Mount Baker Experience Fall 2013 by Point Roberts Press

Adventures in the Pacific Northwest | Fall 2013

Six Carless Outings

From Bellingham, Anacortes and Vancouver

Climbing and Skiing Mt. Shuksan All in a day

Ciders, Meads and Distilleries Locally crafted

Paddling Chilliwack Lake Explore this emerald jewel

mountbakerexperience.com

special publication of The Northern Light

Get Hooked on nwtraver

se.com

Bellingham

Traverse A Northwest Rite of Passage st September 21 , 2013 5.5 mi

6 mi

Chinook (solo)

18 mi

Coho (tandem)

3.4 mi

3.6 mi

.5 mi

Chum (relay teams)

Company Teams

Boundary Bay Finish Line

Thank You To Our Spawnsors, Media & Partners

klicks

RUNNING & WALKING

Boundary Bay Brewery Sustainable Connections Bellingham Parks and Recreation Greenleaf Accounting YMCA Port of Bellingham

To Benefit Appliance Depot

northwesttraverse.com 2

Mount Baker Experience | Fall 2013

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THE NINETEENTH ANNUAL

••

WHATCOM ARTIST •••• • • STUDIO • TOUR • • • ••

A FREE juried event opening the creative spaces of the region’s finest artists.

•

• • • •

First 2 weekends in October Oct. 5,6-12,13

Free guidebooks with detailed information about this year’s artists, maps to their studios, and full-color photos are available in many stores and locations throughout Whatcom & Skagit county.

September Exhibits

An exhibit at the Book Fare Café (upstairs at Village Books in Fairhaven)

September 1 thru 29

Opening Reception at the Jansen Art Center

www.studiotour.net

Opening Reception Thursday September 26th, 6-8pm

facebook.com/WhatcomArtistStudioTour

September 26 - December 15

BECOME A FAN ON FACEBOOK

Artist's work on display from

Tickets onsale at

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DON'T MISS LIFT TICKET AND RETAIL OFFERS. WIN SKIS, TRIPS AND SWAG! FOR MORE INFO CHECK OUT

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TRAILER, TICKETS, TIMES AT WARRENMILLER.COM Fall 2013 | Mount Baker Experience

CONTENTS

In this issue

Locally crafted

Climbing & skiing Mt. Shuksan in a day

Distilleries, meaderies and cideries

10 featured fall races

17 Vital signs

Chuckanut Century and Bellingham Traverse

23 Restorative Adventures

15 Bellingham beer week

16 Off season fitness

Bellingham climbers have a new hangout

A city-wide celebration of beer

Nature-based therapy programs

Photo by Jay Goodrich

THird time’s a charm

PADDLING ON CHILLIWACK LAKE

Photo by Aubrey Laurence

Photo by Ian Ferguson

Photo by Sue Madsen

FALL 2013

Six Carless Trips

Get away from it all, without wasting gas

37 The Light Stuff

Using natural light to improve your photos

38 The Last View

24 Labor Intensive

Staying fit with a fall routine

Bellingham’s hidden big wall

26 Earning your Spurs

Horseback riding for beginners

27 Fall Gear guide

19 4

FALL PHOTO GALLERY

Inspiring images of where we live

Mount Baker Experience | Fall 2013

Great products for your adventures

28 Vanishing Ice

Photo by Jay Goodrich

Photo by Chris Pascuchi

Whatcom Museum’s exhibition

30 Fall bike fashion

Looking fly on your ride

32 events calendar

Local events - see more on our website

33 Billee, Raider and Mule

When building trails goes wrong

backpacking with kids

Start ‘em young – they’ll thank you later

MountBakerExperience.com

Publisher’s Note

MOUNT BAKER EXPERIENCE PUBLISHERS Patrick Grubb and Louise Mugar

By Pat Grubb

Editor Ian Ferguson STAFF WRITERS Ian Ferguson, Brandy Kiger Shreve, Steve Guntli Publication Design Ruth Lauman ADVERTISING DESIGN Ruth Lauman, Doug De Visser ADVERTISING SALES Molly Ernst, Judy Fjellman, Janet McCall OFFICE MANAGER Amy Weaver CONTRIBUTORS Erik Burge, Tim Chandonnet, Paul Conrad, Brad Crescenzo, Tom Davis, Jay Goodrich, Jason Hummel, Aubrey Laurence, Sue Madsen, Jason D. Martin, John Minier, Jefferson L. Morriss, Paul Nicholson, Chris Pascuchi, Robin Robertson, Neil Schulman, Micah Shanser, Kat Thorney, Brad Walton EMAIL: info@mountbakerexperience.com WEB: mountbakerexperience.com FACEBOOK: facebook.com/mtbakerexperience PINTEREST: pinterest.com/mtbakerexp TWITTER: twitter.com/MB_Experience If you can see Mt. Baker, you’re part of the experience. Mount Baker Experience is a quarterly recreation guide for and about the Mt. Baker area, published by Point Roberts Press, Inc. Locally owned, the company also publishes The Northern Light, All Point Bulletin, Pacific Coast Weddings, Waterside and area maps in Blaine, Washington. Vol. XXVII, No. 4. Printed in Canada. ©2013 POINT ROBERTS PRESS 225 Marine Drive, Blaine, WA 98230 TEL: 360/332-1777

ON THE COVER Fall mornings sure are good on

s I write, the sun is shining as it has for months, making this summer the best that many people can remember. With luck, summer will fade into one of our classic Indian summers and allow us to stay outside as we get conditioned for the upcoming ski season. Despite the fact that forecasters say we are wallowing in a neutral El Niño weather pattern for 2013-2014, we’re still hoping for lots of snow. That’s a whole season away, and this issue of Mount Baker Experience has plenty of activities to keep you occupied until the snow comes. There is plenty of time to climb Mt. Shuksan as staffer Ian Ferguson did a couple of weeks ago. Ditch the car and take one or all of the six carless outings we suggest. Take your kids on a backpacking trip that will turn them into lifetime hikers. Learn how to take great photographs thanks to Neil Schulman, who knows all about light and cameras. Take a look at some of the gear that will help you enjoy the outdoors even more. Go paddle north of the border in one of B.C.’s big lakes. Tired? Ready to socialize? Come down and enjoy Bellingham Beer Week or try some of the specialty spirits, meads and ciders that are being made locally. Check out Whatcom Museum’s Vanishing Ice exhibition. There’s a lot to do. Finally, about the time this issue gets distributed, we’ll be going live with our new website. Now in beta testing, we hope the website will become your one-stop shop for all things Mt. Baker. There are some great interactive features where you can post your routes and trip reports for whatever adventure you just came back from. Have a great fall!

Eldorado Peak, an 8,868-foot mountain east of Concrete.

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Fall 2013 | Mount Baker Experience

kayaking

Paddling on Chilliwack Lake Story And Photos By Sue Madsen

ctober 2006 – raindrops dot the water’s still surface and small waves lap the rocky shoreline. We’re a silent group in the morning mist as we work our way along the mossy bedrock cliffs in canoes, reveling in the tang of woodsmoke from a distant campfire and the ratcheting call of a kingfisher heading towards a branch with a wriggling silver fish. My first foray to Chilliwack Lake was with a parks and recreation group on a rainy fall day when we caught only glimpses of the surrounding peaks through the constant downpour. I was intrigued by this lake and its stories – the lime and scarlet sockeye that boldly make their way south across the U.S. border as they swim upstream to spawn in the wilderness east of Hannegan Pass; the harrowing tales from climber friends about the arduous trek to Mt. Redoubt up waterfalls and over glaciers; and the legend of the lost Trans Canada Flight 810 which, in 1958, crashed into nearby Slesse Peak. All 62 people on board were killed, including five members of two Canadian Football League teams on their way home from the annual all-star game. Chilliwack Lake and its environs are wild country, despite the pastoral surroundings in the valley below. I vowed to return someday. Flash forward seven years to high summer and a completely different scene. I’d left home early with an intrepid pal and a couple of kayaks. The campers were still abed in

their tents when we arrived, and the lake’s surface was glassy. We set off south, towards the upstream end of the lake. The water was crystal clear, and we could see logs and rocks on the bottom nearly 20 feet down. Again I marveled at the steep mossy cliffs along the west side of the lake, their granite polished by glaciers 10,000 years ago. Mt. Redoubt shimmered in the morning sun. We paddled six miles south to the end of the lake in time for lunch, and sat down on a smooth sandy beach. However, by noon fierce up-valley winds had kicked in, so we abandoned our plans to explore the old-growth forest in the ecological reserve south of the lake, and headed back out. The trip back was a battle, with two- to three-foot waves and blowing whitecaps. We rested briefly in a calm cove by a summer camp, and then headed back into the fray. Exhausted but satisfied, we approached the north shore. In the lee of the forest at the downstream end it seemed a completely different place. There was hot sun and dozens of swimmers frolicking in the clear water or lolling on the beach. We felt satisfied as we loaded up the boat and headed for home. While most day-trippers stop at the serene and civilized north end of the lake, we’d travelled farther to quench our thirst for adventure and seen multiple facets of this emerald jewel. X EXPERIENCE FALL IN THE NORTH CASCADES with NORTH CASCADES INSTITUTE 9/20-22 Late September Family Getaway 9/28 or 29 Mount Baker: The Story of Volcanoes 9/28 Street Smart Naturalist in Seattle ------------------------------------------------------------10/5 Avifauna Afloat: Birds of the Bay 10/4-6 Journaling in the North Cascades 10/26 Northwest Mushrooms ------------------------------------------------------------12/21 Salmon and Eagles of the Skagit

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Mount Baker Experience | Fall 2013

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Getting There: Chilliwack Lake Provincial Park is located approximately 90 miles (150 km) east of Vancouver. Take the Chilliwack Lake exit #104 south from Hwy 1, then go 14 km south on No 3 Road to Chilliwack River Road, and finally 42 km to the lake. The route is well-signed. The park has a drive-in campground that is open from May to October. There are also four other lakes that may be reached on foot for backcountry camping: Greendrop (5.5 km), Lindeman (1.5 km), Flora (7 km), and Radium Lakes (6.5 km).

If you go: • Be aware of strong currents at the northern end of the lake where it flows into the Chilliwack River; boaters have been known to be pulled over the small dam here.

eCUaDOR • CanaDa • PatagOnia

• Secure food and cooking equipment in a vehicle or bear-proof canister. Never feed bears or other animals. • The water in Chilliwack Lake is cold; always wear a life jacket, and dress for immersion if venturing to the south end of the lake.

alasKa • CasCaDes • ROCKies • sieRRa • aRgentina • China • Chile

Fall Rock Climbing All levels – from learning the basics to learning to lead. Erie • Leavenworth • Squamish Red Rock • Joshua Tree • Moab American Alpine Institute 1515 12th st • Bellingham • 360-671-1505 • alpineinstitute.com

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• Strong winds can occur at any time, but like many mountain lakes in our area winds typically pick up in the afternoon as air i the lower valley warms and blows up the river/lake.

• The campground is popular during the summer, and typically fills on weekends Reservations can be made up to three month in advance at discovercamping.ca or by calling 800/689-9025.

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In the lee of the forest at the downstream end it seemed a completely different place.

