Mount Baker Experience, summer 2023

PADDLING THE NORTHWEST PASSAGE QUESTING THE NATIONAL PARKS

PHOTO: Walter Selden

by Pat Grubb

This issue coincides with the 50th Ski to Sea Race, the largest one-day event in Whatcom County. We were pleased to put a team together once again under the able hands of our editor (and cyclist extraordinaire) Ian Haupt. We placed 12th in the corporate division and 117th overall. Not bad for a bunch of athletes whose sole motivation was a beer at the finish line!

Ski to Sea is in our corporate blood, if there is such a thing. The MBE was founded by Al and Nickee Magnusson. Al’s father, John Kenyon Magnusson, was a timber cruiser and surveyor who was part of a small band of men who participated in a marathon from Bellingham to the top of Baker and back. That first race, on August 9, 1911, began on what is now State Street. Runners reached the starting points at the mountain using whatever means of transportation they wanted. There were two routes to the top of the mountain, the Glacier or the Deming trail. There had been controversy over which route was fastest. Magnusson actually ran the fastest ascent and descent but got tripped up by his choice of transportation and only came in third. The winning runner, Joe Galbraith, was riding a Bellingham Bay and British Columbia train back to town when it was derailed after hitting a red bull on the tracks. Joe pulled himself from the wreckage, commandeered a passing buggy and made it back in time to be crowned the winner. The bull became the main meal at a post-race barbeque and Joe failed to invent the Red Bull energy drink and never became a billionaire.

In 1912, Magnusson failed to place but was so angered, he vowed to win the following year. He summited and returned with the fastest time. However, due to weather conditions, some but not all the racers were told by judges to climb to the saddle and forgo the peak. Magnusson didn’t get the word and climbed to the top. By the time he reached Bellingham, transplanted Finnish runner Paul Westerlund had been named the winner. A few hard words later, race organizers decided to split the $800 purse and named the two men co-winners.

We hope you’ll enjoy this issue. There’s plenty of great stories and photos and not a crevice in sight. Just warm weather and adventures in the great outdoors … x

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Special publication of The Northern Light and All Point Bulletin

PUBLISHERS

Patrick Grubb and Louise Mugar EDITOR

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CONTRIBUTORS IN THIS ISSUE: Harrison Alpert, Janessa Anderson, Brett Baunton, Albert England, Grant Gunderson, Jason Hummel, Eric Lucas, Jason D. Martin, Audra Lee Mercile, Tony Moceri, Meg Olson, Marcus Paladino, Dave Summers, Matthew Tangeman, Luca Williams

EMAIL: info@mountbakerexperience.com

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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. 2. Printed in Canada. ©2023 POINT ROBERTS PRESS

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

Ads due: August 4

CONTRIBUTORS MBE Summer 2023

JANESSAANDERSON

Janessa Anderson is an Alaska based videographer and aerial cinematographer specializing in adventure, outdoor lifestyle and wild landscapes. Adventureatlascreative.com

GRANTGUNDERSON

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

JASONHUMMEL

Jason is an outdoor adventure photographer based in Gig Harbor. He’s currently working to ski every named glacier in Washington state. Find his stories and imagery at Jasonhummelphotography.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

DAVIDSUMMERS

Avid alpinist, entrepreneur, business owner and hobby photographer, David 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

LUCAWILLIAMS

Luca Williams is a certified rolfer in Glacier. She helps snowboarders, skiers and other outdoor enthusiasts get aligned and free of pain. Website: lucasrolfing.com Blog: movingwithgravity.wordpress.com

Outdoor classroom opens in Fairhaven Park

In May, Bellingham mayor Seth Fleetwood, Bellingham parks and recreation director Nicole Oliver and Recreation Northwest executive director Todd Elsworth gathered at the edge of Fairhaven Park’s Hundred Acre Wood to officially open the area’s new native plant garden and outdoor education center.

The plant garden and outdoor recreation center, equipped with native plant identification signs, is available for individuals and lo-

cal groups, including Recreation Northwest, to use as a shared community classroom.

Nonprofit Recreation Northwest started building the Fairhaven Park trail and wetland boardwalk that leads into Hundred Acre Wood in 2014. Community volunteers eradicated the location, which was a former invasive blackberry patch, in 2017. Then Recreation Northwest installed the park bench and gate in 2019, bearing the organization’s Parkscriptions motto: “Get your dose of nature,” and planted native species in the spaces per the project’s mitigation requirements. It recently added plant ID signs that list plant characteristics to educate the public about local flora.

“The primary goal is to create an outdoor classroom learning environment with dedicated spaces and interpretive signage to connect the community to nature that is open to the public,” Elsworth wrote in a press release. “Our secondary goal is to reflect our Parkscriptions philosophy of the public health benefit of spending time in nature to help serve as a pilot model for creating similar outdoor classroom projects in Bellingham Parks and our region.”

Recreation Northwest continues to work with volunteers to remove invasive species from the area and keep the nutrient-rich material on-site in compost piles, with its most recent clearing — fixed with public benches, a stone stage and covered pavilion — to be used as an outdoor amphitheater.

Tour de Whatcom, Mt. Baker Hill Climb registration open

Registration for cycling events Tour de Whatcom and Mt. Baker Hill Climb is now open.

The two events, put on by nonprofit Whatcom Events, offer world-class road bike riding in Whatcom County and cost less than $100 each.

Tour de Whatcom is a recreational ride on July 22 with four routes of varying length, ranging from 22 to 100 miles. Prices also vary between $45-70 per rider depending on the length.

Mt. Baker Hill Climb is as it is named, a 22-mile ascent of Mt. Baker Highway on September 17. Racers climb 4,100 feet to Artist Point along one of the most scenic paved roads in the country.

The race has three divisions – social, recreational and competitive – with separate start times. The registration price is $90 per rider until registration closes. According to Whatcom Events, the race will be capped at 450 total participants this year.

The hill climb will also have a special guest this year, former professional cyclist Phil Gaimon who rode for American UCI World Tour team Garmin-Sharp and later Cannondale, which is now EF Education-EasyPost, for a year. Gaimon has written about

From l.: Recreation Northwest executive director Todd Elsworth, Bellingham Parks director Nicole Oliver and Bellingham mayor Seth Fleetwood at a small ribbon cutting for the native plant garden in Fairhaven Park. Torie Wold photo

his cycling career in three books. Since retiring from pro cycling, he has chased king-ofthe-mountain records in a YouTube series called “Worst Retirement Ever.”

More details on the rides can be found on their websites at tourdewhatcom.com and bakerhillclimb.com.

Read the Q&A with Gaimon on page 30.

Skagit Tours return in North Cascades National Park

Seattle City Light and North Cascades Institute have partnered to bring back the Skagit Tours program this year.

For up to $45, tourists can take boat tours of Diablo Lake in North Cascades National Park and view the Skagit River Hydroelectric Project while hearing about its over 100-

year history of bringing electric power to the city of Seattle. The tours also offer views of glacier-clad peaks, hidden waterfalls and possible wildlife, according to a Seattle City Light press release.

Tours will run Thursday through Monday from June 29 to September 4. Diablo Lake and lunch tours, which include a lunch at the North Cascades Environmental Learning Center, are $45 for adults (13-61), $42 for seniors (62+), $22 for youth (3-12) and children under 3 years old are free.

Diablo Lake afternoon tours will also be available Friday through Sunday from June 30 to September 3, while morning tours will be available Saturdays and Sundays from September 9 to October 1. Prices are $30 for adults, $28 for seniors, $15 for youth and free for children under 3.

More information can be found at skagittours.org.

The Diablo Dam, part of the Skagit River Hydroelectric Project,

Wild swimming

Clearing psychic debris in open water

By Eric Lucas

My 2-year-old Weimaraner, Blue, thinks I need to be rescued. Most other people simply think I need my head examined.

I’ve just plunged off an old Douglas-fir dock into the middle of a farm pond in the middle of a hay meadow in the middle of April, and now I’m neck deep in 16 feet of water that’s, um, chilly. Barely past 50 degrees. Blue paddles out to check on me. What on Earth am I doing?

