Wild Olympics, p.7 Signature Projects, p.12 Conditioning Secrets, p.36 WASHINGTON TRAILS. All Around The Mountain

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1 Wild Olympics, p.7 Signature Projects, p.12 Conditioning Secrets, p.36 WASHINGTON TRAILS May + June 2011» A Publication of Washington Trails Association $4.50 All Around The Mountain Five bucket list backpacking trips, plus the prehistoric human history of Sunrise What kind of backcountry eater are you?

2 » Table of Contents May+June 2011 This Month s Cover» Spray Park, Mount Rainier National Park. Photo by Don Geyer. Volume 47, Issue 3 News + Views Front Desk» Craig McKibben What was your first hike?» p.4 The Signpost» Lace Thornberg Kids these days.» p.5 Trail Talk» Susan Elderkin A chat with guidebook author Craig Romano.» p.6 Hiking News» A push for wilderness in the Olympics, and Badger Mountain turns five.» p.7 WTA at Work Trail Work» Mike Stenger We think all of our trail work projects are special. But we ve picked our top 10 especially special projects anyway.» p.12 Action for Trails» Jonathan Guzzo, Ryan Ojerio Why we can t say RIP to RTP.» p.16 Trail funding at risk (yes, again).» p.17 Membership News» Rebecca Lavigne A look at the projects that WTA s Greg Ball Trail Fund will support this summer.» p.18 Youth and Families» Krista Dooley You should read this piece only if you want to have the best summer ever.» p.20 On Trail Northwest Explorer» Eli Boschetto Behold The Mountain on five exceptional backpacking trips.» p.21 Feature» Jeff Antonelis-Lapp Long before there were backpackers at Mount Rainier, indigenous people came seasonally to the Mountain.» p.26 Feature» John D Onofrio A contemplative coastal hike.» p Backcountry The Gear Closet» Cheri Higman Five approaches to backcountry dining.» p.33 How to Do It» John Colver Have a long, arduous climb planned for this summer? Expert tips to get you in shape.» p.36 Trail Eats» Sarah Kirkconnell Picks for a pretty picnic.» p.38 Sage Advice» Adam Scroggins Lessons on how to take kids hiking and camping.» p.39 Take a Hike Day Hikes and Overnights» Our readers suggest the best hikes across the state.» p.42 The International Hiker» Angella Wieben, Jaime Weber Ireland, anyone?» p.48 A Walk on the Wild Side» Paul Owen Soy-nut butter crackers fuel a father-son journey to Camp Muir.» p.50 Featured Landscape» Craig Romano Take a look around Leadbetter Point State Park.» p.51 Find WTA online at Washington Trails Association

3 May + June 2011» Washington Trails About Us «3 WASHINGTON TRAILS Board of Directors President ROB SHURTLEFF, Seattle WTA Highlights» A few snapshots we just had to share, all from the same weekend in late March. VP, Advocacy STEPHEN TAN, Seattle VP, Board Development KAREN DAUBERT, Seattle VP, Fundraising CAROLE BIANQUIS, Seattle Treasurer DOUG BRECKEL, Seattle Secretary KATE ROGERS, Seattle At-Large Directors PETER BARRETT, Bellevue LISA BLACK, Everett JEFF CHAPMAN, Port Townsend LANGDON COOK, Seattle KAREN DAUBERT, Seattle TODD DUNFIELD, Spokane TIM GOULD, Seattle WENDY WHEELER JACOBS, Sammamish RICHARD JOHNSON, Sammamish JERRY KEPPLER, Seattle CRAIG MCKIBBEN Seattle DAMIEN MURPHY, Redmond MELISSA STRAUCH, Seattle Staff Acting Executive Director CRAIG MCKIBBEN Advocacy Director JONATHAN GUZZO Bookkeeper DEB HEMINGWAY Chief Crew Leader MIKE OWENS Communications & Outreach Director LAUREN BRADEN Development Director REBECCA LAVIGNE Editor LACE THORNBERG Field Director ALAN CARTER MORTIMER Membership Manager KARA CHIN NW Washington Crew Leader ARLEN BOGAARDS Office Manager HOLLY CHAMBERS Engagement Manager KINDRA RAMOS Project Coordinator TIM VAN BEEK Program Development Manager DIANE BEDELL SW Washington Regional Coordinator RYAN OJERIO Trail Program Director MIKE STENGER Volunteer Coordinator ALYSSA KREIDER Web Editor SUSAN ELDERKIN Youth Programs Manager KRISTA DOOLEY Youth Programs Specialist CHRIS WALL March 24: WTA board member Wendy Wheeler-Jacobs and WTA membership manager Kara Chin cozy up at WTA s annual Fireside Circle celebration, an event sponsored by Green Trails Maps. March 25: Skagit Land Trust awards WTA, Guemes Mountain project leaders Pete Dewell, Arlen Bogaards, Alan Carter Mortimer and all Guemes Mountain trail volunteers with a Stewardship Volunteer Award in recognition of their exceptional dedication and professionalism while building the new trail to the Trust s Guemes Mountain Conservation Area. Washington Trails Volunteers Copy Editors: MARK CANIZARO, JIM CAVIN, REBECCA KETTWIG Photo Editor: WADE TRENBEATH Washington Trails Volume 47, Issue 3 Owner & Publisher WASHINGTON TRAILS ASSOCIATION Washington Trails (ISSN ) is published bimonthly by the Washington Trails Association, 705 Second Ave, Suite 300, Seattle, WA Annual membership dues, which include a subscription to Washington Trails magazine, are $40. Single copy price is $4.50. Periodicals postage paid at Seattle, WA and at additional mailing locations. POSTMASTER: Send address changes to: Washington Trails Association, 705 Second Ave., Suite 300, Seattle, WA March 26: A hearty crew from the Korean Mountaineers Club volunteer with WTA at Evans Creek Preserve.

4 4 May + June 2011» Washington Trails News+Views The Front Desk» First Hikes Craig McKibben Acting Executive Director craig@wta.org If you are trying to get to know another hiker, there may be no better conversation starter than What was your first hike? People really open up to this question. They will tell you not just where they went but who they went with, what happened and what they saw. And how they talk about something that s meaningful to them will help you get to know them better. WTA recently launched a highly unscientific poll on our Facebook page, asking people for details of their first hike. In 54 responses, we saw a wide variety of experiences. Not surprisingly, at least 50 percent of our respondents started hiking when they were young and went with a family member. Many of these folks started so young that they can t really remember their first hike. Not only parents but also grandparents, uncles and aunts led these early formative trips. As one of our respondents said, Take em out young and let em whine, and they ll be hikers for life. I certainly fall into the hiking-before-memory group. I can t identify a first hike, but one early hike that meant a lot to me was my overnight trip to Summerland at Mount Rainier with my Uncle Gordon. The strangest things loom large in childhood memories. What I most recall was that we boiled a pot of water with dried prunes and let it sit overnight in the coals of the fire. In the morning, the prunes were so plump and delicious that I even ate some oatmeal with them. Years later, but before my own children arrived, I completed the circle. I took my nephews, Nate and Eli, for an overnight at Mount Rainier. From Mowich Lake, we followed the abandoned Knapsack Pass Trail to Mist Park, where we spent the night. Coming back by way of Spray Park, we saw a million wildflowers. While there is nothing unusual about starting hiking with your family, what did impress me about the survey results was that nearly 30 percent took their first hike with friends as young adults. My hats off to these folks. As a kid you have no choice but to go where the adults want to take you, but as an adult, a first hike could be way outside your comfort zone. So what conclusion do I draw from this? We should all put in a little extra effort to introduce new hikers to the outdoors not only our nieces and nephews, but also our friends and co-workers, anyone else we can cajole into taking a walk. Make sure that introductory hike is a good one, so that when someone asks them, What was your first hike? they ll have a story to tell. See you out there with a neophyte, To read about our members first hikes, head to com/washingtontrails.

5 May + June 2011» Washington Trails News+Views «5 The Signpost» Take a Time Out, Outside Doug Diekemma Kids should spend more time inside. Can you guess who said that? Was it A) the American Pediatric Association, B) President Barack Obama, C) Governor Gregoire or D) none of the above? If you picked D.) none of the above, you are right, as quite the opposite is true. Go play outside! has become a rallying cry since the concept of reconnecting children with the outdoors was pushed to the forefront in 2005 by Richard Louv s book Last Child in the Woods. In this issue, we offer up a fair bit of familyfriendly fodder. School will soon be out for the summer and Mother s Day (May 8) and Father s Day (June 19) are just around the corner. The time is ripe for family adventures outdoors. In Krista Dooley s article, you ll find a complete list of WTA s Hiking with Children workshops and several great ideas for making the most of your summer break. Father of six Adam Scroggins shares his experiences hiking and camping with kids ages 6 to 12 and Paul Owen recounts an exceptional father-son trip to Camp Muir that was part hiking, part skiing, all adventure. And how about stories for those hikers who aren t kids? You know, adults. Well, is there really much difference? I mean, let s face facts. Getting muddy? Roasting marshmallows? Playing word games? Eating gummy candy for energy? It s all classic kid stuff, and all quintessential trail behavior, too. Avid hikers might as well just call themselves grown-up kids. But, yes, we have plenty of stories for you adults, too, no matter how long it has been since you saw grade school. Eli Boschetto s article about backpacking in Mount Rainier National Park ought to help you fend off any Nature Deficit Disorder that might have crept in over the winter. I dare you to read it and not to dream of spending night after night camped out along the Wonderland Trail. While we often think of the wilderness as a rough place that provides challenge and adventure, John D Onofrio paints a different picture in Days and Nights by the Sea, as he offers a vivid portrait of a few luxurious days whiled away. A wild landscape presents us with an opportunity to put nothing on the agenda, to set out with no destination, no hurry, as he says. Nature is also a great teacher. As Jeff Antonelis-Lapp s article shows, a natural landscape can teach us about prehistory, ecology and the relationship between the two. We can tell kids to go outside and play all we want, but it probably wouldn t hurt if adults spent more time outside. In the fresh air and natural light, we can both reconnect with nature and get in touch with our inner kid, too. Whatever age you happen to be, I hope you re inspired to spend loads of time outside this summer, enjoying all that nature can provide.t Lace Thornberg Editor editor@wta.org

6 6» News+Views May + June 2011» Washington Trails Trail Talk» Q&A WTA s Susan Elderkin sits down with Craig Romano, author of seven guidebooks for The Mountaineers Books. You get all of the views and the wildflowers, but you ll be all by yourself. (Hint: Read the article to find out where.) Hike It» Craig s latest book highlights hikes on either side of the Columbia River Gorge. Here s how he d match them up on a weekend adventure: For wildflowers, you ll want to pair Dog Mountain (WA) and the Tom McCall Preserve (OR). For spectacular views, try Hamilton Mountain (WA) and Nesmith Point (OR). You have two books coming out this spring. How many miles did you have to hike? I hiked 1,200 miles last year, and about 1,800-2,000 miles between the two books. It kept me busy. As I recall, 2010 was not a stellar weather year. What was it like for you? It was a tough year. It started off well, because I was working on the Gorge book during the dry and warm winter. But I couldn t even start the backpacking research until the end of June... I came back on so many hikes in the rain. How do you come up with your list of hikes? The popular hikes, of course, have to go in. But I want to give people a wide variety, and I love going off the beaten path. So I m always looking for trails in places that other books aren t covering. For the backpacking book, I tried to look at hikes that were logistically easy. No complicated dirt roads. I really had to cherry-pick only 70 hikes for the entire state. I looked for variety lakes, views, historical interest, old-growth forest. Almost all of the hikes, of course, have that scenic pay-off, but I was also looking for quiet alternatives. Who real or fictional would you like to hike with? I would love to have gone horseback riding with Theodore Roosevelt in North Dakota. What (besides the 10 essentials) is in your backpack? For all of my hikes, the 11th essential is duct tape. For backpacking, I always have my Platypus red wine bottle, too. Tell us about your footwear. I do most of my hiking in low-top trail running shoes like Ahnu and Oboz. The socks I m hooked on are Bridgedale. They re a wool blend mix and reinforced. I wore them for two years backpacking, and they haven t worn out. Let s talk about Day Hiking: Columbia River Gorge, which is coming out in May. What don t most hikers know about the Washington side that they need to know? If you re going for waterfalls, definitely Oregon is the place. In Washington, it s the flowers. Washington also has more of the spectacular views. And because the Washington side is south-facing, it tends to melt out faster. The Oregon and Washington sides are very different, and I think they really complement each other. What were some of your most pleasant surprises? Augspurger Mountain. It s behind Dog and a little longer. You get all of the views and the wildflowers, but you ll be all by yourself. Also, Table Mountain in Washington. Super-tough hike, but it is out-of-this-world spectacular. A pleasant surprise in Oregon was the Deschutes River. Tell me about Backpacking Washington, coming out in June. There are 70 backpacks, and I approached it by thinking where can I go for 2, 3 nights a week? The range in the book is from 14 miles to 50. The majority are in the mile range. Most of them, you can get into a basin, set up your camp and keep exploring. How long did it take you to cover all of this terrain? I started in October 2008 and finished in October of I had three or four months a year to work on it. It was demanding. Favorite trip few people know about? Here s one: Basin Lake in the Norse Peak Wilderness. It s right behind Crystal Mountain. I ve been there three times and have never seen anyone in there. Great for wildlife and views. Lots of elk and mountain goats are in there. Are there backpacking destinations that live up to the hype? Probably one of the most spectacular places on the planet is Image Lake. It s out-of-this-world. One pointer: Get up early and do the sunrise. Also, the Enchantments. They are truly spectacular. I feel like I m in the Sierra Nevada with all of that granite. What s next? Currently, I m working on Day Hiking: Eastern Washington with Rich Landers. We ve teamed up and are covering day hikes east of the Columbia River and Okanogan. It s due out in the spring of 2013.