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Fall 2013 | Mount Baker Experience

Like me, Paul was new to glacier travel, so when he looked down

Skiing

at a hole in the snow that seemed to open into a cavernous void, he froze and said, “Whoa.” I was 30 feet behind him, struggling to catch my breath midway up a 2,000foot slope of steep snow. It was our second attempt on Mt. Shuksan’s White Salmon route. We had skis on our backs, crampons on our boots and a doubledover half rope tied into our climbing harnesses. “There’s a snow bridge here,” Paul said. I adjusted my stance. I knew that if Paul fell into a crevasse, the force of his fall would pull me off my feet towards the crevasse in the blink of an eye, and I’d have to stop us both by bearing down on my ice axe. While holding his suspended weight, I’d then have to dig a T-shaped hole and build an anchor point off my snow picket, before rigging a secondary anchor and a z-pulley, prepping the edge for extraction, then hauling him out. Crevasse rescue is a complicated process, and although I could explain it step-by-step to a guide, I’d never actually tried it. As Albert Einstein said, “In theory, practice and theory are the same. In practice, they are not.” Midway up Mt. Shuksan, hours from the nearest human, was the absolute wrong place to put crevasse rescue theory to the test. Paul backed off the hole and then adjusted his route to avoid the bridge. It was early July. We were on a keyhole of the route where giant crevasses loomed to our left and right. We continued cautiously up the steepening face. Our goal was to climb and ski Shuksan in one day from the White Salmon Lodge at Mt. Baker Ski Area. Nothing could have prepared us for the heart-of-darkness, 10-hour bushwhack the route entails in mid-summer. Despite the snow bridge, our climb up the White Salmon glacier was by no means as harrowing as the walk to its base. Not even close. June 28: First Attempt The overland distance from the base of Chair 8 at Mt. Baker Ski Area

third time’s a charm

Climbing and skiing Shuksan in a day

Story By Ian Ferguson

Mount Baker Experience | Fall 2013

to the snowfield leading up to White Salmon Glacier is a little over a mile. We crossed that mile four times on two attempts, taking different routes each time. Our fastest time across that mile? Two hours. Our slowest? Five hours. The most direct route takes you across the north face of the Shuksan arm. In mid-summer, the route involves multiple creek crossings and lots of bushwhacking through tortured underbrush and tree wreckage in this avalanche-prone area. With skis on your pack, any forward progress requires an acrobatic dance as you bend forward to get the tips of your skis under some branches, sideways to slide them into a slot between trees, then back as you shimmy under a fallen tree, then forward to climb over another fallen tree. You repeat the process again and again. Occasionally, you break into a band of snow and triumphantly jaunt across, only to confront an impenetrable wall of brush on the other side. This was the route we took on our first Shuksan attempt, and it took us a couple of hours. We got a late start that day and we botched the route by following the first snowfield we encountered to a deadend below the north side of the Fischer Towers. The walk out was worse than the walk in. We tried the White Salmon Route one more time, but we plotted a different route to the correct snowfield. We reasoned that thickly forested areas would be easier to travel through, because tall trees prevent the growth of a thick understory. On the basis of that theory, we decided to go directly downhill from Chair 8 under what looked like a thick canopy of tall Douglas firs. Once we hit the valley floor, we would follow White Salmon Creek all the way up to the snowfields. July 4: Second Attempt We got a 4 a.m. start after sleeping in Paul’s truck outside the White Salmon Lodge entrance gate. We hustled along the fire road to Chair 8, then dove into the forested slope. Our undergrowth theory was correct. As long as we stayed under tall trees, the going was manageable. We reached the valley floor in good time, but then the fatal flaw of our theory hit us like a branch to the face. We found ourselves in a swath of undergrowth about a football field wide that followed the floodplain of the creek for a solid half-mile. The shrubbery

Photos by Paul Nicholson

MountBakerExperience.com

was thick, the landscape was tortuous and the going was infuriatingly slow. After much effort, we reached the lower snowfield, but in order to get to the correct snowfield we still had to cross a final section of thick underbrush on a steep slope. This 300-yard patch of diamond-leaf willow was the roughest section of the day. We were grabbing handfuls of thorny devil’s club and blackberry bushes to haul ourselves up the slope, unconcerned about cuts as we contorted to navigate our unwieldy packs through the angled branches. Finally we made it to the snowfield below White Salmon glacier and strapped on crampons to begin our first real climbing of the day around 9:30 a.m. Four hours and one crevasse later, we stood on a saddle below the Upper Curtis Glacier. It was 1:30 p.m. – our turnaround time. You don’t want to hang out under a glacier in the afternoon, when the sun’s heat sends ice chunks calving downslope. The ski down would have to suffice as our only reward for the day. It was great skiing, but the joy was short-lived and completely diminished by the prospect of the bushy trek back to the car. The White Salmon Glacier route completely schooled us, twice. To do it with skis in one day, you’d have to go at a different time of year, be in better shape than we were, or bring machetes. We still wanted to climb and ski Shuksan in a day, so we came to our senses and set our sights on the Sulphide Glacier route – Shuksan’s easiest avenue of access. July 26: Third attempt Due to conflicting schedules, we had an absurdly narrow opportunity for our third attempt. We got to the Shannon Ridge trailhead parking lot at 2 a.m. on July 26, laid our sleeping pads on the ground next to

the car and took a two-hour nap. We were on the trail by 4:15. Uncertain how long the climb would take and unwilling to risk a third defeat, we hiked fast. The trail follows Shannon ridge before leading up and over a saddle around the terminal spur of Shuksan’s southwest ridge. The Sulphide Glacier lies just beyond. We were there by 10 a.m., and realized we could take our sweet time for the rest of the day. The weather was gorgeous – 75° and sunny. The western edge of the glacier leads cleanly over a series of rolling hills to the horizon, as opposed to its eastern edge, which is littered with crevasses and icefall. We crested a rise, ate some food, donned boots, skis and skins and tied into our rope. Mt. Baker dominated the landscape to our left, and Mt. Shuksan’s summit pyramid loomed ahead. Below to the left were Mt. Anne and Lake Anne, and behind us were Blum, Hagan and Bacon mountains. The skinning was fast and enjoyable, and before long we were at the base of Shuksan’s rocky summit pyramid. Several other parties passed us going down. We met Jim from my home state of New Hampshire who gave us good beta for the summit climb. When we reached rock, we dropped our skis and bags and headed up the main gully with climbing gear. The sketchiest part was the transition from snow to rock. Since rock is darker than snow, it absorbs heat from the sun and melts the snow around it. When rock meets snow at an angle, the gap (called a randkluft) lies beneath the snow’s surface, and can be very deep. For us, avoiding the randkluft was a matter of one giant step. As Jim had promised, the route up the gully was easy and well protected. Rappel stations at regular intervals kept us on route, and after the first becontinued on page 12

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STRENGTH FOR THE SLOPES

icycling enthusiast? We have the ride for you. On September 15, the Chuckanut Century bike event will bring a variety of unbelievably scenic routes to choose from. Distances include 25 miles (a great loop designed for families, first-timeevent cyclists, and parent/child duos), 38 miles, 50 miles, 62 miles, traditional 100-mile century rides or, for the daring, the double metric century of 124 miles. No matter which route you choose, you’ll see some of Whatcom County’s most beautiful scenery along the way. The south loop offers views of the San Juan Islands, the Chuckanut and Blanchard mountains and overlooks of Bellingham, Samish and Padilla Bays. The north loop offers spectacular views of Mt. Baker, Mt. Shuksan, the Twin Sisters, Birch Bay and Vancouver Island. All routes start and finish at Boundary Bay Brewery in Bellingham. Although all cyclists should be fully prepared when they take to the roads, there will be ride support along the way if needed and food stops with a wide variety of high-energy food and drinks along each route. Cost: Early registration, before September 1, $55. After September 1, including dayof-event registration, $60. Cyclists tackling the 100- or 124-mile routes should be on course between 7 a.m. and 8 a.m. to ensure they have enough time to finish. All routes will be marked with “Dan Henry” indicators on the road. Maps and directions will also be available the morning of the ride. All proceeds from the event will go to The Treehouse, a Kids’ Council NW program that offers peer support to children and families after the death of a loved one. For more information or to register, visit chuckanutcentury.org. X

The Bellingham Traverse

he annual event, set for Saturday, September 21, brings hundreds of people together to celebrate the life cycle of wild salmon and the natural and urban challenges they face through a multi-sport relay race. The event serves the dual purpose of having fun and raising funds for local charities. The five-sport event is comprised of a 5.5-mile greenway run, a 6-mile mountain bike ride, a 18-mile road bike ride, a 3.4-mile trail run and a 3.6-mile paddle that culminates with a team trek from Bellingham Bay to Boundary Bay Brewery for a celebration. This year the course can be tackled by soloists, tandem teams or teams consisting of up to six people, and allows racers to challenge themselves and one another on a rugged course that highlights opportunities for recreation in the city of Bellingham’s parks, greenways system, bike-friendly roads and open water.The routes will be the same as last year, but road runners will have the advantage of having the ability to pass the baton if they distance seems overwhelming. “We wanted to enable more people to be able to do this,” director Todd Elsworth said. “For some people, the 5.5-mile run is more than they can tackle, so we decided to allow a second runner for the leg to make it not so grueling.” A percentage of the profits will be donated to Appliance Depot, a Bellingham-based nonprofit training business that salvages and sells reconditioned appliances. “We choose our nonprofits based on their community involvement and their involvement with the Traverse,” Elsworth said. “We really enjoy the sustainable work Appliance Depot does for the community.” A beer garden will be located on the sidewalk in front of Boundary Bay. As in past years, Boundary Bay Brewery will be brewing a signature ale for the event, the Traverse Ale, and this year they will create a full batch of Red IPA, which will be on tap at various restaurants around town. “They’ve done this for years,” Elsworth said. “We’re really excited.” All participants and volunteers in the race will receive steel pint cups as a thank you. Registration ends on Friday, September 20. For more information, visit recreationnorthwest.org or call Elsworth at 360/739-8458. X

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Mount Baker Experience | Fall 2013

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lay we realized we could climb at the same time with a piece of protection placed into the rock here and there. A set of nuts was the only pro I brought, and it was more than sufficient. After four pitches of simulclimbing, preceded by two failed attempts and a long day of hiking, we stood on the narrow summit, a wind-scoured pile of boulders that drops off on all sides. It’s a grand and wild place that instills a sense of respect at odds with the rush of accomplishment. We took some time to name as much of the surrounding landscape as we could – and there was a lot to see. Most immediately were the glaciers skirting Mt. Shuksan. Straight below to the north lay the Hanging Glacier, that iconic jumble of blue ice often glimpsed between clouds on the way up Chair 8 (at Mt. Baker Ski Area). We could name the Price, Curtis and

White Salmon glaciers. We could see Baker, Rainier and Adams, Glacier, Snowking, Johannesburg and the Pickets to the south. American Border, Sefrit and Ruth to the north. Challenger, Fury and Terror to the east. And hundreds of others I couldn’t name. Paul could name many more than I could. A native Utahan, Paul first became enamored of the North Cascades while a student at Pacific Lutheran University in Tacoma. He would scope out his dream climbs and ski descents on Google Earth between classes.

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Years later, after earning a nursing degree in St. Louis, he returned to Washington, this time to Bellingham, with his girlfriend Synneva. He got a job at Island Hospital in Anacortes and became a familiar face among the select crowd on the Shuksan Arm on snow days. Paul still has many more North Cascade descents on his bucket list, but they’ll have to wait, as he and Synneva are moving to Salt Lake City for school. I’m losing a couple of good friends and a ski partner, but the upshot is a tremendous excuse to go ski in Utah, where the snow is (reputedly) the consistency of champagne fizz. The snow on Mt. Shuksan on July 26 was months old and melted into beach-ball-sized dimples called sun cups. Imagine an ant skiing on a golf ball. It was late afternoon when we clicked into our skis, and by then the snow was soft. We skied in a leisurely way down the rolling glacier, pausing frequently to assess our route and avoid a few crevasses. There were two flat sections that required walking, but within an hour we had skied to the last of the snow. We were back to the car by 7 p.m. after traveling 18 miles in 15 hours. I was knackered and sunburnt on my lips and the backs of my knees. The drive back to Bellingham was a sleepy and hungry one, and we called ahead to Boomer’s Drive-In to place an order for burgers, fries and milkshakes. Those tasty calories were much appreciated, and a great cap to a long day on the mountain. X

If you go: The Sulphide Glacier Route begins with the Shannon Ridge Trail. To get to the trailhead, follow State Route 20 east for 17 miles past the Sedro Woolley Mt. Baker Ranger District Office. Turn left onto the Baker Lake highway. Continue 24 miles to FS road 1152. Turn left onto FS road 1152 and continue three miles to FS road 1152014. Turn right and travel 1.5 miles to the road’s end. A recreation pass from the U.S. Forest Service is required to park here, and a backcountry permit is required for overnight stays. There are many great campsites along the route.

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Locally Crafted

Ciders, Meads and Distilleries story and photos by aubrey Laurence

f you like to drink artisanal alcoholic beverages, the Pacific Northwest is the place to be. Washington is well known for its nearly 200 craft breweries and approximately 800 wineries, but now it’s earning a reputation for its growing numbers of craft distilleries, meaderies and cideries. The Bellingham area and lower B.C. are also seeing a dramatic increase in these producers, and local imbibers couldn’t be happier.

Spirits

Much of the distillery growth in Washington and B.C. is a result of recent changes in legislation. In 2008, Washington passed a bill that made it easier for small-batch spirit-makers to run affordably. In the past year, B.C. loosened some of its liquor laws, making it easier for distilleries to promote, sell and serve their spirits. Washington now has approximately 40 distilleries plus about 30 more in the planning stages, and B.C. has a handful of new distilleries with more on the way. BelleWood Distilling (6140 Guide Meridian, Lynden, BelleWoodDistilling.com) is a true “farm to glass” craft distillery and cidery. It hand crafts spirits and its own CiderHead hard cider in small batches using produce from its own 32acre BelleWood Acres orchard, which grows 22 different varieties of apples.

