Out There Monthly May 2016 by Out There Outdoors

RIVER ISSUE | BIKE TO WORK WEEK | CLACKAMAS MOUNTAIN MAY 2016 // FREE

THE INLAND NW GUIDE TO OUTDOOR ADVENTURE, TRAVEL AND THE OUTDOOR LIFESTYLE

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MAY 2016 / OutThereMonthly.com

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Kayaker Ryan Kerrigan cruising through the Devils Toenail rapids on the Spokane River in Riverside State Park.

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From The Editor: River Rodeo Somehow I fell in love with surfing, even though I grew up hundreds of miles from the nearest surf break. My aging gray matter isn’t as reliable as it once was, leaving the exact origins of my teenage surf obsession somewhat obscure. But I do have clear memories of watching surf competitions on ESPN in junior high and the accompanying, intense urge to paddle out and catch a wave on the vast, blue Pacific. I was 16 when I finally slipped into a thick, hooded wetsuit at a place called Otter Rock on the Oregon Coast and caught my very first wave on a rented longboard. I’ve been entranced by the smell of surf wax and the feel of riding walls of liquid water ever since. 7-hour road trips to Westport, Washington,

and Oregon’s Short Sands Beach eventually evolved into marathon drives down the West Coast to northern Baja beaches. Venturing further south in later years with my real-deal surfer pal Phil, I had the chance to paddle out at some epic breaks in central Mexico that were way beyond my less than part-time, land-locked surfing abilities. In between epic ocean thrashings – a few of which were some of the most terrifying experiences of my life – I was able to catch a few glorious waves that still energize me like nothing else when I recall those moments. At some point I realized that living in Spokane with all the other outdoor sports I was into and my connections to this region, meant that I would never amount to much of a

surfer. That is until my buddy Phil, who grew up terrorizing the waves off the coast of New Jersey, introduced me to river surfing when he was living in Wenatchee a few years back. He coaxed me into paying him a visit to the “Apple Capital of the World” to wetsuit up and prone paddle surfer style out on the Wenatchee River on a thick, buoyant board built specifically for catching and riding standing river waves. With years of whitewater rafting under my belt, paddling a surf board with my face at water level into the kind of big, pounding river wave that I was used to avoiding with rafts took a bit of self-coaching, even as I watched Phil easily getting up and ride the surging feature, even pulling off cocky, cool-looking tricks. But by the end of the day,

I too was surfing that fleeting inland wave, known as the Rodeo Hole, grinning wide like the swollen river as I realized the potential for other freshwater waves on other rivers, including the Spokane. Which got me thinking. Whatever happened to the proposal for a manmade whitewater park on the Spokane River? Check out page 28 for a bit of a history lesson on that topic. Which got me thinking again, how long until there’s another push to build a more fish- and fishermen-friendly whitewater park somewhere on the Spokane? Derrick Knowles, Editor editor@outtheremonthly.com

Jerry Johnson Hot Springs

MAY 2016 / OutThereMonthly.com

Out ThereNews&Events

Spokane Bike to Work Week Encourages Biking Everywhere Spokane’s Bike to Work Week, May 16-20,

will be hosted by the Spokane Bicycle Club this year. A Monday morning pancake breakfast in Riverfront Park courtesy of Mountain Gear will kick off the event-packed week. Riders can track their miles throughout the month of May and compete with other riders as part of the nationwide National Bike Challenge. Bike to Work Week also includes three group rides, a Friday evening pizza party at River City Brewing and several other events –all free and open to the public. Sally Phillips, the Spokane Bicycle Club member coordinating Bike to Work Week, started bike commuting in her own neighborhood decades ago. Like many people, she found the prospect of biking to work daunting at first. She says some riders’ work schedules, dress requirements, or company culture can pose obstacles to biking to work. So, this year, the week’s theme is “Bike to Work,

Bike Everywhere,” inviting participants to bike commute wherever they can, even if not to work. Phillips started biking to destinations within her neighborhood. The South Hill resident avoided trekking up and down the hill by running errands and meeting friends at South Hill locations by bike. “We’re encouraging people to think about trying a bike as transportation in whatever steps feel comfortable for them,” Phillips says. The club has coordinated opportunities throughout May for new riders to plan routes and get their bikes ready for safe riding. At the Spokane REI on May 7, local bicycling educators will help attendees plan riding routes. Bike maintenance classes will be held throughout the month at REI, the North Spokane Library, and the Argonne Library. Several local bike shops will offer free bicycle safety checks from May 1-15. Get involved at Spokanebikes.org. (Erika Prins)

New Bike Club in Town

There’s a new bike club in town, and you might

already be a member. Just don’t expect club rides or to see kits in their colors any time soon. This new club resulted from the merger of Cascade Bicycle Club and Washington Bikes, formerly the Bicycle Alliance of Washington. Washington Bikes has become a Cascade affiliate focused on state-wide advocacy. The two organizations merged at the end of 2015, resulting in “the nation’s largest bike nonprofit,” says Cascade Chief Strategic Officer Barb Chamberlain, former executive director of Washington Bikes and a former Spokane Bicycle Advisory Board chair. About 50 local cyclists had their Washington Bikes memberships transferred to the 17,000 member Cascade Bicycle Club. Nearly 100 area cyclists have signed up with Cascade since the merger. Cyclists have long known Cascade for the annual Seattle to Portland ride. Chamberlain says “Cascade is redefining its mission to be statewide, but we don’t entirely know what that looks like yet. We don’t have plans for a chapter model

as such; it’s something for us to consider based on interest from members around the state.” Hank Greer, OTM’s Everyday Cyclist columnist, says “Advocacy is a given.” But, he adds, “If Cascade doesn’t expand events to the east side, will it appear to be west-centric?” Garry Kehr, past-president of the Spokane Bicycle Club, participated in the merger discussions and sees no concerns. “Cascade will become a statewide force in bicycle education, advocating for youth cycling programs and otherwise promoting the benefits of cycling across the state,” he says. “I believe the whole state will benefit.” One benefit for sure is the renewed emphasis on developing the John Wayne Trail. For those who purchase cycling license plates, the portion of the fee that previously went to Washington Bikes will go to Cascade to fund statewide cycling advocacy and safety education. “The merger will absolutely be carried out in partnership with local groups in ways that make overall bike advocacy stronger,” Chamberlain adds. (Bradley Bleck)

The Roots Pursuit Team Bicycle Event (June 5) Since 2011, The Roots Pursuit team bicycle event has brought cycling madness, environmental awareness and 12 lively challenges to downtown Coeur d’Alene. In the most non-serious bike event of the season, two-or three-person teams start from the Shared Harvest Community Garden and pedal to one of three “hubs” where they have to complete physical, mental, and creative challenges before moving on to the next hub. Points are awarded based on team performance and

completion within a two-hour time limit and the creativity of optional costumes. Bring a bicycle, teammates and a willingness to have some fun. The Roots Pursuit benefits Community Roots Local Food Share, which is a volunteer based program that collects and distributes surplus produce from backyard gardeners and farmers’ markets to local food assistance facilities. Kealliance.org. (S. Michal Bennett)

Avista Has a New Online River Access Map A broad range of recreation opportunities sur-

round the Avista-operated hydroelectric facilities and reservoirs on the Spokane and Clark Fork rivers, and the utility company has launched a new digital recreation map that makes it easier for rafters, kayakers, campers, anglers and floaters to learn more about those different recreational access sites. There are photos for each site so you can see what the area and facilities look like, along

OutThereMonthly.com / MAY 2016

with information on where each site is located and what facilities and recreation opportunities are available. Avista manages the operation of the dams with a balance that creates hydropower and provides recreational access and management of aquatic weeds, cultural resources, fisheries, wildlife and water quality. You can check out the new river maps at Avistautilities.com/rivermaps. (OTM)

River advocates Announce Merger

Two Spokane River focused non-profits, Friends of

the Falls and the Spokane River Forum, announced a merger in late April. The merger will see the Spokane River Forum carrying on the work of Friends of the Falls, which included the Conceptual Plan for the Great Spokane River Gorge in 2002. Since then, the overarching goal of the FOF has been to bring people together around the value of the Spokane River and the hundreds of acres of public park land along its banks for both quality of life and economic development reasons, says FOF board member Steve Faust. “That goal has largely been achieved,” Faust says, “and the Spokane River Forum has become a key partner in carrying forward that message and in advocating for greater public access to the full reach of the river.” The merger will continue and accelerate the work that FOF began nearly two decades ago, says Faust. “The work of Friends of the Falls was transformative. They profoundly changed the community dialog and triggered millions of dollars in investment by reconnecting our community’s thinking and souls to the river and what it can and should offer us and future generations,” says Jeanna Hofmeister, President of the Spokane River Forum. “The Forum is fully committed to continuing and expanding their bold vision.” Friends of the Falls started in 1997 as a coalition spanning the political spectrum to oppose replacement of the historic Monroe Street Bridge along with development of the Lincoln Street Bridge. That success was followed by development of the Conceptual Plan and, in 2005, the seminal “Great Spokane River Gorge Strategic Master Plan.” The plan’s vision proclaimed the goal to “enhance and preserve the splendor of the Gorge and river as a central feature of the Spokane region for generations to come.” The plan, which is focused on the Great Gorge area west of downtown, identified over $25 million of potential public and private projects to protect and restore the area, as well as to connect residents and visitors to recreational experiences, while honoring the river’s rich cultural and environmental history. The Spokane River Forum started in 2008 with the mission to create materials, events and activities that promote regional dialogues for sustaining a healthy river system while meeting the needs of a growing population. The Spokane River Water Trail is one of the Forum’s most successful initiatives. By building partnerships, new and restored access points have made the river far more accessible, while also providing critical environmental restoration. Andy Dunau, the Forum’s Executive Director,

notes how astounding it is how much of that vision has already come to pass or is actively being developed right now. Construction of the Sandifur Bridge, redevelopment of Huntington Park, development of Kendall Yards and installation of green infrastructure in the area have all come to fruition. The Spokane City Utilities Department has now committed to completing a loop trail through Peaceful Valley with connectivity to downtown. In addition, the City Parks Department has completed a master plan for Glover Field, including identification of a new river access site. “It all fits,” adds Faust, “with what the Great Gorge Plan envisioned and what the Olmsted Brothers first advocated for in their 1913 Parks Plan. ‘Nothing,’ noted the Olmsteds, ‘is so firmly impressed on the mind of the visitor to Spokane, as regards its appearance, as the great gorge into which the river falls near the center of the city…any city should prize and preserve its great landscape features, inasmuch as they give it individuality.’” Looking to the future, the Forum will use funds previously raised by Friends of the Falls to improve river access, restoration and recreational opportunities in the Gorge. These funds, notes Faust, were originally raised for development of a whitewater park in the gorge area. “Ultimately, we were unable to secure the environmental permits required to build it,” Faust says. “The Spokane River Forum is involved in several projects in the Gorge area where these funds can still provide a benefit to boaters and to the broader community.” Dunau says the Forum initially plans to focus FOF resources on Glover Field. Plans have already been developed, collaboratively by the city and multiple stakeholders, to improve river access for paddlers, anglers and rafters, offer neighborhood improvements by addressing parking and other concerns, and support a trailhead linking downtown and a loop trail. As part of the merger, the Forum will offer donors to the Whitewater Park Fund the opportunity to request reimbursement of their donation. On June 3, both Friends of the Falls and the Spokane River Forum will celebrate the merger while raising funds for future river projects at the Water to Wine Auction at Arbor Crest Wine Cellars. “The dream Friends of the Falls started is alive, and the work goes on via the Forum,” Hofmeister promises. The Water to Wine event will celebrate the two organizations’ efforts with music, wine, hors d’oeuvres, and education and will support river access, restoration and cleanup projects. More info: Spokaneriver.net/watertowine. (OTM)

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Walk, Bike, Bus Spokane’s Garland district residents will soon receive an invitation in the mail to join the WalkBikeBus program offered in their neighborhood this summer. WalkBikeBus offers incentives and personalized support to people interested in trying new modes of transportation. Spokane Regional Health District launched the program’s first campaign last summer in the South Perry neighborhood. After assessing the neighborhood’s needs, program coordinators tailored an outreach program to the community. First, residents received a by-mail invitation to join. Next, volunteers canvassed the neighborhood to answer questions and sign up additional participants. Those who opted in received free resources and one-on-one help from volunteers to find the best pedestrian, bike and bus routes for their commute. The volunteers encouraged participants to set goals and use coupons from local businesses, included in their materials, as rewards for reaching milestones. About 90% of South Perry participants

had achieved at least one of their goals by the program’s end, says Mariah McKay, active living coordinator at the Health District. The program will target a new area each year through 2020. This year, in the Garland district, the program will include events like neighborhood rides for new cyclists. “We had a lot of success with that in the Perry District,” McKay says. “We had a lot of people show up on a really hot day, when it was really smoky outside, to actually go out on their first ride in the neighborhood.” Future programs will focus on encouraging neighbors to use new infrastructure in their area, like the planned bicycle-pedestrian bridge in the University District and street improvements within neighborhoods. WalkBikeBus relies on volunteers to canvas neighborhoods during the sign-up phase and later provide one-on-one support to participants. To volunteer, or for program information and detailed neighborhood maps, visit walkbikebus. org. (Erika Prins)

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MAY 2016 / OutThereMonthly.com

HikeOfTheMonth

Clackamas mountain

(North Central Washington) // By Holly Weiler

Hike of the month: Sweet spring wildflowers and diverse wildlife call Clackamas Mountain home. // Photos: Holly Weiler

Whenever I see an odd trail name, I try to come up with a likely story for how it came to be. Sweat

