Mount Baker Experience, spring 2023

SKI TO SEA’S 50TH FOREST BATHING IN THE PNW RETURN TO ROATAN

JULY 14-16, 2023

BELLIN G HAM , W AS H IN G T O N

SAVE MONEY WITH EARLY BIRD TICKETS!

The Northwest Tune-Up is back! The 2023 bike and music festival delivers with new public access to the waterfront exhibitor grounds and a fresh layout to host more bands, brands and family friendly events. For a limited time, get Early Bird ticket pricing on 3-day festival passes, which include access to endless bike demos, award-winning headliners, bike and skills clinics, shuttles to trailheads and more all weekend.

Get your tickets now and stay tuned to NWTuneUp.com for festival updates and announcements.

20+ BANDS

FAMILY FRIENDLY RACING

BEER TASTING

EXHIBITION SKILLS CLINICS MAKERS MARKET

BIKE DEMOS SHUT TLES

Barrow’s Goldeneye

Photo by Eric Ellingson

by Pat Grubb

It’s the penultimate day of February 2023 and snow is falling in the lowlands of Whatcom County and the Fraser Valley. If this is a harbinger of a long ski season? Fingers crossed.

Not that we’re up on the mountain enjoying all this new snow. Nope, we’re finishing off this issue of the Mount Baker Experience. And it’s quite an issue. How so? Let’s see.

Well, first, we have a mountain biking cover by Grant Gunderson to get us thinking about what we’re going to do once we hang up our ski and snowboarding gear. Luca Williams is back and she has Little Ry’s favorite snowboarding stretch to demonstrate. Give it a try and see if it helps.

It seems that everybody and their monkey’s uncle are out recreating in the backcountry these days. Nick Belcaster writes about the the revitalized Cascade Backcountry Alliance and how it’s working to ensure backcountry users have a say in decisions involving use and regulations governing these areas.

Did you know black brant fly nonstop from coastal Alaska to Baja California, a distance of approximately 3,000 miles and they do it within 60 to 72 hours? That means they’re flying up to 50 miles an hour for two-anda-half days without a break. By the time they finish, they’ve lost half their body weight. How’s that for a diet plan — you only have to do it twice a year. Ben Stalheim writes about the daring and dangerous migrations of birds.

There’s plenty more to read and look at in this issue. We hope you enjoy doing so.

Have fun and stay safe.

Since 1986

Special publication of The Northern Light and All Point Bulletin

PUBLISHERS

Patrick Grubb and Louise Mugar EDITOR

Ian Haupt

PUBLICATION DESIGN

Doug De Visser

COPY EDITOR

Grace McCarthy

ADVERTISING DESIGN

Ruth Lauman • Doug De Visser

ADVERTISING SALES

Gary Lee • Molly Ernst

CONTRIBUTORS IN THIS ISSUE: Nick Belcaster, Nick Danielson, Albert England, Jason Griffith, Grant Gunderson, Eric Lucas, Jason D. Martin, Audra Lee Mercile, Tony Moceri, Meg Olson, Marcus Paladino, Skye Schillhammer, Ben Stalheim, Dave Summers, Matthew Tangeman, Brad Walton, Luca Williams

EMAIL: info@mountbakerexperience.com

WEB: www.mountbakerexperience.com

FACEBOOK: facebook.com/mtbakerexperience

TWITTER: twitter.com/MB_Experience

INSTAGRAM: instagram.com/mtbakerexp

If you can see Mt. Baker, you’re part of the experience. Mount Baker Experience is an outdoor recreation guide for and about the Mt. Baker region, distributed from Seattle to Vancouver, B.C. and published by Point Roberts Press, Inc. Locally owned, the company also publishes TheNorthernLight, All Point Bulletin, Pacific Coast Weddings, Waterside and area maps.

Vol. XXXVII, No. 1. Printed in Canada.

©2023 POINT ROBERTS PRESS

225 Marine Drive, Blaine, WA 98230 TEL: 360/332-1777

CONTRIBUTORS

NICKBELCASTER

Based in Bellingham, Nick Belcaster is an adventure journalist who enjoys breaking a tree line, carrying as little as necessary and long walks across the country.

NICKDANIELSON

A designer by trade and photographer by experience, Nick spends his summers trail running and winters splitboarding in the mountains of the Northwest. Nickdanielson.com

JASONGRIFFITH

Jason is a fisheries biologist who would rather be on a summit than down by the river. When he isn’t fiddling with his camera in the mountains, he lives in Mount Vernon with his wife and two boys.

GRANTGUNDERSON

One of the ski industry’s preeminent photographers, Grant has shot for every major snow sports and outdoor publication worldwide. Grantgunderson.com

ERICLUCAS

Eric is the author of the Michelin guide to Alaska. He lives on a small farm on San Juan Island, where he grows organic hay, garlic, apples and beans. Trailnot4sissies.com

JASONMARTIN

Jason is the executive director at the American Alpine Institute, a mountain guide and a widely published outdoor writer. He lives in Bellingham with his wife and two kids.

AUDRA LEEMERCILLE

Audra Lee Mercille is a Pacific Northwest-based freelance adventurer. She found photography as a way to display her love and gratitude for the mountains and landscapes that inspire her. Audraleephotography.com

TONYMOCERI

Tony is a freelance writer who loves to get out and explore the world with his family. He shares his journey @adventurewithinreach and tonymoceri.com.

MEGOLSON

Meg is the co-owner of the Kingfisher Bookstore in Coupeville, which has a bit of everything but specializes in the natural and human history of the Pacific Northwest. She likes to explore, in person or on pages.

MARCUSPALADINO

Marcus Paladino is a surf and outdoor photographer living in Tofino, B.C. He strives to have simple descriptions like ‘surf shot’ or ‘nature photo’ fall short. That’s when his work becomes art. Marcuspaladino.com

SKYESCHILLHAMMER

Skye Schillhammer is a rider, photographer and cinematographer for Transition Bikes in Bellingham. When he’s not on assignment or on a bike, you can find him deep in the woods building trails and soaking in the PNW.

BENSTALHEIM

Ben is a wildlife biologist from Bellingham, Washington. He travels the country to study the birdlife of the United States and explore new places.

DAVESUMMERS

Dave, avid alpinist, entrepreneur, business owner and hobby photographer lives in Seattle and Leavenworth with his family. His love of mountains began in Boulder and expanded to mountain ranges all over the world.

MATTHEWTANGEMAN

Matthew is an adventure photographer with a passion for deep powder, alpine granite and not making it back to the trailhead until way after dark. Mtangeman.com

LUCA

Newsroom

Notes big and small from around the region

Banked slalom returns to Mt. Baker Ski Area in 2023

Mt. Baker Ski Area’s Legendary Banked Slalom returned for its 35th year on the first weekend in February.

bit.ly/3RAvegy.

Pro Men: Harry Kearney, 29, from Telluride, Colorado at 1:13.49

Pro Women: Tess Critchlow, 27, from Kelowna, B.C. at 1:19.37

Pro Legends Men: Mark Fawcett, 51, from Nelson, B.C. at 1:20.02

Junior Girls: Jade Knox, 14, from Hyak at 1:21.85

Next Gen Boys: Kanon Ling, 11, from North Vancouver, B.C. at 1:27.76

Next Gen Girls: Barrett Zwiebel, 12, from Glacier at 1:42.26

s Bellingham local Jason Loeb receives the Craig Kelly Award at the 35th Legendary Banked Slalom award ceremony. The Craig Kelly Award is a lifetime award given each year at LBS, recognizing an individual from the Northwest with deep ties to Mt. Baker whose contribution has advanced snowboarding culture, locally and beyond. Named for the late four-time world champion and Mt. Baker local Craig Kelly, the award represents the highest level of respect the Mt. Baker community can bestow. It was the 20th anniversary of Kelly’s death. Courtesy photo

T Chase Josey of Sun Valley, Idaho, begins a qualifying run on Saturday, February 4. Josey took 2nd place in pro men on Sunday. Ian Haupt photo

Over 400 snowboarders raced down the course — built in the ski area’s natural halfpipe off Chair 5 — Friday and Saturday in attempt to qualify for the finals on Sunday. Crowds at the start gate and along the course cheered racers on. Fog on Saturday made for poor visibility. Constant course maintenance was needed as racers often overshot turns, destroying banks and prompting “oohs” and “ahhs” from spectators. Plenty of racers found their groove, which made for nail-biting racing in multiple categories on Sunday.

Find the winners below. For full results, visit

Pro Legends Women: Marguerite Cossettini, 54, from South Lake Tahoe at 1:29.40

Pro Masters Men: Pontus Staahlkloo, 49, from Solleroen, Sweden at 1:17.52

Pro Masters Women: Marni Yamada, 44, from Lake Forest Park at 1:23.70

Super Masters Men: Luke Edgar, 60, from Park City, Utah at 1:27.31

Grand Masters Men: Peter Vinter, 50, from Gesunda, Sweden at 1:21.05

Grand Masters Women: Corey Saxon, 53, from Maple Falls at 1:32.86

Mid Masters Men: Chauncey Sorenson, 43, from Juneau, Alaska at 1:18.43

Mid Masters Women: Anna Bengtson, 43, from Syringa, Idaho at 1:29.63

Masters Men: Che Contreras, 37, from Bellingham at 1:17.13

Masters Women: Janessa Bork, 43, from Bend, Oregon at 1:25.32

Amateur Men: Milo Malkoski, 22, from Seattle at 1:17.42

Amateur Women: Juliette Pelchat, 18, from Whistler, B.C. at 1:21.72

Junior Boys: Anthony Shelly, 15, from Whistler, B.C. at 1:13.47

South Lake Tahoe pro skier killed in avalanche in Japan on trip with Baker locals

U.S. freestyle skiing gold medalist Kyle Smaine died in an avalanche while backcountry skiing in Japan January 29. He was 31.

Smaine was skiing on a marketing trip for Ikon Pass and Nagano Tourism along with Bellingham-based photographer Grant Gunderson and Glacier-based pro skier Adam Ü. According to ski magazine Mountain Gazette, Gunderson, Smaine and Ü were out skiing for fun on their last day of the trip. After a lap, Gunderson went back to the resort while Smaine and Ü went out for one last run. "It was the last run of the last day of our trip. We had no camera gear with us. We were going out for fun," Ü told Mountain Gazette. Smaine and Ü ran into a group of Austrian skiers on the summit. Smaine and Ü skied the same run as the previous lap. The Austrian group decided to ski a slightly different

aspect with different exposure, Ü told Mountain Gazette in a call January 29. Smaine and Ü were preparing to skin up at the bottom when the first of the Austrian group joined them. The second Austrian skier triggered the slide.

"We saw it coming," Ü told Mountain Gazette. "We heard the crack. We realized it is a big one. We started running and then we got hit."

Ü was buried 1.5 meters deep for approximately 25 minutes. He told Mountain Gazette he believed it was 4 or 5 minutes, but the rescuer who assisted in digging him out

said approximately 25 minutes.

Two doctors who were part of a guided group nearby responded to the scene. The group was performing CPR on the Austrian skier when they pronounced him dead. Shortly after, they said Smaine was unresponsive.

Gunderson said in an Instagram post Smaine was thrown 50 meters by the air blast and buried.

Smaine won a gold medal in the halfpipe at the 2015 FIS Freestyle Ski and Snowboarding World Championships in Austria. He resided in South Lake Tahoe, California.

Washington trail map app provides real-time recreation updates

The TREAD Map app provides alerts and real-time updates for outdoor enthusiasts to avoid crowds and trail impediments.

The app incorporates Washington’s trail systems, waterways, mountain bike trails and other outdoor recreation areas to introduce users to new trail systems and inform them of area conditions. Users can also post on TREAD Talk to notify local land managers of current trail conditions.

