Out There Outdoors // June 2019

S u m m e r F e s t i va l s | S e e d S av i n g | S ta r g a z i n g JUNE 2019 // FREE

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SUMMER ADVENTURE

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GEAR CHECK | FAST & LIGHT HYDRATION

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CONTENTS

FEATURES

36 | Seven Scenic Campgrounds 38 | Adventure Homes on Wheels 40 | Outdoor Dog Photo Contest

36

SPECIAL SECTIONS 27 | Spokatopia Festival Guide 42 | 100 Ways to Play Outside

DEPARTMENTS 15 | Gear Room 17 | Hiking 20 | Race Report 21 | Urban Outdoors 23 | Air Sports 24 | Water Sports 25 | Hiking 32 | Outdoor Living 33 | Running 34 | Soapbox 52 | Way Out There

COLUMNS 14 | Everyday Cyclist 16 | Out There Kids 19 | Eatology

16 IN EVERY ISSUE 7 | Intro 8

| Dispatches

12 | Hike of the Month 16 | Provisions 20 | Nature 37 | Outdoor Calendar 38 | Last Page

23 4

OUTTHEREOUTDOORS.COM / JUNE 2019

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JUNE 2019 WWW.OUTTHEREOUTDOORS.COM PUBLISHERS

Shallan & Derrick Knowles EDITOR-IN-CHIEF

Derrick Knowles MANAGING EDITOR

Summer Hess ASSOCIATE EDITOR & DIGITAL MANAGER

Lisa Laughlin ASSOCIATE EDITOR

Jon Jonckers SPECIAL SECTION EDITOR

Amy Silbernagel McCaffree DIGITAL EDITOR

Siobhan Ebel COPY EDITOR

Andrew Butler CONTRIBUTORS

Crystal Atamian Larry Banks Rick Barlow Rachel Becker S. Michal Bennett Katie Botkin Kathleen E. Callum Kelly Chadwick Paul Chisholm Carol Christensen Emily Erickson Ben Gavelda Adam Gebauer Tim Grey Sarah Hauge Summer Hess Jon Jonckers Matt Jones Derrick Knowles Shallan Knowles Mallory Koula Lisa Laughlin Beatrice Lackaff Sam Mace Harley McAllister Amy S. McCaffree Ammi Midstokke Justin Skay Scott Smith Aaron Theisen Dick Vogel Kirby Walke Woods Wheatcroft Holly Weiler ART + PRODUCTION

Jon Jonckers Shallan Knowles TO REQUEST COPIES CALL

509 / 822 / 0123 AD SALES

Derrick Knowles: 509 / 822 / 0123 derrick@outtheremonthly.com OUT THERE OUTDOORS

Mailing Address: PO Box #5, Spokane, WA 99210 www.outthereoutdoors.com, 509 / 822 / 0123 Out There Outdoors is published 10 times a year by Out There Monthly, LLC. No part of this publication may be reproduced without written consent of the publisher.

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©Copyright 2019 Out There Monthly, LLC. The views expressed in this magazine reflect those of the writers and advertisers and not necessarily Out There Monthly, LLC. Disclaimer: Many of the activities depicted in this magazine carry a significant risk of personal injury or death. Rock climbing, river rafting, snow sports, kayaking, cycling, canoeing and backcountry activities are inherently dangerous. The owners and contributors to Out There Monthly do not recommend that anyone participate in these activities unless they are experts or seek qualified professional instruction and/or guidance, and are knowledgeable about the risks, and are personally willing to assume all responsibility associated with those risks.

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Intro: Intentions, Ambitions, and Travel-worthy Missions MANY NEW YEAR’S RESOLUTIONS start in January and are discarded like an old sweater by May. But as the summer season officially launches in June, it, too, offers the chance to start over and make some low key, high reward intentions. Not all goals have to be driven by self-improvement; some can—and should be—about relaxation and relationships, while others—perhaps as many as possible—should be about stoking the fun meter and enjoying time outside.

I like the idea of setting three levels of summer intentions: backyard, around town, and travel worthy. Otherwise, the short season of abundance vanishes too quickly. Having a list of objectives helps me get organized, find the right partners, and keep urgent but less important

concerns from crowding out how I really want to spend my time.

Backyard intentions are all about food. BBQ on your patio at least once a week; invite people over to make S’mores and enjoy your new fire pit, and be willing to leave the comfort of your afterwork routine to go to a friend’s house, too. Find new recipes to spice up the surplus greens from your garden. Finally string that dusty hammock between two trees and settle in with a book and some snacks.

Around-town ambitions should center on having fun with friends. Try a new, close-enough-towalk-to eatery before the days begin to shorten again—or, visit an old haunt and check out its new offerings. Make a day out of it and see how

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Travel-worthy missions are my favorite part of summer, as long days offer a blank canvas for so many different kinds of adventures. A good adventure finds the sweet spot between challenge and ability. If something is too easy, and all the variables are obvious, it’s an enjoyable activity but not an adventure. If it’s too hard, and you feel a sense of dread rather than excitement, then it’s an arduous chore. Adventures should stoke your psyche and make you excited to try something new. And they should make you feel proud of yourself and your efforts, regardless of the outcome.

BEGINNER TO EXPERT Trail system with over 35 well-marked trails

This issue offers suggestions for all three categories: backyard intentions, around-town ambitions, and travel-worthy missions. A good place to start is Amy McCaffree’s 100 summertime adventure ideas. Thumb through the rest of the issue, take a few notes, and get inspired.

Finally, don’t worry about it if you don’t hit every item on your list. It’s simply a tool to help you focus on and make time for the things you love. The only thing to feel guilty about at the end if the summer is not enjoying it. // SUMMER HESS, MANAGING EDITOR

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Dispatches FEEDBACK WANTED FROM WASHINGTON WALKERS AND CYCLISTS OLYMPIA, WASH.

The Washington State Department of Transportation (WSDOT) is looking for public feedback on the state’s Active Transportation Plan process through June 30. If you walk or bike on a regular basis to get from one place to another, whether walking to a bus stop, bicycling to work, or strolling to the supermarket (aka active transportation), then your comments are crucial. The WSDOT Active Transportation Plan uses information from people like you to shape recommendations for policy decisions, investments, and improvements in the future. Take the quick survey at the following web address to contribute.

Wsdot.wa.gov/travel/commute-choices/bike/plan.

(OTO)

PHOTO COURTESY OF THE ROUTE OF THE HIAWATHA

ROUTE OF THE HIAWATHA OPEN FOR THE SEASON LOOKOUT PASS, IDAHO

The Inland Northwest’s iconic biking trail that runs along the Old Milwaukee railroad bed, attracting more visitors from around North America and the world each year, opened May 24 with 7-days-a-week riding through September 22. The ride begins in the Bitterroot Mountains along the Idaho/Montana border at the entrance to the 1.6-mile-long St. Paul/Taft Tunnel, built in 1908. The historic rail trail includes nine cavernous train tunnels, seven trestle crossings, and 50 historical markers along the way. The 15-mile, alldownhill ride is appropriate for individuals and families of all ages. Lookout Pass Ski & Recreation area operates the Route of the Hiawatha under a special use permit from the USFS, with trail passes priced at $12 for adults, and $8 for kids ages 6 to 13 years of age. Rental bikes, lights, helmets, snacks, and tag-a-longs and Burley trailers (for rent) are available at Lookout Pass. (OTO)

TRAIL RUNNING CLINIC KICKS OFF SPOKATOPIA 5K

SPOKANE, WASH.

Kick off day 2 of the Spokatopia Outdoor Adventure Festival July 14 with a 5K trail run on scenic singletrack at Spokane’s Camp Sekani Park. With enough distance and elevation to make for an invigorating run for experienced trail runners, the course is also perfect for runners who are new to trails. A brief, optional trail running clinic covering the basics before the race will provide tips to help make the transition from running on pavement to trails more intuitive.

The first and second place male and female finishers will take home awesome prizes from race sponsors Black Diamond and Altra, and there will be a drawing after the race from the pool of all registered runners for more sponsor swag. The $20 race registration includes a Spokatopia bandana and a weekend Adventure Pass to the Spokatopia Outdoor Adventure Festival (July 13-14). After the run, take advantage of a free “yoga for everyone” class that will include some special poses for runners and cyclists. And if you’ve ever wanted to give running with poles a try, Black Diamond will have demo pairs on hand all weekend at Spokatopia for you to check out on the trails at Camp Sekani. More info at spokatopia.com/trail-run. (OTO)

SUMMER CAMP FOR ADULT RUNNERS RED MOUNTAIN RESORT, B.C.

Run through picture-perfect mountains deep in the beautiful Kootenays and work on your times and technique at RED’s adult alpine running camp, “Making the Grade,” June 21-24 in Rossland, B.C. Pro Coach Rene Unser will combine the best terrain, coaching, and structure from P.A.C.E. Sports Fitness to take intermediate and advanced runners to a new level. The camp offers both short and long distances to choose from every day to suit different goals and fitness levels.

The short distance group will cover approximately 60K over four days, with daily distances in the 10-25K range. One day of the camp the group will be running the 25K Broken Goat course, so participants need to be trained to cover this distance.

The long distance group will cover approximately 85-95K over four days, with the first evening run between 10-12K run and the next three days varying from 25-35K. The all-inclusive camp registration includes high-quality food, afternoon yoga sessions, training and workshops, three nights at the Nowhere Special hostel, socials, swag, and more. (OTO)

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OUTTHEREOUTDOORS.COM / JUNE 2019

PARA-OLYMPIAN GOLD MEDALIST TO SPEAK AT CYCLING EVENT SANDPOINT, IDAHO Tristen Chernove, a Para-Olympic Gold Medalist, three-time world champion rider, and Canadian para-cyclist of the year will be the guest speaker at the CHAFE 150 pre-ride dinner on Friday, June 14. Chernove will be competing in the 2020 Olympic Games in Tokyo and rides worldwide in competitions. After just returning from riding the first World's Cup in Italy where he won the Gold and World Cup leaders jersey, Chernove is getting ready to ride in Belgium for the second World Cup and in the CHAFE 150 June 15 (he was the first rider to complete the 150-mile CHAFE 150 route in 2018). He also just competed for Team Canada in the UCI Para-cycling Track World Championships in Apeldoorn, Netherlands. In the men's C2 category, he won gold in the Scratch Race, silver in the Individual Pursuit, and bronze in the 1,000-meter time trial. In addition, he topped the standings in the first ever Omnium, a compilation of points over four events. If you want to watch crazy-fast and exciting bicycle racing, watch track cycling.

Chernove has Charcot-Marie-Tooth disease (CMT), a neurological disorder that causes damage to the peripheral nerves which carry signals from the brain and spinal cord to the muscles. He will speak about CMT, his training regime, and what it takes to compete at a world-class level at the CHAFE 150 pre-race dinner from 5:30-7:30 p.m. on June 14 in Sandpoint. A question and answer session will follow. Get more info and tickets at Sandpointrotary.ejoinme.org/chafedinner. (OTO)

ROUND UP FOR THE CENTENNIAL TRAIL SPOKANE, WASH

In early May 2019, the City of Spokane launched a new season for the LIME electric bike and scooters program across the entire city. The City of Spokane unveiled its plan at the Bike to Work Week pancake breakfast, and promoted the program on social media soon after. Because so many LIME rides took place on the Centennial Trail during the 2018 season, the Friends of the Centennial Trail was named the LIME Hero Program Partner for 2019.

Basically, when you rent an e-scooter or e-bike from LIME, you will be given the opportunity to "round up" your rental fee to the next dollar. The difference will be donated back to the Centennial Trail Builder's Fund for maintenance work, wayfinding, and completion matching grants. It’s only a few pennies, but this collaboration could contribute to major improvements in the Centennial Trail.

Please spread the word, definitely round up, and most importantly, wear a helmet and ride safe on every LIME rental. (Jon Jonckers)

CDA YOUTH MOUNTAIN BIKE TEAM TAKES OFF COEUR D'ALENE, IDAHO

In 2018, Graham Christensen and Mike Gaertner saw high school and middle school kids in the Coeur d’Alene area becoming more passionate about mountain biking and cross-country cycling and thought it was time for a youth team. The two decided to get kids who were already riding together to be more cohesive. The Coeur d’Alene Area High School and Middle School Mountain Bike Race Team started out with 10 kids in 2018, including Graham’s daughter, and this year the team has doubled in size. “A big part for me,” says Graham, “is getting kids with varying abilities out on mountain bikes and watching them push each other and become better and more confident riders.”

As an official team of the Washington Student Cycling League, the group rides four mountain bike and cross-country races per year in Washington. The races are mostly in the Seattle and central Washington areas, but they’re hoping to see a race come to Spokane in 2020. The season begins in January or February and culminates with the State Championships in Wenatchee, typically the first weekend in June. Signup is open from January until sometime in March, but kids are welcome to come and ride at any of the open practices: Mondays and Thursdays at 4:30 p.m. and Sundays at 12 p.m. (times may vary).

Practices are held at the downtown Coeur d’Alene cyclocross course, Canfield Mountain, and the Blue Creek trails, depending on conditions. Follow them on Facebook for up-to-date information and race results. You can also register your high school or middle school student next January at washingtonleague. org by searching for “Kootenai County” under “Teams.” (S. Michal Bennett)

JUNE 2019 / OUTTHEREOUTDOORS.COM

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Dispatches

NEW YOUTH MTB CAMP IN THE KOOTENAYS ROSSLAND, B.C.

The trails around Rossland and RED Mountain Resort get so much attention for a reason: epic cross-country trails rich with natural and manmade features; burly freeride descents; and incredible Kootenay scenery abound. Now is your chance to introduce solid riders ages 12-18 of any gender to this world-class mountain biking wonder only a couple hours north of Spokane. RED’s Switchback! Mountain Bike Camp, July 7-12, is for experienced riders looking to push themselves in a fun, supportive environment for five days of cross-country and downhill mountain biking.

This all-inclusive, fully immersive camp will have riders climbing harder, descending faster, and managing technical sections like a boss.

The home-grown instructors are as world-class as the trails. Dane Tudor is one of the world’s elite freeskiers and mountain bikers, and Mike Hopkins is an athlete, producer, director, and globetrotter who began as a professional big mountain skier before moving into the world of mountain biking, having now competed in six Red Bull Rampages.

Camp registration includes six days of coaching and riding, killer meals and snacks, a pro photographer capturing all the action, six nights of lodging at RED’s new Nowhere Special hostel, evening activities, and swag. Americans can expect to save around 25% off the $1,495 Canadian price tag thanks to the current exchange rate in our favor.

RED is also offering special lodging deals for parents at the Slalom Creek condo or new Josie Hotel, so no need to let the kids have all the fun. Space is limited to 30 riders and may sell out before the June 29 registration deadline. (Derrick Knowles)

GREAT AMERICAN RAIL TRAIL PREFERRED ROUTE ANNOUNCED WASHINGTON D.C.

The Great American Rail Trail is a proposed 3,700mile route that would stretch through 12 states, from Washington to Maryland, passing close to Spokane and through the Idaho Panhandle. The Washington segment plans to use the existing Cascades to Palouse State Park Trail, formerly known as the John Wayne Pioneer Trail and Iron Horse State Park. One of the primary ingredients for this trail’s success includes the Beverly Railroad Bridge, the main connecting bridge over the Columbia River. After the initial railroad went bankrupt in the mid-1970s and abandoned its lines in the Pacific Northwest in 1980, the bridge and adjoining right-of-way were taken over by the State of Washington in lieu of back taxes owed by the railroad. Soon after, the bridge was listed in the National Register of Historic Places because of its association with the Milwaukee Road railroad.

Dozens of groups are eager to see this section upgraded and revitalized. Thankfully, the funding exists; however, the project will require at least two seasons to complete. Stay tuned for more news on this important project. (Jon Jonckers)

FAT BIKING THE JOHN WAYNE TRAIL SOUTH OF SPOKANE. // PHOTO: DERRICK KNOWLES

NO ONE SITS ON THE BENCH WITH SPOKANE BMX! A fundraiser for area middle and high school mountain bike teams & the Lake City Trail Alliance.

Local Bike Shops Sponsor a Race Every Wednesday in July •July 3: Trek Bicycle Store CDA •July 10: Two Wheeler Dealer •July 17: Vertical Earth

•July 24: Coeur d’Alene Bike Co. •July 31: Lake City Trail Alliance & KCMTB

Registration starts at 5 p.m. at the Towers Day-use Picnic Area in Farragut State Park. $25 per rider (19 years and older) or $100 for all 5 races. 18 years and younger race free. Registration includes BBQ dinner. $5 parking pass available with registration. The course will vary each week with an average of 8 miles of singletrack per lap. Two lappers start at 6:30, one lappers at 6:45, and little riders and parents head out last for a 2-mile ride.

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OUTTHEREOUTDOORS.COM / JUNE 2019

SPOKANE, WASH.

Spokane BMX is bent on bringing the family-friendly sport of BMX riding to the Inland Northwest in a big way. As a non-profit, the all-volunteer organization helps run the city-owned BMX racetrack located at the Dwight Merkel Sports Complex and puts on races and other events. The track is open to the public for free riding from dawn to dusk daily, except during special events. Spokane BMX hosts races every Saturday from April through October, and participants also race on Thursday nights when school is out.

There are races for all genders from 5 and under to 61 and over, and there are even balance bike races for kids ages 2-5, so the entire family can participate. Spokane BMX also puts on BMX League, a beginners’ program for kids and parents who are just starting out racing. The program includes five weeks of coaching and racing, as well as equipment for the racers to use. (Derrick Knowles)

PHOTO COURTESY OF THE WALLACE CHAMBER

MEET THE IRON RIDERS WALLACE, IDAHO.

A little-known chapter in the annals of US. military history, dating back to the late 1800s, will make an appearance of sorts on the Route of the Hiawatha this June. 118 years ago, a group of 20 AfricanAmerican soldiers along with two white officers, a doctor, and newspaper reporter, set off on an epic 1,900 mile bicycle ride from Missoula to St. Louis.

In 1897 the Army was exploring different methods of moving troops in battle, something faster than marching and less expensive than horses. Enter the then latest technological wonder—bicycles. This is how men of the Army’s 25th Infantry Regiment found themselves called upon to test primitive bikes over some of the continent’s toughest terrain.

Nicknamed the Iron Riders for both the heavy one-speed cycles they pedaled and their iron-hard constitutions, the intrepid group made the trip in six weeks, battling poor roads, every kind of weather condition, meager rations, and prejudice. But they received heroes-welcomes and national acclaim when they arrived in St. Louis.

This June 7-8, a group of re-enactors will celebrate the anniversary of that triumph and the contributions of the Buffalo Soldiers in the area with a commemorative ride of the Route of the Hiawatha bike trail as well as special appearances in Wallace.

The Iron Rider re-enactors, themselves all Vietnam vets, will cycle the Route of Hiawatha on replicas of 19th century-era one speed bicycles and will appear in full period uniform discussing the Buffalo Soldiers’ missions in the area on Saturday June 8 from 2-5 p.m. at Wallace’s Northern Pacific Railway Depot Museum.

“We are delighted to honor the heroism of the Iron Riders, the service of the African American Units, and that of all U.S. veterans,” says Buffalo Soldiers re-enactor spokesman Bobby McDonald. McDonald, a Vietnam Vet whose father and uncles served in segregated African American units with distinction in WWII, also says his group was very excited to come to Wallace and tour the Hiawatha.

“It looks like it’s a beautiful town, and the Hiawatha appears to be absolutely stunning,” he adds.

McDonald is a long-time Iron Rider re-enactor, as well as the long-time president of the Orange County Black Chamber of Commerce.

Both the Hiawatha and the town of Wallace have strong connections to Buffalo Soldiers. Units from Ft. Missoula and later Ft. Wright in Spokane participated in restoring order during the 1890s mining wars, as well as helping to rescue Wallace townsfolk from the Great Fire of 1910. There are several historical markers about the Buffalo Soldiers contributions in fighting that fire along the Route of the Hiawatha; while in Wallace, the town’s Mining and Depot Museums have exhibits highlighting the Buffalo Soldiers’ service in the community.

For more details on the commemorative ride and special appearances, contact the Historic Wallace Chamber of Commerce at (208)753-7151 or visit the Wallace Chamber Facebook page or website. (OTO)

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JUNE 2019 / OUTTHEREOUTDOORS.COM

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HikeOfTheMonth CHESAW WILDLIFE AREA

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EVERY OTHER YEAR I spend one week in Olympia reviewing grant applications as a member of the statewide Non-highway and Off-road Vehicle Activities (NOVA) program through the Washington Recreation and Conservation Office (RCO). It's an intense week of recreation grant presentations on a strict 20-minute schedule all day for five days. Our team reviews and scores each project's merits in order to collectively determine which applications are the highest ranking and most deserving of funding. This is especially hard since they all deserve funding. All of this takes place in a windowless room, which is a strange setting for learning about all of the most well-loved recreation sites in Washington.

