LIVING on the peninsula FOR THE
LOVE OF HORSES OPEN RAISES AWARENESS FOR RESCUES
Broadening horizons
JEA expanding horse park to community
Sharing the Peninsula
Back Country Horsemen devoted to wilderness trails
Transformations through riding
Camp Beausite offers safe space for people with special needs An advertising supplement produced by Peninsula Daily News & Sequim Gazette
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06 | peninsula events calendar Check out what’s happening on the Peninsula in July, August, September and October
summer 2019
Table of Contents
08 | a pinch of peninsula Fort Worden’s Taps at the Guardhouse full of farm-to-table fare & historic charm
09 | outdoor recreation Equestrian Tom Mix serves the community through the Back Country Horsemen
13 | respecting the wilderness Enchanted Valley Chalet caught between man and nature
19 | for the love of horses
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23
27
34
Olympic Peninsula Equine Network raises awareness for rescues
23 | transforming lives through riding Camp Beausite offers a safe space for people with special needs
27 | broadening horizons Jefferson Equestrian Association working to expand horse park to community
31 | the daytripper Solo adventure in Sunny Sequim
34 | sharing the peninsula Back Country Horsemen of Washington devoted to wilderness trails
37 | the living end Seeing through the eyes of horses
LIVING ON THE PENINSULA Vol. 15, No. 2
Produced and published by PENINSULA DAILY NEWS and SEQUIM GAZETTE Advertising Department 305 W. First St., Port Angeles, WA 98362 • 360-452-2345 • peninsuladailynews.com 147 W. Washington St., Sequim, WA 98382 • 360-683-3311 • sequimgazette.com Terry R. Ward, regional publisher Steve Perry, general manager | Eran Kennedy, advertising director Editorial & Production: Shawna Dixson, Laura Foster & Brenda Hanrahan, special sections editors Advertising Sales: 360-683-3311 • 360-452-2345 ©2019 Peninsula Daily News | ©2019 Sequim Gazette
suMMeR 2019 | Living on the PeninsuLa
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CALENDAR OF EVENTS JUNE
FORKS/WEST END • Every Wednesday through Sept. 4 (closed July 4): Forks Logging and Mill Tours, 8:45 a.m. to noon, Forks Chamber of Commerce, donations accepted. • June 14-16: RainCon, various times, Rainforest Arts Center, free. • June 18: Forks History and More, 11:30 a.m., First Congregational Church, free. • June 22-23: Annual Tod Horton Memorial Co-ed Softball Tournament, all day, Tillicum Park, free to watch. • June 22-23: West End Thunder Drag Races, 9 a.m. to 5 p.m., Forks Municipal Airport, $10 general admission. PORT ANGELES • June 8 : Second Weekend Artwalk, 5 p.m. to 9 p.m., downtown, free. • Concerts on the Pier, Wednesdays, 6 p.m. to 8 p.m., City Pier: June 19: Bread & Gravy; June 26: Sound Advice. • Through Oct. 6: Port Angeles Heritage Tours, Mondays-Saturdays, 10 a.m. and 2 p.m., Port Angeles Regional Chamber of Commerce, $8-$15. SEQUIM • Morning Bird Walks, Wednesdays, Dungeness River Audubon Center in Railroad Bridge Park, 8:30 a.m. to 10:30 a.m., free. • First Friday Art Walks, every month, art venues throughout Sequim, 5 p.m. to 8 p.m., free. • Music in the Park, 6 p.m. to 8 p.m., Tuesdays, James Center for the Performing Arts: June 18: Navy Band Northwest; June 25: Caribe Steel Band • June 22: Petals and Pathways Garden Tour, 10 a.m. to 4 p.m., various locations, $15-$20. • June 22, Solar Tour, Power Trip Energy, various locations, free. PORT TOWNSEND/JEFFERSON COUNTY • Concerts in the Woods, 7:30 p.m., Laurel B. Johnson Community Center, Coyle, by donation: June 15: Jesse Loren Stickman and Josh Michael; July 6: Little Spirits; July 20: Jaspar Lepak Duo; Aug. 3: Silver Lake 66; Aug. 17: Sister Speak • Through June 20: “Cole Porter Revue,” Key City Public Theatre, $24-$29, except on “pay as you wish” nights. • June 15: Secret Garden Tour, 10 a.m. to 4 p.m., local gardens, price TBD. • June 15: Annual Rakers Car Show, 9:30 a.m. to 6 p.m., Memorial Field, $5 adults, 12 and younger free.
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Living on the Peninsula | SUMMER 2019
• June 21-23: Into the Mystic Psychic Fair, 10 a.m. to 5 p.m., Unity Spiritual Enrichment Center, free admission. • June 22: Rat Island Regatta, 8 a.m., Port Townsend Marine Science Center, $10-$20 per participant. • June 23: Salish Sea Early Music Festival: Haydn & J.C. Bach, 2 p.m. to 4 p.m., St. Paul’s Episcopal Church, by donation. • June 30: Port Townsend Summer Band, Chetzemoka Park, 3 p.m.
JULY
FORKS/WEST END • July 1-7: Forks Old Fashioned 4th of July celebration, downtown, times and events vary. • July 4: Neah Bay’s Fourth of July celebration, all day. • July 6: Moonlight Madness, 7 p.m. to 11 p.m., downtown Forks. • July 12-14: Clallam Bay-Sekiu Fun Days, various times, Clallam Bay Spit Community Beach County Park. • June 13-14: West End Thunder Drag Races, 9 a.m. to 5 p.m., Forks Municipal Airport, $10 general admission. • July 16: Forks History and More, 11:30 a.m., First Congregational Church, free. • July 19-21: Quileute Days, times vary, La Push, free. • July 27-29: 29th annual Fred Orr Memorial Co-Ed Softball Tournament, all day, Tillicum Park Ball Fields, free to watch. PORT ANGELES • Concerts on the Pier, Wednesdays, 6 p.m. to 8 p.m., City Pier: July 10: Crushwater; July 17: Three Too Many; July 24: Kayohti; July 31: Backwoods Hucksters • July 4: 4th of July Celebration, 11 a.m. to 11 p.m., downtown and City Pier, free. • July 13 : Second Weekend Artwalk, 5 p.m. to 9 p.m., downtown, free. • July 19-Aug. 4: Shakespeare in the Woods featuring “The Taming of the Shrew,” every Friday, Saturday and Sunday, 6 p.m., Webster’s Woods Art Park, free/by donation. SEQUIM • Morning Bird Walks, Wednesdays, Dungeness River Audubon Center in Railroad Bridge Park, 8:30 a.m. to 10:30 a.m., free. • First Friday Art Walks, every month, art venues throughout Sequim, 5 p.m. to 8 p.m., free. • Music in the Park, 6 p.m. to 8 p.m., Tuesdays, James Center for the Performing Arts: July 2: Ranger and the Re-Arrangers; July 9: John
SUMMER 2019
Hoover and the Mighty Quinns; July 16: Stardust Big Band; July 23: Bread & Gravy; July 30: Max Hatt & Edda Glass • July 4: Sequim City Band, 3 p.m., James Center for the Performing Arts, free. • July 19-21: 23rd annual Sequim Lavender Weekend, various times, Carrie Blake Park, Dungeness Valley. • July 12-21: “Immigrant Garden — Letters” (Fridays and Saturdays, 7:30 p.m.; Sundays, 2 p.m.), Olympic Theatre Arts, $12 students, $16 adults. • July 19-21: Art Jam 2019, 10 a.m. to 5 p.m., Rock Hollow Farm, free. • July 26-28: Hurricane Ridge Kennel Club All Breed Show, various times, Sequim High School sports fields. PORT TOWNSEND/JEFFERSON COUNTY • Concerts in the Woods, 7:30 p.m., Laurel B. Johnson Community Center, Coyle, by donation: July 6: Little Spirits; July 20: Jaspar Lepak Duo; Aug. 3: Silver Lake 66; Aug. 17: Sister Speak • Main Street’s Concerts on the Dock, 4:30 p.m. to 7:30 p.m., Thursdays, Pope Marine Plaza: July 11: Jim Nyby and the F Street Band; July 18: Uncle Funk and the Dope Six; July 25: The Micaela Kingslight Band • July 4: Port Townsend Summer Band, Fort Worden State Park, 6 p.m. • July 6: Solar Home Tour, 10 a.m. to 1 p.m., Power Trip Energy, free. • July 6: Port Townsend Art Walk, 5:30 p.m. to 8 p.m., various locations. • July 28: Port Townsend Summer Band, Pope Marine Park, 3 p.m.
AUGUST
FORKS/WEST END • Aug. 10-11: West End Thunder Drag Races, 9 a.m. to 5 p.m., Forks Municipal Airport, $10 general admission. • Aug. 16-19: Cycle Camp Family Reunion, times vary, Cycle Camp near Forks, free. • Aug. 20: Forks History and More, 11:30 a.m., First Congregational Church, free. • Aug. 23-25: 95th annual Makah Days Celebration, times vary, Neah Bay, free. • Aug. 31: Hot Thunder Nite Cruise-In, 4 p.m. to 11 p.m., downtown Forks, free (registration $5-$10). PORT ANGELES • Concerts on the Pier, Wednesdays, 6 p.m. to 8 p.m., City Pier: Aug. 7: Fat Chance Band; Aug. 14: The Weavils; Aug. 21: Sweet T & Justice; Aug. 28: The Talbott Bros
• Aug. 3: Joyce Daze Blackberry Festival, various times. • Aug. 4: Ride the Hurricane, 7 a.m. to 4 p.m., Hurricane Ridge Road, $50. • Aug. 10 : Second Weekend Artwalk, 5 p.m. to 9 p.m., downtown, free. • Aug. 15-18: Clallam County Fair, times vary, Clallam County Fairgrounds, prices vary. SEQUIM • Morning Bird Walks, Wednesdays, Dungeness River Audubon Center in Railroad Bridge Park, 8:30 a.m. to 10:30 a.m., free. • First Friday Art Walks, every month, art venues throughout Sequim, 5 p.m. to 8 p.m., free. • Aug. TBA: Sequim City Band, 3 p.m., James Center for the Performing Arts, free. • Music in the Park, 6 p.m. to 8 p.m., Tuesdays, James Center for the Performing Arts: Aug. 6 : Black Diamond Junction; Aug. 13: Blue Rhinos; Aug. 20: Farmstrong; Aug. 27: Joy in Mudville • Aug. 2: Keying Around/Block Party, with the First Friday Art Walk. • Aug. 3: Tour de Lavender cycling event, locations and prices vary. • Aug. 8-11: Northwest Colonial Festival, various times, George Washington Inn, cost TBA. • Aug. 10: Strait Stamp Show, 9:30 a.m. to 5 p.m., Masonic Lodge, free. • Aug. 10: Sequim Prairie Nights Downtown Show & Shine, downtown. • Aug. 17: Valley of the Trolls Run/Walk, 8 a.m., Troll Haven-Bandy Farms, prices vary. • Aug. 24-25: Olympic Peninsula Air Affaire & Sequim Valley Fly-In, 7 a.m. to 4 p.m., Sequim Valley Airport, $5. PORT TOWNSEND/JEFFERSON COUNTY • Concerts in the Woods, 7:30 p.m., Laurel B. Johnson Community Center, Coyle, by donation: Aug. 3: Silver Lake 66; Aug. 17: Sister Speak • Main Street’s Concerts on the Dock, 4:30 p.m. to 7:30 p.m., Thursdays, Pope Marine Plaza: Aug. 1: Big Hands Colvin; Aug. 8: Joy in Mudville; Aug. 15: Daring Greatly; Aug. 22: The Whole Bolivian Army; Aug. 29: Kevin Mason and the PT All-Stars. • Aug. 2-25: “The Merry Wives of Windsor,” Chetzemoka Park (presented by Key City Public Theatre), $24 to $29, except on “pay as you wish” nights. • Aug. 3: Port Townsend Art Walk, 5:30 p.m. to 8 p.m., various locations. • Aug. 9: Annual Port Townsend Rock Club Gemboree, 10 a.m. to 8 p.m., Jefferson
County Fairgrounds, free with entry into Jefferson County Fair. • Aug. 9-11: Jefferson County Fair, 10 a.m. to 8 p.m., Jefferson County Fairgrounds, free-$8. • Aug. 16-17: Port Townsend Kiwanis Classic Car Show, 9 a.m. to 3:30 p.m., Memorial Field, $5. • Aug. 17: Uptown Street Fair & Parade, 9 a.m. to 5 p.m., free. • Aug. 17: Port Townsend Summer Band, Uptown Street Fair, 11 a.m. • Aug. 17-18: Art Port Townsend Studio Tour, 10 a.m. to 4 p.m., various locations, free. • Aug. 25: Port Townsend Summer Band, Chetzemoka Park, 3 p.m.