Washington Tourism Alliance and Dharma Maps originally launched TREAD Map

News continued on page 15

s Kyle Smaine skiing at Mt. Baker Ski Area on a powder day. Grant Gunderson photo, from 2021 Mount Baker Experience winter issue cover

More than a festival:

Northwest Tune-Up has been a catalyst for the Waterfront District, organizers say

Story and photos by Ian Haupt

Bellingham’s bike, music and beer festival returns for its second year July 14-16, and the organizers say they hope to double last year’s attendance and showcase Bellingham’s Waterfront District.

Northwest Tune-Up co-founders Eric Brown and Brandon Watts said in February they have made changes ahead of this year’s festival following survey feedback from 2022 attendees and are in a better place to organize and market the event. This time last year they said they weren’t even sure it would be able to happen. But now they have a full staff onboard and their inaugural event behind them.

Brown said this year’s festival will look a little different, with the festival ground condensed into Bellingham’s Waterfront District while its Makers Market, Expo area and Trackside Beer Garden will all be accessible to the public.

Nearly all festival activities, including pump track races, skills clinics, bike demos, vendors, food trucks and the beer garden, will operate out of the waterfront area. Wristbands will be needed to demo bikes and shuttles will transport mountain bikers to Galbraith and Chuckanut Mountain trails. Last year, mountain bike demos were held near the south entrance to Galbraith Mountain. The enduro races, part of the Cascadia Dirt Cup series, will still start from the south entrance. The waterfront will have one stage, with regional musical acts starting earlier in the day and national headliners playing later in the night. Twilight tickets will also be available for people wanting to see the headlining acts.

The festival surveyed last year’s attend-

ees along with the musical acts, vendors and exhibitors, and Brown said many of the adjustments were in response to the suggestions they received along with the organizers own observations. Watts said opening up the exhibit area and Trackside to the general public was the biggest change.

The festival will have its own bigger beer garden area inside the ticketed area along with other new features, Brown said, like an ongoing, weekend-long art installation. Brown pointed out that many bike demos at a bike shop cost anywhere from $75-$100, while at the festival the $75 per day ticket allows attendees to demo multiple different bikes from different manufacturers throughout the day.

The festival will be partnering with local recreation non-

profits Whatcom Mountain Bike Coalition (WMBC), Recreation Northwest, Shifting Gears and Whatcom Rowing Association with a goal to raise funds. Brown said they also hope to use the festival revenue to make additions to the existing waterfront development. The Waterfront District was at the center of their early vision, and is in the shape it’s in today largely due to work they’ve accomplished to get the festival off the ground.

“You can see what’s happened at the waterfront as a result of these conversations we started,” Watts said. “We feel like we’re already doing a lot of work for our mission and the idea of creating infrastructure for outdoor recreation and access. That’s all directly tied to this partnership with the [Port of Bellingham] that was born out of the idea of this festival.”

Brown, who is also WMBC’s executive director, and Watts, Freehub Magazine founder and publisher, met in 2009. Early on in their friendship they brought up the idea of a festival in Bellingham. As two mountain bike advocates embedded in the community and with Bellingham’s easy access to trails on Galbraith and Chuckanut mountains, they configured a festival centered around the mountain bike industry that also highlighted the local breweries and celebrated in the evening with large music acts. When scoping out a possible venue, they partnered with the Port of Bellingham to use the waterfront.

WMBC is a nonprofit focused on preserving and enhancing mountain bike trail access in Whatcom County through stewardship, education and advocacy,

according to its website. Freehub Magazine is an independently owned and community driven quarterly mountain bike magazine.

In 2015, Georgia-Pacific West was demolished and the Port of Bellingham started development at the downtown waterfront. Brown and Watts met with Port of Bellingham executive director Rob Fix to get a tour of the property. With a tentative idea in mind, Brown and Watts ran their festival idea by Fix. A fellow mountain biker, Fix said he was interested, and they kept the conversation going over the years.

The City of Bellingham announced its signature event grant in December 2014, and Brown, Watts and a couple other local businesses pitched the idea of a mountain bike, beer and music festival in 2015. Brown and Watts said thankfully they lost that grant, because the waterfront area needed more work and development to host a festival.

The port approved WMBC’s development of the pump track in 2019, which grew to what it is now — multiple pump tracks, jump lines and a skills course — during the design process. Then the team assembled again with more businesses and key figures like music director Hunter Motto of Seattle music venue The Crocodile and former Downtown Bellingham Partnership director Nick Hartrich onboard. This time they won the grant, and the festival was supposed to be held in June 2020.

Brown said they canceled those plans in late-February 2020 due to the Covid-19 pandemic. Cases were rising in Europe while the U.S. had yet to implement shutdowns. It was postponed for the foreseeable future.

In the interim, Kulshan’s Trackside Beer Garden opened its 25,000-square-foot outdoor area on the south side of the Waterfront District in June 2021, and the container village followed shortly after.

In early 2022 Brown said they decided to make it happen, although still in the midst of the pandemic. With the festival scheduled for July 8-10, he said it wasn’t until spring 2022 when planning really began, and the team brought on staff and went full gas to make it happen.

Brown said the festival sold 3,600 tickets last year, with 800 people coming from outside their 50-mile tourism radius. They hope to double that this year.

“We’ve been working on this for awhile, I guess is what it comes down to,” Watts said. “We’re already facilitating a lot of our goals tied to our mission. And it’s already generating these pieces for the community. Which is the reason Eric and I live here and take part in this, and want to do this event, and want this event to be successful.” x

Newsroom

Continued from page 11

as a pilot program in summer 2021. It provided trail data for Kittias, Grant, Douglas, Chelan and Okanagan counties, areas that often get heavy public land use during the summer, at the time.

The full launch was created through partnerships between State of Washington Tourism, TREAD Consulting and Dharma Maps, according to the State of Washington website.

The app is available on iPhone and Android. For more information or to download the app, visit stateofwatourism. com/tread-map-app.

12 days of free vehicle access to Washington state parks in 2023

Washington State Parks (WSP) has 12 free days in 2023 where visitors will not be required to have a Discover Pass to park at state parks. Discover Passes will still be required to access Washington Department of Natural Resources (DNR) and the Wash

of access to state lands. A day-use pass costs $10.

“When you buy the Discover Pass, you are helping to keep the state’s wonderful outdoor recreation sites open and accessible to the public,” it says on the WSP website.

The Washington state legislature and former Governor Christine Gregoire created Discover Passes in 2011 to offset reductions in general tax support for WSP, DNR and WDFW recreation lands and facilities, according to the WSP website.

Popular state parks in the area include Larrabee, Birch Bay, Peace Arch Historical, Sucia Island, Saddlebag Island, Bay View and Deception Pass along with Rasar and Rockport off North Cascades Highway.

The upcoming Discover Pass free days this year are:

• Thursday, March 9 – Billy Frank Jr.'s Birthday

• Sunday, March 19 – State parks’ 110th birthday

• Saturday, April 22 – Earth Day

• Saturday, June 10 – National Get Outdoors Day

• Sunday, June 11 – Free Fishing Day

• Monday, June 19 – Juneteenth

• Saturday, September 23 – National Public Lands Day

• Tuesday, October 10 – World Mental

For those of you who have forgotten how lucky we are to live in our corner of the world, let me remind you. Our access to outdoor adventure is second to none, and we are spoiled with three of our own national parks. As a family, we try to explore a new national park each year, but we also make sure to find new spots at our local ones. In addition to stunning landscapes and thriving wildlife, the lodges and ranger stations are part of the whole experience.

The lodges take us back in time with their aged wood interiors and shake roofs. Inside, the walls hold stories of those before us who chose to leave the city in search of some respite outdoors. Ranger stations are our educational hubs in these remote places. From junior ranger programs to natural his-

tory museums, they hold the secrets of all we are about to witness. They also have snacks and cool park swag, which is always fun.

As the spring season warms our state, we start planning our local trips making sure they check a few boxes. Access to water is always high on the list. The perfect scenario is a spot allowing kid-friendly swimming and plenty of open water for me to paddleboard. Family hiking trails are a big plus, especially with an attraction or view at the end. On these excursions, we like to have a combination of lodging and camping so we can get a balance of sitting around a fire with the occasional shower mixed in.

Last summer, as we were dreaming up this trip, we decided to integrate the Olympic National Park into our plans. I had

wanted to return to Lake Crescent for years after we stopped there for a couple of hours on a previous trip. This deep blue body of water is the deepest lake in Washington, and I had to get my paddleboard on it. When we had shown up before, it was after days of camping, and I envisioned how nice it would be to stay at the lodge. So with that stop officially on the itinerary, we designed a trip around it. We had never been to Sol Duc Hot Springs, so we added that to the list and added a couple of camping spots before and after to cut down on long travel days.

Instead of staying in the lodge itself, we ended up staying in one of the cabins on the property. These lakefront cabins would maximize our time playing in the lake. We arrived at Lake Crescent before check-in and decided to hike the popular Marymere Falls Trail. From the trailhead itself, it is a 1.7mile hike out and back. We left from the Lake Crescent Lodge meandering through other trails, which added approximately a half-mile each way. Except for the very end, where you are gaining elevation adjacent to the waterfall, the trail is flat and easy. It is nicely shaded, and Barnes Creek and Falls Creek often flank the path. Marymere Falls is a 90-foot waterfall that checked the box of something cool to see at trail's end.

A great start to the stay; we spent the afternoon swimming and paddleboarding in front of our cabin. I got up early the following day, ready to get in my long-awaited paddle. I started by going directly across the lake, then headed west up the lake. I intended to be gone for about an hour, but every time I reached a new point, I saw something ahead I wanted to go check out. The next thing I knew, I had paddled for about an hour in one direction and still needed to return. At the same time, my family was waking and wondering if I was ever coming back. They considered sending out a search party but instead went and got coffee and hot chocolate from the lodge. I was a little tired when I got back but was thrilled to have explored so much of the lake.

Our next stop was camping at Sol Duc Hot Springs Resort. It is a beautiful drive along Lake Crescent and then up the Sol Duc River. After making reservations at the hot springs — yes, they require reservations — we decided to go find another waterfall. We drove up to the Sol Duc Falls trailhead and hiked the 1.6-mile out-and-back trail. This is an easy hike with modest elevation gain, which ends with a powerful waterfall. The bridge overlooking it allows for a great view and a feeling of how much power the waterfall creates.

Before campfire time, we took our turn in the hot springs, which was funneled into multiple pools of different temperatures. While cool to be in the supposed healing waters of the Sol Duc, it wasn't quite what I envisioned. I felt as though I was at a public pool, and the charm and magic was missing for me.

Our campsite was set above a little creek and was a great place to call home for the night. We sat around the fire, met some neighbors, and did camping things before going to bed. In the morning, we packed up and headed to our next stop outside the park.

This area of the Olympic National Park is an awesome place to explore, with so much packed into one place. There are plenty of trails to be hiked and waters to be played in, making it an excellent adventure spot for our warmer months. x

Tony Moceri is a freelance writer who loves to get out and explore the world with his family. He shares his journey @adventurewithinreach and tonymoceri.com.

Story and photo by Tony Moceri

Trauma and grief in the backcountry

Resources for psychological response and encouragement to use them

By Jason D. Martin

It was 8:30 in the morning on January 4, 2003, and I was working in Red Rock Canyon near Las Vegas. We were approaching a climb when my client — we’ll call him Rob — pointed up at a cliff.

“Hey, there’s somebody up there. It looks like he’s about to rapp—”

He was going to say the word “rappel.” But that’s not what happened. The person was not a climber, and he wasn’t attached to a rope. Instead, he was a hiker that was in the process of losing his footing. He stumbled backward, stepped back over the edge…

…and fell.