During NOVA review week in 2017, I learned of the Chesaw unit of the Scotch Creek Wildlife Area. The presentation, which ultimately did not rank highly enough to receive funding during that grant cycle, still stands out in my mind. At the time I thought it was a side effect of the windowless room, but the photos that accompanied the presentation were beautiful, and at the end of the proposal I made a mental note that I needed to visit this property in the far northern portion of Washington.

When I finally made it to the Chesaw Wildlife Area in June 2018, it was more incredible than I anticipated. Despite stormy weather that caused me to shorten my planned backpack trip into a single day's visit, I was enchanted by what I found. June is the ideal time to visit for the spring wildflowers that blanket the area. From where I started near an old farm access road, the wildflowers covered the surrounding slopes. I recognized lupine and prairie smoke, with numerous other species I could not name. I followed the old road a short distance and then set out for nearby wetlands, where bitterroot blooms covered rocky outcroppings above wetlands teeming with waterfowl. Consider packing both wildflower and bird identification books, along with binoculars for a spring visit here. My personal favorite among the waterfowl was the ruddy duck, which sports a beautiful blue bill.

The wildlife area is also teeming with, well, wildlife! I spotted both whitetail and mule deer, along with a lone cow elk and signs of many more elk in the area. I took a circuitous route, starting in grassland but climbing into a forested section approaching Strawberry Mountain. An afternoon

wind, rain, and hailstorm stopped me from ascending the peak, so I instead descended via old farm roads (past old mine sites) to several dilapidated farm buildings within the property. While following the Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife (WDFW) property fence line to return to my starting point, I even happened upon twin whitetail deer fawns hidden in the grass.

Navigation can be tricky here, with over 4,000 acres available to explore, so plan ahead and bring good maps of the area. The fence lines and farm roads can also be followed as out-and-back routes.

I happened to time my visit to coincide with Republic's Prospector Days, which I enjoyed enroute to my hike. This year it will be held on June 8. Several nearby Forest Service campgrounds make this hike a good option for a camping weekend.

ROUND-TRIP DISTANCE: About 6 miles RATING: Moderate to difficult due to navigational

route finding

ELEVATION GAIN: 1,300 feet MAP: USGS Chesaw GETTING THERE: From Republic, Wash. travel

Highway 20 west for 16.4 miles to Torodo Creek Road. Turn right on Torodo Creek Road and travel 13.4 miles. Turn left on Chesaw Road/OrovilleTorodo Creek Road to Chesaw. Continue west of Chesaw 2.2 miles to Mary Ann Creek Road.

Proceed past Mary Ann Lake and continue north to a WDFW gate and kiosk near a wetland. Park off the road without blocking the gate, which is the starting point for this hike.

Holly Weiler spends most of her time on dirt trails, either building them for work or running on them for fun. She is looking forward to warmer days and water trails for trying out her new kayak. She wrote about the status of many of our Inland NW trails in the March issue.

SUPPORT LOCAL TRAILS: Volunteer with the

Washington Trails Association (WTA) for a fun and rewarding way to give back to the places you love to hike. Trails across Washington need our help more than ever. Visit wta.org/volunteer for more information about June’s work parties across the region.

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Sandpoint this summer Bay Trail Fun Run

5k & 10k runs on the Pend d’Oreille Bay trail • June 9

Race the Wolf

new ultr-running event at schweitzer • july 7

Schweitzer Huckleberry Color Fun Run

2.5k & 5k Family runs on the mountain • August 4

Spokane-to-Sandpoint Relay Race

CHALLENGE YOURSELF THIS SUMMER

Epic relay from Mt. Spokane to City Beach • August 16-17

Find your competitive nature this summer in beautiful Sandpoint, Idaho. Our signature endurance events for runners, bikers and swimmers are among the finest in the Pacific Northwest. And be sure to book some extra days to enjoy time on magnificent Lake Pend Oreille, in our inspiring Selkirk and Cabinet mountains or just to experience the superb dining, shopping and amazing live entertainment that vibrant downtown Sandpoint offers.

See you here, this summer!

Through downtown and across the lake • Sept 15

Scenic Half Marathon

BIKE IT, OR SWIM IT CHAFE BIKE RIDE JUNE 15

Premier swim and rides CHAFE 150 Gran Fondo

One glorious ride, six spectacular routes • June 15

Long Bridge Swim Northwest’s premier open water swim • August 3

WaCanId Bike Ride 370-mile supported ride into canada • Sept 9-14

Get links to Register

visitor information 800-800-2106 | VisitSandpoint.com

www.RunBikeSwimSandpoint.com JUNE 2019 / OUTTHEREOUTDOORS.COM

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Bontrager shoe and Pedal Everyday Cyclist ROLLING WITH CHANGE ON SWEET NEW Sale 20% off reg. retail WHEELS // By Justin Skay

Thru June 30th, 2019

MATT LARSEN IN HIS SHOP // PHOTO: JUSTIN SKAY

MATT LARSEN DOESN’T SHOP on Amazon. He

calls it “kind of ironic,” since he has a website of his own where he received his first order for custom wheels within days of its launch, without a shopping cart.

“I would rather talk to people and make sure they get what they need,” he explains. As a satisfied customer with lighter, faster new wheels on my fat bike, I was impressed with his diligent, personalized, and technical approach to wheel building. On a recommendation from a friend, with only a vague notion of what I wanted, I called Larsen with more questions than requests, and learned a lot.

Our bikes are made of math. Whatever the frame or component material, behind every dimension we can readily comprehend are a dozen formulas refined a hundred times since the first pedals were turned, and 10 more dimensions with their calculations we may never need to know. Add this hulking data to the constant changes, proprietary parts, and new materials endlessly churning out of worldwide R&D, and the equation gets quickly out of hand.

Thankfully, there remain experts like Larsen, who know my bike (and my weight) and understand my desire to adapt a bike to a wider range of conditions instead of buying another.

Following a circuitous trail with as many switchbacks as the most rollicking singletrack, Larsen states he “started as a runner and swimmer, that got me into triathlons, then I started hanging out in bike shops, which was the beginning of the end of my triathlon career, because I liked the bike better.”

He has since raced BMX, cyclocross, in more triathlons and on mountain trails and gravel roads.

He doesn’t race as much these days, but he still rides “tons of miles,” and runs most errands with a bike trailer. He has built bicycle wheels in independent bike shops and at large distributors with hundredhub orders.

While my project is far from unique, at the outset I didn’t feel like I knew enough to find a set of stock wheels that would work. Having only a marginal understanding of the dimensions critical to building wheels, I saw no other way than enlisting the expertise of a true technician. That he singlehandedly operates his local business, Mathew Larsen Wheelbuilding, and that he is committed to educating his customers, made the experience that much more rewarding. Prior to acquiring Larsen’s 14

OUTTHEREOUTDOORS.COM / JUNE 2019

number from fellow Out There contributor and cycling fanatic Justin Short, I had been idly shopping for a used mountain bike with the n+1 equation in mind; n is the number of bikes you already own, and the formula represents the number you need—until I realized that I have a mountain bike already.

A fat bike is essentially a mountain bike with a wider fork and chainstays to accommodate their meaty tires—a potentially very heavy but incredibly grippy mountain bike. I opted to give up a bit of that grip, shed some serious rotating weight, and add front suspension to help keep the plus-size knobbies hooked up. For a fraction of the cost of a decent used carbon fiber bike, I now have a very capable off-road, all-season ride. It is still relatively heavy, but considerably nimbler than its clownshoed winter iteration.

Converting a fat bike into a mountain machine to accommodate a rider’s changing style (or their desire for it) is a little like adapting a small business with skinny margins to shifting market conditions.

Larsen is no stranger to either of these endeavors.

He considers the size of his company an asset in an ever-changing industry. “Big wheel companies can’t adapt to new stuff that fast,” Larsen contends.

So, when one company starts producing bikes with new hub spacing, and “you want to upgrade the wheelset on your new bike, you’re coming to me to get something made.”

Because he mostly works with individual riders, one wheelset at a time, Larsen can offer a level of personalization not available in a few clicks leading to a shopping cart. No number of answered questions on Amazon will ever encapsulate the experience and knowledge he brings to his customers.

Like the bike industry itself, the way we buy things changes almost daily. But cyclists can still enjoy the option of shopping locally, and engaging personally with experts like Matt Larsen is just one of the many rewards. Asked about the ability of his business to weather constant change in the retail and bike industries, he coolly offers, “I’m just riding the wave, man.” // Justin Skay is riding the trails light and fast, and he’s still a little giddy about some sweet, light-weight custom wheels made locally by a master. He wrote about Bike Everywhere Month in April.

GearRoom u w

z AKU MONTERA LITE GTX HIKING BOOT (6)

x

y

ENO SKYLOFT HAMMOCK (1)

One of the joys of hammocking for many is the cozy cocoon experience nestled in Nylon and swaying in the breeze. If a hammock’s sides collapsing in on you makes you feel too much like a cramped taco, the ENO SkyLoft is the hammock of your dreams. Lightweight aluminum spreader bars on each end make for a relaxing experience more akin to an open-air tostada. A toggle system on one end also allows quick angle adjustment, raising your head and upper body up or down, depending on how you like your siestas. A stuff sack that doubles as an integrated hammock pillow when filled with clothing is a useful addition to maximize comfort in the backcountry, and two stretch nylon pockets hold snacks and other essentials like a bottle opener. Pacifico anyone? MSRP: $129.95. Eaglesnestoutfittersinc.com.

(Derrick Knowles) ULTIMATE DIRECTION SHORTS (2)

HYDRO

RUNNING

Problem solved! The Hydro Running Shorts can carry two 300ml water bottles with zero-bounce.

Custom pockets and a rigid waist adjuster allow you to run hands-free, without a pack, and still bring enough water for a hot, endurance trail run. Basically, the water bottles ride above each butt cheek, and there’s a center back pocket large enough for a large phone plus keys and cash.

Reflective details are a great feature, and the compression liner eliminates chafing. These shorts are trim, wind-resistant, and the water bottles are included. MSRP: $99.95. Ultimatedirection.com.

(Jon Jonckers) SWEET PROTECTION DISSENTER MOUNTAIN BIKE HELMET (3)

Less is really more with this snug-fitting, easily adjustable (dial system), well-ventilated nogginprotecting MIPS equipped helmet. Get all the protection and comfort you need at a price that just about any MTB dirtbag can afford. Sweet Protection has a decades-long track record of building high-quality helmets for adventure sports, and the Dissenter is no different. This single-piece polycarbonate shell with in-mould

technology and proven geometry will keep you pedaling faster with a low weight, low profile helmet that can do its job when you inevitably end up straying from the singletrack for a solo ride through the bush. And it doesn’t hurt that the design looks pretty sweet too. MSRP: $129.95 (look for up to 30% off online). Sweetprotection. com. (Derrick Knowles) OR GUARDIAN JACKET (4)

If you are looking for one technical jacket to weather you through the worst wind and rain the Pacific Northwest can dish out on your hiking, camping, and biking adventures, OR’s Guardian Jacket is a no-brainer. I happened to wear mine out in some of the wettest weather this spring on a 9-mile hike, putting the jacket’s waterproofness and features to the test. Pit zips are great for keeping air and moisture flowing while you’re pounding out the miles, but poorly-designed zippers that stick can leave you with frustrated thoughts of slashing your own pit vents with your pocket knife. The butter-smooth pit and pocket zips on the Guardian were a welcome feature on a hike that had me adjusting ventilation incessantly as the storm we were walking through intensified and ebbed without warning. Most importantly, I stayed dry through the downpours thanks to the seam-taped waterproof/ breathable Ascent Shell that’s relatively light (13.7 oz for a large size), especially considering the high-performance options. MSRP: $199. Outdoorresearch. com. (Derrick Knowles) BACKPACK 4-IN-A-ROW BY OUTSIDE INSIDE (5)

One of the best strategy games ever invented is now available as a compact travel/camping/backpacking game. A similar game board rhymes with ‘correct floor’ but we can’t compare it with that game due to copyright laws. This ultra-compact game weighs less than an empty Nalgene bottle, collapses to the size of two energy bars, and features tons of fun. Be the first to place four pucks in a row horizontally, vertically, or diagonally. Set includes game tray, 42 pucks (in two colors), and game instructions. Sale Price: $14.99. Wayfair. com. (Jon Jonckers)

Why yes, these boots are made in Italy. These sharp-looking hiking boots with suede and breathable synthetic fabric uppers surprised me with their slipper-like comfort. With plenty of room for my sprawling toes, but maybe a bit too much for my narrow foot, the addition of a pair of Superfeet made for the best hiking boot fit I can recall in years. Built for easy-to-moderate terrain, the Montera Lite GTX is a lightweight and breathable boot with a snug and extremely comfortable ankle collar. The Gore-Tex liner ensures complete waterproofness. An innovative sole design makes for better shock absorption on the outward part of the heel where the foot strikes the ground and on the big toe area charged with propelling your feet forward in style and comfort. MSRP: $189.95.

Aku.it/en. (Derrick Knowles) MICKWICK ALL-NATURAL FIRE STARTERS (7)

I stopped carrying fire starters in my pack a few years back with the increase in fire restrictions during the peak backpacking season. But a few cold, wet backcountry camping experiences in recent years—where getting a proper fire going in hypothermic conditions was a challenge— plus a renewed interest in backyard fires, car camping, and traditional charcoal barbecuing, convinced me to reconsider. Not all fire starters are created equal, however, and there’s a reason why Mickwick fire starters are now available at locations along the Appalachian Trail. They are compact, lightweight, waterproof, free of harmful chemicals, and don’t require any tinder to start a warming, gear-drying blaze in the backcountry or campground (when permitted). Made here in the Northwest with natural ingredients, they are also a fantastic alternative to lighter fluid and other nauseating chemical-based starters for firing up your barbecue coals, backyard s’more fire, or woodstove in a matter of minutes. Look for them at Spokane-area 7-11 stores or order a pack online. MSRP: $11.95-12.95. Mickwickfires.com.

(Derrick Knowles)

LOVE PEOPLE, LOVE THE PLANET.

v

domacoffee.com { JUNE 2019 / OUTTHEREOUTDOORS.COM

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++++

SUMMERTIME STARGAZING // By Amy McCaffree

KIDS +++

band of billions of stars, starting southwest and heading northeast…[This is] the center of our galaxy, the Milky Way,” he says. “Our solar system—our sun and all its planets, moons, and stars—is in the Milky Way Galaxy, on one of [its spiral] arms, like a pinwheel.

And there are billions and billions of galaxies in our universe.” You can also see with the naked eye the Andromeda Galaxy off to the west.

FIND CONSTELLATIONS ON CLOUDLESS NIGHTS this summer during a

camping trip or from your backyard, make time to marvel at our universe’s mysteries with your children.

“You don’t need a telescope to get out there and enjoy the night sky,” says NASA Ambassador Joe Bruce, who lives in Spokane. With a degree in science education, Bruce has been a NASA volunteer for 11 years now, providing free presentations for school and community groups around the region.

He will be presenting his space exploration artifacts at the KSPS Chasing the Moon event on June 15, at the Spokane Falls Community College Planetarium, to commemorate the 50th anniversary of the Apollo moon landing. The Spokane city and county library districts are also hosting moon-and space-themed events this summer.

To introduce young children to astronomy, Bruce recommends reading books together, including the two picture books by retired NASA astronaut Mark Kelly: “Moustronaut” and “Moustronaut Goes to

Mars.” You can also read non-fiction books about Astronauts Mae Jemison and Sally Ride, and the young-adult version of “Hidden Figures” to help children connect with the people—mathematicians, scientists, engineers, and astronauts—who made space exploration possible. Bruce also recommends spaceplace.nasa.gov.

GO OUTSIDE: FIND THE MILKY WAY

Find an open location, such as a meadow or sports field, away from city lights. Use a red night-vision LED lantern, headlamp, or flashlight and avoid exposure to bright lights (including headlights) because it takes 20 minutes for your eyesight to fully adjust to darkness. Elevation also matters.

“The higher you are, the better—the less atmosphere between you and stars, so there’s less twinkling and stars are clearer,” Bruce says. Summer heat waves also disrupt the clarity of stars.

To find the Milky Way, look towards the southwest horizon. “You’re going to see a big, beautiful white

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...and more athletic, arts, and academic camps June to August!

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OUTTHEREOUTDOORS.COM / JUNE 2019

“A constellation is a pattern of stars in the sky that people looked at long ago and thought it looked like something else,” like an animal, object, or mythological character or creature, says Bruce. In the northern hemisphere’s night sky during summer, there are five constellations kids should find.

Use a constellation guide for help, such as the free SkyView app (no Wi-Fi required). Begin with the easiest to spot: the Big Dipper and Little Dipper. A darker sky, however, will actually make these two more difficult to find because so many other star patterns are visible.

Next, find the Hercules cluster of stars, visible overhead by midsummer. “With your naked eye, you can see a blob of light, and if viewed through a telescope, you’ll see millions of stars in that cluster,” Bruce says. Then find Cygnus, a constellation shaped like a swan. “It’s right overhead of the Big Dipper in the Milky Way—what looks like a single star with our eyes, the ‘beak’ of Cygnus, is really two stars when viewed through a telescope,” says Bruce.

Next is Sagittarius. “When looking off towards the

southwest into our galaxy, you’ll see what looks like a teapot.”

SHOOTING STARS

Every night small pieces of sand enter the atmosphere. “A shooting star is a piece of sand or dust or small rock that’s traveling through space and hits Earth’s atmosphere, and heats so rapidly that it burns up,” says Bruce. He notes that if conditions are right, you can see them every night; however, “when Earth passes through a tail of a comet, you’ll see more shooting stars.” The Perseid meteor shower, one of the most prolific, happens Aug. 11-13 this year, according to The Old Farmer’s Almanac. You can also look for the International Space Station passing overhead (find the schedule at Spotthestation.nasa.gov).

Finally, Bruce encourages kids to make full use of their imaginations. “When you’re outside and looking into the night sky, think about the possibilities out there. On one of the moons around Jupiter there could be life.” He reminds us to “…look out into space and realize our planet—this blue ball— is really a speck of dust compared to all the other things in our universe, and this is the only place where we can live.” // Amy McCaffree is special section editor and Out There Kids columnist and has been writing for Out There since 2006. Her favorite spring and summer activities are kayaking, camping, biking, and hiking with her husband and their two kids, ages 9 and 7.

Hiking FIRE ON THE MOUNTAIN // By Beatrice Lackaff

PHOTO: COURTESY OF WASHINGTON STATE DNR

WHEN THE GRATEFUL DEAD sang, “Fire on the Mountain,” they didn’t mean forest fires. Ten years later James Hansen delivered his global warming report to Congress. Now, 30 years after that, the summer wildfire season begins earlier and ends later, and wildfire preparation is part of visiting our beloved forests, mountains, and deserts.

“I am only going for a two-hour hike. What could possibly go wrong?” Rachel Pawlitz, Public Affairs Officer for the Columbia River Gorge National Scenic Area, has heard this before. This was the attitude of most of the hikers led to safety out of the 2017 Eagle Creek Fire. Pawlitz stresses that hikers must bring at least five essentials, even on a spontaneous short hike. These are: 1. A flashlight—one that’s not also your cell phone 2. Extra water

3. Extra food 4. A warm layer of clothes 5. A compass and paper map of your area Being prepared is one part of the equation.

The other part—don’t be the cause of a wildfire! It is easy to assume we are being safe, but you should never assume. Thoroughly extinguish your campfire and check for heat with the back of your hand before leaving it. Be mindful if driving or parking your vehicle over dry grass or other fuels. Never introduce cigarette butts or explosive or flammable materials to the landscape. Target shooting can inadvertently spark a fire.

Finally, if you see something, do something.

If you see smoke, call 911. Unless you are in a National Park, the local Sherriff ’s office will be coordinating fire response. Don’t be afraid of “bothering” them. You might even be the first to report the smoke. Cell phone reception can be spotty or non-existent, so be aware of high open spots for your best opportunity.

Even with the best preparation, you may still have an encounter with wildfire. Guy Gifford, a Department of Natural Resources Fire Prevention Coordinator, reminds us of a few basic principles: Assume a fire is traveling in the same direction you see smoke blowing. Fire goes uphill much faster than we can. Grassland fires move fast, and can kill people, too. There are ways to take shelter when escape is no longer an option: look for an open area with the least fuel, such as exposed rock, a space already burned, open water, or a low creek bed.

Heat and fire rise, so get low. Protect your lungs first. Cover your nose and mouth with a dry cloth, as a wet one will conduct more heat.