7 May + June 2011» Washington Trails News+Views «7 Hiking News» A Wilder Olympics in the Works Current wilderness campaign seeks protections from the snowcaps to the whitecaps. By Lace Thornberg The scenic, but not yet wild and scenic Quinault River. Photo by Don Geyer. Think for a minute about the Olympic Peninsula and one of its free-flowing rivers the Hoh, the Bogachiel or the Duckabush will likely spring to mind. As emblematic and iconic as these glacier-fed rivers may be, they are not Wild and Scenic. At least not by the federal definition. While there are more than 50 designated Wild and Scenic Rivers in nearby Oregon, there s not a single Wild and Scenic river to be found on the Olympic Peninsula. Not the Elwha. Not the Quinault. Not a one. That could change if the coalition behind the Wild Olympics Campaign succeeds in their effort to get more than 400 miles of river designated as Wild and Scenic rivers, plus 135,000 acres designated as wilderness and 37,000 acres of potential additions to Olympic National Park. For the past two years, a coalition of conservation and recreation organizations, including the Olympic Park Associates, Olympic Forest Coalition, Olympic Peninsula Audubon Society, North Olympic Group and Washington Chapter of the Sierra Club, Washington Wilderness Coalition, The Mountaineers, Pew Campaign for America s Wilderness, American Whitewater, American Rivers and others, have been working on a wilderness proposal to protect wild forest and river watersheds on the Olympic Peninsula. At this time, the campaign is in phase two according to Connie Gallant, Quilcene resident and chair of the Wild Olympics Campaign. We put out a draft proposal map in July 2010, and ever since then, we ve been taking in additional feedback from stakeholders. Peruse the Wild Olympics Campaign s draft map and you ll see they have proposed new protected areas throughout all four counties on the peninsula, in areas near and adjacent to already designated areas in Olympic National Park and Olympic National Forest. Gallant characterized their proposal as one built around protecting watersheds. As she has said, These watersheds provide local communities with clean water, and world-class outdoor recreation opportunities that together help sustain our outstanding peninsula way of life. They are vital to the health of Hood Canal and Puget Sound and are critical habitat for wildlife, steelhead and salmon. According to Tom Uniack, conservation direc-

8 8» News+Views May + June 2011» Washington Trails The Wild Olympics Campaign has been meeting with local stakeholders for the past year to build support and get feedback on their draft proposal to protect the Peninsula s waterhseds. Proposed wilderness additions are shown in yellow and proposed wild and scenic rivers are shown in blue. tor for Washington Wilderness Coalition, the coalition s work on this proposal builds on the approach to wilderness designation that was used to create the Wild Sky Wilderness and to bring the Alpine Lakes Wilderness additions proposal one step from becoming law in the last Congress. Reaching out to local stakeholders early and often is a key part of successful campaign, says Uniack. To that end we have listened to and made significant adjustments to the proposal based on feedback from mountain bikers, tribes, timber companies, recreational users and the Forest Service. While their approach to garnering new designations may be similar, the scale is larger on the Olympic Peninsula and it includes a different mix of protections. This proposal is focused on watershed protection. We re not just doing wilderness. This time, we re also including Wild and Scenic river designations and willing-seller National Park additions, says Tim McNulty, a Sequim resident with Olympic Park Associates, adding Willing seller is a new approach to conserving park land in Washington. With it, the Park Service will be able to bid on key parcels of private land that come up for sale. As a hiker, you may be wondering how their draft proposal would affect recreational access. The campaign has made a deliberate effort to ensure that current road access to Forest Service trailheads will not be affected by the wilderness proposal. The wilderness proposal does include about 65 miles of the ends of certain segments of old logging roads in upper watersheds, but all of these road segments were already slated for decommissioning (permanent closure and obliteration) or trail conversion by the Forest Service under their 2003 Access and Travel Management Plan. Over 2,000 miles of roads on Olympic National Forest remain unaffected by the proposal. A Wild and Scenic river designation prevents dams from being built on those stretches of rivers, while fishing, swimming, paddling, rafting or other river-friendly recreational use typically continues as it had been in place, unless that use clearly threatens the river s outstanding values. Learn More, Give Feedback The Wild Olympics Campaign has launched a website ( to provide information and solicit additional community feedback about their draft proposal to protect forests and river watersheds on the Olympic Peninsula.t WTA Adds ONF Crew Leader This summer, WTA be expanding our reach by adding a crew leader for the Olympic National Forest to join the cadre of district crew leaders that WTA has stationed throughout the Cascades. From early May through September, our Olympic district crew leader will lead volunteer events on both weekdays and weekends, alternating between work parties in the Quilcene area and trips closer to Hoodsport. Volunteer along Hood Canal sometime, and you can give a warm welcome to WTA s newest district crew leader, William Jahncke. A Western Washington native and an outdoor enthusiast since childhood, William s first trip with WTA was a work party at Snoquera Falls in June He served as a youth volunteer vacation intern for WTA last year.t WTA Executive Director Resigns In March, Brian Windrope resigned from his position as Washington Trails Association s executive director. At that time, Craig McKibben stepped in as acting executive director and the search for a new executive director for the organization is now underway. Craig serves on WTA s board of directors as the vice president of board development and is the immediate past president of the organization. Brian joined the organization s staff in WTA and Brian came to a mutual understanding to go our own ways, and we wish Brian the absolute best in his future pursuits.t

9 May + June 2011» Washington Trails News+Views «9 Forest Service Crafts New Management Framework Comments in writing due by May 16 If you ve ever hiked on Forest Service land and because they manage more hiking trails than any other federal agency, you pretty much have then you should know that the agency released a new comprehensive planning rule earlier this spring. On February 10, 2011, the U.S. Forest Service unveiled its proposed Forest Planning Rule, the result of a collaborative rulemaking process that began in December This planning rule is intended to provide a new national framework to develop land management plans. It will cover the full gamut of forest uses and interests, including recreation, water quality, fish and wildlife, logging, roadless areas and more. This plan will guide all land and resource management planning for all Forest Service units for a dozen years, or even longer. Due to a series of overturned rules, the Forest Service is currently operating under a plan developed in Our planet has changed since 1982 and among other considerations, the current plan must contend with the unknown effects of climate change considering both how to deal with the impacts and how forests may be able to help mitigate climate change. In addition to facing climate change, other key aims include promoting vibrant communities, maintaining or restoring ecosystem and watershed health and resilience, protecting cultural and historic resources and specially designated areas, such as wilderness areas and Wild and Scenic Rivers, and providing for sustainable recreation. Under the proposed plan, the Forest Service would implement a two-tiered strategy for monitoring, one that considers both the unit level and the broader scale. The Forest Service is hoping to create a monitoring framework that allows land managers to test assumptions, track changing conditions, measure their effectiveness, and feed new information back into the planning cycle in order to adapt plans and management strategies as needed. This plan would also institute a new predecisional administrative review process. The planning framework that the Forest Service currently uses the 1982 NFMA regulations allows any party that commented in the first round of public scoping on a project to appeal a final decision. The proposed rules would do away with the appeal process and instead provide individuals and groups with an opportunity to resolve issues before final approval of a plan, plan amendment or plan revision. This approach would save the agency headaches by not requiring them to amend or alter plans that have been signed and finalized, but it also strips away the public s final recourse. Many conservation advocates would prefer to see a post-decision administrative appeal process left in place. Generally speaking, WTA believes that this draft planning rule is on the right track from the perspective of recreation and conservation. We're particularly pleased to see that the administration s draft calls for identifying and protecting recommended wilderness areas. Where previous regulations only called for identification, the new draft language requires national forests to also protect the features and values that led these identified areas to be recommended for wilderness designation in the first place. Joshua Parkinson We are, however, concerned about the public involvement section of the draft regulations. The draft stresses the value of input, but includes an unsettling caveat: land managers can curtail public comment opportunities based on cost and resources. We re concerned that this amounts to an open invitation for some land managers to confine input and develop plans without proper public involvement. WTA firmly believes that good land management planning is based on the opportunity for public input. Hikers and other stakeholders often provide context that land managers would otherwise lack. We'd like to see clearer requirements for public input. The Forest Service has been holding public listening sessions around the country throughout the rule s ninety-day comment period. At the March 23 open house held in Seattle, Forest Service officials repeatedly requested that any comments and concerns be submitted in writing as that is the only way comments can be considered during this phase of the rulemaking process. Written public comments are due by May 16, and a final rule is expected by the close of WTA will be submitting formal written comments.t Discover Pass Update As of our press date, the state Legislature was still weighing Discover Pass legislation, but it was on track to be enacted. This is good news, as this pass will keep our state s public lands open for recreational use. If enacted, the Discover Pass ($30 annually, $10 daily) would be required at all Washington State Parks, Department of Natural Resources and Department of Fish and Wildlife lands, effective beginning July 1, Be sure you know if you ll need to display it before setting out later this summer. The Forest Planning Rule dictates the methodology that the U.S. Forest Service will use to manage its resources. WTA members are encouraged to send any thoughts or concerns about this planning rule to us by to jonathan@wta.org or submit their own written comments directly at www. govcomments.com.

10 10» News+Views May + June 2011» Washington Trails Hiking Badger Mountain In the five years since it was established, this preserve has become a boon for Tri-Cities hikers Adam Fyall Adam works in the Benton County Commissioners Office. For a case study on what dedicated grassroots activism combined with a supportive local government partner can deliver for the community, take a hike on Badger Mountain. A Preserve Is Born This wild landscape, where you can find fragile wild onions, native cactus and mariposa lilies growing amidst a variety of bunchgrasses, could just as easily have become back yards like so many of the other hills and ridges in the area. With the sprawling Tri-Cities beginning to creep up the flanks of the most prominent natural landmark in the area, the Friends of Badger Mountain formed, with a goal to preserve as much of the mountain as possible. The Friends set out on an ambitious regional fundraising campaign and, working through the Trust for Public Land, helped Benton County to secure a 650-acre tract now known as Badger Mountain Centennial Preserve, so named to commemorate the county s one-hundred-year anniversary in A Subtle, Diverse Landscape A newcomer might look at Badger Mountain and see little more than a big, barren rock thrusting its way up and out of the city, but its character is more nuanced and interesting than that. Rising over 1,000 feet above the surrounding river terrace, the mountain is part of a ridgeline anchored on an east-west axis that gives it dramatically different north and south faces. Microclimates are easily discernible on the relatively small mountain, and hikers will pass through no fewer than four distinct ecozones on a ninety-minute hike. The broad south face of Badger Mountain is sun-splashed and windswept. Its thin soils struggle to support sparse grasses and lowgrowing shrubs across a rocky landscape broken occasionally by deeply-incised ravines that are the refuge for most of the Preserve s resident coyote population. The south face is also the quiet side of the mountain. With its back to the city, Badger looks out over orchards and wheat fields with the muted hues of the Horse Heaven Hills sweeping across the horizon. As one would expect, the north face of Badger Mountain is cooler, more shaded and generally sheltered from the prevailing winds. Its terrain is more Badger Mountain and bluebells. Photos by John Clement. jumbled, with hills, twisting canyons and small cliffs. With its deeper soils and better moisture retention, the north side of the mountain is more accommodating to thick grasslands and old-growth stands of sagebrush. In contrast to the more agrarian vistas from the south side, this part of the mountain casts its gaze over the bustle of the fourth-largest metropolitan area in Washington, with views of the cities, the Columbia River and the Hanford Reach National Monument in the distance. The ridgelines and summit area mark abrupt transition zones between the north and south faces. The dual-peaked summit is populated by three large communications tower farms and offers panoramic views in all directions. On clear days, Mounts Hood, Adams, Rainier and Stuart can be seen to the south and west, while the Blue Mountains command the eastern horizon. As the sun climbs higher and the days grow long and warm, Badger Mountain s plants and animals are rejuvenated. First, the mountain is renewed, as a verdant sea of bunchgrasses sweeps away winter s golden blanket. A parade