Creek makes a rather uninviting name for a picnic area and trailhead, and the best I can come up with is that it gets a bit too hot here once summer arrives. However, don’t let the name scare you off in May! In spring, it should be called “sweet” instead for the smell of wildflowers and pine or for the high-quality views along the route. The Clackamas Mountain loop from the Sweat Creek Picnic Area in May is all gorgeous old-growth trees and brightly colored spring flowers. The Pacific Northwest Trail passes through this area, meaning this lovely dayhike has the potential to be part of a multiday or even multiweek trek along the route. Expect springtime trailside features to include arrowleaf balsam root-covered hillsides, the perfume of shooting stars in the air, and the florescent green glow of lichen-covered standing snags. The only drawback from my visit was a crook in my neck from peering up at the giant Ponderosa pines and massive larch trees. If you prefer trails with interesting plants and the potential for seeing wildlife, and if you would rather avoid crowds, Clackamas is for you. Start by obtaining an Okanogan-Wenatchee National Forest map, as the trails are not numbered and are poorly signed. The trail makes a loop best hiked counterclockwise by heading northeast from the Sweat Creek trailhead. It climbs nearly 3,000 feet in approximately five miles to Clackamas Mountain, elevation 5,450 feet, then descends along an open ridge on the west side of Sweat Creek with fantastic views of Fir Mountain on the other side of the highway (see the January 2015 Hike of the Month). If you opt to hike clockwise, don’t forget to turn around to check out the view across the valley, or if the entire loop seems too ambitious, try a shorter out-and-back along either side. The portion to the east has the best wildflowers, while the west side has the best views into the distance. Round-trip distance is up to nine miles for the loop. Getting there: From Spokane, travel Highway 395 north through Colville and Kettle Falls. Cross the Columbia River and turn west on Highway 20, continuing through Republic westbound approximately 8.5 miles. The trailhead with bathroom facilities is located at Sweat Creek Picnic area on the north side of the road.//

Give back to our local trails! Join the Washington Trails Association for a day of trail work at Canfield Gulch, Antoine Peak Conservation Area, on May 25. Sign up at www.wta.org/volunteer. //

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Iron Goat Brewing at New Location

“We loved the space as soon as we saw it. Although the windows were all boarded up, we knew that with the open layout, exposed brick, and all the windows it would be the perfect taproom/brewery space,” says Iron Goat co-owner Heather Brandt. Named after the famous garbage-eating goat located in Riverfront Park, the Iron Goat Brewery is among the most award-winning breweries in the Inland Northwest. Previously located near Trent and Napa, the fast-growing brewery decided it was time to plant new roots in the western downtown core on the corner of Second Avenue and Adams. Originally built in 1921, Iron Goat owners recycled and repurposed as much as possible from the antique building. They took the original sliding exterior door and made the two sliding doors between the brewery and taproom. They were able to use the original terrazzo showroom floor with a little polishing and by filling a few cracks. The benches for the common tables were made from repurposed wood removed from the ceiling. Even better, most of the tables were created out of old sixpanel doors. The additional brewery space allows them to add more tanks, which adds a great deal of flexibility to brew more styles for the taproom and distribution. Iron Goat will be partnering with local artists for First Friday events, and you can count on fantastic live music on the weekends. Irongoatbrewing.com (Jon Jonckers)

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Ninkasi Beer Run

Over the years, the Flying Irish running club members have adopted a variety of mottos and slogans. One of the favorites is “a collection of drinkers with running problems.” So when Ninkasi looked to launch its new beer, called Beer Run, naturally they looked to the largest running club in the nation. The Beer Run was unveiled in Spokane on March 31 at the Flying Irish weekly run on the Centennial Trail at Ripples where it was well received (the keg was exhausted in no time). For most people a “beer run” is a trip to the convenience store for more beer. But Ninkasi realizes that runners and cyclists also often celebrate a workout with a cold beverage, and there’s a portion of runners that run to offset the calories from their favorite beers. The Beer Run is a crisp and flavorful IPA with bold hops and hint of citrus. Anyone familiar with Ninkasi Total Domination would recognize hints of the same taste, but the Beer Run isn’t quite as dark, and some might think it’s sweeter. The Beer Run boasts a 7.3% ABU which is stronger than Total Domination; however, both have an IBU of 80. Beer Run will be available in stores soon in standard 22oz bottles. Check out the Ninkasi website for the official launch date. Ninkasibrewing.com (Jon Jonckers)

Quench your post-run thirst with a Bloomsday Blonde down at River City Brewing. // Photo: Jon Jonckers

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Bloomsday Blonde by River City Brewing

Finally there is an inspirational ale from a local brewery worthy of the Bloomsday name. River City Brewing developed the Bloomsday Blonde as a light seasonal ale. The brewery is best known for some of their dark beers, including the iconic VB Stout and Midnight Marmot, as well as for their Riverkeeper IPA, which supports the Spokane River watershed. They also have a killer taproom right downtown just one block from the Bloomsday course. The Bloomsday Blonde ale could also be called a golden ale because the style is closely related to traditional mass-market lagers. It’s a strong-tomedium blonde ale with a modest amount of bitterness and maltiness. It avoids a bright citrus or hoppy aftertaste, and the ABV is lower than you might expect. Altogether, it pairs well with a premium local pizza or your favorite carbo-loading feast. Look for bars and restaurants throughout the area pouring Bloomsday Blonde all month long. (Jon Jonckers)

MAY 2016 / OutThereMonthly.com

Carves Steps out of stones.

The capra bolt

WITH UNIFLY™ MIDSOLE FOR HIKING UP QUICKER AND FLYING DOWN FASTER. OutThereMonthly.com / MAY 2016

Everyday Cyclist Hand-Built Wheels GET Cyclists Rolling in the Right Direction // By Hank Greer TOP: Larsen demonstrates how to use a dish tool to check the rim is centered on the hub. // BOTTOM: Tightening spokes with a spoke wrench. Photos: Hank Greer

Merrell and Tough Mudder are teaming up for 2016 to bring you the biggest, baddest obstacle challenge yet. Gear up, grab your team, and get muddy. WWW.MERRELL.COM/TOUGH-MUDDER

MAY-JUNE 2016 EVENTS ATLANTA - MAY 7-8 OHIO - MAY 7-8 CENTRAL TEXAS - MAY 14 (HALF) No sooner do I lean my bike against the fence

than Matt Larsen glances down and says, “Your tires are on backwards.” Sure enough, when I mounted my tires, I overlooked the arrow pointing out the intended rotational direction. Leave it to a wheel builder to spot that right away. We joked about how all my Strava miles are actually in the negative now and he offered to remount the

account. Last of all, the tension on the spokes must be balanced. All these pulling and pushing forces are adjusted until the wheel is rigid and remains so. After working as a mechanic at several bike shops, Larsen wound up at a bike parts wholesaler. Along with shipping bike parts, the company also sold hand-built wheels, which interested Larsen. He learned how to build wheels and gained a lot

The main benefit of hand-built wheels is that you get exactly what you want. tires for me. After all, he had the tools right there in his shop. I thanked him but declined. I will ride home in shame and put them on correctly, as I should have done in the first place. A row of rims stretches across the ceiling of the garage Larsen converted into a shop. He is patiently yet quickly assembling a bicycle wheel. He inserts one spoke after another through the spoke flange on the hub and into the rim. He attaches a nipple to each and tightens them just enough to keep the parts together. Once all the spokes are in, he puts the wheel in the truing stand and tightens each nipple until all the threads on each spoke have disappeared. As the slack from the loose spokes is removed, the wheel tightens up and he must use a spoke wrench on the last few nipples to get them as flush as the others. Larsen explains the four factors that concern him. He needs to maintain the round of the rim. That means the rim’s shape is that of a circle with the hub in the center. Next, there must be no movement to either side as the wheel spins. Third is the dish. The rim must be centered on the hub, which is not necessarily the same as centered on the spoke flanges. This ensures the cassette and disc brakes, which also occupy space on the hub, are taken into

of experience. The company laid him off when the economy went south in 2007, so Larsen decided to put his experience to use for himself. He opened his own accounts with suppliers, established a website, and jumped into the wheel-building business with both feet. In 2012, Larsen moved to Spokane where he was pleasantly surprised by its large and active cycling community. As a result, Spokane has been a good fit for him. Larsen has established business relationships with local bike shops and local bike builder Glen Copus of Elephant Bikes. Through his website, Larsen’s customers are located across the

United States and into Canada and Europe. But local customers get a bonus through their personal relationship with the guy who built their wheels. And they can bring their wheels in for free truing. Why invest in hand-built wheels? If your rims are worn out or damaged, you can save money by using the hubs from those wheels as the foundation for new ones. The hub is the most expensive part and can last for many years. Or you may want something lighter because you race. Perhaps you need a beefier configuration because you go on punishing rides. Or maybe you want your hubs or rims to have a specific color that matches your frame. Overall, the main benefit of hand-built wheels is that you get exactly what you want. The bicycle industry has a small profit margin and Larsen jokes that he chose the wrong business model because he builds a product that will last 10 years. His customers return because he provides quality service and quality products. Meeting his customers’ needs is his primary goal. His local customers can interact with him personally at a race, a bike exposition, or at his shop. Even if he just needs to point out that your tires are on backwards. For more information, visit www.mlwheels.com. //

CENTRAL TEXAS - MAY 21-22 PHILLY - MAY 21-22 CHICAGO - MAY 21 CHICAGO - MAY 22 (HALF) TAHOE - JUNE 11-12 KENTUCKY - JUNE 11-12 VIRGINIA - JUNE 11 VIRGINIA - JUNE 12 (HALF) NEW ENGLAND - JUNE 18-19

MAY 2016 / OutThereMonthly.com

Kids

Family Trail Adventures along the Spokane River // amy silbernagel mccaffree Bowl & Pitcher area, you’ll eventually begin to see Devil’s Toenail, a huge rock formation jutting out from the middle of the river. After another marker for trail #25, you’ll soon see a trail junction – this is #211, though it’s not marked here, and will lead you back to the bridge if you desire (loop distance is 1.7 miles, and #211 is a wider trail with a gentle grade). Or you can venture further along the river on a rocky stretch of trail before heading back. More info: wta.org/go-hiking/hikes/ riverside-state-park or find a graphical map of the loop provided by Spokane Regional Health District, srhd.org.

The Spokane River exudes energy and mystery,

fascinating kids and parents alike. A hike along a river is a fun way to explore nature while gaining observational lessons about the water cycle and riparian zones – the narrow strips of land along a river’s borders that provide a unique home for plants and animals that have adapted to variable water levels in order to live. Downriver of Spokane’s urban core, there are convenient hiking and exploration opportunities for children to learn ecology first-hand. The further you go, the wilder it gets, thanks to Riverside State Park. Osprey, heron, geese and other wildlife visit the river, and there are up to 17 fish species that call this river home, according to the Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife. Before you leave home, be sure to pack essential supplies: water bottles, snacks, a first-aid kit, toilet paper and plastic bags. Follow Leave No Trace principles and be prepared to pack-out any waste. Carrying a GPS or trail map is also helpful when on an unfamiliar trail. A general guideline for how far a child can hike is one mile per year of age, when it’s a fairly flat trail, but less mileage when there is elevation gain. Know your child and his or her capabilities. Have fun and respect our region’s beautiful natural resource. Bowl & Pitcher, Trail #25, at Riverside State Park:

While crossing the swinging bridge, admire the

Left: Little feet, wide river. // Right: Beachcombing at the big eddy. Photos: Amy Silbernagel McCaffree

rock formations and rapids. Once you reach the other side, go up the steps and turn either upriver (left) or downriver (right) onto trail #25 – either way provides good views of the river as an out-

Spokane River Trail #100:

and-back route. For spectacular views of the Bowl & Pitcher, head downriver. Down the steep bank, the river rages wild – enjoy it only from the safety of the trail. As you venture further from the

Playing Safe on the River A river has hazardous conditions, including swift currents and undercurrents, large rocks and overhanging tree branches. Closely supervise children. Whenever swimming, wading, floating or paddling in any Washington State river, wearing a PDF is required by law. A safer way to get kids on the water is to sign up for a trip with an outfitter. Both FLOW Adventures (flow-adventures.com) and ROW Adventure Center (rowadventurecenter.com) offer recreation opportunities on the Spokane River, such as guided whitewater rafting (ages 10+, Class I-III rapids), float trips (ages 5+, Class I-II rapids) or tubing gear and shuttle service (ages 5+).

This trail is popular with mountain bikers and hikers alike. The trailhead is around mile 27.5 of the Centennial Trail near Fort George Wright Drive, off the south side of the TJ Meenach Bridge. Downriver Park is the name of this forested stretch of land along the river, though it’s overseen by Riverside State Park. A free parking lot is located at the bottom of N. Pettet Drive (aka Doomsday Hill). Cross the bridge using the pedestrian pathway on the left and link up with the Centennial Trail. Look for the trail #100 marker to the right after passing under the road tunnel. If your children are 6 years or older and strong hikers, I recommend making the large river bend and its beach your destination goal and turn-around point – which is about two miles from the bridge. //

Watersports A Wild Passion for Whitewater

Local Kayaker Dustin Semb’s Love for the Sport May Be Contagious // By Siobhan Ebel “It was just a mess. Everything that could have gone wrong went wrong.” That’s how Dustin Semb with Eastern Washington University’s EPIC Adventures outdoor program describes one of his most memorable experiences whitewater kayaking. Semb had driven up to Canada for the weekend to meet up with friend and long-time Spokane area kayaker Steve Bailey to run Findlay Creek. It was supposed to be a simple, straightforward class II run with one class III drop, but what they didn’t know was that the guidebook had flipped the two runs. What they thought was a class II was actually a class IV run through a narrow slot canyon. They were forced to scout as they went with one person running the drop and pointing out the best route down the drop for the second to follow. “I came around a corner and [Steve] was telling me to stop as fast as I could, so I just pulled into an eddy and the river was just completely choked with logs,” Semb says. It took some pretty ingenious thinking for the two kayakers to get out of the canyon. To get out where he was at, Bailey stood on Semb’s paddle so that he could jump up to climb out of the overhanging, polished-rock canyon. “Then we were trying to portage the log jam,” Semb recalls. “We fell and my boat went in and got stuck in the log jam. The fall broke my boat. And the keys were in the boat – the keys to the truck.” With some creativity and a bit of luck, they managed to get out of the canyon with both boats and keys, although it took an hour-and-a-half scramble up the pine-covered, steeplysloped sides of the canyon lugging the boats behind them. Despite everything that went wrong, the two pair went back the next day and used their creek boats to goof off on the class II section, doing hand rolls down the river. Semb got into whitewater kayaking in 2000 after enrolling in an intro to kayaking course taught by Dr. Matt Chase at EWU. Before showing up for his first class, Semb had already purchased a bunch of his own gear. “I fell in love with it, and I put all my time and money into it.” Semb was already an avid snowboarder by the time he started kayaking, which he says is a lot like snowboarding. “You 14

OutThereMonthly.com / MAY 2016

Looking upstream from the middle of the log jam. Semb is standing on the rock above where his boat was stuck. // Photo courtesy of Steve Bailey

get to go places that you can’t get to readily without that equipment, and the sensation feels similar. There’s a lot of the same stuff going on, like similar body movements.” His first year kayaking he racked up 200 days on water on top of 180 days on snow. “I’d go snowboarding, and then I’d come down into town and go kayaking,” he says. Many people imagine whitewater kayaking as flying over waterfalls or expertly careening down rapids, but it doesn’t have to be like that. “Just about any personality type can enjoy whitewater kayaking because it is such a diverse sport,” Semb says. “I know people who are in their 70s who just cruise down the river.” That said, if you’re new to whitewater kayaking or looking to get into the sport, Semb suggests taking a lesson. “You’ve got to respect the river,” he says. Taking a lesson from a qualified instructor or mentor will get you up to speed on many of the basics and safety considerations, while also making kayaking more fun because you have someone there to encourage you and coach you. A lesson will also introduce you to the different types of whitewater kayaks and help you discover which style suits you best, from play boating to river running. Whitewater kayaking works many of the same muscles as paddleboarding but allows you to experience a wider range of environments. “The whitewater kayaking scene really deserves to grow,” Semb says. With four runs on the Spokane River alone, as well as dozens of river and creek runs within a few hour’s drive of Spokane, there’s endless whitewater for local kayakers of all levels to explore. //

Watersports For the love of sup

Local Couple Share Their Passion for Paddleboarding on the Spokane River // By S. Michal Bennett Keith and Cara Quien want you to love paddleboarding as much as they do. Photo courtesy of Fun Unlimited

Sacred Salmon Ceremoney May 14 Big Water Blowout June 4

Time to fish.