We have responsibilities to protect others and ourselves when we enjoy our adventures in nature—and maybe also to think about James

I AM ONLY GOING FOR A TWO-HOUR HIKE. WHAT COULD POSSIBLY GO WRONG? Hansen’s report, and to vote! // Bea Lackaff remains torn between the unmet needs of her garden and the call of old and new trails to hike. She wrote about her solitary month at Cache Creek on the Snake River in December 2017.

Know Before You Go

“Know before you go” is a simple summary for safely enjoying camping and hiking, suggests Franklin Pemberton, Public Affairs Officer on the Colville National Forest.

First, know yourself. How rugged of an experience are you, your vehicle, and companions prepared to have? Maintained campgrounds offer easier road access, water, fire rings, vault toilets; they are also the first to be notified in the event of fire danger. Are you heading for the solitude of the backcountry? While the rewards are great, dispersed campers’ responsibilities and capabilities must be much higher.

Know the area, fire danger, weather, and restrictions of your destination by contacting agency headquarters for information, including existing campfire restrictions, closures, and existing fires.

Know locations of alternative trails, nearby campgrounds, and roads, as trail or road closures may occur. Don’t rely solely on electronic mapping; bring a compass and paper maps of your area.

Know the weather forecast for your destination; and keep an eye out for changing weather, lightening, and smoke.

Let others know, too. Notify family or friends about your destination and expected time of return. Sign your party in and out at campgrounds and trailhead logbooks. If you change your plans en route, leave a note on a trail sign.

Season opener: Memorial Day weekend, Sat., May 25 25 years and more of memories Open from Memorial Day through Labor Day. Full-time hours begin June 12. Hours can change.

Please call 509-764-3842 to confirm.

McCosh Park, 4th & Dogwood, Moses Lake, WA 98837, surfnslide.com,

mlrec.com JUNE 2019 / OUTTHEREOUTDOORS.COM

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Provisions

(n.) food, drink, or equipment, especially for a journey.

PHOTO: CAROL CHRISTENSEN

SUMMERTIME IS FOR GOURMET S’MORES

PHOTO: S MICHAL BENNETT

CAMPFIRE COOKING HACKS: BEYOND FOIL MEALS FARM TOUR WITH TARAWYN WATERS AT URBAN EDEN FARMS // PHOTO: S. MICHAL BENNETT

APÉRITIF: SUPPORTING COMMUNITY AGRICULTURE

By S. Michal Bennett FARMING IS HARD. It involves lots of dirt, long hours, relentless weather, and taxing physical labor, sometimes with very little return. Most of us don’t want to be farmers—gardeners, maybe—but we all certainly want to enjoy fresh local produce all summer long.

The Inland Northwest is home to a thriving agricultural community of farmers who love to dig in the dirt and grow good food. We as consumers can support these farmers in a variety of ways and create sustainability for them, our families, and our communities. First, buy local produce and value added goods at your grocery or natural food store.

Second, shop the farmers markets. And third, join a CSA or volunteer at a local farm.

Community supported agriculture (CSA) provides economic sustainability, support, and predictability for farmers. It is partnering with a local farm through buying a “share” in their harvest, thereby providing the farmer with a stable income and you the consumer with fresh seasonal produce every week. The contents of your box will vary throughout the season, and per farm, but you will experience the bounty of our region while supporting your local farmer.

The cost of investing in a CSA can be calculated by the pound, by the week, or by the season. It can average between $12 to $20 per week, depending on the farm and the size of your box. Many CSA farms will deliver, set up a drop-off point, or have shares available for pick up at their farmers market booth. Check out some of these CSAs growing good food in our area: Urban Eden Farm, Spokane; Ace of Spades Farm, Spokane; Tolstoy Farms (organic), Davenport; Plante Family Farm, Hayden, Idaho; Bountiful Organics, Sagle, Idaho; Greentree Naturals (organic), Sandpoint, Idaho; Moose Meadow Farm, Clark Fork, Idaho. //

PHOTO: JON JONCKERS

MOUNTAIN LAKES BREWING CO. TRIP-A IPA

Located on the corner of Riverside and Browne downtown Spokane, Mountain Lakes Brewery has an uncanny sense of humor. Beer names regularly include puns or subliminal meanings, but the Trip-A IPA might be one of the best beer names in the region.

Based on the odometer button of a car, the Trip-A signals the main journey, and the record for a significant road trip. It’s also a reference to Triticale, a hybrid of wheat and rye that was developed in Scotland and pioneered on the Palouse at WSU. The Trip-A also hints at a short trip to the DryFly Distillery and the influence of their Triticale Whiskey.

The Trip-A IPA is also a Red IPA. Normally, red ales, unlike amber ales, use specialty roasted malts that create a complexity within the finished beer, giving it a sweeter, caramel flavor. The Trip-A IPA features a measurement of 6.5% ABV and 48 IBU. It’s robust flavor capitalizes on the wheat and rye characteristics, as sweet and malty as it is hoppy and crisp, along with a smooth rye finish. In a nutshell, this brew tastes equally great with the first sip as the last.

Mountain Lakes Brewing Company has earned numerous awards, including the Best of The Inlander in 2019. The Trip-A IPA represents a sliver of their tap handles. Whereas other breweries aim for super sweet or super strong ABV, the brewers at Mountain Lakes continually commit to ales and IPA’s with a strong body and consistent finish that rise to the occasion. Best of all, the brewery is committed to promoting the mountain lakes, rivers, and streams that improve our quality of life. This is a brewery with a Northwest heartbeat that celebrates the mountain lakes and waters that are our region’s life source. (Jon Jonckers)

We all know the tried and true fire pit food shortcuts of prepping and cooking full meals in tin foil, pouring hot chili into single-serve bags of Fritos, and making biscuit dough pizza in a Dutch oven.

Here are a few more tricks you may not have heard of that can make your campfire meals simpler, less messy, and definitely entertaining.

• Waffle cones and bowls: Edible and charming, they can hold anything from chicken to pudding to oatmeal and still offer a few sweet and crunchy bites when the meal is done.

• Tinned pastries: Tinned biscuits are a great timesaver when camp cooking, but tinned cinnamon rolls and crescent rolls can add even more options to the menu, especially when combined with a stick. Wrap the cinnamon roll dough around the stick and toast over the flames until puffed and browned; drizzle with icing. Mold crescent or biscuit dough over a dowel at the end of a stick, roast until browned, then fill the cup with vanilla pudding and top with chocolate frosting and whipped cream for a campfire éclair.

• Jars and tin cans: Crack your eggs into a jar, shake well to eliminate waste, and create an easy breakfast scramble on site. Pack ready-to-eat layered jar salads, yogurt parfaits, and overnight oats. Line a can with pie dough and fill with apples, sugar, cinnamon and a pinch of salt, and nestle in the fire for individual apple pie cans.

• Breath mint spices: Like breath mints? Save those shakers or tins and fill them with salt, pepper, and spices for your camping trips.

• A loaf of bread: An uncut loaf of bread can be extremely versatile. Dig out the center and fill it with cheese, tomato sauce, and pepperoni for a quick calzone. Cut into strips, drizzle with garlic salted butter and toast at the end of a stick for garlic breadsticks. Cut into chunks, sprinkle with blueberries, almonds, and sugar and then top with shaken eggs. Bake in cast iron for a heavenly breakfast. (S. Michal Bennett)

Summer isn’t summer without the quintessential s’more. But this year, it’s time to step up our collective hipster game on this age-old classic. Enter the gourmet s’more! Exhaustive research (talking to some outdoorsy people I know) tells me that the ‘mallow is the indispensable ingredient, but everything else is open to interpretation and creativity.

So, without further ado, here are some suggestions for summer’s perfect desert, campfire style.

CHOCOLATE DECADENCE

Ingredients: Chocolate graham crackers Dark chocolate “melties” Maraschino cherries Marshmallow Instructions: Arrange four melties on a graham cracker base.

Toast the marshmallow to gooey, brown, and crispy perfection. Immediately place mallow on melties (to melt them). Place three to four cherries in the gooey marshmallow center. Top with a second graham cracker and enjoy!

TROPICAL PARADISE

Ingredients: Dried kiwi Toasted coconut flakes Fresh pineapple Graham crackers Marshmallow Instructions: Place kiwi on graham cracker base. Roast marshmallow and pineapple slice over the fire until golden and lightly smoked. Place ‘mallow atop kiwi and insert desired amount of coconut flakes.

Smoosh (technical s’mores terminology) the roasted pineapple into the ‘mallow center and top with second cracker. Keep a napkin close for leaking pineapple juice.

CARAMEL COMFORT

Ingredients: Homemade chocolate chip cookies 2-3 caramels Marshmallow Pink Himalayan rock salt Instructions: Unwrap and flatten caramels atop a cookie.

Carefully roast marshmallow until golden. Place ‘mallow atop caramel. Sprinkle with a pinch of salt. Top with second cookie. Wait a minute or two while the mallow melts the caramel and the chips in the cookie. Savor! (Carol Christensen) //

SERVING BREAKFAST LUNCH & DINNER 7 DAYS A WEEK 521 E. HOLLAND #20 509-413-1739 18

OUTTHEREOUTDOORS.COM / JUNE 2019

Eatology PROVENANCE The Latest Trend in Fashionable Nutrition // By Ammi Midstokke DID THIS CHICKEN HAVE A NAME? CHICKEN LETTUCE WRAPS AT MIZUNA IN SPOKANE. PHOTO: SHALLAN KNOWLES

IT’S HARD TO KEEP UP with all the nutrition and wellness trends, which are often a kind of revolving door of re-discovered knowledge, typically repackaged and presented in a more contemporary language—like when bell bottoms came back as fit-and-flare jeans.

Thanks to the addition of rigorous and tireless scientific research, we even have some evidencebased information to apply to our new diets, which is probably why prescription speed got debunked

as a weight loss panacea, leaving an entire nation of anorexics to begin vacationing in Mexico.

Among the hottest ideas coming to online ads and headlines near you this year will be brand-newrecycled concepts like: eat less sugar, eat more fat, drink more water, and eat real food. But by far my favorite is not a science-based, calorie-specific, macro-restricted plan guaranteed to solve your particular set of health issues. Rather, it’s the increasing interest in food provenance.

The word provenance comes from the French word, which comes from the Latin combination of words pro (forth) and venire (come). It means the original, or the original presentation of, or the original manifestation of food. Americans are beginning to ask important questions about where their food comes from. There was a time, after the industrial and chemical revolutions, when Americans were romanced by convenience and crackers. Now we have diabetes, heart disease, and a conscience, and we’re starting to ask what impact our diets have beyond our waistlines.

For example: Did that cow have a good life? Are those grains ancient? Was this cassava root blessed by a shaman?

Aside from the hope that we’ll all have better karma if we give a damn about what we eat, food provenance also asks bigger questions about the original uses of foods. One might argue it also inspires us to think about the love and effort that went into handcrafting this artisan stinging nettle tea, which can later be used as a poultice for arthritic knees.

While it might seem comfortable to be blissfully unaware of where your nourishment comes from, the argument for being a pretentious purchaser of

produce is a valid one. Are you part of the problem or part of the solution? This applies to your person (will you need cholesterol medication and insulin injections by the age of 60?). And also to the planet (do your BBQ ribs contribute to global warming and deforestation?)

With every question we ask at a restaurant, every café we visit, every ingredient we buy, we are faced with the opportunity to make a conscious choice for our health, the health of our community, and the health of the planet. If you add all your meals up, that is about 21 times a week you can rest in the knowledge that you are contributing to a better world.

Take your grocery and produce bags to the store.

Don’t buy stuff with lots of packaging. Choose locally grown and raised. And maybe even start growing some of your own herbs in a kitchen window. // Ammi Midstokke takes her knowledge of food provenance to a new level by naming most of her vegetable plants after Kentucky Derby winners in the hope that it will inflate their egos and make them good producers. Last month, she wrote about making lettuce edible.

Ammi Midstokke’s “Advice for Anyone on Anything” Column (Online at Outthereoutdoors.com)

If you enjoy Ammi’s “Eatology” column in each issue of Out There, check out her new onlineonly “Advice for Anyone on Anything” column at Outthereoutdoors.com/?s=ask+ammi. Or send her your nutrition, health, outdoor fitness, or other random advice question at ammi@ twobirdsnutrition.com.

JUNE 2019 / OUTTHEREOUTDOORS.COM

19

RaceReport

LEFT: PRIEST LAKE SWIM. // MIDDLE: 7 SUMMITS. // RIGHT: PRIEST LAKE BIKE RIDE. // ALL PHOTOS ARE COURTESY OF THE RACES.

CHELANMAN TRIATHLON (JULY 20 & 21)

The ChelanMan is a multi-sport weekend on the shores of Lake Chelan. Since 2007, it has provided opportunities for athletes of different interests and abilities. In addition to the sprint, Olympic, and halfironman distance triathlons, the weekend includes a first-timer triathlon, a youth triathlon, a 10K run, and a half marathon run. They also have a Splash-n-Dash so the whole family can participate.

Lake Chelan Multisport Foundation and local partners put on the whole weekend, and they donate all profits to arts, literature, and wellness programs for youth in the Chelan Valley.

The event shows off many of Lake Chelan’s best features. From the swim along Lakeside Park, to the bike on South Lakeshore Road, to the out-and-back run, athletes will have plenty of scenery to appreciate as they take on the event’s motto: Go long, go deep! (Summer Hess) 7 SUMMITS (AUG. 10)

With the help of the Forest Service, Trail Maniacs is holding the 7 Summits event as an official race on Saturday, Aug. 10. Race distances will include: a 100K run, 50-mile run, 50K run, and a 50-mile relay.

The race will start at the Canfield trail system near Coeur d’Alene and end at Scott’s Field in Farragut State Park. The seven summits include: West Canfield, East Canfield, Huckleberry, Spades, South Chilco, North Chilco, and Bernard Peak.

Throughout the course runners will experience views of Fernan Lake, Lake Coeur d’Alene, Hayden Lake, and Lake Pend Oreille, as well as views of the Selkirks. The 7 Summits event originated as a race between mountain bikers and runners. The idea first came to Dave Dutro in 2013 when he rode the route and wondered “if a hardy trail runner would be faster than a mountain biker.”

In 2015, Trail Maniacs held the first 7 Summits Fata$$—mountain bikers vs. trail runners—and repeated the event the following year. The original course was 53 miles and had a 50 percent “did not finish” (DNF) rate, which is proof of how tough the route is.

The Trail Maniacs are able to offer 150 primitive camping spots at Scott’s Field where there is potable water, pit toilets, and a large shelter where a potluck and trail running movies will be provided Friday evening. Yard games will be provided on race day to entertain spectators, and post-race food will include tacos and refreshments by Growler Guys CDA. (Allison Armfield) PRIEST LAKE OLYMPIC & SPRINT TRIATHLON (AUG 24)

Swim, bike, and run in and around stunning Priest Lake, Idaho, in the Priest Lake Triathlon on August 24.

The stunning beauty of Priest Lake provides athletes with classic Northwest views as they compete around the forested hillsides around the lake. If you’re traveling with family or want to play after the race, take advantage of the local camping as well as mountain biking and hiking on a network of uncrowded trails.

The Priest Lake Triathlon offers two race distances, each with an individual or relay option. The Olympic Triathlon includes a 1,500M swim, 40K road bike course, and 10K run. The Sprint Triathlon includes a 395-yard swim, 11-mile mountain bike course, and 3.1-mile run. Relays in either distance can consist of two or three athletes doing any combination of legs. All race participants will receive a technical finisher shirt and a finisher medal with an award-winning design.

As added competition, you can assemble a team of 5-7 participants for team racing, which will allow your team to get points based on how each individual did in their age division. Race awards and prizes are sponsored by Altra. Sign up before the price increase at the end of July! (Lisa Laughlin) //

SMOKECHASER

Mountain Trail Race 30k and 5 mile September 7, 2019

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OUTTHEREOUTDOORS.COM / JUNE 2019

UrbanOutdoors WHERE URBAN MEETS THE OUTDOORS The West Coast Festival Scene // By Katie Botkin I’M AT LUCIDITY FESTIVAL outside of Santa Barbara with my new friend Mary from Spokane, setting up tents. We’ve packed her minivan with sheepskin rugs, funky clothes from the thrift store, jugs we filled on the way down at the headwaters of the Sacramento River.

As we set up for the four days we’ll be there, we reminisce about other festivals: Oregon Eclipse in 2017 was the first one we’d both gone to, although we didn’t meet then. Witnessing a total eclipse with approximately 50,000 other awe-struck people from around the globe was more profound than either of us had expected; dancing and talking with pockets of them afterwards to world-infused house music felt like a celebration of everything that was possible under the sun. Both of us started attending other festivals as a result.

Mary talks about how she was given tickets to Burning Man, the grandfather of the West Coast festival scene. Burning Man is not a “music festival,” although music is present; it’s a “transformational” festival. People go to Burning Man for a variety of reasons: to witness the otherworldly and surreal, to dance, to party, to pray. It’s populated with hippie stereotypes, both good and bad. However, people from every walk of life attend, from the Silicon Valley tech bro to the middle-aged European tourist.

From a tiny event in 1986, Burning Man grew to a behemoth, an exclusive, lavish, art-filled city in the inhospitable Black Rock Desert. Other festivals eagerly took up the task of providing something a little less challenging.

In theory, you could go to a festival almost every

weekend, hopping in early summer along the California coast from Lucidity to Desert Hearts to Lighting in a Bottle. In August, you can go to Beloved in Oregon, or Shambhala near Nelson, British Columbia. Those are some of the big ones, and hundreds of offshoots are smaller and more regional. SummerFest in Sandpoint (July 12-14) is a tiny, kid-friendly version.

At Shambhala, happening Aug. 9-12 this year, you can swim in the river as you listen to Sunday morning grooves at the house stage. You can find a perch and watch 19 year olds in glowsticks and spandex twirl to bass or hip-hop. Or you can relax in a hammock and talk to strangers about the cosmos.

The festivals are a mix of learning —yoga, dance, or possibly how to flirt in a non-creepy way—and music, mostly electronic but also live. There are communal spots, tree forts, and teahouses. There may be drum circles or late-night, spontaneous singing by the central fires. There may be mud baths; a giant Chewbacca painted onto a 30-foot high decal; or mechanical art that shoots fire.

Art, music, learning, connection, and selfdiscovery are constants. Each festival has mixed the ingredients differently, however. Shambhala is known as the party scene that young rave kids flock to; Beloved, from Aug. 9-12, is smaller, less manic, and heavier on the learning.

Even within one festival, there are a variety of experiences. At moments—when the smoke blows in from forest fires, or the dust rises and face masks come out—you may feel as though you’re in a postapocalyptic episode of Mad Max where everyone is

ECLIPSE WATCHING AT OREGON ECLIPSE FESTIVAL. // PHOTO: KATIE BOTKIN

getting in their last rites before the world ends. At other times, you may find yourself in the happiest spot on earth, drinking perfectly-brewed tea in a luxurious tent with strangers who greet you as if you’re a best friend they haven’t met yet.

The last night at Lucidity, I stay up until 5:30 a.m.

Mary is sleeping, but I’ve found my festival groove.

I’m totally sober, dancing all night with a crew from San Francisco. After the closing ceremony, one of the women breaks down weeping, overwhelmed at what she’s processing internally. She leans into a tree and asks that we hug her. We do, eight of us, a dozen, it’s hard to say, surrounding her in our long coats and resting against one another. We breathe

with her, transformed into one large organism with a shared set of methodical lungs. She calms. She says thank you. It’s a simple thing, standing tightknit with your fellow human beings and breathing together deliberately to calm down, but I’ve never done it before.

I have been to more than 30 countries, countless small towns, and micro-communities, and never have I seen anything so curious and so welcoming. // Katie Botkin is the managing editor of MultiLingual magazine and enjoys writing about culture and movement. She wrote about backyard fire pits in July 2018.

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Nature THE HUMAN TRAITS OF MAGPIES // By Adam Gebauer

ers, eating anything from seeds and fruit to small rodents and squirrels to carrion. Sometimes they steal kills from coyotes.

Counter to the term “bird brained,” more and more studies are showing that corvids, including magpies, are highly intelligent birds. Their brain-tobody mass ratio is equal to dolphins and great apes and only slightly less than humans. Corvids can recall where they have stored food up to nine moths later. Crows in urban areas of Japan have learned to use traffic lights to crack nuts. They wait with humans for the cross walk light and place walnuts where cars will roll over and crack the nuts. They again wait for lights to change and so they can cross safely to retrieve their open snack (check it out on YouTube).

Magpies are known to make and use tools to

will also watch where other birds and mammals store food and then pilfer their stash. Magpies will even create several false caches of their own food in order to throw off other thieving animals.

In more recent times, magpies have been persecuted and killed to aid other game bird species.