11 May + June 2011» Washington Trails News+Views «11 of wildflowers follows. First, a rosy veil of phlox visible for several miles cloaks the north face. By May, the balsamroot have stolen the show with their large, yellow sunflowers. In the heat of summer, a more subtle patchwork of color emerges, with the dominant orange globemallow often appearing like small prairie fires in the breeze. Finally, in September, the rabbitbrush blooms in a flush of bright yellow cottonballs, especially in the northwest corner of the preserve. Badger Mountain s wildlife can be reclusive, but the patient eye will be rewarded. Spring is the domain of the threatened Townsend s ground squirrels on the lower flanks of the mountain; later in the season, jackrabbits and reptiles are more noticeable. Birders who visit the various elevations and environs of the preserve will be treated to a variety of avifauna every bit the equal of the ecology, with numerous songbirds, upland game, sagebrush-dependent species and raptors vying for attention throughout the migration and nesting seasons. Hiking the Preserve Over its first half-decade, the community s embrace and use of Badger Mountain Centennial Preserve has been nothing short of remarkable. Three distinct trails originating from two trailheads provide access onto the mountain and a variety of physical and environmental experiences for the visitor. At those two trailheads, the Friends of Badger Mountain maintain counters that logged more than 100,000 visits in The Canyon Trail, dedicated in 2005, carries about 80 percent of the traffic into the preserve from the base to the summit. This hiker-only trail originates in an adjacent city park on the north side of the mountain and climbs 800 vertical feet to the summit in 1.2 miles. The trail snakes upward through a ravine and then out onto the face at about the halfway mark, and offers several viewpoints and rest areas along the way. The Skyline Trail was developed in two phases beginning in 2006 and provides a 3-mile point-to-point hike over more varied terrain. This trail begins on the west ridge, then takes most of the elevation gain over the first mile of the hike on the north side. It then crosses over for a flatter and distinctly different experience along the south face before reaching the summit area and dropping down the east ridge. The Skyline Trail is multiple-use, available for hikers, cyclists and equestrians. It is particularly popular with the mountain biking community. The mile-long Sagebrush Trail, completed in 2010, connects the Canyon and Skyline Trails, creating a 3-mile loop. This multi-use trail winds through the old-growth sagebrush in the eastern part of the preserve before dropping onto a bunchgrass prairie below. Nurturing the Preserve The most remarkable thing about the Badger Mountain Preserve isn t the heavy patronage or the fragile landscape that was saved for future generations. Rather, it is the personal investments that those patrons have made and the spirit of cooperation among the agencies and the user groups that has led Badger Mountain to become the premiere hiking destination in the Tri-Cities area. As with many local governments, Benton County has limited budget and staff resources available for maintenance and improvements within the preserve. This is where the community has stepped in. Corporate partners like REI have provided grants for trail materials, signage and tools. Local organizations such as cycling and equestrian clubs have been key players with trail building and maintenance. Finally, none of this would be possible without the organizational leadership provided by the Friends of Badger Mountain, the park s de facto steward. In partnership with Washington Trails Association and under the guidance of trailmaster Jim Langdon, the Friends of Badger Mountain have planned, engineered and constructed all of the trails on the mountain. WTA s expertise and ability to marshal statewide resources was instrumental to the success of these trail-building efforts, and the original 2005 work party for the Canyon Trail was at that time the largest to date for WTA with over 80 volunteers. Badger Mountain s Bright Future With an excellent team of partners in place and a strong and supportive outdoors constituency, Badger Mountain should enjoy a long and happy life. At least one more main trail is envisioned, and various other amenities and habitat restoration efforts are in the works. If you find yourself in the Tri-Cities and you d like to stretch your legs for few hours, visit the Badger Mountain Centennial Preserve. You ll experience both the beauty of the open space and a prime example of the kind of asset a community can give itself when it musters its collective will.t Large work parties and friendly terrain allowed WTA and Friends of Badger Mountain to construct a trail system on Badger Mountain in fairly short order. Photo by WTA. Hike It» The Canyon Trail Total Miles: 2.4 miles Elevation Gain: 800 feet

12 12 May + June 2011» Washington Trails WTA at Work Trail Maintenance» Signature Projects We re delighted to announce em. Can you guess what comes next? Mike Stenger Trail Programs Director mike@wta.org As you might imagine, drawing up a list like this is a fair challenge, with so many worthy projects vying for the title. Truth be told, we d rather designate every WTA project as a Signature Project! But decide we must. With this Top 10 list, we hope to draw your attention to the key elements of the work all of our volunteers do for the hiking community. What makes a trail project signature, you ask? We looked for projects that would demonstrate the positive impact that WTA volunteers have across the state. All are the products of fruitful partnerships with land management agencies or partner organizations, and each project offers a truly top-notch volunteer experience. Many have links to WTA s advocacy efforts, to ensure access or address deferred maintenance. Finally, all of these signature projects take place in inspiring wild settings. Volunteer on a signature project, and you ll be keen to come back and explore the area on your own. We hope you will enjoy reading about these top 10 signature projects now, but in some sense these are stories that remain unfinished. Only after hikers like you join us for trail work can we write the final chapters where we report that each project has been successfully completed to the satisfaction of hikers statewide. In Northwest Washington: One Fixed-Up Favorite and One New Trail Coming Right Up High Divide Trail With two Volunteer Vacations and one Backcountry Response Team (BCRT), we re looking forward to spending some quality time on the High Divide Trail in Mount Baker-Snoqualmie National Forest this summer. This long-time favorite trail offers miles of hiking through meadows of alpine wildflowers and spectacular views of Mount Baker, Mount Shuksan and the Nooksack Valley. It s a big hill that keeps going and going for thousands of feet, says Gary Paull of the U.S. Forest Service. It s a gorgeous place that needs a lot of work. The High Divide Trail is a great conditioning hike, with a muscle-pumping gain of 2,800 feet of elevation in 2.5 miles to reach the aptly named Welcome Pass. It is a challenge to reach, but the rewards are well worth it. WTA will be there from July 23 through August 10. Join us for one of these fabulous Volunteer Vacations or for a BCRT trip. Dates of Work: July and August Types of Trips: Two Volunteer Vacations and one BCRT Expect lush hillsides and mysterious views on the High Divide Trail.

13 May + June 2011» Washington Trails WTA at Work «13 Guemes Mountain Trail Through the collaboration of the Skagit Land Trust, San Juan Preservation Trust, island residents and WTA, we re on track to complete a new 1-mile trail in the Guemes Mountain Conservation area on Guemes Island. This 70-acre Conservation area lies the heart of a larger 534-acre area that is being protected, and the trail we re building will provide the access for hikers to come and enjoy this scenic natural area. There is already a lot of local use of the new trail, says WTA Northwest Washington crew leader Arlen Bogaards. Hikers see the full gamut of island flora and fauna, and the top is a wide-open grassy prairie with 360-degree views of the Cascades, Olympics and San Juans. Layout and excavation of this new trail began in 2010 and continued on weekends through the winter. Over 20 work parties have been completed thus far; we ll add more trips to our schedule in late spring and expect to complete the trail by fall. Dates of Work: March and May Types of Trips: Weekend day trips In the Issaquah Alps: Making Great Close-to-Home Trails Evans Creek Preserve We are over-the-moon excited about WTA and the progress building this new trail, says City of Sammamish Parks Planner Kellye Hilde. In just under 180 acres, Evans Creek Preserve encompasses a variety of habitats including meadows, wetlands, riparian zones and forested uplands. After a decade-long planning process identified the need for more recreational trails and education opportunities, the City of Sammamish asked WTA to take part in building the trails, and we were thrilled to come on board. WTA sees natural areas like Evans Creek Preserve as gateway opportunities for emerging hikers, and we love having interesting projects for our adult and youth volunteers to work on during the winter and early spring. With a total of 40 days of trail work on the schedule, our work here is well underway. We ve been busy excavating and surfacing new trail and building boardwalks. We will have completed phase one of this project by mid- April. Dates of Work: March and April Types of Trips: Adult and youth day trips Grand Ridge Trail WTA has been involved in developing the trail system in King County s Grand Ridge Park since the year 2000, and now the keystone project is underway. In October 2010, WTA volunteers started in on a 600-foot stretch of boardwalk, hauling and setting timbers, pounding in decking and rails, and creating a beautiful boardwalk to raise the trail above a soggy bog. After making 400 feet of progress, we are taking a break now to let the county build up their supply of logs and planking. We will return in the fall to finish off this ambitious project. Dates of Work: Fall Types of Trips: Day trips In Mount Rainier National Park: Bringing Hikers Back to the Carbon Wonderland Trail, Carbon River A nickname like Granddaddy doesn t come easy, but the Wonderland Trail earns the title. This summer, WTA will host three Volunteer Vacations and a youth Frontcountry Volunteer Vacation to work on this famous trail. We ll be working in the northwest corner of Mount Rainier National Park, where the route winds through a luxuriant temperate rain forest along the Carbon River before carrying hikers to the foot of Mount Rainier s impressive Carbon Glacier. When repeated floods destroyed portions of the Carbon River Road, access to this magnificent area was curtailed. The park is now converting portions of the road to a trail and turning the Ipsut Creek Campground into a walk-in only campground. WTA volunteers will stay at Ipsut Creek, and their work will complement the park s efforts by maintaining the hiking trail closer to Carbon Glacier and ensuring a quality trail experience for visitors to this segment of the Wonderland Trail. Interested in hiking the road this spring and working to restore the Wonderland Trail to Carbon Glacier? Sign up for one of WTA s Volunteer Vacations. Dates of Work: May through September Types of Trips: Three Volunteer Vacations, One Youth Volunteer Vacation Old-growth near Ipsut Creek. Photo by Dave Schiefelbein.

14 14» WTA at Work May + June 2011» Washington Trails In Southwest Washington: A Return to the Dark Divide and a New View in the Gorge Quartz Creek Trail The Quartz Creek Trail carries hikers into the southeast corner of the Dark Divide Roadless Area, one of Washington s truly special places. This is a spectacular area for backpacking and day hiking, but in some areas many huge trees are down, making it almost impassable, relates WTA s Southwest Washington Regional Coordinator Ryan Ojerio. This year, WTA has planned two BCRTs and a number of day-long work parties on the Quartz Creek Trail. Named for nineteenth-century gold prospector John Dark, the Dark Divide is the largest roadless area remaining in Washington, a 76,000-acre area west of Mount Adams in the Gifford Pinchot National Forest. This diverse landscape of deep forested valleys and open ridges with beautiful meadows and breath-taking views will leave you hungry for more. WTA has been actively engaged in protecting this area since The Quartz Creek Trail is the only trail in the area closed to motorcycles. Dates of Work: August and September Types of Trips: Two BCRTs and a weekend trip Cape Horn For a classic hiking experience with fantastic views of the Columbia River Gorge and the Cape Horn Falls, you ll want to hike the newly minted Cape Horn Trail. Those seeking exercise will love it, too, as this trail serves up a rugged and challenging workout as it traverses the slopes of Cape Horn along the Columbia River. Throughout the state, WTA works closely with partner organizations and land management agencies, and this is particularly true in the Gorge. This spring, we ll be participating in the third annual Columbia Cascades Trail Skills College, using the Cape Horn Trail as a training site. In June, WTA will work with Friends of the Columbia Gorge and REI volunteers to begin construction of a new trail that meets the guidelines set by the Americans with Disabilities Act at the Nancy Russell Overlook site. Other key partners in this effort include the Mount St. Helens Hiking Club, Trailkeepers of Oregon, and Cape Horn Conservancy. WTA s work parties to improve and restore sections of the Cape Horn Trail, including the installation of a new bridge, are funded in part by a National Forest Foundation grant. Dates of Work: March through July Types of Trips: Day trips In the Olympics: Sawing Logs in the Rainforest Colonel Bob Trail The Colonel Bob is a rugged wilderness area located east of Lake Quinault in the southwest corner of Olympic National Forest. This is temperate rain forest country, where rainfall often exceeds 150 inches a year. Colonel Bob Trail is a classically aerobic experience, gaining 4,200 feet and stretching 14.5 miles. It is also a trail in truly rough shape, due to a great deal of blowdown falling during heavy winter storms. The trail made WTA s endangered trails list in 2008, and roughly 1.5 miles of the Colonel Bob Trail is currently impassable to equestrians and hikers. Luckily, our volunteers have developed a great deal of skill clearing trails with that iconic trail tool, the crosscut saw. Dates of Work: June through July Types of Trips: Two BCRTs and one Volunteer Vacation Cool and lush, the Quartz Creek corridor is blessed with old-growth, waterfalls and certain solitude. After years of neglect, two BCRT crews and a weekend work party will tackle poor tread, downed trees and brush overgrowing the first five miles of trail.