Hot Summer Nights July 22-23 Riggins Salmon Run Sept 10

you can rent standup paddleboards and kayaks and carry them to the water, you just can’t beat sliding a board into the Spokane River and paddling down to where it opens into the lake’s open waters. At Fun Unlimited in Post Falls, Idaho, you can do just that. “Our location is at the Red Lion Templin’s Hotel, right on the river,” says Cara Quien, owner of Fun Unlimited with her husband Keith. “It is a really sweet spot, and we are in a no-wake zone.” For beginner paddlers and families with kids, this is good news. “We are right behind the dam,” says Quien, “so there is no current. It’s not like the wild open Coeur d’Alene Lake, which is choppy and windy and has boat traffic. It’s really peaceful and calm, and it’s a great experience for first-timers.” The Quiens originally opened Fun Unlimited in 2012 with the vision of it being a club membership where people could pay a monthly fee and get unlimited use of the “toys” that were available for rent. “My husband is very much the entrepreneur,” says Quien, “and has always wanted to own a business. We sat down at the kitchen table and talked about it, and I said, ‘Yeah, let’s do it!’” In the beginning, they stocked snowmobiles, ATVs, bikes, jet skis – all the usual suspects. Then this husband-and-wife team ended up falling in love with watersports. Now they exclusively offer SUP boards, kayaks, and Jet Skis, and paddleboarding is probably their favorite. “Paddleboarding is not one of those intimidating sports,” says Quien. “We have 6-year-olds who come and do it. We had a 76-year-old who came last summer and she was standing!” While inflatable SUP boards have always been

a part of the Quiens’ lineup, they have decided to only stock inflatable boards starting this season. Over time, they have observed that the solid core fiberglass or hard plastic boards don’t hold up to the river rocks, especially when hundreds of people are renting them every day. “The inflatable boards are much more durable. A lot of folks like to rent them and take them places,” says Quien. Fun Unlimited includes paddles, a pump, and instructions on how to inflate the boards with every rental. And they design their own boards. Their production company, Stillwater Paddleboards, is small but dedicated to making dependable SUP equipment. “Our boards are very, very stable,” Quien says, “and there is space and two handles where a small child can sit cross-legged on the front.” This summer, they will also bring their SUP boards and kayaks to Washington, providing rentals at the new Downtown Spokane River Access Point directly under the Division Street Bridge. Last September, Keith and Cara took an end-ofthe-day paddle from this spot to No-Li Brewhouse to test the waters and explore the opportunities. “The water was like glass,” recalls Cara. “We had the idea [to set up at the access] before that night, but once we did the paddle, that was all we could think about. It’s a great river.” As they continue to expand, their desire is to stay personable and family-friendly, and to share their love of SUP with anyone who is willing to give it a try. They currently sell season passes for both locations, and opening a spot in Coeur d’Alene is on their wishlist for the future. For now, Fun Unlimited will continue to be an outstanding place to introduce families and individuals to the water, regardless of experience and skill level. //

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MAY 2016 / OutThereMonthly.com

OutdoorLiving Urban Farmers and Gardeners Kick up Their Hooves // By Jamie Borgan

Friday Night: Dance to DJ Excellence Saturday 2pm: Hash Run/ 7pm Live Music: The Angela Marie Project Sunday 9am: The 32nd Running of the Original Bare Buns Fun Run

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Giving directions to her house in the Shadle

neighborhood, Janice Swagerty says, “you can’t miss it; it’s very farm.” The raised garden beds and fruit trees in the front yard are part of that equation, but the real urban-meets-rural moment happens when you step into the backyard and are greeted by two goat pens and a chicken coop that house three chickens, two adult goats, and two goat kids. Thanks to a change in the city regulations governing small livestock in April 2014, Swagerty and other aspiring urban farmers now have the city’s approval to raise certain breeds of goats, pigs, and sheep on their property. Chickens were already allowed prior to passage of the livestock ordinance, but the new law set more generous limits on the number of chickens a property owner can legally raise, affixing that figure to square footage. A property owner can now raise one chicken per 1,000 square feet or one small livestock animal per 2,500 square feet. A separate ordinance known as the “market garden pilot program” allows property owners to raise and sell produce directly from their property. The ordinance regulates the size of livestock a landowner can rear (no more than three feet high at the shoulder, according to Pat Munts, Small Farms and Acreage Coordinator for WSU Spokane County Extension). The ordinance also stipulates that small livestock owners living in city limits must take a class that fully explains the regulations and proper care of small livestock. The Community Colleges Center for Workforce and Continuing Education and the WSU Spokane County Extension offer periodic classes on goat-keeping and pig-keeping. The urban farming regulations were in large part driven by City Council President Ben Stuckart, who had seen a successful market garden program oper-

ating in Bellingham. The Bellingham program not only generated income for participants, but it also created a sense of community for neighborhoods as neighbors grew and sold vegetables and flowers to one another. Stuckart enlisted various community groups with a stake in urban agriculture in crafting the ordinances, making sure considerations such as impact on surrounding neighbors, proper care of animals, and other applicable city laws were considered in writing Spokane’s regulations. In the two years since the ordinances passed, Munts says about 50 people have taken the small livestock classes required to raise animals, though stats on the number of people actually employing the ordinances to create their own urban farms aren’t available yet. Despite concern that nearby residents might be bothered by the smells and sounds of having hooved neighbors, both Munts and Stuckart say city complaints related to livestock animals have been minimal. Swagerty affirms that neighbor relations are key to making an urban farm work in the midst of a residential neighborhood. “There’s a learning curve,” she says, relating how the first pen she had in her backyard was positioned in such a way that the farmy odor of her goats blew into her neighbor’s yard. Swagerty chose to relocate her pen to make sure her goats were a welcome addition to the neighborhood. But the goats have been a great source of community building for Swagerty as well; her neighbors donate their rogue weeds to Swagerty’s goats for supper, and who wouldn’t delight in the sight of her 13-year-old daughter Katie hooking up their buck goat to a sled to pull her through the snow on a winter day? For urban dwellers with a country heart, Spokane’s urban farming ordinances make it possible to have it all. //

Local Farmers’ Markets Open in May

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You don’t have to live in the boonies to be a farmer. Photo: Jaime Borgan

Spokane Farmers’ Market Local farmers from the greater Spokane area joined together in 1998 to operate the Spokane Farmers’ Market, conveniently located in downtown Spokane on 5th Avenue between Division and Browne from May through October. Shop every Saturday and Wednesday from 8 a.m. to 1 p.m. for fresh produce, baked goods, meat, eggs, honey, bedding plants and other products (including organic vegetables). Look for live music and other special events on specific market days by checking the market’s website or Facebook page. Opening day is Saturday, May 14, with the Wednesday markets kicking off starting June 8. Spokanefarmersmarket.org Kootenai County Farmers’ Markets Since 1986, the Kootenai County Farmers’ Markets have been providing the Coeur d’Alene area with fresh produce and local products, from cheese to chairs, artisan breads to birdhouses, on the southeast corner of Highway 95 and Prairie Ave. in Hayden on Saturdays and on Sherman Ave. and 5th Street in Coeur d’Alene on Wednesdays. Saturday markets kick off May 7 (9 a.m. to 1:30 p.m.) and Wednesday markets start May 10 (4 to 7 p.m.). Kootenaifarmersmarkets.org Farmers’ Market at Sandpoint 2016 marks the 28th year for Sandpoint’s farmers’ market, located downtown in Farmin Park on Oak Street. Find locally grown fresh produce, baked goods, annual and perennial plants and handcrafted arts and crafts on Wednesdays (3 to 5:30 p.m.) and Saturdays (9 a.m. to 1 p.m.) May through October. Opening day is set for May 7. Sandpointfarmersmarket.com. // (OTM)

Biking How To Jump a bike

Four Steps to take Flight on Two Wheels // By Skye Schillhammer naturally settle into its preload. It helps to actually place your bike on the jump and observe if the whole bike fits on the arc. If it does, you will likely have a smooth trajectory and contact the landing with both tires simultaneously. If the jump length is shorter than your wheelbase, you will need to actively preload your suspension before the lip. This helps time the compression and decompression of your fork and shock as if you were hitting a longer lip. This is why bigger jumps can actually be less technical than small jumps. Look for a jump with a lip that is as long or longer than your wheelbase and has a built-up tabletop between the lip and landing to provide a safety cushion if you come up short. Your body position as you are on the lip needs to be relaxed and fluid. When your front tire starts tracking upward, let your handlebars start moving closer to your stomach. This allows you to remain centered without moving rearward.

Practice makes perfect. Come watch riders fly through the air like this at the Spokatopia MTB Jump Jam July 9 at Camp Sekani Park. Photos: Skye Schillhammer

It’s a feeling that takes you all the way back to

childhood. Many of us can remember a time when we were much younger, free of consequences, in the backyard stacking plywood to jump our bikes. Those days may be over, but jumping a bike still provides the same rush of adrenaline we felt as kids. I am asked almost daily, “How do I start jumping?” I have been toiling over the answer for weeks. Before I break into the step-by-step process of leaving the ground, we need to establish a baseline of rider ability, bike set-up, and terminology. Before taking flight, you should have a handle on intermediate trail riding. This means you have built up the necessary stabilizer muscles from pedaling and cornering to safely maneuver your bike when learning to jump. Most of the time, the more capable the rider is on the ground, the more capable they will be in the air. You don’t have to catch big air to practice for jumps. Just learning the balance points of your bike through cornering, manualing (balancing on the rear wheel while rolling but without pedaling), pumping rollers, and navigating steep trail will help tremendously when you are faced with a jump. Proper bike setup will speed up your learning curve. First, look at your stem length. Most newer bikes will come with a stem length of around 50mm. This is a great length for all types of riding, including jumps. If you have an older bike with a longer stem, I recommend a shorter length coupled with a wider handlebar. The wider handlebar prevents your cockpit from feeling cramped after reducing the stem length. Next is suspension setup. The goal is to have a balanced amount of sag between your front fork and rear shock, along with equal rebound speeds for each, which help the bike preload evenly and send you on a level trajectory. If you haven’t done this before, refer to the manufacturer of your bike, or stop by your local bike shop, for proper suspension tuning. With the two major bike setup adjustments complete, inflate your tires equally to a pressure you like (I ride 32 psi when jumping) and lower the seat. Your bike is now ready to go. With the majority of riders now on full suspension bikes, the term “preload” becomes important

to understand. Preload is the compressing of the suspension before and on the lip of the jump. This can be monumental, or nonessential, depending on the type of jump, so it’s a good technique to understand. We will discuss how to preload later (if you ride a hardtail, disregard that discussion).

Step 1: Approach the jump with the proper speed. This is easier said than done. While you are learning, it’s best to follow a rider who knows the speed. As you become more experienced, you will learn to estimate and adjust your speed along any trail as you approach a jump. Your body position should be centered between the wheels. Often riders think they should move their weight rearward. Unfortunately, this can cause the front of the bike to drop in the air and create the terrifying “buck” sensation.

Step 2: As you reach the bottom of the jump,

this is where you begin to preload. If the lip of the jump is a bike length or longer, the bike will

Step 3: You and your bike have just left the

ground. The bike should be angled upward with the handlebars closer to your stomach. As you arc through the air, you will progressively push the handlebars away from you. At the peak of airtime, you should be in a similar position to riding on flat ground. As you start coming down toward the landing, keep pushing the handlebars away from you until the angle of your bike has matched the angle of the landing. This takes practice, but once mastered, it allows you to land smoothly and continue down the trail or off the next jump at the designed trail speed.

Step 4: Your tires have just contacted the earth.