Although magpies like other Corvidaes are nest predators, studies have shown that eggs make up a very small percentage of their diet, and they have little impact on game bird populations. In fact, contrary to being a pest, these birds serve several ecological benefits. The bulk of their diet consists of carrion, thus helping to reduce the number of dead animals lying around our forests and roadsides. They also pick and eat ticks off the backs of animals such as deer, moose, and elk.

We often overlook these common birds. But if we take time to look closely, magpies live highly social, complex lives that frequently intersect with our own. If you are interested in watching

IN FACT, CONTRARY TO BEING A PEST, THESE BIRDS SERVE SEVERAL ECOLOGICAL BENEFITS. these charismatic birds, look for trails that head through open areas, fields, and riparian areas.

Slavin Conservation Area just south of Spokane along Hightway 195 and the BLM trailhead at Crab Creek-Rock Ford (also called Goose Butte) west of Sprague are great places to catch glimpses of magpies. //

*OAC NMLS 407890

THE FIRST TIME I encountered the mischievous antics of a black-billed magpie was during my first cross-country drive. I was setting up camp in Arches National Park and noticed large, crowlike birds strutting with their striking contrasts of black and white feathers. I had placed my lunch on the picnic table while I set up my tent and turned my back for a minute, when I heard the rustling of my bag of Fritos. I turned to see bluegreen iridescent wings with white tips trying to make off with a full bag of chips.

Black-billed magpies (Pica hudsonia) are ubiquitous birds of open range, farms, and riparian area of the Intermountain West. These large gregarious birds are members of the Corvidae family, which are relatives of crows, ravens, and jays. Like most birds in this family, they are opportunistic feed-

cut food for chicks and to mimic human voices. A recent study even shows that magpies can identify their own reflection in the mirror (again, YouTube it!), which in the past was only thought to be a trait of humans and a few other primates.

Echoing another human trait, magpies mate for life. Males will use their long tails as a courtship display. A pair bonds when they choose their first nest site, although sometimes females and males disagree and start to build separated nests. Once they have settled on a nest site, male and female both take part in nest building, sometimes taking 40 days to complete their large nests. The male gathers sticks for the outside of the nest while the female lines the inside with a layer of mud and grass, where she will lay 1-9 eggs.

During certain times of the year, these social birds will live in large clans called “parliaments” that can include several generations of family members.

Magpies will even gather for a “funeral” for fellow magpies. When a dead magpie is discovered, a magpie will call loudly to attract others. It has been proposed that these birds are trying to determine the cause of death. If the culprit is a hawk, they use their gathered number to harass and chase off the predator.

The trait of thievery has also linked magpies closely to humans, and they use us as an easy food source. There is documentation of these birds following hunting parties of Plains Indians and feeding on discarded buffalo carcasses.

Lewis and Clark even noted that magpies would boldly enter their tents to steal food. This association has led this bird to be featured repeatedly in Native American lore as messengers or guides. They

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OUTTHEREOUTDOORS.COM / JUNE 2019

AirSports FREE FLYING OVER EASTERN WASHINGTON // By Carol Christensen

PILOT SOARING OVER STEPTOE BUTTE. PHOTO: TIM GREY

Wednesday Market Starts June 12th

Come See Us

Every Saturday THE SPRING BREEZE chases across Saltese Uplands, and gray clouds glide overhead as the pilots watch the windsocks carefully, gauging the air they intend to ride. Watching the paraglider pilots prep their gear takes me back to my own (single) successful flight outside of Tekoa, and I’m revisited by humankind’s age-old desire to take to the skies and soar with the birds. And evidently, I’m not the only one.

“Free flight” refers to methods of flight, like hang gliding and paragliding, that don’t rely on engines.

According to Steve Baran, the president of Spokane’s free flight club—Center of Lift—and a hang glider pilot since the 1970s, there is a huge uptick in interest for airborne activities. And it’s no wonder! With dozens of areas nearby to fly and entry-level used gear on the market for under $2,000, the sports are more accessible locally than ever.

While visiting Saltese, I chat with a few flyers.

Irena Pia describes her husband, Ian, as a selftaught enthusiast. “He built a hang glider when he was a teenager, and then a little over a year ago, found a used set-up online.” The couple is entering law school at Gonzaga and lives close to Saltese so they can practice their paragliding skills.

It can be tough to break into the sport if you’re hoping for professional instruction. The closest certified instructor is in Cashmere, and although there are lots of local certified pilots, the cost and red tape involved in being an instructor can be a barrier.

According to Baran, many flight communities are supported by local cooperatives that function with trained pilots; loaner gear; and members who pay dues to enjoy lessons, access to gear, and insurance for local flying areas. He’d like to see this model take off in Spokane.

Center of Lift has been hard at work for years, securing areas that are legal for free flight as well as safer and more accommodating, with parking, camping, restroom facilities, and solid landing

zones. Sometimes that means clearing a site or securing approval and insurance for private property. It can mean rerouting fencing, revisiting old policy language, or calling a landowner to explain what the sport is about and how the pilots care for the areas in which they love to fly.

On the surface, free flight can seem like a highrisk activity, one that deters many. Every pilot I’ve experienced, though, has been realistic about the risk and errs on the side of caution. “If in doubt, wait it out,” paraglider pilot Ian Brookwell says, as we all gaze toward oncoming breeze. Nevertheless, he and Brendan Duddy shoulder their gear—wings, rescue parachutes, harnesses, and helmets—and head up a hill toward the middle of the conservation area. There’s a break in the clouds and it looks like the wind might calm down, providing steady lift instead of inconsistent gusts.

If you’re interested in free flight, the first step is to become a weather nerd. Because free flight is actually gliding—which is really a carefully controlled fall—having a gentle, consistent breeze to keep you airborne is critical. If it’s too windy, or if there are gusts, a pilot runs the risk of collapsing a wing or not being able to take off.

Those who recreate outdoors are no strangers to “hurry up and wait,” as we try to find the best conditions to practice our passions. Whether it’s whitewater paddlers planning their line, downhill bikers waiting their turn to shred, or day hikers waiting for a break in the rain, we all know the feeling of anticipation as we imagine the moment of freedom.

I watch as Ian and Brendan stand at the cusp of the hill, faces to the wind, waiting for their time. It turns out their time isn’t today. But that’s why they both live nearby. So they can try again tomorrow. //

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Carol Christensen loves mountain biking and bikepacking on local trails with her 6-year-old adventure buddy. This is her first article for Out There.

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23

WaterSports TWO OREGON RIVER TRIPS FOR FAMILIES & BEGINNERS // By Harley McAllister

LEFT: THERE ARE NO BAD VIEWS ALONG THE GRANDE RONDE. // MIDDLE: EVENING SETS IN THE MIDDLE SECTION OF THE JOHN DAY RIVER. // LEFT: HARLEY MCALLISTER'S YOUNGEST SON WITH HIS FIRST FISH. PHOTOS: HARLEY MCALLISTER

IF YOU ARE LOOKING for outdoor adventure, whitewater rafting will deliver. But an excellent way to add even more adventure is to spend three or more days floating a longer section of river while camping along the riverbank as you go. The Inland Northwest abounds with such opportunities, and if you are looking for an introduction to this activity, there are two rivers in Oregon that are perfect for entry-level rafters—the Grande Ronde and the John Day. THE GRANDE RONDE RIVER

The Grande Ronde is located in the extreme northeast corner of Oregon, and actually flows into Washington before emptying into the Snake River a short ways upstream from Lewiston and Clarkston. The rafting section of the river is 38 miles long and very scenic, and at normal flows it can easily be floated in two to three days with enough time to drive home the last day. It has a few fun rapids that pose little danger, and it has wilderness-like qualities because most of it flows through an area with no roads. This means you are likely to see some wildlife as you float along.

In fact the last time our family went, we saw bald eagles carrying fish and attacking a flock of Canada geese. We even glimpsed a mountain goat that was surprisingly close to the river. Watch out for rattlesnakes that can make an appearance on beaches and in camp.

The Grande Ronde flows through the Blue Mountains in an area of mixed conifers. The river

canyon is fairly dry, and it has plenty of benches of Ponderosa pine that make great camp spots. The river has a few class II rapids and one class III called Red or House Rock, which is probably the shortest and most straightforward class III I’ve ever encountered. It’s easy to spot due to the house-sized rock that narrows the channel and creates the rapid, and a quick scout will show you how to navigate it safely to the left of the boulder. At normal flows none of these rapids would flip a proper whitewater raft, but during spring run-off you will need expert skills to stay safe.

THE JOHN DAY RIVER

The John Day River is in north central Oregon, so it has more of a high desert landscape. The rafting section is below the mountains, so there is less of a gradient and fewer rapids. There are more put-in options on this river, so the length can vary from 35 to 48 miles. If you take out at the Clarno bridge, you will really never encounter a rapid that is more than a class II, so this is truly a beginner river. What you will experience, however, is plenty of rolling scenery and an incredible abundance of smallmouth bass.

If the Grande Ronde is more about scenery and remote camping, then the John Day is more about fishing. We are not expert bass fisherman, but we still caught a tremendous number of smallmouths on our first float down this river. The John Day does pass through some agricultural areas with quite a bit of private land—so finding camp spots can be a

little trickier—but the BLM river map makes it quite clear where you can and can’t stay with designated camp spots clearly marked.

Both of these rivers offer a great introduction to multi-day rafting with unique features. They are family friendly and ready made for memorable adventures. More information on both rivers can be found by searching the www.americanwhitewater. org site. Both rivers are administered by the Bureau of Land Management, which offers float guides for

each river. Contact the Prineville, Ore., office of the BLM for the John Day, and the Baker, Ore., field office for the Grande Ronde. // Harley McAllister and his wife Abby write guidebooks for family vacations to our National Parks, based on their experiences with their own rambunctious kids. You can learn more at www.nationalparkswithkids.com. He most recently wrote about fishing Washington’s high lakes in the summer of 2018.

Planning Information

The Grande Ronde river trip actually begins on the Minam River at Minam State Park, which joins the main river 10 miles downstream. The takeout is 38 miles downstream from the start at the Powwatka bridge, located about 7 miles upstream of Troy, Ore. Car shuttles can be arranged through the Minam Store.

The typical John Day float trip starts at Service Creek and ends at the Clarno Bridge 48 miles downstream. You can also shave 13 miles off the trip by starting at the Twickenham boat launch. Car shuttles can be arranged with the Service Creek Stage Stop.

Recommended flows on both rivers are from 1,000 cfs to 6,000 cfs. Google search “USGS Grande Ronde at Troy” or “USGS John Day at Service Creek” for flow information. Above 6,000 feet is not recommended for beginning rafters. Both of these rivers run free of dams, so it is important to check flows as they will vary substantially depending on warm weather, which causes snow melt up high, and rain.

All river camping trips are strictly pack-in, pack-out when it comes to waste—including human waste. You will need a portable toilet that can withstand the rigors of a raft trip, a fire pan if you want a campfire, dry bags for clothing and camping gear, a dry box for cooking gear, and a cooler for food.

All of these will be secured to the frame on the raft, and the required gear can be rented from Eastern Washington University’s Epic Outdoors program in Cheney or from the University of Idaho’s Outdoor Program office in Moscow.

SUM MER s t r

a t S Here

Paddle Boards * Summer Apparel * Sunglasses * Tubes * Surf Boards * Water Skis 24

OUTTHEREOUTDOORS.COM / JUNE 2019

Hiking HIKING THE OREGON BUTTE LOOP // By Paul Chisholm

SUNSET VIEWS. // PHOTO: PAUL CHISHOLM

EARLY SUMMER is a great time to visit the wildflower-rich meadows dotting the ridgetops throughout the Blue Mountains. This 20-mile loop traverses the heart of the range and tags 6,387-foot Oregon Butte, the tallest point in southeast Washington. And while the route stays high, it’s never dry—thanks to plentiful springs that attract wildlife.

The Rattlesnake Trail leaves directly from Panjab Campground. Ford Panjab Creek (can be spicy in high water) and immediately switchbacks up the ridge. The trail climbs nearly 2,000 feet in 2 miles—a slog, for sure! But you’ll get views of the surrounding canyons from the open ridgeline, which is carpeted in a sea of arrowleaf balsamroot in early summer.

After 2.5 miles, you’ll emerge into a wildflowerchoked meadow upon a flat-topped ridge—the sort of open parkland the Blue Mountains are known

for. In early summer, melting snow gives way to glacier lilies, Jacob’s shooting star, lupine, and scarlet gilia. It’s not a bad spot to catch your breath. Best of all, you’ve finished the biggest climb of the hike.

It’s all gravy from here!

Hear something gurgling? If it’s not your stomach, it’s Alnus Spring, a few hundred feet north of the trail (a topo-enabled GPS is helpful for finding it). As you continue down the trail, you’ll pass near Red Fir Spring, south (downhill) of the trail and out of sight in the trees.

These springs make the ridges of the Blue Mountains great places to camp. Elk like to hang out near the springs, too, since they’re the only place to get water during the hot summer months.

You can catch them grazing in the meadows near the trees at dusk and dawn.

Continuing south from Red Fir Spring, you’ll take the middle trail at a four-way intersection near mile 6. The gently rolling trail stays atop the ridge, poking in and out of little patches of forest until it reaches a half-mile side trail to Oregon Butte near mile 9.5.

Oregon Butte is the tallest point in southeast Washington, and the 360-degree view from the summit is well worth the trip. Gaze down into the crumbly, 3,000-foot-deep basalt chasm carved by Third Creek, and then up to the hulking, 9,000foot silhouettes of the Wallowa Mountains 50 miles away. There’s a fire lookout here that’s staffed during the summer—feel free to visit, but remember, you’re a guest in someone’s home.

Continue following the ridgeline west for 3 miles to Teepee Campground. From the campground, take the trail heading north, which drops you into Turkey Creek. Now you’re in a whole new world—

gone are the dry, sun-baked ridges, replaced by a fast-flowing stream and dark, spooky forest. If you’re lucky, you might glimpse a Lewis’s woodpecker, a brilliant pink and green bird that hangs out in these parts from April through October.

Four miles from Teepee Campground, you’ll hit the Panjab Trail. Stay left, and hike a mile and a quarter along the creek back to the road. To complete the loop, walk (or shuttle) 2 miles down the road back to your car.

GETTING THERE

From Spokane, drive south on Highways 195, 26, 127, and 12 to Tucannon Road. Turn left (east) on Tucannon Road and drive 32 miles. At the fork,

stay right on Forest Road 4713. Drive 0.3 miles to the kiosk at Panjab Campground (not to be confused with Panjab Trailhead, 2 miles farther down the road). There is no formal trailhead for the Rattlesnake Trail. There are several pull-offs near the kiosk where you can park; alternatively, if you have a Discover Pass, you can park in the dirt lot across the road on state property. // Paul Chisholm is a biologist who is currently researching forest ecology in southeast Alaska. He wrote about climbing Mt. Chisholm for the July 2018 issue of Out There. Follow him on Twitter at @PaulJChisholm.

BLUE MOUNTAIN CABINS

PHOTO: PAUL CHISHOLM

Ever wanted your own private cabin in the woods? The Forest Service rents out former ranger stations in the Blue Mountains for an affordable price. They’re a great option for staging near the trailhead the night before your hike or recuperating after you’re finished. If you’d rather not rough it, rent the Tucannon Guard Station ($100/night), which offers showers and electricity in a peaceful setting along the Tucannon River. If you’re up for something a bit more rustic, reserve the Clearwater Lookout Cabin ($50/night) atop a ridge at 5,600 feet. On a clear day, you can just barely see the outlines of Cascade volcanoes on the horizon—one of the longest unobstructed sight lines in the United States! Check out both of them (and others) at recreation.gov.

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KEITH APPLETON, educ ation outre ach officer

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OUTTHEREOUTDOORS.COM / JUNE 2019

July 13-14

Camp Sekani Park on the Spokane River

9AM-10PM Saturday 9AM-3PM Sunday

Biggest Bike and water sports

demo Event of the Summer.

Try awesome outdoor activities Sign up early Online at spokatopia.com

Free Yoga Classes Outdoor Gear Deals

Beer Garden Slacklining & Bouldering PaddleBoard Demos

Live Music Spokatopia Trail Run + Trail running Clinic

Kids strider bike demos

Hammock garden Paddleboarding + SUP Yoga Rappelling + Kayaking + Mountain biking Disc Golf + Canoeing + Rock Climbing

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JUNE 2019 / OUTTHEREOUTDOORS.COM

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festival guide SATURDAY JULY 13, 9 AM-10 PM Sunday July 14, 9 am - 3 pm

CAMP SEKANI PARK/BOULDER BEACH, SPOKANE, WA DETAILS @ SPOKATOPIA.COM

FREE GENERAL ADMISSION

Demo & Activity passes $5 - $50 Spokatopia Activities

A Whole Summer’s Worth of Fun in One weekend

The 5th annual Spokatopia Outdoor Adventure Festival is the place to try new bikes, paddleboards and other water sports gear; learn new outdoor skills; and check out the latest outdoor gear.

Mountain Biking

Try some of the best bikes out there on miles of scenic singletrack trails for all abilities.

Paddling

Try stand up paddleboards, kayaks, canoes, and other water sports gear on the lake-like waters of the Spokane River at Boulder Beach.

Food Trucks

5K Spokatopia Trail Run (July 14)

This 5K trail run through the pines provides a perfect start to day 2 of Spokatopia!

Outdoor Yoga for Everyone & Yoga for Runners & Cyclists Bring a mat if you have one and loose-fitting clothing for several free classes.

E-bikes & Road Bikes

Test the latest e-bikes and commuter and cruiser bikes on the paved Centennial Trail.

Slacklining

Test your balance on a series of slacklines set up in the trees.

Hammock Garden

ENO Hammocks + Trees + Live Music = LOVE.

REI Campground

Roast a s’more, make a trail mix bar, learn a new outdoors skill, and enjoy a campsite setting with tents, games, and fun.

Bouldering/Rock Climbing

Get your Spiderman on (kids and adults) with multiple routes on the Bloc Yard Bouldering Gym climbing wall.

Kids Strider Balance Bike Demos

Ages 2-5 will love riding these balance bikes on flat grass and trail in the trees next to the adult beverage garden.

First Interstate Bank Sponsored Lawn Games

Cornhole, Giant Jenga, Connect Four, and more games for all ages including kids' treasure digging in the Game Cave.

Spokatopia SUP Cup Paddleboard Race

Recreational and elite paddlers will compete for prizes and cash (Sunday from 1-3 p.m.).

Live Music Matt Mitchell

Enjoy live music all weekend long from Americana and reggae to folk and rock n' roll.

(acoustic rock n’ roll & Americana) River City Roots (reggae) Sovereign Citizen (cowboy grunge) Haley and the Hitchhikers (folk rock) Joe Cajon (hand pan drumming) Wyatt Wood (solo acoustic rock n’ roll) James Walker (didgeridoo beats) Tommy Petrie (classic country)

Festival Exhibitors

Check out some of the Northwest’s best bike shops, outdoor retailers, clubs and organizations, travel destinations, and more for gear deals, expert information, and trail and travel beta.

find answers to all your spokatopia questions at

www.Spokatopia.com

presented by

#2 Outdoor festival in washington 2018 (stepoutside.org) 28

OUTTHEREOUTDOORS.COM / JUNE 2019

Biggest Bike Demo Event of the Year Thinking about upgrading your ride? Try the latest and greatest bikes from your favorite brands and the Inland Northwest’s best bike shops all in one place. Test ride mountain bikes and e-bikes on miles of cross-country singletrack and downhill trails or take a cruise on a variety of skinny-tire bikes on the paved Centennial Trail.

check spokatopia.com for updates on demo bikes that will be on hand this year.

play in the spokane river Paddleboard, Canoe & Kayak Demos Splash around and cool off on different types of inflatable paddleboards, kayaks and canoes from local shops and national brands.

Spokatopia Demo Pass Tickets

General admission to Spokatopia is free, but the most fun activities require a demo pass good for the whole weekend. Buy your pass online in advance (before July 7) and save or pick one up at Spokatopia (in the meadow or at the beach). These different demo pass options come with access to different types of bikes and watersports gear. Visit the website for more information about demo passes.

Limited Camping this year!

kids pass (under 12): $5 All kids' activities.

Adventure Pass: $10 ($7 online) All activities, REI bike demos, and most water sports demos.

family pass/2 kids & 2 adults: $20 ($17 online) All kids’ activities and Adventure Pass demos.

Expert Bike Pass: $50 ($40 online) All activities, most water sports demos, and all bike demos, including high-end bikes.

Expert Watersports pass: $30 ($20 Online)

Spokatopia Bonus Bag ($25)!

Don’t forget your This bag is full of SWAG! Take home discount passes and deals to other activities in the region that you’ll love, like a 2-for-1 Silver Mountain Bike Park Pass, Wild Walls Climbing Gym pass, and more worth over $50! The Bonus Bag will include a basic Adventure Pass wristband too ($10 value).

Top-of-the-line canoes & kayaks from Mountain Gear.