SEPTEMBER
FORKS/WEST END • Sept. 7: 18th annual Bear Creek Chili Cook-off and Potluck, all day, Hungry Bear Cafe, Forks, free. • Sept. 7-8: West End Thunder Drag Races, 9 a.m. to 5 p.m., Forks Municipal Airport, $10 general admission. PORT ANGELES • Concerts on the Pier, Wednesdays, 6 p.m. to 8 p.m., City Pier: Sept. 4: Black Diamond Junction; Sept. 11: Champagne Sunday. • Sept. 7: GOAT (Great Olympic Adventure Trail) Run, race start locations/times vary, $50-$80. • Sept. 14 : Second Weekend Artwalk, 5 p.m. to 9 p.m., downtown, free. SEQUIM • Morning Bird Walks, Wednesdays, Dungeness River Audubon Center in Railroad Bridge Park, 8:30 a.m. to 10:30 a.m., free. • First Friday Art Walks, every month, art venues throughout Sequim, 5 p.m. to 8 p.m., free. PORT TOWNSEND/JEFFERSON COUNTY • Sept. 7-9: Wooden Boat Festival, various times, Northwest Maritime Center, free. • Sept. 7: Port Townsend Art Walk, 5:30 p.m. to 8 p.m., various locations.
All event information listed here was up to date at the time of printing. For future event submissions, email Shawna Dixson at sdixson@peninsuladailynews.com. Please note that publication of submitted events is not guaranteed.
2019 FARMERS MARKETS PORT ANGELES FARMERS MARKET: Saturdays at the corner of Front and Lincoln streets, 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Visit farmersmarketportangeles.com. SEQUIM FARMERS MARKET: Saturdays at Civic Center Plaza, 9 a.m. to 3 p.m., May 4-Oct. 26. Visit sequimmarket.com. FORKS OPEN AIRE MARKET: Saturdays at Umpqua Bank Parking Lot, 10 a.m. to 3 p.m., May-October. Call 360-374-6918 or email kristyrichmond@ymail.com. PORT TOWNSEND FARMERS MARKET: Saturdays on Tyler and Laurence streets, 9 a.m. to 2 p.m., April 6-Dec. 21. Visit jcfmarkets.org. CHIMACUM FARMERS MARKET: Sundays at 9122 Rhody Drive, 10 a.m. to 2 p.m., June 2-Oct. 27. Visit jcfmarkets.org/sunday. SUMMER 2019 | Living on the Peninsula
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A PINCH OF PENINSULA NOT YOUR AVERAGE
bar food
Fort Worden’s Taps at the Guardhouse full of farm-to-table fare & historic charm Story and photo by Shawna Dixson
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aps is a laid-back restaurant with pub atmosphere that features artisanal small plates and regional craft brews, ciders, wines and spirits, housed inside the historic Guardhouse at Fort Worden State Park. Taps has a quaint, rustic exterior with a large porch and lawn. Inside, dark-polished wood tables and benches are paired with bradded leather barstools and iron accents — it’s like stepping back in time. The original Guardhouse was built in 1904 as a detention facility, one of 100 historical buildings in Port Townsend’s iconic Fort Worden State Park. Its food and beverage director, Maryna Frederiksen, explained the history of the building. “The Guardhouse provided ‘transient’ accommodations for soldiers who breached military discipline, usually as a result of unauthorized activities in the rough-and-tumble taverns on Port Townsend’s notorious Water Street,” she said. The building still features its jail cells, now furnished with comfortable dining seating and a cozy wood-burning stove. The space was tastefully transformed into a restaurant with full bar in 2016, with ample attention paid to maintaining its early-1900s charm. Sitting in Taps, you can imagine wayward soldiers waiting in the cells as officers processed paperwork.
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Despite Taps’ pub-like atmosphere, it’s a family-friendly place that focuses on serving a wide variety of food sourced from local farmers, done up with a downto-earth attitude and farm-to-table freshness you won’t find at typical bars. Taps’ newest chef, Donald Cobb, took over in April this year, and he has plans for the restaurant: Cobb has a mission to bring as many local farmers to the fold as possible. “I look for farmers who are passionate about food and what they’re growing,” he said. “This is a symbiotic relationship.” Cobb was the chef at a wide range of restaurants around the country, from five-diamond to casual farm-to-table places like Taps. For Taps, Cobb wants the food he cooks to exemplify his respect for the farmers who put painstaking effort into growing high-quality ingredients. However, sometimes farmers can’t grow enough for Taps’ normal service, which has a high volume of customers all year. When Cobb finds a farmer with a unique ingredient of limited quantity, he turns it into a seasonal special to let its particular qualities shine. The chef has put together a new menu, first served in early May, that features fresh produce with robust flavors, as well as heartier dishes, including vegetable charcuterie with house-pickled vegetables, roasted red pepper hummus and naan; Dungeness crab cakes with creole aioli, pickled onion and micro greens; and Taps’ famous house-fried
Living on the Peninsula | SUMMER 2019
Taps' Guard cheese dip with housemade potato chips. potato chips, served with “Guard cheese dip” made with white cheddar and roasted garlic. “People will notice a difference in quality and attention to detail,” Cobb said. Don’t worry, Cobb kept a few favorites, like Taps’ classic bacon-style Hama Hama Clam Chowder, served with house-made pumpernickel bread. Smoky bacon blends marvelously with the bold and distinctive flavor of razor clams. Delicate herbs and smalldiced potatoes lend their own character and texture. The dish is balanced, creamy and doesn’t skimp on the clams. Although the restaurant is popular with a mix of locals and tourists all year long, summer is when this little pub shines. Taps has fire pits and live music outside on the tree-shaded lawn every Friday from 6 p.m. to 8 p.m. Visit fortworden.org/eat-here to learn more about Taps’ special events.
The Fort Worden military complex is managed and maintained by the Fort Worden Public Development Authority (FWPDA), a public corporation set up by the City of Port Townsend. Taps is the most successful of FWPDA’s many businesses tasked with earning money for maintaining the complex. All profits are put into preserving and improving the fort and its amenities. More information is available at fortworden.org/about/pda.
GUARD CHEESE DIP RECIPE 1⁄4 cup garlic cloves, peeled 2 tablespoons olive oil
1 cup white cheddar, shredded
Taps uses Beecher’s, but any high quality cheddar will work.
8 ounces cream cheese
1⁄4 cup pickled Hungarian peppers
Taps uses Mama Lil’s Mildly Spicy Pickled Hungarian Peppers in Oil.
1/3 cup sour cream
Salt and pepper, to taste Roast the garlic cloves in the olive oil in a 375-degree oven until golden brown, about 8-10 minutes. Once the garlic has cooled, chop until it becomes a paste. Set aside. Chop the pickled red peppers until fine. Place the chopped ingredients, along with all the other ingredients, into a large bowl. Using a mixer, blend all the ingredients until it becomes a smooth spread. Season with salt and pepper, if desired. Taps at the Guardhouse likes to serve their Guard cheese dip with house fried potato chips, but any good quality potato chip will work “in a pinch.”
OUTDOOR RECREATION
HAPPY TRAILS FOR US ALL With ‘Leave No Trace’ creed, Back Country Horsemen of Washington group leaves positive mark on the Peninsula By Michael Dashiell
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here’s no need to convince equestrian Tom Mix that the Olympic Peninsula is a unique and enjoyable place to ride. “You could be riding on a beach, turn around, and you’re on a ride in the mountains in an hour,” Mix said. “That’s all part of living on the Peninsula.” It’s a kind of blessing and a curse; however, hundreds of pristine trails in the region are sought after not only by fellow equestrians, but hikers, mountain bikers, motorized vehicle users and others. Helping equestrians and their fellow outdoor enthusiasts learn to share these trails safely is just one of the goals of the Back Country Horsemen of Washington (BCHW). “I always liked horses and camping,” Mix said. “I thought, ‘What am I going to do [on the Peninsula] besides hunting?’ ” Mix moved with his wife Catherine from Issaquah to the Sequim area in 1998 and helped run the Cutting Garden for several years. Mix started riding with a couple of friends. “They got me busy working trails,” Mix said. That naturally led to joining the Peninsula Chapter of the BCHW. He now tracks the group’s trail projects. “I spent a lot of time volunteering,” Mix said. “Not only volunteering, but organizing.” As outlined in the chapter’s mission statement, club members spend ample time in and out of the saddle, helping educate both equestrian veterans and novices, along with other trail users. They teach everyone about safety, work
Murphy the donkey enjoys an apple from Jesse Nash, 10, at the Dungeness River Festival in September 2018, as Tony Sample, Murphy's owner with the Back Country Horsemen – Peninsula Chapter, and Wyatt Manley, 10, look on. Sequim Gazette file photo by Matthew Nash on maintaining, building and rebuilding trails, assist various agencies and groups with trail projects, advocate to keep land open for stock use and other things that impact the Peninsula equestrian community. Chapter members come from varying backgrounds, noted Donna Hollatz. “A lot of us didn’t have time [to get involved]; we had careers or were raising kids,” Hollatz said. She has lived in Clallam County since the 1970s, but she and her husband Jim hadn’t gotten involved with BCHW until recently.