“Wild swimming.”

That’s the trendy new term for this, especially in Europe — going for a dip in the outdoors far from concrete pools, lifeguards, filtered, heated water and last but not least, chlorine. Open water swimming confers physical, emotional and spiritual benefits that far outweigh any discomfort. In fact, some of us crazy outdoor recreation fanciers actually enjoy it and seek it out. As in:

“Um, Eric, I think that’s ice in the water over there.”

“Invigorating. Bracing. Energizing,” I explain to my friend and backpacking buddy David along the shores of a timberline lake in mid-July. I add that cold, open water swimming increases your white blood cell count (helps fend off anthrax and Ebola); boosts serotonin and dopamine, bio-chemicals that make you feel groovy; engages your parasympathetic nervous system, inducing calm; burns pesky white belly fat cells and creates beneficial brown fat cells … Brown fat? Must be like in bacon, you know.

“What’s not to like,” I conclude.

David rolls his eyes.

He’s a stalwart companion in all things wilderness … We once hauled 60-pound packs up and down a mountain range in southern British Columbia in a trek we have ever since called, “Nine miles of hell.” But show him cold pure water, such as at the lake we reached after those nine miles of hell, and he shrinks like an old party balloon. This is in fact the average human response: Wild water ranges from Arctically cold to dubiously safe to just plain dangerously icky.

You could say the same about shopping malls.

Luckily open water is far more endemic. Here in the Northwest it is literally everywhere; we’re not in Kansas anymore, Toto. Lakes, rivers, ponds, tarns, hot springs and of course the ultimate open wild water, our branch of the world’s largest ocean.

I’ve swum in lakes beneath the shadow of Glacier Peak and rivers running down both sides of Mt. Baker. I’ve plunged 30 feet from a bridge into a Cascade river near Seattle and 25 feet from a cliff into an eastern Washington river far better known for drift-boat floating. In the Yukon, at a remote fly-in lodge, the owner fired up his shoreline wood-fired sauna and once we were parboiled we plunged into the lake, shoving aside leftover winter ice.

And yes, I swim in the Salish Sea; there’s

a fine large tidal bay just below my farm, which affords two advantages. First, it’s big and hard to reach so on some days I can, well, just drop trou and plunge in if I happen to be at my mailbox 100 feet away.

Secondly, and much more appealing, is the fact that False Bay is very shallow (thus the name) and most summer days, the late afternoon high tide rolls in across about 100 acres of sun-warmed sand. Presto: Nature’s own heated saltwater pool. I head out to a big rock 100 feet from shore and haul out in the sun like a harbor seal. Once upon a time I used to celebrate New Year’s Day doing this, but I take a more measured approach to holidays now.

Innumerable such bays, inlets and coves like mine line the shores of the Salish Sea in our portion of the West Coast. Aside from the obvious benefits of immersing oneself in salt water — the oceans are the mothers of life itself, and our skin is the largest organ we have — I entertain myself philosophically with the idea that if I embarked on a really, really, really long swim, I’d wind up in Maui.

In my journeys around the world, I’ve gone swimming above the Arctic Circle and far below the Equator. I’ve been in every ocean, save the Arctic; from below sea level to 12,000 feet; in deserts and on glaciers in water ranging from 31 to 124 degrees. Five continents, more than 50 countries, even the middle of major metro areas such as Stockholm, where they take open-water swimming quite seriously and believe it is a crucial element of overall health and wellbeing.

Let’s talk about chlorine for a minute. It may well be quite effective at bacteria control, but so is plutonium. Chlorine is also a ferociously toxic gas that was used in World War I on the battlefields of Europe to kill thousands of people, so if we slosh it into our water — drinking or swimming — what could go wrong? Public health police may argue with me, so let me just focus on a more discrete fact: I have asthma, I’m allergic to chlorine, and I stopped going in public pools decades ago as a result. Swimming ought to help your breathing, not stop it.

As it happens, I own the farm pond in which I most often swim, so I have a pretty thorough grasp of where the water comes from and what’s in it. Winter rains drain through my 10-acre hay meadow into the pond, which at just under an eighth of an acre holds 1 million gallons of water by the time it fills each year at Christmas. After that, four more months of rain flushes any stray zombie fungi and the only hazard is, well, Blue trying to save me by climbing on my shoulders.

That’s the moment we both submerge, and for grins I head down to the bottom 16 feet below. Just to clear out the psychic debris of modern life, which dissolves almost instantly in wild open water. x

Eric Lucas lives on a small farm on San Juan Island, where he grows organic hay, beans, squash and apples.

The writer, Eric Lucas, swims in a pond at Owl Feather Farm near his home on San Juan Island.

Photo courtesy Eric Lucas

These roots rock.

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It’s not just the roots, rocks and trails that make Bellingham one of North America’s greatest mountain bike destinations. It’s the deep community roots that bring riders, musicians and makers together from around the world. The Northwest Tune-Up returns for three days of biking, cra beer, local art and a jam-packed lineup of 24 bands—all while supporting community access to the trails we love. We’ll rock to that.

Get your tickets at NWTuneUp.com

By Jason D. Martin

It was weird. There was a single rock shoe lying on the ground behind my car.

I approached and realized what I was seeing. My rear window was smashed. And three small backpacks (each with rock shoes and chalk in them) were missing. Presumably, there was only one rock shoe in one of the packs, as the other was on the ground. Crap!

I’d suffered a trailhead break-in.

As someone who has spent the last 30 years climbing, backpacking, skiing and hiking pretty much everywhere, I’d

seen it before. And indeed, as the manager of a guide service with 60 employees that spend significant time parked at trailheads, I’m intimately aware of this “wilderness” hazard.

As a result of this incident though, I decided to revisit my trailhead theft prevention and response strategies. I spoke to several backcountry users about their tactics and have compiled them here.

INSURANCE

Before ever heading out to the trailhead, make sure that the items within your car are insured under a homeowner’s

or renter’s insurance policy. Auto policies seldom cover the theft of personal items.

If you’re traveling and use a rental car, consider purchasing a trip insurance policy that covers theft for the duration of your trip.

In addition to an insurance policy, it’s important to know what’s in your car. It’s especially important to have an inventory if you’re on a road trip with expensive outdoor equipment. A picture of vehicle contents before departure could

Continued on page 16

The aftermath of a breakin at the parking lot of the Index Town Walls.

Kevin Shon photo

Continued from page 14

be worth thousands of dollars. And indeed, if you have high value items, serial numbers can be very helpful, especially if items are being sold online after the theft.

VEHICLE POSITIONING

Visibility decreases the likelihood of a smash and grab. If the thief can be seen, they can be caught.

Avoid parking next to large vehicles (like Sprinter vans) that could screen a thief from view. Similarly, the more se-

cluded the part of the lot is where you intend to park, the more likely it’s a target. A high volume of back-and-forth foot traffic near your vehicle makes it a less desirable target.

Don’t back your car into a position where someone could hide behind it and break the rear window. This is a common and expensive entry point for thieves.

CAR ALARMS

There’s some debate about how effective a car alarm might be. Most break-ins are smash and grab jobs. So while an alarm may decrease the number of valuables taken, it may not change the thief’s overall strategy.

Cars with obvious blinking alarm lights on the dashboard — or even dummy alarm lights — may provide more of a deterrent than the alarm itself.

VALUABLES

At high theft areas in our region, there are commonly signs that say, “Lock your car and take your valuables.” But what if you have to leave something valuable in your car, or you’re on a road trip? Trailhead break-ins are often crimes of opportunity. And if it’s clear that there’s an opportunity to get something, it’s more likely that a thief will break in. From that perspective, it’s important to make sure that there are limited visible opportunities in your car. Don’t leave bags, purses or backpacks in sight.

The combination of a windshield shade and tinted windows decrease interior visibility. If you don’t have tinted windows, an auto detailer can install them for $200 to $800 depending on the type of vehicle. If you have a retractable security shield in the trunk, engage that and place any bags or other desirable items underneath it.