15 In the Cascades: Plenty of TLC for the PCT The Pacific Crest Trail WTA has made a longstanding commitment to help maintain the Pacific Crest Trail (PCT), in cooperation with the U.S. Forest Service and the Pacific Crest Trail Association. From mid- June through September, there will seldom be a time when WTA volunteers won t be actively working on this trail, enjoying the spectacular landscapes it crosses as they work. In early summer, two BCRTs will log-out the trail and restore tread in the Methow and Darrington Ranger Districts. Our June BCRT crew will get to go around the barricades on the Suiattle River Road and make improvements to trails in preparation for the road opening this fall. By midsummer, we ll have no fewer than six WTA youth crews camping for a week and tackling projects in the Cle Elum and Wenatchee Ranger Districts. Later in the summer, adult Volunteer Vacations will finish up maintenance at Pear Lake and Deep Lake. (And with late season colors, less bugs and fresh huckleberry hotcakes for breakfast, those are two amazing trips that you won t want to miss out on.) The PCT is a national treasure and it needs your help to stay that way. Sign up. Dates of Work: July through September Types of Trips: Two Volunteer Vacations, six Youth Vacations, two BCRTs, several day trips In Northeast Washington: A Brand New Summit Route and More Time in the Salmo-Priest Colville National Forest WTA continues to deepen its commitment to maintaining trails in this less well-known, but utterly lovely region of the state. Helping the U.S. Forest Service build a new trail to the summit of Gibraltar Mountain, near the town of Republic, is particularly exciting. WTA will also return to the Salmo-Priest Wilderness with a Volunteer Vacation on the Salmo-Priest Loop and BCRTs to Shedroof Divide, Bead Lake and Hall Mountain. Are there still openings these trips? Yes, just a few, and we d love to have you join us. Please check the trip schedule. Dates of Work: June and July Types of Trips: One Volunteer Vacation, one BCRT Taken together, WTA s signature projects represent all the best elements of WTA s trail maintenance program. If any of these project descriptions have intrigued you, now is the time to sign up for a work party, BCRT or Volunteer Vacation. We need your help, and you ll certainly make a positive contribution to hiking and recreation in Washington. And if you are volunteering with us already, thank you so much! Your efforts are truly appreciated.t At left: Pear Lake, just off the PCT. Photo by Charles Ardary. At right: The Shedroof Divide Trail. Photo by Leif Jakobsen. Upcoming Backcountry Response Trips and Volunteer Vacations Join WTA for a unique volunteer experience. Spaces still available as of press time. May 28 - June 4 Volunteer Vacation Carbon River - Mount Rainier June 4-11 Volunteer Vacation Carbon River - Mount Rainier June 9-12 BCRT Tubal Cain - Olympic Peninsula June Volunteer Vacation Gibralter Mountain - Colville June BCRT Suiattle River - Darrington June BCRT Downey Creek - Darrington June BCRT Bead Lake - Colville Sign Up>>

16 16» WTA at Work Jonathan Guzzo Advocacy Director May + June 2011» Washington Trails Action for Trails» What Is the Worst That Could Happen? With this much funding on the line, hikers can t just wait and see Nature offers predictable patterns, as winter turns to spring and spring to summer. Brush will grow, rivers will rise, and rain will wear away at even the most ingeniously built waterbars. The perennial forces of nature will continue to do their bloody best to render trails impassable. Hikers face this curious duality each year. The same cycles of rain and snow that make wildflowers and huckleberries flourish conspire to turn trails into mud wallows and knock out bridges. In contrast, our human world is filled with changes and uncertainty. The U.S. House of Representatives has changed hands, a switch that could jeopardize important programs that fund trail maintenance. I m thinking particularly of the Recreational Trails Program (RTP), which is normally included in the surface transportation funding bill approved by Congress. What Is RTP? Formerly known as NRTP, RTP falls under the Transportation Enhancements program, a program which funds nonhighway transportation development. RTP dollars flow to the states Washington state receives about $1.8 million annually and are disbursed as grants by state administrators. The Recreation and Conservation Office is Washington s administrator, and the office is served by an advisory committee that evaluates and ranks grants. RTP grants are available to both land managers and nonprofit organizations. WTA was awarded $175,000 last year to field youth stewardship work, Volunteer Vacations and Backcountry Response Teams. All told, RTP money funds nearly 20 percent of our volunteer work annually. To be frank, this portion of our work and the work of many organizations from the Backcountry Horsemen of Washington to the Evergreen Mountain Bike Alliance is in danger. The president s proposed surface transportation funding bill would consolidate federal lands programs under a new line item known as the Federal Lands Access Program and keep RTP intact. However, the new House, which is in the process of drafting its own transportation proposal, is looking at much more streamlined funding and will not entertain gas tax increases. The third leg of the funding stool is the Senate. The Environment and Public Works Committee has not made as much progress on a bill in that chamber, but given that federal transportation funding expired in 2009 and has been reauthorized by continuing resolutions since then, we expect to see a Senate proposal soon. The most recent continuing resolution came down the pike on March 4 and runs out at the end of September. So the continued existence of RTP dollars and a significant chunk of the work that WTA does in the backcountry will be decided in negotiations between the administration, the House and the Senate, three parties that could not be farther apart. Bringing the lens down to landscape level, losing RTP funding could mean that WTA would not be able to work on the Tubal Cain Mine Trail in Olympic National Park. Tubal Cain, heavily traveled and stunningly beautiful, needs lots of work. We used RTP funding to conduct a Backcountry Response Team work party there in 2010, and will use more this summer, and we hope to come back to Tubal Cain in the future to maintain the work we ve done. Without RTP, our work in Wallace Falls State Park indeed all of our work in state parks would have no institutional funding source, since we have no reciprocal funding agreement with that agency. Losing these dollars is a real cost, not just to WTA, but to all the hikers who depend on us and other volunteer-driven organizations to maintain our precious recreation opportunities. What You Can Do Please take a moment now to contact your representative and our two senators. Let them know how important these funds are to hiking in Washington. And let them know that you expect them to fight to retain RTP funding as the House and Senate transportation bills move toward completion this summer.t Kids hanging out at Tubal Cain mine. Adam Scroggins

17 May + June 2011» Washington Trails WTA at Work «17 Insecure Rural Schools Despite its great benefits, the Secure Rural Schools and Community Self-Determination Act is on the chopping block Last spring, WTA volunteers took crosscut saws to over 100 trees that had fallen across the Horseshoe Ridge Trail in southwest Washington one of many recreation and conservation projects made possible by a federal grant program created in When the Secure Rural Schools and Community Self-Determination Act came up for reauthorization in 2008, Forest Supervisor Janine Clayton reported that an investment of more than $16 million in Title II projects [had] created a healthier Gifford Pinchot National Forest and a boost to our local economies. The act was successfully renewed. This act is on the table again now, and if Congress fails to act by year s end, national forests and their adjacent rural counties will lose a critical source of funding for schools, roads, public services and projects on federal lands that restore habitat, repair roads and maintain trails. Hikers will notice trails going unmaintained and Forest Service roads start deteriorating. WTA will lose grant opportunities that have supported Volunteer Vacations at Indian Heaven Wilderness, youth volunteers at Mount St. Helens and a seasonal district crew leader. The concept that the federal government has an obligation to help support communities adjacent to federal lands is as old as the Forest Service itself. President Theodore Roosevelt and Forest Service Chief Gifford Pinchot recognized that protecting large tracts of land for the nation s benefit imposed a unique burden on nearby communities, becuase public lands wouldn t generate the tax revenue that private lands would. Roosevelt and Pinchot worked with Congress to ensure that a portion of revenues from natural resource extraction on federal lands would be returned to forested counties. These funds helped to support county roads and schools, plus conservation and recreation projects on the forests that often provided jobs for the local population. The law worked well for nearly one hundred years. In the late 1980s, changes in the timber industry, combined with court decisions that WTA couldn t have coordinated this project in the Indian Heaven Wilderness without funding from the Secure Rural Schools Act. Photo by Gail Rossi. protected the remaining stands of old-growth forest, drastically reduced the flow of timber receipt dollars to forested counties. By 1998, revenues for these counties had dropped by over 70 percent. In response, Sens. Larry Craig, (R-Idaho), and Ron Wyden, (D-Ore.), crafted the Secure Rural Schools and Community Self- Determination Act, which Congress passed in 2000 to restore federal payments to counties based on historic timber receipt revenue. Trails and recreation projects are funded through Title II Special Projects on Federal Lands a provision that creates a competitive grant fund for projects that benefit the forests. In addition to on-theground accomplishments, the act sought to improve cooperative relations between federal land managers and local communities. The legislation authorized the formation of Resource Advisory Committees (RACs) that would disperse Title II funds through a competitive grant review process. Each RAC is a diverse mix of area representatives, including local government officials; timber, mining and grazing interests; environmental groups; and native tribes. Many consider the success of this process to be one of the act s most profound achievements. Despite all the benefits the Secure Rural Schools and Community Self-Determination Act has brought to our national forests and the communities around them, its reauthorization now is far from certain. Many elected officials in the Pacific Northwest, where most of the affected counties are located, have vowed to fight for it. As Sen. Patty Murray, (D-Wash.), has stated, The Secure Rural Schools and Communities Self-Determination Act provides critical funding to rural counties to keep schools open and provide basic public services for local families. She added, In this challenging budget climate, I will continue to work with Sens. Wyden, Cantwell and others to advocate for adequate funding for our rural communities. If nothing else, the debate over this legislation illustrates how national policies have a real impact at the local level, right down to the number of trails that we can keep open.t Ryan Ojerio Southwest Washington Regional Coordinator ryan@wta.org

18 18» WTA at Work May + June 2011» Washington Trails Membership News» A Fund for the Future Volunteers can address damage and build new opportunities thanks to WTA s revenue-generating fund for trail work In 2011, the Greg Ball Trail Fund will support youth day trips, Backcountry Response Trips and Volunteer Vacations, like this one on the Billy Goat Trail in the Methow Valley. Rebecca Lavigne Development Director rebecca@wta.org With each passing week, WTA volunteers move farther into the backcountry. As the snow melts, they find and repair trails damaged by winter weather or overuse. They clear trails blocked by fallen logs and cut back overgrown brush. This year, they will perform this annual maintenance ritual on more than 100 trails. They ll also tackle new trail construction and continue the unfinished work of storm damage recovery from the 2003 and 2006 storms. All of this they do for you, dear hiker. Fortunately, WTA volunteers have a powerful source of support in the form of the Greg Ball Trail Fund. The fund was established to honor the legacy of Greg Ball, who founded WTA s trail maintenance program in The Greg Ball Trail Fund functions like a permanent savings account for our trail system. WTA accepts contributions to the fund typically made in cash, stock or through a bequest at any time. Last year the fund passed the $600,000 mark in gifts received, thanks to forward-thinking WTA members, corporations and foundations. The Seattle Foundation invests the fund on behalf of WTA to ensure that it will generate returns for our trail maintenance efforts far into the future. Projects are selected each year by a special committee comprising board mem- bers and donors. Though the full impact can be measured only over several generations, the fund is already starting to make a difference. The Greg Ball Trail Fund is helping more young people connect to the outdoors through trail stewardship. It provided partial funding for high school volunteers to complete the Greg Ball Trail at Wallace Falls State Park and, this year, will help WTA offer more trail work parties just for youth. For hikers east of the Cascades, the Greg Ball Trail Fund has been instrumental in launching WTA s volunteer trail maintenance efforts in Spokane and farther north on the Colville National Forest. This year, the fund will provide major support for the Backcountry Response Teams and Volunteer Vacation crews who form the backbone of WTA s backcountry trail maintenance schedule. In most cases, the Greg Ball Trail Fund is one of several sources of funding for a project, along with grants, government agreements and member contributions. Its flexibility allows WTA to take on projects that we couldn t otherwise complete. So next time you hike a WTA-maintained trail, remember to thank those volunteers in the green hard hats and the hundreds of donors to the Greg Ball Trail Fund. For information about making a contribution or a planned gift to the Greg Ball Trail Fund, feel free to get in touch with me at (206) or rebecca@wta.org. t

19 May + June 2011» Washington Trails WTA at Work «19 Featured Trail Project» The Twana Creek Bridge Winter work at Dosewallips State Park When the worst of winter descends on Western Washington, most of us are content to sit inside and watch the rain lash against the living room window. A few hardy souls are still out there doing trail work, like the volunteers who spent 10 days between October and March working to improve the trails in Dosewallips State Park on Hood Canal. Straddling the banks of the Dosewallips River, this park provides grassy fields for year-round camping, beach access to Hood Canal and several interesting hiking trails along the river and into the upland areas of the park. As with all of our state parks, it would be a shame to see this one closed due to budget constraints. This past winter, our focus was a large-scale rehabilitation of the Twana Creek Bridge. After years of use, the bridge needed extra care if it was to keep servicing the park s visitors. WTA s crew began the project by protecting the bridge abutments to prevent undercutting by the stream. They also rebuilt the trail approaches at both ends of the bridge, allowing hikers to easily and safely get onto the bridge. The decking on the bridge had started to decay and was quickly becoming a safety concern. After removing the old decking, the crew made sure that the bridge stringers were sound and then installed solid decking that the resourceful park staff had scrounged from other areas of the park. The final step was to replace broken parts of the handrail and reinforce those sections that remained usable. In the end, the bridge was restored to its original condition. Once again, a dedicated crew of volunteers braved the tempests of winter and did a beautiful job improving our state s hiking trails. Our thanks to all of you!t Hike It» Volunteers replacing a handrail on the bridge over Twana Creek in Dosewallips State Park. Dosewallips State Park To visit the Twana Creek Bridge, head to Dosewallips State Park. From the park s maintenance shop, look for a small footbridge and follow this path to reach the bridge over Twana Creek Bridge in an eighth of a mile. This unnamed trail feeds into either the Steam Donkey Trail (3.5-mile loop) or the Maple Valley Trail (2- mile loop). Map: USGS Brinnon, or state park map available. Best Season: open year-round, go in fall to see elk. More Info: Day Hiking: Olympic Peninsula. Meet Our Members» Sam Thompson Talk About Going the Extra Mile Sam Thompson ran 90 miles from Seattle to Olympia to raise awareness about the need for sustainable recreation funding for our state lands at WTA s Hiker Lobby Day. Sam ran his first marathon 12 years ago, then discovered trail running and was instantly hooked on the beauty and freedom. Sam reminisces, Once I got in the woods and my feet hit dirt, I never turned back. Since Sam s trail-running friends introduced him to WTA, he s become a great supporter of our work. Sam directs the annual Carkeek 12-Hour race, and WTA has been one of the event s beneficiaries for the past three years. Now he is also a Hiker Lobby Day superstar, running to the Capitol to illustrate how important trails are in his life. Take the hike up Mailbox Peak and you might encounter Sam twice. As he says, It s far and away my favorite trail to do repeats up to the summit and back down, going back and forth all day. Found on Department of Natural Resources land, Mailbox Peak is one of the many landscapes that hikers and trail runners are hoping to protect from closure. We re all passionate about our state trails, Sam notes, and although we might enjoy them in slightly different ways, we re all working together for the same purpose and really all on the same team. We couldn t agree more. We are grateful to have Sam as a member of team Washington Trails and wish him all the best in his upcoming adventures, including running 100 miles in the Western States 100. Kindra Ramos