One mistake that less confident riders make is to start braking before or right as they land the jump. If you are off balance, coming up short, or overshooting, the brakes will only make things worse. It is better to navigate as best as possible down the landing and begin braking a few feet down the runout. If you have landed safely and smoothly, make sure to recenter yourself between the wheels to continue riding down the trail. Learning to jump will likely be the scariest and most exhilarating thing you do on a bike this year. I have seen this process take all levels of riders off jumps they would have never dreamed of hitting before. Always start small, and slowly work your way to bigger jumps and eventually gaps. The thrill from even the smallest jump will have you hooked and riding back up for more. // MAY 2016 / OutThereMonthly.com

Hiking NEW Fishtrap loop trail invites hikers to explore // By Bea Lackaff New Scablands singletrack ready for hikers and bikers. Photo: Bea Lackaff

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OutThereMonthly.com / MAY 2016

The Bureau of Land Management Fishtrap Recreation Area is well known to fishers, hikers, mountain bikers, equestrians – even astronomers – as a premier scablands getaway. The new Fishtrap Loop Trail is currently under construction, but it already opens up miles of new sights and experiences. This 8,000 plus acre recreation area offers two big lakes, multi-use areas, non-motorized trails, and historic remnants of settler-era ranching. Both lakes are well stocked with rainbow trout; each has parking and boat access provided by the Washington Department of Fish & Wildlife (Discovery Pass required). All BLM parking is free. The upper lake is 48-acre Hog (Canyon) Lake, open for boats and winter fishing. Fishtrap Lake covers 190 acres and lies in a narrow two-mile canyon. The bulk of the recreation area lies to the west of this lake where the new trail is being built. Bob Strong, retired geologist and avid hiker, loved hiking the cow paths and dirt roads meandering the pastures, kolk-formed lakes, wetlands, and rocky exposures in the area and wanted to share them. “I led a hike on the proposed trail route for the first time with the Inland Northwest Hikers in spring 2010,” Strong says. By 2012, “enough people contacted the BLM that it got their interest, especially since there was a volunteer group to help build the trail. That was the key!” The BLM created a planning team that includes Washington Trails Association (WTA), Spokane Mountaineers, Inland Northwest Hikers, Backcountry Horsemen, and Evergreen Mountain Bike Alliance. The team determined the best route to visit and protect scenic views, historical sites, and natural features and also be maintainable. This resulted in a ground-truthed route for an 8-mile north-south loop system, connecting the Fishtrap Road and Farmer’s Landing parking lot trailheads. The trail will connect new and existing routes and visit sites of special beauty and interest. “The Fishtrap Loop Trail is such an exciting project,” says Stephen Smith, Outdoor Recreation Planner for the Spokane BLM Office. “Although this is a BLM project, there is a lot of public ownership. It is a

testament to their love of these lands and spirit of adventure.” The BLM conducted the necessary permitting and studies, and trail construction was launched on National Public Lands Day in September 2015, when more than 50 volunteers showed up to start the work. Since then, there have been six WTA work parties. “It could be a multiyear process to finish the whole thing,” says Holly Weiler, Spokane WTA coordinator, “especially since we use it as our early- and late-season work location. It’s no fun to be working out there in July and August.” This March, I tagged along with a WTA work party and their cheerful crew leader, Jane Baker. We met early at the Fishtrap Road parking lot in brisk spring winds and spats of rain. We reviewed safety rules and grabbed tools provided by WTA: a Pulaski, McCloud, grub hoe, and pick mattock. The air filled with songs of meadow larks, and the ground was soggy with puddles, thick with grass, and dotted with cow pies. Suddenly – no more trail! An unmarked sea of prairie grasses spread out before us. A barely perceptible string of little red flags dotted ahead across the landscape. Each volunteer chose a red flag, sighted on the next one, and got to work. Greg Ropp, a rain-spattered volunteer, said “I enjoy giving back to the community for all the enjoyment that I have had hiking trails. Besides,” he grinned, “I work in a cube. There is great satisfaction in working outside!” Volunteer trail crews will be back to Fishtrap later this fall. Plan to join them, but don’t wait to explore the Fishtrap Recreation Area. Your use keeps vegetation from regrowing into the new trail, so do your part and hike it! To learn more about trail restoration, visit www.wta.org or contact Holly Weiler at hweiler@wta.org. GETTING THERE From Spokane, take I-90 west 26 miles to Fishtrap Exit #254. Continue south on Old Sprague Hwy. Rd 2.5 miles. Turn left on Fishtrap Road at the sign to the resort. Continue 0.7 miles to the parking lot and trailhead on right. //

Hiking Guided Hikes Set to Celebrate 50 Years of Protecting the Dishman Hills // By Brad Thiessen

I had never run hills before arriving in Spokane

11 years ago. So when we moved here after seven years in the flat desert of Central California, it was a welcome challenge to slog up and down the trails in the Dishman Hills Natural Area. Three times a week, I warmed up my legs on the relatively flat mile-and-a-half run from my house to the area’s Park Street access point, then set my sights on the gravel trail that arced steeply into the pines. Back then, I knew it only as a collection of hiking trails, an anomaly in an urban area. A silent home for deer and who-knows-how-many birds and critters, yet startlingly close to downtown when viewed from the top of Eagle Peak. It became my private running paradise, to be shared with only a handful of hikers and on some days, no one at all. It struck me as odd that many people with whom I talked about the Dishman Hills, even those who had lived in Spokane all their lives, had never hiked the trails – and sometimes didn’t even know where it was. It took me six or seven years to realize that that the Dishman Hills are actually made up of three separate sections of protected land: The Natural Area, where I spent all my time; the Glenrose unit to the south of it; and further to the southeast, the Iller Creek unit with its incredible views of the Palouse from the iconic Rocks of Sharon and Big Rock. In recent years I have gotten involved with the Dishman Hills Conservancy, the nonprofit land trust that works with Spokane County Parks to protect and connect the three areas of conserved land

in the Dishman Hills. The Conservancy’s current five-year goal is to help acquire the lands needed to connect the three sections to create one large conservation corridor. One of the Conservancy’s primary missions is to balance conservation with responsible trail usage. So when the time came to celebrate the Conservancy’s fiftieth year in 2016, it seemed appropriate to find a way to bring together those who have hiked the trails for years and those who are new to the Dishman Hills, to enjoy and celebrate this natural treasure collectively. To facilitate that, DHC is offering a number of guided hikes and events over the course of the summer. Here are some of the events scheduled for the coming weeks: May 7, Hike and Sketch at 11 a.m. at Camp Caro; May 15, Forest Ecology Hike at 10 a.m. at the Iller Creek Trailhead; June 4, Butterfly Walk at 9 a.m. at Camp Caro; June 19, Father’s Day hike to Big Rock lead by Chris Kopczynski (start time 9 a.m.). All events require free registration at www. dishmanhills.org. Whether you’re a long-term Dishman Hills user or haven’t yet experienced this amazingly accessible conservation area, running, hiking, painting or searching for butterflies is a great way to experience the three areas at your own pace. See what makes them worth protecting, and participate in the longterm vision to link them into one long conservation corridor. To learn more about the Dishman Hills and to keep up with events throughout the summer, visit www.dishmanhills.org. //

Pick your trail and go. Miles of trails await in Spokane’s Dishman Hills. Photo courtesy of the Dishman Hills Conservancy

MAY 2016 / OutThereMonthly.com

GearRoom Spring supplies Big Agnes Farnsworth Jacket

This is the first synthetic insulated jacket I’ve ever owned, preferring to rely on lighter weigh down for shoulder season warmth in the past. The only problem with feathers, especially in rain-prone spring and fall months, is that when raindrops keep falling on your head, they eventually soak it up, turn to mush and can make you smell like a duck pond, while utterly failing at their intended purpose: to keep you warm. For Memorial Weekend car camping, potentially soggy day hikes or spring ski tours that may involve getting caught in mountain-top squalls, the Big Agnes Farnsworth Jacket won’t let you down. It weighs in at just

Montbell Tachyon Anorak Wind Jacket

This ultra-light wind jacket from Montbell that fits like a shirt is my new favorite piece of functional gear. It’s so light and compactable, be careful not to drop it unnoticed along the trail, since it could easily float out of your pack or pocket like an energy bar wrapper. On an early spring bike packing trip on the 150 mile Columbia Plateau Trail, I left my heavy hardshell at home and prayed for dry weather as I tucked the Anorak into a corner of my saddlebag. Warm, sunny weather greeted us for the first three days of the trip, and on the morning of the fourth and final day, a cold wind began blowing an hour before sunrise. It was time to test this truly featherlight nylon wind stopper. We raced out of camp with the storm building at our backs as fast as our loaded fat bikes and tired legs would pedal. The Tachyon Anorak sheltered my core, arms and head (thanks to a welcome hood) from the heat-sucking wind as good as any bulky, bomber shell, but when the storm unleashed 20

OutThereMonthly.com / MAY 2016

under a pound, has a roomy, comfortable hood with a drawcord closure, thumbholes for easier layering, hand-warmer pockets and larger inter ior mesh pockets for stashing gear. The Farnsworth is insulated with Pinneco Core, which is designed to be more breathable, thermally efficient and sustainably engineered than other insulation options. The w i n d - pro of, water resistant polyester shell is made of 100% recycled material too. The fit is relaxed and stylish, making it the perfect spring choice for any outback or urban adventures. MSRP: $199. Bigagnes.com (Derrick Knowles)

its first raindrops, I pedaled faster, expecting the cold rain to start soaking through the thin nylon at any moment. Fortunately, we were already on the Fish Lake Trail and nearly home before a full-on down-pour finally breached the DWR treated Anorak and I finally got a little wet. While it’s definitely not a replacement for your heavier waterproof breathable jacket when rain is in the forecast, the Tachyon Anorak is an indispensable windbreaker that, when pulled over a fleece or base layer, is an incredible heat trapper that lives in my bike pack when it’s not in my running pack or my multi-day backpack or fleece pocket on a stroll down by the river. The strippeddown, functional design left room for a 10 inch zipper that helps with venting and makes entries and exits go more smoothly. It fits tight to keep annoying wind flapping to a minimum, so keep that in mind when choosing a size. MSRP: $99. Montbell.us (Derrick Knowles)

IceMule Pro Cooler

When is it a good idea to walk home 4 miles from a birthday party in the rain? When your walk takes you along a wild section of Spokane River singletrack and you’re wearing a cooler full of cold refreshments on your back. The IceMule Pro looks like a dry bag, but the thick, insulating walls of this cooler bag that doubles as a backpack (thanks to padded shoulder straps) will keep your drinks or food cold for up to 24 hours. Built from 1000 denier exterior tarpaulin fabric with seams rated to 65 pounds, you can stuff up to 24 cans into your IceMule Pro without Organic Honey Stinger Cinnamon Waffle

worry. At 4.3 pounds, it’s light enough for shouldering a gourmet picnic, BBQ fixings, or canned cerveza stash along on day hikes to your favorite Selkirk Crest lake or Priest Lake beach, and it’s equally at home lashed to a paddleboard, kayak or raft for a hot day on the water. The cooler folds and snaps closed like a dry bag and has an air valve that allows you to adjust the shape and add air to the insulation by blowing into it after you’ve filled and rolled it up. The Pro also comes in an extra-large size and IceMule makes other portable, packable cooler options. MSRP: $119.95. Icemulecooler. com. (Derrick Knowles)

There are very few things I miss on a gluten free diet. I eat great bread, pizza, burgers and, with the opening of Coles Café in north Spokane, onion rings are now off the list of foods I miss. But there is one thing I do miss. Those waffle cookies that you can sit on top of your coffee mug to melt the gooeyness inside. Until a box of Honey Stinger Gluten Free Organic Cinnamon Waffles showed up on our porch today. I instantly tore into one, dropping a few sticky crumbs on my desk. They are honey filled, but not too sweet, and all of the handful of

real ingredients are organic. In 1954, beekeeper Ralph Gamber and his wife Luella created the “EN-R-G Bar”; they also introduced packets of “quick energy” honey. 50 years later, Honey Stinger was founded by a group that included the Gambers’ son and grandson with the goal of providing tasty, honeybased energy foods made with natural ingredients. These devilishly-good, 140 calorie waffles are promoted as a healthy, natural energy food but are a treat you might have trouble saving for workouts and adventures only. Honeystinger.com. (Shallan Knowles)

Reflekt Polarized Floating Sunglasses

etc.) for life with the previous mentioned processing fee. The potential watersports applications for these light, flexible and fashionable sunglasses are immense: stand up paddleboarding, rafting, tubing, fishing, boating or chilling on the dock or beach. Pretty much any activity where there’s the chance of losing your sunglasses in the drink. Made from a unique frame material called Va p o r L i t e , which has the look and feel of ordinary sunglasses, are 20% lighter, allowing them to float. They will definitely be my go-to sunglasses for paddleboarding, floating the Spokane River and lazy days at the lake. Several styles are available in the $99-$139 range, and shipping is free. Reflektpolarized.com (Derrick Knowles)

When I pulled my Reflekt sunglasses out of the box, a little card fell out while I was tearing it open like a maniac. Normally, company propaganda like that would be destined for a one-way trip to the recycling bin, but three little words on the front of the card caught my attention before my 1-year old could truck off with it. I pried the mutilated paper from his drool-soaked grip and read the words again in disbelief: “Lifetime +Loss Warranty.” Yes, these guaranteed unsinkable polarized floating sunglasses, which is already too good to be true, will be replaced up to one time for a $35 processing fee thanks to Reflekt’s generous warranty policy. The warranty also covers an unlimited amount of damage claims (breakage, scratches, toddler chewy toy damage,

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UrbanOutdoors The Mystery of the council circle // By Bea Lackaff

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Did the floods roil over it? Or did a forklift

just plop it in place? Has it always been there? Or, as one Spokane West Central neighborhood teenager, returning to visit his favorite haunt, exclaimed, “Where did THAT come from?” You can see the “Council Circle” from the first sharp curve on the swooping bike trail rising north from the Sandifur Bridge. Look west, down through the trunks of the tall pines to the north bench of the Spokane River, and see it nestled in the trees, settled into the flood bench gravels with timeless grace and solemnity. Approach it from below. From an elevated base, two semi-circles of massive, flood-rounded granite stones embrace a stone altar/hearth/ picnic table. Additional boulders sit in attendance. The opening faces the Spokane River and is accessed by sweeping steps made of a layered mudstone. Smaller river rocks – that even a child could carry – make three concentric loops around it. Many people enjoy the cathedral-like quiet and solitude of the Council Circle: people walking by, a birthday party with a Weber on the hearthstone, yoga and Tai Chi classes, church youth groups, the homeless. “I did come up with the idea. It isn’t as I envisioned it,” muses Judith Gilmore, long time West Central resident and activist, “but people seem to like it. “ In the early 2000s, Judith knew teachers from Holmes Elementary School sometimes brought their students down to the north bench of the river for lessons. She thought having an outside classroom would be a good thing. Thousands of years of inter-Tribal gatherings and community activity had taken place in this special reach of the Spokane River. The West Central Neighborhood Council (WCNC) liked the idea, and dedicated some HUD Block Grant funding to the project. The City Parks Department, the WCNC, The Spokane Tribe and Friends of the Falls were all involved to varying degrees in formulating the project. But what form it would take and how they could avoid the experience of building very nice picnic shelters in the same location in the 70s that didn’t last because of limited access,

spotty maintenance and subsequent vandalism, remained a question. The project to build a tribute and gathering spot stalled from one yearly funding cycle to another. By 2010, architect Larry Swartz became chair of the WCNC Parks Committee, inheriting the funded and approved project to create “something” on the North Bench. “I wasn’t even sure it was a good idea,” says Swartz – but he and the Parks Committee took the project to heart. Few sites could accommodate the required 200-foot setback, but one was finally selected near existing, well-tended monuments that appear to be pet graves. Larry sat hidden in the trees to observe how people passing by interacted with the site. To protect any possible Native American artifacts below ground, nothing could be dug into the topsoil. It needed to be built to endure and be made of natural materials. The design emerged, centered around an auspicious mound already at the site, and within a circle of small granite

The Council Circle newly in place looks like the perfect place for a regular summertime bluegrass jam, eh? Photo courtesy of Larry Schwartz. // Stones and the occasional vandal spore of trash and campfires mar the circle. Please help keep it clean. Photo: Bea Lackaff

river stones, long embedded into the sand. Representatives from the Spokane Tribe helped orient the entrance to the directions. By the fall of 2012, after a long, involved process that included expertise from Land Expressions LLC, Spokane’s own secret Stonehenge was quietly put into place for $24,000. Looking back, the Council Circle seems to have been born of its own volition, an idea, eddying through visionaries, committees, studies, permits, delays, designs, and Druids until finally manifesting itself. It was built on mystery, and still evokes mystery. It is a silent tribute to millennia of gatherings along the Spokane River; an invitation for people to continue to meet there, to share, to learn, to enjoy themselves, to appreciate and respect the natural world around them. Before long, another ring of small river stones appeared around the Council Circle. “Communicating through stones,” Swartz says smiling. “People are still doing it.” //

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River Rambles

return of the salmon // By Jerry White Jr.