RocketBox rooftop cargo carriers are seldom theft targets because they are often empty and can be difficult to break into. If you have a box, consider leaving valuables inside.

On road trips, some people hide valuables inside the car. The glove box is not a hiding place, but a target, as some people keep wallets, spare keys or weapons in them. If you elect to leave a valuable in the car — like a wallet or a laptop — it should be well hidden, so that it is easily missed by a smash and grab attack.

POST BREAK-IN PROCEDURES

Before doing anything else, be sure to take pictures of the scene and make notes about the likely time of the break-in. In addition to that, look around the parking lot to ensure that nothing was dumped from your vehicle.

It is common for thieves to riffle through bags while they’re on the road. When finished, they often throw things out the window. As such, it’s important to search both sides of the road near your trailhead.

Once in service, make a police report. This is important for two reasons. First, you want the perpetrator to be caught; there might be something in the report that helps law enforcement find the thief. This is where serial numbers can be incredibly helpful. And second, insurance companies often use police reports to ensure that theft claims are legitimate. If you make a claim without a report, it’s possible that it will be rejected.

The reality is that most avid outdoors people suffer the indignity of a trailhead break-in once every five to 10 years. But perhaps by following some of these tips, a few of you will be able to stretch that out, or at least avoid some of the financial fallout following one of these incidents… 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.

An American Alpine Institute van at the Eldorado Trailhead on Cascade River Road in the summer of 2022.

Will Gordon photo

late summer coho abundance

By Eric Lucas

Ihave a flying fish at the end of my line. It’s leaping wildly from the water in the Alaska wilderness like a piscatorial Jesse Owens, cartwheeling through the August morning, hurdling rapids and cataracts, plunging into whirlpools and racing upriver as if nuclear-powered.

It’s all I can do to steer it away from drift-log cottonwood snags where the fish could snap my line like a loose thread in an old sock. In fact, to do so I’ve had to leap out of the boat and dash along a gravel bar, rod in hand, line sizzling into the water, as if I were wrestling a runaway horse.

It’s a silver salmon, of course.

Few other fish behave this way when hooked. In my experience, actually, no other fish act like silvers, with the possible exception of high-elevation trout in fast-running alpine streams. This wild behavior is both challenging and endearing to anglers who pursue the wily coho and speak a code language whose key phrase is “silver season.” That refers not to heavy metals that go with turquoise, though now that you mention it, silver season is that late summer interregnum before fall, when the midsummer heat is a scratchy recent memory, the daylight takes on the slight slant that gives it a prismatic platinum cast, and the West Coast’s inlets and rivers are turning bell clear beneath sapphire skies.

Bring up salmon and for most people, exercising only culinary perspectives, silvers

Eric Lucas holds a silver salmon he caught while fishing in the Copper River delta in southeast Alaska.

Photo courtesy Eric Lucas

are not at the top of the list. Not even near. First would come king, aka chinook; then sockeye, aka red; then perhaps pink, aka humpy. When I declare that silvers might be my second favorite to eat, baffled disdain is the usual response. Don’t I know any better?

But for anglers this is the wild cherry pie of salmon, the dashing prince in an MGB. You clean the fish and set it on the grill right away and get ambrosia, and who ever gets to do that? Only those who know the code and get on the water for silver season. The commercial fishery is small compared to sockeyes, pinks and kings. Silver season is short in seafood stores, if it shows up at all. The deep persimmon color so distinctive and admired in other salmon is usually more muted in silvers. The flavor isn’t as rich as sockeyes and kings. It’s leaner, finer, succulent as opposed to fatty.

What’s not to like? First the facts, ma’am.

Like all of the West’s anadromous fish, Onchorhynchus kisutch is born in clear, gravel-bottom streams where their parents whirl and waltz in the fall, laying eggs and sperm to hatch fry that become fingerlings the following spring and head out to sea in summer. Two years or more they spend in the North Pacific, growing long and strong — typically 30 inches and 12 pounds. The record in Alaska is almost 27 pounds, caught just outside Glacier Bay in southeast Alaska. In late summer of their third or fourth year they return to freshwater to spawn.

Though cohos range from Southern California to northern Japan, the salmon heartland for all species is Alaska, home of the world’s best-managed wild fisheries. Salmon are in decline everywhere except in Alaska; last year Bris-

tol Bay saw all-time record numbers of salmon returning to spawn: 80 million. That’s mostly sockeye, but silvers are among those millions.

The salmon bounty was the lifelong love of famed angling writer Roderick Haig-Brown, of Campbell River in British Columbia. His rapturous evocation of the annual abundance rings clear even a half-century after he wrote this:

Tens of thousands of anglers go out each year to catch them in the salt water, and every angler who fishes a migratory stream sees them and finds his sport, directly or indirectly, through them, for the power of the runs persists through the year and affects all other fish.

But the salmon runs are more than this. They are a last true sample of the immense natural abundances of the North American continent. They have been damaged and reduced in many places, it is true, and in some places, especially the Columbia River, the damage is great and permanent. But they remain a massive abundance, complex and wonderful, throughout most of their range, and throughout much of it their potential of natural abundance is as great as ever.

Among the five Pacific salmon species, chinook are the sumo wrestlers, sockeyes the ballerinas. Let’s call silvers the strong safeties, piscine athletes who combine strength, endurance and grace all into one saltwater bazooka. The freshwater corollary is rainbow trout, which are widely estimated as the ancestors of salmon.

Among fish I’d like to catch, silvers are almost tops.

So that’s what I’ve done, in the inlets and bays and nearshore waters of south-central Alaska, running out of Seward on charter boats into tumultuous waters where you send your line deep and wait to feel with your hands the imperious tug of a coho bite. Set the hook and your prey will surge to the surface, heading for Hawaii to escape your intentions, framed against a morning mist that filters sunlight as if it were chamomile tea.

I’ve done the same on the Susitna River, launching out of Talkeetna, and however marvelous Pacific fishing may be, late summer on Alaska rivers is an Edenic experience. Having both beauty and brawn, the rivers are surging waterbeds that sing and dance like dragons. Majestic cottonwoods line the shore, hinting at fall with a first touch of gold.

That was the case on one of my best fishing days ever, a late August morning (that’s the start of fall in the north) on which I brought to the boat a fine, strong, brightly hued 10-pounder that fought like Ali and looked like a Matisse. Enamored of my catch both mercenarily and metaphysically, I laid her on a shoreline log for a portrait. My companions, Anchorage residents who have gone out for silver season every year since the American Revolution, nodded their grasp of my reverence.

“So, do you want to take that home?” Is that a real question? x

Eric Lucas lives on a small farm on San Juan Island, where he grows organic hay, beans, squash and apples.

The inlets near Seward, Alaska, which admirably depicts the beautiful surroundings while fishing for silver salmon. Janessa Anderson photo

A large coho salmon caught and displayed on a log in the Susitna River near Talkeetna, Alaska. Eric Lucas photo

Clockwise from top left: Kayakers enjoy an early summer sunset off the shore of Larrabee State Park. Audra Lee Mercile photo | Dr. Robie Sterling gracefully jams his way up Gold Rush at Trout Creek climbing area in north-central Oregon. David Summers photo | Point of View: KC Deane riding with a custom camera rig in Bellingham. Grant Gunderson photo | Ilana Newman in the Green Creek Valley. Matthew Tangeman photo | Pete Devries on the beach corner, avoiding crowds in Tofino, B.C. Marcus Paladino photo

Clockwise from top left: Kinley fetching sticks at Lake Whatcom. David Summers photo | Pete Devries makes the most of a summer abundance of small waves and onshore wind in Tofino, B.C. Marcus Paladino photo | Mauricio Posada and Marteen Dijkstra pond skimming at Baker. Albert England photo | A humpback whale breaches along the coast of Vancouver Island. Marcus Paladino photo | Lujenga gets her feet wet in Baker Lake. Audra Lee Mercile photo

Clockwise from top left: SpaceX internet service Starlink over Table Mountain. Audra Lee Mercile photo | Mountain biking Sage Hills near Wenatchee. David Summers photo | Ananda Scott practicing her yoga as the sun sets over the Cascades just outside of Leavenworth. David Summers photo | Gus Landefeld camping at the Nesakwatch bivouac in Fraser Valley, B.C. Matthew Tangeman photo | Sunrise glow on the Twin Sisters. Brett Baunton photo

Former pro cyclist Phil Gaimon talks Mt. Baker Hill Climb and chasing KOMs

By Ian Haupt | Photos by Harrison Alpert

Retired professional cyclist Phil Gaimon will be competing in Whatcom County’s iconic Mt. Baker Hill Climb in September. Gaimon, who raced for UCI World Tour teams Garmin–Sharp and Cannondale, retiring in 2016, will feature the race and climb on his YouTube channel as he attempts to take the mountain’s Strava segment from another former pro.