DIAMOND (WINNER) IN THE ROUGH Tom Mix and Tony Karniss of Chehalis were honored with the Back Country Horsemen of Washington President’s Diamond Award in midMarch for their efforts to lead the BCHW Sawyer Program. Authorized by the U.S. Forest Service, the program helps individuals get trained and certified to help cut and remove downed trees from trails using chain and crosscut saws. According to Mix, the Peninsula chapter has helped train about 300 sawyers and about 30 as saw instructors. “We were the first volunteer organization in the country to get selfcertification for sawyers,” Mix said. “That really helps the Forest Service.”
suMMeR 2019 | Living on the PeninsuLa
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BCHW often uses pack animals to haul materials like bridge planks into the back country. Photo courtesy of Back Country Horsemen — Peninsula Chapter Hollatz now puts together “Track Crafters News,” the Peninsula Chapter newsletter. “We have nurses, doctors, hairdressers … you’d never have a clue what they did for their career,” said Linda Morin, who worked for the postal service for two decades before moving to the area in 2010. “I wanted to trail ride around here,” she said. “I just started helping with trail work. Then I put on rides.” Two years later, Morin was the Peninsula Chapter’s events coordinator. Mix, a former Boeing engineer, said the enjoyment they get from working with horses and riding trails brings them all together. “You don’t need stock to belong [to the club],” Morin said. “We need more hands on tools.”
SWEAT EQUITY
The local chapter estimates members contribute more than $140,000 of in-kind labor, equipment and tool use to help maintain the trails on the Olympic Peninsula each year. That includes more than 3,000 hours of volunteer efforts on 500 miles of trail. BCHW members work side-byside with a number of county, state
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and federal trail crews. The list of cooperating organizations winds up sounding a bit like alphabet soup, including DNR (Department of Natural Resources), ONP (Olympic National Park), ODT (Olympic Discovery Trail), PNTA (Pacific Northwest Trails Association), PTCA (Pacific Crest Trail Association), WTA (Washington Trails Association) and USFS (U.S. Forest Service), plus the Gray Wolves trail crew and other groups without abbreviations. About 47 members strong, the Peninsula Chapter had, for years, helped maintain trails for the majority of the Olympic Peninsula. Two years ago, the Mount Olympus Chapter formed for equestrians on the western side of the Peninsula. That group focuses primarily on the Elk Creek, Bogachiel and Mount Muller regions, Mix said. The Peninsula Chapter’s natural western boundary, he said, is the Sol Duc River. With so many trails to work on, Mix said, there isn’t any competition between the groups. As a kind of labor of love, BCHW members keep tabs on local trail conditions, connecting with local groups such as the Klahhane Hiking Club
Living on the Peninsula | SUMMER 2019
(klahhaneclub.org), which passes along information about downed trees so work groups can help clear trails. The work varies, from replacing bridges to building new trails, such as the one being built this spring, connecting Cat Lake Road to the trail system at Miller Peninsula, near the Clallam/Jefferson County line. The Peninsula Chapter coordinated a project that oversaw installation of four bridges on the Lower Big Quilcene Trail (three were constructed by a professional contractor, the fourth by volunteers). Individuals donated about 700 hours to the project, BHCW members say. The group routinely helps out other entities, like a recent project for the North Olympic Land Trust, in which the conservation group acquired a piece of property and needed to allow for public access. The Peninsula Chapter also helps with projects like spraying noxious weeds, including meadow knapweed in the Burnt Hill area for Clallam County, and, as in a September 2018 project, stocking four alpine lakes just north of White Pass with cutthroat trout. Earlier that year, the Peninsula Chapter coordinated a project to replace the Gold Creek Trail Bridge. With two
dozen volunteers, three mules and four trail associations on the job, the group placed a 200-year-old cedar across the creek in just a few days. “It took seven years to get the permitting,” Mix said, “and three days to do the work.”
TRAIL SAFETY
Even when trails are passable, there are plenty of concerns for safety, Morin noted. Even some of the more experienced equestrians are unsure of what to do when they encounter other horse riders, hikers, bikers and the like. Morin recalled meeting a pair of riders on the Miller Peninsula; out of fear, one rider had driven her horse into the bushes. “I had to reassure her, ‘The worst thing you can do is hide in the bushes.’ ” In pamphlets, a safety video and educational talks, BCHW members offered this advice: “Stop, stand downhill and speak.” That interaction, Morin said, identifies a human for what they are, and horses likely will not freak out. Staying downhill from a horse and its rider are key as well, BCHW members said, because horses interpret anything above them as a predator.
DAN KELLY RIDE The Peninsula Chapter of the BCHW will host a group ride near Dan Kelly Road on Saturday, June 15, with rides on the Olympic Adventure Trail starting between 8:30 a.m. and 9 a.m. The group will have a couple of loops flagged and mapped, and the event is designed for non-chapter members to meet fellow riders and learn about the area and the club. Grab-and-go breakfast items, such as granola bars and Danishes, will be provided. Call or text Linda Morin at 360-775-5060 for more information or to RSVP. Mix said BCHW members have noticed a new problem on trails: trail runners using earbuds. These runners often don’t notice a trail crew at work or equestrians on a ride, which can lead to dangerous interactions. To compensate, Peninsula Chapter trail crews have “spotters” with whistles, who can alert crews if a runner is using the trail and has missed their caution signals. The Peninsula Chapter now has a trifold pamphlet outlining what trail users — equestrians, hikers, bikers and motorized vehicle users — can do to stay safe. “This [area] is not only for equine use but for hiking and biking communities as well,” Morin said.
Still, Mix noted, “We’ve seen tremendous improvement in how people approach equestrians.” To help spread the word to the youngest trail users, Peninsula Chapter members take part in events, such as the annual Dungeness River Festival, held each September. At the 2018 Sequim event, Morin said about 1,500 youths visited the festival. “I figure we interacted with about 800 of them,” she said. Club members also take part in Olympic National Park Junior Ranger Day, which takes place annually in early spring. “It’s fantastic to work with the kids,” Morin said.
Tom Mix (pictured) and other BCHW members help haul more than 3,000 hatchery cutthroat trout to four back country alpine lakes along the Pacific Crest Trail, just north of White Pass. Photo courtesy of Back Country Horsemen — Peninsula Chapter
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PENINSULA CHAPTERʼS BCHW MISSION STATEMENT Perpetuate the commonsense use and enjoyment of horses in America’s back country and wilderness. •
• Work to insure that public lands remain open to recreational stock use. • Assist the various government and private agencies in their maintenance and management of said resource. • Educate, encourage and solicit active participation in the wise use of the back country resource by horsemen and general public commensurate with our heritage.
Sequim High School students Sequoia Swindler, left, and Sara Minty clear a trail on the Miller Peninsula in May 2017, as part of a project led by Powell Jones, executive director of the Dungeness River Audubon Center, to bring local youths into the wilderness. Sequim Gazette photo by Matthew Nash
• Foster and encourage the formation of new chapters in the state organization.
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Living on the PeninsuLa | suMMeR 2019
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Peninsula Chapter members worked with a local Eagle Scout candidate to install a picnic table at the Royal Creek crossing near the Upper Dungeness trailhead and with Port Angeles High School Navy Junior Reserve Officers Training Corps (NJROTC) Program members on a project at Striped Peak, near Salt Creek Recreation Area. The BCHW also included some Quilcene Middle School youths in the 2018 project at Gold Creek. “They got a chance to see it go from nothing to having a bridge,” Mix said. “That [bridge] will always be part of their heritage,” Morin added. The BCHW is a 501(c)3 organization with more than 30 chapters across the state, dedicated to “keeping trails open for all users; educating horse users in Leave-No-Trace practices and providing volunteer service to resource agencies.” To learn more about the Peninsula Chapter of the BCHW and how to get involved, call or text Linda Morin at 360-775-5060, email Tom Mix at backcountrypacker.mix@gmail.com, or visit their website at pbchw.org. For more information about BCHW, visit bchw.org. More about the Back Country Horsemen of America, the parent national organization, can be found at bcha.org.
RESPECTING THE
Wilderness
Enchanted Valley Chalet caught between man and nature Enchanted Valley at dusk, May 2019 Photo courtesy of Olympic National Park By Christi Baron
T
he Enchanted Valley Chalet is the last structure of its type within the Olympic National Park. The chalet was constructed by Quinault Valley residents in the early 1930s, prior to establishment of Olympic National Park (ONP). Located on the East Fork Quinault River Trail, Enchanted Valley is 13 miles from the nearest road. According to the Washington Trails Association, hundreds of hikers visit the valley each year, making it one of the most popular trails in the southeast portion of ONP. The Enchanted Valley Chalet served several decades as a back country lodge and, more recently, as a wilderness ranger station and emergency shelter.