RIP Spokane River salmon, That is until you come back. Photo: Jerry White Jr.

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I admit that in my rambles up and down our river I get a little dreamy – about salmon. In my defence, it’s not hard to day dream about these great fish considering our river was home to them since before the last Ice age. These ocean going critters and their cousins the steelhead came and went from our river to the ocean for millennia before the construction of dams that blocked their migrations. At one time the Columbia River system was home to 16 million salmon. The Spokane River had runs of Coho and a run of Chinook salmon called “June Hogs.” These fish weighed up to 80 pounds and were uniquely adapted to moving big rocks with their powerful tails during spawning. They swam to the Spokane Falls and 55 miles up Hangman Creek where the Coeur d’Alene Tribe fished for them. Sitting on the riverbank in the Spokane Gorge below the falls, it’s easy to dream about the active hum of Spokane Tribal villages that sat near the mouth of Hangman Creek for over 7,000 years. These were urban centers of civilizations that relied on rich runs from the sea. Closing my eyes, I can hear the laughing children and the songs of adults working as they catch and clean salmon. I can smell the wood smoke from the racks of drying fish over fires. I can only imagine what it must have been like for the Spokane Tribe and all of the other Native American people who fished the mouth of Hangman Creek and the Spokane Falls. Sitting and soaking up some of this collective “salmon happiness” never gets old. If I look down river in my mind’s eye, I can watch these magnificent fish enter the river and announce their presence by smashing the surface of the water and wallowing in the shallows. In the old days, homesteaders near salmon rivers reported of being kept awake at night for all of the fish frolicking past. In other Northwest rivers I’ve seen big chinooks jump in nervous anticipation of their upstream spawning run – a primal push to go home, to return to the gravel, spawn and die. Sometimes, it’s the cork handle of my fishing rod that triggers a salmon dream – the magic jolt of hooking a massive steelhead trout in the emerald green waters just below Sandifur Bridge makes my hands sweat. I once took a Trout Unlimited staffer

from Portland down the river to fish for trout, only to catch him staring into the river. “Man,” he said, his voice distant but connected to the water he was standing in. “I can’t even imagine how cool this river was when you could hook a steelhead here. I can almost see one lying right there in that run.” I just smiled. And there are the dark dreams too. There is the long shadow that the salmon-absence has cast on all of us, whether we know it or not. Not only did their absence strike at the heart of the spiritual and economic life of native cultures, but I believe it left America’s new comers in a kind of poverty as well. A while ago while fishing the river, I found some graffiti at the base of a bridge that was the perfect reflection of that loss that too few are aware of: “RIP” painted into the concrete beside a beautiful salmon mandala. The image was soon painted over, and the lack of salmon continues to haunt many of our rivers. The truth is, though, salmon never rest. Nor do their ghosts. In 2014, the Spokane City Council passed a resolution supporting the return of salmon to the Spokane River after the Columbia Basin Tribes and Canadian First Nations developed a vision of re-introduction over the Grand Coulee Dam. It is clear that the public supports this beautiful idea. If this happens, we would see the licences to run Spokane River dams open up for consideration of fish passage. This vision of salmon returning to the Spokane isn’t just a dream. Planning is happening and the dream is getting as focused as concrete dams that cross the river. Imagining the presence of salmon in the river again is captivating. Indeed, one day relatively soon, our salmon daydreams may be interrupted by the real slap of giant fish tails on moving water. A tail slap that is a celebration of life, a beautiful homecoming, a real dream come true. Find more info at: www.ucut.org/fish_passage. ydev. // Jerry White Jr. learned to fly fish at a young age and has been exploring Northwest rivers by boat and on foot ever since. In 2014, he signed on as the Spokane Riverkeeper, turning his lifelong passion for our local river into a full-time job.

Running Run WIld

Trail Sense // By Dave Dutro

Never play above or below a dam. You are a trail runner, not a cage fighter, so smile! // Photo courtesy of the Trail Maniacs.

The Inland Northwest offers great trail

opportunities to runners, hikers, bikers, and equestrians. I see new people every week on the trails I love most. Biped trail users (hikers and runners) can observe some easy etiquette that will improve the experiences of everyone on the trail. Be kind: On my trail runs, I see a lot of people tuning out: running with headphones, avoiding eye contact with other users, or just being rude. Why? I enjoy getting away from the busy streets, but I also like to see other people using the trails. I also enjoy the trails because I want to tune into nature, listen to the birds, and enjoy the flowers and beautiful scenery. You can enjoy the full experience by running without headphones or by leaving one of the earbuds out to hear other trail users. Greet and talk with those you encounter. You share a love for the trails you’re both on, and you never know when someone might help you change a flat tire at the trailhead or share their extra water when you forgot yours. Right of way: If the oncoming bike, horse or trail user is bigger than you, let them go first. Just move out of the way and enjoy the rest of your trip. If you come up on a slower trail user, politely say “on

your left” or ask if you can pass them. Be polite, and keep it simple. Clean up: I hate to see garbage on the trail. Of course, sometimes things fall out of your pack without your knowing, and sometimes you accidentally drop things and don’t notice. Make up for those times by going the extra mile and picking up someone else’s garbage while you’re out on your adventure. I pack a Ziploc bag to hold my garbage, and if I see some extra on the trail I will pick it up. Leave the trail the way you found it; better yet, take the initiative and leave it a little better. Tread lightly: When the trail is muddy enough that you are leaving footprints, consider saving that trail for another day. Muddy footprints can cause erosion or create unstable surfaces when the trail dries out. Keep an eye out: Theft at trailheads is on the rise. Don’t leave anything of value in your vehicle, and if you see suspicious behavior at the trailhead, call the authorities. //

When boating or swimming this summer, please remember to play it safe. Call or visit avistautilities.com/waterflow ahead of time to learn about Spokane river flows and water levels on Lake Coeur d’Alene and Lake Spokane. Washington: 509-495-8043, or Idaho: 208-769-1357. We just want you to be safe.

avistautilities.com/waterflow

Dave Dutro is an avid trail runner, mountain biker, hiker, and co-founder of the Trail Maniacs (www. trailmaniacs.com).

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Leave trash on the river and this pirate may make you walk the plank. // Photos: Aaron Theisen

“Ahoy! Have you paid the toll?” Shain

REady for a

Challenge? Six Months Six or more races One Fun Challenge!

MAJOR RACE DISCOUNTS TECH SHIRT - KILLER SWAG WRAP-UP PARTYat Windermere Marathon, Happy Girls Run, Trail Maniacs Races, Troika Triathlon, Priest Lake Marathon, Dad’s Day Dash 5k, Valley Girl Triathlon, CHAFE 150, Priest Lake Spring Run, Foothills Scenic Five, Kaniksu Ultra 50 & Ruck Race, Tiger Triathlon, Rathdrum Adventure Race, Up Chuck Challenge 5k, Bare Buns Fun Run 5k, Spokane to Sandpoint Relay, Priest Lake Triathlon, Wunder Woman Triathlon, Kootenay Sufferfest, Sekani Trail Run 5 & 10k, 8 Lakes Leg Aches Bike Ride, June Bug Fun Run, Up Chuck Challenge Trail Run 5k & 1.5 miler, Wed Night MTB Race Series at Riverside S.P., Ride the Pass, 5 in July Wednesday Night MTB Races at Farragut S.P., Spokane Valley Cycle Celebration, Rotary Rivers & Ridges Ride, Smokechaser 30k, RIM Ride, Centennial Beer Chase, & Inland NW Cyclocross Series.

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McPherson, 39, greets a trio of floaters from under a maple tree on a sandy cove of the Spokane River. He hoists a river beer in their direction and then goes back to regaling his audience with river tales as the Spokane River Pirate. It’d be difficult to find a Spokane resident more connected to the day-to-day hum of the Spokane River than McPherson. Like many long-term partners, he and the river have even started to take on the same qualities: a little rough around the edges, but constantly moving. Gregarious, even McPherson’s conversation is like the river: a never-ending stream, occasionally eddying back on a point but mostly propelled relentlessly forward. A lifelong Spokane resident, McPherson floated the river only a few times a year until about 10 years ago, when he took to the water for the same reason most pirates do: drink. “My girlfriend told me I could no longer drink on dry land, so I found the loophole!” laughs McPherson. One night after a day on the water, McPherson and a friend joked about staking a claim to a small island exposed during low water and defending their fiefdom with a pointed stick. “There was only one narrow channel through the river, so we figured we’d charge a toll to pass by: a dollar or a beer,” says McPherson. “Couldn’t pay? Here’s a little poke to your boat with the pointy end of the stick to send you on your way.” Instead, he planted a tiny skull-and-crossbones flag on his inflatable kayak and embraced the pirate’s life. And like most pirates, McPherson seems most comfortable when he’s in contact with the water. Last year, he met his goal of floating the Spokane at

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least once every week. But he suffered a setback when he had a stroke while on the river. “That stroke nonsense” is how he refers to it with characteristic nonchalance, but it has slowed h i m down some. He feels less nimble in his inflatable kayak than he did before, and he’s lost some hot- and coldsensitivity to his right side, but he’s still out on the water regularly, sometimes four or five days in a row. Although he floats the river yearround, McPherson in particular enjoys mid-spring, “before everyone else is out on the river.” He’s also fond of full-moon floats during the summer, which he informally organizes through his Spokane River Pirates Facebook group.

Meet

Pira

Spoka Riv

Get Tuned in to “River Time” at These Annual Events Sacred Salmon Ceremony (May 14, Salmon River / Riggins, Idaho)

The 15th annual “Sacred Salmon Ceremony & Friendship Pot Luck” is free and open to all. The event starts at noon (mountain time) at Spring Bar (about 12 miles east of Riggins up the Main Salmon River). This celebration is held in appreciation for of annual return of the Chinook salmon and is conducted by a Nez Perce Tribal elder. Rigginsidaho.com/events. Memorial Day Madness (May 30, Lochsa River / Highway 12, Idaho)

Join the informal gathering of spectators lined up to watch whitewater glory and carnage at Lochsa Falls (mile marker 114) between Three Rivers Resort and the Lochsa Lodge along Highway 12. Boaters on all sorts of unique craft play it up for the crowd of cheering and booing spectators. Both Three Rivers Resort and Lochsa Lodge offer guided raft trips, lodging and camping during peak river flows throughout the months of May and June. Idaho3rivers.com and Lochsalodge.com. Big Water Blowout River Festival (June 4, Salmon River / Riggins, Idaho)

Visit Riggins on the Salmon River for a weekend of rafting some of the biggest whitewater of the season and other activities suitable for thrill seekers and families. Discounts on rafting trips with local outfitters are available, and there is excellent rapid viewing from the road in several locations. Bigwaterblowout.com. Payette River Games (June 17-19 / Cascade, Idaho)

Try river surfing, enter a SUP race, or watch or compete against some of the world’s best stand up paddleboarders. Payetterivergames.com. //

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It’d be easy to see the skulland-crossbones flag and hear the portable stereo playing something from Sublime and dismiss Mc P h e r s o n a s just a one-man beer float. But he takes seriously his selfappointed role as a Spokane River steward, one who touches base regularly with and supports the trash pick-up and cons ervation efforts of the Spokane Riverke ep er. Mc P h e r s on t a ke s pride in hauling out any garbage he encounters, and he’s at his most incensed when lamenting the river users who leave theirs behind. One gets the sense that McPherson is frequently disappointed with his fellow humans and would just as soon surround himself with wildlife, especially when he starts cataloguing all the creatures he’s seen along the Spokane: minks, skinks, osprey,

the

ate the of

ane ver

otters, moose and others. Says McPherson, “I like animals better than people.” Nonetheless, he’s jolly and welcoming to the boaters, bikers and dog walkers he encounters, regulars and strangers alike. Motioning to the high-water mark of the river bank, McPherson says “When I’m on the water, I leave all my dryland problems up there.” //

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Film Review: Strongwater by s. Michal Bennett

Many people would say that “learning to surf ” is somewhere on their bucket list. It’s definitely on mine. Yet, the majority of people in the U.S. who live two hours or more from a coastline will rarely even visit the ocean, much less get on a surf board. In this exquisitely-shot short film, Coeur d’Alene filmmaker Jordan Halland sets out to show us how river surfing is changing that, while transforming urban waterways in the process. “I was working in Missoula for a production company,” says Halland, “and I would see guys walking by with surfboards every day. It was the weirdest, out of place thing to see.” Eventually, he followed them down to the Clark Fork River and watched them surf the waves that cut straight through the heart of Missoula. When he started his own production company, Coup De Grace, he knew that he wanted to tell the story of KB Brown and Luke Rieker, owners of Strongwater Mountain Surf Company. From the opening voiceovers to the closing waves, each moment highlights the thrill, artistry and insanity of this rapidly-growing mountain sport. “I didn’t want it to feel like a mountain film,” Halland says. “I wanted it to feel like a skate film or surf film.” With intuitive cinematography and music exclusively from Northwest bands, Halland and his Director of Photography, Cameron Hotchkiss, have definitively captured that “surf vibe.” But then Halland digs deeper by exploring how river surfing has been instrumental in cleaning up the Clark Fork and might possibly create a movement of urban waterway renewal across the country. Strongwater has been selected as a feature film at the Telluride Mountain Film Festival in Colorado this May. Look for a trailer for the film coming soon at www.jordanhalland.com.