VIP All Access Pass: $85 ($65 online)

All activities and bike and water sports demos included plus a beverage ticket and bonus bag with a 2-for-1 Silver Mountain Bike Park pass and more swag and deals included!

*Discount available online before July 7

What to Bring for Demos Bring your own helmet, a current ID, and your riding gear for bike demos, and a swimsuit, towel, and ID for water sports demos (life jackets provided).

JUNE 2019 / OUTTHEREOUTDOORS.COM

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Outdoor Adventure Clinics Try a New Outdoor sport!

Spokatopia Bikes & Brews Beverage Garden Enjoy beverages from Millwood Brewing Co., No-Li, Ground Breaker Brewing (gluten-free), One Tree Hard Cider, Bare Culture Kombucha, RAiNIER and more!

All proceeds benefit Evergreen East Mountain Bike Alliance so enjoy a beverage and support our local mountain bike trails!

getting there Camp Sekani Park is located between downtown Spokane and Spokane Valley at 6707 E. Upriver Drive on the north side of the Spokane River.

Parking is limited so please carpool, ride your bike, or use one of these options: 1. Roadside Parking: Shoulder parking in select, signed locations on E. Upriver Drive.

2. Park & Ride Van Shuttles: Park at nearby Pasadena Elementary or the neighboring church parking lot (1-mile east on Upriver Drive) and catch a van shuttle every 15 minutes.

Give a new outdoor activity a try this summer or build your skills with one of the Spokane Parks and Recreation guided Adventure Clinics. Sign up in advance at Spokatopia.com/adventure-clinics to learn from a crew of friendly experts.

Intro to Rock Climbing & Rappelling Disc Golf Intro Voyageur 8 Person Canoe Tour Stand Up Paddleboard Yoga Tandem Kayak Tour Stand Up Paddleboard Lesson

spokatopia trail Run Kick off your day at the Spokatopia Outdoor Adventure Festival with a fun 5K run through the pines.

$20 registration includes Spokatopia festival pass, optional trail running clinic, & Spokatopia bandana!

Details at Spokatopia.com Sponsored by:

#STAYCATION #ONETREE4ALL ONETREEHARDCIDER.COM

PACK IT IN, PACK IT OUT

3. Bike or Park & Bike: Ride from home or park at Avista Utilities (1411 E. Mission Ave.) and ride your bike 4.6 miles on the Centennial Trail and use the secure, free bike corral at the festival!

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OUTTHEREOUTDOORS.COM / JUNE 2019

@ July 16th July 23rd

&

Complimentary admission for TOYOTA DRIVERS. Voucher required. Pick yours up at your local Toyota Dealer starting June 1st.

One voucher for the driver only.

Brought to you by your local Toyota Dealers!

JUNE 2019 / OUTTHEREOUTDOORS.COM

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OutdoorLiving

ILLINOIS AVE URBAN FARM STAND: A CULTURAL HISTORY // By Kathleen E. Callum

SPOKANE VALLEY 2019

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AUTHOR TILLING THE FLOWER BEDS AROUND THE FARMHOUSE IN UNITY, NEW HAMPSHIRE IN THE 1960S. // ABOVE: POLISH MINER FAVA BEAN VARIETAL NAMED FIOLETOWY CZYZOWSKICH. PHOTOS COURTESY OF KATHLEEN CALLUM

WE GARDEN OUT OF A LOVE FOR HERITAGE.

My husband and I are archeologists. He grew up with Polish parents, going to a Polish church in upstate New York, weeding a Polish-American garden, and picking mulberries. I grew up in rural New England, learning about farming from my French-Canadian mother and my Scottishdescent father—not to mention my grandparents, my great-grandparents, and a bustling family of many cousins, aunts, and uncles.

Against the backdrop of childhood, my grandparents grew dried beans. I remember plunging my hands into a 15 gallon galvanized metal stock tub heavy with dried beans. Gramp just knew them as “Uncle John’s beans,” because he got them from his older brother John, who got them from someone else, who may have gotten them from the agricultural experiment station at the University of New Hampshire.

Those dried beans of my childhood were dark maroon, speckled with pink, and plump. They made mouth-watering New England maple baked beans cooked by either Grammy or Mom, in cast iron pots simmering all day on wood stoves. The beans joined brown bread baked in cans, still hot when we clomped in, wet and hungry, from a day in the sugar woods.

Years later, the memory of those long-gone dried beans became my gateway to seed saving. Trying to discover what the beans were a little too late, I grew out beans with names like “Low’s Champion,” “King of The Early,” “Jacob’s Cattle,” and “Vermont Cranberry” from old-fashioned catalogs like Pinetree Seeds, High Mowing, and Seed Saver’s Exchange. I loved the idea of New England’s “Bean Man,” John Earl Withee, Jr. In his later years, Withee went on to donate his 1,186 bean collection of New England’s bean biodiversity to the nonprofit Seed Saver’s Exchange (SSE) in Decorah, Iowa.

What many don’t know is that SSE networks hundreds of seed savers around the globe through its annual “member’s only” yearbook. My husband and I joined and started sending for seeds like Biały (Polish for white) Carrots from a seed saver in Sweden, Tyborski Plum tomatoes from a defunct land grant agricultural experiment station in the Midwest, Polish fava beans, and Jaune du Poitou leeks from William Woys Weaver, author of Heirloom Vegetables.

We dabbled in brightly colored carrots, dozens of tomatoes, and raised beds. As archeologists we were on a quest to recreate our genealogical roots by growing interesting vegetables and fruits. We discovered white vegetables were historically prized in Poland because the ability to keep a dish light colored as it cooked on the wood stove demonstrated exceptional domestic talent.

We never did find the heirloom bean varietal from my childhood because our family became distracted with a move to Spokane, new jobs as archeologists for a federal agency and tribe, and new ground to garden and explore. We went on to plant Inchelium Red garlic, Long Island Cheese Pumpkins, and the same Scottish Bere Barley that David Thompson would have thrown down on promising river edges while exploring the Northwest.

One day, it dawned on us that we might be one of the last two growers of Tyborski Plum tomatoes left anywhere in the world. To encounter or learn more about our heirloom vegetables from the past, drop by Illinois Ave Urban Farm Stand at 1817 E. Illinois Ave. in Spokane. We are open by chance or appointment, (509)328-2523, especially on sunny days in the summer when the farm stand umbrella is out in the driveway. Our heritage is a seed to a sustainable future. //

RESOURCES & EVENTS FOR HEIRLOOM-LOVING GARDENERS

Looking to learn more about heirloom plants and how to grow them here in the Inland Northwest? Check out these resources and events.

RESOURCES

• Food Not Lawns INW Facebook Group • WSU Extension Classes • Spokane County Library District Seed Libraries • Spokane Public Library (Hillyard Branch) Seed Library • Seed Savers Exchange EVENTS

Jams & Jellies (Yum!) Wednesday, June 12, 5:30 to 7:30 p.m. or Saturday, June 15, 10 a.m. to 12 p.m. →WSU Spokane County Extension, 222 N Havana Inland Northwest Community Gardens Board Meeting (Public and community gardens welcome) Wednesday, June 17, 5 to 6:30 p.m. →WSU Extension, 222 North Havana Food for Thought Book Club Monday, June 24, 6 to 8 p.m.

“Rebuilding the Foodshed: How To Create Local, Sustainable, and Secure Food Systems,”

by Philip Ackerman →WSU Spokane County Extension, 222 N Havana Tomatoes: Sauces and Salsas Tuesday, July 9, 6:30 to 7:30 p.m. (free) →Eastside Library, 524 S. Stone St. Spokane Dehydrating Fruits and Veggies Wednesday, July 24, 5:30 to 7 p.m. ($20 to $30) →WSU Spokane County Extension, 222 N Havana Putting Up The Harvest—Food Preservation Friday, Aug. 9, 5 to 7 p.m. →Free with accompanying kids’ program hosted by Chief Garry Community Garden & Christ the King Church, 2103 E Mission Ave.

Running BACKPACKING FOR RUNNERS

A Quick Guide to Fastpacking // By Emily Erickson

Apparel: Just like with backpacking and trail running, having the right clothing for any condition you’re likely to encounter allows for a more enjoyable experience, no matter what the Inland Northwest weather throws at you.

Additionally, having a change of clothes for your non-running hours offers a little reprieve from your sweat-covered t-shirt and shorts while you rest.

Gear: First things first, you’re going to need a backpack. Your pack needs to be big enough to hold everything you need, while still being comfortable enough to run in. Brands like Ultimate Direction and Salomon make fastpack-specific packs, designed to hold between 15-25 liters of gear while distributing the pack load between chest, shoulder, and side straps. These packs have a multitude of pockets and can expand and collapse as you need more and less space.

Next, you’ll need equipment for camping.

Collapsible cooking pots and burners or small jet boils offer hot meal options and are worth packing if you have room. Weather depending, simply tie a tarp above your lightweight sleeping bag or hang a small hammock for tree-dense areas. If there’s rain in the forecast, carry your lightest tent and fly.

FASTPACKING THE WILD. // PHOTO: EMILY ERICKSON

DO YOU EVER FEEL LIKE just one day spent run-

ning in the mountains, loping over root-covered terrain, climbing up scree fields, whirling around switchbacks, and watching the sky change colors with the shifting sun is not enough? Or that getting up at dawn for a long run and having to rush back to your car by evening time feels like you’re missing out on more fun?

Well, we agree. Sometimes one day is just not enough time for running in the mountains. And we are not alone in feeling this way. Multi-day runs have been growing in popularity for years, and the Inland Northwest has more than enough trails and mountain wilderness to accommodate these trips.

Multi-day run trips are a combination of longdistance trail running and backpacking, commonly called “fastpacking.” Once figured out and properly prepared for, it gives you the best of both worlds: more time outside and more ground covered than your average weekend running or hiking trip.

FASTPACKING ESSENTIALS

Planning: When preparing to spend several days in the wilderness and away from access to goods and services, a bit of planning can go a long way.

This planning extends to drawing out a route, checking any up-to-date weather and trail conditions pertinent to your location, deciphering camp spots and water sources, learning about potential wildlife encounters, meal prepping, and packing appropriate gear.

Nutrition: Just like any other endurance activity, keeping yourself properly fueled is essential for having a positive experience and staying safe. More pronounced than with backpacking, carrying all of your food and water on your back during a run can be cumbersome and painful if not approached strategically.

Although it will take time to figure out which foods will prove best for your body and your backpack, dehydrated goods like oats, powdered potatoes, or packaged freeze-dried meals are a good place to start. In addition to your regular run-fuel items, dehydrated foods will work as pre and post-run meals that won’t weigh you down.

Hydration: Consider your access to fresh water sources along your planned route. Bring a filter or purification tablets along with your pre-filled bladders and bottles. Having enough liquids to maintain your hydration for the duration of your trip is key, especially when accounting for your increased need from perspiration and food prep.

Favorite Spots

Other essentials: Put together a small first aid kit, just as you would with backpacking and running, including essentials such as bandages (large and blister-sized), antibacterial ointment, athletic tape, benadryl, sunscreen, aspirin, baby wipes, and an irrigation syringe. Other useful items to consider include small amounts of rope, bear spray, a headlamp, toilet paper, instant coffee, trekking poles, spork and knife, a portable cell phone charger, and a map. // Emily Erickson is a Sandpoint-based freelance writer, trail runner, snowboarder, and mountain adventurer with a flair for hopping in alpine lakes and taking too many left turns.

for Fastpacking

The good news is you can fastpack anywhere you’d through hike, but as you’ll be running instead of backpacking, you can cover more ground. Hikes that would usually take 3 to 4 days can be finished in 2 days, depending on your fitness level and comfort in long distance running.

HELLS CANYON, IDAHO

Style: Out-and-Back Distance: Up to 40 miles Length: 2+ days Run along the Snake River on the Idaho side of Hells Canyon on this picturesque out-and-back. With riverside campsites along the way, run out as far as 20 miles before setting up camp. When morning comes and the light hits the valley differently, it will feel like a new run on the way back to your car.

LONG CANYON, IDAHO

r e m m su ts aw a i Plan your summer fun with our activity guide.

RECREATION CAMPS •

Ultimate Sports

•

Youth and Teen Outdoor Adventure

•

Corbin Art Camps

SOMETHING FOR EVERYONE •

Family Nights at the Pools

•

Softball

•

Kayaking and Stand Up Paddleboard Tours

SpokaneRec.org Call 311 or 509.755.2489

Style: Out-and-Back Distance: 28 miles Length: 2 days Run through an old growth forest and along a rushing creek north of Bonners Ferry and just below the Canadian border. Trail #16 is remote, with creek crossings throughout the spring and into the summer, and is often used by equestrians. There’s a rugged campsite just before mile 14.

SALMO-PRIEST LOOP, WASHINGTON

Style: Loop Distance: 20 miles Length: 1.5 days Outside of Colville, it doesn’t get much more remote than the Salmo-Priest Loop. Boasting old growth forest, the Salmo river, and mountain views, this trail is amazing.

KETTLE CREST TRAIL, WASHINGTON

Style: Point-to-Point Distance: 44 miles Length: 3 days Run along the ridge of Eastern Washington’s highest peaks, through sage-brush meadows, along wildflower paths, and gain almost 8,000 ft as you traverse the Kettle Crest Trail. As to not miss any of the spectacular views, we recommend this trip as a point-to-point by shuttling your vehicles with friends.

We offer hundreds of camps and classes—plus four golf courses, six aquatic centers, 17 splash pads and more than 80 parks.

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Soapbox GUEST EDITORIAL: RECKONING ON A RIVER // By Sam Mace

It’s past time to free the Snake River, remove the dams, invest in a new energy future and restore wild Salmon and Steelhead runs to Washington, Oregon and Idaho.

Together, we can replace energy from four deadbeat, fish-killing dams on the lower Snake River with renewable SOLAR energy! *(engiestorage.com/utilities) Solar farms with advanced battery storage, utilizing the existing grid infrastructure, will allow for dam removal without disruption of future power production and distribution, and save millions of taxpayer $$$ in maintenance costs.

Join fishermen, tribes, conservation groups and clean energy businesses in restoring a river, reviving a species and rebuilding the Snake, Clearwater, Salmon and lower Columbia River economies...

BONUS! Feed starving Puget Sound Orcas!

Get the facts. Get Involved.

c -Free the Snake River -Save Our Wild Salmon -Nimiipuu Protecting the Environment -“Dammed to Extinction”... the MOVIE!

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OUTTHEREOUTDOORS.COM / JUNE 2019

Online Resources wildsalmon.org *engiestorage.com backbonecampaign.org ecodepotinc.com

CLARKSTON SWIM BEACH BEFORE LOWER GRANITE DAM. // PHOTO: WSU ARCHIVES

FISHERMEN, RECREATION BUSINESSES, and friends of Northwest rivers welcomed two recent developments in a year of little good news for Snake River salmon and steelhead.

Returns of wild fish up the Snake to their home in Idaho are so meager that fisheries have already closed, affecting outfitters and rural communities throughout the basin. Mere hundreds of wild salmon and steelhead are returning to rivers where thousands should be. But there is reason for hope. Some cracks have appeared in the dam of opposition.

In recent months the salmon crisis has spurred action in both Washington and Idaho. First, as part of a package of actions to help starving southern resident killer whales, the Washington Legislature earmarked $750,000 for a stakeholder forum. The forum will explore what investments would be needed if a decision were made to restore the lower Snake River.

The very same week, Congressman Mike Simpson, senior Idaho Republican, committed to restoring Idaho’s salmon in a keynote address at the Boise-based Andrus Center. Concerned about the future of the Bonneville Power Administration (BPA) and its ability to continue providing low-cost power to the region, Simpson proposed working on a plan to save both salmon and BPA by asking the “hard questions” and putting all options on the table.

Neither action endorsed dam removal. Both, however, were calls for an honest conversation about what river restoration and dam removal would mean for the region if it occurs. While many stakeholders have long called for an open and creative dialogue with ports, shippers, farmers, and others who use or rely on the river in one way or another, some have fought to stop any conversation where dam removal is even mentioned. Just last month, Reps. Cathy McMorris-Rodgers and Dan Newhouse launched a full-on campaign against Governor Inslee’s support for stakeholder talks in an attempt to silence any discussion of a future without the dams.

What are they so afraid of?

If, in fact, four aging dams on the lower Snake River are the linchpin of the regional economy as the opposition claims, an honest transition planning process would surely reflect that.

But what if transition planning shows we can affordably replace the declining transportation and energy benefits? That irrigation can continue with modest infrastructure investments? And what if it shows that a restored river, fisheries, and recreation economy would be an economic boon in towns from Riggins to Clarkston, Walla Walla to Tri-Cities, and reaching as far as Spokane?

We won’t know unless we, as Rep. Simpson has urged, “ask the hard questions.”

While the status quo may be working fine now

for some ports, farmers, and irrigators, it’s not working well at all for our fisheries, the businesses that depend on them, the tribes that require them, and the recreational fishermen who live for catching them. More and more, it also is not working for BPA, on which so many of us depend for reliable, inexpensive, and clean power. In short, BPA is in a financial bind and the future does not look good.

The Inland Northwest should jump at the opportunity to reimagine the Snake River as it once was, and what a restored river could be. Done right, a stakeholder process would look both at how we replace the benefits of the dams and how we take advantage of the resources and amenities a restored lower Snake River would bring.

Imagine a free-flowing river coursing through a revitalized urban waterfront in downtown Clarkston/Lewiston, continuing 144 miles through the Palouse to Tri-Cities; more than 14,000 acres of riverfront land no longer under water, providing bird and wildlife habitat, hiking trails, hunting opportunities and camping; beautiful canyon walls, sweeping benches, river islands, and the Palouse River free flowing to its confluence with the Snake; boat launches supporting both motorized and nonmotorized boating—and, let’s not forget the abundant fishing.

Perhaps there is a place for long-lost agriculture to return? Many small farming communities were inundated by the dams, drowning productive fruit orchards. And, we can’t forget this land first belonged to the tribes. What lands could be returned and restored for cultural and traditional uses? What investments could we provide to towns near the river so they could take advantage of the new recreation economy, predicted by various independent economists to generate hundreds of millions of dollars and more annually in Eastern Washington alone?

Elected leaders in both Washington and Idaho have opened up a public space for envisioning what the largest river restoration in history could bring to the culture and economy of the Inland Northwest. However, entrenched interests are working overtime to squash any questioning of business-as-usual, of envisioning another future—one that includes abundant salmon, a restored river, and thriving local economies. We can’t let them do that. // Sam Mace is the Inland Northwest Director for Save Our Wild Salmon, a coalition of sport fishing groups and businesses, commercial fishing associations, and conservation organizations working to restore Columbia-Snake wild salmon and steelhead. She looks forward to one day launching on the Middle Fork of the Salmon River and boating and camping all the way to Pasco, Wash. Reach her at sam@wildsalmon.org.

Where the Trail Meets the Lake

Harrison, Idaho on Lake Coeur d’alene

Harrison, Idaho on Lake Coeur d’Alene

Relaxation & Revelry All Summer Long! ≈Summer Concerts Saturdays in the Park ≈Pig in the Park June 15th -food, music & fun ≈4th of July Fireworks on the Lake ≈Old Time Picnic July 26-28

Photo courtesy of Idaho Tourism

Enjoy the public beach, kayaking, boating, swimming and fishing!

Ride the 72-mile Trail of the Coeur d’Alenes bike Trail

Explore historic downtown Harrison’s shops and restaurants

Start Planning Your Lake Escape at Harrisonidaho.org

Find more trip ideas at OutThereOutdoors.com JUNE 2019 / OUTTHEREOUTDOORS.COM

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BEAVER CREEK CAMPGROUND AT PRIEST LAKE. // PHOTO: AMY MCCAFFREE

A TENT WITH A VIEW

7 SUPER SCENIC CAMPGROUNDS

BY JON JONCKERS, AMY MCCAFFREE, AND HOLLY WEILER

Camping is the quintessential summer activity. There’s no agenda or media; it’s just you and the great outdoors.

Although most campgrounds on public lands are scenic, some offer more “wow” factor and bang for your buck.

If chilling out is your primary activity while camping, you can kick back in a hammock or chair and still enjoy nature’s eye candy right in camp at these top scenic camp picks. (AM) WASHINGTON SULLIVAN LAKE

Location: Metaline Falls, Northeast Washington Sullivan Lake features two spectacular campgrounds.

Both of them provide exceptional views of the surrounding mountains, and both feature dramatic scenery when the larches turn gold in the fall season.

Coincidentally, both campgrounds are connected by one of the best trail runs or hikes in the region—the Sullivan Lakeshore Trail. Don’t miss it. (JJ) STEAMBOAT ROCK STATE PARK

Location: Banks Lake, Central Washington This long-established landmark gained its name from the 800-foot basalt butte that rises up from Banks Lake. Truth be told, camping here is often windy and uneventful. However, the sunsets over Banks Lake and the early-season wildflowers are positively electric. More importantly, this coulee is a hotbed of desert wildlife and migrating birds.