The man cartwheeled silently through the air, falling 60-feet into a series of shallow interwoven canyons. The hollow thump of his body hitting the ground echoed through the empty park.

“Oh my God!” Rob and I both screamed, staring at one another wide-eyed.

I gave him my cell phone and told him where to go to get service, and then scrambled down into the shallow maze of rocks beneath the cliff. It took me a few moments to find the middle-aged man. He was upside down, jammed between the rocks. There was nothing I could do with my tiny first aid kit.

The man was dead.

By 10 that morning, we’d filled out police reports and were told we were free to leave. “Do you still want to go climbing?” I asked.

Rob thought about it for a moment, and then said, “Yes.”

And so we climbed. We stationed ourselves on a wall I regularly taught at, slightly above where the man had fallen. We had about as good a day possible given the circumstances, one of which was the visible removal of the man’s remains in a body bag a few cliff bands below. This was a terrible mistake.

Rob and I had just been through a deeply traumatic experience. We had watched a man die. But we tried to treat it as if it were a normal day of climbing. We tried to act as if nothing had happened.

At the time there wasn’t a strong understanding of traumatic stress injuries in outdoor recreation. People were certainly talking about post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), but they weren’t broadly looking at it through a civilian lens. Instead, it seemed to be something that was reserved for those coming back from war zones.

Something happened to me after that incident. I didn’t want to go climbing, even though I was making my living as a guide. My wife told me I was unusually quiet. I was tired. I was introverted. I had nightmares.

Every single part of what I experienced maps directly to what we now recognize as a traumatic stress injury. I did recover after a few months. But if I had recognized that what I had been through caused an injury, perhaps I could have recovered in a healthier manner. Perhaps I could have sought out treatment. Perhaps I could have offered Rob some psychological first aid as well…

Photo by John Hummel

Courtesy of Responder Alliance.

Interestingly, it has been documented that outdoor recreation stress injuries can occur even when there are no physical injuries. A rockfall incident nearby, a close call with an avalanche, a leader fall or even being lost in the woods for a short period can all lead to a stress injury.

When we see someone fall and get injured in an outdoor setting, we respond in a very specific way, a way for which many of us have been trained. We respond with first aid. Wouldn’t it make sense to respond to a psychological trauma the same way? What if we in the field were able to recognize a stress injury and treat it just like a broken bone? And then when the person left the field, they could be elevated to a higher level of care? The person with the broken bone is brought to a hospital for treatment. The person with a stress injury is referred to a therapist or a peer counselor.

This type of thinking really began to make its way into the consciousness of outdoor recreationalists and professionals in the late 2010s. Nurse practitioner and wilderness medicine instructor Laura McGladrey popularized it. McGladrey has worked extensively with stress injuries amongst mountain rescue teams and ski patrol crews. She became a name in the outdoor industry by speaking at events like the Mountain Rescue Association annual meeting and on episode 34 of the Sharp End Podcast, a podcast that explores technical mountain accidents and how to avoid them.

McGladrey founded an organization called the Responder Alliance (responderalliance. com), which teaches people the art of psychological first aid. Indeed, since McGladrey’s work and her organization have come onto the scene, many wilderness first responder courses have begun to implement this as a part of their curriculum.

Created by Laura McGladrey. Courtesy of the Responder Alliance. Obviously, some injuries have more impact than others. There are few things worse than losing someone you know — a friend, a spouse, a child — in a mountain accident. And there’s nothing worse than being with the person when it happens.

Several years ago, the American Alpine Club recognized that many who’d experienced this kind of trauma didn’t have the means to manage their grief with a mental health professional. The result of that was the development of the Climbing Grief Fund. The fund’s mission is to connect “individuals to effective mental health professionals” and to evolve “the conversation around grief and trauma in the climbing, alpinism and ski mountaineering community.”

Many of us have lost a friend or a loved one in a mountain accident. Many more of us have experienced some type of stress injury around something that happened to us, to a partner or to someone else nearby. And some of us have been first responders to traumatic accidents. It is normal and human to have emotions around this type of thing.

Our entire community has work to do. We need to do a much better job of normalizing the treatment of stress injuries and grief around accidents that take place in the mountains. We need to understand how these injuries impact people, and help each other find support. x

Jason D. Martin is the executive director at the American Alpine Institute, a mountain guide and a widely published outdoor writer. He lives in Bellingham with his wife and two kids.

Book Reviews by Meg Olson

Cascadia Field Guide: Art, Ecology, Poetry

Edited by Elizabeth Bradfield, CMarie Fuhrman and Derek Sheffield Mountaineers Books

My great-grandfather told my mother that it was important to know the names of plants and animals so you could properly greet them and introduce yourself. Our connection to the natural world should be personal.

Inviting us to “observe, smell, listen, dream, share stories, research, imagine,” Cascadia Field Guide offers a way to learn about but also connect with the natural world, to make it personal.

Unlike traditional field guides that help the reader identify plants and animals, Cascadia aims to offer readers “a way to ethically engage the heart” by including poetry and art alongside ecological information.

In the entry for the American Dipper, you will learn that the Yupik name for the swimming songbird means roughly “little bird that looks like smoke.” They can dive to 25 feet and walk along the streambed holding onto rocks with their toes. A poem by Gary Snyder celebrates this “trout-of-the-air.” In the illustration by Justin Gibbens, Dipper pierces the water.

Using the definition of the Sightline Institute, the editors define Cascadia as “the watersheds of rivers that flow into the Pacific Ocean through America’s temperate rainforest zone,” stretching from Southeast Alaska to Northern California’s Eel River. They have divided the region into 13 connected bioregions, or communities. Moving through these communities from north to south they introduce the reader

to 128 plant and animal beings that call Cascadia home. Each being is paired with a poem from a wide-ranging selection of poets, old and new, regional and iconic. Each community is paired with an artist that creates an illustration for each being featured in that community.

The stories that accompany each entry honor the beings they introduce to the reader, capitalizing their names and using pronouns. The ecology presented combines science with the traditional knowledge of First Peoples, emphasizing the connections between habitats and the human.

The tone is that of a friend, guiding you to meet Ochre Star in their tide pool. See those little spines? They are actually little pincers that toss off algae hitching a ride. When they take you to meet Devil’s Club, you will learn from Tlingit elder Helen Watkins that the berries are useful for combatting lice and making hair shiny.

When I head out to explore the mountains and beaches of my home, I carry books and tools so I can learn about the plants and animals I meet, and introduce myself, have a chat, maybe a nibble. This is a volume that should live in a pack, alongside binoculars, a hand lens and a notebook. Read a poem to a forest, rest your lunch on the pages while you watch foraging birds, enjoy a drawing of skunk cabbage and give it a sniff. And introduce yourself!

Artwork by Raya Friday

Artwork by Claire Emery

The Language of Trees: A Rewilding of Literature and Landscape

Katie Holten

Tin House Books

Trees embody many of the things humans find themselves missing: stillness, collaboration, patience, clarity, peace.

In the introduction to “The Language of Trees: a Rewilding of Literature and Landscape,” Ross Gay adds gratitude to the list. He calls the book, and the tree typeface it introduces “an immense gratitude.”

The over 50 texts in this collection are filled with gratitude, wonder and respect for the natural world, and artist and anthologist Katie Holten has literally translated them all into tree language.

Holten has created a tree alphabet. For each of the 26 letters in the alphabet she has assigned an elegant drawing of a tree. Apple is for A. Transformed by the alphabet Holten has designed, these essays, poems and quotes are translated into forests and groves, a fusion of arboreal art and thought.

Included texts come from writers, thinkers and poets from over centuries and continents, from Greek philosopher Plato to American environmentalist Robin Wall Kimmerer, from Indian writer (and aspiring tree) Sumana Roy to English band Radiohead. The threads connecting them all are language and trees, the power of words and of nature.

Shorter poems and quotes become stately stands of trees, while longer prose pieces grow into great forests with dense woods and airy openings.

The book offers the magical experience of reading it in a tree language but the alphabet is also an invitation. The tree alphabet may be a new way for us to think and write about our own connection to nature.

Clockwise from top left: Sunset, fire, sand and surf frame a perfect evening south of Ozette on the coast of Washington. Jason Griffith photo | Jason Schilling and Tyler Smallwood prepare an early dinner below the watchful gaze of Forbidden Peak. Jason Griffith photo | Pete Devries surfs at sunset in Cox Bay, Tofino, B.C. Marcus Paladino photo | Gavin Gladsjo avoids a Devils club-covered forest near Darrington. Skye Schillhammer photo | Kim Griffith, Eli and Jenny Baker cross the Ozette River on day three of a hike from Shi Shi Beach to Lake Ozette. The river is only passable at low tide. Jason Griffith photo | Pete Devries pumping surf just before dark on Vancouver Island. Marcus Paladino photo

Clockwise from top left: Olivine and Felix celebrate spring with an Easter egg hunt in the tulips. Audra Lee Mercile photo | Lucas Cummings rappels into Snot Couloir on a storm day. He got off the rope moments later. Albert England photo | The view from Skyline Divide near Glacier, Washington. Skye Schillhammer photo | Matthew Tangeman photo | Is there any better reward for getting to a high lake other than a crisp skinny dip? Skye Schillhammer photo | Sunrise from Mt. Rainier; started hiking at 10 p.m. and reached the summit just after 6 a.m., ran back to the car smiling. David Summers photo

From left: Two best friends having the time of their lives heading into Boulder Lake near Darrington, Washington. Skye Schillhammer photo | Kristen McKenzie breaks through dismal fog on Mt. Pickett, Orcas Island. Brad Walton photo | Sleeping at a trailhead near Glacier, Washington. Skye Schillhammer photo | A curious brown bear cheekily peeks out to get a glimpse before moving his way up the meadow near Darrington, Washington. Skye Schillhammer photo | KC Deane riding the Goose Creek trail in McCall, Idaho. Grant Gunderson photo | Green surf anemone thrives amongst the waves and rocks of Hole-in-the-Wall, north of La Push. Jason Griffith photo | Two Alaska yellow cedars near the upper Nooksack River, some of the largest you’ll find in Washington. Jason Griffith photo | Jere Burrell looks up at the bootpack to Table Mountain. Albert England photo

Daring and dangerous: The migration of birds

Story and photos by Ben Stalheim

As a kid, I would look for birds by running trails behind my house. Before I ever owned binoculars, my world revolved around the species I could see with the naked eye. Eventually, equipped with a small zoom camera, I discovered a world that held far more than Steller’s Jays, American Crows, and Mourning Doves (all of which I had my own names for). The world never changed, but as I learned more about it, it seemed to infinitely expand.

As I pinned more and more blurry photos of birds to my wall, I noticed something changing. What puzzled me was that each time I ventured out, I came across an always-changing array of birds. Brightly colored species I had never seen before would show up, then mysteriously disappear. I was no naturalist, so I assumed my methods were the cause. Ironically, running around haphazardly through the woods likely was a large factor in my inability to keep track of species. That’s when the “Kaufman Field Guide to Birds of North America” changed my life.

Within the book, next to the names of birds I had never heard of, were range maps of every species. In red was a bird’s breeding range, and in blue was the area it spent the winter. It was baffling to learn that the birds I assumed were my yearlong neighbors sometimes spent winters in cloud forests close to the equator. They weren’t even “my birds” as I came to learn. Many of the species I associated my childhood with

spent most of their time far outside of Washington’s temperate rainforest, and according to researchers, likely evolved in the neotropics before slowly expanding north.

Thousands of species totaling in the billions of individuals fly to different locations throughout the year. So many birds migrate during certain nights that radars can easily detect them. The same can be said for large movements of dragonflies. Most of this happens while we rest our heads at night. Not just birds undergo migration; mammals, fish, reptiles, amphibians and insects all make miraculous journeys as well. I say that migration is beautiful to admire because of its sheer magnitude, yet the finer details bring it to life.