Since retiring from professional cycling, Gaimon started a YouTube series called “Worst Retirement Ever,” where he documents his journey to attempt and claim some of the world’s most popular Strava segments.

He has also written two books about his and experiences in the pro peloton, “Pro Cycling on $10 a Day: From Fat Kid to Euro Pro” and “Draft Animals: Living the Pro Cycling Dream (Once in a While)” and published a collection called “Ask a Pro: Deep Thoughts and Unreliable Advice from America's Foremost Cycling Sage,” the latter of which was a column published monthly in VeloNews magazine while he was racing.

Mt. Baker Hill Climb is a 23-mile uphill road cycling race from Glacier to Artist Point where racers ascend nearly 4,500 feet on Mt. Baker Highway. This year, the race is Sunday, September 17.

While going for the win, Gaimon will also look to take the Strava King of the Mountain (KOM) segment from former professional cyclist Levi Leipheimer, who testified in the U.S. Anti-Doping Agency’s case against Lance Armstrong and admitted to using performance-enhancing drugs between 1999 and 2007. Gaimon has been an outspoken opponent of doping in the cycling world, so much so that he had a bar of soap with the word “Clean” on it tattooed to the inside of his right bicep, making it visible anytime he won a race and posted up in celebration. The tattoo resembles the “Fight Club” movie logo. Both of his books also discuss the cycling world’s post-doping era.

Mount Baker Experience spoke with Gaimon in May after a busy spring of events and making videos, which can be

seen on his YouTube channel at youtube.com/@worstretirementever. Questions and answers were edited for length and clarity.

Mount Baker Experience: How’d you hear about the Mt. Baker Hill Climb? When did you decide to do it?

Gaimon: There’s not that many hill climbs in the country, and I’ve been trying to check them all off. I sort of go region by region for budget’s sake, so I’m going to drive somewhere and do a little road trip. The Pacific Northwest is the one I haven’t managed to hit yet and it’s time to give the Mt. Baker Hill Climb a shot.

What other hill climbs have you done?

Mt. Washington [in New Hampshire], Mt. Evans in Colorado and Pike’s Peak [also in Colorado].

Have you ever raced in Washington before? Oregon a good bit, but no.

What’s the goal? Leipheimer has the record of just under 43 minutes in 2016. (The Strava segment begins shortly after crossing the North Fork of the Nooksack River, when the climb really starts, about 12 miles into the race.)

Well, that’s the goal, right?

What’s your summer look like?

I have a place in Big Bear, California. I was going to go up there, reset and train, and the main thing I want to build up to is Mt. Baker. I’ll probably make a trip and do one or two climbs out there as part of that.

Which ones?

I’ll probably try to sneak over and do Hurricane Ridge, which is nearby and kind of a legendary one. That’s one people have been requesting and sending me messages about for years. (This was before the Hurricane Ridge Day Lodge burned down on May 7. Hopefully, the road will reopen past

Heart of the Hills before September, or sooner even.)

Of the mountains you’ve climbed — Mt. Lemmon, the French Alps, Tenerife — which psyched you out the most?

The thing with all of the European ones is the leaderboards are guys that have won Grand Tours and guys who consistently proved they were better than me. Like my racing generation is still up there, so a lot of them I go into with no hope of setting a record but curious to see how well I can do.

It’s kind of all gravy. I’m always surprised at how high up I am.

The Col de la Madone (just outside of Monaco) is one that I did recently this year. And I’m seven years retired and there are guys who were using that as their final preparation for winning the Tour de France or the Giro d’Italia. So it's just interesting like, “OK, for a 30-minute climb, I’m two minutes behind that guy.” But that still puts me like 11th overall.

Same for Tenerife, it’s the more recent training grounds. The guy who’s leading the Giro (who at the time was Remco Evenepoel, also the current road race world champion) had a couple of really stiff KOMs there. It’s interesting; it's a barometer. They have no idea they are being raced against. They’re somewhere else, but I get to give it a shot.

You did an impromptu climb while you were in Tenerife (a Spanish island off the northwest coast of Africa). Do you do that often — attempt a climb that the locals frequent more?

Yeah, I’ll have one that I think is interesting that I’ve heard about, probably from a race. Or it’s visually interesting, or I have a friend who says they used to train on it. Then you get somewhere and oftentimes the climbs the locals recommend are closer to cities. They’re more accessible.

In Los Angeles, Mt. Baldy is the most famous one in L.A. County, I would say. Which Tour of California raced up, and that was a KOM I targeted. But the more attempted ones are

Phil Gaimon at the Whiskey Tango Fondo, a gravel ride in Alabama Hills, California. Gaimon plans to race Whatcom County’s Mt. Baker Hill Climb in September and feature the event on his YouTube channel.

Continued from page 30

the ones that local folks do intervals on. That’s called Mandeville Canyon, and no one’s heard of that. But when I got that KOM a few years ago, my phone blew up. Everyone was like, “Holy sh*t!”

I want to compare myself to the best, and I think a lot of my audience want to compare themselves to me. So it’s a fun way to give both a shot.

Were you working a day job when you first started “Worst Retirement Ever?”

No, when I quit racing, I had a day job lined up and my start date kept getting delayed. And in the meantime, I was having fun [with the series] but sponsors were approaching me to do social media, content and events. By the time the job started to pan out, I was like, “actually, I don’t need that.” And that was seven years ago.

What was the initial idea behind the series?

The thing was, I retired from racing on the young side — I was only 30. I still felt like I had a lot to give but nowhere to put it. And I had a few experiences: One, New Years Eve, 2016, so that was technically my last day as a professional. I wasn’t doing YouTube yet, but I was in Hawaii and went up Mauna Kea — another hill climb — on Maui. It’s the biggest climb you can do in one day. It goes from sea level to 10,000 feet. And I hadn’t heard of it until a few weeks before; I had a friend who was doing it.

It was this revelation that there’s a lot of value and cool stuff you can do in cycling that’s not the insular and closed system of European racing. That there’s a lot of adventures to be had and value for sponsors and audience for it. It was kind of a no-brainer to at least try to figure out that puzzle.

Why did you decide to retire at the age of 30?

There’s a lot of things to the sport. The shadow of the

doping generation lingered. I think my abilities were there but not to the level where it was undeniable. I was better than a few guys on every team but not a lot of teams are like, “We need this guy to come 35th on the mountain top.” Between that and I was very outspoken about anti-doping, but there’s still kind of a good ol’ boys network in [the World Tour] that I don’t think folks wanted me around. I lost the politics angle of it to an extent. When I stopped, the initial sponsors [for the series] were all brands that I raced with who saw my value in that context.

What would you be doing if it weren’t for cycling?

I love writing. I don't know if I’d be able to make a living on it. It’s an ugly … (laughs). I’ve published three books. I don't see how to do that full time. But that’s definitely a passion.

There’s always something in marketing, and I think I’m good at it. The job I had lined up was to be a sports agent. There’s a lot of marketing in that.

How has your advice to junior/developing cyclists changed over the years?

Phew, that’s a tough question. I would say I got to the top level, but I wouldn’t say I navigated my career very well. The American racing calendar was a lot more robust then —more sponsors, more events, more teams, to where you could make a living on the way up. Every year or two, one guy would be picked up by a European team and that was the end-all, be-all.