A week of premier trail running in British Columbia’s Monashee Mountains with

JEN SEGGER at SOL MOUNTAIN LODGE www.GlutesInTheKoots.com August 1-5, 2016

MAY 2016 / OutThereMonthly.com

Watersports

Whatever Happened with the Spokane River Whitewater Park Proposal? // By Aaron Theisen

With the addition of consistent waves that come with a manmade whitewater park, Spokane could be the next Inland Northwest surf town. Photo courtesy of Kevin Brown

Many area whitewater enthusiasts wait

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patiently every spring for river levels to calm down to the right level to float or surf the Spokane River. Meanwhile, emotions still run high five years after the city’s plans for a downtown whitewater park dried up. In 2007, nonprofit group Friends of the Falls, which recently announced a friendly merger with the Spokane River Forum, initiated an ambitious plan to create a 400-acre whitewater park that would have included building wave-producing structures beneath the surface of the Spokane River. The group’s goal, which was supported by many local kayakers at the time, was to add a manmade river feature to the river downstream from downtown Spokane that would allow boaters to play, surf and pull-off tricks on otherwise wild and free-flowing waters and serve as a potential urban tourism and economic development tool. Park advocates eyed two locations in the Spokane River Gorge in particular, although other sites upstream were also considered: Glover Field, which boasted close proximity to downtown and up-close views of the Monroe Street Bridge; and a location by the Sandifur Bridge, which spans the river at the first bend downstream from the falls near People’s Park, which would have required fewer alterations to the river bed to achieve the desired rapids. Friends of the Falls helped secure a $530,000 grant for the park in June 2007 from the state’s Recreation and Conservation Office, and then the sum was matched with $500,000 of funds raised by the group from hundreds of donors. The park proposal wasn’t just popular with the public: In 2007, the Great Spokane River Gorge Strategic Master Plan won the “Mayor’s Choice” award for excellence in urban design. The report cited in part the plan’s potential for immense economic benefits from tourism. Advocates successfully navigated a 2009 public comment period, and five-time World Slalom Kayak Champion Scott Shipley of S2O Design was brought in to perform the Spokane River Site Assessment. But as the RCO grant entered its fourth year, concerns about the proposed park’s impact on dwindling native redband trout populations and their habitat emerged as a serious issue. Then-Planning Director Leroy Eadie responded by ordering a study on the potential impact to the native fish on behalf of the city. In 2011, Avista released a study of redband spawning habitat from

Spokane Falls to the Nine Mile Dam. The utility identified 58 habitat sites and 148 spawning sites, the largest of which was at the proposed Sandifur Bridge park location. Although the study suggested amendments to the proposed park design that may have been able to mitigate its impact on redband spawning, the city did not obtain an aquatic lease from the Department of Natural Resources to begin development of the park, and by June 2011, the city parks department had only spent $30,000 of the $530,000 award. The city then received a six-month extension, but its request for a second extension amendment to the contract agreement was denied by the Recreation and Conservation Funding Board, and, citing a lack of progress, RCO officials rejected an appeal to keep the remaining funds for the project. At the time of its cancelation of the grant, however, RCO officials stated that concerns over potential impact on redband spawning sites played no role in its decision.

efitted in part from fortuitous timing, riding the cresting wave of river-surfing popularity that the Spokane plan just missed. But, like with these manmade river features, there’s always another wave. And another after that. Former Friends of the Falls board member and accomplished whitewater paddler Travis Nichols, who advocated tirelessly for the park, is sanguine about any future whitewater park on the Spokane. “The positive example that [former Spokane City Parks Recreation Supervisor] Mike Aho imparted on me was the Joe Albi BMX track. We have a thriving BMX culture because that park exists. If you want to be an optimist, you can look at the BMX park to see that you just need the right timing, the right groups.” Just across the state line from Spokane, Avista recently purchased a 2.8-acre site a half-mile downstream of the Post Falls Dam and established a different kind of “whitewater park” that includes public access and parking at the Trailer Park wave, a

The addition of a manmade whitewater park with waves built to serve paddlers and surfers at many different river levels would put Spokane on the map. Since then, whitewater parks, frequented by kayakers and, more recently, stand up paddleboarders and river surfers, have continued to grow in popularity. Boise just received a $3.5 million grant to close the gap on its ambitious whitewater park project. To the east, Missoula’s downtown whitewater park on the Clark Fork River serves as a stronghold of the popularization of river surfing, which has origins around the world that date back decades. In large part because of its whitewater park (which will soon have company with a new park in the works), Missoula has consistently been rated as the number-one river town in the United States. Rounding out the runner-up spot is often Spokane. Whitewater park advocates here in Spokane suggest parks in Missoula and elsewhere have benefitted from a combination of public support and more-favorable regulatory environments. They point out that the permitting process in Washington involves 13 different agencies. But they also ben-

natural river wave that is popular with kayakers and paddleboarders when the flows are right, as part of its dam relicensing agreement in 2014. While this addition has been a boon for local whitewater enthusiasts, the addition of a manmade whitewater park with waves built to serve paddlers and surfers at many different river levels would put Spokane on the map along with Missoula and Boise as a modern mountain surf town. Recalling the very real and legitimate fishery conservation concerns and other issues that, according to those involved, may or may not have played a hand in the demise of this first effort to build a whitewater park below the falls in downtown Spokane, Nichols points out that his loyalty lies with the river itself. “When I reflect back on the whitewater park plan,” he says, “I don’t care about the next evolution of this, I just care about the river. I’m into whatever the community wants to back as long as it’s driving attention to the river.” //

Food&Fuel

When our bellies become bottomless pits // By Ammi Midstokke

SUMMER SEASONAL WATE RM EL ON LIM E AL E

Fully loaded pizza from Spokane’s Cole’s Café dedicated gluten free restaurant. // photo: Shallan Knowles

Let’s just get something straight from

the beginning: Our bodies were not designed to consume 5,800 calories a day. But come training season, I sure as hell try my damnedest. I happily pull up Strava after a long ride and fantasize about the pizza, the blueberry smoothie, the four apples, the sausage, the peanut butter, the giant salad with avocado, and the half pound of nuts I’m going to eat. The problem is, even if you can technically fit that much grub into your gullet, chances are your body cannot break it down. Best case scenario, you get heart burn and have an expensive bowel movement. Worst case, you flare up some gut rot and cause a spiraling of unhealthy digestive woes. So what are we to do when the demands of training or an epic weekend of adventure turns our appetites (and need for nutrients) into an inner Jabba the Hutt? We follow a few basic rules of good fueling. Eat nutrient-dense foods. Do not waste digestive effort, money, or time on food that is devoid of anything but calories. Yes, we need calories to burn, but we also need vitamins and minerals necessary to support that activity. That means good fats and proteins as well as vegetables and fruits that are rich in the nutrients that rebuild and maintain your body tissues. Empty calories (cake, crackers, candy, bread, processed grain, sugar, etc.) take a lot of space in your gut but don’t bring much bang for their buck. You are more likely to overeat these foods because they do not fulfill your nutrient requirements.

Chew like your grandmother taught you. Seriously. Our mouths are not just a giant

portal to the black hole of our stomachs. They actually have a digestive function. Chewing (30 times -- I dare you to try) produces salivary amylase, an enzyme that helps break down carbohydrates

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before you even swallow. Chewing also stimulates the production of stomach acid and pancreatic enzymes so they can further break down your food once it begins its southward journey. Many of us inhale our energy bars while avoiding traffic collisions on our bikes. This habit is obviously not conducive to good digestion. Foods that are not broken down will go rancid in the stomach and cause heart burn while undigested particles work their way into the intestine and cause inflammation. You do not want inflammation in your intestines while riding your bike. Trust me on this one.

DOWN LOA D

Don’t wash your food down with water. This just thins out the stomach acid,

making your stomach more basic and less capable of breaking down foods. Hydrate between meals. Take digestive enzymes. We are (theoretically) designed to eat a couple of reasonable meals a day. While we aren’t eating, our bodies are processing old meals and awaiting the new one by making and storing digestive juices. Grazing throughout the day or sitting down to enormous post-run/ride/adventure meals quickly exhausts your digestive juice factory capabilities. Food then cannot be chemically separated, and we end up wasting half the antioxidant benefits of the pound of strawberries we just chucked in our pie hole. During training season, when our food intake increases and we find ourselves bloating out or burping up, we can support digestion by taking a broad spectrum digestive enzyme compound. You can find this at the local health food store, and it’s typically taken during meals. I prefer mine to include a little extra hydrochloric acid (the stuff in your stomach) to keep heartburn at bay. Because sometimes four slices of pizza just isn’t enough. //

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3rd Annual Best in Show

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“Tika loves spring backpacking” Photo: Jim Rueckel

Water Dog

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“Neo loves his camelback” PHoto: Anne Fleming

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“Moose’s perspective, chasing bikes on singletrack.” Photo: Jane Patten

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“Oot for a swim in Kootenay Lake, eh?” PHoto: Brian Hantz

OutThereMonthly.com / MAY 2016

“Skijoring Anyone?” PHoto: Dick Hatterman

Race&RideReport Emory corwine memorial ruck race

224 S Howard St. - Spokane 509-838-8580 www.coolwaterbikes.org bikes@coolwaterbikes.org

50 Miles of Trails // By Ammi Midstokke (June 18)

OTM contributor Erika Prins out of the woods and ready to pass the torch to a teammate. // Photo: Ammi Midstokke

I honestly had no idea what I was getting myself

into last year when I joined a team to run the Emory Corwine Memorial Ruck Race. I thought we’d put on back packs and relay through the woods and have some beer at the end. We did all of that and then some. Some suffering, some laughing, some schlepping over mountains, and admittedly, some almost-crying. The Ruck Race is a team event that takes 50 miles of pretty incredible mountain trail and divides it into five sections of differing length ranging from 7-ish to 18-ish miles. Then you and four of your friends pretend to amicably allocate these distances, and you hope you don’t get that 18-mile section. Or you are me and you stupidly volunteer for it (hence the almost-crying at about mile 15). You and your said friends arrive with coolers of food, backpacks that are comfortable and can carry between 25 pounds (hers) and 35 pounds (his). You also bring a bunch of canned foods and

the like to donate to the cause at the end of the race. Many of us actually carry canned food as our pack weight. As you traipse through the forests, you’ll come across aid stations loaded with good grub and high spirits – all supporting volunteer families from the U.S. Air Force. You’ll occasionally pass some maniac who is soloing the whole thing. They are smiling slightly less than the volunteers. It is an event for people of all levels as many participants are trekkers and hikers. There are families and organizations. And of course, the USAF men are showing us how to kick ass with a grin and good manners. There is camping on site and a post-race feast. If you are looking for a forest adventure with a bunch of friends, this event is a breathtaking weekend getaway that serves a purpose: all proceeds are donated to the That Others May Live Foundation and Second Harvest Food Bank. Get your good karma with a good hike! To learn more, visit www. kaniksu50.com.

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refurbishing used bicycles and offering hope to youth who are homeless

Woodrat 25er at priest lake delivers climbs and views // By Janelle McCabe (June 4)

I dismounted again and sighed. Ten months earlier, I’d purchased my first mountain bike in more than two decades. While I had yet to complete both loops of the 24-hour mountain bike relay course at Riverside State Park, and while the months since my new bike purchase had included November, December, and January, I inexplicably felt ready to try the Woodrat 25er, a June mountain bike race organized by Priest Lake Multisports. The Woodrat 25er race title didn’t distinguish between the 25- and 12-mile distances it offered. I might have been ready for a challenge, but I hadn’t been ready for a death march, so I’d signed up for the 12-mile option. The race website had breezily mentioned “sections of low chain ring climbs,” but that phrase had been tucked into a longer description that included “pristine national forest” and “huge cedar trees.” Now here I was, dismounting again and craning my neck to see yet another hilltop. I heard a rustle behind me and the click of shifting gears, and out

of the brush exploded a local elite triathlete who was already on his second loop. For a moment I thought I’d get his quick take on the event when he inevitably dismounted to run his bike up the nearly vertical trail in front of us. Instead, I watched as he expertly worked his gears straight up the trail, over the top and out of sight. When I finally reached the top, my cursing halted. Below, framed in evergreens on both sides and mountains beyond, rested Priest Lake and tiny Fourmile Island. That view — and the entire beautiful, up-and-down course — was worth the repeated shame of pulling to the side of the trail every time an advanced rider came up behind me. At the post-race lunch table, the volunteers empathetically chuckled as exhausted finishers couldn’t determine the direction of the food line. As soon as I could articulate words, I was evangelizing to onlookers about the course and vowing to tackle the 3,000 feet of elevation gain again soon. For more information, visit www.priestlakerace. com/events/mountain-bike. // MAY 2016 / OutThereMonthly.com

Running the Selway River:

What to Leave Behind by John Eliason

Leave watches and phones behind on the wild Selway, where river time rules. Photos courtesy of John Eliason