It was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 2007 for its association with the “recreational development of the wild and remote interior of the Olympic Mountains,” according to the Washington Trust for Historic Preservation. Unfortunately, the valley is an active flood plain, with loose soil that lends itself to sometimes drastic shifts in the river’s course during seasonal flooding. By January 2014, the riverbank had migrated from 10 feet away the previous year, to within 18 inches of the chalet. Shortly afterward, the chalet was cantilevered precariously over the riverbank. Although the chalet is a solid historic structure, built of cedar logs with tongue-and-groove construction and eight bedrooms, the decision to move the building was made only to protect the
Quinault River and its related resources and river processes. Officials responsible for respecting the park’s ecology were concerned that dangerous chemicals could leach into the water, harming the fish, if the building were allowed to fall into the river. To provide ONP time to consider whether there was a long-term solution, an emergency action environmental assessment (EA) determined to temporarily move the chalet approximately 100 feet from the bank of the river, in an effort to protect the river from environmental harm. Jeff Monroe, of Monroe House Mover in Carlsborg, offered to move the chalet and was hired by the National Park Service (NPS) in September 2014. The chalet would be picked up and slid along steel rods, then placed on temporary footings. Normally, doing this would
require large equipment, but because the chalet is in the park, Monroe would have to adhere to the Wilderness Act of 1964. The Wilderness Act states that agencies must use the minimum and least disturbing method of tools to carry out work in the wilderness. With very few exceptions, this means no motorized equipment, roads or other structures. By the regulations of the Wilderness Act, mules still are considered an acceptable “tool” for wilderness shelter maintenance. To carry out regular maintenance, ONP has approximately 20 mules in Sweets Field in the Elwha Valley. Three seasonal mule packers work all summer, packing tools and equipment for the park’s seasonal trail crews, who keep trails open and maintained all summer.
suMMeR 2019 | Living on the PeninsuLa
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Crew member receiving a load of supplies from the helicopter Photo provided by the chalet move crew
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Living on the Peninsula | SUMMER 2019
But the chalet’s Historic Places listing didn’t exempt its workers from following the Wilderness Act. Knowing most of the work would need to be done with pack animals and manual labor, Monroe contacted Sherry and Larry Baysinger, a married couple who works as licensed and insured independent contractors packing mules. They offer guided pack trips and horseback rides into ONP. “Some people wonder why we pack mules instead of horses,” Sherry Baysinger said. “Generally speaking, mules are tougher than horses. They rarely have soundness issues when working on steep mountain trails.” Talks began on how the project would play out. Monroe and the Baysingers anticipated at least 14 days with a crew of eight to 15 people would be necessary to move the building. That meant a lot of food and shelter gear would be needed, in addition to the hand tools and other equipment. The Baysingers contacted Sara Woodward, of Joyce, and asked her to come along as a cook and packer. Prior to starting the project, Woodward accompanied Larry Baysinger and Monroe on an initial pack trip to survey the technicalities of moving the chalet. Monroe put together a list of equipment needed. The biggest problem was the set of steel beams (called “skids”), which weighed upward of 1,200 pounds, required for sliding the chalet to its new location. As the beams were too heavy to pack in via mule, Monroe had to petition the park for permission to use a helicopter. In 2004, the Olympic Park Associates, Wilderness Watch and Public Employees for Environmental Responsibility filed and won a lawsuit against Olympic National Park for its plans to use helicopters to fly in two replacement shelters, because of the disturbance helicopters cause for birds and other wildlife. Still, the park decided that the weight of the beams qualified use of a helicopter as a “minimum requirement for the administration of the area,” per the Wilderness Act. It agreed to provide Monroe helicopter support for two days to fly in the beams and other materials that could be loaded with the beams, including nuts, bolts, shims, cribbing, hammers, nails and screws, plus cases of Ivory and Fels-Naptha bar soap to “grease” the skids.
The helicopter size and time of flight was restricted because of the endangered marbled murrelet, which flies to the ocean to get food for its chicks during early and late hours of the day during breeding season.
TRIALS ON THE TRAIL
Keeping food cold and livestock contained were the two biggest obstacles. A small chest freezer in a horse trailer, powered by a generator, took care of the food and a temporary containment area for the mules was set up. Also along to help the Baysingers were Mike McCracken and their friend Al Chapman, who arrived with three mules that would be used for the initial pack in. Right away, one of the mules escaped. “On the morning that we are all set to start loading mules, Al’s ‘free mule,’ a mule recently given to him, managed to slip her halter and took off down the road,” Sherry Baysinger wrote in her diary. While Larry Baysinger and Woodward stayed focused on weighing loads for seven mules, McCracken, Chapman and Sherry Baysinger set out to retrieve the escaped mule. “Mules hate being alone, and they really love their feed, so it was only a matter of time before a bucket of feed led her back to the corral,” Sherry Baysinger wrote. In addition to animals being less easy to control than machinery, trail riding has its hazards — hikers and bees often are to blame. “Many of the people we meet on the trail have no clue about livestock,” Sherry Baysinger wrote. “It’s extremely difficult for a packer leading a long string of mules to back up or turn around.” The rules of trail etiquette are clear: Stock has the right of way. Some hikers think they can out-walk the mules and try to stay ahead instead
GO
of just finding a good spot to get out of the way. Between the hikers who wouldn’t yield and the usual challenges of working with a large group of people and animals, progress was slow. The first day, it was nearly dark by the time they arrived with the first muleload of gear. Although the group’s transportation methods were primitive, their work camp was less so. “Our camp set up at Enchanted Valley was deluxe in comparison to most of our backcountry camps,” Sherry Baysinger wrote. “There was an outhouse with a great view of the valley between the boards.” There was also a water spigot fed by a nearby creek. Once the crews really started working, Larry Baysinger made trips to the Amanda Park store, using the mules to pack in cases of Red Bull, Pepsi and other drinks that were kept cold for the crew.
Pack train on the way to Enchanted Valley with supplies Photos provided by the chalet move crew
FURTHER CHALLENGES
With a good night’s rest from their long hike in, Monroe and his housemoving crew wasted no time getting started on the chalet. Shortly after work began, however, word came via radio from Monroe’s crew members at the landing zone that the helicopter pilot had started to fly the 1,200-pound steel beams and was not comfortable with the weight. In response to this news, there was a huge scramble to find a contractor in the Hoquiam/Aberdeen area to cut the steel. This also meant more helicopter flights would be needed, which would add considerable cost to the project. The additional funding was approved, and then a small miracle happened. There was a contractor driving piling to make logjams for a salmon-enhancing program on the Quinault River.
local
The chalet’s position when the crew arrived in September 2014
The chalet, “picked” and on its way to being moved to its temporary location
He agreed to cut the steel beams for the crew with his cutting torches. “It’s hard to describe the frantic work that continued from daylight until dark as the house-moving crew continued to prepare the chalet for the move, stopping only to eat or to get another load of supplies being flow in by the helicopter,” Sherry Baysinger wrote. “Inside walls were braced with 2- by 4- by 10-foot studs, and on Saturday they ‘picked’ the house.” “Picked” is a house movers’ term for lifting the house in preparation for moving it. When the chalet was picked, several large chunks of the riverbank caved in, and large pieces of the concrete foundation that had been hanging over the edge fell over the bank. It’s not often people are required to work together like this, with hand tools and hard labor. Sherry Baysinger reflected in her diary on the camaraderie they developed while moving the chalet. “Most of us had never worked together or even really known each other before this project,” Sherry Baysinger wrote.
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In this May 2019 photo, the Quinault River bank has continued to erode, almost completely eliminating the 100-foot buffer created by the September 2014 move. Photo courtesy of Olympic National Park “We have become a team of friends, working toward one goal: To move the chalet to safe ground away from the Quinault River. It’s what we all would like to see in our country.” By the time the crew finished, the chalet was sitting 100 feet from the bank. To see the September 2014 Chalet move in fast motion, check out the ONP’s time-lapse photos of the chalet move at bit.ly/ChaletMove.
FINAL FATE OF THE CHALET
In a phone call with Christina Miller, the planning and compliance program manager for ONP, she explained that the chalet has remained on its steel beam supports, unmoved, while ONP waits for
regional director approval to release the Final Disposition of the Enchanted Valley Chalet Environmental Assessment. “The site flood hazards survey was completed by our regional fluvial geomorphologist [someone who studies rivers and how they change the landscape] in September 2017,” Miller wrote in followup correspondence. “We received the final report in April 2018.” The report noted that the average rate of erosion here (the area surrounding the chalet) is 5.1 meters per year and the entire terrace is anticipated to be gone in 10-20 years. “Since the chalet was moved 100 feet in 2014, the Quinault River has continued to eat away at the bank and
continues to move nearer the chalet again,” Miller wrote. “At the end of May 2019, the river bank was 5 feet from the nearest corner of the structure and 10 feet from the nearest support beam.” At the current rate of erosion in the valley, there is no location for the chalet to be preserved in perpetuity. The complete results of the environmental assessment and companion hazards report are anticipated to be available this summer. No determination as to the fate of the chalet has yet been published. If NPS decides to dismantle or relocate the chalet, a mule team could be called on once again to complete the work in accordance with the Wilderness Act.
Living on the Peninsula | SUMMER 2019
Special sections editor Shawna Dixson contributed to this report.
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The reports from scoping and other previously published project files currently available to the public can be found at parkplanning.nps.gov/EVCEA.
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Living on the PeninsuLa | suMMeR 2019
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OPEN rescue "Bunny" munches grass.
FOR THE love
of horses
OPEN raises awareness for rescues Story and photos by Laura Foster
suMMeR 2019 | Living on the PeninsuLa
19
G
iving new life is Valerie Jackson’s modus operandi. Not only does she help rescue the occasional stray cat, she devotes most of her time to rescuing horses on the North Olympic Peninsula. During business hours, she’s a slots manager at 7 Cedars Casino. But the rest of her time is spent as president of the Olympic Peninsula Equine Network, aka OPEN, in Sequim. Formerly known as “Eyes That Smile,” OPEN has come a long way since its inception in 2012.
BEFORE THE OFFICIAL ‘OPEN’ING
Jackson’s past is marred by domestic violence. While living in Colorado in February 2002, Jackson said, she had stayed in a bad situation with her now ex-husband for too long. She made the decision to leave with the rest of her family, but living on a 40-acre property with a plethora of 4-H animals and other pets made it difficult to get out quickly. Before a 10-day restraining order on her ex, who was in jail, ran out, Jackson and some of her closest friends and family helped her move everyone and everything off the property. She was able to donate her fish to a man who rehomes them in doctors’ offices, and the guinea pigs and rabbits went to the local feed store. She also found homes for her chickens. “We had a whole farm,” she said. When she was finally ready to leave Colorado for good, Jackson had left horses, some cats and a few dogs to move with her family. “We basically looked like the ‘Beverly Hillbillies’ coming cross country,” Jackson laughed. On the way, Jackson’s sister tried to find them a place to land. She kept her horses on a cousin’s property and was able to find a home in Gardiner, site unseen. After settling with her kids and her pets, Jackson took a step back from her situation to evaluate. “Domestic violence shelters help women and children, but they do not have resources for pets, let alone horses and farm animals,” Jackson said. “You had to give up your pets just to get you and your children safe. And that would be a tough one, when the kids are being ripped out of their world, to take their pets away, as well as damaging to everyone.” That realization was a turning point for Jackson.