It was already fizzling or shrinking from when I started, but I think Covid probably knocked it down — there’s really only a handful of guys making a living in the U.S. So, my advice to juniors would be to target Europe sooner and get over there as fast as you can. Adapt your training to that. There’s more development teams now. There’s ways to get over there and prove yourself.

For the most part, it’s a lot more competitive. I think

there’s fewer spots available over there. I’m not really sure that the way I did it is really feasible today.

What do you consider an overrated virtue?

That’s interesting … I’m trying to think how to word it. I think a lot of folks overemphasize the suffering element in cycling. There’s a mental toughness that the sport fetishizes, in brands and marketing. Never did I finish a race and have a feeling like, “Oh, I could have dug a little bit deeper.” That’s just not the conversation or reality. The preparation, the years, it’s just time.

When I stopped racing, I immediately and pragmatically took my training load down a lot, because I was training for something different. And it’s been pretty shocking how little fitness I’ve lost in that time. I do one long ride a week. I do a couple of intense rides. I do the efforts I’m really targeting less often. I’m not chasing the 80 race days and that whole rollercoaster anymore.

You’ve been doing the series for seven years now. What keeps you doing it?

I mean there are just so many places I haven’t gone yet. Everywhere I go people are super cool. I get to have adventures, and I have complete creative control.

People who ride bikes are great. As a pro, all you do is ride with pros. I didn’t ride with a person who paid for their bike for probably a decade. You don’t realize what a small bubble that is and what other stuff is out there. Pro racing is so Euro-centric and competition-focused that the experience is out there. I’m still going for KOMs, and I still really like the high-performance aspect. But I try to weave in tourism, history and a little more adventure to it than, “Look at my watts.”

I also haven’t touched Africa yet. It would be cool to find a way to ride a bike up Mt. Kilimanjaro. … I’m going to run out of legs and energy long before I stop finding places that I want to check out. x

Riders head toward Mt. Whitney on the Whiskey Tango Fondo in Alabama Hills, California.

Mountain biking with friends:

Climbing steep hills, trail building and metal art

By Luca Williams

It is not so much our friends' help that helps us, as the confidence of their help. ~ Epicurus

It’s been many years since I have mountain biked with my friend Mark Belles. But what he doesn’t know is that he always rides with me, especially on the long, grinding uphills. When I feel daunted, I imagine that Mark is in front of me, steady and smooth.

He’s inspired me over the years to keep pedaling, even though he isn’t physically with me.

Before I started riding with Mark, an X-ray technician at PeachHealth St. Joseph Medical Center in Bellingham, he had already spent many years mountain biking.

Over 100 years after the U.S. Army began off road biking in 1886, Mark and his wife Missy rented a couple of mountain bikes during a summer vacation to Winthrop in 1989. They had so much fun riding around the Sun Mountain cross country ski trails that when they arrived home to Bellingham, Mark bought Missy her first mountain bike. He promptly began “borrowing” her bike while she was at work to ride Galbraith Mountain — back when there were only about eight bootleg trails.

When Missy finally put her foot down and told Mark to “quit sneaking her bike and buy his own,” he bought a used mountain bike from a guy much taller than him. The frame was so large that he kept shopping, searching for the perfect mountain bike. Although he’s found many favorite mountain bikes since, he’s still shopping.

This love of mountain biking turned into another hobby: Trail building. Joining Whatcom Independent Mountain Bikers People and Yo-Yos — WIMPY for short — long before Whatcom Mountain Bike Coalition existed, he helped build and maintain Galbraith Mountain trails. Even when he was off work for an injury, he found himself shoveling and carrying

farm class to design metal signs.

As a senior in high school, he had fabricated a stock trailer for his parents out of sheets of metal. Creating artistic metal signs had to be easier than building a trailer. Using a cutting torch, he cut out a dog paw and the letters for “Dog Patch,” out of a metal sheet. Then he welded the letters onto a piece of metal. It was the first of many functional art signs to entertain and orient mountain bikers and hikers accessing the Galbraith Mountain trails.

A few years later, he became inspired again to design a sign for the Pump Track. This time, he wanted to branch out from metal work and learn how to make mosaics, so he talked to some mountain bike buddies who owned a tile shop. They gave him a basic class on working with tile, and Mark was off and running. For Kung Fu Theater trail, he combined a tile mosaic and cut metal into the Chinese characters for “Kung Fu.” Since then, he’s created 3D dragons chained to stumps for the kids area, a metal wanted poster for Pony Express, metal pigs for Three Pigs, many more signs and four memorial benches.

Mark’s not sure where his inspiration for sign creating comes from, but it often comes in bursts. Recently, he decided that Bob’s Trail needed a new sign. Remembering that his friend Bob had an old mini bike frame sitting in his flower bed, Mark snagged the bike and welded the bike frame to a metal post and cut the letters out to look like a Hot Wheels logo. Listening to him, I noticed most of his bursts of creativity were motivated by the idea of friends having fun. Just like Mark inspires me to bike up a steep hill, with more grace than I would on my own, he is inspired to build a trail or create a sign when he’s hanging out with buddies. It goes to show that true friends help us dig deep and encourage the qualities that we want to find in ourselves, whether it be perseverance, creativity or motivation.

If you are out riding or walking in Galbraith at twilight or dawn, you may notice a guy — with a brand new mountain bike — stealthily, by headlamp, installing a sign. It’s probably Mark, having fun, sharing his functional art with his community. x

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

Matt Treat,

Park questing: A Q&A with Matt Treat

By Ian Haupt | Photos by Matt Treat

Matt Treat is halfway to his goal of visiting every U.S. national park. During the pandemic, Treat said — like most people — he started thinking about places to visit that were lightly populated and not overseas. National parks naturally came to mind, and as travel restrictions were lifted, Treat said he started to pick up his pace. He said he’s made it to about half of America’s 63 national parks.

Treat owns the Inn at Lynden, a boutique hotel in the century-old Waples Mercantile Building in downtown Lynden, along with his wife Teri.

Mount Baker Experience caught up with Treat as he was

preparing to head to a graduation in Minnesota where he planned to visit Isle Royale National Park, a remote island in Lake Superior. Questions and answers were edited for length and clarity.

Mount Baker Experience: How do you plan to make it to all of them?

Treat: Once I started thinking about this, it seemed like the trips fell into kind of two categories. It was an incidental category, where if I was going to go somewhere, for other reasons, I'd immediately look at the map and think about what I could hit while I was there.

For instance, I went to a wedding in Kentucky last summer and saw the Smoky Mountains were close by there, or close enough that I could bag that one. So I expanded my trip plans. This week, I'll be going to a graduation in Minnesota, and there's a park north of St. Paul called Isle Royale. I'm going to get that one while I'm doing some family stuff. Then there's more intentional trips, where I plot a trip that allows me to maybe bag more than one park. That's where the Florida trip came in. A really good friend and myself went down, and we hit Everglades, Dry Tortugas and Biscayne.

I'm really a water person, and there were airboats involved and kayaks and canoes and snorkeling and paddleboards. It was a great way to see three parks.

How do you keep track?

I get a patch. All the parks have a patch that they make. I just grab a patch every time, and I've got a magnet board that I put them up on.

What’s the first national park you ever went to?

Oh, wow. I'm counting some that I went to as a kid — that kind of brings up an unwritten rule for me too. Now that I've decided to start doing this, I kind of feel like if I'm going to count it I have to have had some kind of adventure. You know, maybe I stay overnight and go for a hike or do some kind of rafting or something.

So the Grand Canyon is one I went to as a kid, and I have a patch from it, and I count it but it really seems like one I have to go back to and do again. Because all I really did was look over the edge. You go there with your family, you get out of the car, you look over the edge.

That’s one I got to do over, I'd like to hike down into the canyon or take a raft trip or something. So yeah, I'm counting some that I went to when I was a child with my family.

What sort of activities have you done?

Well, there's some parks in the Dakotas, two or three parks that are, again, close enough where I think I could get all three of them in a reasonably short period of time. And it sounds like there's some great mountain biking in those parks. So I'd like to get there with a mountain bike and tackle some of the trails that I've heard about there. I think that'd be pretty cool.