Opened in 2012, the distillery produces a light and refreshing gin made with seven botanicals, two vodkas (one made from a blend of table apples and one made from only Honeycrisp apples), and a delicious apple brandy called Eau de Vie. “We use about 65 pounds of apples to make just one 750-milliter bottle of Eau de Vie,” says BelleWood distiller Jesse Parker, “and each batch produces between 600 and 1,000 bottles.” As the distillery continues to grow, be on the lookout for special fruit-infused vodkas and other spirits, such as the raspberry vodka that was released in July. Opened in 2010, Golden Distillery (9746 Samish Island Road, Bow, GoldenDistillery. com) was the first small-scale distillery to open in Skagit County. Former restaurateurs, founders Jim Caudill and Bob Stillnovich hand craft a single-malt “Samish Bay” whiskey and a variety of brandies made from local apples, different berries and wines. After the spirits are processed in Golden’s 60-gallon copper still, they are aged in 8- and 10-gallon barrels, imbuing them with hints of caramel, hazelnuts and vanilla. Chuckanut Bay Distillery (1115 Railroad Avenue, Bellingham, ChuckanutBayDistillery. com), just down the alley from Boundary Bay Brewery, is an exciting addition to downtown Bellingham. Founders Matt Howell and Kelly Andrews produce a range of small-batch, slowcrafted spirits, including vodka made from Yukon Gold potatoes. “Potato-based vodka is labor intensive to make, and it requires an average of 37 potatoes per bottle, but I like the mouth feel of potato vodka more than grain vodka,” says Howell. “It just feels more substantive.” Howell hopes to have bottles of Chuckanut Bay Vodka ready for sale by the end of this year. After they get it established, he wants to turn to gin, whiskey, rum and brandy. “There are a lot of fun spirits out there,” says Howell, “and we would really like to do some limited-run stuff, too.” Mount Baker Distillery (1305 Fraser Street, Suite D, Bellingham, MountBakerDistillery.

com), Whatcom County’s first distillery since Prohibition, opened in September 2012, has already expanded its system from three 15-gallon stills to four 26-gallon stills. Owner Troy Smith is continuing a family tradition that goes back six generations by producing an organic cornand grain-based 80-proof vodka and a 100-proof moonshine, plus some insanely delicious fruitinfused moonshines that are made with a variety of local fruit, which is left inside the jars. All distilling, bottling and labeling is done by hand, and bottles are available in most Whatcom County liquor stores. Mount Baker Distillery may not be the only distillery in Whatcom County anymore, but owner Troy Smith doesn’t seem to mind. “I think it’s great to see all these distilleries opening up. There’s always room for more.” Shiner Distillery (2200 Queen Street, Suite 16, Bellingham) is another exciting addition to Bellingham’s growing league of craft distillers. While it may not be open by the time this article is published, Shiner will be producing whiskey, gin and vodka from its 150-gallon still soon enough. “There’s a huge application process with the federal government,” says Mike Talbott, who co-owns Shiner Distillery with his younger sister, Amanda Willis, and husband-and-wife team Derik and Kim Scott. “Depending on how things go, we hope to be open by the end of this summer.” Long Table Distillery (1451 Hornby Street, Vancouver, LongTableDistillery.com), which was named after the recovered 14-foot-long redwood plank in its tasting room, is Vancouver’s first “micro-distillery.” Its 80-gallon copper pot still creates a growing selection of handcrafted gins, vodkas and other specialty spirits. Other nearby distilleries to check out: San Juan Island Distillery in Friday Harbor (SanJuanIslandDistillery.com), MacDonald Distillery (MacDonaldDistillery.com) and Skip Rock Distillers (SkipRockDistillers.com) in Snohomish, Whidbey Island Distillery in Langley (WhidbeyDistillery.com), Victoria Spirits (VictoriaSpirits.com) and Merridale Brandy House (MerridaleCider.com/about/ artisan-distillery) in Victoria. Also be on the lookout for these openings: Subdued Spirits Small Craft Distillery in Bellingham, Central City Brewers & Distillers in Surrey, B.C. (CentralCityBrewing.com), Odd Society Spirits (OddSocietySpirits.com) and The Liberty Distillery (TheLibertyDistillery. com) in Vancouver, B.C.

MEAD

Mead, also known as honey wine, is a fermented solution of honey and water that is sometimes flavored with spices, herbs, hops, fruit and other adjuncts, creating many variants. It ranges in continued on page 14

Fall 2013 | Mount Baker Experience

continued from page 13

alcohol from around 8 percent to more than double that. Some mead is carbonated and some is still, and it can be sweet, semi-sweet or dry. Its origins are unknown, but it is thought to be one of man’s oldest fermented drinks. According to Mark Beran of Medovina Meadery in Boulder, Colorado, mead dates back 20,000 to 40,000 years to the African continent, when tribes would gather honey and mead from the hollows of indigenous trees. Bees would nest in the pockets of these trees in the dry season, and during the wet season they would fill with water along with the local osmotolerant yeast, thereby producing the fermented beverage naturally. Honey Moon (1053 N. State Street, accessed through the alley off Maple Street, Bellingham, HoneyMoonMead.net) creates a wide selection of hand-crafted meads made from locally produced honey and fruits (it also makes hard cider, wine and sangria), including a warming Wassail, which is made with cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg and clove, and a delightfully tart rhubarb mead. Why the name Honey Moon? As the story goes, the word honeymoon comes from an old practice of the bride’s father dowering enough mead to last a lunar month. Campbell’s Gold Honey Farm & Meadery (2595 Lefeuvre

Mount Baker Experience | Fall 2013

Road, Abbotsford, BCHoney.com) produces a number of sweet and dry honey wines ranging in alcohol content from 10 to 17 percent, including ancient mead, pyment (honey/grape wine), metheglin (spiced honey wine) and an assortment of melomels (honey/fruit wines). Master beekeepers Mike and Judy Campbell run the 8-acre farm and meadery with a passionate focus on being socially and environmentally responsible. Tugwell Creek Honey Farm & Meadery (8750 W. Coast Road, Sooke, Vancouver Island, TugwellCreekFarm.com), which is about 40 minutes northwest of Victoria, was British Columbia’s first licensed meadery in 2003. With more than four decades of beekeeping experience and more than a quarter century of mead-making experience, founder Bob Liptrot creates a lineup of award-winning meads that are crafted in small batches using local honey and berries. To give you a taste of some of Tugwell’s unique offerings, there’s Kickass Currant, which is made with black currants that provide an intense mouth feel and honey-balancing tannins. Or there’s Original Sin Cyser Mead, which is made with wildflower honey, tart cider apples and fragrant quince. More nearby meaderies to check out: Aesir Meadery in Everett, WA (AesirMeadery.com) and Sky River Mead in Redmond, WA (SkyRiverBrewing.com).

Burro Loco Cider, which is a semi-dry cider made from Piñata apples. It’s definitely a cider to try, though, as it’s slightly tart and tremendously refreshing, with fresh apple aromas and pleasant white wine notes. Look for more from Tulip Valley after this fall’s harvest. Sea Cider Farm & Ciderhouse (2487 Mt. St. Michael Road, Victoria, SeaCider.ca), founded by Bruce and Kristen Jordan, makes a wide variety of all-organic ciders (some year round, some seasonal) – from still to sparkling, and very dry to very sweet. Located on the Saanich Peninsula, just minutes from Victoria and Sidney, the farm’s orchard overlooks the sea, making it an idyllic location to savor artisan ciders. Kristen Jordan sums things up succinctly, “I get to work in a beautiful place in the world with fantastic people, and I’m making a product that people enjoy.” Other nearby cideries to check out: Westcott Bay Cider in Friday Harbor, (WestcottBayCider.com), Okanagan Premium Cider in Vancouver, (OkanaganCider.ca), and too many cideries in British Columbia’s Okanagan Valley to mention (see a list here: CiderMonger.com/Canadian-applepear-cider-map). Also check out the Northwest Cider Association (NWCider. com), which is a trade organization formed in 2010 by cideries in Oregon, Washington, Montana and Canada. X

CIDER

In the past, “hard cider” referred to the alcoholic beverage made from fermented apple juice, whereas “cider” only referred to the non-alcoholic apple cider juice. These days, however, hard cider is typically just called cider. Cideries, also referred to as cider houses, harvest apples in the fall (typically from August to October), mill, crush and press them into juice, and then ferment the juice. Similar to wine, cider is a direct reflection of the fruit and the terroir of where it’s grown. The U.S. cider market makes up less than 1 percent of the U.S. beer market, but it has experienced exponential growth over the last decade, and it seems to be gaining popularity, especially in Washington, which is the No. 1 apple-producing state in the country. “I don’t believe cider will ever become mainstream like beer or wine,” says Patrick McEvoy, owner of Elizabeth Station in Bellingham, which sells more than 75 different ciders, “but it is a growing niche market with a lot of fun flavors, mixes of berries and spices. Cider is also gluten free, which is a huge untapped market.” Alpenfire Cider (220 Pocket Lane, Port Townsend, AlpenfireCider.com), owned by Steve and Nancy Bishop, produces a line of unpasteurized, bottle-conditioned and certified-organic ciders – everything from a 6.9-percent Pirate’s Plank Bone Dry Cider to a 9.5-percent Spark! SemiSweet Cider. Tulip Valley Vineyard & Orchard (16163 State Route 536, Mount Vernon, TulipValley.net) is currently only selling

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Bellingham

Sumas By Aubrey Laurence

he second annual Bellingham Beer Week (BBW) is a time to salute the many great breweries, beer bars and beer stores that serve the Bellingham area, and it’s an opportunity for these establishments to return the nod to their loyal, beer-loving patrons. The 10-day celebration of craft beer will take place beginning Friday, September 20 through Sunday, September 29. All three Bellingham craft breweries – Chuckanut Brewery, Boundary Bay Brewery, and Kulshan Brewery – plus many regional breweries, numerous pubs, beer stores, restaurants and other businesses will be hosting events at locations throughout the city. The BBW idea was the brainchild of locals Jim Parker (a rep for Fort George Brewery) and Aaron Matson (owner of The Copper Hog), who had attended the 2012 Seattle Beer Week. They both wondered, “Why doesn’t Bellingham have a beer week?” With all the craft beer growth across the city – including new breweries, beer stores and beer bars and growing numbers of tap handles at existing beer bars – Bellingham Beer Week couldn’t have come at a better time. Bellingham is in lockstep with craft beer growth throughout Washington and the United States. Washington state is nearing 200 breweries with dozens more in the planning stages, and the U.S. now has more than 2,500 breweries. “More breweries are currently operating than at any time since the 1870s,” said Paul Gatza, director of the Brewers Association, the trade association that represents a majority of U.S. breweries. “Beer drinkers

nationwide are responding positively to high-quality, full-flavored, diverse offerings from American craft brewing companies that continue to innovate and push the envelope.” A wide variety of events are planned for this year’s BBW. Boundary Bay Brewery, Chuckanut Brewery, and Elizabeth Station will be having Oktoberfest celebrations. There will be a slew of brewer nights and tap takeovers featuring breweries such as Ninkasi, Yakima, North Fork, Firestone Walker, Sierra Nevada, Elysian, Fremont and more. The Pickford Film Center’s Limelight Cinema will be showing “Beer Hunter: The Movie,” a documentary about the late beer and whiskey writer, Michael Jackson. Kulshan Brewery will host a Beer Trivia Night. Chuckanut Brewery and Village Books will be hosting author John Holl, who will talk about his new book, “The Craft Beer Cookbook,” along with a book signing. The Copper Hog’s lineup includes a game show, a Lager Off competition, and an IPA Challenge with a whopping 18 IPAs on tap. North Corner Brewing Supply will host a homebrew demonstration. There will also be many special-release beers available, including a collaboration beer by Kulshan, Chuckanut and Boundary Bay, which will be canned on Friday, September 20. Even more events are on the schedule and in the works. “It’s a very good time to be an American beer lover,” Gatza says. Indeed, it is. And it’s a very good time to be a beer lover in Bellingham. X To see a continually growing calendar of BBW events, visit BellinghamBeerWeek.com or Facebook.com/BellinghamBeerWeek.

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Fall 2013 | Mount Baker Experience

Cycling

Off Season Fitness ory And Photos By Sue Madsen Indoor cycling and core exercises.

t’s dark. It’s raining. It’s below 40° F. There are galeforce winds. Any one of those reasons makes it uninspiring to go out and ride your bike. Don’t despair – but don’t just hang up your cycling shorts until the spring either. I always look at the fall as the time for change, with emphasis on core training and switching gears to indoor training. To get better at cycling, you do need to cycle more. You use your body in a very specific way, with neuromuscular connections made to produce power for the physiological needs of pedaling a bike. But you won’t get stronger by going hard all the time. There is lots of wisdom to giving your body and mind a break, even from your beloved bicycle.

Cross-training: Get off your bike!

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Keeping fit: The dreaded indoor trainer

The best way to keep fit for cycling is to keep cycling. Other activities such as running will help, but it isn’t a 100 percent crossover. In cycling you use specific muscles in a specific pattern that is not exactly replicated by other activities. As much as I want to get outside and ride mid-week during the winter, it just doesn’t happen because of darkness, weather and work. Indoor cycling is the best way to keep your base level of fitness, or even improve it. Every hour of indoor training equals about 1.5 hours of outdoor riding. That’s because you get no rest on a trainer – no coasting, no drafting. Plan out a program of building and recovery throughout the winter to increase your level of fitness rather than lose it. If you want guidance, I really like the Carmichael DVDs, especially the “Progressive Power” series. If you want company, try attending spinning classes or a winter training camp.

