Port Townsend & Jefferson County Leader
Wednesday, November 18, 2015 • C 1
A SPECIAL LEADER FOCUS
Walking expert offers advice on best trails
By Robin Dudley of the Leader
Jefferson County has a wealth of winter activities, one of the simplest and most rewarding of which is simply to take a walk. “We have such great hikes here,” said Heather Harding, a professional guide who lives in Chimacum and travels around the world leading interpretive walks. “This is a hiker’s paradise.” Harding has always enjoyed hiking. Originally from California, she majored in biology at Colorado College and worked as a whale biologist, teaching people about research methods on whalewatching vessels, including Puget Sound Express, based in Port Townsend. “To relieve myself of working with people, I went off into the woods,” she said. It turned into a career. Harding leads small-group guided walking tours on the Olympic Peninsula for a company called Country Walkers Inc.; and in Bryce Canyon, Utah, and in Cuba for Classic Journeys Inc. “It is an awesome, awesome job,” she said. “I go to the most beautiful places in the world.” She puts a lot of energy into it, she added; it’s also stressful and exhausting. “I am really big on the art of interpretation,” Harding said, trying to not just “give people a bunch of facts, but help people connect to a place.” There are many ways to do that, she said. “It’s not about the facts. It’s about helping them connect” to a place. Giving people “a sense of valuing the resource” is “a basic conservation ethic,” she added. “If they sense the value of the resource, they’ll want to help protect it.” TOP PICKS Aside from four state parks in the area that “are just phenomenal for hiking” – Fort Worden, Fort Flagler, Anderson Lake and Fort Townsend – Harding recommends Gibbs Lake County Park, Cappy’s Trails in Port Townsend, North Beach, the Larry Scott Trail and the walk from Point Hudson to Fort Worden past Chetzemoka Park. South Indian Island Park faces south and is “a good place to get winter sun,” she advised. Those willing to drive out of county might enjoy the Lake Crescent area, with its Spruce Railroad, Marymere Falls and Moments in Time trails. Another favorite is the Grand Staircase/Skokomish Shady Lane Trail, a flat 0.9mile trail at Grand Staircase. The trail follows the shore of Lake Cushman, located just west of Lilliwaup, and passes
Activities Arts & Crafts
CHIMACUM ARTS & CRAFTS FAIR • December 12 & 13, at the Chimacum High School, from 10 a.m.-4 p.m. Admission $3. All proceeds benefit students of East Jefferson County. Visit online at www.chimacumarts.com
Classes ADDITIONAL LISTINGS, SEE ALSO: Fitness & Health, General Activities, Gymnastics, Jefferson County Library, Port Townsend Library, Sports, YMCA and Yoga. BEGINNING STAINED GLASS • Oneon-one instruction using the copper-foil technique with Pat Chase, an experienced stained glass teacher and published author. $30/hr with use of tools, supplies & glass included. Flexible schedule from her Port Hadlock studio. Check out AngelGlassArt.com or call (360) 385-3457.
Trailheads are often the site of chance meetings of friends. In early November, Jocelyn Hanbey, out for a walk with her son William Marston and dog Sky, ran into Heather Harding and her two dogs, Zorro and Baby Girl, at the entrance to Cappy’s Trails, located at 49th and Hendricks streets. Cappy’s Trails is a vast network crisscrossing acres of undeveloped woods in Port Townsend. Trail maps, $2, are available at the Jefferson Land Trust office, 1033 Lawrence St., Uptown. Photos by Robin Dudley
geology, climate and habitats of eastern Jefferson County. People should sign up in January, and it usually fills up quickly, Harding said. Visit saveland.org or call 379-9501 for more information. MAPS AND INFORMATION Books such as Craig Romano’s “Day Hiking Olympic Peninsula” are great resources, and there is also a massive amount of information, including maps and interpretive guides, available online. Quilcene is one of the entrances to the Olympic National Forest, an immense resource for those looking for winter walks. For maps and information, stop by the Quilcene Ranger Station, 295142 U.S. Highway 101 South, which is open in winter from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. on weekdays and 9 a.m.-3 p.m. on weekends. Maps are also available online at fs.usda.gov/olympic. The nearest visitor center for Olympic National Park is the Hurricane Ridge/Olympic National Park Visitor CenHeather Harding of Chimacum is a professional guide, leading groups on hikes in Washington as ter in Port Angeles, at 3002 well as Utah and internationally. She shows some useful books and some maps she picked up at Mount Angeles Road. It’s the Olympic National Park visitor center in Port Angeles and at the National Forest ranger station open 8:30 a.m.-4 p.m. Friday and Saturday in winter. in Quilcene. Excellent maps and inforall the ferns of our region on Harding said the Elwha among “beautiful old-growth mation are also online at that 1-mile loop,” Harding River Valley “is one of the cedars and firs.” nps.gov/olym/index.htm. said. She volunteers as one of best places” for a wintertime One of Harding’s favorite Harding has a large, the teachers of an eight-week framed photo taken by her walk. “There are so many trails is at Notch Pass in the course for Jefferson Land trails there, and they have Olympic National Forest, acpartner, photographer Eric cessed via Penny Creek Road the new lookouts.” A lot of the Trust called “Tidelands to Kessler, of an old log bridge trails are low elevation, neces- Timberline” each spring, and south of Quilcene. crossing the lower Big Quilbrings her students to InterHarding found Notch Pass sary to avoid snow in winter, cene River. Green is cap“and there’s so much variety,” rorem Trail to learn about because she was looking for tured in a thousand shades, those ferns. “It’s a really good from the slaty water to the she said. a winter trail and everything way to get out,” she said of She also likes the Interroelse was snowed in, she said. luminous moss-covered rem Trail, whose trailhead is the course. Led by a team of Notch Pass “is supposedly rocks. Go outside, the photo at the Duckabush Recreation naturalists, Tidelands to Tim- says. Go, soak up some of a traditional route that the Area, off Duckabush Road berlines introduces particinative peoples took into the what Washington has to south of Quilcene. “There are pants to the plants, animals, mountains,” she said. offer.