(Those parks are Badlands and Wind Cave in South Dakota and Theodore Roosevelt in North Dakota.)

You have to be prepared to be adventurous and do some driving. I don't want to spend the whole time in the car and so I try to manage my logistics so I can hit more than one without spending the entire time driving because that's no fun.

That's another thing: If I can't find somebody to go with I'll go solo if I have to, but, of course, it's really fun to go with someone. It's also really fun to go with somebody who has some knowledge that you don't, like a geologist or — I’m a mildly interested birder — but my friend Bill is an avid birder. It really adds to the trip when you've got somebody along who can point out things that you otherwise would have missed.

Any parks you particularly recommend?

If you could get to the Dry Tortugas, that's fantastic. You drive out to the end of the Florida Keys and either get on a boat or a plane. If you can fly out, just to see it from the air and land, spend the day there and camp there, that would be pretty spectacular. Takes a lot of planning. But it's just an amazing place for snorkeling and the view is spectacular, and the history is really amazing.

How long do you spend in the parks?

To really count it, like I said, you have to kind of do something there. So you're at least there a day. I went to the Channel Islands recently, and that was three days. That was really great, too. Those down off the coast of California. It takes a

r., and his friend Bill at Big Bend.

ferry ride to get there. The ferry ride went through an enormous school of dolphins getting to the island. It was already fantastic before we even got there.

But it can be anywhere from an overnight trip to a multiday trip. This depends on how much there is to do at that park, and how much you want to do. The other thing, I research enough to know the things that I don't want to miss while I'm there. But I don't look at YouTube, and I don't do a lot of other research, because I don't want to spoil the effect of seeing it firsthand.

I make sure that if I'm going through the trouble to get there that I make sure and see all the things that are worth seeing.

Do you have a favorite so far?

There's a favorite trip, I guess. The Everglades trip really stands out to me. I did another great trip where we're able to hit four parks down in the southwest with White Sands, Carlsbad Caverns, Guadalupe Mountains and Big Bend. That was really, really cool.

Voyagers in Minnesota is a really memorable trip too, especially if you like to fish. The fishing opportunities there are pretty amazing. Canoeing and fishing. That's another activity.Katmai in Alaska as well. There's something about standing on the bear observation deck and watching bears catching salmon out of midair standing in the waterfalls is pretty incredible. That’s hard to top.

Were any underwhelming?

I found Joshua Tree a little bit underwhelming. It just must have been the wrong day for me. I think if you're a climber it's a fabulous place. There's a lot of rock climbing opportunity there.

There are also things that are surprising, like I've always thought of the Rio Grande as this huge, magnificent river and the Rio Grande these days, at the least parts of it where we were, is just a trickle. You can walk across the Rio Grande on stepping-stones and not get your feet wet. It was surprising how far down the water level has gotten. I don't know if it's irrigation and climate change, but it was kind of eye opening.

Which did you find the most beautiful?

All are really beautiful. I mean, really, in their own way. They're incredibly beautiful. But I think the one that surprised me for beauty was Death Valley. I didn't really go there expecting that place to be beautiful. And it was really fabulous and colorful. Eerie, kind of, so unusual. Especially I think the viewing at dusk and at sunset, where the light got a little bit longer. The colors of the rocks and the sand and the stone all got more vibrant.

Met any cool people, characters you remember?

I remember at Death Valley. That is a place that I went to by myself. I ended up sitting at the bar one night to have

something to eat, and there was a guy on my left and a gal on my right. It turns out they both were doing the exact same thing that I was. They were park questers. It was really great talking to both of them about which parks they'd been to, which ones they recommend, which ones they've had adventures in. It was really fun trading notes and talking parks.

What have you learned?

I think the message for me is you don't have to leave the borders of our country to find unique, unusual and amazing places. You might not get perhaps the same level of cultural change that you would by going overseas. But there are definitely cultural differences too, and it's really been eye opening for me as far as how much there is to see and do inside our own country.

Anything coming up?

Yeah, I've got a good trip. Lately, I’ve been traveling a great deal with my friend Bill. He is an Alaskan, and he's a commercial fisherman up there. … We're going to go to Kenai Fjords and Lake Clark this summer.

Lake Clark has some remote cabins, which you have to be dropped off at by a skiff. It’s going to take us out there with kayaks, and we're going to fish and kayak at one camp for a few days and then paddle to another remote camp, stay at that one for a few more days, and then the skiff will come back and get us. x

Zion National Park

Death Valley National Park

Channel Islands National Park Matt Treat, l., and Bill in Guadalupe National Park.

Book Reviews by Meg Olson

On Island Time: A Traveler’s Atlas

Chandler O’Leary

Sasquatch Books

Campfire Stories: Volumes I and II

Dave Kyu and Ilyssa Kyu

Mountaineers Books

This collection of writings that celebrates America’s national parks and trails was born of a spontaneous road trip that sparked a passion for the outdoors and an impulse years later sitting by the campfire to reach for cell phones. The authors set out to visit the national parks and put together stories that connect readers to the place as they sit around the campfire.

Each volume highlights six national parks, from Acadia at the northeast tip of the U.S. to Olympic at the northwest corner, Everglades at the southeast edge to the Grand Canyon in the southwest. The authors introduce readers to the park and share a collection of stories and poems they have chosen after visiting the park and talking to the people who know it best, from rangers to tribal elders. While the stories and poems highlight the park, they also speak to our connection with nature wherever we are and are meant to be read aloud.

Favorite bit: Both volumes include storytelling tips at the beginning to help readers get into the swing of reading aloud.

A love letter to the islands of the Salish Sea by a sketchbook-toting, island-loving explorer, “On Island Time” is perfect for armchair traveling while you plan your next adventure or the glove box when you hit the ferry. From Anderson Island in south Puget Sound, north to Desolation Sound, Chandler O’Leary offers herself as your guide and traveling companion. Hand-drawn maps give an overview of each place you will visit. Watercolor illustrations share the flavor of the place. The accompanying text will give visitors tidbits of inside information as well as the big picture and lots of suggestions about what to see and do, from hidden gems to bucket list basics. Primarily aimed at road-trippers, the book also addresses visiting the islands by boat and exploring by bike and on foot.

The atlas is peppered with pages highlighting different elements of island living. There are spreads on the bounty of regional seafood, marine mammals (don’t touch those seal pups!), exploring the intertidal zone, and the multitude of ferries and other boats to help you get around. There is also lots of practical advice including packing guides, ferry etiquette and border crossings. The book opens with an acknowledgement that travelers are visiting the unceded homelands of many Indigenous peoples and their traditions and cultures are honored throughout.

Favorite bit: Any book that suggests you “stop into the Kingfisher Bookstore” in Coupeville definitely knows what it’s talking about. Besides that we love the little snapshots of island creations drawn throughout the book and especially on the endpapers: Quirky signs, hand-built mailboxes, little free libraries and more!

Note: We were enthusiastically preparing for Chandler O’Leary to visit Kingfisher Bookstore to celebrate this wonderful book when Chandler died suddenly this spring. We will miss her talent, enthusiasm and passion for our region.

The Mountains are Calling

Nancy

Blakey

Sasquatch

Books

Down the backbone of the Cascades, along the rainforest flanks of the Olympics, from a quick soak in a hot spring to multi-day adventures, from tents to lodges and strolls to scrambles, here is your invitation to, like John Muir, hear the call of the mountains and go.

A primer to our regional mountains, this is more of a book of ideas than a guidebook but it is still packed with plenty of information. Kicking off with Mountains 101, it features clear, accessible basics from what to wear to wildfire basics and how to drive on icy roads. Each section includes top spots and helpful maps to go with each mountain destination, along with day hikes, backpacking route suggestions and other adventures. There are suggestions for exploring in snowy and green months. Options for accommodation cover campgrounds to lodges and unique places to stay.