After cycling all summer you have legs of steel, but your back hurts and you are still carrying your spare tube around your belly. Think about this – on g

o /bl

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on a run. Give yourself a change of pace and your body will thank you. If you can’t see getting off your bike, do something different with your bike – switch to trail riding or mountain biking and explore some of the world’s best trails on Galbraith and Chuckanut. Do cyclocross. Turn in your mountain bike for some road rides. Try a unicycle.

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Vital Climbing Gym Bellingham’s new hangout

Belly Zip Bicycle

Lie on your back with your lower back pressed to the ground. Pull down your belly like you are zipping up a tight pair of pants. Hold this belly position throughout the exercise. Rest your hands behind your head without pulling on your neck. Alternate bringing opposite elbow to knee as you “bicycle” kick. The key here is to stay controlled with a slower movement, around 70-80 repetitions per minute, keeping your belly zipped.

Belly Zip Hip Lift

Lie on your back with your hands under your hips, press your back to the floor and “zip in” your belly as above. Bring your legs to perpendicular (together and straight) so your feet are pointing to the ceiling. Keeping your belly zipped, lift (with control) your heels toward the ceiling and release back to the floor (with control). Your feet should not be flailing about – try to keep them perpendicular (do not use momentum for this move, just lift). If this is too tough, start in the same position and, instead of lifting, lower your straight legs to just above the floor and return them to perpendicular.

reasonable drive from both the North Cascades and the granite walls of Squamish, Bellingham is a popular home base for climbers. The only downside used to be a shortage of places to train during the long rainy season. With the addition of Vital Climbing Gym, open since July on North State Street, Bellingham climbers can now train all year long – and around the clock. Vital’s Bellingham location is the third such gym opened by owners Dave Sacher and Nam Phan. They opened the first Vital in Carlsbad, California in 2010. The laid-back vibe and unique founding principles of their first gym quickly caught on, and the two owners opened a second location in Murietta, California. Bellingham, with its sizable climbing community and lack of a dedicated climbing gym, was deemed a perfect location for Vital number three. The chosen space was once a Harley Davidson dealership. Construction crews removed most of the main floor, leaving a mezzanine looking out onto a two-story climber’s playground.

Back Builders

Photo by Kaili Koo

This exercise can be done on the floor, on a BOSU or stability ball, or in a pinch with a couple of pillows under your hips. Lie facing down on the floor and place your hands on your forehead with elbows out. Lift just your upper torso off the floor about 8 inches. Do not hyperextend your back by arching up further. Slow is the key – as you get stronger you can hold in the upper position for several counts. X For classes, videos and more information visit cyclemoles.com

continued on page 29

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a bike you are supported in a tripod position by the saddle, handlebars and pedals. This position depends on core strength but doesn’t build it. Your core is the foundation for all of the movement (and power) from your hips down. As you tire on the bike you might find that your hips seesaw on the saddle, your pedal stroke suffers, your lower back aches and you slow down through corners. Take charge of your core! You’ll want to focus on your innermost abdominal muscle (transverse abdominous) that acts like a stabilizing girdle around your torso; your twisting (rotational) muscles (obliques); and your lower back (multifidus and erector spinae). Here are four core exercises that will help you get stronger this fall and winter:

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Iso-Stabilized Plank

Lying on your belly, place your elbows directly under your shoulders and place your toes/balls of your feet on the floor. Now (this is key), before you rise into the plank position, contract all of the muscles in your legs and butt, then all the muscles in your core. Holding this fullbody contraction, lift into the plank position and hold for 7–10 seconds. Release and repeat.

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Fall 2013 | Mount Baker Experience

Photo by Neil Schulman

Carless Outings

Put the city behind you, without wasting gas.

ant to get away? The world beyond downtown is full of opportunities for adventure and relaxation, and you don’t even need a car to get there. Here are five trips that use public transportation and your own steam to escape the rat race and reconnect with nature.

From Vancouver Pacific Spirit Regional Park

Encompassing miles of beaches as well as an ecological reserve, Pacific Spirit Regional Park is a respite from the busy city. The park is located in the University of British Columbia’s endowment lands and has more than 73 km (45 miles) of walking/hiking trails. A significant proportion of the trails – 50 km (31 miles) – are multi-use trails open to cycling and horseback users as well. This is a dog-friendly park with both on- and off-leash areas. Dogs must be under control at all times. You’ll need to pick up after Spot does his business. There are 90 hectares (222 acres) set aside as a second-growth ecological reserve. The area is dedicated to forest research and is not open to the public. The trails are a real pleasure, regardless of your mode of transport. The trees reach high above you and once you leave the fringes of the park, the city noises disappear and you are alone with nature. Cedar, Hemlock and Maple trees predominate the park. The Lily Valley Trail takes you by huge stumps that loggers left in the early part of the 20th century. The Cleveland, Heron and Imperial trails are wheelchair accessible as is the park center on 16th Avenue. Feeling daring? The beaches from Acadia Beach at the north end to Trail 7 at the south end are clothing-optional. The famous Wreck Beach is located at the bottom of Trail 6. Getting here is pretty much a snap. UBC buses stop at many of the trailheads. Consult Translink (translink.ca) for routes and schedules.

The Grouse Grind

The name tells you all you need to know about this mother. Starting at the base of the Grouse Mountain Skyride, the trail climbs upwards for 2.9 km (1.8 miles) for a total elevation gain of 853 metres (2,800 feet). Each year more than 100,000 people ranging in age from kids to seniors climb the trail. First-time climbers should take about two hours to make it to the top; on average, it takes around 60-90 minutes. Feeling cocky? Sebastian Salas set the course record in 2010 with a time of 25:01. Leanne Johnson set the women’s record at 31:04 in 2007. This August, 18-year-old Oliver Bibby

Mount Baker Experience | Fall 2013

climbed the Grind 16 times in one day for charity, breaking the previous record of 15 climbs. Grouse Mountain officials actively discourage people from walking down the trail but for most people, paying $10 to take the Skyride gondola down is probably the best $10 they’ll ever spend. Don’t expect a lot of switchbacks – this trail is mostly up. There are 2,830 stairs ranging from rock to wood to root. You’d be well advised to wear boots to avoid ankle sprains, carry water and bring snacks. One or two trekking poles would be useful in taking weight off of your poor knees. This climb is intense – don’t do it if you’ve got a cardiac condition, bad knees or back or you’re in couch potato condition. A nice way to get there is to take the Seabus across Vancouver harbor and pick up the 236 Grouse Mountain bus. All in all, it only takes about 40 minutes to go from a water view to a mountain view.

Vancouver to Victoria by bike

This is a popular way to travel from Vancouver to Victoria, and is an easy day trip for sure depending upon your starting point. It’s possible to ride from downtown Vancouver to the Tsawwassen ferry terminal but it’s faster and easier to throw your bike onto the front of a bus. The 620 bus will drop you off at the terminal where you’ll buy your ticket. Personnel will instruct you how to board and secure your bike for the ferry ride. The ferry winds through the picturesque Gulf Islands to the Swartz Bay terminus on Vancouver Island. Once there, you’ll follow the signs for the Lochside Regional Trail. The Lochside Trail is a 29 km (18 miles) route that takes you through the farmlands of the Saanich Peninsula. Formerly a railroad route, the trail was created in 2001 and is popular both for commuting and recreation. Cyclists, runners, walkers, skateboarders and horseback riders all share the trail. The trail is mostly flat and paved with the exception of some graveled portions still suitable for skinny tires. At Switch Bridge the trail meets up with the Galloping Goose Trail, a 60 km (37 miles) long trail that goes from Victoria to Sooke on a former railroad track.

From Bellingham Camp at Lizard Lake

This overnight trip takes you up over 2,000-foot Blanchard Mountain – the only place where the Cascades meet the sea – to a lakeside campsite. A bicycle is your escape vehicle, and a tent is your home away from home.

Bike the Inter-urban Trail, which runs from Padden Lagoon on Harris Avenue in Fairhaven all the way to Larrabee State Park. It winds through hilly Arroyo Park along the way. Beyond that, it’s a flat and easy trail that follows a former railroad grade, with occasional water views. Continue four miles south down Chuckanut Drive to the Pacific Coast Trail. It’s a scenic ride, but be wary of speeding traffic on this narrow road, especially around curves. Stash your bike near the Pacific Coast Trailhead and hike 3.25 miles to Oyster Dome, the summit of Blanchard Mountain. The trail switchbacks up through fern forests for 1.5 miles to a signed junction at 1,100 feet. Head left on the Samish Bay Connection Trail. After another half mile, you’ll reach an intersection with Oyster Dome Trail and turn right. In a mile you’ll pass a trail heading left to the bat caves at the base of the summit dome. The caves are currently off limits, so stay on the main trail, which steepens for another 0.1 miles before reaching an intersection with the Rock Trail. Go left past old cables and logging relics, cross a creek and head up to the dome for amazing views of bays, islands and the distant Olympic Range. Head back down the Rock Trail, but continue straight instead of taking the Oyster Dome trail on your right. After 0.2 miles, you’ll reach Lizard Lake. There are obvious campsites just off trail with grated fire rings and seating. Set up camp and relax, or bust out your collapsible fishing rod to try your luck for lake trout. Lilly Lake, a short distance down the trail, has more campsites available. Leave no trace, and carry out everything you carry in.

Paddle to a Lummi Island Campsite

A major caveat to this “carless” trip is that you’ll need to get your kayak to the water. A call to Whatcom Transportation Authority confirmed that kayaks are not allowed on the bike racks on public buses (it was worth a shot, right?), but don’t let that stop you. Carless Ski to Sea teams have figured out many creative ways to tow canoes and kayaks behind their bikes. WIKE (wicycle.com) has a kayak trailer assembly for $180. Cheaper solutions have been made with a 2x4, a strap and the back wheels of an old tricycle. Get your kayak to Gooseberry Point, just north of the Lummi Island ferry terminal on Lummi Point. A beach makes it easy to launch your kayak. Paddle from Gooseberry Point to Lummi Island. Hale Passage, the mile-wide gap between Lummi Point and Lummi Island, produces strong tidal currents, so it’s important to time your trip during slack tide, when the tide is highest or lowest. Embark right at high tide to let the ensuing ebb tide pull you towards the island. Check the marine forecast and the tide chart. Also, ensure everyone in your group is capable of making the one-mile crossing and wears a personal flotation device. continued on page 36

MountBakerExperience.com

2013 Photo by Brad Walton | Galbraith Mountain

photo gallery

FALL

Photo by Jason Hummel | Eldorado Peak

Photo by Jason Hummel | Ruth Mountain

Photo by Paul Conrad | Mount Baker From Whatcom County

Photo by Paul Conrad | Twin Sisters Over Bellingham Bay

Photo by Kat Thorney | Baker Lake

Photo by Jefferson L. Morriss | Skyline Divide

Photo by Paul Conrad | Bellingham Bay

Photo by Brad Walton | Cleator Mountain

THE CHalET aT mT. BakEr A camp & retreat site for churches, schools, and non-profit groups

Restorative Adventures

y And Photos By Sue

A ministry of

Story By Brad Crescenzo, Photos by Micah Shanser

he beast let out a low and ominous moan as it dragged its feet toward me, inch by inch. Clawing at the air, the zombie reached for my face, and I realized I was not afraid. This may sound like something out of a Hollywood horror movie, but the scene unfolding is a thousand miles away from an LA sound stage. Restorative Adventures, a youth-based outdoor education company focused on stewardship and service, is launching their second “Surviving Half-Life” zombie-themed survival program. Restorative Adventures helps young people create self-confidence through nature-based programs that give them the tools to live with presence, awareness, connection and gratitude. By offering something challenging for youth other than video games and sports, the program aims to attract young people who wouldn’t otherwise be interested in an outdoor program. Students learn to make fire by friction, observe their surroundings, understand birdcalls, carve bows, track animals and share stories around a campfire. The program culminates in a two-day scenario challenge weekend when participants put their skills to the test and try to survive the Zombie Apocalypse. If evading zombies in a postapocalyptic wasteland isn’t for you, Restorative Adventures offers a number of other less fantastical programs for the more conventional wilderness enthusiast. Over the course of the next nine months, Restorative Adventures will host an all-ages skillshare program with affordable classes including bow making, archery, basketry, permaculture, animal processing and foraging of wild edibles. Starting in early spring, Restorative Adventures is offering a collaborative Source-to-Sea program for veterans living with post traumatic stress disorder. This is the brainchild of Restorative Adventures’ co-founder Bonnie Fischnaller. It will be run

Helping teens build self-confidence through nature based programs in collaboration with John Minier of Mt. Baker Guides and Sarah Pernick of Adventure Cascades. The group will be led to the summit of Mt. Baker via the Easton glacier, and descend the Coleman Deming glacier. The group will then meet with Adventure Cascades to raft and canoe the Nooksack River to the bay, and then head back to Bellingham. The group will work with Tim Burnett, the director at Mindfulness Northwest. Tim will offer guidance in the practice of mindfulness in order to help provide a strong framework of spiritual and emotional support for the participants. In the past, Tim has worked with veterans at the

U.S. Department of Veteran Affairs in Seattle. Restorative Adventures is also offering a sacred hunting program. This donation-based immersion course began in April 2013 and will be running throughout the year. The course teaches indigenous wilderness skills and focuses on connecting with nature on a spiritual level in order to obtain a greater awareness of the environment. Visit restorativeadventures.com to learn more, or email Micah Shanser at mshanser@gmail.com X

• Accommodates 40-100 people • 1/3 of a mile from the lifts at Mt. Baker Ski Area • Launching point for trails in Heather Meadows and the Mt. Baker Wilderness

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6476 Mt. Baker HWy., at kendall Fall 2013 | Mount Baker Experience

Climbing Story and photos By John Minier

Labor Intensive L

abor Day is an interesting holiday. Originally, it was meant to be an exhibition of the strength and esprit de corps of the trade and labor organizations. Essentially, it was a holiday to celebrate the power and contributions of America’s workers and their families. Ironically, it was adopted nationally in 1894, a mere six days after the U.S. military crushed the Pullman Strike, which pitted the American Railway Union against its owners and resulted in the deaths of numerous railway workers. In many ways, Labor Day was a government’s apology to its workers. However, like many holidays, the original intent of Labor Day has lost its significance, and most of us simply look forward to our three-day weekend. With fall looming, we take to the countryside to enjoy the last bit of summer before the days become short and the mornings crisp. The problem with Labor Day, or any national holiday for that matter, is that most everyone gets the day off. The one thing you can be sure of is that anywhere you go will be packed with people looking to get away from people. The solution: Don’t go anywhere.