One of the most common questions I am asked is, “How do they know where they are going?”

The literature grows daily with new reports of navigational brilliance by birds across the world. Whether it be songbirds using celestial cues on clear nights, shearwaters following smells across landmark-less oceans or even using magnetite to get a sense for the earth’s magnetic field. Despite these amazing feats, it doesn’t answer how they travel to places they’ve never been before.

In today’s world, Google maps feels necessary to make it anywhere. Before that, MapQuest and atlases held our hand in the art of navigation. Young birds embark on a flight that they must innately feel, alone and without Siri. For many of us, we get to follow our parents as they move around the

world. This helps gather information and form our own cognitive map. A young bird is generally abandoned soon after it can feed itself, so it is forced to rely on its own empty map.

Curious scientists decided to experiment by moving birds from where they were born, and relocating them thousands of miles to see their response. Adult birds that had made successful migrations quickly realized the trickery and corrected their flight path to reach the usual destination. Young birds however did not notice the change, and therefore continued to fly at the same bearing and distance which landed them in locations the species should never be. Remarkably, if you were to plot the young bird’s flight path beginning from the correct start point, it would have landed in precisely the right spot.

The more I dove into understanding why birds move around, the more I realized migration has a much darker side. It is easier to admiringly look at a newly returned Black-headed Grosbeak than think about the thousands of identical ones that didn’t return. Migration is inherently dangerous.

Flying hundreds, thousands, even tens of thousands of miles can prove deadly. Estimates show around 50 percent of birds survive migration periods, easily making it the deadliest time of year for an individual. Dangers seemingly come from everywhere. Long trips require plenty of food, and many birds never reach their destinations due to a lack

Brown Creeper scales a tree. These tiny forest dwellers make both elevational and distance migrations.

thereof. Emaciation and starvation can lead to easy predation or outright demise.

Ask a birder and they can tell you when each species is likely to show up, leave and be subsequently replaced by the next. This is because the timing of migration is as beautiful, cyclical and predictable as the flights themselves. However, some birds can also be caught “off schedule.”

Environmental cues on breeding grounds may signal it is time to fly south, but climate change has disrupted this millennial-old act. If a bird leaves too early or late, they can be caught in unfavorable weather, winds and storms in areas that would generally be easily passed by.

Birds have evolved to accept exhaustion, predators, food shortage and severe weather as risks during migration, but there are dangers and risks birds have yet to adapt to. From large-scale factors like climate change to small-scale dangers like car and window collisions, birds face threats that drastically impact migrations that have been happening for millions of years.

Most small birds, unlike the Bar-tailed Godwit, stop often on their trips. Thus, quality habitats to forage and restore energy are essential to survival. Habitat conversion/loss throughout the country make this increasingly difficult. Nearly half of all land is agriculture, mainly for the purpose of raising cows or growing feed for them. Cities are also growing, and wetlands are rapidly being drained and paved over, leaving buried remnants of past ecosystems. Birds have been filtered into smaller and smaller areas that provide food necessary for survival.

Lights left on in cities overnight distract birds, especially those using celestial cues. They cause birds to drop down in altitude where they collide with glass buildings and windows. Growing

numbers of volunteers help conduct surveys that attempt to determine exactly how many birds are killed like this each year. These groups also help push for bird-safe buildings. That includes having stickers, streamers or some sort of reflector in the window to warn birds. Additionally, lights out campaigns are starting across the country. This initiative advocates for turning lights off at night during migration. This is especially important in large cities and large buildings that easily distract and confuse migrating birds. Simply turning lights off can save our small, winged friends.

Birds will not stop migrating anytime soon. Humans will not stop living and expanding in the places we love. Improvement has to come in how we share the land. By watching and learning about the birds in your neighborhood, you are helping them. Senegalese environmentalist Baba Dioum once said, “In the end, we will conserve only what we love; we will love only what we understand and we will understand only what we are taught.”

My hope is that people may look around this spring, notice the arrival of the tiny world travelers and smile. Smile because they know at least a little more of the extraordinary journey each has completed, and the incredible dangers they avoided. Until they do it all again.

To learn more about migration and see maps of species that were GPS-tracked, visit explorer. audubon.org. To learn more about lights-out programs and what you can do, visit audubon. org/lights-out-program. x

Ben Stalheim is a wildlife biologist from Bellingham, Washington. He travels the country to study the birdlife of the United States and explore new places.

Map of Washington state showing the North American Bird Conservation Initiative (NABCI) conservation regions and protected areas (purple). In Washington, the Cascades divide habitats and migratory pathways. Many species such as Sandhill Crane, Cinnamon Teal and Lewis's Woodpecker use the Great Basin region. In contrast, notable species like Black Scoter, Macgillivray's Warbler and Brant use the Northwest Pacific Rainforest. Protected areas are incredibly important for migrating birds as they provide healthier habitats to rest and recover.

A Black-headed Grosbeak takes a brief pause during fall migration.

This Sora was a window-strike casualty I found. At this building, 20 others of 12 species were also collected.

A Bewick's Wren peeks its head around a moss-covered Evergreen.

Yellow-breasted Chats make long migrations across the continent. Traveling from Washington to Central America, these species can fly over 3,000 miles one way.

Wild Patagonia

Environmental attorney and photographer Anthony Garvin was so taken by his experiences traveling in Patagonia in 2012 and 2022 that he decided he wanted more people to learn about this wild and fascinating land.

The book features 154 full-color photographs of the landscape and wildlife found in both the Chilean and Argentinian Patagonia.

Wild Patagonia is not a guidebook; however, the book relates Garvin’s experiences and provides practical suggestions for travelers who will be inspired to visit this spectacular region at the southern tip of South America. x

Ryan’s favorite stretch for snowboarding is the figure four:

Lie on your back with your feet flat on the floor.

Cross your right ankle over your left knee.

Bring your left knee toward your chest. Reach your right hand through your legs and interlace your fingers around your the back of your left thigh.

Using your arms, pull your left knee toward your chest, pausing when you feel a stretch in your right glute and hip. Make sure to keep your back and head flat on the floor.

Hold there for at least five breaths then release and repeat on your left side.

Living large with little Ry

By Luca Williams

When you are the smallest kid in junior high in Arlington, Texas, you are bound to get bullied, like head stuck in the toilet bullied. Ryan, or Little Ry as his friends have called him for years, was that kid until he found his best defense, and it wasn’t karate. “When I made the bullies laugh they stopped bullying me. They wanted to be my friend.”

But all that laughter didn’t make him any taller. By the time he got his driver’s license at sixteen years old, it read 4 feet 8 inches. He had to sit on a pillow to see over the steering wheel. That experience of being bullied for his height made Ryan realize that he wanted to help uplift people because he didn’t want others to feel the way he had when he had been bullied.

Ryan first discovered snowboarding back in Arlington, Texas when he watched a snowboarding video of Mike (Tex) Davenport. “I wanted to snowboard like Tex,” Ryan said. He had found someone to look up to and he found his passion. Besides, you don’t have to be tall to be a strong snowboarder. It may even be an advantage to have a lower center of gravity. After high school, he spent years chasing snow in Colorado until he moved to Washington. The cliffs and conditions of Mt. Baker humbled him. Not that he’s one to complain about conditions. He can often be found snowboarding in the rain in his waterproof Grunden gear with a big smile on his face.

In 2016, Ryan started his log home restoration business, Mtn. Acres Log Home Restoration, inspired by all the folks that have found a way to make life work at the end of a dead end highway. Employing local residents (friends who love to snowboard as much as him), the company does energy sealing and chinking in the winter 2-6 p.m.

“It’s in my contract that I don’t work before 2 p.m. in the winter so I can ride every morning,” Ryan said.

In the summers, they pressure wash, sandblast and stain log homes, as well as repair and replace logs, working overtime to make up for their mellower winter schedule. He’s created a lifestyle where he loves surround-

ing himself with people who want to work and play as hard as he does.

Ryan isn’t that little anymore, but he never lost his nickname and what he doesn’t have in height he makes up for with personality. People just want to be friends with him because he’s always got a smile on his face. He makes time to say hello and listen — really listen — and connect with you and your kids. He’s a positive role model for his friends’ kids, and he shows them what his role models showed him: “Work hard to play hard.” x

Luca Williams is a certified rolfer in Glacier. She helps snowboarders, skiers and other outdoor enthusiasts get aligned and out of pain.

“Remember the past. Think of the future. Live in the now.” — Ryan Brooks

The secret’s out, folks. Or has been out. Or was never a secret in the first place — depending on who you talk to. If you’ve noticed more skin-track traffic or jockeyed a little harder for trailhead parking this winter, you aren’t alone. No — you likely aren’t alone at all.

Winter recreation across Washington, and indeed the West, is exploding. Jolted by an influx of pandemic-addled folk who probably honestly needed the vitamin D, the number of people taking part in backcountry activities like ski touring and snowshoeing has taken off like a shot, and shows little sign of waning. That’s an issue in a state where while terrain is in no short supply, access is.

The full parking lot, the locked gate, the unplowed forest service road — all magnified by the number of shoulders one need jostle amongst to navigate them — stand as chokepoints to an otherwise underburdened carrying capacity. It’s something you chew on in between the shush of a ski, or the padding of a snowshoe. It was something that was really eating Kyle McCrohan.

“There’s more pressure on a limited number of spaces. Everyone wants more. Nordic skiers want more, ski areas want to expand … The writing on the wall is not looking good for backcountry users,” the active skier and climber said. And while these are the thoughts that cross the minds of many, what got McCrohan really thinking: Why am I worried about access? And who is looking out for us?

The trails of Washington state enjoy proud advocacy by the Washington Trails Association (WTA). Mountain bikers know that the Evergreen Mountain Bike Alliance has their back. And if you want to mess with snowmobilers? You’ll have to go through the Washington State Snowmobile Association (WSSA) first. But the ever-burgeoning sector of backcountry skiers, splitboarders and snowshoers, McCrohan felt, ran risk of slipping through the cracks.

Earning Your Turns:

The Revitalized Cascade Backcountry Alliance

Story and photos by Nick Belcaster

After noticing the muscle at play surrounding a previous ski hut debacle (in short: a commercial operator wanted a ski-in hut in the Upper Teanaway — a long-time snowmobiler haunt. WSSA sued to stop it, before withdrawing), McCrohan found himself awed at the power of concentrated voice in moving the needle. Maybe there was something to this big stick diplomacy.

Which brings us to this season, and after much conferring with friends, McCrohan’s ultimate decision to do something about it.

The original Cascade Backcountry Alliance (CBA) began in 2017, and was the brainchild of Conrad Wharton, a mountain guide who saw many of the same budding issues then that have begun to bear sour fruit today. Called to action, Wharton pulled together the CBA as an advocacy group and set out to plant stakes for backcountry skiers and splitboarders in Washington.

While the initial iteration only lasted three years, the advocacy spirit was strong — and after receiving the necessary blessings, it was only natural that McCrohan take up the mantle and give CBA a second shot.

Turning the lights back on in late November of 2022, CBA aims to collect and focus the voices of the human-powered backcountry community in the state, protecting their interests and ensuring a place at the discussion table is set for themselves. “Our mission falls into three categories: Expanding access, preserving access and education,” McCrohan said.

And it didn’t take long for the first big issue to land in the laps of the group. Weeks after CBA went live, officials for Mount Rainier National Park (MRNP) announced that they no longer had sufficient staffing to support all week access to Paradise — the highest point in the state typically acces-

sible by car year-round, and a historic access point for skiers, mountaineers, and snowshoers.

“For many people south of Seattle that’s the closest spot to regular snowline, and really it’s the only place you can drive to the alpine in Washington. For snowshoers and families, it’s such an iconic destination,” McCrohan said. “It’s definitely an issue that going into this year we didn’t anticipate.”