Favorite bit: The green pages! Throughout the book are green pages with microdoses of cool stuff that send you off to learn more: Volcano types, how to build a snow camp, poisonous plants, edible mushrooms.

The Naturalist at Home Kelly Brenner

Mountaineers Books

Anyone is a naturalist, Kelly Brenner tells us, if they take the time to observe, document and learn from the natural world. She offers 20 projects for every season that anyone can tackle, from building a terrarium to making tree bark rubbings. Despite the title, all the projects at least start in the field, making the book a perfect companion for planning and taking on an expedition in the Pacific Northwest. Along with practical instructions for each project, Brenner also serves up rich background information about the species being studied as well as the people who have studied them.

Favorite bit: Fabulous and previously unknown vocabulary describing outdoor exploration activities, from dock fouling (looking for creatures in the murky water under a dock) to bush beating (knocking bugs off a bush so you can study them).

Filmlandia!

David

Schmader

Sasquatch Books

An essential guide for road-tripping cinephiles in the Pacific Northwest. This illustrated handbook features pithy synopses of over 200 films and television shows filmed in the region including pilgrimage-worthy locations. Stars and filmmakers with a Northwest connection are featured in sidebars, as are genres from dystopian to xxx that have flourished here.

Favorite bit: It wraps up with a fabulous thematic guide to binge watching.

RETURNING to the ARCTIC

Last summer, Karl Krüger sat in Paulatuk at ease. Krüger had set off from Tuktoyaktuk, bound for Pond Inlet, Nunavut, just over two weeks earlier. Tuktoyaktuk and Paulatuk are oceanside hamlets in the Inuvik region of Canada’s Northwest Territories. Less than 300 people live in Paulatuk, and under 900 in Tuktoyaktuk.

Krüger hadn’t seen another person in 15 days. He had paddled the 420 miles of coastline and crossings between the two villages on his custom BARK Expedition stand up paddleboard (SUP). And while he stopped in Paulatuk, short of his nearly 2,000-mile goal, he was aware his time in the Arctic wasn’t over.

Krüger set his sight on the Northwest Passage in 2017, while he was crossing the Dixon Entrance on the second last day of his unsupported, 14-day Race to Alaska (R2AK) paddle. The next day he would become the first person to finish the 750-mile race from Port Townsend to Ketchikan, Alaska on a SUP. But at the time, Krüger said he was hungry for more. He wanted more of the solitude the journey had brought him.

“That deeper connectivity with place, on a spiritual level,” he said.

Krüger began thinking about the Arctic. He said he struggles to find the words to convey its appeal. He said he’s been reading about the Northwest Passage his whole life and that Barry Lopez’s “Arctic Dreams” is the closest thing to his own thoughts. Sometimes, he said, he falls asleep listening to the audiobook, read by the late author and naturalist.

Karl Krüger paddles

420 miles of the Northwest Passage

By Ian Haupt | photos by Karl Krüger

Once in his life a man ought to concentrate his mind upon the remembered earth. He ought to give himself up to a particular landscape in his experience; to look at it from as many angles as he can, to wonder upon it, to dwell upon it. He ought to imagine that he touches it with his hands at every season and listens to the sounds that are made upon it. He ought to imagine the creatures there and all the faintest motions of the wind. He ought to recollect the glare of the moon and the colors of the dawn and dusk.

~ “The Way to Rainy Mountain” by N. Scott Momaday, Lopez’s motto for “Arctic Dreams”

Krüger grew up in New York’s Adirondack Mountains. His half-Algonquin, abusive father, a hunting and fishing guide, taught him paddling and introduced him to spending long stints in nature. Krüger left home at 15. He moved to California to teach windsurfing after graduating high school. Then he made his way north and received an environmental science degree from Western Washington University.

Now, he lives on Orcas Island and runs his own sailing charter business, Krüger Sea, on his 64-foot steel cutter Ocean Watch. He has led expeditions in the San Juan Islands, Canadian Gulf Islands, British Columbia coast and Alaska for over 20 years.

Krüger made plans to launch his Northwest Passage attempt in summer 2019, but backed out and used the trip to scout his route. The Covid-19 pandemic delayed his travel plans to 2022, when he set out from Tuktoyaktuk to paddle the 1,900 miles to Pond Inlet in two months. He cut his trip short, stopping in

Paulatuk.

After a few days in Paulatuk, Krüger found a place to leave his board for the winter and flew out, with the intention of coming back the following summer to paddle another stretch of the way. He said he underestimated the scale of his undertaking and had to adjust the timeframe of his passage. Over the 420 miles and 15 days, he lost 17 pounds and survived on rations of water for multiple days. His pack totaled nearly 400 pounds including the weight of his board. But he said the mental challenges eclipse the physical ones.

“The only way to navigate in the Arctic — and that is times by about 1,000 if you're traveling solo — is to do it in a way that is aligned,” Krüger said. “Where you're not fighting against all the forces, and all the risks, and yourself, it is to simply be in open communication with the ancestors, and with the spirit in place.”

Last year, Krüger said getting off the beach is the true test, and he said that still holds true. All his relationships have been tested. The trips have burdened him financially. But he said he still wants to see this one through to the end. He said failure is an option, and if that is the case, he would still be happy, knowing he’s grown enormously.

“We have this notion in this modern life, that we have some control over our lives,” Krüger said. “And when you step off the beach into a place like that, what you're running into directly, is the fact that we have no control over anything.”

Krüger plans to head back to Paulatuk in July to paddle 450 miles to Kugluktuk in Nunavut territory. His current plans are to finish the 1,900 miles by 2026. This summer, he said if he’s up for it and the weather cooperates he may continue another 450 miles to Gjoa Haven. x

The Perfect Pairing : Fly fishing and gold panning

By Tony Moceri

Teach a woman to fly fish, and she will have food for a lifetime, teach a man to gold pan, and he will have wealth beyond his wildest imagination. Sounds like a powerful combination, right? Well, this is the working assumption that my wife, Lindsey, and I are dealing with.

I have been gold panning for quite a few years now. I first picked up a pan randomly on a road trip and started dipping it in waterways all over the Pacific Northwest. As I got more into it, I began buying books on techniques, history and the locations of old mines. From the moment of that initial purchase, I had a touch of gold fever. Who would have thought

that this little pan had the ability to lead me to such riches?

Lindsey never caught gold fever, it’s a bit less contagious than some ailments, but she does like having a reason to dip her toes in the water. She decided the methodical rhythm of casting a fly rod would enhance her enjoyment of the shimmering creeks and rivers where she often found herself. Images of tying her own flies danced in her mind as the task married well with her meticulous nature and eye for design. The bounties of fresh river trout brought back to camp would add the cherry on top of the perfect outdoor activity.

Picturesque scene isn’t it? Us frolicking in a crisp mountain creek garnering so much gold and fish that we can hardly

carry it. Alas, it remains a dream.

I am still on the hunt for that elusive nugget. With every pan of rock and sand, I have hope that I will pluck out a tooth-sized glimmering hunk of metal, but to date, I have found nothing but flecks.

Lindsey has withstood numb feet and red legs as cast after cast brings hope and despair as her lonely fly returns without a bite. She has had some success pulling in some little trout, but so far, they have all been thrown back. We are yet to lay a bounty of freshly caught fish over the open flame of our campfire and go to bed with full bellies. Unfortunately, in both fishing and gold panning, size does matter.

The first three rules of real estate are location, location, location. I always thought this was also true for fishing and gold panning, but I’m starting to think it’s technique, technique, technique. We are targeting places on the map where fish have been caught and gold has been found. We have done our research and go for the gold (pun intended). Quartz and gold are known to travel together, and, man, have I found quartz. Pans and pans of quartz. But these friends must be in a fight right now because the glimmers of gold veins within those chucks of quartz are yet to be seen. I have panned down from old mines and in places where I have firsthand accounts of nuggets being found, yet no luck.

