a choice: to understand and care for the very ecosystem that supports us, or to distance ourselves from it; to embrace change and death as part of life, or to reject and run from it. Stewardship, in its widest sense, is to love what is and care for and manage well for the future—not for our children’s children, as they say, but for all species, knowing fully we are all in this together, interdependent. I can hear the hum of John’s boat, now long gone across the bay. I am left on the island to clean up the garbage and to cover up the wet, charred mess by headlamp. I don’t mind so much. It’s calm and peaceful in the gathering darkness, and I can almost hear the Mamosee children singing ANW on the beach below me.

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Do they really say “Mush?” My First Experience Dog Mushing in the Yukon Story and photos by Dawn Groves

“W

hy in God’s name would you do that?”

The Peace Arch border agent stared at me like I’d lost my mind. I just told him that I was traveling to the Yukon. It was January 7th.

On the trail

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“Do you how cold it gets? They don’t call it the Great White North for nothing.” Then he looked at my car. “Tell me you’re not driving there.” It all started last October over coffee with my friend, Brenda. I was lamenting having never seen the Northern Lights. “I want to try dog mushing, too,” I added. “And I want to see a moose.” “You could see a moose in Yellowstone,” she said. “Canadian Moose, Brenda.” She smiled. “Well, I’m staying in Skagway, Alaska, for three months this winter. Why don’t you come see me for a week? Go through Whitehorse.” Two months later I was landing at Whitehorse International Airport, excited about being in “real” winter, going mushing, seeing moose, and maybe catching some Northern Lights. The car rental agent warned me that the Great White North wasn’t white yet. Temps had been unseasonably warm she explained. Then she assured me a drop was expected. “We’ll get snow,” she said. “Don’t you worry, eh?” As a native West Coaster, I romanticize winter. I love skiing and snowshoeing, white trees and snowflakes, puffy jackets and hot toddys. My brother Bob lives in Fargo, North Dakota. His point of view is much more…um, sober. “Get real,” he says. “You can’t go driving around the Yukon in the middle of January. It’s not some pansy should-I-wear-extra-socks kind of winter. It’s serious freeze-youreyeballs-in-a-matter-of-seconds winter.

People die out there. And don’t get me started about the bears!” I didn’t bother to mention that bears hibernate. By the time I reached my Airbnb, it was 25 degrees Fahrenheit and dropping. I unloaded my suitcase and huffed through the side yard gate where my friendly host waited. We stepped inside to warm up. “Welcome to Whitehorse,” she said pulling off her mittens and touk. “It’s going to be a cold one tonight. You got a block heater?”

A shorter mush will still give you plenty of challenge and—bonus points—you won’t freeze to death. “Block heater?” I said. “Ah, so you don’t know about block heaters then.” She spoke with a cheery lilt, ending most sentences on a characteristically Canadian up note. “We use ‘em to keep the cars from freezing you know. So. I’ll plug you into ours tonight. Remember to unplug it before you leave.” Then she added, “Mind the gate, eh? We lock it so take the key with you.” The next morning I bundled up and grabbed my backpack, ready to head for Sky High Wilderness Ranch and do some mushing. I stepped outside only to reel backwards, body slammed by -17 degrees Fahrenheit cold. Didn’t Bob say

something about freezing eyeballs? No matter. I turtled down into my thick neck scarf, clutched the lock key for fast insertion, and stomped toward the gate. I stuck the gate key between my teeth to free up my hand and instantly regretted the decision. In a microsecond my tongue froze to the key blade and my bottom lip to the bow. Uh oh. I tugged lightly. Ow. This is stupid, I thought. That’s when I yanked. Hard. You don’t know misery until you come to the realization that it is impossible to sip that delicious first cup of coffee because you froze your mouth on frozen metal. Sky High Wilderness Ranch was located five minutes down the highway, then 15 miles up Fish Lake Road. Clean white snow sparkled through acres of wilderness pines rolling in every direction. I passed maybe one other car. This was serious middle-of-nowhere territory, so the absence of moose sightings was a little disappointing. The isolation ended at Sky High Ranch. There were already two large groups of Japanese tourists returning on their skidoos. Apparently, Yukon winter tourism booms with Japanese nationals. The Japanese enjoy guided, somewhat cushy wilderness adventures and Whitehorse isn’t far from Japan by air. My two companions, Brenda and Becky, were also there, waiting for me with more delicious coffee that I couldn’t sip.