Luckily, a number of like-minded advocates from across the outdoor spectrum — including friends Madelynn Scherrer, Jerry Drescher and Dan Bolliger — have coalesced around McCrohan and they’ve hit the ground running on the Paradise issue. In recent weeks they’ve worked in coalition with different groups like WTA, Seattle Mountaineers and Winter Wildlands Alliance to find creative solutions to help with the housing and wage issues that make it difficult for MRNP to recruit staff.

In other realms of access, CBA is aiming to be less reactionary and more proactive to the issues they see as looming. One potential salve to overcrowding that CBA has offered up is the creation of new Sno-Parks — a state program that plows parking lots in the winter to allow for continued access. But while there are currently 120 Sno-Parks statewide, 80 of these are designated primarily for motorized access.

“The Sno-Park program has realized that snowshoers and backcountry skiers are the fastest growing customer of the program,” McCrohan said. “They’re very much open to the idea of identifying strategic spots that could provide good backcountry usage.”

The most recent addition to the Sno-Park program, the Lake Annette Sno-Park, provides access to ungroomed trails for snowshoeing and backcountry skiing off the I-90 West corridor, and has been a boon for those looking for easy to access terrain that is close in proximity to large population centers.

“We’re doing research throughout the state to look at places that might be able to support a new Sno-Park, and will hopefully submit some new proposals in the spring,” McCrohan said.

Backcountry skiers, splitboarders and snowshoers are a particularly self-sufficient bunch. There’s an absolute self-reliance required to strike out in the winter wilderness, as well as some occasional surf-esque territorialism, which historically may have been why efforts to unite these groups have faltered.

But it’s this self-sufficiency that CBA hopes will create a backcountry full of self-advocates.

Take, say, a new parking edict from your local ski area goes into effect. McCrohan knows all too well the social media groundswell machine that can begin to turn around these issues, but CBA urges — instead of spin wheels — to research and organize.

“It’s important to be well informed,” McCrohan said. “Follow along with what’s going on at the state and federal levels, which is something that the CBA will help people to do.”

And above all else? Learn to be neighborly with your skin track partners.

“The relationships within the backcountry community doesn’t have to be contentious. There’s a lot of crossover, and we’re all just trying to enjoy the mountains in the winter. If you respect the rules, and you’re friendly to other user groups, that can go a long way,” McCrohan said. “Unlike other places, winter access in Washington does not have to be zero-sum. We want to work together, rather than take from each other.”

Who knows — they might even kick in the next booter for you.

For more information on CBA, visit cascadebackcountryalliance.com. x

Based in Bellingham, Nick Belcaster is an adventure journalist who enjoys breaking tree line, carrying as little as necessary and long walks across the country.

Ski to Sea celebrates 50 years

The 7-leg relay race hopes to have all 50 states represented

By Ian Haupt

Ski to Sea will celebrate its 50th birthday this year on Memorial Day weekend.

While the first official race was put on in 1973, the race’s history dates back to 1911 when 14 people raced to the top of Mt. Baker in the Mount Baker Marathon. According to the Whatcom Museum, the Mount Baker Club, a booster organization composed of Bellingham businessman, used the race as a promotional scheme. Not exactly a marathon, racers were set with the task of racing from downtown Bellingham to the summit of Mt. Baker and back. They were given the choice of taking a train 44 miles to Glacier and running the 14 miles to the summit via the steep Glacier Trail or driving by car 26 miles to Heisler’s Ranch east of Deming and running the 16 miles to the summit via the more gradual Middle Fork Nooksack River route. It was a test of endurance and rival technologies.

The race was disbanded after three years when a racer fell into a 40-foot crevasse in 1913 and wasn’t found for five hours. However, the competition served as inspiration for Ski to Sea.

The race started as it is today: A seven-leg relay from Mt. Baker Ski Area to Bellingham Bay. Racers ski, run, bike and paddle their way into the bay in what has become Whatcom County’s largest one-day event. It draws racers, spectators and tourists from the Pacific Northwest, B.C. and around the country.

This year, to celebrate its 50th, the event set a goal of having all 50 U.S. states represented by either a full team or at least one team member. As of press date, 27 states were represented. States not represented include Alaska, Arkansas, Arizona, Connecticut, Delaware, Georgia, Indiana, Iowa, Kentucky, Louisiana, Maryland, Michigan, Mississippi, New Mexico, North Carolina, North Dakota, Oklahoma, Rhode Island, South Carolina, South Dakota, Tennessee, West Virginia and Wyoming.

In the lead-up to the race, Mount Baker Experience spoke with two teams with different and yet similar experiences, background and relationship to the race. One team hails from Washington and has been participating in the race for 30 years, while the other is returning for its second year and has recruited another team from Montana to join.

30 years

The Tumwater Shadies team formed in the early ’90s as a group of friends who grew up in the Tumwater area. Team captain Gregor Myhr, who has raced under the Tumwater Shadies team name all 30 years, heard about Ski to Sea as a student at Western Washington University and rounded up his buddies to put a team together. All had some experience at their respective legs, they just had to scrounge up a used Coleman canoe. Myhr said they probably finished in the bottom half of the middle of the field, which was around 200-225 teams at the time.

“We had such a great time that we decided to stay with it as young adults,” Myhr said.

Myhr said the team didn’t complete the race one year in the ’90s. The Shadies had to abandon due to a flat tire in the mountain bike that couldn’t be repaired. The team has finished the race every year since, although they have run into other issues, like tipping their canoe and multiple flat tires on the road bike.

One year, there wasn’t enough snow at the ski area to hold the cross-country ski leg so it was made into a mountain run. Myhr did it.

“It was so anaerobic I didn't know how to pace myself,” he said. “I got up to the top and I lost it — puked in front of a whole bunch of people, which was embarrassing. I haven’t done that in awhile.”

The team would host people at their houses in Bellingham and then stayed in hotels on Samish Way after they had returned to the Olympia area. Myhr said as the years went on and they recruited some people they met in the Olympia area they had a couple years of strong finishes in the top half.

Myhr said the team has a core group of four or five racers who have participated consistently over the decades while others have come and gone. He said his wife, brother-in-law and another best buddy all may have missed a year or two each but have been with the team from the start. By the 2000s, members of the team started having kids and as the years progressed the event weekend became more of a family trip.

Dan Jones, a fellow WWU grad who was training for an Ironman at the time, joined the Shadies in the early 2000s to do their bike leg. Jones has competed in every leg of the race since joining the team.

“The Ski to Sea, for me personally, has created a connection both back to Bellingham as well as being connected to the Tumwater Shadies team that is made up of some of the best people I know,” Jones said.

One of his favorite years, he said, was when he did the cross-country ski with zero experience. Jones said he clipped into the bindings 30 minutes before the race and crashed hard. He was fine in the race, but he said that’s what he enjoys most about it — “digging deep and gutting it out.”

Myhr and Jones have been swapping between the different legs since 2014. Myhr said it’s really all about the recreational vibe of the race and pushing themselves to try something new. He said it keeps them young.

“In the last decade, we show up and just race,” Myhr said. “We plan who’s going to do what, and people show up and throw it down. Because we’ve been doing it for so long the logistics aren’t even a conversation. We show up and have a good time at the rental house. The weekend’s a great time, and the race is part of the bigger weekend event that we’re doing.”

Someday, Jones said he hopes the kids of the Tumwater Shadies form a team of their own.

Current team: From left, Greg Rabourn, Hollie Myhr, Kati Holmos, Gregor Myhr, Dan Jones, Adam Stocks, Ryan Myhr, and Aubry Nelson in front. Courtesy photo

1993 Tumwater Shadies.

Early 2000s Tumwater Shadies. Tumwater Shadies and kids.

Fans watch over Bellingham Bay. Whatcom Museum courtesy photo

Montana team brings friends

Weedmasters Landscaping, LLC formed out of a group of outdoor recreationists based in Bozeman, Montana. Team captain Cole Herdman grew up in Bellingham. He watched his parents compete in Ski to Sea and raced in the Junior Ski to Sea as a kid.

“I always thought of Ski to Sea as the best of Bellingham, especially when it comes to outdoor activities,” Herdman said. “You cover from Mt. Baker all the way down to the bay. If you’ve got friends coming to town, those are all the spots you want to show folks.”

Having moved to Bozeman, Herdman said he saw the race as an opportunity to show his Bozeman community Bellingham in a fun way.

Most of the team members met or started hanging out at local Bozeman bike shop’s Friday happy hours. When they decided to form a team, they said they had someone to cover all the mountain sports. It was the water sports legs they had trouble filling.

Micah Robin said he had little boating experience before he took on the canoe leg, while his partner had been a rafting guide. The Herdmans luckily had a canoe for them to use. Robin said they would have been faster if people hadn’t thrown White Claws in the river, which he said felt like littering not to pick up.

Most of the team drove the 12 hours out from Bozeman, leaving Friday evening, stopping in Seattle and continuing up to Bellingham in the morning, while some flew. The team crashed at Herdman’s parents house and enjoyed the local mountain bike trails in the days leading up to the race.

Weedmasters Landscaping, LLC is not a registered business by the way. Sorry, Boz-

eman readers, they won’t be trimming your shrubs anytime soon. The team was given their logoed, yellow and green attire from a friend who had it made as a marketing campaign for his outdoor “gear” business Dangle Supply. Dangle Supply sells titanium water pipes and bongs.

Ski to Sea has a history of local companies sponsoring teams. Many of the top teams each year are named after local companies. Some from last year include Birch Equipment, Boomer’s Drive-In, Inn at Lynden and Evil Bike Co.

Robin said when they picked up their packet at registration, a volunteer said as they were walking away, “Oh, cool, they’re all landscapers!”

The landscapers took 63rd overall and finished seventh in the competitive mixed category. Herdman said they had a fun rivalry during the race with COTTON KILLS, a team made up of many of his buddies from Bellingham and college. Herdman said from the downhill ski on they were neck and neck for most of the race and Weedmasters just pulled away in the kayak leg. He said they all hung out and had beers afterward.

Kaeyln Woods, who raced the crosscountry ski leg, said some members on the team have discussed switching legs with each other.

“The cool thing about our team is that everyone’s super fit and super athletic and super game to try anything,” Woods said. “At any given moment, someone could change spots and totally boss it.”

The Weedmasters are returning this year, possibly with a different name, and are bringing another group of buddies from Bozeman to add a second Montana team to the race. x

Weedmasters Landscaping LLC team members take break while riding Galbraith Mountain. Courtesy photo

Weedmasters Landscaping LLC, from left: Courtney Vacek, Eliza Granger, Cole Herdman, Zach Daniels, Micah Robin, Bean Smith. Front: Kaelyn Woods, Madelyn Townsend. Courtesy photos

Former Mt. Baker Ski Area employee and Deming native publishes extreme ski novel

By Ian Haupt

Elea Plotkin, who grew up in Van Zandt, graduated from Mount Baker High School and whose parents owned the Everybody’s Store, published her debut novel about a professional extreme skier and single mother earlier this year.

“The Procedure” follows the path of Whitney Olson, an extreme skier from Crested Butte, Colorado, who has a disabled child with a seizure disorder.

Plotkin has strong ties to the Mt. Baker area. Her parents, Jeff and Amy Margolis, owned the Everybody’s Store, an exotic grocery store in Van Zandt, from 1970 to 2019. Plotkin grew up downhill skiing, hiking and climbing in the North Cascades. She worked in the ski shop at Mt. Baker Ski Area from 1976 to 1980 — when George and Ann Savage ran it

— before moving to Seattle to attend the University of Washington.

“My life has really revolved around being in the mountains,” Plotkin said. “Ever since I was a little girl.”