Lindsey has fished while we have watched other people pull fish after fish out of the same waterway. We have matched their flies and taken seconds on their fishing holes, and still, the results are less than impressive. With us both being a bit on the competitive side, we will, at times, switch hobbies in an attempt to show the other person how it’s done. While Lindsey is also without a gold nugget on her shelf, she has pulled flecks out of the pan. I love whipping that fly rod around, but apparently, what I am doing is completely wrong. The only thing I have caught is surrounding bushes, and I am excellent at losing flies, especially the ones with which Lindsey has had a bit of success.

Though our rewards have been meager, we do not intend to stop the hunt because that is the fun of it all. It’s the excitement that a prize might be found with each pan or cast, but really, it’s the excuse to be in nature playing in Pacific Northwest waters. Even when we go home empty-handed, a day with our feet in the water, a cold beverage balanced on a nearby rock and dreaming of the harvest that is about to come, is a day well spent.

When heading out on your own gold panning or fishing adventures, make sure to check if you are in an area where it’s allowed, it’s the correct season and you have the necessary permits in hand. Mazama, Index and places around Whatcom County are some of our favorite places to spend a day casting and sifting through sand. For finding gold, the farther upstream is supposed to produce larger pieces (although I don’t think I qualify as an authority on the subject at this point). I have no idea how to catch a fish, so I won’t give any advice there.

What I do know how to do is find great places to spend a day, whether spent gold panning, fishing, with a good book, a camera or maybe your favorite local magazine. As always, no matter what you choose to do in nature, leave it better than you found it and follow the rules to keep our places and the creatures that live there healthy and safe. 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.

RACE EVENTS

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 oneday 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 70-mile 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 Pre-Race 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, 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 run-

ning. 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, 40 km bike ride along North Shore Drive and Y Road, and a 10 km 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.

KNEE KNACKERING NORTH SHORE TRAIL RUN:

Saturday, July 8

Challenging 30-mile root race along the Baden-Powell Centennial Trail from Horseshoe Bay to Deep Cove, climbing 8,000 ft. and descending another 8,300 ft. in Vancouver’s North Shore. Recognized by Running Wild magazine as one of the 25 toughest races in North America. For more info, visit kneeknacker.com.

NORTHWEST TUNE-UP:

July 14-16

Bellingham. A bike, beer and music festival, Bellingham-style, celebrating PNW culture on the waterfront. 24 bands, family friendly events, endless bike demos, award-winning headliners, craft beer, local art, bike and skills clinics, shuttles to trailheads and more. Waterfront District. For more information, visit  NWTuneUp.com.

CASCADIA DIRT CUP SERIES:

July 15-16

Takes place on Galbraith Mountain across two days. Podium awards and post-race 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.

VANCOUVER PRIDE RUN & WALK:

Sunday, July 23

5K and 10K courses around scenic Stanley Park.  For more info, visit vancouverpriderun.ca.

ANACORTES

PIRATE FUN RUN:

Saturday, July 29.

Costumes encouraged for the 5K, 10K and 1 mile kids run. For more info, visit anacortesartsfestival.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.

TOUR DE WHIDBEY:

Saturday, August 19

Coupeville. Known as one of the most beautiful rides in the PNW. Choose from: 10, 33, 50, 67, 100 miles and the ride of your life – a perimeter of Whidbey – 162 mile route with a cumulative 10,000 ft. of elevation. For more info, visit  tourdewhidbey.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 info,

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 info, visit  peninsulaadventuresports.com.

MT. BAKER HILL CLIMB:

Sunday, September 17

Ascend 4,462 feet 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 2.6 mile kayak, 30 mile road bike and a 10K run along the scenic Olympic Discovery Trail, Port Angeles. For more info visit  bighurtpa.com.

BELLINGHAM BAY

MARATHON:

Sunday, September 24

Full and Half Marathon, 5K and 10K. Designed by runners for runners and walkers. Beautiful views of Bellingham Bay, San Juan Islands and North Cascade mountains. For more info, visit bellinghambaymarathon.org.

SKAGIT FLATS:

Sunday, October 1

Burlington. Full and Half Marathon, and 5K. This marathon course is the flattest Boston qualifier in all of Washington state. For more info visit skagitflats.skagitrunners.org.

TRAILS TO TAPS RELAY:  Sunday, October 15

Teams of 5-10 runners relay to 10 different breweries in Bellingham over a 30 mile course, with an after party at Boundary Bay Beer Garden. For more info, visit trailstotaprelay.com

SALT CREEK 24: Saturday and Sunday, October 28-29 Port Angeles. The first of its kind on the Olympic Peninsula. Runners and walkers will circle the park on a 1.3 mile loop around the Salt Creek Recreation Area over 24 hours, either solo or part of a relay team. For more info visit  peninsulaadventuresports.com.

find more events and submit your own at mountbakerexperience.com

14 JULY BELLINGHAM WASHINGTON

24 TH BELLINGHAM GOLF CLASSIC

10:30 AM Tee Time Shuksan Golf Course

GALA DINNER & AUCTION

5:00 PM Bellingham Golf and Country Club

Tickets & Information arthritis.org/bellinghamgolf

Presented By

Proceeds Benefit

Commemorating seventy-five years of service to the Whatcom County community

NW Tune-Up set for second year July 14-16

Bellingham’s bike, beer and music festival will return for its second year July 14-16, 2023, with changes from last year’s event.

In February, Northwest Tune-Up promoters told the Mount Baker Experience that changes were ahead for the festival’s second year after musical acts, vendors, exhibitors and attendees were surveyed following last year’s inaugural event.

The festival ground will be condensed into Bellingham’s Waterfront District while its expo and market area and Kulshan’s 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 Bellingham’s waterfront area. Wristbands will be needed to demo bikes and shuttles will transport mountain bikers to Galbraith and Chuckanut Mountain trails.

The Cascadia Dirt Cup enduro races, however, will still start from the south entrance of Galbraith Mountain.

The waterfront will have one stage, with regional musical acts starting earlier in the day and national headliners playing later in the night. Headliners include STRFKR, Galactic, The Floozies, Mereba and others.

Three-day passes are $150 for adults and single-day passes are $75. Race entry is also $150 for adults and includes a threeday festival pass. For more information on the race, visit Cascadia’s website at bit. ly/3N3Dmp8.

Twilight tickets will be on sale in June and provide single-day, evening-only access to the festival after 7 p.m. — ideal for guests looking for music-only access.

More information can be found at nwtuneup.com. x

Mount Baker Experience 12th in Ski to Sea corporate division

Mount Baker Experience magazine was thrilled to sponsor a team for the 50th Ski to Sea on May 28. The team took 12th in the corporate division and 117th overall.

Ski to Sea is a 93-mile, seven-leg relay race from Mt. Baker Ski Area to Bellingham Bay. The seven legs were represented by Alex Hartley (cross-country ski), Andrew Grubb (downhill ski), Shayla Maupin (running), Ian Haupt (road bike), Elliott Smith and Sebastian Smith (canoe), Linda Finch (cyclocross) and Sarah Sophia Donohoe (kayak).

Both Mount Baker Experience editor Haupt and Maupin finished in the top 100 overall in their respective legs amongst the 474 participating teams. x

finish the 50th anniversary Ski to Sea May 28. Elliott

Kayaker Sarah Sophia Donohoe runs out of Bellingham Bay to

Smith photo

The Mount Baker Experience magazine team and supporters at the finish on May 28. The team came in 12th in the corporate category. Courtesy photo

DRAYTON HARBOR

draytonharboroysters.com

local tap list and global wines tide-to-table oysters Cozy atmosphere, beautiful sunsets. Dinein, take-out, shuck-at-home.

PACKERS KITCHEN & BAR AT SEMIAHMOO RESORT

9565 Semiahmoo Parkway

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

BELLINGHAM

BELLINGHAM CIDER

205 Prospect Street, Suite A105

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

DIAMOND JIM’S GRILL

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.

LARRABEE LAGER COMPANY

4151 Meridan St. Ste 100 360/230-8334

larrabeelagerco.com

Opening summer 2023.

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/thebarrel-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 12-5 p.m.

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

HEATHER MEADOWS CAFE

Mt Baker Ski Area

mtbaker.us

Open June 30-Sept. 10

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.

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.

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 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!