In early June 1993, Karl Mueggler slipped out of an eddy and committed himself to the main surge. He edged his kayak into the trough of a beastly wave, and then his boat sliced river-left to river-center. Navigating in this way allowed Mueggler to set a paddle rudder and surf the wave’s sweet spot. He carved back and forth. In this time of liquid chaos, the wave would break but not subside. That left Mueggler in altered states. He became a darting salmon in his own private Idaho, a cougar raging within the aqua lair. “Whoop, whoop!” he shouted over the crashing spray of the Selway. Those of us watching from the bank returned the call while marveling at a boater’s skill on this mountain stream of emerald. River travel can be mesmerizing, peaceful, terrifying. Even a half-day commercial float presents a possibility for any of these realities and more. But river runners will gush about how a certain awakening of the senses is unavoidable on a multiday trip down the Selway. Permit applications are often unsuccessful because so many people covet the chance to experience this designated wild river that runs 47 miles through the vast and impressive Selway-Bitterroot Wilderness. The rapids vary in difficulty according to water levels, but no matter the reading on the gauge at the Paradise put-in, the run overall is rated from Class IV at low water to Class IV+ (or above) at higher flows. Got action? Check! Relentless? Not necessarily. In certain stretches, the river lulls, and swift flatwater teases out my contemplations about time. Daily routines back home have the capacity for dulling our awareness of how many heartbeats have been played and how many might remain. Before a wilderness river trip, I find myself unable to consider a journey without thinking about its ending, or past travels, or how the next one might end too soon. On the Selway, and any multiday affair, river runners will reference a phenomenon called “river time.” Miles of dramatic scenery and whitewater, day after day, tend to settle one’s soul within the currents and geologic introspections. You live in the present tense. Presence. Gifts from nature. On river time, Mueggler did not believe such reflections so much as he lived them, and then spoke of them with a dual purpose. He convinced everyone at the fire circle of how much this global community shared by people, creatures, plants, and big clear water matters to us all. He also needed to testify for himself 32

OutThereMonthly.com / MAY 2016

that if this system’s perspective was not the path to a land of magic or bliss or salvation, at least it came with tangible effects. No river runner has wondered if the timing was bad. The rocks, wood, and retentive holes dole out lessons in sometimes fatal proportions, and the flow of the water is somehow a hint to us all that we had better pay attention now. In any adventure — such as life — the one thing

to count on is the unanticipated. Mueggler lived just a few short years after that breathtaking Selway trip. He and two other experienced backcountry travelers were buried in a Utah avalanche on January 12, 1997. As Mueggler’s friend Joe Biby wrote in a tribute later that dark winter, “Like the whitewater Mueggler sought to ride in his kayak in an effort to merge with the wild currents, a great turbulent wave

SEEKING RIVER TIME? Running the Selway and other wilderness rivers requires special permits and preparations. For information on the “Four Rivers Lottery,” which includes the Main Salmon, Middle Fork of the Salmon, Selway, and Snake-Hells Canyon Rivers, visit http://www.fs.usda.gov/detail/bitterroot/ home/?cid=STELPRDB5262645. According to the site, permit applications must be submitted online through Recreation.gov, and the application period is December 1 through January 31 each year. That means it might be difficult to get on a trip this spring or summer unless a permit holder has extended an invitation. The U.S. Forest Service site also notes, however, that “cancelled reservations will be released at a random time within 24 hours beginning on March 16th and continuing throughout the float season.” Careful attention should be paid to river and weather conditions, as well as boaters’ abilities, equipment, and experience. These rivers are the real deal! For more information on the Selway River and other multiday trips in Idaho, acquire a copy of Greg Moore and Don McClaran’s “Idaho Whitewater” and Grant Amaral’s “Idaho: The Whitewater State.”

Boaters camp in the SelwayBitterroot Wilderness.

of snow took him away.” When I stood on the river bank in 1993, watching Mueggler surf the powerful Selway wave that kept on giving, nothing right then could be confined to

with Mueggler a startling 22 years prior. It was different, but people still graduated to river time and sustained a community. We talked safety, chased a boatless kayaker in Ladle Rapid, hiked to stun-

“Miles of dramatic scenery and whitewater, day after day, tend to settle one’s soul within the currents and geologic introspections.” a kayaker’s bag of tricks. What played out before me transcended mere physical achievement and beckoned me to wonder about the river’s aura. How could something be so affirming? Mueggler’s remarkable smile exceeded the waterway and penetrated the amazing mountains of the Selway-Bitterroot. From within a storm of whitewater, Mueggler released a spirit of the wild that I seek and envy to this day. When a friend invited me to run the Selway in May 2015, I understood it would be a new experience, despite that several of us had been on the trip

ning overlooks, scouted rapids, cooked delightful meals, and thirsted for more than we could consume. Once on the river, we left behind the daily trappings of our hectic lives and lived as the proud unshaven. We had broken through to a point where we could take along the best of each of us, and so Mueggler was there on the Selway this time, too, surfing through story lines and waiting to catch a wave. //

John Eliason lives, paddles, and writes in Spokane MAY 2016 / OutThereMonthly.com

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Every year, sometime around when I realize I’ve gained 10 pounds of pumpkin pie, I start signing up for races. I’ll be sitting on the sofa in November thinking, “That might have been excessive whipped cream. I know, I’ll negate it by signing up for a race!” Nothing motivates us to stay healthy and train hard like knowing we have a race coming up. At least that’s the theory. In reality, some random Wednesday in May I’ll get a popup calendar reminder that I’m supposed to be running through the mountains on Saturday. I usually cram in a day or two of effective last-minute training and another slice of pie for good measure, then suffer my way though a commitment. The truth is: Nothing is more motivating than sibling rivalry. So in January when my brother told me he was going to do the 24 Hours Round the Clock mountain bike race, I decided to take my training seriously. Actually, I paid someone to take my training seriously for me. And my quads have regretted it every day since. My typical training regimen of “oh crap, I better ride my bike this week” was replaced with the expert advice of USA Cycling Coach Kristen Meshberg. Meshberg owns Pedaling With a Purpose, teaches winter indoor training programs in Sandpoint, Idaho, and provides personal coaching services nationwide. I explained my goals and the reality of my previous training history to her. I wanted to find out what happens when you take a lackadaisical bike enthusiast and make her work like an athlete. Will she become an athlete? Will her performance reflect the suffering and sweat and agony and ceaseless appetite of four months? Most importantly, will she leave her big brother in the dust? Meshberg sent me my first month of training in

February and I mistakenly thought it was relatively moderate. Her training plans have a special way of finding your limit and then reintroducing you to it several times in the same ride. It is the closest I’ve ever come to hurling on my bike. And I loved it. A few weeks in, I went to ride the course and the unexpected happened: I rode everything (even that blasted Devil’s Up) without hesitation. In fact, I felt like I had a really mellow pace and I was easily riding the previous year’s race pace -- much earlier in the season. The difference between training and riding, as Meshberg would explain to me, is that riding makes you a good rider, but training makes you a good racer. When you train, you ride hard even when you don’t feel like it. And you let your body recover even when you aren’t sure that’s what it needs (trust me, it does need it). In four-week cycles, we build my training and recover. Every time I think “damn, that week was the hardest week I can possibly do,” she tacks on some new ride or distance that makes me go farther and faster than I thought possible. So far, it has amounted to a great deal of Strava analytics and some serious big brother smack talk. What it means for my performance on race day is yet to be discovered. For the first time ever, I know that I’ll be ready on race day. I will know that I’ll survive. I will know the suffering to be endured, and that it will come and go a few times. But most of all, I’ll know for certain that I’ve done the hardest part already: stayed committed and trained hard for four months. What’s another 24 hours? // Editor’s Note: For more information about Kristen Meshberg, contact her at kmesh.pwp@gmail.com.

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Fishing These Fly Girls Are Hooked // My only fishing experience took place at age

7 when my cousin swung her rod around and somehow hooked my nose. The hook was so well-lodged that the emergency room doctors had to drill a hole through my septum and pull the danged thing out the other side. Happily, Heather Hodson’s unbridled enthusiasm for fly fishing, radiant smile and welcoming demeanor are disarming and infectious, and she won me over as soon as we met. Hodson is the founder of Spokane Women on the Fly (SWOTF), a group of women interested in fly fishing, which has more than 60 active members ages 15 to 75. “My vision for the group is a way for like-minded women to network and have fishing partners as well as friends in the Inland Northwest,” Hodson says. “Most of the women who’ve become a part of the group haven’t had much fly fishing experience, which is just fine,” she promises. SWOTF is an active, friendly, welcoming group that organizes dozens of events throughout the year. Fly Fishing 101: These women-only, 4-hour introduction classes offer a flood of practical information. Hodson teaches the classes, which are limited to six women, and she warns students that they’ll only absorb 25 percent of the material. “But that’s okay!” she continues, “because the most important concepts are learned on the water.” The class starts with a 3-hour indoor presentation and discussion about gear, knots, entomology, rigging, etiquette, and fish handling. The last hour takes place outside, where Hodson teaches students how to assemble the rod, reel and line and then how to cast. “Patience and finesse are often the two hardest things for students to master,” says Hodson. She coached me to “slow it down and even it out,” reminding me of what Norman Maclean described in “A River Runs Through It” as “an art that is per-

By Janelle McCabe

LEFT: Casting practice. RIGHT: On the water // Photos courtesy of Heather Hodson

formed on a four-count rhythm between 10 and 2 o’clock.” Hackle and Hops: The SWOTF Hackle and Hops fly-tying events are a good place to become conversant in fly fishing lingo and to learn how to transform some thread, a couple of chicken feathers and a hook into something that strongly resembles

a bug good enough to eat. (At least that’s what you hope the fish will think.) The Hackle and Hops events are open to all women (even newbies like me who had never picked up a rod, much less a flytying vice, before.). These events are limited to 15 women to ensure that everyone gets personalized instruction. I tied four flies in the time it took the

WOMEN’S FLY FISHING EVENTS • May 1: Rocky Ford Walk and Wade Outing • May 6: Hackle and Hops: Gypsy King • May 17: Gear Set-Up and Casting Practice • May 21: Women’s Fly Fishing 101 Introduction Class • June 13-14: Women’s Fly Fishing 101 Introduction Class • July 8-10: Priest Lake Outing • July 11-12: Women’s Fly Fishing 101 Introduction Class • July 22-24: Second Annual Women’s Tiger Muskie Weekend • August 12-14: St. Joe Walk and Wade Outing • August 15-16: Women’s Fly Fishing 101 Introduction Class • September 12-13: Women’s Fly Fishing 101 Introduction Class Learn more about these and other events at Spokanewomenonthefly.com

experienced ladies to tie 12, but every single one of them encouraged me as I squinted at the ball of fuzz that eventually hatched into a passable nymph. Fishing Outings: SWOTF members take turns hosting fishing outings in local waters. “We’re happy taking ladies to the outings and teaching them,” Hodson explains, and several SWOTF members agree. Kim Palmer, a nurse at Sacred Heart and Valley Hospitals, has been with the group since its start in 2014, but she was new to fly fishing when she joined. “We have an amazing group of ladies who love to fish, tie flies and do life together,” Palmer says. Several SWOTF ladies recollect their hesitations when they were new to fly fishing. Jodi Fitts, Vice President of Spokane Fly Fishers, remembers that “I got the rod, a float tube and some neoprene waders for Christmas. I was completely clueless and had no idea how to go forward.” Graphic Designer Deanna Camp had a familiar fear in a male-dominated sport: “I didn’t want to be sized up by guys who have been fishing their whole lives.” Hilary Hart, SWOTF/Trout Unlimited Women’s Initiatives Chair, wanted to avoid “fishing alone. Joining a club, particularly Spokane Women on the Fly, has helped solve that problem for me.” It’s hard to find a SWOTF member who doesn’t rave about the group — or about Heather Hodson. They appreciate her labor of love; indeed, Hodson invests 40 hours per week in SWOTF in addition to her full-time nursing job. There is no cost to get involved with SWOTF, although some of the individual events have minimal fees to cover costs. “I’m not doing this to make money,” says Hodson. “I’m doing it to remove any obstacle to fly fishing that a woman might perceive.” For more information about Spokane Women on the Fly, visit Spokanewomenonthefly.com. //

Spring Festival Run

May 29 4 2016

Half-Marathon 10k 5k Kid’s Dash

MAY 2016 / OutThereMonthly.com

best er m m u s er ev STRETCH YOUR LIMITS. Spokane Parks & Recreation offers hundreds of camps and programs this summer. Get out and play! • Go rockclimbing. • Hit a homerun. • Paddleboard. • Take up flag football.

OutdoorCalendar

Full events calendar at www.outtheremonthly.com

SIXMONTH TRAININGCALENDAR RUNNING (June 4) June Bug Fun Run.

Where: Spokane Community College. 3-and 5-mile distances on a scenic course along the Spokane River to benefit Lutheran Community Services Northwest’s efforts to ensure strong, healthy kids. Info: Lcsnw.org/junebugrun

(September 18) Scenic Half Marathon. Where: Sandpoint. With a route across Sandpoint’s iconic Long Bridge, offering panoramic views of Lake Pend Oreille and the surrounding mountains, the Scenic Half Marathon attracts hundreds of runners from all across the country. Info: Scenichalf.com

(September 24) Happy Girls Run.

(June 5) Windermere Marathon.

When: 7 a.m. Full and half marathons are scenic and fast. Info: WindermereMarathon.com

Where: Spokane. Women’s half marathon, 10k and 5k runs with great post-race festivities and fabulous goody bags. Info: Happygirlsrun.com

(July 9) Up Chuck Challenge Trail Run. Where:

(September 24) Harvest Hustle 5K.

Camp Sekani Park, Spokane. Start off your day at the Spokatopia Outdoor Adventure Festival with a 5k or 1.5 Mile run along the Up Chuck Trail to the top of Beacon Hill. Info: Spokatopia.com/up-chuckchallenge-trail-run.

(October 15) Chocolate Chip Cookie 50K Trail Run. Where: Riverside State Park Equestrian Area.

(June 12) Riverside 24 Hour Relay. Where: Seven Mile Airstrip. Multiple categories include solo, duals, small and large teams. Cost: $70. Info: r24relay.com

(June 18) Kaniksu 50 & Emory Corwine Memorial Ruck Race. Where: Colville National Forest. A 50-mile trail race and a relay race where 5 participants each complete one of 5 legs carrying a minimum 35lb ruck for men and 25lb ruck for women. Info: Kaniksu50.com

(June 18) Be Fit to Serve Hutton Settlement Challenge. Where: Hutton Settlement, Spokane Valley. When: 9 a.m. 5.5 Miles with hills to run and bootcamp-inspired exercises for a total-body challenge.