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“When I left Colorado and moved back home, I really got a sense of what happens in those murder family suicide situations. I was right there. “It hit home that a lot of women are stuck in these situations. I had a family to come home to and I had some friends who stepped up and helped us, but a lot of women just don’t have people they can count on. “That was one of the lessons I learned from that whole experience is that a lot of the time, women will stay in that bad situation longer than they should because of the pets.” The feelings associated with this situation stuck with Jackson, and, calling herself lucky, felt it was her responsibility to help where she could. “I’ve always been a sucker for anybody that needs help,” she said. “I kind of joke that I have an invisible tattoo that says ‘sucker’ across my forehead. I was always bringing home animals and strays and friends. It’s just who I am.” After getting to know her neighbor Diane Royall, the duo started working together to rescue, rehabilitate and rehome at-risk horses around 2006. Royall had worked many years rescuing horses in California, where she was a certified veterinary technician and a barefoot-trim specialist. She is now the vice president and ranch manager of OPEN. “In the beginning, it was just one or two [horses] at a time,” Jackson said. “Many times, we had to purchase horses to save them. “We did whatever was necessary to rehab horses and then try to find them a new home.” Jackson mentioned that there are people who type “free” in online ad services — free cats, free dogs, free horses — and they don’t have the best intentions in mind. “We would consider those animals ‘at-risk,’ ” she said. Each rescue effort is different, Jackson said, with some of them being purposefully harmful situations and others being unintentionally so. Jackson shared the story of one woman who had a stable in Enumclaw. “We went and visited her and she had probably 20-25 horses on her property. She had two barns and several pastures. And she had had a traumatic head injury a couple of years ago. So she’d go out every day to feed the horses and she’d feed the first four or five or six and totally forget about the rest.”
Living on the Peninsula | SUMMER 2019
Dr. Sean Tuley and his assistant speak with Jeannette Gault, the owner of the mini horse, Max, after Max's teeth had been floated.
OPEN’s entrance, adorned with used tack for sale during one of the group’s routine vet clinic days, welcomes visitors.
A mini horse dozes after having its teeth floated at a recent OPEN vet clinic.
Dr. Sean Tuley and his assistant float a mini horse’s teeth at a recent OPEN vet clinic. “She couldn’t see that there was a problem. So some of the horses were in perfect condition and other ones were skin and bones.” Jackson and Royall helped the woman by taking photos of her horses and posting them online for people to buy. “With each story, there’s usually some kind of human element involved,” Jackson said. “There are people who set out to do bad things, but the majority (have) lost their job or there was a death in the family or they’ve gotten older.”
NONPROFIT STATUS
After doing several rescues — and going through the naming iteration of “Eyes That Smile” — Jackson and Royall, along with Mike Vaillancourt, event coordinator and board member for OPEN, decided they needed 501(c)3 nonprofit status. “The big event that made us decide that we needed help, we needed to grow, was a large seizure here in Clallam County,” Jackson said. According to a Peninsula Daily News
article from February 2012, authorities had seized 16 neglected horses, including a foal, from a mother and daughter who said they had rescued them. The Clallam County Sheriff’s Office said the horses were facing varying degrees of starvation and malnutrition and were estimated to be underweight by between 50 and 200 pounds each. In a later article, Buffy Campbell and her daughter, Heather Gouldart, were named as the owners of the horses. They agreed to give up custody of the horses in March 2012. Their whereabouts today are unknown to Jackson. After taking in six of these horses and helping the others find homes with groups like the Back Country Horsemen, OPEN (named Eyes That Smile at the time) made the plunge and achieved nonprofit status in 2013.
LOCATION, FUNDRAISING
After riding that high, the members of OPEN had a “now what?” moment. At first, OPEN didn’t have an official location.
“We still didn’t have a facility. We looked around and quickly decided we couldn’t afford to buy one. … so we continued to work out of my pasture,” Jackson said. With her four acres, Royall’s three acres and some seasonal pastures, they got started. Together, though, Jackson and Royall also own 3.5 acres in their neighborhood that was being used as overflow pasture. In 2013-14, they decided to take that acreage and start improving it for OPEN’s purposes. In 2014, they put power and fencing in on the Roupe Road property. In 2015, a covered work area and three paddocks were added. A haybarn was raised in 2016, and in 2017-18, Western Treasures, a by-appointment-only used tack “shop,” was opened. The next major project OPEN is fundraising for is an enclosed shelter for supplies, such as tables and chairs. They were using carport-like structures to house these supplies, but the snowstorms last winter crushed the structures.
To help with funding, OPEN is in the running for a grant from the American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (ASPCA), called Help a Horse Home, where $120,000 of grant money is up for grabs. That amount will be broken down and installments will be given to different animal nonprofits, with the largest amount being $20,000. According to the ASPCA’s website, “Organizations have been placed into one of four divisions based on the number of adoptions completed during the Challenge period last year (April 26-June 30) and for all of 2018. “Regardless of what division a group is in, winners will be determined by the biggest increase in adoption numbers between the Challenge period last year and the Challenge period this year — which means groups are competing against their own baseline number of adoptions from last year’s Challenge period.” OPEN recently had their biggest fundraiser of the year, the “Help a Horse Hoedown” dinner.
SUMMER 2019 | Living on the Peninsula
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Valerie Jackson brings out Spirit, who was adopted that day by Diana Smith. OTHER PROGRAMS OPEN has expanded exponentially in the past few years, thanks to the help of volunteers and board members. OPEN hosts two to four veterinary clinics a year, in which a large-animal vet comes in and does whatever is needed. At the most recent clinic, Dr. Sean Tuley and his assistant saw a total of 15 horses. They floated some mini horses’ teeth, performed some castrations and did some X-rays on a few newer rescues. All eight of the newest rescues were seen, and four horses that have homes all received discounted vet care. During these clinics, Western Treasures is open, and people can browse used tack and learn more about OPEN. During theses events, rescue horses also get adopted.
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At this recent clinic, a handsome older horse named Spirit was adopted. For older or semi-retired horses, OPEN has the Golden Retirement program. “Once we feel they are ready, we look for long-term foster homes as companion or light riding horses, where they stay under our nonprofit umbrella,” Jackson said. OPEN doesn’t consider these horses up for adoption, but if any expenses are covered by the foster home, they qualify as a donation to the rescue. “As fosters, these horses go out for free and, therefore, no adoption fees come in to help cover their expenses. “These horses can seriously deplete our resources, but they are worth their weight in gold and deserve a retirement.” OPEN also makes it a point to work with other nonprofits, such as the Back
Living on the Peninsula | SUMMER 2019
Country Horsemen and Peninsula Friends of Animals (PFOA). According to OPEN’s website, the nonprofit “joined a group run by the Clallam County Sheriff’s Department called LARRG, Local Animal Rescue and Recovery Guidance Team. We are working to create a program to deal with large animals in the event of a natural disaster. “We have contacts with three Back Country Horsemen groups across the Olympic Peninsula and with their help, we could have a dozen horse trailers ready to go within hours in case of emergency.” OPEN board members include Jackson and Royall, plus Steve Lange, treasurer; Mike Vaillancourt, event coordinator, who has been around since nonprofit status was achieved; Ben Rowland, IT; and Mona Griswold, Jennifer Stevenson, Lynn Hawkins and Kenny Camp.
The work of OPEN is 100 percent volunteer-based, Jackson said, and they are always looking for new farmhands. To be clear, OPEN is not a “sanctuary” program. They take in horses with the intention of eventually finding them a new home or finding them long-term foster care if their riding days are behind them. “We evaluate each horse, giving it whatever may be needed: feed, veterinary or hoof care, and time to recover from trauma or just finish growing up. “We then try to find the best match for them in a new home situation.” If you are interested in volunteering with OPEN, learning more about the program or are curious about adopting a horse, search for Olympic Peninsula Equine Network on Facebook, or visit olypenequinenet.org.
TRANSFORMING LIVES
through riding
Judith Hoyle has been bringing Hoosier, who’s about 20, to Camp Beausite Northwest each summer since 2009. Story and photos by Diane Urbani de la Paz Editor’s note: Due to insurance liability issues, the horseback riding program at Camp Beausite Northwest will not be happening this year. This news came after the print publication of this edition of Living on the Peninsula.
W
hen Judith and Bob Hoyle moved from Seattle to Chimacum, there was something she wanted, something that represented their new, rural life. So Judith asked her husband: How about if I get a horse? His reply was along the lines of “OK, but on one condition: that I have no part of it.” Bob was — is — beyond busy with his gardening business. His free time is scarce. Yes, he loves to hike in the high country, but he didn’t see himself as an equestrian. Plenty has happened since then. The Hoyles recently gave an interview in the small horse arena at
Camp Beausite offers a safe space Camp Beausite Northwest, Jefferson County’s 55-acre haven for children and adults with disabilities. They brought their horses Nick, a flaxen-maned Haflinger gelding, and Hoosier, also a Haflinger, who is a stalwart of the camp’s riding program. Judith and Bob have been enjoying these horses for many years now, having bought them after a multi-day trail ride in Utah. Hoosier, who is around 20 years old, is the steady one. “Bombproof” is the word for his type. Bob, meanwhile, is an active member of the Buckhorn Range chapter of the Back Country Horsemen of Washington, an organization promoting non-motorized trail development and leave-no-trace practices on those trails. Through the Back Country Horsemen, Bob became acquainted with Camp Beausite. This place, he said, is where he and Judith experience the highlight of the year. For six weeks every summer, the Hoyles spend Wednesday mornings introducing campers to
horses, walking in the ring and on the trails, and witnessing what happens when someone with a disability finds him- or herself up on the back of a graceful animal. At Camp Beausite, riding is a camp activity like fishing, Bob is careful to note. He doesn’t call himself an equine therapist, though horses bring a therapeutic benefit — for him, without a doubt. Seeing the smiles on campers’ faces is good for the soul. Camp Beausite, formerly known as Northwest Kiwanis Camp, is starting the summer in good shape. The 6,200-square-foot lodge, dining hall and kitchen are newly renovated. The four bunkhouses, just two years old, are furnished with sumptuous beds, comforters and night stands. In May, the nonprofit camp’s board and staff celebrated with an open house, and longtime camper Marlaina Verraes joyfully rang the lodge’s dinner bell. Executive director Claudia Edmondson, who is retiring this season, attended along with the new director, Raina Baker.
The most important thing about this camp, said Edmondson, is that it welcomes people ages 6 to 65-plus; nobody ages out of eligibility. Campers come with all types of needs and find a nearly one-to-one campercounselor ratio. “We take people with severe disabilities, those who need help with everything,” Edmondson said. During their week-long sessions from late June to early August, campers go horseback riding, fishing, naturewalking, kite-flying and picnicking at Fort Worden State Park and swimming at the Mountain View Pool in Port Townsend. They do arts and crafts and put on a talent show — while their caregivers back home have a break. That part is as crucial as giving the campers a good experience. “This lodge changes everything,” Camp Beausite board president David Christensen said of the updated facility. “We can have programs all year,” including weekend camps for people with special needs.
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Camp Beausite Northwest, 510 Beausite Lake Road in Chimacum, opened in 1989 as the Northwest Kiwanis Camp. A registered nonprofit organization, its mission is providing inclusive learning, recreational and therapeutic opportunities to people with special needs, along with their families. For information about programs, volunteer and employment opportunities and ways to support the organization, visit campbeausiteNW.org. The camp can be reached by phone at 360-732-7222. Its mailing address is P.O. Box 1227, Port Hadlock, WA 98339. This summer’s sessions are one week each, June 24Aug. 2; all are full, but “you can follow our shenanigans on Facebook,” program director Cheryl Smith quipped. Search for Camp Beausite Northwest on Facebook. To find out more about volunteering with the horseback riding program on Wednesdays from June to August, visit the Back Country Horsemen of Washington’s Buckhorn Range chapter at BuckhornBCHW.org or email bobhoyle@usa.net.