Plotkin said she followed the professional careers of Jim Whittaker, Conrad Anker and Jon Krakauer and was inspired by their storytelling. “I love the way they immerse people into the alpine,” she said.

When Plotkin sat down to write though, she said she wanted to write a story that was plot driven. She wanted archetypal characters, international intrigue, psychological and personal conflict that would create a story with subtext and drama.

Protagonist Whitney Olson is sponsored professional ski-

er and travels, trains and films promotional videos with an elite corps of competitive skiers for a powerful, multinational company as the group prepares for the World Extreme Ski Championship in La Grave, France. Whitney goes heli-skiing and mountain climbing in some of the most beautiful but dangerous peaks in the world. She must survive avalanches, crevasses, deadly steeps and a duplicitous team member who is out to destroy her as they vie for over a million dollars in prize money and other lucrative commercial opportunities.

Plotkin said she likens Whitney’s character to a fireman, in that, if there was a fire, she would be the first to run in to try to save everyone. Plotkin said Whitney is gritty.

Plotkin said she has another book she’s writing that has yet to be published. She said it’s called “Cascade Crossing” and is a dystopian tale about a naïve, young pregnant woman from the Netherlands trapped at a birthing center in Darrington, Washington that would like to give away her baby. A man tries to help her escape by guiding her across the North Cascades. Plotkin said she hopes to make it available soon.

The title of Plotkin’s new book refers to a medical procedure Whitney undergoes while in Europe. A neurosurgeon eliminates her sense of fear. She then returns to the U.S. to ski and deal with the question: Is it cheating to eliminate fear?

“It’s a very contemporary story in that it doesn’t have the answers but brings up important questions, like how to handle risk in the backcountry and what an athlete does to enhance their performance,” Plotkin said.

Whitney also confronts double standards that female athletes have historically endured in order to succeed, according to the press release. The book is available on Amazon, Barnes and Noble, Walmart, Target, in eBook form and has been optioned by Laughing Tiger Films for adaptation to screenplay.

Plotkin lives in Littleton, Colorado. She is also an accomplished jazz singer-songwriter, recording artist and classical pianist. x

Forest bathing

Visiting our tall, quiet friends along the north Pacific

Treebeard has nothing to say.

Typical Ent.

Tolkien would be delighted. The British author’s famous anthropomorphic old growth trees from “Lord of the Rings” are fictional, of course, and notoriously taciturn. Well, maybe. There are innumerable huge, rugged, arboreal ancients between Alaska and California, and they emit enchantment and power like botanical wizards. That may not be verbal output but it is palpable and strong. Tolkien simply uncovered a natural phenomenon that outdoors people can experience for themselves in bigtree land.

How do I know that? I go see them.

The tree I am visiting today is my exact image of an Ent, and as Treebeard is the oldest and grandest of them all in Middle-earth, the venerable being before me deserves to represent the oldest and grandest Ent. This is the biggest black cottonwood in America — maybe the biggest cottonwood on Earth, never mind Middle-earth — and it’s in Oregon, south of Portland, along Willamette Mission State Park’s namesake river.

It stands 155 feet tall and measures 29 feet around its waist — 9 feet across. Its arms reach out and then up in a fashion oddly reminiscent of a referee’s touchdown signal. In spring, standing in the prismatic viridescent light, I think of Dylan Thomas’s “force that through the green fuse drives the flower.”

Once upon a time, what I’m doing was known as “big-tree bagging,” a cousin to bagging peaks. This sort of recreational enumeration is out of favor, so let’s give my pastime a new

moniker: “Forest bathing.”

That’s what they call it in Japan.

There it’s a wellness regime to go out in the woods and just, well, hang out. Absorb the quiet, the air, the rhythms of long life. Traditional healers prescribe it, just as your doctor might prescribe Prozac, but trees are much better for you. The more woodsy the woods, the better; lowers blood pressure, eases stress, clears the lungs and soul.

Pacific Northwesterners needn’t go far to bathe in marvelous old-growth forests, which provide extra-strength forest bathing.

Black cottonwoods are the climax species, to use another outdated term, along virtually all the rivercourses of the north Pacific. Particularly fine stands are found along a couple of watersheds spilling down from Mt. Baker and the North Cascades. The divine Cottonwood Trail recreation path along the Methow River from Twisp to Winthrop passes hundreds of giant old trees, a forest to which poet William Stafford wrote, “You can’t walk through it without wrapping a new piece of time around you.” I know no better bike path

in Washington state.

If you are looking for pieces of time, Vancouver Island’s Carmanah Valley has eternities. Here rises the Carmanah Giant, tallest Sitka spruce in the world at 315 feet, 700 years old, 9 feet in diameter. Its exact location is unmarked and undisclosed, to protect it, but a trail in Carmanah Walbran Provincial Park leads down to the Randy Stoltmann Commemorative Grove, a clan of very big and venerable spruces along the Carmanah River that memorializes the wilderness

Story and photos by Eric Lucas

Cedar along Big Tree Trail on Meares Island, B.C., not the Hanging Garden Tree.

The black cottonwood at Willamette Missions State Park. Courtesy Oregon Parks and Recreation Department

activist who helped preserve it. It’s a lovely half-day hike in and out. Take a picnic and lean back against a burly behemoth.

As with cottonwoods, massive coastal spruces line the north Pacific shoreline for more than a thousand miles, from southeast Alaska to northern California. Most grow within just a mile or two of saltwater, and that includes the groves on Vancouver Island. In wetland locales, cedars join spruces. Perhaps the most famous of these is the Hanging Garden Tree, on Meares Island outside Tofino, B.C. Thousands of years old, this majestic being is so massive it is itself home to a very inclusive family of shrubs and yearling trees that cling to its crevices and ledges.

Getting to Meares requires paddling a kayak or canoe — or, as I once did, a hand-carved cedar canoe — from Tofino. It takes about an hour. Watch the tides and currents. Think back to the day this tree was born, when Augustus Caesar was turning the Roman Empire into the greatest enterprise on Earth. The empire’s gone, but the tree powers on.

My favorite tree of all, though, rests in a green glade on the desert side of our coast, near Bend,

Oregon. “Big Red” is the world’s largest ponderosa pine, enjoying a premier site along the Deschutes River in LaPine State Park, 9 feet thick, 162 feet tall and a half-millennium old. Unlike most big trees, its riverbank location means you can step back a bit and see the entire tree in one view. You can, that is; your camera cannot, because nature gave us better sensory equipment than any technology can provide.

Spring is tricky in the Northwest. Cascade ski areas have more puddles than powder. Rivers rage and waters are yet to warm. So a walk or ride into big-tree territory is a fine outing, and the outcome is a key part of the journey.

Back to the Willamette Valley and the largest cottonwood. According to Tolkien, what does Treebeard say about the talk of trees?

It is a lovely language, but it takes a very long time saying anything in it, because we do not say anything in it, unless it is worth taking a long time to say, and to listen to.

But this is what I hear:

Be quiet. Hugs all around. x

Eric Lucas lives on a small farm on San Juan Island, where he grows organic hay, beans, squash and apples. His 12acre woodland includes a couple dozen nascent old-growth firs and pines.

Writer Eric Lucas stands in front of Big Red, in LaPine State Park, Oregon.

The writer riding the Methow Valley trail system.

Carmanah Walbran Provincial Park gravel bar area. Courtesy K2 Cowichan Park Services

One Sherpa home: Bellingham

climber raises funds to build new home for his Sherpa following Nepal earthquake

By Ian Haupt

Dave Mauro and his hired guide Mingma Chhring Sherpa summited Mt. Everest on May 20, 2013 at 3:43 a.m. making Mauro the 65th American to climb the Seven Summits, the tallest peaks on each continent. Mingma notched his 11th summit of Mt. Everest that morning. Two and half years later, Dave and other Bellingham locals would raise the money and travel to the Nepalese village of Phortse to rebuild Mingma’s home following the 2015 Nepal earthquake.

Mountain climbing

In 2013, Dave climbed Everest through elite guide service International Mountain Guides (IMG) and was paired to work closely with Mingma during his climb. The two spent two months together on the mountain, Mingma speaking in broken English and both risking their lives to reach the summit.

Dave said they built a connection when they first started climbing together on the Khumbu Icefall. The Khumbu Icefall is the first significant obstacle when climbing Everest from the south side and considered one of the most dangerous. It’s a 3,000-foot section of ice broken off from the Khumbu Glacier that moves up to six feet per day, creating crevasses hundreds of feet deep and up to 50 feet wide. Climbers walk across and up ladders as they navigate their way through. Most pass through the icefall multiple times as they acclimate to the elevation. Dave and Mingma were roped to each other. If one of them fell, the other either stopped them or they would fall together.

“When you go through something as terrifying as the Khumbu Icefall and you’re roped to another person, you immediately start to develop a close relationship,” Dave said. Several times they would hear an avalanche break loose above them, and they would scramble for cover. The avalanche would storm past them as they huddled together behind a serac. Dave said days during the climb are riddled with moments like these that could be life altering. Moments that he said you want to take time to acknowledge although you must press on. The more they shared these moments he said the closer they bonded.

and Dave

Mingma is a Sherpa from the village of Phortse in Khumbu, Nepal, where many Sherpas who guide on Everest come from. Sherpas are an Indigenous group of eastern Tibet. Mingma studied at the Tengboche Monasetry to become a monk until he couldn’t afford to pay the $1,000 per year tuition, so he returned to Phortse. IMG hired him as a load-carrying Sherpa shortly after. He became a guiding Sherpa a year later after attending the Khumbu Climbing School and summited Everest for the first time in 2002.

Dave’s father left when he was a kid, and he grew up in poverty. He graduated from the University of Washington. He’s a certified financial planner who has worked for large investment companies. He recently opened his own investment firm. Dave lost his only brother and got divorced from his wife, with whom he had two — now grown — kids, shortly before he started climbing mountains. Dave shares more of his story and the rest of his journey to climb atop the Seven Summits in his book, “The Altitude Journals.”

One Sherpa home

On April 25, 2015 at 6:11 a.m., a 7.8 magnitude earthquake along the Main Himalayan Thrust fault killed nearly 9,000 people and injured nearly 22,000. The Gorkha earthquake and its aftershocks leveled buildings and homes in Nepal’s capital Kathmandu. Hundreds of thousands of Nepalese people were left homeless with entire villages flattened. It triggered an avalanche on Everest that killed 22 people, the mountain’s deadliest incident on record.

Mingma was in Tibet at the time, guiding in the northern Himalayas. His sons were attending boarding school in Kathmandu and his wife was at home in Phortse. Dave said initially Mingma couldn’t get a hold of them or any reliable information as to the extent of the damage. The second day after the earthquake, he called Dave asking for help. “I don’t know what to do. Can you help me?” Dave said were his words.

Dave called some of his contacts in Kathmandu and Khumbu, and eventually Mingma’s sons were found in a refugee

camp near the Kathmandu airport. Mingma also learned his wife was alive as well, but his home was destroyed. As Mingma made his way back to Phortse, Dave said his efforts to help Mingma focused on his home.

“Sending a big sum of money into a disaster zone is not always a great idea,” Dave said. “It's going to pass through hands and you just don’t know how much of it’s going to get where it’s supposed to go. There are people who take advantage at times like that and they’ll represent themselves as contractors and demand a big front deposit, and disappear.”

By process of elimination and a need for certainty, Dave said he decided to rebuild the home. He formed a nonprofit organization and GoFundMe called “One Sherpa Home” and began fundraising. Dave said he called it “One Sherpa Home” because that was what they planned to build: One Sherpa home. After that, he would close the organization.

The plan was to travel to Nepal with other volunteers from Bellingham and start the construction process. Dave’s eldest son Trevor Mauro had just graduated from the Illinois Institute of Technology in Chicago with a bachelor’s degree in architecture. Trevor was sent to Nepal for two weeks in June 2015 to conduct a site survey.