(JJ) 36

OUTTHEREOUTDOORS.COM / JUNE 2019

PIERRE LAKE CAMPGROUND

Location: Colville National Forest, Northeast Washington This small lake 25 miles north of Kettle Falls features private campsites with views of the water.

Wander along the short lakeside trail, or simply park a camp chair near water's edge to enjoy the quiet setting. Dawn and dusk can boast brilliantly colored skies and offer the best chance of hearing the lake's resident loons. (HW)

IDAHO

SAM OWEN CAMPGROUND

Location: Lake Pend Oreille, North Idaho Situated on a peninsula on the lake’s east side, on National Forest land, Sam Owen’s best qualities are its stunning water views with pink and purplehued summer sunsets and dog-friendly beach.

Skipping Stone Loop is the closest one to the lake.

Dogs are welcome along the long stretch of rocky beach located to the right of the boat launch and dock. Because of the expansive lake and forested hills on the opposing shore, the view from here is reminiscent of the Puget Sound’s San Juan Islands.

(ASM) BEAVER CREEK CAMPGROUND

Location: Priest Lake, North Idaho Located on the northwest shore of Priest Lake, this campground’s proximity to the Thorofare to Upper Priest Lake make this a desirable location.

A mixed sand-pebble beach blends into forest, with campsites only a short uphill walk away.

Though only a few campsites provide peekaboo lake views, most people, especially families with young children, bring their blankets and chairs to

the day-use swimming area—or anywhere along the beach in the small bay—to swim and launch a paddle-craft. (ASM) ROMAN NOSE LAKES

Location: Bonners Ferry, Idaho Directly in the shadow of 7,260-foot Roman Nose Peak, campers and backpackers have three lakes to choose from. The main lake is a simple stroll on a boardwalk. The other two lakes are a short walk from the parking area. You can hike all three lakes in less than four miles. The views are remarkable year-round, and the huckleberry picking is unbeatable in August to early-September. (JJ)

OREGON

WALLOWA LAKE STATE PARK

Location: Wallowa Lake, Northeast Oregon The state park at the southern end of Wallowa Lake near the town of Joseph remains one of the best gateways to endless recreation opportunities.

They have dozens of camping and hiking options, along with RV hookups and rental cabins. Even better, they’re within walking distance of the Wallowa Lake Tramway. This aerial cable gondola lift runs from the lake to the summit of Mount Howard and provides scenery unmatched to any other campground in the Inland Northwest. (JJ) //

FIRE LOOKOUT TOWERS Unbeatable Scenic Views for Rent

Nothing compares to the sunrise and sunset views from a lookout tower. The iconic mountaintop fire towers scattered throughout the Northwest provide majestic 360-degree views. Due to their isolation, they’re also among the most peaceful camping experiences possible.

The history of fire lookout towers predates the founding of the U.S. Forest Service in 1905. Towers, platforms, and summit huts gained popularity across the West in the early 1900s, but the vast majority of the nation’s lookout towers have fallen into disrepair as a result of neglect, abandonment, and declining budgets for public lands. Thankfully, the Forest Service has restored and maintained multiple towers in the region, and you can make reservations online.

Be advised, it’s usually difficult to reserve one for the weekend. Many of the most popular ones are booked six months in advance. Also, since they’re inherently remote, the roads leading to the tower or tower trailhead frequently require a high-clearance vehicle. Last but not least, you must bring your own water, and you must pack out all of your trash. There’s usually a vault toilet, and many of the towers feature a propane stove and propane lights.

Recreation.gov is the online hub for most of the lookout towers in eastern Washington, Idaho, and western Montana. The website also handles reservations for group campsites, guard stations, and permits. Even if you don’t reserve a lookout tower, it’s a good resource for other uncommon camping ventures. Most structures only cost $45 to $90 per night, and all of the reservation pages feature comprehensive overviews and detailed directions. (JJ)

Adventure Meals

ÂŽ

Now Introducing Fusilli Pasta We pity the Fusilli who misses out on this restaurant quality dish!

NO

Artficial Flavors Artficial Colors Artficial Preservatives

www.MountainHouse.com

@angulife

JUNE 2019 / OUTTHEREOUTDOORS.COM

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Adventure Homes on Wheels

Whether it’s building a tiny home or repurposing a used van, thinking outside the norm is enabling Inland Northwesterners to live the lives they want and have the adventures they crave. Several of them share their stories of how adventure rigs and scaledback living situations have changed their lives for the better.

MADDIE SEIPP—2003 VOLKSWAGEN EUROVAN

“I’m actually in the van right now,” says Maddie Seipp. We’re talking about the van she grew up adventuring in with her family, which is now the daily get-around vehicle for Maddie, currently a high school senior doing Running Start through SFCC. “I drive it every day,” she says.

Maddie, her parents, and her younger brother have logged a lot of miles in the VW. “I’ve been pretty much everywhere,” she says. “I think I’ve been to over 40 states in the van.” Her parents purchased it around 2008 and they’ve traveled broadly: down to Ensenada, Mexico; up to Banff, Canada; to California to visit family; to Montreal; and Maddie’s personal favorite, “the great American road trip, as we call it,” which took the four of them all the way over to the Florida Keys and then up the east coast the summer before her sixth grade year. Seeing the world and the country this way meant “I was exposed to more of American history hands-on,” she says.

The family culture of van adventuring has shown her the possibilities—versus the limitations—of travel on a budget. “I feel like it taught me you don’t really need to spend a lot of money or be super extra about it to travel and get exposure to different places,” she says. “Having the van be my adventure vehicle or my introduction to the lifestyle has been really good, and I know that it will definitely inspire me to continue on this path as I progress in life.”

Recently, Maddie and a friend road-tripped to Portland over spring break. “That was the first trip I was able to take in the van without my parents.”

She has plans for a trip to Seattle with friends in a few months; she also hopes (if she can convince her younger brother that the van is hers for the taking) to bring it along to college for more “outdoorsy adventuring.” Wherever she ends up (when we spoke, she was debating between Western Washington University and the University of Montana), she knows the van is just as good for getting out to “explore close by you” as it is for grander-scale excursions.

The VW and her family’s time in it have changed Maddie’s life for the better. “I feel really lucky,” she says.

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OUTTHEREOUTDOORS.COM / JUNE 2019

MATT JONES—(TEMPORARILY!) UNIVERSITY MOTOR POOL VAN

BUILT-OUT

When a tight budget meets a big idea, it can be the catalyst for something great. That’s what happened when Matt Jones was conceiving of a large-scale research project as part of his graduate studies in entomology (bugs) at Washington State University.

“My research was looking at how dung beetles and soil bacteria biologically reduce the amount of foodborne pathogens on farms,” he explains. “I was designing this really huge field project to study dung beetles from central California up to British Columbia. I was thinking about how I was going to pull off this huge project singlehandedly by myself on a budget.”

As he considered where he’d be traveling for research, he also “realized there was this incredible opportunity to surf and ski and hike basically along the entire West Coast.” But how to cover the cost of all of that?

Enter the unexpected hero: a university motor pool van. For a six-month research season two years in a row (2014 and 2015), Matt rented and lived out of a WSU-owned Ford E350. He kept his plans vague with the university. “I said I’d be camping, but I didn’t say I’d be sleeping in the van,” he confesses.

Not wanting to do any damage to the vehicle, “essentially I had to find a way to build out the van in a non-permanent way,” Matt explains. A rocket box on the roof, attached with a painters’ rack, held his skis and climbing gear. Inside the van were two huge coolers, “one for food and one for science.”

He strapped an old dresser behind the driver’s seat and built a platform bed with space beneath for Tupperware storage bins, and two surfboards.

“A critical detail is that my mother, she sewed me curtains so that people wouldn’t stare at me in rest stops when I was sleeping,” he says.

Matt traveled the coast, collecting samples from farms and sleeping in rest stops and on Forest Service land, climbing, swimming, and surfing along the way. Though the temporary way the van

was set up meant it wasn’t the most comfortable (for instance, the van wasn’t tall enough to stand up in), it worked. Bathrooms were primarily rest stops and restaurants and “I didn’t shower much,” he says.

Every couple of weeks he’d spend a night in a hotel “to just refresh, start over, get organized,” he says.

One of the biggest risks was stench potential: In the “science cooler” were lots of frozen cubes of pig excrement—the baits used for collecting dung beetles. “One of the more stressful things about that whole situation was that it might thaw out,” Matt says. The dung beetles he caught were put on alcohol, and anything sensitive, like the soil DNA samples, was put on dry ice and shipped overnight to the university. “That was actually really expensive, overnighting boxes of dirt,” Matt says with a laugh. “In some ways it’s priceless, but in other ways it’s worth nothing.”

Was it worth it? Would he do it again? “A hundred percent, yeah.”

“It absolutely allowed me to balance my work and pulling off this huge project with having lots of fun along the way,” he says. “It was really good.

Actually, I miss a lot of elements of living in the van.

It was a really good season of life.”

KIRBY WALKE AND FAMILY—58 HEALD TEARDROP TRAILER BY OVERLAND TRAILER

The Walke family—parents Kirby and Jenifer and their two young kids—had long been into tent camping when they started looking for a trailer their four-cylinder Subaru could pull. That’s when they discovered the 58 Heald teardrop trailer, built by Hayden-based company Overland Trailer, which they were fortuitously able to purchase used from its original owner.

Kirby praises the sleek, light trailer, which they use for everything from “goofy family weekends” at the state park to solo trail running trips. It’s bearsafe and cozy, with a queen mattress and a bunk that’s been claimed by their older daughter, but the small interior encourages them to spend most of their time outside. The smaller profile and lighter frame makes it easy for the Subaru to pull, and it

By Sarah Hauge

fits on dirt roads and pullouts, places larger trailers and campers wouldn’t. Weighing in at around 800 pounds, it’s easy to hook up for quick trips, and, oncee unhitched, “you can easily move them without having to hook it up,” Kirby says.

The Walkes have taken many adventures in the trailer, hitting up national parks and beloved local spots like Farragut State Park. “Every one that we go on is a favorite adventure,” Kirby says. Recently they’ve been to Rainier and the Cascades and to Icicle Gorge near Leavenworth, where Kirby was able to run the Alpine Lakes route.

The two-burner Coleman stove and an oven— built into the tailgate of the trailer—enable delicious, outdoor-cooked meals to be a big part of their time together. “We make pretty righteous breakfasts,” says Kirby, who notes the family camping menu often includes things like cinnamon buns, cookies, and homemade pizzas.

For the Walkes, the trailer is just right for this stage of life. “It’s sort of that in between. You’re getting the camping experience, but you’re also getting a great night’s sleep,” he says. He also admits to being a bit relieved the family dog has opted to sleep in the back of the Subaru rather than squeezing into the trailer with the four humans. “And the car you’re driving on a daily basis isn’t dictated by your trailer.”

When spring hits, the trailer is ready for action.

“On April 1, we put it back in the garage so it’s always stocked and ready.”

HENRY HAGOOD AND MALLORY KOULA—DIY TINY HOME

It’s a big project, crafting a tiny home. That’s the current undertaking of Henry Hagood and Mallory Koula, who are spending their evenings building a tiny home that they’ll be moving to Missoula this summer when they relocate there from Spokane.

He’s heading to physical therapy school, and she will be doing a residency in family medicine.

Henry first got the idea in 2016 from friends who’d handcrafted their own tiny home. Knowing he’d later be enrolling in a three-year program, he wondered how he might do something more costeffective than pour money into three years’ worth of rent. A tiny house seemed like the answer.

In 2017 he purchased the bare metal trailer that’s the base of what’s now a gorgeous, cedarplanked work in progress. “It was supposed to be a six-month project,” Henry says with a laugh, since work was still well underway as of April of 2019, with elements like the kitchen and bathroom still

coming together.

“The tiny house was his first partner,” Mallory jokes. The two of them have worked on it off and on together when they could over the past couple of years, often with the help of family and friends.

“We’ve done it all,” says Henry.

The small footprint—22 feet long, 8 feet wide, and 13.5 feet tall—means “everything had to be multifunctional,” says Henry. A ladder to the loft area would have made sense, but stairs are even better because the space beneath them can become contained storage. The plan is for the dining table to serve as a guest area, building it on “a telescoping post that can drop to match the height of the bench area to make a guest bed,” Henry explains.

With a traditional home, customizing everything would be cost-prohibitive, but the reduced square footage means that’s not the case here. “It’s likely the only time I’ll be able to build a fully custom home for myself,” says Henry. This has led to features like the hot and cold water spigots on the

exterior for rinsing off the dogs, Grouper and Wizard, a doublehung door for the main entrance, and stained leaded-glass windows, which Henry and Mallory learned how to create from a local glassworker. There will also be a shower and a deep Japanese-style soaking tub; the kitchen will have a propane stove, built-in spice shelves, a washer/ dryer unit under the counter, and “a not so tiny refrigerator.” They had fun learning about environmentally responsible materials and incorporating them, like Western Red Cedar, and looking for old things they could give new life, like old doors they’ve reused.

“A lot of the idea behind having minimal stuff is to not be attached to things,” says Henry, but having

OPPOSITE PAGE TOP: WALKE FAMILY ON THE ROAD. PHOTO: KIRBY WALKE. OPPOSITE PAGE BOTTOM: SEIPP FAMILY VAN. PHOTO COURTESY OF THE SEIPP'S // LEFT: HENRY AND MALLORY IN FRONT OF TINY HOME. PHOTO COURTESY OF MALLORY KOULA. // TOP: TINY HOME INTERIOR. PHOTO: MALLORY KOULA. // MIDDLE: WALKE FAMILY CAMP KITCHEN. PHOTO: KIRBY WALKE. // RIGHT: MATT JONES' ADVENTURE RIG. PHOTO: MATT JONES.

poured so much work and vision into this home, “it’s definitely the one thing I care the most about among material things.” Having worked commercial fishing in Alaska and living in tight quarters “with a bunch of stinky dudes” Henry’s fears aren’t about tiny house living, but about transporting the beloved project safely across three states. “I’m incredibly nervous to move it,” he says. The destination is the backyard of a young Missoula family they connected with through Craigslist.

Mallory’s concerns are more about day-to-day tiny living. She’s thinking ahead to crazy work

VanDOit

hours and sharing close quarters—hoping she’ll be able to get enough rest and “feeling like it’s a space you can come home to.”

Before long the final components will be coming together—countertops, shower, furniture—and it will be time to hit the road. In the meantime, the work continues—and that’s something they’ve really enjoyed doing together.

“It’s been super fun,” says Mallory. // Sarah Hauge is a writer and editor who lives in Spokane with her husband and two daughters.

Sarah writes Out There’s Run Wild column.

Modular, Customized Adventure Vans

With adaptable, customized vans made to order, VanDOit is simplifying the way people purchase adventure rigs. “In short, we are a full-service vehicle and adventure van build-out company,” says Erik Chapin, the Bend, Oregon-based West Coast rep for VanDOit. A highlight of the design of VanDOit’s vehicles—the base model is the Ford Transit—is how they can be customized to fit purchaser needs. They can seat anywhere from two to eleven people, and all elements, from seats to kitchens to shelving, are removable. Beyond the base setup, customers choose their features—whether they need a kitchen or a bathroom, for instance, or what their electrical or solar system is like. Because a single company is providing both the van and the build-out, they’re able to keep costs well below industry average, Chapin says, with the cost of the van plus full customization starting around $55,000. Plus, as a family-run company with dealership roots, VanDOit is able to accept trade-ins, which can further alleviate costs. “We’re able to package the van and the build at an affordable price so the end user isn’t paying retail for anything.”

Customers have included everyone from a guy who lives in his van in Alaska six months out of the year (he needed features like a built-in desk, as well as heat and water) to a couple in their 70s who wanted a vehicle they could drive to the Bay Area to visit their kids and grandkids; they plan to occasionally sleep in it overnight and think it will work well for an occasional nap along the way. The vans are well equipped to haul everything from kayaks to mountain bikes to skis to surf boards; the option of a hydraulic rack eliminates some of the hindrance of getting things on and off the roof. The pull-out gear slide is another nice feature. Learn more about VanDoIt and check out pictures of the vehicles in action at Vandoit.com, and come check out one of their vans at the Spokatopia Outdoor Adventure Festival July 13-14 at Camp Sekani Park in Spokane.

JUNE 2019 / OUTTHEREOUTDOORS.COM

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OUTDOOR DOG PHOTO CONTEST PRESENTED BY

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MAKALU KEEPING THE PACK TOGETHER ON SHERMAN PEAK PHOTO: CRAIG ANDERSON

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“BEST DAY EVER DAD!” PHOTO: VANETTE LEIGHTY “HOT SUMMER NIGHTS AT THE SPOKANE RIVER” PHOTO: BETHANY MEDINA

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“MOOSE ENJOYING SKIJORING AT MT SPOKANE” PHOTO: JANE PATTEN “OVAL LAKES IN THE NORTH CASCADES” PHOTO: HENRY HAGOOD THANKS TO EVERYONE WHO SUBMITTED PHOTOS! YOU MADE IT HARD TO PICK WINNERS. ENJOY THESE RUNNERS UP:

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JUNE 2019 / OUTTHEREOUTDOORS.COM

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100 WAYS TO PLAY OUTSIDE THIS SUMMER

BY AMY MCCAFFREE

MAYBE YOU LIKE YOUR SUMMER DAYS BURSTING WITH ACTIVITIES, FESTIVALS, RACES, AND ROAD-TRIPS TO NEW DESTINATIONS. OR PERHAPS YOUR IDEAL SUMMER DAY IS FULL OF RELAXATION, QUIET, AND LEISURE. DO YOU WANT AN EPIC ADVENTURE OR EASY, FAMILY-FRIENDLY VACATION IDEA? PERHAPS YOU WANT TO MIX-IT-UP MORE THIS SUMMER, BETWEEN BEACH DAYS AND BACKPACKING TRIPS AND COMMUNITY BIKE-RIDES OR RACES. WHETHER YOU’RE LOOKING TO SLOW DOWN THE SUMMER CLOCK OR REJUVENATE YOUR JUNE-THROUGH-AUGUST ROUTINE, HERE ARE DIVERSE IDEAS TO TAKE ADVANTAGE OF SOME OF THE BEST OUTDOOR OPPORTUNITIES THE NORTHWEST HAS TO OFFER. 42

OUTTHEREOUTDOORS.COM / JUNE 2019

OPPOSITE PAGE: TUBING DOWN THE WATERSLIDE AT SPOKANE COUNTY AQUATIC CENTER. PHOTO

BY AMY MCCAFFREE. // TOP LEFT: SPOKATOPIA SLACKLINE. PHOTO: RACHEL BECKER. // TOP RIGHT: TALK WITH LIVING HISTORY CHARACTERS AT RIVERSIDE STATE PARK'S SPOKANE HOUSE FUR ENCAMPMENT, JUNE 8-9.

PHOTO COURTESY OF RIVERSIDE STATE PARK. // LEFT: ROCKS OF SHARON, PHOTO: SHALLAN KNOWLES

1. Hike to the Rocks of Sharon in Dishman Hills Conservancy in south Spokane County.

2. Go stargazing atop Kamiak Butte, near Pullman, and stay overnight at the county campground.

3. Bike the Trail of the Coeur d’Alenes and stay on the lake in Harrison.

4. Paddle to Popcorn Island at Lake Killarney, east of Coeur d’Alene, and stay overnight at the rustic BLM campsite.

5. Explore the Headwaters Loop Trail at Moscow Mountain.

6. Stay overnight at Mount Spokane State Park’s Bald Knob Campground or Quartz Mountain Fire Lookout.

7. Kayak or canoe the St. Joe River, the highest elevation navigable river in the world.

8. Bike or drive along the scenic International Selkirk Loop that connects Washington, Idaho, and British Columbia, Canada.

9. Step back in time to the early-1800s fur trade at Riverside State Park’s Spokane House for the Fur Trade Encampment & Symposium, June 8-9, 2019. (Free entrance; no Discover Pass required while parking here.) Experience living history reenactments and ranger-led tours, and learn about Spokane tribal perspectives and the fur trade’s impacts on Pacific Northwest history.

10. Go rock climbing or hiking around the cool rock formations at Peshastin Pinnacles State Park near Wenatchee.

11. Run wild on the Mountain Magic 5/10/25K Trail Run at Mount Spokane State Park (June 22, 2019).

12. Attend REI’s family-oriented Wednesdays in the Woods presentations at Riverside State Park Bowl & Pitcher amphitheater, June-August (details at rei.com/events.)

13. Backpack the Chelan Lakeshore Trail, a 17-mile one-way thru-hike along the country’s third-deepest lake. Start from the trailhead at Prince Creek, arriving by a Lady of the Lake ferry ride.