20 20» WTA at Work May + June 2011» Washington Trails Youth & Families» Best Summer Ever Seven steps to a sensational season Have you found that a bright orb shining in the sky is causing you to squint more often? Have you been hearing bird songs filling the air? Have you looked down at your feet and seen your toes sticking out of sandals? If you answered yes to any of these questions, don t worry, the diagnosis is simple: summer is officially on the way. And how will you be filling your long summer days? We have a few suggestions for you that just might make the summer of 2011 the best summer ever. Get your family digging in the dirt. Join one of WTA s family work parties. Volunteering to do trail maintenance is a terrific way to give back to trails. Sign up at volunteer/trail-work-parties. We ll be working on Cougar Mountain on May 21 and on June 4, which is also National Trails Day. Krista Dooley Youth Programs Manager krista@wta.org Meet Joan Burton. The author of Best Hikes with Kids: Western Washington and the Cascades, Joan will be partnering with WTA to present Hiking With Children workshops. You ll be inspired to get outdoors with your kids, plus learn some fun tips and tricks to keep them safe and have fun along the way. Here are the scheduled dates: May 16: Bellingham REI, 6 p.m. June 7: Tacoma REI, 7 p.m. June 14: Olympia REI, 7 p.m. Camp, camp and camp some more. Pack up the car and leave the city behind for a few days. Camping out means two things sleeping in tents and roasting marshmallows on an open fire so kids are pretty much guaranteed to love it, while the adults can look forward to serving dinner on massive picnic tables and romping around the campground on short-butsweet hiking trails. For car-camping tips and suggested family-friendly locations, visit www. wta.org/kids/children/how-to/car-campingwith-kids. Share your smarts. When your family returns from a hike, share your experience with others by submitting a trip report. Trip reports provide useful information that helps hikers know the current trail conditions as they plan their hike. Point out the trail features your kids enjoyed on the hike and what advice you would give the next family heading to the trail. Submit your trip report at WTA s youth program activities are getting a boost this year, thanks to a grant from The Seattle Foundation. Experience a sky full of stars. Waking up in a peaceful alpine meadow after watching the sun set behind a jagged peak? Yep, there is pretty much nothing better. Take a family backpacking trip and view the amazing night sky with countless twinkling stars. You might even get lucky and see a shooting star or two. For helpful information from planning your trip to suggested locations, visit Make your miles count. Enter the family category in WTA s 2011 Hike-a-Thon and hit the trails this August. Not only will you enjoy spending time together as you explore Washington s wild places by trail, but you can earn some great prizes, too! Hike-a-Thon registration begins July 1. Become the next Ansel Adams. Take your camera along as you are out discovering the wonders of Washington. Photography allows you to capture memorable moments along the trail. Shoot photos all summer long, and you ll have plenty of images to sift through when our Northwest Exposure photo contest opens in mid-august. Deadline for entries is October 16. Have a wild summer. You won't forget it.t

21 May + June 2011» Washington Trails 21 On Trail Northwest Explorer» Living in the Northwest, we have no shortage of wilderness locations to escape into for a day or a week. On any ol weekend, we could be climbing to the rim of smoldering Mount St. Helens, journeying through lush rain forests in the Olympics or trekking across the jagged ridges of the North Cascades. And while all of these places, and so many more locations, are outstanding, nothing quite compares with the majesty or sheer immensity of The Mountain. But when you think about hiking that Mountain, where do you even start? With over 240 miles of hiking trails (not counting mountaineering routes), spread over 378 square miles, there s a lot to choose from. Add to that the incredible amount of scenic features 473 streams and rivers, 292 lakes, 122 waterfalls, 25 named glaciers, and more meadows, valleys, wildflowers, old-growth forest, and mindnumbing views than you can shake a trekking pole at and the task of choosing a trail can no doubt be daunting. Backpacking the Big One Five sure-to-wow trails in Mount Rainier National Park. By Eli Boschetto Thankfully, there are stacks of helpful guidebooks available to get you started. But even as great as most of those guidebooks are full of inspiring photos and informative elevation profile graphs (a feature I particularly appreciate) you re still trying to whittle down from 50-plus options. And if you re unfamiliar with The Mountain, what you re really thinking is, Where do I go to get the really good stuff? Well, this month, you re in luck. From shorter starter trails to the granddaddy of round-themountain adventures, we ll highlight five and only five of the most outstanding hiking opportunities that Rainier has to offer, just in time for you to start making your own summer hiking plans. With some helpful planning tips and permit info thrown in, all you ll have to do is choose and go.

22 22» On Trail May + June 2011» Washington Trails Hike It» Gobbler s Knob Round trip miles: 12 Gain: 2,700 feet Campsites: Lake George Spray Park Loop Round trip miles: 16 Gain: 5,100 feet Campsites: Mowich Lake, Eagle s Roost, Cataract Valley, Carbon River, Ipsut Creek Rainier from Gobbler s Knob. Photo by Don Geyer. #1: Gobbler s Knob Ideal for an intro to backpacking or an easy weekend getaway, what could be better than pitching your tent beside a clear, sparkling lake within a mile of one of Washington s premier viewpoints? Not much, but it comes with a price you won t be alone. From the Nisqually Entrance in the southwest corner of the park, take the Westside Road to its closure 3.5 miles up. From this point, sling on your pack and continue up the road on foot another 3.8 miles, first along rushing Tahoma Creek, then plunging into forest for a moderate climb to Round Pass and the Lake George trailhead. The next 0.75 mile climbs 500 feet to the Lake George basin where six wilderness campsites await, including one large group site. For anglers, the fishing at Lake George is reported to be exceptional, and licenses are not required within the national park. After staking out your camp, take on the climb to Gobbler s Knob, a moderate 800-foot climb in just under a mile. At the Goat Lake junction, bear right and traipse through meadows brimming with seasonal lupine, magenta paintbrush and Columbia lily to the old fire lookout and a view that will knock your SmartWools off Adams, Hood and St. Helens to the south and east, the Olympics to the west, Lake George below, and Rainier looming dead ahead with front-row views of the Sunset Amphitheater and Tahoma Glacier. An optional camping destination (in case Lake George permits have all been snatched up) would be to take the Goat Lake Trail (at the saddle junction en route to Gobbler s Knob), 1 mile down into the Glacier View Wilderness for lesscrowded camping at Goat Lake. Spray Park wildflowers. Photo by Don Geyer. #2: Spray Park Loop Considered one of the best loop hikes in Mount Rainier National Park, the trail through the alpine meadows of Spray and Seattle Parks blazes with a bounty of seasonal wildflowers. Throw in an ample serving of glassy tarns, a couple of wispy waterfalls, an optional side trip to Carbon Glacier and a forested stroll up Ipsut Creek, and you have a photographer s dreamland.really, what more could you ask for? Starting at Mowich Lake (the Ipsut Creek trailhead is still inaccessible due to the Carbon Road washout), take a short jaunt south on the Wonderland Trail to the Spray Park junction. Merge onto the Spray Park Trail and make a gentle mile-long descent to the edge of Eagle Cliff. The trail then turns east, rounding Hessong Rock and passing the Eagle s Roost wilderness camp with seven sites. Shortly past the camp, take the 0.25-mile side trail to Spray Falls, a must-see. Following the falls, the trail vaults up 600 feet in the next half mile to the vast Spray Park meadows, with views of Echo Rock, Observation Rock, and the Russell Glacier above. On bluebird days, the view north extends all the way to Washington s North Cascades. Avoid trampling fragile vegetation by remaining on trails through this area. Plants that survive this harsh environment can easily be killed by a single bootstep. From the 6,375-foot high point in Spray Park, begin a 3-mile descent through more wildflowers in Seattle Park, past Cataract Valley wilderness camp (seven sites) to the Carbon River junction and wilderness camp (five sites). From this point, the route continues on the Wonderland Trail, following the Carbon River north, then northwest. At the Ipsut Creek trail junction, fork right 0.3 mile for camping at the Ipsut Creek camp (13 sites), or continue past Ipsut Falls, now bearing southwest, and start a healthy 2,500-foot climb up to Ipsut Pass over the next three forested miles. Finish your loop by turning left at the pass junction for a gentle climb along the flank of Castle Peak before dropping the last mile back down to your starting point at Mowich Lake. For twice the meadows, flowers, lakes, jawdropping views and mileage try the 33-mile Northern Loop Trail. As an outdoor photographer, Spray Park is one of my favorite areas for the wildflower displays. They re best in late July. Plus, there are numerous tarns that reflect Mount Rainier, making this a really fun location to shoot. Don Geyer, Renton, Washington Northwest Photographer

23 May + June 2011» Washington Trails On Trail «23 Planning Your Trip Permits: All overnight hiking and camping in Mount Rainier National Park requires a wilderness access permit. Permits can be obtained before your hike from any of the Wilderness Information Centers or ranger stations within the park. Advance reservations highly recommended for some of the more popular trails and camps can also be made via faxed application. Visit Eli Boschetto #3: Glacier Basin Loop This 13-mile loop is one of my own personal favorites, and a route I ve covered for Backpacker. Sure, the Glacier Basin and Burroughs Mountain Loop can be done in a long day, but, with so much to see, why not slow it down? Take a few days to soak it all in. From the Glacier Basin trailhead in the White River Campground, the 3.25-mile hike up along the Inter Fork of the White River is a breeze thanks to the recent trail restoration done by WTA and the National Park Service. Along the way, a 0.5-mile side trail heads up Emmons Moraine and offers incredible views of Emmons Glacier, the largest sheet of ice on Rainier, and a milky blue-green glacial lake below. Another mile up, pass the junction with the Burroughs Mountain Trail and continue to the Glacier Basin wilderness camp in a forested glen, where six campsites are available (including one group site). Just beyond the camp, Glacier Basin opens up in all its glory, with wide meadows, a large shimmering tarn, and views up The Mountain of The Wedge and Mount Ruth. You ll notice a well-worn climber s trail continuing up to Camps Curtis and Schurman. For the next leg, double back to the Burroughs Mountain Trail junction and begin a hearty 1,900-foot climb for the next 1.5 miles, first through shady forest, then opening into hillside meadows with stupendous views over the White River Valley and Goat Island Mountain. As you continue climbing, the meadows dwindle away and soon you re in rocky alpine tundra with scarce vegetation. Cross a shallow saddle, then mount the final distance amid wide-open alpine plains. The view from 7,400-foot Burroughs Mountain reaches west to the Olympics, north to Glacier Peak and the North Cascades, and southward, where Rainier is all encompassing. From the summit, take a leisurely stroll down to Frozen Maps: As two of hiking s 10 essentials, having a good map and compass (or GPS) and knowing how to use them should be no-brainers. The two most comprehensive maps for Mount Rainier National Park are National Geographic s Trails Illustrated Mount Rainier, and Green Trails Maps new Mount Rainier Wonderland. Weather: Mount Rainier has a notoriously short hiking season due to heavy amounts of winter snow that keep most areas inaccessible until June and July. Even in summer, heavy rain, fog and snow are not uncommon, as Mount Rainier creates its own weather. Summer temps usually average between 40 degrees and 75 degrees near Longmire (2,761 feet), and between 40 degrees and 65 degrees near Paradise (5,400 feet). Nighttime temps, even in summer, can fall below freezing. Check the weather forecast just before setting out, and plan accordingly. Visit KEY Gear: A water treatment system is highly recommended to prevent giardiasis, a disease caused by a particularly nasty little bug found in many mountainous water sources. Filtering, using treatment drops, or boiling water for at least seven minutes can eliminate most contaminants. Avoid filtering water from cloudy glacial streams as the tiny silt particles can clog and ruin your filter element. Using trekking poles can greatly reduce the stress on your back and knees during those huffing slogs up steep hills or jarring descents into valleys, and helps to balance and stabilize the heavy load you re carrying. Clothing: Mount Rainier s unique weather patterns demand layering. Carrying the right mix of apparel will allow you to deal with rapidly changing temperatures and weather conditions. Your backcountry wardrobe should include wool, down or fleece insulating layers and some kind of rain shell. Choose synthetic, breathable fabrics that wick sweat away from your body and dry quickly. Avoid cotton apparel it stays wet when you sweat, robs your body of heat and dries slowly. Food Storage: Most of Mount Rainier s wilderness camps provide bear poles or wires for hanging your food, trash and toiletries. Carry your food in a sturdy bag capable of being sealed or tightly tied off, as animals are attracted to any food scent. Never store food in your tent, and always remember: pack it in, pack it out. Visit for a comprehensive Mount Rainier backpacking preparation guide, complete with gear checklist and permit information.