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saw them, heard them, or both. Sky High has up to 200 dogs in residence, each chained to a doghouse with a flat roof and the dog’s POETRY FROM THE WILD name painted over the door. The dogs enjoy standing on top of their roofs like goats. The barking is a way of The Edge of Winter’s Land saying, ME! ME! ME! PICK ME! whenever a sled is being provisioned. They all get plenty of exercise and by Linda Conroy love to mush but live separately to prevent hooliganism. Winter beach and all about is wind From persistent wind an eagle drops, Sky High also serves as a husky retirement center, with streaked-mist-grey impatient sky stands statue-still, a shrug of wings, sheltering older racing dogs and giving them opporbehind unruly weather. then rises high above the cloud. tunities to continue mushing for fun. Everyone there loves the dogs. Joe has a personal favorite who keeps The ocean drones in repetition This is what is, a lone duck’s call him warm at night (so he says). His dog ran alongside of its long time message to the shore. that fades behind my back. Webbed triangle us during our outing, barking encouragement. Land lengthens to the sea, rolls feet leave only temporary tracks. Becky and I were each assigned four Alaskan Huskies. (Siberian Huskies are less common for mushunder scalloped rock, compacted ing, thought to be somewhat wussier.) It was just like gelato plunged in rime, absorbs the two of us with Joe. Brenda opted for a different a salt-sharp seaweed-sodden scent. experience. Joe was a kind, tolerant man of few words who’d clearly done this a million times. As the dogs were being selected and leashed up, he offered us sage advice. “Hang on tight when we first get started because the dogs are excited and can jerk you off the back. If your Photo by John D’Onofrio sled tips over, don’t let go of the handlebar no matter what. It slows the sled and keeps the dogs from plowBad news greeted us. Our full day excursion had been caning into the person in front of you. Then tip the sled celled because of the biting temps. I questioned the decision, upright, jump back on, and get going again.” explaining how I liked pushing myself and enjoyed physical I was a little anxious but hanging on to a sled seemed pretty challenge. Our guide, a sturdy, bearded fellow named Joe who simple in comparison with surfing, rough water kayaking, and looked every inch the musher, helped me understand. other skills I’d acquired. Maybe I’d even see a moose. It was “It’s negative 20, Dawn. A shorter mush will still give you only later that I learned how multifaceted dog mushing can be. plenty of challenge and—bonus points—you won’t freeze to It requires a strong sense of balance as well as great strength and death.” endurance. The sled has two brakes: the claw brake for hard stops The ranch offered cold weather fun in profusion: skidoos, and the soft brake for controlling speed. Its steering is nuanced ice fishing, cross country skiing, snowshoeing, mushing, and by leaning on different parts of the left and right skis as well as other winter activities. However, the one constant throughout the middle. Results vary depending on snow and weather condithe area were the dogs. No matter where you were, you either tions. Add in the complexities of dog training, leash manage-

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ment, first aid (animal and human), the ability to read terrain as well as weather patterns, and a rich indigenous tradition, and you have an utterly fascinating, compelling, completely unique sport. We lined up single file with Joe in front, me in the middle, and Becky bringing up the rear. As Joe took off, I leaned heavy on my claw brake to prevent the dogs from lurching. Then he signaled me to step off and the dogs practically leaped into the air. With no shock absorbers, I held tight and tried to keep my knees soft as the sled clattered and bounced down the trail. It wasn’t long before we reached the flat of lake. That was when the dogs really took off. The exhilaration made me laugh out loud only to have the cold suck the sound away. Sky High made sure to properly outfit us with parkas, goggles, scarves, gloves, winter pants and warm

boots but the cold still managed to burn my face. As we flew across the ice, I was hang-

me in the face. This led to my first crash. I crashed twice more. My first two collisions were with bushes, but I consoled myself by effectively hanging on with both hands while Becky and Dawn sliding sideways through the snow. Once everything stopped, I righted the sled, shouted “I’m okay!” and continued the run. The third crash was uglier. As usual, the dogs banked hard, I tipped over and slid sideways, but this time I couldn’t grip the handlebar. The sled banged away from me, dragged up to the front team with much canoodling as a result. Joe quietly untangled us, ing on with one hand while pushing my asked me if I wanted to go back yet, and neck gaiter up with the other. My lips we carried on without much ado. were already numb. Then we hit land (I I racked my brain trying to figure do mean hit). Due to the area’s unusual out what I did wrong. Even worse, I knew lack of snow, our track was rutted and I’d go down again if I didn’t improve. deeply U shaped. Whenever the dogs Sadly, Joe wasn’t the greatest at detailed made turns, they tended to bank off the correction. side, tilting the sled with bushes hitting “You gotta lean more,” he said.