14. Mountain bike down some of the region’s best singletrack trails at Camp Sekani Park or Beacon Hill in Spokane and then get involved to help save these amazing trails from development. Find more info and maps at evergreeneast.org.

15. June is Great Outdoors Month—explore somewhere new; do something different. Like attend Get Out Fest, June 27-30, at the Ferry County fairgrounds near Republic—an outdoor recreation and culture festival with on-site camping, climbing wall, outdoor film, live music from The Cave Singers, timed 5k and half marathon on the Ferry County Rail Trail, mountain bike ride, and hiking on the Kettle Crest Trail. More information at getoutfest.com (tickets $5; kids free).

16. Soak in primitive Stanley Hot Springs, near Lowell, Idaho—a 6-mile one-way hike from Wilderness Gateway Campground.

17. Visit Crow Butte Park, a water-sports mecca located on a 1,500-acre island in the mighty Columbia River, south of the Tri-Cities; park includes a campground, sand dune beach, marina, and boat launch.

18. Ride the gondola up to Kellogg Peak to mountain bike or hike around the huge trail network at Silver Mountain Bike Park in Kellogg, Idaho.

19. Visit an Idaho State Park. Kids ages 6-12 can complete the Junior Ranger over the course of three visits at any combination of these North Idaho state parks: Round Lake, Priest Lake, Heyburn, Farragut, or Coeur d’Alene’s Old Mission. Learn more at parksandrecreation.idaho.gov.

20. Road-trip (or ride the Amtrak train) to Whitefish, Mont., where you can do all types of watersports on Whitefish Lake and hike or bike the Whitefish Trail. Stay on the lake at the Lodge at Whitefish Lake or camp at Whitefish Lake State Park, spend a day at City Beach, and experience the Huckleberry Days Arts Festival (August 9-11, 2019).

21. Go fishing license-free during National Fishing and Boating Week when state Fish and Wildlife agencies host Free Fishing Days. Dates for 2019 are: June 9 for Idaho, June 9-10 for Washington, and June 16-17 for Montana. Many lowland and alpine lakes are stocked with hatchery-raised trout.

22. Paddle around the Moses Lake Water Trail and take a rest stop at the dock off Camas Cove Cellars for wine tasting.

23. Learn how to fly-fish. Take a class at the Orvis school or a beginner-level guided trip through Northwest Outfitters in Coeur d’Alene, or a book a guided trip with Silver Bow Fly Shop in Spokane.

24. Attend the 5th annual Spokatopia Outdoor Adventure Festival. Now a 2-day event—July 13-14 this year—try road and mountain bikes and paddling and water sports gear, register for an outdoor adventure clinic, like rock climbing or inflatable kayaking. Festival also includes a mountain bike JUNE 2019 / OUTTHEREOUTDOORS.COM

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THE FORESTED AND DRAMATIC ST. JOE RIVER. COURTESY OF ROW ADVENTURES PHOTO: RICK BARLOW

EMPIRE TRAIL VIEWS. // PHOTO COURTESTY OF SPIRIT LAKE CHAMBER OF COMMERCE

THE AERIAL PARK AT MICA MOON. PHOTO: SHALLAN KNOWLES

jump show, kids’ activities, live music, beer garden, and the Great Gear Giveaway. Takes place at Camp Sekani (free admission; activity passes range from $5-$50).

25. Go whitewater rafting on the St. Joe River near St. Regis, Mont., with ROW Adventures.

26. Visit Kootenai Falls— Idaho’s largest free-falling, undammed falls—and walk across the 100-foot high swinging bridge over the Kootenai River gorge.

27. Pedal a “RailRider” on a 12-mile round-trip journey on a retired railroad line along the Pend Oreille River (reservations at lionsrailriders.com).

28. Get your adrenaline pumping with treetop adventure. Challenge yourself at Mica Moon’s aerial park with bridges, tight ropes, and more. Then experience the zip line course that includes nine zip lines in the lush forest above Liberty Lake, Wash.

29. Complete a mountain bike race. Like the Wednesday MTB Race Series at Riverside State Park (through June 26) or the 5 in July Mountain Bike Series at Farragut State Park.

30. Spend a day or two at Silverwood Theme Park and Boulder Beach Water Park, in Athol, Idaho.

31. Mountain bike the Empire Trails in Spirit Lake, Idaho.

32. Visit Columbia Hills Historical State Park in south-central Washington, in the Columbia River Gorge National Scenic Area. Enjoy rock climbing, hiking, and ranger-led walks to see Native American pictographs and petroglyphs.

33. Vacation at Flathead Lake in western Montana—the largest natural freshwater lake west of the Mississippi. Camp at Flathead State Park or Wild Horse Island State Park.

34. Go ziplining with Timberline Adventures in Coeur d’Alene and experience seven zip lines and two sky bridges, and then have lunch in a tree house with epic views.

35. Experience a “sufferfest” at the Mt. Spokane Vertical Challenge (July 13, 2019), hosted by Trail Maniacs at Mount Spokane State Park.

36. Explore the landscape of Lake Pend Oreille and Montana’s Cabinet Mountain river valleys with the CHAFE 150 Gran Fondo scenic ride (June 15, 2019). Route options: 150, 100, 80, 40, and 30 miles, plus a family fun ride.

37. Visit Kimberley, B.C.—you’ll want at least several days to adventure here, because the options abound: Biking the North Star Rails to Trails and hiking or biking Lois Creek Trails and the Kimberley Nature Park; Kimberley Underground Mining Railway ride and tour; and Marysville Falls & Eco Park.

EXPLORE IDAHO STATE PARKS WITH THE JUNIOR RANGER PROGRAM Round Lake State Park, Priest Lake State Park, Heyburn State Park, Coeur d’Alene’s Old Mission State Park, and Farragut State Park are five of the 23 participating parks in Idaho offering Junior Ranger programs. Activities include hikes, plant and animal identification, and park safety.

Completion of a Junior Ranger Guide lets children earn a badge, patch, and certificate over the course of three visits.

Enjoyment of the program depends on whether you are an efficient, see-the-sites-and-go-home person, or want to take your time and get everyone involved in what they are seeing. While the Idaho State Parks website states the program is for ages 6–12, I’ve found the activities are simple enough to work best for my family when our kids were ages 5-8.

Much also depends on the parents. For kids who are identifying tracks and scat with mom and dad at age 5, this program still has lots to offer, but the kids may outgrow this program quickly. If that’s the case, start early to really cement their existing knowledge. For those that find themselves mostly in the city and don’t go camping much, this program is good at introducing kids and adults to ecological concepts and encouraging them to experience the world more deeply.

For more details click on the “Learning” icon at parksandrecreation.idaho.gov. (Crystal Atamian) 44

OUTTHEREOUTDOORS.COM / JUNE 2019

H

ion year old f 50 mill os s r o ils t f n at u

stonerose

Eocene Fossil Site

Become a Paleontologist for a day... an unusual experience!

Spend an hour, or a day, hunting through ancient shale layers to discover leaves, cones, insects and maybe a rare fish or feather!

Keep up to 3 fossils per person per day.

Call or check our website for hours and conditions.

The latest time to arrive and explore the site is 3:00 pm.

Funding Fabulous Fossils...

Auction and Dinner Supporting science & Education

FAMILY-ROADTRIP PLAYLIST

20 SONGS FOR KIDS THAT PARENTS WILL DIG TOO No Elmo or Wiggles but plenty of songs for kids of all ages, including toddlers, for summertime journeys near and far.

1. “What Time Is It” from “High School Musical 2” soundtrack 2. “Summer Baby (Let It Ride)” by Caspar Babypants 3. “Life is a Highway” by Rascal Flatts 4. “Fifty Nifty United States” written by Ray Charles, performed by Brick and Greene 5. “Butterfly Driving a Truck” by Caspar Babypants 6. “Everything is AWESOME!!!” by Tegan and Sara (from “The LEGO Movie” soundtrack) 7. “Upside Down” by Jack Johnson 8. “What Goes On” by Elizabeth Mitchell 9. “Go Go Go!” by Caspar Babypants 10. “That’s My Family” by The Apples, from Yo Gabba Gabba!

11. “The Stump Hotel” by Caspar Babypants 12. “When Can I See You Again?” by Owl City 13. “Have You Ever” by Brandi Carlile 14. “If All of the Raindrops” by Old Town School of Folk Music 15. “Here Comes the Sun” by The Beatles 16. “Happy” by Pharrell Williams 17. “Time to Go Outdoors” by Hot Hot Heat, from Yo Gabba Gabba!

18. “Out in Nature” by Band of Horses, from Yo Gabba Gabba!

19. “Best Day of My Life” by American Authors 20. “It’s Been a Long Day” by Caspar Babypants. (Amy McCaffree)

Wonderful auction items have been donated

June 29th 5:00-8:00 pm

$25

Ferry Country Fairgrounds Historic Barn in Republic, WA.

Register to attend the dinner and auction at: Stonerosefossil.org

Attend Get Out Fest June 27-30 for a weekend of outdoor fun! Getoutfest.com Free tool rental at Stonerose with your Get Out Fest Registration Republic, WA 509-775-2295 Daily May27-October 31 Stonerosefossil.org JUNE 2019 / OUTTHEREOUTDOORS.COM

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Only shop in the Inland Northwest recognized as one of America’s Best Bike Shops 5 years in a row

SPRING INTO SUMMER SALE! SATURDAY, JUNE 15TH @ 9AM-5PM

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The BBQ will be fired up, lunch is on us!

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38. Canoe or kayak the Pend Oreille River from Ione to Metaline Falls in northeast Washington.

39. Do the Tiger Tri & Tiger-Du—race in Colville, Washington, on July 20 organized by Negative Split; includes 1K swim at Lake Gillette, 40K bike, and 10K run. Duathlon includes 40K bike and 10K run.

40. Visit Harrison, Idaho, located on Lake Coeur d’Alene’s west side. Get there by boat, bike (via Trail of the Coeur d’Alenes), or car. Don’t miss the Harrison Creamery and Fudge Factory Ice Cream Parlor.

41. Explore the nationally-designated Wild and Scenic Klickitat River area near the towns of Lyle and Wishram along the Columbia River in south-central Washington. Camp at Klickitat County’s GulerTrout Lake Park and bike the 10.5-mile Klickitat Rail Trail. Visit local Columbia Gorge wineries while you’re in the area.

42. Run the 200-mile Spokane to Sandpoint Relay team race with a group of friends (August 16-17).

43. Go adventuring in northeast Oregon’s Wallowa Mountains and Wallowa-Whitman National Forest, where you can backpack into the Eagle Cap Wilderness to camp at alpine lakes and summit Eagle

Celeb 29th rating ou r BusinYear in ess TWOWHEELERSKIDEALER.COM

208.772.8179 9551 N. HWY 95, HAYDEN, IDAHO

TUBING THE SPOKANE RIVER WITH FLOW ADVENTURES. // PHOTO: AMY MCCAFFREE

BEAT THE HEAT FLOAT THE SPOKANE RIVER

SCKC SPOKANE CANOE & KAYAK CLUB

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OUTTHEREOUTDOORS.COM / JUNE 2019

Summer is hot, and the Spokane River is cold (no brainer, right?). So, go figure that my favorite impulsive activity in summer is to fill up the innertubes or grab a kayak and float the river. The most accessible and beautiful stretches in Spokane Valley extend from the bridge on Sullivan Rd. (parking on the west side, north of the bridge) to the take-out point just below Arbor Crest’s Cliff House (parking on Wellesley, north of the river).

The trip takes about 2 hours depending on the flow rate. Take time to stop and jump from the rock, or bring a mask and snorkel to check out the fish! If pressed for time, you can shorten the float by putting in at Mirabeau Park. Always remember to wear a life jacket (required by state law), apply sunscreen, and bring along a water bottle. Water squirters always make the float more entertaining too. Leave towels, snacks, and possibly a change of clothes in your vehicle.

Although the rapids are more riffles than waves, this is not flatwater. If using a kayak or stand up paddleboard make sure you are familiar with how to approach a wave or rapid so that you don’t flip or fall onto rocks. For an interactive map of the Spokane River Water Trail, visit spokaneriver. net/watertrail. (Crystal Atamian)

Hot e r m m S u g h ts N i idaho

, s n i g rig y 26 & 27 untry c Jul Live croicana musi e and am

EPIC RIDING NEAR RED MOUNTAIN, ROSSLAND, B.C. // PHOTO: ASHLEY VOYKIN

Cap; camp and enjoy watersports at Wallowa Lake State Park; ride the Wallowa Lake Tramway, a 3,700’ gondola ride to the peak of Mt. Howard; and pedal along a rail-trail with Joseph Branch Railriders.

44. Grab your bike and head to Rossland, British Columbia. Dubbed the Mountain Biking Capital of Canada, a paid trail crew maintains over 200K of singletrack that surround the town. Don’t miss the IMBA Epic Seven Summits Trail (July-October).

45. Do the Long Bridge Swim race in Sandpoint—a 1.76-mile swim race across Lake Pend Oreille (August 3, 2019).

46. Visit Crescent Bar Recreation Area along the Columbia River near Vantage. Owned by Grant County PUD, there is a boat ramp, marina, campground, and even a 9-hole golf course.

47. Paddle or powerboat to one of the islands in Priest Lake—some are day-use only, and Kalispell, Bartoo, and Fourmile islands have rustic campsites.

48. Follow the path of the Ice Age mega-floods with a visit to Washington State’s Steamboat Rock or Sun Lakes-Dry Falls State Parks.

49. Hike along the Selway River Trail and visit Selway Falls in the Selway-Bitterroot Wilderness east of Lewiston, Idaho.

50. Stand-up paddleboard on the flatwater of the Spokane River. Rent equipment from Fun Unlimited at either their Post Falls or Spokane location under the Division Street bridge river access point.

51. Backpack along the Pacific Crest Trail in Washington’s Cascade Mountains. Find trailheads in North Cascades National Park.

52. Go wind surfing on the Columbia River.

53. Go to the Wallace Blues Festival (July) or the town’s Huckleberry Days (August).

54. Tube the Spokane River with FLOW Adventures—daily equipment rentals and shuttle service begins July 3, 2019.

55. Visit the Tree to Tree Adventure Park in Athol, Idaho (within Farragut State Park). The aerial adventure course features zip lines, nets, Tarzan swings, and other obstacles color coded for all ages.

56. Ride the 15-mile Route of the Hiawatha Trail, “America’s Crown Jewel of the Rails to Trails.”

57. Go to Spokane Summer Parkways—use foot or pedal-powered transport along a 3-mile, traffic-free loop of the Comstock-Manito park neighborhoods (June 21, 2019; 6-9 p.m.).

58. Paddle the 2.5-mile Thorofare to Upper Priest Lake or hike along the Navigation Trail to this wilderness lake.

59. Attend the Walla Walla Sweet Onion Festival in July and explore the regional wine country.

60. Explore the National Historic Lewis & Clark Trail in Idaho.

61. Stay in Hope, Idaho, at Beyond Hope Resort or the Sam Owen U.S. National Forest campground on the west shore of Lake Pend Oreille. Check out The Floating Restaurant.

62. Stay at Lochsa Lodge, off Highway 12 over the Lolo Pass on the Idaho-Montana border. The historic Lewis & Clark Trail passes through the area and travels 8-miles along the Lochsa River.

63. Try your hand at one of the most scenic and wild multi-sport events in the Northwest, the Priest Lake Triathlon (August 24). Choose from Olympic, mountain bike, solo, or relay options.

64. Journey to Kootenay Lake in British Columbia, where you’ll find the mountain village of Kaslo and the city of Nelson with many hiking and mountain biking trails near the towns. Stay and play at one of Canada’s renowned provincial parks; a municipal campground; Kokanee Park Marina; Kaslo Bay Park; and Ainsworth Hot Springs resort.

65. Do volunteer trail work with Washington Trails Association, which hosts one-day and week-long volunteer events statewide.

66. Swim, fish, or paddle at Fish Lake Regional Park, near Cheney, Wash.

67. Smokey Bear, the iconic symbol of wildfire prevention for the USDA Forest Service, turns 75 this summer. Go camping at one of the many regional national forest campgrounds—like the Colville, Mt. Baker-Snoqualmie, North Idaho Panhandle, or Lolo—and show your appreciation for public lands. Learn about special events at smokeybear75th.org.

68. Road trip to Riggins—Idaho’s “whitewater capital”—where you can raft, paddle, or jet boat along the Salmon River, which runs through town (just some of its 425 miles). There are also great hiking trails, backroad gravel bike routes, and easy access into the Frank Church or Gospel Hump wilderness areas and the Seven Devils.

69. Go kayaking or boating on Lake Roosevelt and picnic on one of its many sandy, primitive beaches.

70. Play sand volleyball at Coeur d’Alene’s City Beach.

71. Forage for morels and elderberries.

72. Walk, pedal, or roll along the Columbia Plateau Trail State Park (includes a trailhead near Fish Lake Park).

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Come rest & adventure on the salmon river all summer long! www.rigginsidaho.com JUNE 2019 / OUTTHEREOUTDOORS.COM

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TOP LEFT AND RIGHT: LENTIL FESTIVAL FUN. PHOTOS COURTESY OF THE LENTL FESTIVAL. // RIGHT: GET OUT FEST KIDS RUN. PHOTO: COURTESY OF GET OUT FEST. // BELOW LEFT: RIVER DANCE LODGE CABINS TUCKED IN THE TREES, PHOTO: SHALLAN KNOWLES. // BELOW RIGHT: PINE NEEDLE FOSSIL FOUND AT STONEROSE. PHOTO: S. MICHAL BENNETT

73. Celebrate at the National Lentil Festival Food & Brew Fest in Pullman, August 16-17.

74. Ride the chairlift to Schweitzer Mountain’s summit, beginning June 28. The resort’s Activity Center will be open daily, 9 a.m.-5:30 p.m. (through Sept. 2).

75. Bike-tour downtown Spokane’s Cork District to visit local winery tasting rooms.

76. Go camping and tube the Touchet River at Lewis and Clark Trail State Park, near Dayton, Washington.

77. Canoe or kayak the Little Spokane River. Use the Spokane Parks & Recreation weekend shuttle service (reservations recommended).

78. Attend the Cherry Festival at Beck’s Harvest House at Green Bluff (July 18, 2019).

79. Go to “Paddle, Splash, and Play” at Riverside State Park’s Nine Mile Recreation Area—a free kids’ event for families to try new watersports, hosted by Spokane Canoe and Kayak Club (July 20, 2019).

80. Take a bike or auto-tour of Turnbull or Little Pend Oreille national wildlife refuges.

81. Attend the Spokane Valley Cycle Celebration, which includes three ride-routes: 10-mile FamilyFriendly Ride, 25-mile Adventure, and 50-mile Hills Around the Valley Ride (July 28, 2019).

82. Live it up at the North Idaho State Fair and rodeo at the Kootenai County Fairgrounds in Coeur d’Alene (August 21-25, 2019).

83. Stay at River Dance Lodge in a custom log cabin or luxury glamping tent. This adventure resort near Syringa, Idaho, can set you up with horseback riding, mountain biking, and guided rafting trips.

84. Rent a cabin at Hill’s or Elkin’s Resort at Priest Lake, Idaho.

85. Bike Fish Lake Trail’s out-and-back from its Spokane trailhead for a flat, gentle, mostly-shaded, nearly 15-mile workout. Stop to picnic at a trailside bench along the way.

86. Hike to the fire lookout at Table Rock (6,250’ elevation) in southeast Washington. Find trailhead directions at wta.org.

87. Bike along the rolling country roads of the Palouse. Find a trail that suits your style on the pullmanchamber.com webpage. “Pedal the Palouse,” such as the Scenic Palouse Loop (2.5 miles with steep hills, begins in the town of Palouse) or the Lenville Loop (14 miles, begins on the Latah Trail in Moscow, Idaho).

88. Hunt for fossils in the small town of Republic in northeast Washington (stonerosefossil.org).

89. Attend a mountain-top festival at Schweitzer or Silver mountain resorts.

90. Explore Gardner Cave at Crawford State Park Heritage Site, near Metaline Falls, Wash. (ranger-led tours offered daily).

91. Paddle in Sand Creek or bike the Sand Creek Trail in Sandpoint and go swimming at City Beach.

92. Backpack or day hike Hoodoo Canyon and through an old-growth forest grove in the Colville National Forest.

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OUTTHEREOUTDOORS.COM / JUNE 2019

12th ANNUAL

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LEFT: FATHER SON FLY FISHING ON THE COEUR D'ALENE RIVER. PHOTO: AMY MCCAFFREE. // TOP: EXPLORING THE LOWER SPOKANE RIVER BY KAYAK NEAR ITS CONFLUENCE WITH THE COLUMBIA RIVER. PHOTO BY AMY MCCAFFREE. // OSPREYS NEAR HEYBURN STATE PARK. PHOTO BY AMY MCCAFFREE

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1. First-aid kit; include Benadryl or similar insect-bite allergy medicine.