24 24» On Trail May + June 2011» Washington Trails Hike It» Glacier Basin Loop Round trip miles: 11.5 Gain: 3,100 feet Campsites: White River, Glacier Basin, Berkeley Park, Sunrise Indian Bar and Summerland Shuttle trip miles: 17 Gain: 4,400 feet Campsites: Nickle Creek, Olallie Creek, Indian Bar, Summerland The Wonderland Round trip miles: 95.2 Gain: 22,780 feet Campsites: 24 wilderness camps are available on or near the trail. Lake and a five-way trail junction. Here, you can head west to Berkeley Park and wilderness camp (three sites), or north to the Fremont Mountain Lookout. To continue the loop, head southeast on the Wonderland Trail, descending 1.25 miles into more subalpine meadows ripe with summer wildflowers and seasonal huckleberries. Keep your eyes peeled for black bears. Sunrise wilderness camp awaits with 10 campsites (including two group sites), near the shores of Shadow Lake. Completing the loop requires a knee-crunching, 1,900-foot descent in the last 2.5 miles back to White River. #4: Indian Bar, Summerland One of the most popular backpacks on Mount Rainier for its varied terrain, wide-open meadows, and incredible views, this 17-mile one-way route along the mountain s eastern side showcases the kind of scenery that will have you doing happy little dances of joy from one stunning panorama to the next. And judging by how fast permits are snatched up for this area, it s no secret. Like Glacier Basin, this trail can be engaged from a variety of starting points, depending on time and interest. One popular starting point is the Box Canyon trailhead, 10 miles west of the Stevens Canyon Entrance. The first mile is a moderate trek northeast on the Wonderland Trail to the Nickel Creek wilderness camp (four sites), before starting a vigorous 2,000- foot climb to the crest of the Cowlitz Divide. The trail undulates along the divide, meadows widening the higher you go, eventually gaining another 500 feet to a high point with views of Double and Shriner Peaks to the east and The Mountain rising immediately to the west. The trail then drops a quick 800 feet into the valley of the Ohanapecosh River and the wide meadows of Indian Bar. The wilderness camp here has only five sites, including one group site. In early summer, numerous waterfalls stream down the walls of the valley, fed by the glaciers above. This makes a good halfway point before starting the next climb. From Indian Bar, the trail continues north, steeply climbing over 1,500 feet in the next 1.5 miles. It then levels somewhat, still climbing, while traversing the meadows of Ohanapecosh Park to the high point on the Wonderland, Panhandle Gap at 6,800 feet. Here you ll find yourself in the alpine zone, a landscape dominated by rocky talus that often holds snow through the summer months. Rangers and guidebooks issue warnings about traversing the snowfields here in bad weather, so exercise caution and good judgment. This is a common location to spot mountain goats, and the Cowlitz Chimneys can be viewed to the east. From the gap, the trail descends 1.5 miles to the Summerland wilderness camp (six sites) along Fryingpan Creek. Little Tahoma rises sharply above wide meadows brimming with wildflowers, and Goat Island Mountain dominates to the north. The route then descends steadily along Fryingpan Creek 4 miles to the trailhead at Sunrise Road. Due to the area s popularity and the fact that you ll be competing with weekend hikers as well as advance-planning Wonderland Trail hikers for the handful of wilderness campsites available through this section, it can be tough to get this permit. To improve your chances of scoring a permit and savoring this idyllic location, consider a midweek trip. A backpacker coursing through Indian Bar. Photo by Tami Asars. Wonderland Trail photograph on p.21 by Colleen Ponto.

25 #5: Wonderland This is the big one. The 95.2-mile Wonderland is The Trail around The Mountain. Along with the John Muir Trail, the Tahoe Rim Trail and the High Sierra Trail, the Wonderland Trail is ranked as one of the most scenic long-distance trails in the western United States. And like these others, the window of opportunity is a slim two to three months per year due to high elevations and extreme weather conditions. While no technical mountaineering skill is required to complete the Wonderland Trail, careful planning, determination and endurance are key and that s just for getting your permit! Along the way, you ll visit every environmental zone that this towering volcano has to offer from dense, old-growth forest in deeply carved valleys to subalpine meadows carpeted with wildflowers, to the desolate alpine zone of foreboding rock and ice, skirting the very glaciers themselves. Over the course of the circuit, you ll gain as much cumulative elevation as you would if you climbed from sea level to above the roof of North America, more than 22,000 feet (Mount McKinley in Alaska is the highest point at 20,320 feet). Access to the Wonderland can be reached from any of the four corners of the park: Longmire, Stevens Pass, Sunrise or Mowich Lake. Most hikers aim to complete the trip in anywhere from a fastpaced week, to a more leisurely two-week stroll in order to soak up every ounce of picturesque goodness. For longer-period hikers, food caches are often planned for pickup along the way. Asters and more along the Wonderland. Photo by Troy Mason. If you can, take your time. The climbs are long and steep. Be prepared to be wet and cold on any day, as rain and thunderstorms happen even in summer. But experiencing all this scenery makes it all totally worth it! Geoff Krueger, Portland, Oregon Two-time Wonderland Hiker May + June 2011» Washington Trails This is where we refer you back to the guidebooks, as there s just too much information about the complete loop to list here. The FalconGuide Hiking Mount Rainier National Park has an entire section dedicated to the Wonderland Trail, with route details, elevation profiles and campsite descriptions, as well as helpful planning info. And no matter how you take on the Wonderland Trail, as one all-out marathon or in sections over the course of several seasons, you ll walk away giddy with scenic overload and a sense of accomplishment that will last a lifetime. These suggestions are but the tip of the glacier, if you will, and no matter which trail you choose, you can t go wrong. Of course, there are numerous other fantastic backpacking locations to explore on The Mountain. Indian Henry s Hunting Ground offers wide meadows and an explosion of summer wildflowers. Sunset Park and the Golden Lakes showcase views of the Ptarmigan ice cliffs. At Crystal Lakes you re bound to see more elk and mountain goats than people. But remember, nature rules here, and Mount Rainier is still considered to be an active volcano. A properly planned trip will ensure that your experience is successful and memorable. Pay heed to trail signs and warnings, don t feed animals, exercise proper food storage, avoid trampling meadows and practice leave-no-trace ethics. Do all this and Mount Rainier will remain the Northwestern gem that it is for us, and for future generations, too. And if you happen to see me on the trail this summer I ll be the one in the orange Gregory Palisade backpack, with a Nikon hanging around my neck give me a wave, and tell me about your experience backpacking The Big One.t Eli Boschetto is a Northwest Trail Correspondent for Backpacker and a Washington Trails gear team member. He resides in Portland, Oregon. On Trail «25 Fast Facts Mount Rainier was established in 1899 as America s fifth national park by President McKinley, and largely advocated by John Muir. Its summit height is 14,411, making it the fifth-highest mountain in the lower 48. As late as 1924, people considered changing the name of Mount Rainier to Mount Tacoma, to better reflect its original Native American name. Mount Rainier is home to the largest single-peak glacier system in the contiguous United States. At 5.7 miles long and 705 feet thick, Carbon Glacier is the lowest glacier in elevation (3,500 feet) of any in the lower 48 states. Emmons Glacier, at 4.3 square miles, is the largest glacier in the lower 48. About 9,000 people a year attempt to reach Mount Rainier s summit; about half actually make it. Of the 56 known routes to the summit, the Camp Muir or Camp Schurman routes are used by 80 percent of climbers. The fastest recorded circumnavigation of the complete 95-mile Wonderland Trail was in 2006, when Kyle Slagg clocked in at just under 21 hours! Mount Rainier s snowfall record is 1,122 inches (93.5 feet!) in the winter of The Douglas-firs found in the Grove of the Patriarchs are estimated to be more than 1,000 years old. The Alaska yellow cedars on the upper Laughingwater Creek are more than 1,200 years old.

26 26» On Trail May + June 2011» Washington Trails A Closer Look: Natural and Prehistoric Human History at Sunrise Story by Jeff Antonelis-Lapp On your next visit to the Sunrise area at Mount Rainier, find a quiet place to sit and reflect for a moment. Choose a spot away from the sounds of the parking lot and out of view of human-made structures. Get comfortable, get quiet, and then consider this: you are amidst the footprints of people who have come before you, going back several thousand years. Sunrise has a story to tell, one that connects an ancestral trail, a residential base camp, a hunting site, and one of the area s most entertaining mammals, the hoary marmot. You won t find the Yakama Trail on your map unless you re using the first topo of Mount Rainier, the 1915 U.S. Geological Survey map. Indigenous people used the trail from Yakama and other tribal lands in central Washington until 1917, about the time the National Park Service began to put an end to Native American hunting and gathering in the park. But for ages prior, groups of men, women, and children traveled on foot for days up the American River drainage and over Chinook Pass before reaching their base camp on the flanks of Sunrise Ridge. Now known as the Sunrise Ridge Borrow Pit, this site was used by engineers as fill material to develop the Sunrise area between 1929 and Recovered artifacts tell of well-organized hunter-gatherers using a trail system and established camps over the ages. Building on the work of other archaeologists and park staff and partnering with local Indian tribes, park archaeologist Greg Burtchard is steadily adding to our knowledge about prehistoric human activity at Mount Rainier. The Sunrise Ridge Borrow Pit area holds a dense concentration of debitage, the stone chips left behind from making and maintaining stone tools. Other finds include a ground stone, which was probably used as a hammer to pound stakes or break bones. Fire-cracked rocks provide evidence of fire usage. Archaeologists have also found an Olivella shell. This small sea snail s shell had been ground into a bead and made part of a necklace, a trade item. Clues like these indicate repeated use of this site as a long-term residential base camp between 3,500 and 1,500 years ago, with probable use until historic times. Camping in temporary shelters during late summer and early fall for two months or more, these ancestors of present-day Yakama, Cowlitz, Muckleshoot and other tribal peoples hunted and gathered in preparation for winter.

27 May + June 2011» Washington Trails On Trail «27 At left: A view of Tahoma from Sunrise. Photo by Charles Ardary. Below: Archaeologists have found debitage chips left behind from stone tools construction in the Sunrise area. Photo courtesy of MRNP. Remembering Our Manners: Protecting Archaeological Sites as Outdoor Enthusiasts There are currently over 14,000 documented archaeological sites in the state of Washington, with 20 new sites recorded each month on average. Typical prehistoric archaeological sites in Washington include shell middens, open sites or campsites, pictographs and petroglyphs, caves or rock shelters, wet sites, lithic sites, quarries and burial sites or cemeteries. When you are hiking in the history-rich lands of Washington, you could encounter an archaeological site. Here are a few tips to keep in mind that will help protect our state heritage. Women and children probably spent their July through September days gathering and preparing huckleberries for winter use. Although experts disagree on whether huckleberries were the primary reason to travel long distances to the mountain, there is no question that huckleberries and other mountain resources attracted indigenous people seasonally for thousands of years. Huckleberries were an essential overwintering staple, the berries of choice being black huckleberry (Vaccinium membranaceum), oval-leaf blueberry (V. ovalifolium), and blue-leaved or Cascade huckleberry, (V. deliciosum). Likely prized for their flavor, size and keeping abilities, the berries were also sought by sooty grouse, band-tailed pigeons, and northern flickers. When these birds came to dine on the huckleberries, they were often taken for food or their feathers. Black bears fattening up for winter were sometimes hunted too. Native people used fire to preserve huckleberries intended for winter use. One method used long, low earthen mounds on which mats were spread on one side with the berries upon them. Small fires adjacent to the mats, carefully tended, provided heat to dry the berries. Mat-covered racks were also used to hold and dry the berries, with small fires built underneath. Park rangers reported these types of fires in the early twentieth century, but the sites have yet to be found at Mount Rainier. Dried berries were then poured into bags or baskets and stored in the shade until transported to the lowland villages. The hunters in the group, probably men and boys, spent their days farther up Tahoma, one of the indigenous names for this mountain. They traversed Sunrise Ridge approximately two hours to the alpine tundra of Frozen Lake. A scant 2 miles west of today s Sunrise Visitor Center, Frozen Lake is the nexus for hikes to the Mount Fremont Lookout, Burroughs Mountain, or continuing on the Wonderland Trail. Long before, however, the Frozen Lake area was an important hunting and butchering location. People likely were drawn to the area by the co-occurrence of suitable tooling material and abundant game. (Archaeologists refer to such areas as task-specific sites.) The rock here is part of the Tatoosh pluton, an intrusive rock older than the volcanic andesites and other material that constitute the mountain s bulk. Formed when magma cools under the earth s surface, this rock gives its name to the Tatoosh Range on the What to do if you find an artifact Unless you own the property on which it was found, leave the artifact where it is. It is illegal to remove an artifact from land that you do not personally own, such as all state and federal park lands. If possible, document the artifact by writing down details about the object s location and physical appearance, or even taking a photograph. If the artifact was identified on state or federal lands, you should contact the appropriate land manager and ask to speak to a cultural resources specialist. You may also contact the Department of Archaeology and Historic Preservation. What to do if you find human remains If you encounter human remains, stop your activities immediately and contact the state archaeologist at the Department of Archaeology and Historic Preservation and local law enforcement. It is illegal to knowingly disturb a precontact or historic burial. Remember, human remains are not always prehistoric in origin and could be associated with a crime scene or historic burial. Remember that artifacts are priceless Professional archaeologists believe that the importance of artifacts is not their supposed monetary value, but rather the information they provide for learning about past societies. For this reason, museums and professional archaeology societies do not offer monetary evaluations of objects. These institutions believe that objects recovered from a site should be kept together as a collection to be available for future study or display, and they do not buy, sell or trade any artifacts. If you have an artifact you think should be part of a museum collection, contact the Burke Museum of Natural History and Culture. The Burke Museum is Washington state s official natural history repository. Kelsey Lutz, National Park Service Archaeology Collections Curator