Trevor said he spent a week in Kathmandu before flying solo to Lukla with a large duffle bag of supplies. The airline sent an attractive female flight attendant who didn't speak English on the short flight over. While nice to have company, Trevor, who is gay, said it was entirely unnecessary. After arriving in Lukla, Mingma met him at the airport and they made the three-day trek to Phortse together. Trevor lived with Mingma and his wife for a week under a tarp while he assessed the damage and materials available and drafted technical drawings. Trevor said his initial instinct was to design a modern home as he was trained.

A Sherpa’s home has cultural significance, so Mingma had a few requests. It had to be two stories, as all elder statesmen in Sherpa culture must have two-story homes. It also had to have traditional Sherpa windows, a temple, dry storage and space for livestock to come in out of the weather. Trevor said understanding the culture of the village and meeting Mingma’s cultural needs for the design was the biggest lesson learned, adding the cultural needs are easy to overlook as a young person. Trevor settled on a traditional design, with modern features.

“We were committed to respecting that culture at every turn of the road,” Dave said. “I think the design did a marvelous job of that.”

Structural improvements included using a gabion rock structure as the foundation and building the home parallel with the hillside. Concrete is not available in Khumbu. All

Mingma

The One Sherpa Home team with Mingma and his wife in Phortse. Courtesy photo

Members of the group and Sherpa clear the site for construction. Dave Mauro photo

materials are gathered locally or flown or trekked in. The gabion foundation mimicked a concrete foundation, with caged rock extending down into the ground.

Trevor returned to Washington with a design drafted and handed it over to an engineer who worked pro bono. Dave put together a group of seven volunteers from the Bellingham area. The group traveled over in October 2015 with $18,000 raised to go toward building the home. All members of the group paid their own way. Dave wired the money to himself in Kathmandu and used it to buy tools and supplies. They hired Sherpa and a herd of yak to carry the supplies from Lukla to Phortse.

Phortse sits at nearly 13,000 feet. The trek from the airport in Lukla takes around three days. Bellingham physician Dr. Clark Parrish, who had trekked in the Himalayans three times before, joined the group and attended to any minor injuries while observing their acclimatization. Parrish said everyone faired just fine.

When the group arrived in Phortse, they all helped lay the foundation, which consisted of gathering and placing rocks in the gabions and reinforcing them with rebar. This they believed would allow the structure to flex in future earthquakes and yet not collapse. Local Sherpas were hired to help with laying the foundation. Dave said part of their goal was to teach the building technique to

the Sherpas so they could use it in rebuilding their own homes. The group was in Phortse for 11 days and camped while working on the home. They nearly completed the foundation in that time. They also took a tour of Phortse and visited the Khumbu Climbing Center.

The tools they had brought in were left in the village as a mini cooperative for anyone to use. Dave then left about $8,000 with a local Sherpa builder to finish the home. About $5,000 was left over. Dave said he left it with the clinic and school in Phortse and a neighboring village’s clinic and school.

“I think most people who have been over there to go trekking or climbing realize none of us would have been able to do what we had without the help of the Sherpas,” Parrish said.

Mingma and his family moved into their new home in January 2016.

Parrish returned to Khumbu to trek in 2018. He visited Phortse and saw Mingma’s completed home occupied.

Dave and Mingma stay in touch.

To Watch

Netflix’s docuseries “Aftershock: Everest and the Nepal Earthquake” captures survivors firsthand accounts of the 2015 Nepal earthquake along with actual footage from the disaster.

Dave Mauro, right, gifts spare funds to a local clinic. Courtesy photo

MUSSELS IN THE KETTLES: Saturday, March 4. Coupeville. A non-competitive mountain bike ride and poker ride. You pick your pace and your route. Be sure to check out the Penn Cove Musselfest. For more information visit: whidbeyislandbicycleclub.org.

OUTDOOR ADVENTURE, BIKE & TRAVEL SHOW: March 4-5. Vancouver. BC’s largest showcase of outdoor gear and adventure travel experiences. Over 250 exhibitors and 60 adventure presentations. For more information visit outdooradventureshow.ca.

BAKER SPLITFEST: Friday, March 17 to Sunday, March 19. This festival has become one of the largest snowboarding events in the PNW. Many people think of it as the highlight of their snow season and come back every year to touch base with backcountry friends. Meet other people to tour with, try out new gear and raise money to support the Northwest Avalanche Center. Saturday night raffle and live music. Chair 9, Glacier. For more information visit: splitfest.com.

CHUCKANUT 50K: Saturday, March 18. The Chuckanut 50k is a lollipop-shaped course. The first 10k and last 10k repeat on the Interurban Trail with smooth, relatively flat running. The middle 30k is what this race is known for — you get to climb (5,000ft), traverse and descend the famous Chuckanut Mountain Ridge through beautiful Pacific Northwest terrain. There are five aid stations along the course, all noted on the course map. For a more information, visit chuckanut50krace.com.

OAT RUN (OLYMPIC ADVENTURE TRAIL RUN): Saturday, April 15. Port Angeles. OAT (Olympic Adventure Trail) Run is a 12K and half marathon trail race on the Olympic Peninsula. The point-to-point course takes place on the singletrack Olympic Adventure Trail. For more information, visit peninsulaadventuresports.com.

GRAVEL UNRAVEL: Saturday, April 22. Pedal and explore the Olympic Peninsula on the gravel road systems of Olympic National Forest and coastal state forests. For all riders with a gravel, cross or mountain bike. E-bike riders are also welcome in the non-competitive ride. Each event will have short, medium, and long courses, and all are followed by food and beer. There are 3 races in the series (April 22, June 17, July 22). For more information, visit peninsulaadventuresports.com.

EVENTS

WHIDBEY ISLAND MARATHON: Sunday, April 23. Oak Harbor. The Whidbey Island Marathon offers a 1K kids run, 5K, 10K, half marathon and marathon. The events start and end in Oak Harbor. Competitors get to run across the Deception Pass Bridge. All competitors get tech shirts, customer finisher medals, personalized bibs and free race photos. For more information or to register, visit runwhidbey.org.

TOUR DE LOPEZ: Saturday, April 29. This is a great family event. Come for the day or stay for the weekend. Non-competitive rural road tour through scenic Lopez Island. Registration includes buffet lunch, live music and beer garden. For more information, visit lopezisland.com.

SKI TO SEA: Sunday, May 28, Registration is open! Ski to Sea is the original multisport relay race from Mt. Baker to Bellingham Bay, now celebrating 50 years. A team consists of three — eight racers competing in seven different sports: Cross country ski, downhill ski/snowboard, running, road bike, canoe (two paddlers), cyclocross bike and sea kayak. The racecourse runs through the towns of Glacier, Maple Falls, Kendall, Everson, Lynden and Ferndale, finishing at Marine Park in the historic Fairhaven district of Bellingham. Together with the Historic Fairhaven Festival, Ski to Sea is the largest one-day event in Whatcom County and the largest multisport race in North America. For more information or to register, go to skitosea.com.

SEVENTY 48: Friday, June 2. A 70mile unsupported, human-powered boat race from Tacoma to Port Townsend. The race is over 48 hours after it starts. Teams must ring the bell at City Dock in Port Townsend by 7 p.m. The prizes will be awarded during the Race to Alaska PreRace Ruckus on stage with the band. Applications are accepted until tax day, April 15. For more information or to register, go to seventy48.com.

RACE TO ALASKA:

Monday, June 5 and Thursday, June 8. Race to Alaska is held in two legs. Stage 1 is a 40-mile sprint from Port Townsend to Victoria, B.C., which is designed as a qualifier for the full race. It’s also an opportunity for people who want to see

what it’s about without doing the full 750 miles. Stage 2 is the long haul from Victoria to Ketchikan, Alaska. Racers start at high noon on June 8 and follow their own route across the 710 miles to Ketchikan. There’s no official course besides a waypoint in Bella Bella, B.C. For more information or to register, visit r2ak.com.

BELLINGHAM SWIMRUN: Sunday, June 11. The Swedes discovered SwimRun in 2006. It consists of swimming and running and swimming and running. The Bellingham SwimRun will be held at Lake Padden and offered as a 15K and 5K. Racers can compete solo or with a team. For more information, visit questraces.com/bellingham-swimrun.

LAKE WHATCOM TRIATHLON:

Saturday, July 8. An Olympic-distance triathlon that is a USAT sanctioned event. The race includes a 1500-meter swim on Lake Whatcom, 40km bike ride along North Shore Drive and Y Road, and a 10km run around the trails of beautiful Whatcom Falls Park, with the transition area and start/finish lines at Bloedel Donovan Park. The event draws beginner to elite athletes, in individual and relay divisions, and includes an expo area for athletes and spectators. For more information or to register, visit lakewhatcomtriathlon.com.

NORTHWEST TUNE-UP: July 1416. Bellingham. A bike, beer and music festival celebrating PNW culture on the waterfront. Family friendly events. Early Bird ticket pricing on 3-day festival passes, which include access to endless bike demos, award-winning headliners, bike and skills clinics, shuttles to trailheads and more. For more information, visit NWTuneUp.com.

CASCADIA DIRT CUP SERIES: July 15-16. Takes place on Galbraith Mountain across two days. Podium awards and postrace revelry will be held down on Bellingham’s waterfront each day at the Northwest Tune-Up. For more information or to register, visit racecascadia.com/events.

TOUR DE WHATCOM: Saturday, July 22. Enjoy all that the Northwest has to offer in one ride — Mt. Baker, Lake Whatcom, valleys, rivers, farmland and beaches. Rides vary from 22 to 100 miles. Join the post ride party at Boundary Bay Brewery. For more information, visit tourdewhatcom.com.

BELLINGHAM TRAVERSE: Saturday, August 19. A new course this year. The trail run now loops around Lake Padden and the paddle loops around Bellingham Bay. For more information or to register, visit bellinghamtraverse.com.

BELLINGHAM OFF-ROAD TRIATHLON: Sunday, August 20. Includes a 800 meter swim on Lake Padden, 9K mountain bike loop along the Lake Padden horse trails, and finishes with the classic 4.1K (2.6 mile) gravel loop trail around Lake Padden. Transition area will be on the grass near the old baseball fields at Lake Padden Park. Beginner to elite friendly and you can do it with friends as a relay. For more information, visit bellinghamoffroadtri.com.

GOAT RUN: Saturday, September 9. Great Olympic Adventure Trail Run is a point-to-point half marathon, marathon, and 50K trail race that traverses Kelly Ridge between the Olympic National Park and the Strait of Juan de Fuca. Port Angeles. For more information, visit peninsulaadventuresports.com.

MT. BAKER HILL CLIMB: Sunday, September 17. Ascend 4,462’ from Chair 9 in Glacier to Artist Point (5,140’ elevation) in 22 miles along the Mt. Baker Highway. One of the most scenic paved roads in the country. Steep elevation but the views are stunning. Experience the agony and the ecstasy. Awarded the #2 Hill Climb in the U.S. by Gran Fondo Guide. For more information, visit bakerhillclimb.com.

THE BIG HURT: Saturday, September 23. A premier multi-sport race on the Olympic Peninsula. A four-leg test of endurance, strength and tenacity intertwined with the beauty of the North Olympic Peninsula. The event starts with 15-mile mountain bike, followed by 2.6mile kayak, 30-mile road bike and a 10K run along the scenic Olympic Discovery Trail, Port Angeles. For more information, visit bighurtpa.com.

EATS

BLAINE

DRAYTON HARBOR OYSTER CO.