(July 31) Bare Buns Fun Run. Where: Deer Lake, WA. 32nd annual clothing optional 5k at the Kaniksu Ranch Family Nudist Park. Info: Kaniksufamily.com (August 7) “Dig Your Grave” Trail Marathon. Where: Hope, ID. When: 6:55 a.m. Run in the beautiful Cabinet Mountains, limit 50 runners. Cost: $50 Info: goat events.com

(August 26-27) Spokane to Sandpoint Relay. 200 mile relay from Mt. Spokane to Sandpoint City Beach along some of the most scenic trails and lightly-travelled roads in the Northwest. Info: Cascaderelays.com

Where: Rockford, WA. When: 7:45 Same day registration available. Cost: $7. Info:sespokanecountyfair.com

Rolling river run with short hills, rocks and open praire. Double track, single track, forest service roads, and even a little gravel and pavement. Info: ultrasignup.com/register.aspx?did=32772

TRIATHLONS (June 19) Medical Lake Founder’s Day Trailblazer Triathlon. Where: Medical Lake. This race is perfect for first timers as well as seasoned veterans of the sport. This sprint distance tri consists of a 350 meter swim followed by a 12.2 mile bike ride on paved roads then a 2.92 mile run around Medical Lake. The race is a mass start with a single transition area that is perfect for spectators. Info: Medicallake.org

(July 10) Valley Girl Tri. Where: Liberty Lake. This popular women’s sprint distance triathlon includes a 1/3 mile swim, 12 mile bike ride and 3 mile run. Finishing in beautiful Pavillion Park with activities for the entire family. Info: Valleygirltri.com

(July 16) Tiger Triathlon.

Where: Colville, Washington. 1k swim, 40k ride and an 8k run that showcases some of Northeast Washington’s scenic landscapes. Info: Tigertri.com

(August 7) Wunder Woman Triathlon.

Where: Medical Lake. A women’s only triathlon featuring both sprint and Olympic distance races. Individuals or relay team entries, featuring a post-race recov-

ery lounge, great shirts, custom finishing medals and a great venue at Waterfront Park. Info: Wunderwomantriathlon.com

BIKING (May 4, 11, 18 & 25) Wednesday Night MTB Series. Where: Riverside State Park. When: 6:30 p.m. Race or just ride for fun and enjoy post-ride cold beverages. A new course every week. Cost: $20. Info: Nomadzracing.com

(May 28-29) 24 Hours Round the Clock. Where: Riverside State Park, 7 Mile Airstrip. Relay mountain bike race can be completed as a team or solos. Info: Roundandround.com

(June 4-5) Sandpoint Sojourn with Pancakes at a Mudhole. Where: Sandpoint. In celebration of National Bike Travel Weekend, Greasy Fingers Bikes N Repair is leading an overnight bike trip from Sandpoint to the Mudhole Campground in Priest River, Idaho. Reservations required. Info: greasyfingersbikes.com

(June 4) Apple Century Ride. Where: Wenatchee. The 28th-annual cycling event offers 25-, 50- and 100-mile rides in the Wenatchee Valley, Leavenworth and Lake Wenatchee. The starting point for the rides is Walla Walla Point Park in Wenatchee. It includes a post-ride party with food, beverages and entertainment. Info: Applebikeride.com

(July 20) Ride the Pass. Where: 4th of July Pass. “Ride the Pass” mountain bike fondo is back at 4th of July Pass and is included as part of the “5 in July” MTB race series at Farragut State Park this year. Info: 208-667-8969

(July 31) Spokane Valley Cycle Celebration. Where: Spokane Valley. Choose from 10, 25 or 50 mile rides through the best parts of the valley. After party celebration to help riders refuel and rehydrate. Info: Cyclecelebration.com

(June 18) CHAFE 150 Gran Fondo. Where: Sandpoint. 150, 80 and 30-mile fully supported ride routes along Lake Pend Oreille. Info: Chafe150.org

(July 9) Strider Cup Race Spokane.

Where: Riverfront Park. When: 8 a.m. Open to children of all sizes and skill level. Info: striderbikes.com/blog/ strider-racing/item/5641-spokanejuly9th

(August 8) 8 Lake Leg Aches.

Where: Group Health Corporate Office, Spokane. When: 7 a.m. Choose from 15, 30 45 or 75 mile routes. Info: lcsnw. org/unebugrun

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OutThereMonthly.com / MAY 2016

(July 9) Spokatopia Outdoor Adventure Festival. Where: Camp Sekani Park, Spokane. Try paddleboarding, kayaking, climbing, geocaching, canoeing, disc golf and other outdoor activities and demo bikes and other outdoor gear. Over 40 exhibitors, live music and beer garden. Info: Spokatopia.com

OutdoorCalendar RUNNING (May 1) Lilac Bloomsday Run.

Where: Downtown Spokane. Spokane’s most famous 12K fun run. Info: BloomsdayRun.org

(May 7) Trail Maniacs State Park Series #1. Where: Farragut State Park, Idaho. 5 mile and half marathon trail runs. Camping, food, community and lots of fun. Info: Trailmaniacs.com

(May 21) Liberty Lake Trail Run. Where: Liberty Lake Regional Park, WA. 8-mile trail run loop near Liberty Lake that features waterfalls, a creek bed, bridges, singletrack and switchbacks with canopied cedar groves. Info: Trailmaniacs.com

(May 22) Red Devil Challenge Trial Runs. Where: Wenatchee National Forest. When: 8 a.m. - 12 p.m. 25K and 10K Trail Runs are held south of Cashmere on single-track, well-maintained trails along the east slopes of the Cascades. Info: RunWenatchee.com

(May 28) Nakusp Half Marathon and 5K Fun Run. Where: Nakusp, BC. A challenging single-loop course of the surrounding country and hillside of beautiful Nakusp. A combination of road, dirt road and trail. Info: Kootenaysufferfest.com/5km-fun-run

(May 29) Spring Festival Run.

Where: Priest Lake. Half-marathon, 10K and 5K options. Info: Priestlakerace.com

TRIATHLONS (May 21) Troika Triathlon. Where: Medical Lake. Options include Olympic Course, Long Course and Sprint Course. Info: TroikaTriathlon.com

BIKING (Ongoing) Spokane Believers on Mountain Bikes. Where: Locations vary. BOMB is a nondenominational Christian outreach fellowship leading

no-drop mountain bike rides in the greater Spokane area. Rides scheduled most Tuesday evenings and Saturdays. Info: Spokanebomb.com

(May 4, 11, 18 & 25) Wednesday Night MTB Series. Where: Riverside State Park. When: 6:30 p.m. Race or just ride for fun and enjoy post-ride cold beverages. A new course every week. Cost: $20. Info: Nomadzracing.com

(May 7) Mountain Bike Techniques Classes. Where: Camp Sekani. When: 10 a.m. Learn fundamental skills and build confidence for trail riding. Info: EvergreenEast.org

(May 8) Cyclofemme de Sandpoint.

Where: Sandpoint. When: 2-5 p.m. Celebrate a Global Women’s Cycling Day event created to honor and encourage women to ride their bikes. Grab your mother, sister, grandmother, kids or BFF and join for a casual ride (any bike will do) on the bike path to Dover and back (less than 8 miles round trip). Guys, or manbassadors, are also welcome. Ride ends at Pend d’Oreille Winery. Info: Greasyfingersbikes.com

(May 13-15) Nakusp Road Bike Weekend. Where: Nakusp, BC. A three stage road bike event in beautiful British Columbia. Info: Kootenaysufferfest. com/nakusp-road-bike-race

(May 21) Kidical Mass. Where: Spokane. Kids and their families are invited on a fun, safe bike ride especially for kids. Join this family friendly afternoon bike ride of about 3 miles cycling on anything that rolls. All types of bikes, trailers, Xtracycles, bakfiets, tandems, folding bikes, and trikes are welcome. Ride through the Chief Garry neighborhood beginning at Chief Garry Park. Info: Summerparkways.com (May 28-29) 24 Hours Round the Clock. Where: Riverside State Park, 7 Mile Airstrip. Relay mountain bike race can be completed as a team or solos. Info: Roundandround.com

HIKING/WALKING (May 7) Kindred Spirits Against Diabetes Walk for a Cure. Where: Long Bridge, Sandpoint. When: 1 p.m. - 5 p.m. Walk as far as you like, $10 per walker. Water and snacks provided. Info: facebook.com/KSADMO

(May 7) Mushroom hike. Where: Liberty Lake Regional Park. This excursion includes a comfortable walk in one of the area’s most beautiful and easily accessible natural areas, where you will learn how to search out edible mushrooms and berries to take home with you. Info: Inlandnwlandtrust.org (May 12, 17, 21, 23 and 25) Trail work at Antoine Peak. Where: Antoine Peak Conservation Area, Spokane. Antoine Peak rises above the Spokane Valley and has great views from the summit. Washington Trails Association is involved in creating a userfriendly trail system for the entire area. The first step is to build a new trail on the east ridge to the summit. Come dig some dirt. Info: Wta.org

(May 12-14) Pullman Art Walk. Where: Various Locations Downtown Pullman, WA. Many talented artists show work and live music. Info:Facebook/ PullmanArtsCommission/events

(May 14) Flat Water Canoe Class.

Where: Medical Lake Park, Medical Lake. Learn basics in safety skills for flatwater. One day class which covers equipment, basic strikes, and plenty of practice on the water with an experienced instructor. Cost: $55 Info:sckc.ws

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SILVERWOOD ANNIVERSARY MAY 14TH & 15TH

Silverwood celebrates their 29TH Season with discounted admission of ONLY $19.88 (park opened in 1988). All ages save $18.12 on general admission.

GARFIELD DAYS MAY 21ST & 22ND

HEROES’ WEEKEND MAY 28TH, 29TH & 30TH

All military personnel, police officers and firefighters receive FREE ADMISSION and their spouse & children receive a special price of $24 general admission & $19 youth and senior (ID required).

BOULDER BEACH OPENS DAILY JUNE 4TH

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Please visit www.outtheremonthly.com and click “Add Event” under the “Outdoor Calendar” tab to get your events listed online and considered for the monthly print magazine calendar. To be considered for the print calendar, events MUST be entered by the 20th of the month to be listed in the following month’s issue. Please follow the instructions for submitting an event using the web form.

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Last Page Stolen, Pawned, but Not Forgotten // By Erika Prins The author with her beloved twowheeled steed. Photo courtesy of Erika Prins

I locked my bike to a lamppost one sunny after-

noon in May 2012, and it was gone an hour later when I returned. I know exactly where it is — I even occasionally call to check up on it — but I haven’t seen it since that day four years ago. My bike was stolen and, a month and a half later, pawned at Pawn 1 on Monroe Street. The shop then sold it to a customer, who returned it after matching the serial number with my post on a stolen bike registry. It’s a nice ride — a Trek 2.1 road bike — but having a fancy bike didn’t mean I had the money to replace it. I had bought it as my primary mode of

OutThereMonthly.com / MAY 2016

transportation after selling my car. Brian Fleck, Director of Auditing and Security at Pawn 1, contacted me with the name of the man who pawned my bike and recommended I contact the police. Fleck had further details about the guy (pawn shops are required to take legal ID) and would provide it to law enforcement to assist in an investigation. The police did visit the pawn shop but did not investigate the case further. When I spoke with Fleck back then, he offered to sell my bike back to me for $300, the amount Pawn 1 had paid for the bike. I declined, probably not politely.

I recently asked Spokane Police Department (SPD) Public Information Officer Teresa Fuller why police won’t compel a pawn shop to return stolen property to its owner. “We can’t put ourselves in a position to force them to lose money,” she said. “If we were to tell them that they needed to return your property, then they would be out $300.” Fuller couldn’t tell me when, or if, my bike would ever be released from “police hold” at the pawn shop or what would happen to it then. Fleck says he sometimes gets permission from law enforcement to release and “liquidate” stolen property, but it requires a lot of paperwork. Though SPD has no plans to investigate my case, I researched the man who pawned my bike online. I learned a lot about him, including that he’s a cyclist himself. That stung a bit. I also learned with relative certainty that he probably didn’t steal my bike. Rather, he seems to have started a side business of reselling free or cheap Craigslist “junk” about a decade ago. When I spoke with Fleck recently, he said my case is an anomaly. He has plenty of merchandise on police hold at each store, about 75-100 bikes at any given time, but most items that stay on hold this long are associated with unresolved civil cases, like disagreements between roommates or other people who know each other. Pawn 1 does not check bikes against a stolen bike registry or any other kind of database when it takes bikes in; the serial numbers are made available to law enforcement nationwide. The man who pawned my bike hasn’t been back to Pawn 1. “Because of this incident, I locked him out company-wide,” Fleck says.

Both Fuller and Fleck say SPD lacks the resources to investigate all the stolen items taken to pawn shops. It’s not an ideal situation for anyone. Fuller points to drug use as the driver for Spokane’s bike theft problem. She says the police department can’t do much without legislation to hold thieves accountable. Still, I wonder if this all could have been resolved long ago by SPD contacting the man who pawned my bike. I’m in a position many victims of bike theft aren’t. I’m a journalist. I blogged about the incident and the story was picked up by local TV news. Then, a friend launched an online fundraising campaign to help me replace it. Community members who I know or who learned about the theft on the news donated enough money for me to buy a new bike, same model, within a month. Many people whose bikes are stolen do not have the resources to replace them. The loss was real for me, for sure. I felt violated. And riding every day, I felt a connection with that hunk of metal that felt like grief when it was gone. Still, I never missed work because I didn’t have a way to get there. I speculated what the bike thief thought about me: If I had an awesome bike, I could probably afford a new one. Or, more likely, they hadn’t thought about their victim at all. I am painstakingly careful with my new bike, sometimes opting not to ride because I don’t know if there will be a safe place to park my bike. Theft robs you of your sense of safety. And in this case, it’s robbed me of a piece of what drew me to bicycling in the first place: that carefree feeling of getting around on two wheels. //

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