2. “Potty Glove” packets or toilet paper roll and plastic bags.

3. Handwipes.

4. LED flashlight, lantern, and/or headlamp.

5. Roadside tools (e.g., to change a flat tire).

6. USB charger and cords (for mobile phones).

7. Extra drinking water (also can be used to refill a radiator).

8. Highway road map/atlas.

9. GPS, such as Google Maps app.

10. Latest copy of “Out There Outdoors” and travel games, such as Road Trip Bingo.

(Amy McCaffree) JUNE 2019 / OUTTHEREOUTDOORS.COM

49

TOP: KAYAKING FLAT WATER AT PRIEST LAKE. PHOTO BY AMY MCCAFFREE // LEFT ABOVE: SAND CREEK. PHOTO: SHALLAN KNOWLES // RIGHT ABOVE: READY FOR WADE FLY FISHING ON THE CDA RIVER. OPPOSITE PAGE TOP: HIKING IN HELLS CANYON NEAR FREEZEOUT TRAILHEAD AND HAT POINT. PHOTO DICK VOGEL // OPPOSITE PAGE BOTTOM HELLS CANYON IN BLOOM. PHOTO DERRICK KNOWLES

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PHOTO : AMY MCCAFFREE

LATE SUMMER IS ELDERBERRY SEASON! Blue elderberries are a Northwest treat and contain a ton of antioxidants. They are well worth the time it takes to collect and cook. I typically harvest in early September but they can be picked as early as July. Don’t worry about the white coating; it may or may not come off when you wash them, but it is not harmful to eat. The berries are very perishable, so figure you have about one day or less to freeze or cook them. When picking I like using clippers to cut each bunch; a paper grocery bag works best for collection.

The most time-consuming part of picking elderberries is the de-stemming. There are a couple of methods. One is by hand; gently tug the berries free from their micro-stems and place in a colander to wash. You can also use a fork (a clean hairbrush also works well) to strip the berries from their micro-stems.

Elderberry syrup is not only great on pancakes, but it can be used medicinally to help fight off colds. Make by boiling the berries with water (I also add whole ginger, cinnamon sticks, and cloves), and then straining out the solid bits. Add honey after the mixture has cooled a bit. It is fairly perishable, so it’s best to make in small batches with pre-frozen berries.

Elderberry pie is easily my family’s other favorite way of eating these, and at the beginning of cold season it gives the immune system a huge boost. Give it a try this year! (Crystal Atamian)

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93. Road trip to Okanogan County’s Methow Valley. Explore the towns of Winthrop and Twisp; hike or bike mountain trails; float the Methow River; and take a free tour of the North Cascades Smokejumper Base (open daily).

94. Visit Hells Canyon National Recreation Area—the deepest river gorge in North America, accessible outside of Joseph, Ore. Take a hike along the canyon rim and soak up the scenery at Hat Point Overlook and campground or hike further into the gorge from the Freezout Trailhead.

95. Bike the Sacagawea Heritage Trail, a 23-mile paved path along the Columbia River in the Tri-Cities; the trailhead begins at the Sacajawea Historical State Park.

96. Attend a music or arts festival, such as Rendezvous in the Park (July 18-20, in Moscow, Idaho); Art on the Green (August 2-4, North Idaho College in Coeur d’Alene); or the Blue Waters Bluegrass Festival in Medical Lake (August 9-11).

97. Ferry-hop and explore the San Juan Islands in western Washington. On Orcas Island, camp at Moran State Park and hike to the summit of Mt. Constitution; sea kayak or cycle around Lopez Island; watch for orcas off the coast of San Juan Island at Lime Kiln State Park.

98. Road-trip to Beacon Rock State Park, which overlooks the Columbia River Gorge in south-central Washington. Explore the shoreline, hike the 1-mile switchback trail to the summit of Beacon Rock; visit waterfalls; and hike to Hamilton Mountain summit or mountain bike to its saddles.

99. Go summertime skiing or snowboarding at Oregon’s Mt. Hood (11,245’ elevation). Timberline Lodge and Ski Area’s high-speed quad leads to Palmer Glacier, and operates June 1-Labor Day. 100. Visit Cat Tales Zoological Park in north Spokane to see rescued big cats and other wildlife in a safe environment. Wildlife at the park include black bear; Canada lynx; red fox; African lion; cougar; bobcat; Bengal, Siberian, and white tigers; and other wildlife. // Amy McCaffree is special section editor and Out There Kids columnist. She compiled the wine and recreation guide for the May issue.

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MUSHROOMS THAT MAY CHANGE MINDS

WHAT IF there was a nonhabit-forming natural compound that in clinical trials effectively treats anxiety, PTSD, OCD, depression, trauma and addiction? What if it made people statistically kinder and less likely to commit crimes? What if it provided many people the most profound and/or spiritual experience of their lives and was credited by a notable number of visionaries as inspirational to their work?

There is, in the mushroom genus Psilocybe, and you are not allowed to have them because their active compound psilocybin is a Schedule One drug. Schedule One drugs are “substances, or chemicals….with no currently accepted medical use and a high potential for abuse.” Why would our nation, the self-proclaimed greatest democracy and leader of the free world, misclassify a substance with such remarkable potential to its citizens?

If you want to find out, read “How to Change Your Mind” by Michael Pollan. He takes a characteristically coy approach, clearly laying out the current research and history of psychedelics in an engaging narrative while letting the readers make their own assessment. The book is written to give an objective picture, yet this picture becomes increasingly rosy as Pollan weighs the scientific data and dives into his own experiences.

“How to Change Your Mind” was published in May of 2018, which will likely prove to be a pivotal development in our country. Histrionic? I think not. Within a month of the release, it was a hot topic around town and soon an acquaintance had bought me a copy. Then the American Conservative printed an article “A Christian Approach to Psychedelics” arguing the book and its contents warranted greater discussion as a matter of personal liberty and possible facilitator of one’s connection to god.

There are three reasons for the fervor. Michael Pollan, a Harvard and Berkeley professor and author of widely read books on food ethics and culture, wrote it. Secondly, the subject, psychedelics, have been a foundational influence in many people’s lives and intrigued or frightened the rest.

Third, the timing was perfect.

If you haven’t noticed, our world is changing fast.

And, no, this is not just what we have always said.

In the last decade we embraced our LGBTQ community and began legalizing marijuana; the internet brought us how-to instructions on just about anything and also facilitated civil rights revolutions around the world; Burning Man spawned an endless spring of creative and life-affirming festivals; finally, you can now pretty much say or wear any-

thing without being ostracized. We are in a highly accelerated period of increased liberty and expression. There is a subsequent softening outlook on psychedelics.

Another influence is the long list of famous people who have praised psychedelics or even give them credit for their success. A few examples are Cary Grant, Susan Sarandon, Richard Feynman, Steve Jobs, Francis Crick (who discovered DNA), Phil Jackson (legendary basketball coach), John Coltrane, Oliver Sacks, and a seemingly large swath of Silicon Valley.

Are there risks? Yes, as with most transformative endeavors: fasting, backpacking, surgery, falling in love, or starting a business. However, for perspective, the results from the 2017 Global Drug Survey, which compiles data from volunteer drug and alcohol users, listed eating mushrooms as having only a one in 500 chance of needing emergency medical care. That is 20 times less than meth, seven times less than alcohol, and three times less than marijuana. Of all substances surveyed, mushrooms were statistically the safest to use. Keep in mind that, like any experience, some people don’t enjoy it.

The next obvious question is whether it should be legal and to what degree. Many mental health scholars are in favor of guided clinical use but not recreational access. Psychedelic advocates feel exploration of consciousness is a basic right. They point out Psilocybe suppression began not with concerns about health and safety but by Spanish Catholic missionaries. In the 1600s they banned and violently suppressed mushroom use by Aztecs because the sacrament threatened the authority of the church. The debate is growing and now entering the realm of legislation.

The first crack in the ice was a 2006 unanimous Supreme Court ruling, in spite of the Bush Administration’s objections, to allow churches to continue to use plant-based psychotropics in worship rituals. In January 2018 a ballot measure to legalize psilocybin was introduced but failed in California. Then, last month, the barrier was breached when Denver voted to decriminalize their use and possession. Next year a similar measure goes up for election in Oregon.

Michael Pollan’s book makes public the struggle to change our relationship with psychedelics and also clearly represents the change that is coming. // Kelly Chadwick likes scrambling up rocky hillsides, gliding through the trees on powder, and studying life forms in all their evolving niches. He wrote about Buti yoga in April.

OutdoorCalendar (June 1) Tom Rogers Legacy Run.

Where: Dishman Hills, Spokane Valley. This 5-mile fun run winds through Dishman Hills in honor of the late Tom Rogers. In the 1960s Tom Rogers had the vision and led a grassroots effort to preserve this natural area. Info: Runforthehills.org

(June 9) Bay Trail Fun Run. Where: Sandpoint, Idaho. Up to 400 hundred runners and walkers cover the 5K and 10K courses along scenic waterfront trails near City Beach each spring. This community event supports efforts to maintain, improve, and expand the popular Shoreline Trail. Info: Pobtrail.org.

(June 15) Ultimate Fitness Run. Where: Mount Spokane State Park. An obstacle course race just for fun or competition. Navigate through a fun but challenging 5-mile obstacle course run with 20 obstacles.

A more competitive 5-mile course followed by a sprint course challenge that will be 1-2 miles in distance will up the demands of obstacles and intensity.

There is a kids’ race planned too. Info: Facebook

(June 15) Stache Dash.

Where: Spokane. New 5K and 10K scenic courses along the Spokane River on the Centennial Trail near Gonzaga. “The race that puts hair on your face!” (mustaches provided) is a benefit in support of Elevations—a Children’s Therapy Resource Foundation. Info: StacheDash.org

(June 16) Dad’s Day Dash. Where: Manito Park, Spokane. Celebrate Father’s Day with a 5K run or walk (or a 1.4 mile option). The event supports SNAP. Info: Snapwa.org/ddd5k

(June 21) Summer Solstice 10K & Kids Race.

Tumor Foundation and Fleet Feet Spokane for this race along the Centennial Trail. The Kids race will host two options for distance: 1/2 mile or 1/4 mile.

Info: Fleetfeetspokane.com

(June 21-24) Making the Grade Alpine Running Camp. Where: Rossland, B.C. Run through pictureperfect mountains and work on your times and technique at this all-inclusive adult running camp for experienced trail runners at RED Mountain Resort.

Info: Redresort.com

(June 22) Mountain Magic Trail Run.

Where: Mount Spokane State Park. Celebrate the first day of summer on some of Spokane’s most enchanting trails.

Wide-open views, rolling terrain and mostly-nontechnical running make for an enjoyable running experience on the 5K and 10K. Or choose from a 15k loop and 25K course. Info: Mountainmagicrun.com

BIKING (June 15) CHAFE 150 Gran Fondo.

Where: Sandpoint, Idaho. Don’t let the “150” in the name fool you. Distances for this ride that supports literacy for youth include 30, 40, 80, 100, and 150-mile routes, plus a new family fun ride. One of the top charity rides in the country, with epic scenery. Info: Chafe150.org

(June 22) 8 Lakes Leg Aches Bike Ride. Where: West Plains, Wash. One of the best-organized rides in Eastern Washington, the ride explores the beautiful scenery in the Channeled Scablands west of Spokane with three routes: 30, 45, and 75-mile. Marked routes, food stops, and medical and mechanical support included. Info: Lcsnw.org/8-lakes-bike-ride

Where: Kendall Yards, Spokane. Join the Children’s

SIX MONTH EVENTCALENDAR RUNNING (July 7) Race the Wolf. Where: Schweitzer Mountain, Idaho. Part of the Skyrunning USA’s trail running series in 2019, there are three distances: 52k and 25k events on July 6 and an 8k trail race on July 7. Info: Schweitzer. com

(July 14) Spokatopia Trail Run. Where: Camp Sekani Park, Spokane. A 5K trail run perfect for anyone new to trail running or more seasoned runners with a fast and fun trail run. An optional free trail running clinic will be offered before the run, and the entry fee includes festival admission. All runners are entered to win prizes from Black Diamond. Info: Spokatopia.com

(July 27) Round About 5K. Where: Deer Park, Wash.

The fun run kicks off the community’s Settlers’ Days activities and follows a flat, easy course through the Deer Park area. Info: Roundabout5k.com

BIKING (July 28) Cycle Celebration. Where: Spokane Valley.

10, 25, and 50-mile routes show off some of the most scenic riding in Spokane Valley. All rides begin and end at the North Centennial Trailhead across from Mirabeau Point Park. Info: Cyclecelebration.com (August 3) Blazing Saddles Bike Ride.

Where: Colville, Wash. Held in conjunction with the Colville

Rendezvous Community Celebration in the City Park, choose from highly scenic century, metric century, or 42-mile routes on low-traffic country roads. Info: Blazing100.org

OTHER (July 13-14) Spokatopia Outdoor Adventure Festival.

Where: Camp Sekani Park/Boulder Beach, Spokane.

Two days this year, at Spokatopia you can try outdoor activities like paddleboarding, kayaking, rock climbing, mountain biking and more. Spokatopia is the biggest bike and water sports demo event of the year. Live music, beer garden, slacklining, rappelling, kids’ games and climbing wall, and other entertainment and activities. Cost: free general admission; some activities cost between $5-$50. Info: Spokatopia.com

(July 20) Tiger-Tri & Tiger-Du. Where: Colville, Wash.

This is an Olympic-distance triathlon event, with the option to create a team or remove the swim if water just isn’t your thing. The 1.5K swim is in Lake Gillette east of Colville; the 40K ride will run along the scenic Tiger Highway; and the run is around Colville’s Dominion Meadows Rotary Trail. Info: Tigertri.com

OTHER (June 1) National Trails Day Hikes.

Where: Dishman Hills, Spokane Valley. Family hikes and other outdoor activities will be offered throughout the morning and early afternoon in celebration of National trails Day. Info: Dishmanhills.org

(June 15) Trailblazer Triathlon, Duathlon, & 5K. Where: Medical Lake, Wash. This annual event includes a sprint distance triathlon with a 350M point-to-point swim, 12.2 mile road bike, and 2.9 mile run, as well as a duathlon with a 1-mile run, 12.2 mile road bike, and 2.9 mile run. Info: Medicallake. org

(June 27-30) Get Out Fest. Where: Republic, Wash. Northeast Washington’s new Get Out Fest is being billed as a dynamic, community-led outdoor recreation and culture festival, with festival organizers boasting that there will be something for everyone, including music headliners The Cave Singers.

Located at the Ferry County Fairgrounds near the town of Republic, the first-time festival is offering a wide range of outdoor activities that festivalgoers can participate in, as well as food, music, an outdoor film, a climbing wall, and camping. Events include a timed 5K & Half Marathon on the Ferry County Rail Trail, a mountain bike ride, and a hike on the nearby Kettle Crest Trail. Info: Getoutfest.com.

(June 29) Hiking Quartz Mountain. Where: Mount Spokane State Park. Hike to the tops of Quartz and Horse mountains, two of the eight named summits in the state park, and visit the Quartz Mountain fire lookout. Info: Spokanerec.org

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(August 24) Priest Lake Triathlon. Where: Priest Lake, Idaho. An Olympic Tri (relay or individual), Sprint MTB individual or relay, and team options on and along beautiful Priest Lake. One of the most scenic triathlon event anywhere. Info: Priestlakerace.com JUNE 2019 / OUTTHEREOUTDOORS.COM

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Last Page SUMMER SNOWBOARDING // By Larry Banks

LARRY BANKS DROPPING LINES. // PHOTO: SCOTT SMITH

BY LATE JUNE, pretty much all snow from the sur-

rounding mountains of North Idaho had melted out, and the ski resorts had long been closed.

I had heard about the grand allure of Glacier National Park (GNP) and the Going-to-the-Sun Road, which tops out at Logan Pass at 6,645 feet. It maintains copious amounts of snow until August and offers access to easy hiking and snowfields for skiing and snowboarding. It is this appeal that took me to GNP, plus the opportunity to ride terrain in steep mountains.

The Going-to-the-Sun Road, an impressive engineering feat, is an incredibly picturesque drive up a twisting road east of Whitefish, Montana, that rises 3,500 feet from a valley floor carved from gla-

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OUTTHEREOUTDOORS.COM / JUNE 2019

ciers centuries ago. It passes under avalanche paths that careen thousands of feet down the mountains during the winter months. At this time of year, roaring waterfalls from spring melt burst over the road, splashing cars as they drove by. The sweeping views of declining glaciers on nearby mountaintops remind visitors about current environmental concerns and how lucky we are to still have these wild places.

As I reached the Logan Pass parking lot, I geared up for the climb. This was my first time here on unfamiliar slopes, and a solo mission that had me a little nervous, yet excited. As I walked through the parking lot, curious tourists in shorts and t-shirts gawked at me with my snow gear, especially when

temperatures neared 60 degrees on the black pavement. On the hike up to the snowfields, I answered questions like “Where are the ski lifts?” and “You’re going over there to ride that?” Some people asked for a photo of the crazy snowboarder they met while out hiking to share on Facebook.

Once I began my ascent across Hanging Gardens snowfield, further from the camera-toting tourists, the stillness gave way to mindful meditation: Glide across the snow. Enjoy each bit of cool breeze in contrast to the heat of the sun. Each stride brought me closer to my destination—a snow-covered headwall that rises just south of the pass.

The route I chose passed by numerous roaring waterfalls that raged from spring melt then disappeared under the deep snow, rushing down to join larger streams and rivers in the lush valleys below. I thought to myself: This is a metaphor for our lives, the way that rivers rage with energy then disappear, morph, and create new life. I sat beside an enormous fall. Listening to the water roll over the rocks and feeling its spray was like a christening.

I continued my trek until I reached the base of this beautiful headwall, an impressive, rock-lined patch of snow that can be seen from the pass parking lot. It sits between two high peaks: Clements and Reynolds. I fastened climbing crampons to my boots to make the climb up the chute, which is looker’s right of the headwall. The climb was steep and I was on my knees at times, concentrating on each step and each breath. I forced myself to resist looking down as I moved higher, the sun’s intense heat softening the snow. I was keenly aware that a wrong move or missed step would send me straight down into rocks.

The upper chute had a steep roll toward the top that mellowed. Momentarily stopping to catch my breath, I noticed movement about 30 feet above me.

There stood a lone, white mountain goat. I stopped in my tracks, unsure if the goat would take offense to me intruding on his turf. It turned and stared at me—not with discontent, but what seemed like curiosity. We stared at each other for a long while, then he tracked across the upper slope to some rocks farther to my right, granting me passage.

Once there, I sat surveying the landscape down to the bustling congregation of tourists about 1.5 miles away.

Below me, the goat was back, having circled down to a rock outcropping I had just come up. I watched this magnificent animal glance down the chute, then back at me. He stayed for a while, and I enjoyed his quiet company until he impressively worked the rocks with graceful moves like he was out for a Sunday stroll and disappeared. I felt lucky to spend time soaking up the tranquil beauty of this place with this wild mountain goat.

Since my first experience in Glacier almost a decade ago now, I have made an annual pilgrimage to Logan Pass when the spring snow plowing is completed, to fill my soul with climbing and riding in such wild natural wonderment. // Larry Banks is an accomplished splitboard mountaineer who co-founded PanhandleBackcountry. com. He is also a board member of the Idaho Panhandle Avalanche Center. He last wrote about a fundraiser for Friends of Idaho Panhandle Avalanche Center in October 2018. You can follow his exploits on Instagram @Powderpanda.

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Hours: Mon-Fri 10 am-8 pm, Sat 10 am-6 pm, Sun 11 am-5 pm

We’ve got the gear, clothing & footwear for all of your outdoor adventures!

Kelty Redwing 44 $99.98

MSR WindPro II Stove $99.95

Scarpa Zen Pro Approach Shoe $179.00

Black Diamond Ion Headlamp $24.95

Spokatopia

UDAP 9.2oz Bear Spray $49.99 Osprey Youth’s Ace 50 Backpack $160.00

La Sportiva Men’s & Women’s Trango TRK GTX $220.00

MSR MiniWorks EX Water Filter $89.95

Kelty Cosmic 40° 600 Dridown $89.98

Osprey Women’s Ariel AG 55 Backpack $290.00

Kelty Trail Ridge 3 $199.98

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UPCOMING EVENTS:

OUTTHEREOUTDOORS.COM / JUNE 2019 Cirque of the Towers, Wind River Range, WY

Jim Rueckel

Saturday July 13 • 9:00 to 10:00pm Sunday July 14 • 9:00 to 3:00pm

Camp Sekani spokatopia.com