The Swan House, seen here during Camp Beausite Northwest’s open house in May, is one of the four bunkhouses that have replaced the facility’s tents. The site also is available to rent for weddings, conferences and retreats after the summer sessions are over. On riding days, the Hoyles and their team of volunteers see a variety of interactions between the campers and the horses. For some, “getting on and getting right back off is a victory,” Bob said. “A lot of campers are scared, he added; for them it’s an accomplishment to just pet the horse. The Hoyles, as well as volunteers Jeff Chapman and Juelie Dalzell, bring in their own horses — the calmest ones — for the campers to meet. “Our commitment is to make sure everybody who wants to ride gets to ride,” Bob said. There are campers who start beaming
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upon arrival in the saddle. To be up high like that, especially if you use a wheelchair the rest of your days, is a thrill, Judith said. “We make a point of empowering them. They’re in charge. Learning how to give cues and control a very large animal is a big deal,” she said, adding that Hoosier weighs around half a ton. Volunteers help each camper mount the horse from a platform in the ring, and then climb up to steady him or her. Some need to be held in the volunteer’s arms as the horse moves forward. Others serve as side-walkers — “air bags,” as Bob calls those volunteers — to escort horses and riders. Judith remembers the day she saw one young woman transform on horseback. She was nonverbal and approached situations with her body curled in on itself.
Living on the Peninsula | SUMMER 2019
When she mounted her horse, she uncurled — “opened up like a flower. And she had this smile,” Judith said, that was bright as the July sun. Camp Beausite program director Cheryl Smith also is a fan of riding and of volunteers such as the Hoyles. Anna, a 19-year-old from Marysville, came to camp having never been on a horse. She has cerebral palsy and a lot of sass, Smith said. Anna took a ride with Bob and crew, and did so well that she didn’t need anyone else with her on the horse’s back. Off she went, with just her side-walkers, for a trail ride. In addition to its sessions for people with disabilities, Camp Beausite has offered “Horsemanship for Heroes,” a sixsession program for military veterans.
The staff and board hope to hold another session this fall, Smith said, though it hasn’t been easy to gather funding for it. The session serves a maximum of 12 vets, and many would-be funders want larger numbers. Laurie Ann Hope, a Navy veteran from Bremerton, wrote a letter of thanks that’s now posted in the lodge. “Although I am not a combat veteran, I have lost both parents close between each other in 2016 and thought it would be good for me to check it out. “The experience took me off of focusing on my grief all the time, and it helped me to realize there’s so much more things to look forward to. “It boosted my confidence that I can communicate with a very large, beautiful horse. “I thank you very much for the program. It is very important.” Another woman, the mother of a veteran son diagnosed with post-traumatic stress disorder, sent her letter of praise. “The experience with these kind and qualified volunteers provided a calming and fun time,” she wrote. “My son felt at peace with the horse … some veterans come back with a lot of anxiety. Riding a horse provided tranquility and contentment.” The experience inspired her son to begin exploring meditation, she added, and to look for a job where he can work with animals. Camp Beausite director Baker likewise admires the way humans and horses connect. “They feel your energy,” she said, “and you feel theirs. Horses are a mirror to our own challenges, our own behaviors,” and may sometimes show their riders stuff they don’t want to see. “You have to work together,” Baker said, “or it won’t work. They are so tapped in. They have to be. It’s part of their herd mentality” to sense the needs of other beings. Bob and Judith, as they look forward to another summer of riding, welcome new volunteers. “You don’t have to have a lot of experience with horses; you just have to be comfortable around them. You’ll have a great time,” Bob said. “It’s a special thing to have a relationship with a horse,” he added. This animal does things because he or she wants to, and not when a rider tries to force something. “It’s a partnership,” Bob said, and “it’s kind of cool.”
Bob and Judith Hoyle walk with Nick, their Haflinger gelding, at Camp Beausite Northwest. “He’s a pretty boy and he knows it,” Bob said.
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A trail with JEA’s Cape George Road Park leads up and through a forested area.
BROADENING
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Jefferson Equestrian Association working to expand horse park to community Story and photos by Laura Foster
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Raina Baker, left, and Amy Greenbaum point out different areas of the multiuse park.
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About a year into the park dream, JEA received a tip on a piece of Jefferson County-owned land that could potentially have a partnership where they could develop the property. “It took those first formidable years to form a site plan,” Greenbaum said. “There’s a lot of permitting that needs to happen that was wrapped around that vision.” After acquiring the land, the next steps included creating the right development and structure of the conditional use permit for the county.
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Not wanting to back themselves into a “horses-only” corner, JEA has expanded the idea of the park to include more of the community. “The dream has adjusted and changed and ebbed as reality adjusts and changes and ebbs,” Baker said. “The original dream by our founding board was to create an Olympic horse park, like a legit premier park,” she added. This lofty goal had to change, though, to meet the requirements of Jefferson County permitting and to induce more interest from the community. “Because we are county property, we are a multi-use park, and we want to appeal to our bikers and our hikers and our dog walkers, as well as our horse friends,” Baker said. But because of the name, “Jefferson Equestrian Association,” Baker feels there has been some confusion regarding the use of the park. “It’s for everyone,” she clarified. Board members who were part of the foundational idea also have come to the conclusion that the idea needed to change. “I think everyone’s realizing it’s more beneficial, more impactful, to have a community-based park ... so it’s not so exclusive,” added Amy Greenbaum, JEA vice president.
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lot can ride on the name of something: support from the community, interest from outside investors, search optimization online, grant accessibility and so on. The leaders of the Jefferson Equestrian Association (JEA) are paying close attention to a specific title for a project they have been working on for years. The currently-named Olympic Peninsula Equestrian Park at 1172 Cape George Road in Port Townsend has been a dream of the association since before 2007, when the paperwork was officially filed. The original goal of the 80-acre park was to draw participants and spectators from across the North Olympic Peninsula and the entire western region of the United States to a premier equestrian events center and park. “There is no public, serious crosscountry course and event arena within four hours of Port Townsend,” said JEA president Raina Baker, who came into her position just a little more than a year ago, after being part of the nonprofit in previous years. JEA was going through a transitional period at the time, but now is settling back into a routine. “We don’t have much opportunity to ride and to show on a competitive level,” Baker said. “We have some local shows, some local instructors and some local trainers, but being able to develop something like our founding board had envisioned would have brought more skill and talent to our area.” Building such a course would prove to be a major draw for riders from throughout western Washington and the full West Coast. Competitions using the arenas would do the same, Baker said, drawing from Western and English riders alike. Today, though, the mission of the park has evolved a bit.
“We had to figure out what our dream was and we had to make the dream fit into the county, and the county needed to take the dream and put that into a conditional use permit that allowed us to sign a lease agreement for the property,” Baker said. In 2016, the nonprofit received its conditional use permit (CUP) from the county, and work began on the park itself, as well as the direction the dream was headed. “A huge component of that was community — bringing in jobs, bringing in money — but it was a huge dream,” Baker added. “The dream was so big that the attainable nature of what the county was willing to see come to fruition, as well as what we could actually accomplish ... there was a lot of little adjustments and maneuvers that had to happen in those first couple of years. “We (now) have a long-term lease agreement with the county.” One of the reasons JEA chose its location was that there are so many other trails already established that connect to other trails, allowing people to ride for hours if they want. “We have such an incredible place to be and ride, and our trails go on for days,” Baker said.
Today, though, work on the park is slow going. “We are getting closer and closer, but it takes money and time,” she said. The most recent advancements were a complete grade-and-pave “road apron” leading up to the main entrance and the widening of some viewpoints along the trails. “We are working on the connector trail, which is part of our permit, as well. That connector trail connects the park to the Larry Scott [Memorial] Trail,” she said. This path will make it safe for riders, walkers, runners and bicyclists to cross over Cape George Road and expand their outing. Plans for the park are broken down into three phases. Phase 1, which is JEA’s current progression point, is permits and planning. “It would be our hope that within a year … we’d like to finish the connector trail … to open the park as a primitive use park for all,” Baker said. Once some major components are down, Baker added, they can do an official opening of the park, but they want to get a maintenance plan, signage, outdoor restrooms and a corral in place before that time.
A rendering by Carolyn Guske from 2008 shows what the initial dream of the park would look like.
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A schematic shows where certain elements of the park will be located eventually. Phase 2 is to further the design and start building. Detailed site plan elements include the competitive trail course, one or two round pens, a stormwater plan, a parking plan, a waste management plan, road access signage, gate and security and landscaping. Signage is a big deal for the park. Right now, there isn’t much in the way of letting people know the park is coming up as they drive along Cape George Road. The best way to get to the park — which is accessible to the public now — is to look for the Larry Scott Memorial Trail marker on the left. The park is a short distance from there, on the right; drivers will see the paved grade leading to a small parking area. Phase 3 is to build more. JEA wants a cross-country course, a large and a small outdoor arena with all-weather footing, expanded public parking, perimeter fencing and more signage. “As the president and vice president of the board, we have been really focused on what’s directly in front of us,” Baker said. “Right now, because it’s been such a long journey and it’s been such a hard journey with the requirements — the CUP, the financial component that comes along with the requirements of the conditional use permit — we have had to make some (adjustments).
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“We’re both really big picture people, but we and the entire board have had to really look at this and break it down into achievable small steps that we can take to get this going.”
PARK ATMOSPHERE
The advantages of having this park in Port Townsend are the weather and the rural location. Along the pre-existing trails, there are wild rhododendrons everywhere, as well as wild strawberries, salal and a variety of Pacific Northwest trees. With 80 acres, it’s easy to imagine the different environments you can encounter as you wander. The first vein into the park is sunny, with a clear-cut lot lining the trail. On a sunny day, it’s hot but it doesn’t last long. Farther into the park, the trail veers off into more exploratory options. One way takes you higher into the park, where views of the Strait can be seen. Another takes you into a low, cool area with open space for a trot or canter, passing by nurse logs and towering Sitka spruces. Thanks to help from groups like the Back Country Horsemen and several volunteers, the difficult trail clearing is getting done, little by little. For Greenbaum, one of the greatest accomplishments, she said, is pulling up
Living on the Peninsula | SUMMER 2019
areas of Scotch broom to clear the way for riders. At this point, the primitive-use park, which has no electricity, is open to the public, and Baker and Greenbaum want people to go check it out as it is. “There’s still so much more to go,” Greenbaum said, but they want the community to see the site to encourage folks to use it more and potentially donate to the cause.