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“Yes, Joe, but which way do I lean? I tried both directions and still capsized the sled.” “It depends on which way you’re going.” Becky couldn’t explain it either. She had more experience than I but not enough to articulate how she remained upright while I kept crashing. During lunch I pondered my dilemma. Then a light bulb blinked in my brain. Mimicking! I always shadowed my instructors in their kayaks and copied their movements. It was how I learned. After the break, I stayed close enough to Joe to watch his body on the sled. I transferred weight when he did, moved my feet between the claw brake, the soft brake and the skis when he did, hopped off and on like he did, even bent at the waist or stood up straight just like him. It took a lot of concentration, but I was staying upright and getting a feel for the sport. Toward the end of the tour, we were hitting a lot of roots and obstructions, so I pondered other aspects of my kayak training. For example, I let the dogs run faster to glide over obstructions instead of colliding with them, as in a river. I kept my grip solid on the handlebar but not tense, similar to holding a paddle. I let my hips bounce and roll with the sled while my upper body stayed centered, as in choppy seas. And whenever I could give the dogs their head, it was breathtaking. Like surfing. When we finally returned to the ranch, I was physically and emotionally spent. Joe was right, a half-day was plenty. For the next 48 hours I contended with sore muscles and raw peeling skin, but it wasn’t any worse than my tongue. Everything heals eventually. I’d like to return in a year or so for a two- or three-day trek. I’ll be able to better prepare myself with proper conditioning. I’ll also carry lots of extra face protection and I won’t bite into stray keys or other metal objects. I might even see a Canadian moose. By the way, they really do say “Mush!” It’s thought to originate with “Marchons!” a word French trappers used, meaning “Let’s Go! Hurry up!” English speakers heard it as ANW “Mush on!” and later shortened it to “Mush!”

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The Cirque of the Unclimbables

Field Trip Adventures beyond the PNW

Story and photo by John Scurlock

he Logan Mountains are a far-northern extension of the Rockies, and north of there, things pretty much mellow out into the Arctic plain. I’ve seen Lotus Flower Tower described as one of the most difficult major summits to be reached, because of the combination of extreme remoteness, poor opportunity for access, short climbing season, plus the great difficulty of the

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climbing itself. One article I read described it as “The Forgotten Yosemite”... but I take issue with that because of the fact that the Cirque of the Unclimbables is stunning in and of itself, the mountains all around it are amazingly alpine and for the most part unnamed, unclimbed, and even largely unexplored. I’ve never really seen anything like it. ANW

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Cascadia Gear: Essentials for your next Adventure Big Agnes® Soul Kitchen Camp Table If you like to car camp in the back of beyond, away from campground amenities, a collapsible camp table is worth its weight in gold. I’ve had several over the years but the Soul Kitchen Camp Table by Big Agnes is the lightest, smallest one that I’ve had the pleasure to use. I was skeptical, I admit, when I saw the demure stuff sack containing the table. But after a week of burrito-making and vegetable-chopping, I was sold. Weighing in at 4 lbs., 4 oz. and packing down to 28 x 5 inches, this little workhorse unfolds into a 27.5 x 24 inch table, 24 inches high. More info: bigagnes.com

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Gear Spotlight: Garage Brand Skis Made for Right Here by Chris Gerston

Smaller ski manufacturers, often called garage brands, have been proliferating across the ski industry. Similar to how small, local breweries have popped up everywhere to accommodate specific local tastes, smaller regional ski manufacturers are now designing their skis with local terrain in mind. Lib Tech, which manufacturers on the Olympic Peninsula, does a lot of their product testing at Mt. Baker, and the nuances of these skis seems to fit our snow and topography to a tee. I’m really excited about the Lib Tech UFO 105. This ski features Lib Tech’s Magne-Traction®, a mild serration of the ski edge that basically puts more pressure on fewer points along the ski’s edge so that it cuts into firm snow. These days in our area, 105 mm is a great width for any ski surfing through powder, and the Magne-Traction helps the ski feel more like a 95 mm waisted ski on hard pack. Additionally, our ski techs have noticed that it often feels more solid when they are drilling into the core of these limited production skis. Another aspect of garage brands like Lib Tech (similar to what you might expect in a handbuilt ski) is the existence of tiny irregularities, where each set is—in a very subtle way—unique. For me, this is part of the appeal, like listening to live music as compared to the studio production. It’s all part of the flow. Have fun! Chris Gerston owns Backcountry Essentials, an outdoor specialty shop located at 214 W. Holly in Bellingham, WA. Check out more of Chris’ gear reviews at AdventuresNW.com