“Why don’t we hang around here this weekend,” Jenni suggests. “It woul be nice to do some rock climbing,. “Maybe Mt. Erie,” I added. If there’s one thing we have learned, it’s that nobody goes to Mt. Erie for their three-day weekend. After discussing several options, we finally decided that it would be nice to get out and do something new in the area. It’s at this point that Jenni dives into any adventure, scouring Internet forums and guidebooks to hunt down that obscure, elusive, rewarding weekend marathon. Don’t have three days? Do it in two. Don’t have two days? Do it in one. All I know is that we’re inevitably going to do something, and it’s probably going to involve a lot of hiking and bushwhacking. “I want to go to the mountains!” has become our Friday evening rallying cry. “Check this out!” Jenni comes running up to me with The Becky Book. “It’s called the Mythic Wall and it’s right here in our backyard … it’s over 1,000 feet!” Skeptical, I grab the book from her to flesh out Fred Becky’s always-too brief description: “This is a 1,400 foot east facing wall, located on the north flank of Green Creek, about 1.5 miles northeast of South Twin Sister.” Visions of choss piles dance through my head. Becky continues with the approach beta: “Ford the river on log jams and pick up the trail downstream … Traverse up valley (some brush) to Green Creek.” “Yep, that’ll do ‘er,” I said. “We aren’t going to see anyone out there.” Twelve hours later we’re standing in the middle of a blueberry thicket with full packs of climbing equipment. I’ve got a couple of GPS waypoints and a photocopied route description, but for the most part, these are proving useless. There’s something to be said for winging it. Sometimes you don’t

With fall looming, we take to the countryside to enjoy the last bit of summer before the days become short and the mornings crisp. The problem with Labor Day, or any national holiday for that matter, is that most everyone gets the day off. The one thing you can be sure of is that anywhere you go will be packed with people looking to get away from people.

Mount Baker Experience | Fall 2013

MountBakerExperience.com

need an elaborate tour plan or climbing topo. In fact, sometimes they’re a hindrance. Sometimes you just need to go have a look and see what adventure you can find. Sometimes … For the most part, the description of “some brush” is spot on. The Green Creek Valley is a remote corner of the Twin Sister Range, and probably one of the wildest spots in Whatcom County. After setting a waypoint at our last switchback on the Elbow Lake Trail, we descended into the mass of vegetation. If I had to imagine the island in the Lord of the Flies, I would suspect it looks something like the Green Creek Valley. I often wondered why they sold machetes at the Bellingham REI. Now I know. After several hours of bushwhacking, and with bellies full of blueberries, we emerged into the upper Green Creek drainage. Sure enough, the Mythical Bellingham Big Wall does indeed exist. Like a sentinel, it rises a thousand feet to stand guard over Green Creek. It is nothing if not awesome. Jenni and I race towards the base as my general enthusiasm morphs into a burning desire to climb this beast. By the time we get to the wall it’s late morning. Apprehension begins to eat away at my insides. We still have a lot of rock to climb and not a ton of daylight to burn. The hours aren’t adding up in my head, but I’m past the point of caring. I want to climb this thing bad. This was never meant to be a recon mission, and neither of us is going home without at least pulling the rope out of our packs. Our intention was to climb the Mythic Wall itself, which is the cleanest, steepest route on the formation, but the start of the route is proving elusive. After a classic male-female conversation, we decide to climb an adjacent route known as the Evil Twin Arête – 1,000 feet of rock we know absolutely nothing about. The rock in the Twin Sisters Range might be the most interesting I have ever climbed on. It is an ultramafic variety

called dunite that contains one of the world’s largest deposits of Olivine. Basically this translates to really sharp rock – like cheese grater sharp. Climbing shoes love it, but fingers not so much. So far it seemed relatively solid as well. Sure, the giant pile of talus at the base had to come from somewhere. But the first few hundred feet of climbing looked pretty good. Jenni and I tied into the rope and I looked up at the sea of rock above us. “On belay?” Pitch after pitch passed us by. This was real adventure climbing. No topo or route description, just a couple of cracks to choose from on each section. Pick one and go. Sometimes the climbing was hard, sometimes it wasn’t, but in general it was no cakewalk. The hardest part was not knowing what was above. So far I was handling what was in front of me. By pitch six we were committed, up was down at this point, as there was no way we were going to try and rappel down some of what we came up – and then we arrived at the choss, or really crumbly, low quality rock. “What’s going on up there,” Jenni yelled up. I wasn’t sure how to explain to her the concept of portable climbing holds. “Kind of loose up here,” I shouted back – understatement of the century. I was 700 feet up, clinging to a pile of vertical, 5.8 kitty litter. “So this is where the giant talus field came from,” I thought to myself. I commenced a delicate dance of shifting my weight to and fro, brushing dirt off of various holds here and there until I finally found something (sort of) attached to the wall. Fortunately for Jenni there was the odd massive detached block that served as a relatively comforting belay anchor. I belayed her up. “Wow, that was kind of sketchy,” she said. “Yes. Yes, it was.” Several more hundred feet of crumbly climbing brought us to, well, “nowhere in particular” as the first ascentionist quipped. Pulling over the top of the arête, we found ourselves

on a broad ridge stretching west up towards South Twin Sister. To the east, Baker loomed large behind the formidable Black Buttes. “Quite the setting,” I thought to myself. “Quite the climb,” I said to Jenni. “Now, how the hell do we get down?” I guess part of me was just really hoping that we would get to the top and there would be a perfect descent gully to the east, equipped with little cairns, stairs and maybe a sandwich stand. Thirty minutes of recon yielded no such luck. The other alternative was to follow the ridge west to the Green Creek Arête, and down climb 1,400 feet – also not appealing. Hiking north seemed reasonable if we wanted to sacrifice our packs at the base. Jenni looked up at me with big, sad, doe eyes. “We’re going to have to rappel, aren’t we?” she said. As it turns out, the Evil Twin Arête is just as exciting going down as it is going up. Fortunately I always pack some emergency webbing when tackling anything in the Becky books, and the occasional massive blocks served as pretty good rap anchors. We arrived at the base unscathed, and with a little daylight to spare. Rifling through my pack I realized that my headlamp was not where I thought it was, nor were my climbing shoes, which I must have left on top of the ridge. Given its popularity, they’re probably still there. We descended the other side of Green Creek through the jungle thinking somehow that would be better. Again, machetes… why didn’t we have them? My waypoint served us well. For the first time all day we had an idea of where we might be going. We arrived at the car 13 hours after our departure, with brush-whipped faces, blueberry-stained clothes and a whole new definition for the phrase “Labor Day.” Oh, and we didn’t see a single person. Imagine that. X

Fall 2013 | Mount Baker Experience

Horseback Riding

Earning your spurs A Deming ranch offers introductory horseback riding Story and photos By Steve Guntli

he Pacific Northwest is rich in horseback riding trails. Dozens of them, from gentle lowlands to treacherous mountain paths, can be found all around the Mt. Baker area, giving equestrians tons of opportunities for a memorable excursion into the wilderness. Of course, this comes with the notable caveat that you have to own a horse. That doesn’t mean wannabe horsemen should hang up their spurs in defeat. The options for beginners may be few, but they do exist.

On July 30, Sheli Siguaw stood in the center of an indoor arena, calmly calling out encouragement to her young students over the din of hoofs, whinnies and preteen giggles. Siguaw manages Van Zandt Equine, a small ranch off Highway 9 just outside of Deming. She has been teaching riding lessons for 13 years, but has been working with horses since she was 5 years old. Siguaw was in the middle of leading a day camp for her Level 2 students – girls who have some basic understanding of horseback riding. Her top-level students are expected to break their own horses and train them themselves. “I have the best job in the world,” Siguaw says with a smile. “I get to work with horses and kids all day. Sometimes I’m worn out by the end of the day, but it keeps me young.” Van Zandt Equine is the only place in the Mt. Baker area that provides guided trail rides to absolute beginners. Siguaw primarily works with young children, but takes about three or four groups of adults and children trail riding each month, with destinations designed to accommodate all skill levels. “We had a girl once who’d never been on a horse – had never even petted a dog,” she said. Even in the confines of an arena, the raw power of these animals is remarkable. As they move around the enclosed space, you can see the muscles straining beneath their smooth coats, hear them snorting and huffing impatiently to go faster, literally chomping at the bit. That this is a riding lesson for elementary school-aged girls doesn’t matter; these horses were born for speed. It’s easy to be intimidated, but Siguaw gives beginners the basics and gets them out on an easy trail on day one. A beginner’s lesson can be done in a few hours. For starters, Siguaw recommends always wearing long pants (feeling ‘saddle-sore’ is not just an empty expression). Van Zandt can provide riding boots and helmets for those who don’t have their own. Siguaw said the most important thing for amateurs is matching the rider to the right horse. “Horses’ personalities vary greatly,” she said. “You’ve just got to find that nice, mellow horse that doesn’t mind the general public giving them mixed directions.” Siguaw will then take amateurs into the arena for basic lessons on how to control the animals before loading the horses into trailers and taking them out to their chosen destination.

The most popular spot for beginners s Heady Road, a small road about 15 miles north of Deming that features varied terrain and beautiful scenery. Van Zandt keeps about a dozen horses available, each of which have a minuimum five to 10 years’ experience as riding animals. Guided trail rides typically take around 1–4 hours – “not enough to kill yourself, but enough so you’ll be feeling it by the end of the day,” Siguaw said. Trail riding can be hazardous, especially for beginners. Low-hanging branches can snatch inattentive riders off their saddles. After river crossings, horses will occasionally attempt to dry themselves on patches of sand with the rider still on its back, which is why Siguaw teaches her students how to quickly dismount a moving horse. Bears or mountain lions are something else to consider although Siguaw has never had a problem. “I’d say we typically have far fewer hazards and falls on trail rides than we do in lessons,” she said, a fact illustrated later that day in the arena, when a galloping horse came within inches of colliding with a teenage instructor standing on the ground. Shawn Ellars, mother to two of Siguaw’s students, has seen students knocked silly after falls in the arena. “Sheli handles things extremely well,” she said. “She knew just what to do and got her student right back up on that horse.” The Van Zandt horses are mellow enough to defuse most potential disasters. Siguaw recalled a near-incident when a rider grabbed a long, billowy plastic raincoat from his saddlebag mid-ride and started flapping it loudly without warning. “Luckily he was on my horse that I carry flags on all the time, so she just keeps walking along, but I’m having a heart attack,” she said. “But it was fine. The biggest hazard is just supervising people close enough so they’re not being silly.” Bill McKenna owns the Winter Creek Bed and Breakfast in Glacier, and provides lodgings for both people and horses. While his insurance liability prevents him from charging his guests for guided trail rides, he has been known to ride out with them if they request it, and he relies on Van Zandt to ensure that the riders who come through are up to the task. “Sheli’s great,” McKenna said. “She works with a lot of horses. She trained my horses; she trained me.” The mild weather allows Siguaw to host trail rides yearround, though the business slows down in the winter to one ride every month, or sometimes every other month. Van Zandt Equine charges $35 per person per hour for guided trail rides. Aspiring equestrians can visit Van Zandt’s website, vzeequine.wix.com, for more information. X

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Mount Baker Experience | Fall 2013

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FALL

Trail-riding opportunities

While Van Zandt Equine might be an aspiring cowpoke’s only Whatcom County option, there are plenty of venues in southern B.C., and one in Skagit County.