FUTURE PLANS
So far, JEA has invested roughly $75,000 into their park. That number includes permits, property purchase, road grading and viewpoint widening. To help raise money, Baker and Greenbaum have some events planned for this year. On July 27, there will be a treasure hunt and ride at Anderson Lake Park. The ride-out, aka “Boots and Stirrups,” starts at 11 a.m., with a potluck picnic to follow at 1 p.m. “We can do something cheap and cheerful there (to raise funds)” Greenbaum chuckled. The hunt will be for small figurines, and prizes will be given out. There is a certain irony of doing the event at Anderson Lake Park, Baker admitted, but it’s an “inspirational” location.
“The trails are well developed,” Greenbaum said. “And there’s signage and there’s facilities,” Baker added. It will show the community, in a way, what JEA is aiming for with their multi-use park. Another event, JEA at the Movies, is slated for Oct. 5 at the Rose Theatre in Port Townsend. “We’re still in plans of figuring out what movie we want to do,” Baker said. There will most likely be a few raffles at the event, too. “It’s another small way to do a fundraiser that brings our community together,” she said. Just like any big community plan, there are starts and stops. JEA is again making a big push this summer toward meeting their goals for a multi-use park the entire community can enjoy, including the equestrians. The nonprofit is always accepting volunteers and is currently taking applications for board members. Whether you own a horse, love horses or just want to see the park come to life, Baker and Greenbaum want your help. JEA welcomes volunteers of all skillsets. You don’t have to know horses. For more information about JEA and its park plans, or to donate toward the cause, visit jeffersonequestrian.org.
THE DAYTRIPPER
SOLO ADVENTURE
in Sunny Sequim Story and photos by Laura Foster
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Riding Red, Elizabeth Salinas, owner of Red Hawk Stables in Sequim, leads the way on a trail ride.
s the North Olympic Peninsula enters into its shortbut-sweet summer period, people are planning longer vacations, but also taking advantage of every sunny weekend we’re given. Residents and visitors alike are trying to pack in as much outdoor fun as they can while the weather is “hot.” For those looking to really soak up the sun, a daytrip to Sequim might just be what the doctor/naturopath/yogi ordered. “Sunny Sequim,” as the city’s tourism collective calls it (visitsunnysequim.com), has a knack for being an all-in-one location for anyone seeking a short visit. With this trip, I decided to go solo, leaving the hubs to tinker in the garden while I explore. The theme for this edition of Living on the Peninsula is “Equestrians,” so what better way to start off a daytrip than to saddle up in Sequim? With its incredibly large horse community, Sequim’s country roads are peppered with pastures filled with grazing horses and ponies. Off Hooker Road, on Olson Road, is Red Hawk Stables (redhawkstables.com). Elizabth Salinas is the owner of the stables with breathtaking views. She has been riding since she was a little girl, taught by her uncle and stepmother. Homegrown in Sequim, her family still resides near her little slice of horse heaven. Driving up the lane, I’m greeted by two dogs and see Salinas already has two horses saddled up Western style in the outdoor arena.
All of her horses are rescues, either given to her or purchased at a low cost. On this day, Salinas is riding Red, a sturdy 16-year-old Arab/Quarter Horse, and I’m riding little Rainy, a lackadaisical but curious 16-year-old Arab pony. Salinas, who also is a real estate agent, goes through the standard safety procedures of horseback riding before we head out, including how to turn your horse, how to stop, how to get it to go and so on. Salinas mentions to get Rainy going at a bit of a trot to start so she’s not lazy during the ride. “The first few minutes sets the tone of the ride,” she said. As we saunter out onto the road, we give our horses encouragement and trot for a bit before coming into a nice walk toward the trails. Behind Salinas’ home is state-owned land with trails carved by riders, walkers and bikers over the years. On this peculiarly hot day, we find relief in some shade and chat about work, our love of Sequim vs. Port Angeles and about horses. Salinas’ easy-going demeanor would have even the most inexperienced rider at ease. She’s a “go-with-the-flow” instructor, but always alert. We talk about how she got into owning her horses and what it’s like. “It’s completely different than just riding them,” she said. “You get to know them, their personalities.” Salinas has about seven horses now, and she’s trained them all to be solid trail horses. They all have their own individualistic tendencies and attitudes, she said.
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A stop at the Dungeness River Audubon Center at Railroad Bridge Park led to crossing over the Dungeness River on a spectacularly sunny day in Sequim. After walking a path of power lines — and I get the hang of being in the saddle again — we wend our way up and through trails lined with wild strawberries and talk about the uses of dandelions. We spot Hurricane Ridge through the foliage and continue to climb. While Rainy is not the most sure-footed horse, she knows the trail and quickly picks up the pace as we ascend a steep grade. I’ve never been more thankful for a Western saddle than at that moment. As we ride, Salinas tells me about the kids who have come on trail rides, mentioning one little boy who fell head over heels for riding and one who demanded the tour end not even halfway through. Riding is not for everyone, but Salinas encourages people to at least try it once. Timed to a tee, we head back to the stables just before our hour is up. After dismounting and learning to walk again, I watch as Salinas takes the tack off our horses, gives them a quick brush and walks them out to their
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pastures, where they gladly begin to nibble on some hay and roll in the dirt. “I don’t know why I bothered brushing them,” she chuckled. With profuse thanks, we say our goodbyes, and I’m off to my next stop: The Dungeness River Audubon Center at Railroad Bridge Park (dungenessrivercenter.org). Anyone looking to learn more about the wildlife — particularly the birdlife — on the Peninsula, this is your stop. The audubon center is filled with taxidermied wildlife, most of which was donated by Claude and Edna Ritze of Sequim. According to the center’s website, “Claude learned taxidermy at the University of Michigan during the 1930s, where he was a technician during the Depression. Following his career as an inspector at Boeing Aircraft, Claude and Edna retired to Sequim, and in 2002 they began preparing mounted specimens for our collection. … Claude passed away in 2006, but his legacy as
Living on the Peninsula | SUMMER 2019
UPCOMING FESTIVALS Sequim Lavender Festival (lavenderfestival.com) July 19-21 Northwest Colonial Festival (colonialfestival.wordpress.com) Aug. 8-11 Air Affaire and Fly-In (olympicpeninsulaairaffaire.com) Aug 24-25 Riverfest (dungenessrivercenter.org/ dungeness-river-festival) Sept. 27-28 Sequim Sunshine Festival (visitsunnysequim.com) March 6-7, 2020 a preparer of beautiful bird mounts continues at the center.” Among the specimens are hummingbirds and their nests, murres, quails and a barred owl.
Powell Jones, the center’s director, said they offer loads of information to the community, including year-round nature programs, day tours and programs, adult learning experiences and onsite or offsite wildlife programs, among others. He also offered several suggestions for lunch. After discussing food options with Jones, I made my way to the bridge, where the Dungeness River sparkled as bike riders sped by, enjoying the warm weather. My stomach rumbled, and I decided to head to the other end of Sequim to The Big Elk Restaurant (sequimcasualdining.com) for some lunch. Boasting some of the friendliest staff I’ve encountered on the Peninsula and a light, diner-esque atmosphere, the hostess seated me quickly and — to my great relief — graciously let me change out of my riding/hiking clothes in their spacious restroom. I ordered a reuben with a side salad, which hit the spot after an hour-long
horse ride and wandering the Olympic Discovery Trail for awhile. Locals came and went, enjoying their lunch dates and the cool comfort of the restaurant. Next, I was off to the Sequim Irrigation Festival (irrigationfestival.com), just up the road at Carrie Blake Park. With the sun beating down, the tractor pulls were in full force once I arrived. Plenty of folks had already posted up with some yummy fair food and watched as men on modified machines dragged a metal sled along the course. I chatted with a man and his wife about the goal of tractor pulling. The tractor that pulls the sled the farthest distance is declared the winner, essentially. There are, of course, nuances to the sport. While it may seem odd or silly, the people who partake are serious about it and have fun, even talking friendly smack to each other while they competed. On this day of Irrigation Fest, this was the only event taking place, but other events, such as the logging shows and musical acts, were getting set up for later that evening or the following day. Many booths were present, and people seemed to just be enjoying the sunshine. Hot as heck, I made my way out of the festival and to the grocery store for a cold beverage before driving out to Point Williams County Park (clallam.net/Parks/portwilliams.html) to cool off. Port Williams’ official name is Marlyn Nelson County Park at Port Williams. This 1-acre gem on Sequim Bay was deeded to the Clallam County Parks in 1976, according to its website. This park has a saltwater boat launch, four picnic tables, public beach access, vault toilet and a parking area. I grabbed a book and a towel and headed out to the beach, away from the
A contestant in a Sequim Irrigation Festival tractor pull gets into position to haul the weighted sled along the dirt course. small crowd that had formed near the boat launch. After traipsing around Sequim in the heat, this was a much-needed relaxation point in the day. I read as kids played in the water, couples strolled the beach and birds flitted about above me and in the water. From where I sat, I could see Mount Baker far off in the distance and Protection Island, a bit closer. People used to inhabit Protection Island, but in 1988 the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service transformed it into a national wildlife refuge, evicting all human life. After a few chapters, I took one last deep breath before heading back to my car. Looking at the time, I made the
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decision to do one last stop on my way home to Port Angeles. Finding my way to Old Olympic Highway, I beelined for Agnew Grocery and Feed. Touting locally grown veggies, solid snack choices and an amazing selection of wine and beer, I decided to bring home a growler for my husband and I to share over the weekend. The friendly owner even gave me an amazing deal on my porter purchase, as it was the last bit from a keg they had to clear out that day. As the sun began to set, I drove west to home, admiring the sky as the colors changed over the country homes outside of Sequim. I’m sure I could have added dinner
to this daytrip, along with perhaps a theater performance or some live music, but Sequim had given me so much that day that I wanted to soak up what I had experienced and plan another trip later this summer. My solo adventure gave me the opportunity to explore on my own time and in my own way. Sure, there were times where it felt a bit odd to be by myself (eating in a restaurant is the one that sticks out most), but by the end of the day, I felt accomplished and educated and strong. This solo trip was fun, clarifying, relaxing and — above all else — sweaty. For more information about visiting Sequim, you can check out sequimwa.gov.