685 Peace Portal Drive

360/656-5958

draytonharboroysters.com

Long local tap list and global wines

tide-to-table oysters

Cozy atmosphere, beautiful sunsets

Dine-in, take-out, shuck-at-home

PACKERS KITCHEN & BAR AT SEMIAHMOO RESORT

9565 Semiahmoo Parkway

360/318-2090

semiahmoo.com

Enjoy seaside dining with stunning views and a fresh menu of seafood, hand-crafted pizza, and local specialties.

BELLINGHAM

BELLINGHAM CIDER COMPANY

205 Prospect Street, Suite A105

360 /510 8494

bellinghamcider.com

Bellingham Cider Co. is a local craft cider producer and solar-powered restaurant with a full bar overlooking Bellingham Bay. Our food is prepped fresh and sourced from local farms and businesses.

DIAMOND JIM’S GRILL

2400 Meridian Street

360/734-8687

diamondjimsgrill.com

Local diner serving breakfast & lunch. We’ve been making our’ popular 10” pancakes in Bellingham since April Fool’s Day of 1998. Order online for take out & delivery, open Thurs - Mon 7 a.m. to 2 p.m.

BOUNDARY BAY

BREWERY & BISTRO

1107 Railroad Ave

360/647-5593

bbaybrewery.com

Boundary Bay Brewery is a familyfriendly community hub. Unwind in the taproom, bistro, deck or beer garden with handcrafted brews, fresh local food. Open every day at 11 a.m.

HOLLY’S MEAT PIES

1306 Commercial St. 360/778-1111

hollysmeatpies.com

Washington’s original Pasty company. Artisan hand pies made from scratch. Order online.

PENNY FARTHING BAR AND RESTAURANT AT CHUCKANUT BAY DISTILLERY

1309 Cornwall Avenue 360/738-7179

chuckanutbaydistillery.com

Featuring a variety of delicious, shareable “small plate” dishes and creative craft cocktails, Penny Farthing is the perfect downtown Bellingham destination for any occasion.

THE NORTH FORK BARREL HOUSE & BEER SHRINE

1900 Grant Street, Suite 101 360/224-2088

northforkbrewery.com/the-barrel-house

Open Thursday thru Tuesday (closed Wednesdays)

Ages 21+

Our new taproom in Bellingham! Here you’ll find some of our sour projects, other ales, and lagers from our Deming brewery. The Barrel House does not serve food at this time. Weekday Happy Hour 3-5 p.m.

BURLINGTON

SKAGIT’S OWN FISH MARKET

18042 Hwy 20 360/707-2722

skagitfish.com

Offering the highest quality in local seafood. Daily lunch specials freshly prepared. Local jams, jellies, salsas, honey and sauces.

CONCRETE

ANNIE’S PIZZA STATION

44568 State Route 20 360/853-7227

anniespizzastation.com

Family-owned pizza restaurant focusing on fresh, homemade quality Italian fare. Friendly service, helpful information and great food combine for an unforgettable experience.

DEMING

THE NORTH FORK BREWERY

6186 Mt. Baker Highway 360/599-2337

northforkbrewery.com

Handcrafted beer and hand tossed pizza. Order online for to-go orders. New covered beer garden. Weekday Happy Hour Mon-Fri 1-5 p.m.

EDISON

TERRAMAR BREWSTILLERY

5712 Gilkey Ave. 360/399-6222

terramarcraft.com

Crafting hyper local beer, cider, spirits & pizza. The brewery taproom is family & dog friendly. The distillery “Speakeasy” is 21+. Patio dining surrounded by views of Puget Sound and Cascades.

EVERSON

HOLLY’S MEAT PIES

128 Main Street

360/966-2400

hollysmeatpies.com

Washington’s original Pasty company. Artisan hand pies made from scratch. Order frozen pasties online.

GLACIER

WAKE ‘N BAKERY

6903 Bourne Street

360/599-9378

getsconed.com

Open daily from 7 a.m. to 6 p.m. serving breakfast burritos & sandwiches, quiche, soup, paninis, and freshly baked goods. Savory and sweet gluten-free and vegan options. Organic espresso and coffee.

CHAIR 9 WOODSTONE PIZZA AND BAR

10459 Mt. Baker Highway 360/599-2511 chair9.com

The perfect place to enjoy a great family meal or a brew after a day on the mountain. Bands play weekends. Try the “Canuck’s Deluxe” pizza, a staff favorite. Open for lunch and dinner. Check music events on Facebook.

THE HELIOTROPE IN GLACIER

9990 Mt. Baker Highway 360/603-8589

theheliotropeinglacier.com

Serving international food – Asian, Middle Eastern and African. Dine in or take out.

MOUNT VERNON

SKAGIT VALLEY FOOD CO-OP

202 S. 1st Street

360/336-9777

skagitfoodcoop.com

We make our deli food from scratch using fresh, quality ingredients, sourced from local and organic suppliers whenever possible. Stop in for entrees, side dishes, soups, salads, sandwiches, or our handmade, organic ice cream. We offer vegan, vegetarian, raw, gluten-free, and whole food choices for every meal.

BE PART OF THE EXPERIENCE

Since 1986, Mount Baker Experience magazine has inspired outdoor enthusiasts of all ages throughout Washington and British Columbia.

MBE gets readers outside - it’s the publication outdoor enthusiasts turn to when they need a hit of adrenaline.

Increase your exposure with the Northwest’s premier adventure magazine. Seattle to Vancouver.

Next issue: Summer 2023

To be part of the experience call 360-332-1777 or email sales@mountbakerexperience.com

www.MountBakerExperience.com

SLEEPS

BLAINE

SEMIAHMOO RESORT

4565 Semiahmoo Parkway

360/318-2000

semiahmoo.com

A casual northwest beach resort surrounded by the Salish Sea. An authentic Pacific Northwest experience for everyone – from families looking for a fun getaway to couples and friends seeking an easy-going retreat.

GLACIER

BLUE T LODGE

10459 Mt Baker Highway

360/599-9944

bluetlodge.com

Conveniently located behind Chair 9 Woodstone Pizza and Bar, this six-room inn is ideal for families or groups. Clean rooms have queen-sized beds, full bathroom and private small patios, as well as access to meeting space.

SERENE

MOUNTAIN ESCAPES

Glacier, WA/ Mt. Baker 360/961-0123

serenemountainescapes.com

Serene Mountain Escapes offers quality vacation rentals that sleep from 1-12 guests. Choose from: pools, hot tubs, dog friendly & more. Check out our great reviews! Contact us for shoulder season specials!

THE KNOTTY LODGE

360/303-2887

VRBO.com/563675

Explore, Relax, Repeat Premier Mt. Baker vacation rental. 3BR, 2BA luxury timber home with modern amenities, hot tub, WiFi, gourmet kitchen, fireplace, fire pit. Your perfect getaway base camp!

RETURN TO ROATAN

In the last 18 months, I’ve had the good fortune to visit and scuba dive on three separate occasions in Roatan, located off the coast of Honduras. With crystal-clear waters, thriving coral reefs, and an abundance of marine life, Roatan is a magnet for divers and snorkelers.

Roatan possesses some of the most spectacular coral reefs in the world. It is located in the middle of the Mesoamerican Reef, second largest in the world after the Great Barrier Reef. The reefs are home to a diverse array of marine life, including colorful fish, whales, sea turtles, sharks, rays, and octopuses. Roatan’s reefs are also renowned for their vibrant colors and stunning formations. Divers can explore the reefs at various depths, ranging from shallow areas that are perfect for beginners to deeper areas are ideal for experienced divers.

The water temperature in Roatan remains warm throughout the year, ranging from 78 to 84 degrees Fahrenheit. While divers often wear thin shorties, I was totally comfortable in bathing shorts and a rash guard.

The cost of diving is remarkably affordable compared to the States or other Caribbean destinations. The vast majority of dive sites are just minutes away from the departure point so operators aren’t spending a fortune on fuel. Expect to pay around $40 per dive depending on how many dives you’re doing or gear that you’re renting.

While some diveshops operate basic panga-like dive boats, others have boats that get you out diving at high speed. Roatan Divers, for example, has bought and reconditioned confiscated

drug-running boats and man, those boats haul ass. We’ve gone diving with Roatan Divers on two separate vacations now and can’t recommend them enough. The staff is highly professional and friendly and know the reef like nobody’s business. They offer basic and advanced certification and are the go-to place for divers wanting to become dive master certified. Roatan Divers is located in the heart of West End. A great place to eat fresh fish is Ginger’s, located steps from the dive shop. Nevertheless, depending on which part of the island you’re staying on (it’s about 30 miles long), there are numerous dive shops and schools that offer a range of courses and certifications.

There is a wide range of accommodation available on the island. We used Roatan Life Vacation Rentals (roatanlifevacationrentals.com) on our last trip and ended up perched on the rocks just feet away from some of the best snorkeling found anywhere.

If your budget has flexibility, Barefoot Cay Resort (barefootcay.com) on the east side of the island will blow you away. It operates its own dive operation that offers concierge-like service. Accommodations range from island-style rooms with kitchen and separate bedrooms to villas steps from the water. It is also home to Silversides Restaurant & Bar, which I have no problem saying it is the best restaurant on the island. Brittany Farrell runs the restaurant and is not known to compromise on quality. The resort offers a dining package which makes it real easy to decide not to cook in your villa.

By Pat Grubb

The island will also appeal to eco-conscious divers. The island is home to several marine conservation initiatives, including Roatan Marine Park. This park was established to protect the reefs and marine life and promote sustainable tourism practices. The reef is very healthy and critical to the island’s economy and the locals intend to keep it that way..

Roatan is quite possibly the easiest and most convenient dive destination in the world but even non-divers will enjoy the island vibe. Pack your bags and get ready to explore the underwater wonders of Roatan!

Getting to Roatan: Depending on the time of year, there are direct flights to Roatan from Denver, Dallas, Houston, Miami, Toronto and Minneapolis. From the west coast with one connection, expect to spend seven or so hours in the air.

Travel requirements: While Americans or Canadians don’t need visas, they do need to fill out the Prechequeo application (prechequeo.inm.gob.hn) prior to checking in for their flight. This can be done no more than three days before the flight and is sometimes glitchy so don’t delay. There is an app available for both Apple and non-Apple devices.

Safety: There are areas in Honduras that the U.S. State Department warns travelers against visiting but Roatan is not one of them. Still, be aware of your surroundings and don’t flash money.

Currency: The U.S. dollar is pretty much accepted everywhere; the same cannot be said about credit cards. Ask beforehand to avoid problems.

The West End.

Photo by Pat Grubb

Barefoot Cay villa, breakfast at Silversides and relaxing on the pavillion.

Photos by Louise Mugar

Clockwise from top: Barrel sponge, West End sign, south end of island, green moray eel & lionfish, Sundowner Bar, Hole in the Wall bar & restaurant reachable only by water, staghorn coral, night dive.

Photo by Gustavo Markiewicz Deep Photos

Photo by Gustavo Markiewicz Deep Photos

Photo by Gustavo Markiewicz Deep Photos

Photo by Pat Grubb

Photo by Pat Grubb

Photo by Pat Grubb

Photo by Pat Grubb

Photo by Pat Grubb

Photo by Gustavo Markiewicz Deep Photos

PARTING SHOT

The Milky Way shines bright over Sauk Mountain. Nick Danielson photo

MAY 28, 2023

REGISTRATION OPEN: skitose a.com

50 YEARS / 50 TEAMS / 50 STATES CHALLENGE!

We have 10 full & 12 partial teams from out-of-state for our 50 state challenge, help us get to 50! Email info@skitosea.com for more info.

Jr. Ski to Sea Returns!

May 13, 2023 NEW LEGS!

Skiing, Running, Mt. Biking and Paddling. VIRTUAL HAND-OFF from Mt Baker to Lake Padden skitosea.com/ junior-ski-to-sea

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Photo by Jack Carver, courtesy Whatcom Museum