28 28» On Trail May + June 2011» Washington Trails park s southern border. The Tatoosh pluton bears chert, an opaque, glasslike rock which fractures well enough to be tooled into projectile points. Ready availability of chert on or near the surface made quarrying a relatively simple activity. The rock was then tooled into projectile points and attached to spears and atlatls, predecessors to the bow and arrow. Why would people hike uphill to hunt on windy, treeless alpine tundra, and what did they hunt at Frozen Lake? Although archaeologists are still seeking the bone fragments that will definitively answer these questions, you may get some clues if you linger here for lunch or hike slowly through the area. In The Wolverine Way, Douglas H. Chadwick reports on a comprehensive study of the wolverine (Gulo gulo) in Glacier National Park between 2002 and Scientists knew little of this elusive member of the weasel family until dogged researchers and advances in radio telemetry began to unravel wolverine folklore and weave in scientific evidence. With an oversized cardiovascular system, wolverines tirelessly patrol territories that range from 300 to 500 square miles. Wolverines have transmitted frequencies while climbing mountain faces too dangerous for the most daring human mountaineers. Wolverines are as tough as their comic book character and live up to their reputation as badasses, as Chadwick calls them. With jaws powerful enough to crush bones left behind by other predators, wolverines have been known to face off against grizzly bears to keep possession of a deer carcass. Dozens of species of wildflowers, including the western anemone (Anemone occidentalis), featured above, thrive in the meadows at Sunrise. For a great flower-by-flower hiking guide, visit www. flowersofrainier.com and download their Mount Fremont Lookout map. Photo by Mary Campbell. Alas, the wolverine does not figure into our Frozen Lake story. The last documented wolverine sighting at Mount Rainier was in No, this part of the story is about its polar opposite, the anti-wolverine, the La-Z- Boy recliner-with-legs-and-a-tail of the animal world, the hoary marmot. The largest member of the squirrel family, the hoary marmot is known to scientists as Marmota caligata. Marmota is French for mountain mouse and caligata means booted, to note the characteristic black hands and feet. Found in areas with rocky talus slopes and alpine tundra vegetation, visit the Sunrise area any day between June and September and you re likely to observe or hear this common alpine denizen. Scan the landscape to find them sunning outside their burrows, or listen carefully for their alarm calls that warn of intruders. Though they are also known as whistle pigs, marmots do not actually whistle, but instead use their vocal cords to shriek warnings when agitated or sensing danger. Prehistoric people valued marmots for several reasons. First off, their tendency to feed and lie about for more than half of their aboveground lives surely made them easy targets. Marmot pelts, at their densest concentrations of fur as hibernation approached, were likely sewn into robes or blankets. Marmot flesh, described by Hazard Stevens after his 1870 Rainier ascent as extremely muscular and tough [with] a strong, disagreeable, doggy odor, was nonetheless seasonally abundant and probably found its way into prehistoric diets. Finally, known to some as butter with legs, marmots have a high fat content and the presence of stone scrapers suggests that people collected their fat for later use. Is that you? Marmots identify colony members by sniffing, chewing and nose-tonose contact. Photo by Janelle Walker. Lieutenant August Kautz gave us the first description of hoary marmots at Tahoma in his account of his 1857 summit attempt when he wrote, The moment anyone stirred from camp, a sound between a whistle and scream would break unexpectedly and immediately all the animals that were in sight would vanish in the earth. Vanish they do, and herein is one of the keys to their antiwolverineness: hibernating from autumn through May, marmots spend 80 percent of their lives in burrows. When they are active, if you can call it that, a typical August day breaks down as follows: 40 percent feeding, 28 per-

29 May + June 2011» Washington Trails On Trail «29 cent in the burrow, 20 percent lying about and sunning, and 12 percent play-fighting, digging, and burrow inspecting. With this schedule, the marmot doesn t exactly sound like the world s most industrious rodent, does it? But with a seven-month hibernation period looming, putting on body fat is serious business. Weight at hibernation is tied to overwintering mortality, and starvation during hibernation is a greater threat than predators in August. Simply put, a fat marmot has a better chance of surviving the winter than a lean one. Besides being Olympic-caliber eaters and loungers, marmots are highly social. The basic unit consists of a reproductive male, several adult females, a few nonreproductive adult males, yearlings and young of the year. Females are fertile every other year, which probably allows them to restore important energy reserves. Fertile females become pregnant in late May, just after their emergence from hibernation. Depending on a variety of factors, hoary marmots may be either monogamous or polygamous. After a thirty-day gestation period and another thirty days to become fully furred and mobile, the young emerge in late July. They remain part of the colony until they disperse to form their own group, generally in their third summer. Marmots use a variety of greeting behaviors to identify colony members that range from sniffing to nose-to-nose contact to face, neck and back chewing. They appear to seek each other s company and prefer to feed together, a strategy that might provide additional opportunities for warnings about nearby predators. Popular belief holds that marmots use sentinels to survey for predators, but there is no evidence that specific animals serve this function. Hoary marmots are primarily herbivores, preferring flowers and flower heads of common Sunrise-area plants that include Indian paintbrush (Castilleja spp.), avalanche lily (Erythronium montanum), western anemone (Anemone occidentalis), lupine (Lupinus spp.), and green false hellebore (Veratrum viride). Research from the Olympic Peninsula indicates that the closely related Olympic marmot has a great influence on plant communities. Seeing that plant diversity is greater in areas grazed by marmots than in ungrazed areas, scientists have concluded that marmots play a crucial role in plant diversity in alpine areas. Watch a group of marmots feed, and you ll see that they spend a significant amount of time looking about for predators. At Mount Rainier, coyotes, red-tailed hawks and golden eagles are the most likely predators, with black bears occasionally digging out late fall or early spring hibernators. The hoary marmot s average life span ranges to fifteen years. With nearly 100 recorded archaeological sites, there is abundant evidence that people have been drawn to this mountain for millennia for a variety of reasons. Known as Tahoma to indigenous people, this great volcano drew people for its resources and for spiritual reasons, dating back over 8,000 years. Trails between east and west provided the most direct route for travelers. Even today, Native people continue to practice their hunting, gathering and spiritual traditions in mountain areas. As more mysteries are uncovered and stories sewn together, we will continue to see the ever-developing interplay between The Mountain, its people and its flora and fauna.t Jeff Antonelis-Lapp teaches in the Environmental Studies planning unit at The Evergreen State College in Olympia. This article is from his book-in-progress on the natural history of Mount Rainier National Park. Hey, look! A marmot! Do you want to see a marmot? Of course you do. While marmots can be spotted fairly easily all over Washington, there are some known haunts, like Paradise, where marmots tend to hang out. Here are a few spots with a high likelihood of marmots, as suggested by WTA members: Church Mountain, North Cascades You are certain to see marmots here, and that may not be all. You can sometimes see a wolverine at the very far end of Skyline Divide, where the trails start to disappear. Ken Lassesen Sahale Arm, North Cascades A dozen, two dozen? I don t remember how many marmots I saw on my way to Sahale Arm, but it was a lot. I do, however, remember the one particular marmot who nearly made off with my trekking poles. Watch your gear! Wade Trenbeath Lake Josephine, Central Cascades The Pacific Crest Trail south of Stevens Pass to Lake Josephine is a great place to see marmots. Just past the top ski lifts there is a boulder field where the marmots just sit on the rocks and stare at you. No fear in these animals. Janice Van Cleve Seattle Park, Mount Rainier National Park The Spray Park Trail leads from Mowich Lake to the subalpine meadows of Spray Park and beyond to Seattle Park. Once you hit the scree fields keep your eyes and ears open for bumbling marmots plodding through the meadows or sunning themselves on nearby boulders. Tami Asars Obstruction Point, Olympic National Park You will see them on any of the hikes from Obstruction Point. Even on the drive out, there is a spot halfway up that is an open meadow, and it s always full. Sarah Kirkconnell Photo of marmot among lupine by Goyo Myers. For more adorable marmot photos, watch for a link to an all-marmot photo gallery in the May edition of Trail News, WTA s monthly e-newsletter.

30 30» On Trail May + June 2011» Washington Trails Ah, springtime in the Northwest! Days and Nights by the Sea Meditations on Toleak Point Time to count our blessings and choose as Joseph Campbell would ve said which bliss to follow. There s still plenty of snow to play in up in the mountains. The trails down in the lowland forests are unveiling their verdant new growth in a thousand different shades of vibrant green. Canoes can be launched on aquamarine lakes, full to the brim with snowmelt and frisky fish. But there is another choice, one that offers the renewing freshness of open sky and salty wind. There is the sea. Here in the fourth corner we are fortunate indeed to have access to the finest stretch of ocean frontage in the lower 48 the Olympic Wilderness beach. Over the years I have hiked extensively on the north section, visiting the wonders to be found at Shi-Shi Beach, Holein-the-Wall and countless points in between. Somehow I have never taken the opportunity to explore the south section, from La Push to the mouth of the Hoh River, a stretch famous for its idyllic sandy beaches, wave-tossed headlands and great congregations of eagles. An oversight to be corrected. The time has come. We leave the car at the Third Beach trailhead, just south of La Push, and head down the short trail towards the beach. The maritime rain forest is deep and dark, with Day-Glo green patches where shafts of sunlight penetrate through the canopy. We emerge from the trees and step onto the sand of Third Beach beneath a dazzling blue sky. Not a cloud to be seen. We hike down the beach for half a mile and then climb up Taylor Point on the dangling rope ladder that affords passage around the surf-battered point. After navigating the trembling ladder to the top of the bluff, we look down on the line of surf stretching for miles, gleaming in the sunshine; an unspeakably beautiful and seemingly limitless expanse of wilderness at the continent s edge. We negotiate the muddy forest atop the headland and descend the hurly-burly trail to the beach, rounding a headland on the outgoing tide. At 3.5 miles, we encounter Scotts Creek and make camp beside its sparkling waters. story and photographs by John D Onofrio Settled in at the place where the creek meets the sea, I listen to the primordial music of the Pacific. The timpani roar of the breaking waves sounds like the beating heart of the ocean, the unfettered utterance of a power beyond our clever measurements. Thin veils of spray drift in like the breath of God. Opalescent flotsam trembles in the breeze, backlit by Cecil B. DeMille.

31 May + June 2011» Washington Trails On Trail «31 Offshore, a resolute rock resembles Beethoven looking patiently out to sea toward Japan. A woodpecker hammers away at a tree leaning improbably over the beach, reaching for the surf. As the tide recedes, the wet beach gleams in the pure salt-scented sun of day s end. At night we are subjected to the attentions of a gang of raccoons, skulking around like petty criminals. The firelight flashes in their larcenous eyes as they hiss for our chickpea curry. Stretched out in my sleeping bag next to the dying embers, I ponder the remarkable stars and count my blessings. The night is filled with the sound of the surf, its unseen edge marking the margins of the world. Fetching the morning water from Scotts Creek, I almost step on a seal pup without seeing it. It hisses and waves its flippers, briefly freaking me out and almost causing me to drop the filter in the creek. We eat our breakfast, and a bald eagle soars directly over our camp, bidding us good morning. We load our packs with a sense of anticipation for the day s journey to Toleak Point, our destination for the evening. The beach is breathtaking, and we walk in silence, enraptured by the staccato counterpoint of the waves. Every rock and piece of driftwood gleams in the morning sun. We round Strawberry Point and continue our pilgrimage south, beside the dancing ocean. We are alone here at the edge of North America. We haven t seen a soul since Third Beach. We hike around Toleak Point and make camp just south of the spine of jutting rocks at its tip. I take inventory. Twenty seals watch us from just beyond the breakers, and seven bald eagles circle a green sea stack just offshore. I gather tinder for the fire along the margins of the beach and enjoy the long and languid afternoon. As darkness falls, I sit beside the small campfire with my pen and trusty junior legal pad and watch the sun go down my idea of a good time. Night gathers its dark secrets, and stars appear, one by one. A ship passes on the dark horizon, shining its melancholy light. The tide rolls nearer in the darkness, and the fire burns down to its last hurrah. The sky is again full of eagles this morning. We struggle with the persnickety stove to boil water for coffee. The entire time we ve been fighting with the stove, and generally speaking, I d say the stove is winning. It won t hold pressure. We disassemble it and reassemble it twice, working like shipwrecked watchmakers. Finally we manage to produce two cups of coffee, and all is well again. We walk the beach, turning a corner into the wind. On one side, Tahiti, on the other, the Arctic Ocean. The wind holds all the cards and plays them strategically. An eagle swoops down and snatches a washed-up octopus tentacle in its outstretched talons. It beats its wings hard to rise above the rocks into the cadmium blue sky, tentacle dangling. The wind curtsies in the crooked trees and blows the sky a bashful kiss. A solitary eagle flies overhead; a benediction. We sit quietly on the beach. I watch cormorants. Barb gets out her watercolors. A nearby cadre of seals watches us from just offshore, heads bobbing in the gently rolling sea. The question they ask seems important, if somewhat obscure. I wander down the empty beach, walking on sand and over spray-slicked boulders. The rocks are smooth, molded by the caress of the sea; their sculpted forms possess the sensuousness of patient time. The scene is complete: the waves, the wind, the never-ending urging of the tides, the ancient trees, weathered and bent by the forces of heaven and earth. The present moment echoes the great unbroken and unknowable history of the mighty Pacific, the endless cycles of ocean and sky, renewal and constant change. Paradise, found. We spend a luxurious day exploring the beach: no agenda, no destination, no hurry. We watch the tide come in and roll out again in a state of perfect contentment, hypnotized by the rhythm of the waves, dreaming beneath the cliffs in the warm sun. It is unbelievably satisfying to do nothing. In the wavering light of evening, we lean back on beach logs beside the fire and discuss our good fortune as the raccoons make their nightly reconnaissance. These days and nights by the sea are measured by the slow and patient tides. I align myself as best I can with the elegant rhythms. Careening eagles, easy laughter and wood smoke. Each one a gift. The night is filled with the sweet music of the sea, a nocturne tailor-made to accompany our dreams. Another sun-drenched morning (can this really be the Northwest coast?) greets us and we Hike It» South Coast Wilderness Trail - Toleak Point Roundtrip: 17 miles Elevation Gain: 250 feet Highest Point: 250 feet Map: Green Trails #163s LaPush