Back in the Saddle Again

20722 4th Avenue, Langley, B.C. Takes patrons through the groomed equestrian trails of Campbell Valley Park. $40/ person for a one-hour ride, $70/person for a two-hour ride. backinthesaddle.ca

gear guide 2013

K2 Pinnacle 110 Italian-made, the Pinnacle 110 is an exceptional all-mountain and touring boot. Noel at Sportsman Chalet describes it as “pretty cool,” pointing out it is rivet-free but has a walk mode for backcountry touring. They also feature replaceable outsoles. Exclusive to Sportsman Chalet.

Therm-a-Rest Altair Sleeping Bag Therm-a-Rest NeoAir Dream A washable microfleece shell contains a custom NeoAir mattress which can be removed for lightweight trips. An R-value of 6, this four-inch mattress keeps you up and away from the cold. Weight: 3 lb. 12 oz.

Winter is coming and this 2 lb, 7 oz bag is what you’ll need for your winter backcountry treks. 750+ goose down fill is rated for use in 0ºF temps. Integral straps hold Therm-a-Rest NeoAir mattresses which stops you from rolling off the mattress in the middle of the night.

Glen Valley Stables

8045 252nd Street, Langely, B.C. Experienced cowboy Gene Park has guided all across B.C. Glen Valley Stables asks $40/person for an hour ride, and $70/person for a two hour ride. glenvalleystables.com

Tuskast Icelandic Horse Farm

Dynafit Cho Oyu Thierry at Fairhaven Bike and Ski is hot for Dynafit skis and boots this season. The Cho Oyu is versatile enough that it can be used all-mountain as well as in the backcountry. A little narrower than usual, it’s super light-weight, an attribute you’ll appreciate on the long approach.

39170 Old Yale Rd, Abbotsford, B.C. Specializes in breeding and training Icelandic horses. Packages range from $75$150/person. Visitors can rent a room at the farm’s bed and breakfast. tuskast.com

Helly Hansen Verglas Hybrid Down Insulator A 700 fill goose down, the Verglas is also windproof. Hip length, it features side stretch panels and back drop. Sturdy YKK zipper as well.

Langley 204 Riding Stables

543 204th Street, Langley, B.C. A family-owned and operated ranch in Langley. Rank amateurs looking for a one-off ride can sign up for a one-hour lesson and onehour trail ride for $79.99. langley204.com

Lang’s Horse and Pony Farm

21463 Little Mountain Road, Mount Vernon, WA features a popular mountain trail ride, with a beautiful view of the Skagit Valley. Rates from $10–65/person. comeride.com

Women’s Marstand Shirt This classic checked flannel cotton shirt will keep you all cozy by the fire during fall camping trips.

Dynafit TLT6 Ski Boot The TLT6 is an evolution from the TLT5 but without be local, buy local. the toe buckle and flexible sole. Crampon-compatible, We encourage you to support your this boot gets you to the backcountry and local retailers. These fall items and more down the groomers, says Thierry, can be found at American Alpine Institute, in a boot width that should Backcountry Essentials, Fairhaven Bike & Ski, Helly Hansen, Hidden Wave Boardshop, LFS Marine make it warmer and & Outdoor, Mountain Equipment Co-op, REI, Sportsman easier to fit. Chalet, Valhalla Pure Outfitters, Yeager’s Sporting Goods and other quality retailers in Washington and British Columbia.

Fall 2013 | Mount Baker Experience

Nature & Art

Vanishing Ice

Whatcom Museum’s exhibition on frozen landscapes

Camille Seaman / Shinnecock tribe, b. 1969 Grand Pinnacle Iceberg, East Greenland, from the Last Iceberg, 2006 Ultrachrome archival inkjet print / 26 x 80 in. (66.04 x 203.2 cm) Courtesy of the artist and Richard Heller Gallery, Santa Monica

Story By Ian Ferguson

hether it flows slowly down a mountainside or coats an entire continent a mile deep, ice is visually striking. For centuries, artists have tried to capture the elusive beauty of ice – blue-green translucence, whimsical melted forms, transformative immensity. They have traveled to extreme environments in the mountains or at the poles to paint, draw, photograph and film ice-covered landscapes. The scope of their work has broadened human understanding of our planet from a scientific perspective, as glaciers have become the barometers for the global biosphere. An exhibition opening in November at the Whatcom Museum will showcase the confluence of science, culture and art in ice-covered landscapes. Called “Vanishing Ice,” the five-month exhibition highlights the cultural value of the frozen environment in the face of climate change, but as curator of art Barbara Matilsky pointed out, climate change is not the main focus. “It’s more about the beauty of the ice and its effect on the history of art, culture and the collective consciousness,” Matilsky said. The exhibition spans centuries, continents and styles – from William Bradford’s arctic paintings in 1867, to Frank Hurley’s photographs of the Endurance caught in Antarctic sea ice, to contemporary films, photographs, paintings and sculptures of alpine glaciers. More than 90 pieces of artwork have been selected, and curators and exhibition designers are busy working out the flow of the gallery. “It’s broken down thematically, geographically and chronologically,” Matilsky said. “You’ll enter the gallery and see the mountains, then move on to the arctic and Antarctic sections.”

While showcasing the art, Vanishing Ice will also present layers of information in a variety of media to help visitors grasp the history of alpine and polar regions and their significance for Western culture. Additional components of the exhibition include a 144-page catalogue, circulated by the University of Washington Press, and a website. Beyond the exhibition, Vanishing Ice aims to become a community-wide forum. Organizations from Seattle to Bellingham are partnering with Whatcom Museum to extend its reach. Some 25 environmental, arts and business organizations have signed on to offer climate- and ice-inspired programs over the course of the exhibition. “The whole community has rallied behind the idea,” Matilsky said. Since Washington has more glaciers than any other U.S. state except for Alaska, Bellingham is an appropriate venue for the exhibition. A section of the gallery will be devoted to Washington, featuring local artists such as John Scurlock, whose image comparing Easton Glacier on Mt. Baker in 2012 to a similar image from decades earlier was the inspiration for the Mount Baker Experience spring 2013 article “Glacial Retreat.” Matilsky first began work on an exhibition about frozen landscapes in 2005. “I wrote my doctoral dissertation on French landscape painters, and studied artists who went to the poles and the mountain glaciers for inspiration. Later I came across contemporary artists who were going to the same places, and I saw the opportunity to compare the historical with the contemporary,” Matilsky said. She began compiling a list of artists whose work focuses on icy landscapes, and it

quickly became apparent that ice has played a monumental role in shaping Western consciousness about nature. The task of compiling examples of that influence from around the globe has been similarly monumental. “You have to get loans for every work, then figure out insurance, shipping, design, layout, the amount of space needed and how it will be displayed. It’s very complex,” Matilsky said. The results are far-reaching. The works portray not only frozen landscapes, but also the wildlife affected by those landscapes and, significantly, the human relationship to those environments, including those of northern native peoples. While the exhibit clearly displays the amount of melting that has occurred over the last two centuries, “it’s not a didactic show that hits you over the head with climate change,” Matilsky said. “It’s about the human connection to the ice, and how losing these landscapes would be a loss not only for the environment and wildlife, but also a major loss to culture.” X

Vanishing Ice Exhibition November 3 - March 2

Lightcatcher Building 205 Flora St. • Bellingham Admission is free for members, $10 for adults, $8 for students/military/seniors, $4.50 for children 2–5 years old and free for children under 2. Admission will be free for all on Friday, December 6 and Friday, February 7 as a part of the Downtown Bellingham Art Walks. For more information, visit whatcommuseum.org Above: Lawren Harris / Canadian, 1885–1970 / Isolation Peak, Rocky Mountains, 1930 / Oil on canvas / Hart House Permanent Collection, University of Toronto, Purchased by the Art Committee with income from the Harold and Murray Wrong Memorial Fund, 1946 Left: Olaf Otto Becker / German, b. 1959 / River 2, 07, Position 1, Greenland Icecap, Melting area, Altitude 931m, 2008 / Archival pigment print on Hahnemuhle Photo Rag / Courtesy of the artist

MountBakerExperience.com

continued from page 17

Vital is open 24-hours to people who buy a membership. Non-members can climb during business hours from 11 a.m. to 9 p.m. for $10 per day, but members can also key in after hours to climb unsupervised. They can choose their own music to play over the speakers, stay as long as they like and even bring a non-member friend, as long as they put the $10 day pass fee in the collection slot. Vital is a bouldering gym, meaning the walls are short (16 feet) and the ground is padded so climbers don’t need ropes or harnesses. Participants can climb safely without supervision, but Vital employees have to trust that members aren’t

trashing the place or letting in freeloaders. So far, Bellingham climbers have followed the honor system and then some, according to manager Kaili Koo. “The owners have been kind of blown away by how supportive the climbing community is here,” she said. A quick glance around the gym reveals the diversity of Bellingham’s climbing ecosystem. Just as a watering hole in the African savannah attracts a wide array of species, Vital has attracted a mix of people. There are sport climbers and boulderers from Western Washington University, weekend warriors who trade office desks for Squamish granite, kids of

all ages discovering the sport (parents, too), random people stopping in to try something new, grizzled alpine climbers and local guides all sharing wall space. Casey O’Brien, a guide for American Alpine Institute, said Vital makes it possible for all those groups to meet up. “It’s a common place for climbers from all the different communities in town to mix and mingle,” he said. “It’s a great space to hang out with friends, climb and meet new people.” Vital Climbing Gym - Bellingham is located at 1421 N. State Street. For more information visit vitalclimbinggym. com/Bellingham X Family owned and operated

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WE NEED VACATION HOMES!

Visit us online to find more events in your area!

Glacier and Maple Falls homeowners: are you looking for ways to off-set the debt service on your 2nd home? Consider placing your vacation property in the Mt. Baker Lodging vacation rental program.

Mt. Baker Lodging offers a full-service “turn-key” program that combines extensive marketing with reservation procurement and professional housekeeping services, providing you with hassle-free rental income that assists in reducing the debt service associated with owning and maintaining a second home. Our Clients enjoy peace-of-mind while working with the Mt. Baker area’s oldest, largest and most established vacation rental agency. Mt. Baker Lodging provides friendly and knowledgeable personnel in a fully staffed local area office, utilizing a direct hands-on approach to managing the properties that we represent. Our Clients also have the flexibility of utilizing their homes for personal use between rental occasions. It’s a win/win!

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reservations@mtbakerlodging.com Fall 2013 | Mount Baker Experience

FAll into Bike Fashion Photos by Brandy Kiger Shreve off to Work

If you think Lycra is a requirement for bicycling, think again. Gone are the days of the serious cyclist being clad solely in funky spandex shorts, unattractive helmets and padded bike shorts. Today’s serious bicyclist is out on the town, commuting from home to work and off to date night, and looking stylish in the meantime. We’ve worked with EverybodyBIKE and local vendors to highlight some fashionable cycling clothes and accessories that will get you where you need to go and still look awesome. X

Commuting can be a hassle when you have to carry a backpack and a purse, but you need to keep your paperwork clean and crisp. Our solution? A wire basket on the front and a set of Linus Market bags will do the trick.

rainy Day Ride A Rockin’ Noggins helmet cover features a wide brim and fleecelined earflaps to keep you warm on the way.

Gearing Up to Play Adding a rack to your rear wheel can help you get where you’re going with hands- and backpack-free travel. This riding cape from Cleverhood, features an electric houndstooth design, waterproofing and reflective threading sewn into the material, so you’re safe and dry even in the stormiest weather.

A day in the Park

A skirt guard, like the built-in version featured on this Trek Cocoa bike from Kulshan Cycles in Bellingham, will keep your favorite skirts from being sacrificed to your bike’s spokes and chain.

Mount Baker Experience | Fall 2013

MountBakerExperience.com

2013

AUTUMN

bike events

Paint the town red A step-through bike such as this red Linus from Kulshan Cycles, with its lowered frame makes hopping on your bike while wearing a skirt or dress a breeze.

As Summer gives way to gorgeous Autumn days—join us on these easy, social bike rides.

Hot date? A black Nuu-Muu dress paired with a reflector-lined riding coat from Seattle-based Hub & Bespoke will keep you classy, warm and safe as you pedal your way to dinner and a movie.

SATURDAY, SEPTEMBER 7: Family Ride

Sweet Treats & Story Time 1pm at Elizabeth Park Bellingham.

SATURDAY, SEPTEMBER 14:

Community Garden Ride, Short & Sweet Meet at 11am at Faith Lutheran Church (2750 McLeod Street, Bellingham).

SATURDAY, SEPTEMBER 14:

Community Garden Ride, Scenic Model: Kara Furr | Vendor Information: Earl’s Bike Shop (earlsbicycle.com), Kulshan Cycles (kulshancycles.com), Nuu-muu (nuu-muu.com), Logan Trunk Bag (pocampo.com), Mi Shoes (mymishoes.com), Cleverhood (cleverhood.com), Peterboro basket (peterborobasket.com), Rockin’ Noggins (rockinnoggins.com), Hub & Bespoke (hubandbespoke.com)

Meet at 11am at the Farmers Market (1100 Railroad Ave), near the goat cart statue.

SATURDAY, SEPTEMBER 28:

Arbor Day Ride

Meet at 1pm at Elizabeth Park, Bellingham.