Free fun
The Rec Center, downstairs at the Port Townsend Community Center, includes a games room with two pingpong tables, several foosball tables, three pool tables, and shuffleboard. Admission is free. The Rec Center is open for varying hours Tuesday through Saturday. See related story on C 4. Photo by Robin Dudley
CEDARROOT FOLK SCHOOL • Preserving and restoring the skills, traditions, and arts of rural living. NOVEMBER 21: Natural Plant Dye Workshop. DECEMBER 5-6: Beginning Butchering Class 12-13: Blacksmithing Fireplace Tools. JANUARY 9-10: Winter Plant Medicine Intensive - Herb for Coughs, Cold & Flu; 16-17: Willow Basketry; 16-17: Leather Backpacks; 16-17: Introduction to Blacksmithing & Knife Making (one space remaining!); 30-31: Wildlife Tracking Intensive; FEBRUARY 6: Community Seed Swap. REGISTER NOW ONLINE. www.cedarrootfolkschool.org Contact us at (360) 379-5413 or info@ cedarrootfolkschool.org COPPERSMITHING • Learn more basic techniques under the guidance of Master Coppersmith Walter Massey. Again featuring two “Joy of Copper” classes: Found Rock Fountain is offered Nov. 19, Dec. 8 & 15; Garden Trellis is offered Nov. 24, Dec. 10 & 17. All classes meet 10 a.m.-5 p.m. at Massey Studio, and teach design & copper fabrication techniques. Registration info at www.masseycopper.com or call us at (360) 344-3611 or email info@masseycopper.com DISCOVERING/RECOVERING YOUR CREATIVITY • The Artist’s Way, A Spiritual Path to Higher Creativity, new group starts in Jan. 2016. Not just for artists, this experience provides a supportive, yet change-provoking opportunity for anyone wanting to live more authentically, vitally and creatively, replacing habits that drain energy with tools that re/invigorate your life. Group size limited, pre-registration advised before Dec. 15, 2015. Contact Judith Alexander at (360) 385-5766 or lightenup@olympus.net DO YOU KNOW WHERE YOUR GREAT GRANDPARENTS ARE? • Beginning Genealogy Class. A 5-class series meets Mondays, from 1-3:30 p.m., starting Jan. 25 through Feb. 22. Tips and steps for successful family research. Experts from Jefferson County Genealogical Society (JCGS) teach the classes. Tuition covers the class series: $30 JCGS members, $50 non-members. Limited to 18. Registration & details at www.wajcgs.org FOOD CO-OP CLASS: Make Your Own Kombucha • Saturday, Jan. 23, 1-3 p.m. Making your own fresh kombucha at home is easy. Julie KaminMartin, owner of OlyCultures, is here to teach a great introduction to fermentation. Class fee includes the OlyCultures Kombucha Starter kit. The kit, a $24.99 value, has all the ingredients needed to make one gallon. The class is held at the Market Kitchen, 1433 W. Sims Way. Class fee: $40. Max class size: 20. Sign up at www.brownpapertickets.com FOOD CO-OP CLASS: Make Your Own Mozzerella • Saturday, Jan. 23, 10 a.m. to Noon. Making your own fresh cheese at home has just become easy. Julie Kamin-Martin, owner of OlyCultures, is here to teach a great introduction to cheese making. Class fee includes the OlyCultures Cheese Starter kit. The kit, a $27.99 value, has all ingredients needed to make 8 batches of cheese, each weighing 1-1.5lbs. The class is held at the Market Kitchen, 1433 W. Sims Way. Class fee: $40. Max class size: 20. Sign up at www. brownpapertickets.com
See WINTER ACTIVITIES, Page 2▼