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Back Country Horsemen devoted to wilderness trails Theresa Percy of Port Townsend gets some sun with Tico, her Arabian. Story and photos by Diane Urbani de la Paz
T
he Back Country Horsemen are a welcoming bunch. At their May meeting, which featured a presentation about cougars and how to coexist with them, a visitor was given a big smile and a name tag. “We advocate, we educate and we move dirt,” said Kris Lenke, vice president of the Buckhorn Range chapter, whose members live in Port Townsend, Chimacum and environs. Washington state is rich in riders and chapters, from the Purple Sage group based in Richland to the Peninsula chapter in Clallam County. The advocacy part of the Back Country Horsemen mission is about keeping trails into the wilderness open and safe, while the education efforts focus on leave-no-trace guidelines, as in leaving the wilds to flourish in their natural state.
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The Buckhorn Range group’s open meetings are held at 7 p.m. every second Friday of the month at the Tri-Area Community Center, 10 West Valley Road, in Chimacum. Details about trail rides and work parties are on the chapter website, BuckhornBCHW.org, while other chapters and their activities can be found via the Back Country Horsemen of Washington website, BCHW.org. Let’s get that cougar issue out of the way. Matt Blankenship, a wildlife conflict specialist with the state Department of Fish and Wildlife, gave his talk in light of reported cougar sightings in the Cape George area and elsewhere in rural Jefferson County. If you’re a hiker or mountain biker, go out in a small group, and if you have children, keep them in sight ahead of you and not behind you, Blankenship began. Be aware that as ambush hunters, cougars like cover much better than open space.
Living on the PeninsuLa | suMMeR 2019
“The Larry Scott Trail (in and near Port Townsend) goes through a lot of wooded area,” he said, so it wouldn’t be unusual for a mountain lion to move through that forest. Yet sighting a cougar doesn’t mean there is a threat to human safety, Blankenship emphasized. “They’re secretive and shy, and they avoid contact with people. You’re at more risk of being struck by lightning.” If you’re out in the woods and you find a deer or other animal carcass, don’t approach it, he advised. It could be cougar prey, and the cat could be coming back for another meal. If you do cross paths with an adult mountain lion or with kittens, and they don’t quickly leave the scene: • Stay in one group with your fellow hikers and give the animals a wide berth • Face the cougar and speak firmly to it • Move slowly and try to look larger than the animal by holding your jacket open or your bike over your head
• If the cougar crouches, hisses, twitches its tail or pumps its hind legs, shout, wave your arms and throw anything you have — backpack, water bottle, etc. — at the animal, and use bear spray at this point if you have it. If you’re on horseback, added Blankenship, you are in better shape. Cougars are usually afraid of humans because they’re taller, so the ones up on horses are even more intimidating. For the cat, “it’s just too much to handle,” he said. Cougar encounters are likely here for another reason: “Port Townsend and Chimacum have no shortage of deer,” which are a principal prey. At that, Blankenship’s audience murmured a group “uh huh.” A cougar in a given territory is the apex predator, helping keep the ecosystem in balance by killing a deer every seven to 10 days. “When large carnivores are missing from places where they were once
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present, ungulates (i.e., deer and elk) can over-browse the landscape, which may alter habitats,” which then hurt bird and amphibian populations, according to Fish and Wildlife’s “Discover Washington’s Cougars” brochure. The Back Country Horsemen believe in respecting wildlife and wilderness. They want trails to stay cleared and free of invasive weeds — and they’re willing to put in a lot of volunteer work toward that end. The Buckhorn Range chapter members built a bridge at Anderson Lake State Park some years ago that made it possible for hikers, bikers and horse riders to better enjoy the area. An all-state work party is set for June 30-July 5 in the Blue Mountains of southeastern Washington, and local chapter officers are looking forward to going. “Those kinds of projects are thrilling,” said Juelie Dalzell, one of the enthusiastic members who, along with Jack, her Norwegian Fjord horse, joined her Back Country friends for a ride on a recent Saturday. Dalzell retired in 2011 from a career in social work and the law — including 12 years as Jefferson County’s elected prosecutor. She shares her love of horses and the outdoors with her husband, Jeff Chapman, who is now the Jefferson County assessor. She’s had her share of equestrian trials: One day Molly, her horse at the time, threw her 20 feet. Molly has since become Chapman’s horse while Dalzell rides Jack, who is “a sweetheart.” On that sunny Saturday, she and Chapman met up with Buckhorn chapter secretary-treasurer Pat Cosgrove and her statuesque paint horse, Cappie; chapter president Theresa Percy and her Arabian, Tico; Lenke and her quarter horse Shadow, and Terri Monroe, who brought Pebbles, her miniature horse, Sam, her quarter pony, and Eagle, her Appaloosa. Molly, as it turns out, also is a steadfast pack horse. Motorized equipment isn’t used in the wilds, of course, so she helps haul camping and trail-building gear far from the paved roads. On one trail project, the mare carried two 80-pound packs of planks up to a project at Slab Camp outside of Sequim. “It feels really good when you’re able to keep trails open,” added Lenke. She and Dalzell plan to join the statewide work party along with about 75 other volunteers from other chapters.
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Terri Monroe of Port Townsend readies for a trail ride with her miniature horse Pebbles, quarter pony Sam and Appaloosa, Eagle.
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Living on the Peninsula | SUMMER 2019
There are jobs for all kinds of abilities, Dalzell said. Her hiking days are over since she has a bad hip, so her jobs include painting signs and kiosks for the trail. And as soon as she gets up on her horse, that hip pain vanishes. Looking at Lenke, Dalzell called her friend “an animal,” one who can hike for hours, work on the trail and then hike back without a complaint. “I don’t know about ‘animal,’” Lenke said with a smile. “I’m a whupped puppy at the end of the day.” Another joint goal of the Back Country Horsemen is bringing in new people. The officers are starting to “age out,” said Chapman, the Buckhorn chapter director. If the organization is to survive and thrive, an infusion of youth is needed. So is a strategic planning process, said Theresa Percy, the chapter’s president. That process is under way this year. It’s necessary now to look at how to change with the times, Percy said, adding that the Back Country Horsemen must ensure a place at the table when public-land uses are being decided. Unlike many states in the East, Washington has no horse council, so the Back Country Horsemen communicate their concerns to the state Legislature. On those public lands across the state and country, there has been animosity between horse riders and another trailloving community: bicyclists. “We both like the same kind of trails,” Chapman said. Mountain bikers tend to go much faster, though, and horses tend to shy. Elsewhere, this has led to arguments and an ongoing struggle. So far on the North Olympic Peninsula, though, peace is prevailing. The Peninsula and Buckhorn Range chapters of the Back Country Horsemen are working together on a trail through Diamond Point’s Miller Peninsula State Park, a route that non-motorized travelers will share, be they on horseback, foot or bicycle. The Peninsula group is spearheading construction of the trail through the state park, as well as through Jamestown S’Klallam tribal land and some private property, Chapman said. It should be finished by the end of summer. Enjoying the wilderness: It’s all about coexisting, the horsemen and -women agree. “Over here, it’s worked pretty well,” Chapman said. “It has to,” added Percy, “because that’s the future.”
THE LIVING END
Seeing through the eyes of horses By the Rev. Pam Douglas-Smith
T
he Olympic Peninsula teems with animal life in the depth of waters that flow around us, the breadth of the landscape we walk upon and the height of the sky above. Some creatures live free in this verdant habitat, like gulls, whales and deer, while some abide close to us, like our dogs, cats and horses, each one adding to the magic, beauty and aliveness of this special place. One of my favorite memories comes from an experience early in my Port Townsend life.
“The essential joy of being with horses is that it brings us in contact with the rare elements of grace, beauty, spirit, and fire.” — Sharon Ralls Lemon
I was walking on North Beach and enjoying the natural beauty of my new homescape when I heard an unusual sound coming from behind me. I turned to find a magnificent black horse walking briskly along the beach, where land meets water. Each step brought a splash of white froth cascading between his hooves and the sand beneath him. Riding bareback, a young woman guided him out into the sea until it reached chest level, where they stood watching the beautiful day unfold together. I was entranced. How many of us as children wanted a horse? It’s one of those commonalities that unites us in our humanity with our love of the freedom of spirit and kindness of nature that horses represent. Some are blessed to become equestrians, while some admire them always from afar.
Some even deepen that love into a lifetime of service, like the Olympic Peninsula’s Lisa Aniballi of Empowerment through Equus in Quilcene, who gives everyone the opportunity to commune for at least a moment with these amazing creatures. No matter what our age, we continue to be drawn to the world horses invite us to share. Horses have been profoundly instrumental in our human evolution because they’ve gifted us with not only companionship, but with the ability to move quickly from place to place and to develop the agriculture that nourishes us. Ted Andrews in “Animal Speak” shares that horses represent power, travel and freedom. They are honored universally in cultures around the world along with rich spiritual traditions surrounding them. It is said that riding horses is akin to flying and can raise one above the mundane ground upward toward heaven.
“Some people talk to animals. Not many listen though. That’s the problem.” — A.A. Milne
Whether ridden or observed from afar, their magic truly entrances us all. To be able to listen can be a rare and powerful gift, whether communing with horses, other animals or humanity. Films are full of stories of true soul communion between owners and their horses. We’ve all loved “The Black Stallion,” “Seabiscuit” and the Scottish horse Angus in “Brave.” Our enchantment with the equine world comes from our personal desire for
this richness of life. Flower Newhouse, a metaphysical writer, shares her insight that animals and humans who are desirous of experiencing the divine and expanding soul awareness will find one another to share life with.
“Until one has loved an animal,a part of their soul remains unawakened.” — Anatol France For all of us who have loved an animal, this connection of soul, grace and love blesses us in untold ways. In the book and movie “The Horse Whisperer,” we’re gifted with insights into this power of depth listening. Rather than breaking horses, the lead character communes with them. An injured horse and girl are brought to Tom Booker for healing using this special gift of the simple grace of presence. A new perspective on animal relationships comes when the mother, Annie, tells Tom that she’s heard he helps people with horse problems and he responds with, “Truth is, I help horses with people problems.” It is listening then responding to them rather than the other way around. Animals are living portals into this language of heart that transcends words.
Many saints, those canonized and those who tenderly care for animals in our midst right now, embody this soul awakening as it relates to horses. The most beloved saint of animals and nature is St. Francis of Assisi, who preached to the birds, tamed the wild wolf of Gubbio and left a legacy of a life entwined with animal companions. St. Eligius of Noyon, the patron saint of horses, did a miracle shoeing of a terrified horse by removing and returning the involved leg while the horse remained calm. St. Columba of Iona had a white horse that was a constant companion and that knew the saint would die one night, so he laid his head up on the saint’s shoulder and wept. Ancient stories emerge anew through people who love horses and abide close to them now. Stories of communion between humanity and horses echo throughout our history in both the sacred and commonplace. They inspire us to notice the equine world around us. Horses remind us of the truth found in an ancient Arabian proverb: “The wind of heaven is that which blows between a horse’s ears.”
SUMMER 2019 | Living on the Peninsula
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