SUNDAY, OCTOBER 6:

Haxton Trail Ride

Meet at 1pm, corner of Slater and Haxton.

a Sample of Skagit! Book your overnight getaway at the Hampton Inn & Suites in Burlington and get a cooking class for two at Gretchen’s Kitchen that includes wine tasting from Tulip Valley Winery!

Ask for our special “Sample Skagit” Package

A bottle of wine with chocolates will be waiting for you upon arrival. • Free hot breakfast daily • Free Wi-Fi • Swimming pool & spa • Exercise & meeting rooms

SUNDAY, OCTOBER 13:

4th Annual Bellingham Tweed Ride

Local, fresh, fun!

Meet at Maritime Heritage Park (500 W. Holly Street, Bellingham) around 12:30pm. The ride will leave promptly at 1:00pm

WEDNESDAY, NOVEMBER 13:

Bicycle Travel Series: Southern France & Burma 7pm, Whatcom Middle School Auditorium. Check website for updates.

FRIDAY, DECEMBER 6:

Superhero Lighted Bike Parade

Meet at 6pm at the Bellingham Public Market on Cornwall Avenue.

Friendly, clean and comfortable, every time!

For details, updates and more,

Hilton Honors® Points & miles with every stay, no blackout dates.

call 671-BIKE or visit:

Exit ReseRvations: www.burlingtonsuites.hamptoninn.com 229 360/757-7100 ask for the special “sample skagit” Package!

1860 S. Burlington Blvd. • Burlington, WA 98233

Fall 2013 | Mount Baker Experience

EVENTS - Find more events and submit your own at mountbakerexperience.com August 5Point Film Festival “On the Road”: August 29, Bellingham. Outdoor film festival and celebration of mountain/adventure sports at Depot Market Square. Info: 5pointfilm.org/events Lake Padden Relay: August 31, Lake Padden. A 4-person 2.6-mile or individual 10.35-mile run. Race starts at 10 a.m. Info: gbrc.net Lummi Island artists’ studio tour: August 31, Lummi Island. Paintings, drawings, prints, pottery, jewelry, photography, sculpture, woodwork and more. 25+ artists at 15+ locations. Balloons mark each location. Info: lummi-island.com Mt. Baker Car Show and Rod Run: August 31, Maple Falls. Open to all classic cars and trucks, restorations, hot rods, muscle cars, customs, rat rods, pro mods, low riders, pro street, pro touring and sports cars. Info: mtbakercarshow. com

September Skagit River Salmon Festival: September 7, Mount Vernon. A celebration of salmon featuring music, local artisans, kids’ arts and

crafts and a beer and wine garden. Info visitskagitvalley.com

season. Donations accepted. Info: nooksacknordicskiclub.org

Car Camping at Hart’s Pass: September 13–15, Mazama. Car camping at 6,000 feet, with scenic hikes on Pacific Crest and other trails. Info: mountbakerclub.org

Fraser Valley Cork & Keg Wine, Beer and Food Festival: September 20, Langley, B.C. Showcase of local and international wines, beer and delicacies. Info: corkandkeg.ca

Fairhaven Runners Waterfront 15k: September 14, Fairhaven. A well-staffed course for runners and walkers traversing Bellingham Bay’s beautiful waterfront, beginning and ending at Village Green. Info: cob.org/ services/recreation/races Whatcom County Farm Tour: September 14, Whatcom County. Find exciting educational and interactive activities at each of 12 stops. More info: eatlocalfirst.org Chuckanut Century: September 15, Bellingham. Bicycle rides of varying distance (25, 50, 62, 100 and 124 miles) through the Chuckanut Mountains. Info: mtbakerclub.org Nooksack Nordic Ski Club Potluck: September 19, Bellingham. Bring a dish to share and get your cross-country skis waxed for the upcoming

Bellingham Traverse: September 21, Bellingham. A multisport race celebrating the lifecycle of wild salmon. Relay teams or solo challengers race through a rugged course highlighting Bellingham’s parks, trails, roads and bay. Info: recreationnorthwest.org Lake Samish Salmon Roe: September 21, Lake Samish. A 6-mile row across Lake Samish and back. Info: soundrowers.org/ salmonroe Tour de Whidbey: September 21, Whidbey Island. 30-, 40-, 50- and 100-mile bicycle routes around Whidbey Island, starting in Oak Harbor. Info: whidbeygen.org Campbell Valley Wine Run: September 22, Vancouver. A 14k run through Metro Vancouver’s Campbell Valley Park with stops at neighboring park wineries. Info: peninsularunners.com

October Heritage Apple Day: October 5, Langley, B.C. Taste many different varieties of local apples. Local artists and fiddlers. Kids can try their hand at farm chores and oldfashioned games. Info: tourismlangley.ca

Cascade Cross Series #1: October 5–6, Bellingham. A weekend cyclocross festival, with races for all ages and abilities. Info: cascadecross.com

Grape Stomp: October 27, Langley, B.C. Teams of six race to fill a half-case of wine. Live music and BBQ. Info: township7.com/ events

Nooksack River Slalom: October 5–6, Glacier. A slalom whitewater kayak race on the Nooksack. Info: nwwhitewater.org

Snow Show: October 2526, Vancouver. Sports and entertainment trade show. The latest technology, ski swap, etc. Info: vancouversnowshow.com

Free Friday Sailing: October 11, Bellingham. Sail aboard “The Coot,” a traditional wooden sailboat, to see the Alaskan Ferry off on its voyage northward. No fee, but donations of $5–20 are appreciated. Info: boatingcenter.org Fort Langley Cranberry Festival: October 12, Fort Langley, B.C. The only cranberry festival in B.C. is free, and draws about 50,000 visitors every year. Info: fortlangley.com Klicks Duathlon at Lake Padden: October 13, Bellingham. Hop on the mountain bike for a 4-mile ride, then run 2.6 miles to the finish line. Free YMCA youth duathlon to follow adult races. Info: cob.org/services/recreation/races Lake Padden Trail Half: October 19, Lake Padden. A half-marathon trail run through the dense woods around Lake Padden. Proceeds benefit Rebound of Whatcom County, a charity for local children. Info: lakepaddentrailhalf.com Whatcom Mountain Bike Coalition’s Third Annual Shoot the Trails Awards: October 19, Bellingham. Video and photography contest, prize raffle, local beer. Info: whimpsmtb.org

Lummi Island Artists' Studio Tour 2013

Aug. 31 & Sept. 1 • 10am to 6pm Nov. 9 & 10 • 10am to 5pm 25+ Artists at 15 locations!

Paintings, drawings, prints, pottery, jewelry, photography, sculpture, woodwork, leatherwork, notecards, glass, metalwork, stonework, quilts, clothing, knitwear, and more! I-5, exit 260, west on Slater, left on Haxton to ferry dock, 8 min ferry ride leaves at ten past every hour. $13/car & driver, $7/person, $7/bicycle & rider (round trip). Accompanied children under 12 free!

360-758-7121 • 360-758-2815 visit lummi-island.com or find us on Facebook Balloons mark each location!

Mount Baker Experience | Fall 2013

November Allied Arts Juried Artist Series – Nature Walk: November 1, Bellingham. This show highlights the different aspects of humanity and the beauty of nature through several mediums. Info: alliedarts.org Vanishing Ice: November 3, Bellingham. Vanishing Ice introduces the rich artistic legacy of the planet’s frozen frontiers now threatened by climate change. Info: whatcommuseum.org Warren Miller’s Ticket to Ride: November 8, Bellingham. Take a ride to the world’s wildest terrain with professional skiers and snowboarders in Warren Miller Entertainments 64th feature film, premiering at Mount Baker Theatre. Info: warrenmiller.com Ski Dazzle: November 8–10, Seattle. Seattle ski and snowboard show. Info: skidazzle.com Lummi Island artists’ studio tour: November 9–10, Lummi Island. Paintings, drawings, prints, pottery, jewelry, photography, sculpture, woodwork and much more. 25+ artists at 15+ locations. Balloons mark each location. Info: lummi-island.com Maple Falls Short Film Festival: November 10, 17 and 24, Maple Falls. Award-winning films from the Louisiana Bayou to the Basque Region of Spain will be shown at Maple Falls Town Hall, on the corner of Mt. Baker Highway and Silver Lake Road. Donations accepted. Skagit Wine and Beer Festival: November 16, Mount Vernon. Wine and beer tastings, food, chocolate and cheese samplings, VIP lounge, souvenir glass and on-site store. Info: mountvernonchamber.com New Balance Fall Classic: November 17, Vancouver. A lateseason Half marathon and 10k with amazing routes and a great post-race atmosphere. More info: fallclassicrun.com

MountBakerExperience.com

Billee, raider and mule When building trails goes wrong Story By Tom Davis, with erik burge

t was a wet and misty morning in August 1985 when the Mt. Baker Ranger District trail crew assembled at Tomyhoi Lake trailhead to meet Bill, the packer. Our bossman, Scott Paul, a chain-smoking, passionate defender of wilderness and trails, had hired Bill to haul the crew’s food and gear three miles into Coyote Camp – a relatively short but precipitous journey requiring a severe 2,000-foot elevation gain over Gold Run Pass. Packing gear and supplies into the backcountry with stock was something new to our 10-person crew. The district pack string had been disbanded decades ago, but since we were under the gun to finish up as much trail work as we could before storm season, Scott decided to maximize our remaining clock hours by packing in supplies for a seven-day campout. Since we didn’t have to lug all of our grub in on our backs this time, we got a bit extravagant with our foodstuffs. On top of our usual allotment of canned edibles and dry goods, we added three jumbo-sized watermelons, an exorbitant supply of gorp and 120 cans of beer. Throw in the group equipment – Coleman stoves, lanterns, cast-iron cookware and tents – and our total poundage soon reached a monumental figure. Unbeknownst to us, the number of stock Scott had ordered (three) was not nearly enough to handle all our grub and gear in one trip without seriously overloading Bill’s animals. Although Bill was an experienced packer, this was his first contract with the US Forest Service and his eagerness to prove his value to the powers that be superseded his better judgment. So, as Bill went about loading five or six animals-worth of supplies onto two horses (Billee and Raider) and a mule (Mule), Scott sent the trail crew slogging up the trail. Already the rain had turned the trail into a mud bowl. Struggling mightily just to keep ourselves upright, conversation soon dwindled and I was left to my own devices. It had been a long and eventful summer with the crew, and by the time we began reconstructing the four-mile-long Tomyhoi Lake Trail, the black flies were horrific. Although we managed to complete the first two miles on day trips, the distance from the trailhead to the project site and back soon made day hiking counterproductive. Enter our seven-day campout and Billee, Raider and Mule. Slipping and sliding, I made it a

couple miles in – just a couple switchbacks below Gold Run Pass – before Bill and his overloaded pack string passed me in the pouring rain. Surprisingly, despite their heavy loads and adverse conditions, the animals seemed to be in good shape. However, as I crawled closer to the pass, I heard a terrible commotion and, squinting through the misty deluge, saw all three pack animals tangled up in a clump of sub-alpine trees just below the trail. Bill managed to calm the animals down, and told everyone to stand back as he cut the pack string loose from its tangle. Unfortunately, while doing so, one horse slid and tumbled another 15 feet downhill, hitting more than a few rocks along the way. The pack string was badly shaken. Some of the packs were loose, one animal had a horseshoe dangling and they all had nasty looking cuts on their legs. But Bill was determined to fulfill his contract, so he quickly reloaded them as best he could.

Sure enough, within about 20 minutes, Bill was leading all three of his overloaded animals down the steep, cliffy backside of Gold Run Pass. I was right behind them. As Bill neared the first switchback, I noticed the last horse’s pack was loose and yelled, “Bill! You’re losing the pack on the end horse!” “What?” he said, as he slowed for the switchback. As he slowed, the end horse reared back, lost its footing and fell, pulling the other two animals with him. We all watched in horror as the entire pack string went sliding nearly a quarter-mile down the steep, rocky embankment without making a sound. We all knew those animals were goners, and just stood there awhile looking at them in a mournful haze. Bill said, “Does anyone have a pistol?” and started riding his horse down the trail. As we hiked down behind him to see what could be done, we saw our food spread out in a shotgun pattern across the mountainside from the point of impact

straight over a series of sheer rock ledges. The entire hillside smelled of beer and watermelon. Most of the canned goods were dented beyond repair, but some of the dry goods, cheeses and 12 cans of beer survived. We picked up the trash, stashed the salvageable goods and hiked back out. The next day some of us returned to continue the salvage operation. Bill managed to salvage his packs and saddlebags but he never received his contract payment from the Forest Service. We rationed the 12 surviving beers, drinking a couple around a roaring campfire each night. As usual, Scott talked and we listened. About a week later, although we still hadn’t completed the project, Scott called it “good enough” and the five of us loaded everything into our backpacks and hiked out, pausing for a long, contemplative moment just below the backside of Gold Run Pass to honor the final resting place of Billee, Raider, and Mule. X

Ride 25, 28, 60, 62, 100, or 124 beautiful miles where the Cascade Mountains meet the Salish Sea!

Ride for

2013 Chuckanut Century Sunday September 15 • Fully Supported • Hearty Food Stops • Start & Finish festivities at Boundary Bay Brewery & Bistro in downtown Bellingham • FREE burger or beverage at ﬁnish!

Information and mail-in registration

chuckanutcentur y.or g Fall 2013 | Mount Baker Experience

Hiking

Backpacking

with kids Photo by Jay Goodrich

Story By Jason D. Martin

“Daddy,” my six-year-old daughter said. “I want to go camping. But not the kind of camping where we drive, the kind where we have to carry all of our stuff in a backpack…” Most people couldn’t imagine taking a girl my daughter’s age, or a boy my son’s (he’s five) on a backpacking trip. It’s a physically demanding endeavor. There’s a lot of walking up hills with loaded backpacks; the campsites are Spartan with no picnic tables or fire-pits; the food is often dried and unappetizing; there are bugs and you never feel clean. But aside from all that, it’s really fun! And it’s surprisingly easy to take children on these types of trips, as long as the backpacking objective is realistic. My children made their first backpacking trips at the tender ages of two and three. The danger of introducing a new outdoor sport to children is that if they have a bad experience, they may not want to try it again. As such, it’s important that both you and the kids are

If you don’t rush them and don’t make them walk too far, they will have a great time and look forward to the next hike.

ready for the adventure. There are three major steps to take before you head out in order to have a successful backpacking trip with the kids.

Take the kids day hiking

Our children started hiking the easy way, by riding in a child carrier backpack. Over time they outgrew the pack and began walking on their own. What we discovered when the kids started hiking on their own was that the final destination of the day wasn’t as important as the journey. Sticks are exciting because they can be fishing poles, hiking sticks or swords. Holes in trees can be gnome houses. And it was Big foot who made every weird looking print in the mud. When conditioning the kids to hike, go slow, take a lot of time and look for animals and birds. If you don’t rush them and don’t make them walk too far, they will have a great time and look forward to the next hike. One of the most exciting things that the kids learn on day hikes is how to go “nature potty.” The danger of this is that once they learn how, they often think that they can do it anywhere outside, which can be problematic if you’re on a walk in the middle of Bellingham near a nicely manicured lawn. There are a number of great day hikes for kids in the area. The best are Fragrance Lake at Larrabee State Park, the East Side Lake Whatcom Trail, the Ostrom Conservation Area, Horseshoe Bend along the Nooksack River, and the Bagley Lakes up near the Mt. Baker Ski Area.

Take the kids camping

Photos by Jason D. Martin

If your children can get used to sleeping in a tent and living outside at a front-country campground, then it will be less of a jump for them to do so in the backcountry. Car camping is easy and fun, and you can do it with very small children. Our daughter visited campgrounds in Flagstaff, Joshua Tree and Yosemite before she was six months old. Our son liked to eat rocks, sticks and dirt, so we had to take a short hiatus from camping until he outgrew that stage. But because both of our children learned to camp at an early age, they both love it and don’t see it as a challenge. Deception Pass, Bayview, Larrabee and Birch Bay state parks are all excellent places to take young children. They have bathrooms with showers and flush toilets, which all helps when managing the very young on a camping trip.

Mount Baker Experience | Fall 2013

Plan an appropriate objective

There are three important factors to consider when choosing an objective. The first is length, the second is elevation gain, and the third is season. Obviously objectives should be easy and have limited elevation gain. The first backpacking trip my kids did was the trail on the east side of Baker Lake. The trail contours around the lake, which keeps the hills small, and the camp is only about two miles from the car. One of the most important factor to consider is when to go. You don’t want to go when it’s too cold and you don’t want to go when it’s too hot. Of equal importance is you don’t want to go when there are a lot of bugs out. While it might be cute to look at photos of your kid bundled up, sweating, or covered with mosquito bites in a few years, suffering on the first backpacking trip will not build enthusiasm for later more ambitious trips. If you get out there and discover that the trail is too difficult or the conditions too hard, it’s better to turn around and try again later. Crabby kids in the front-country are difficult enough. Crabby kids in the backcountry in less than ideal conditions are nearly intolerable. The age and fitness of your child will dictate the difficulty of the backpacking objective. Locally, the easiest backpacks are the East Baker Lake trail, the Baker River trail and the trail from Artist Point to Mazama Lake. Slightly harder is the full Chain Lakes Loop, the Lake Ann trail and the Watson Lakes trail. Certainly there are dozens of other great hikes in the area. Check out Hiking Whatcom County by Ken Wilcox for more ideas. Small children cannot be expected to carry that much, but they should be expected to carry something. The first time we took the kids backpacking, they each carried their security blankets and a small toy. My son carried his night-time pullup diapers on the way in and on the way out, which I admit was a piece of a parental passive-aggressive behavior aimed at getting him to stop wetting the bed. On the second trip, we packed the kids down a little bit more. They carried some of their own clothing, water bottles and even some food. Since then, we have loaded them down a little bit more on each trip. And each time we’ve picked an objective that’s a little bit harder than the last, a strategy that has worked well so far.

MountBakerExperience.com

Big on mpg. Big on fuel efficiency.

Backpacking is an inexpensive and fun family activity. If you do your homework and prepare your kids well, you don’t have to wait until they’re 13- or 14-years-old to get them out into the backcountry. It’s something you can start to do right now. X Photo by Jason D. Martin

Backpacking is an inexpensive and fun family activity.

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continued from page 18

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Head south along Lummi’s eastern shore. Explore the rugged coastline as you go – bluffs rise up to 1,500 feet from the water. Campsites are located in a cove about five miles south of the ferry terminal, just under two miles from the island’s southern tip. These sites are on state department of natural resources land and

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are maintained by the Whatcom In its entirety, the Cascades to Association of Kayak Enthusiasts Coast bike trail stretches from (WAKE). Help them out by leav- Vancouver Island through the ing no trace behind. Methow Valley to Winthrop (with the help of a few ferries along the way) but you can choose your From Anacortes waypoints anywhere along this the Bike the Cascades 155-mile route to create your own to Coast trail journey. For this trip, we’re startDitch the coast for the serening in Anacortes for a 50-mile ride. ity of a weekend camping trip at From Washington Park in AnaLake Shannon via the Cascades cortes, head up Oakes Avenue and to Coast trail. All you’ll need take a left to follow Highway 20 to for this weekend trip to the Casyour destination as this on- and cade foothills is a pair of feet to off-road trail takes you through pedal and your camping gear. some of the Skagit Valley’s most scenic vistas along the way. You’ll pass through the La Conner Flats, the city of Burlington and SedroWoolley before landing in Concrete and until you reach the foothills of the Cascades, the route provides a relatively low-impact Imagine it… trip in terms of elevation gain. we can do it! At mile 50, with a left turn onto • Signs that get noticed Baker Lake Road in Concrete, • Outdoor & Indoor Signage you’ll find yourself on the shores • Vehicle wrapping of the stunning Lake Shannon, a deep-water reservoir in the Cas& graphics cade foothills. Make camp here, • Custom-made trade and enjoy the weekend. If you’re show booths still not winded (or, just a glutton • State-of-the-art for punishment) push through design technology for 10 more miles and a grueling 2001 IOwa Street • BellIngham 1,000-foot elevation gain for BakAcross from Northwest Honda er Lake. X Bellingham@signsbytomorrow.com

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Photography

The

Light Stuff Using Natural Light to Make Better Photographs Story and photos By Neil Schulman

he coincidence was amazing. The gnarled, broken-off tree stump mirrored the shape of the huge mountain on the far horizon. I spent long minutes composing. Then I made one of the most boring photographs of my life. The image was boring because the light was boring – flat, monotonous gray with little depth. Light is the raw material of photography. An interesting subject with boring light will still make a boring image. Conversely, good light can make a mundane subject look transcendent. The single best way to make better images is to understand light and how to use it.

The Camera and the Eye

Cameras don’t see light the same way we do. No matter how much you paid for your camera, your eye is better in two critical ways: Exposure latitude. Your eye can manage variances in light far better than any digital sensor. Ranges of light and dark are measured in exposure values, or EVs (also called “stops,” because they correspond to f-stops or shutter speeds). Our eyes see a range of 30 EVs before dark objects turn into silhouettes and bright objects become blinding highlights. Black and white film can handle 10 EVs before losing detail. A digital sensor can only handle five. That’s why many scenes we expect to look fine become either blacked out or whited out when you raise the camera. To overcome this, you must understand what your camera’s meter is telling you. Cameras are Morons. Your eye is connected to a brain. Your camera’s light meter is definitely not, however much you paid for that EOS-1D. The meter does one thing, and one thing only: It calculates the amount of light to make your photo “neutral.” To the camera, neutral is 18 percent grey – about the reflectivity of not-so-new pavement. So if you leave your camera on auto and photograph a snowfield, it will turn the snow … grey. Want an inky black silhouette? The camera will make that grey too.

Take Control

To make snow white, override the camera and add more light. For the silhouette, provide less light than the meter wants. The only time you should let the camera set the exposure is if you’re shooting something “neutral.” Neutral can work for low-contrast scenes, like a detail shot of tree bark. But for sunrises, brooding thunderheads, twilight or moonrise – in other words, the good stuff – your meter will screw it up. Take charge of the exposure.

Dynamic Range

Remember your camera can only manage a fraction of what you can see. Anything three EVs darker than your camera’s exposure will become a silhouette. Anything three EVs lighter will be a blown-out highlight. Snow usually requires a +2 adjustment to look white. Caucasian skin is usually around +1. Figure out a scene’s range by putting the camera in spot-meter

mode (even inexpensive point-and-shoots have it) and comparing different parts of the scene. More than a five-EV range and you’ll have either silhouettes or blown out highlights. This leaves you four choices: 1. Expose for the highlights: The highlights will look good and darker areas will become black shadows and silhouettes. Viewers will accept silhouettes, if they fit the story and are well composed. Blown-out highlights, however, are almost never acceptable. 2. Recompose: Eliminate either highlights or shadows from the frame. Of course, this means you’ll have a different image than you initially envisioned. 3. Flash and Filters: Flash fills in shadows; a split neutraldensity filter can darken bright areas like sky. Or you take two images from a tripod, one exposed for highlights and one for shadows, and merge them in editing software. This can take hours and often looks fake. 4. Go have a beer: The best option may be to come back when the light is better. Don’t expect to take a bad image and be able to fix it in editing software. You can make some fine adjustments, but trying to salvage a bad exposure is like putting lipstick on a pig.

Types of Daylight

Sunny Overhead: On a sunny day, light is distant, direct and harsh. Midday light has sharp contrast between highlight and shadow. This is why photographers don’t try and shoot pleasing outdoor portraits at midday. Without flash, reflectors, or reflective surfaces like water or snow, midday light will often exceed the sensor’s dynamic range. It’s awful for pleasing portraits, but high contrast and inky shadows can add drama for sports or portraits showing intensity. Shooting away from or 90 degrees to the sun will result in saturated warm colors. Shooting toward the sun can result in dramatic silhouettes, with a monochromatic or di-chromatic austerity. Overcast: When the sky is an even blanket of clouds, it works like a giant softbox. The light is diffuse, even and lowcontrast, with a gentle portrayal of surface detail pleasing for portraits and macro photography. It’s far less dramatic for sweeping landscapes or action. When the sky is a uniform grey, I exclude it whenever possible. Golden Hour: Near sunrise and sunset, sunlight slices through Earth’s atmosphere at an oblique angle. This long path causes blue light to drop out of the spectrum, a phenomenon called Rayleigh scattering. We’re left with red, orange and yellow. The best sunrise and sunset light combines with some feature in the sky – clouds, fog or storms – which retain rich color for longer than a clear sky. Blue Hour: It’s even better before sunrise and after sunset, so don’t show up late or leave too early. When the sun is below the horizon, the spectrum shifts to magenta, purple and then blue. The interactions between the golden hour and twilight can be stunning, especially when there are underlit clouds. Ephemera: The most sensational light on the planet is also very short-lived. Rainbows, thin spots in storms, fog burning off and diffracted sunbeams are unpredictable, but pure magic. They’ll also fool your camera’s meter. When you see these rarities start to develop, drop whatever you’re doing and find a vantage point.

Exercises

Learning light takes practice. Here are two exercises that help: 1. Selective metering: Set your camera on spot meter. Go to your front stoop. Without lifting the camera, guess the difference between different parts of the scene in front of you in exposure values. Then meter highlights, mid-tones and shadows. See if you were right. Do this until it’s second nature. I often find myself driving down the road, instinctively guessing the different light values around me. 2. Shoot early and often: There’s no substitute for shooting different subjects in different kinds of light, and noting what works, what doesn’t and why. Understanding light is the single greatest step toward great photography. X

Let’s talk about light itself. Natural light has different qualities at different times of the day. Fall 2013 | Mount Baker Experience

FALL

last view 2013

Photo by Jefferson L. Morriss | photosforthepeople.com | Skyline Divide

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Fall 2013 | Mount Baker Experience

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