32 32» On Trail May + June 2011» Washington Trails set off for Mosquito Creek, 5 miles distant. The tide is out, and the smorgasbord of kelp and assorted debris that it has stranded is pungent on the breeze. We climb up onto a headland using a series of fixed ropes and find ourselves in deep green forest once again, a delightful contrast to the sun-sparkled beach. At Goodman Creek we cautiously ford the stream one at a time. Despite the rainless days the creek is running inexplicably high, and I use my tripod as a staff to get across the swiftly moving water. The thigh-deep current is icy cold and takes my breath away, prompting involuntary little yips and whoops. We reach the headland s brink and lower ourselves back down to the beach with the aid of ragged ropes affixed to weather-beaten trees. The final drop lands us in boot-sucking mud, and soon we find ourselves on the beach beside Mosquito Creek. I drop my pack and recline on a great lounge-chair-shaped beach log in the glorious afternoon sun, basking like a shameless heathen and watching the choreography of the surf. As has been the case for the entire trek, we have the beach to ourselves. Barb disappears around a point, and I explore the edge of the sea in solitude, contemplating the elegant bric-a-brac left by the tide. Getting down on all fours, I examine the multihued inhabitants of a tidepool; darting sculpins going about their implacable business amongst the starfish and anemones. A complete world, unto itself. Until the tide comes in. Another star-spangled evening beside the boisterous sea, watching sparks rise into the darkness like brushstrokes in a Jackson Pollock painting. The sound of the waves has become so comfortable, so absolute, so all-encompassing. A distant foghorn adds poetic counterpoint, and a mist rolls in off the ocean, muting the stars. The weather seems to be changing. In the morning the horizon is busy with gathering clouds as we walk north along the beach beside the tempestuous sea. Our packs feel light and comfortable. Eagles chatter from the wind-gnarled cedars. We cross Scotts Creek on a jumble of logs and discover an elaborate structure of driftwood lashed together with brine-encrusted rope. We make our last camp here, at what we dub Gilligan s Island. Tomorrow we must return to the highway and rejoin the real world. Or is this perhaps the real world? Lying on my back on the soft bed of sand, it s real enough for me. A light morning rain drifts in as we continue north, climbing over Taylor Point and down the rope ladder to Third Beach. With more than a touch of regret, we turn away from the ocean and into the forest towards the distant trailhead. We stow our packs and drive around to the Hoh River Road where we park and take one last walk to the edge of the sea in a gently falling drizzle. So this is where it ends, at the Hoh River in the rain. Unknown birds in dark trees. One hundred thousand frogs seem to know my name. The river lazily offers itself to the sea, languid and quiet, joining with the roaring ocean in a jubilee of ionization. The journey does not stop here on these rocky banks but goes on, goes on. Joseph Campbell was right. If bliss is what you want to follow, the South Coast Route of Olympic National Park leads directly there. I ll be back.t John D Onofrio is a Bellingham-based writer and photographer. Visit his website at

33 May + June 2011» Washington Trails 33 Backcountry The Gear Closet» You re about to spend the weekend backpacking. Are you looking for a wholesome meal? Nah, that can wait. Yeah,that d be great. Choose Your Own E A T I N G Adventure Nourishing your body in the backcountry isn t a one-way trail. Some approaches to this task require substantial preparation time. Others could squeeze every penny out of your wallet. And some just won t suit your palate, try as you might. In this issue, our gear closet more closely resembles a pantry, as we look at how each member of WTA s gear team fuels their body on their outdoor adventures. Read on as they extol the virtues of going light, gourmet or cheap, and you might just be convinced to try a new approach on your next trip. Food Without Fuel When you are looking to cut down on weight, there are three areas of your pack you can look to for additional economy. While there is usually room for improvement in how one provides shelter and water, food and the tools necessary to make often represent a sizable percentage of anyone s pack. Here is the lowhanging fruit. Even the lightest homemade Cat Can alcohol stove requires that you carry fuel and a pot. If the prospect of lugging around a couple of chunks of metal on your back is unappealing, consider changing your eating habits and adopting a no-cook approach. Of course, the usual suspects nuts, dried Cocoa? Meh! If you can go without this comfort food, you can go without fuel. Pick Food without Fuel. It s 40 degrees and a light rain is falling. Would you like a cup of cocoa? Mmmm, Cocoa! Cocoa is tasty, and cheap. Choose Budget in the Backcountry. Don t let those plums rot! You should really try DIY Dehydration. Do you grow your own veggies, belong to a C.S.A. or have a neighbor with a fruit tree? Sure Do! Sounds like you might have excess produce. Do you also have spare time at home? Not so much. A fair bit. Crack open an ale. You re Gourmet on the Go. I wish! Like! Why worry about a few extra ounces when your taste buds are titillated? Dislike! If lighter is always better, you ll be best going with a Freeze Dried Favorite.

34 34» Backcountry May + June 2011» Washington Trails fruits and meats, energy bars, Oreos, fruitcake and hard cheese will probably make up a significant portion of your growing no-cook menu. Try to integrate some fresh fruit and vegetables, looking for those that can survive the rigors of your pack. Keep in mind that any weight you leave behind in the way of gear can become edible weight. Bring along a few little extras like chocolate bars or your favorite candy, and the extra calories may give you enough extra energy to extend the distance you re able to hike. Even if you bring treats that don t pack enough calories to be more than a flash in the pan, the psychological boost gained from munching while walking down the trail and taking advantage of long summer days helps to pass the miles. Matt Thyer Do-It-Yourself Dehydration Dehydrating your own foods is a great way to eat healthy while you are on the trail. The taste is superior, there are no chemical additives, and it can be easy on your pocketbook. If you are tired of the basic peas and carrots you get in pre-packaged meals, doing it yourself allows you to incorporate a plethora of exciting vegetables. If you have the time to plan ahead, it is possible to save more than three dollars per meal compared to store-bought dehydrated meals. Also, dehydration reduces the volume of food to roughly one-fifth of its original size and reduces the weight. All these reasons compelled me to escape into the world of food dehydration. A fun way to jump into dehydrating your own food is to start with fruits and vegetables. The dehydrator that assisted me on my adventure was the American Harvest Snackmaster. This unit will dry about 20 pounds of produce a day. When preparing fruit, cut whole fruits into slices that are an eighth- to a quarter-inch thick. Allow the fruit to dehydrate for six to twenty hours at 135 degrees. Vegetable preparation varies quite a bit, as some require cooking beforehand and the manner in which you cut it down to size changes. Plan on cooking vegetables at 130 degrees for anywhere between three and fourteen hours. Remember to periodically check on your produce throughout the drying process. Overdried food can be tough and not so satisfying. The final step is to store the dehydrated fruit properly. You can use a ziplocked bag if you will be consuming the produce within a month, but it is best to use an airtight system. Try using one of the Reynolds food sealer systems. One of my favorite experiments was preparing seasoned rice. The process was simple, and the outcome will allow me to add tasty cheap carbs to my backpacking pantry. Other items that are fantastic for dehydrating are beef, ground meats, ham and shrimp. You can dehydrate beans and potatoes and sauces and use them as the base for tasty stews and other dinners. Cherie Bevers Would you rather take pictures at sunset or putter about in your outdoor kitchen? Sunset colors. Hand me a spatula. Find a Freeze-Dried Favorite For a long time, I had been trying to find the ideal prepackaged, lightweight backpacking meals, but my experiences had been hitand-miss. There are many backpacking food companies out there, and they each have items that are tolerable, terrible, and what were they thinking! But last year, while planning my meals for a thirty-day thru-hike on the John Muir Trail and wondering, How am I going to eat the same three to four acceptable meals I m used to packing? I happened across an ad for Packit Gourmet, an online backpacking food supplier out of Austin, Texas. I ordered a bunch of their meals to try out and was amazed to taste food that was not just tolerable, but actually good! My favorite meal, and the winner of several outdoor publication editors awards, is their Austintacious Tortilla Soup. So good! It comes packaged with tortilla chips and Tabasco sauce, and it warms the insides on those chilly evenings. Other tasty dinner offerings include Dottie s Chicken and Dumplings, Bangers and Mash, and another award winner Tuscan Beef Stew. For lunches, instead of the typical beef jerky and gorp, just heat a little water and have a Trailside Bean and Cheese Burrito or All-American Burger Wrap (get it with the works ). On their breakfast menu, you ll find Migas del Sol, Tex-Mex Breakfast Taco, and my favorite (since I m not a big breakfast eater), their Jump-Start Fruit Smoothies full of good stuff to get you going and available in four flavors. Not only is their menu a lot of downhome goodness, but their meals are affordable (roughly five dollars a serving) and serving por-

35 May + June 2011» Washington Trails Backcountry «35 tions are very generous. Many of Packit Gourmet s meals are made with organic and all-natural ingredients, and this is a big plus for me. Thoughtful additions like chicken broth packets, olive oil, hot sauces and real Parmesan cheese really boost the flavor of many of their prepared dishes. If you re a do-it-yourselfer, they also offer a full range of freeze-dried meat and vegetable ingredients that you can put together to prepare your own creations. Give this brand a shot. You won t be disappointed, and they ll change the way you plan your future backpacking meals. Check them out online: Eli Boschetto Gourmet on the Go One step I never skip when trip planning is contemplating what would be delicious to eat in the backcountry. My top priority is to incorporate real food into the weekend. I want to be slightly conscious of weight, but I m definitely willing to pack in a bit more so that I can indulge in something truly delectable. If it s Thursday night and I am about to embark on a solo mid-summer weekend backpacking trip, my preparation will go something like this. Since I haven t had smoked salmon in a couple weeks, I pack salmon and pair it with sesame crackers and white cheddar. This will make for two excellent lunches. Some trail mix, dried fruit, and a few cookies will complement my meal perfectly. I grab oatmeal from the cupboard, enough for two mornings, and throw in a handful of freshly picked blueberries. I still need to figure out dinner. Since I won t want to cook on Friday, I ll pick up a turkey, Havarti and pesto sandwich on rosemary focaccia from the grocer and eat it at the trailhead before I start on my moonlit hike. I will want something hot and satisfying on Saturday night after hiking all day, so I grab two tortillas and an 8-ounce bag of sharp cheddar out of the fridge. I can make some mouth-watering burritos by adding rice, beans, veggies and hot sauce. Kale is a great source of flavonoids (with both antioxidant and anti-inflammatory benefits) and makes any hot dish taste and feel like a home-cooked meal. I add it to my pack. I also grab two carrots, one avocado, and a bag of Vigo red rice and beans. I make sure to bring along a couple of teaspoons of cayenne pepper and garlic salt, knowing they should really help give the wraps a spicy kick! I decide to bring a couple protein bars and a few Emergen-C drink packets, just in case. I almost forgot victory beverages! I immediately add two to three canned craft ales (Oskar Blues, Caldera or the like), the stronger the better, to my bounty. Soon, very soon, I ll be sitting on top of a mountain, surrounded by rows and rows of jagged peaks, sipping on a citrusy, hoppy double IPA. Patrick Leahy Budget in the Backcountry Being the perpetual student that I am, I need to pinch pennies wherever I can in order to reduce the size of my student loans, and I need to spend as little time as I possibly can preparing my food. Instead of the pricey prepackaged meals one finds in fancy retail stores, I take a trip down to my local grocery store. Herein lies an abundance of cheap, tasty meals that are packed with calories and enough nutrition. My typical meal plan in the backcountry consists of Pop Tarts ($.80 for 500 calories) and coffee for breakfast, peanut butter and jelly ($.61 per 500 calories) or peanut butter and Nutella ($.72 per 500 calories) and a piece of fruit for lunch, and some ramen ($.38 per 500 calories), Easy Mac ($1.41 per 500 calories) or mashed potatoes ($1.70 per 500 calories) and hot cocoa for dinner. I add generic granola bars, chocolate, homemade trail mix and dried fruit to snack on throughout the day. A great place for dried fruit and tasty nuts is your local Trader Joe s. I ve also found bulk food bins to be an excellent place to invent my own trail mix. I try to stock up on these trail mix staples when I see them on sale. Remember, buy in large quantities and your food will be even cheaper. Cheri Higman Illustrations by Noel Berube. Contact him at nabadua@hotmail.com. You studied the map, You loaded your backpack and drove to the trailhead, You climbed two ridges and forded a stream. Now it s time to reflect: Buckskin Larch and Bedrock (The book) by Mike Hiler CAVE MOON PRESS Y A K I M A W A Available at Whistl n Jacks Lodge Ranger Stations and select bookstores

36 36» Backcountry May + June 2011» Washington Trails How to Do It» Love Hiking More Six conditioning tips, and one secret, to get you into the best shape possible In Survival of The Fittest, Dr. Mike Stroud, medical advisor to the United Kingdom s Ministry of Defence, makes a compelling argument that walking is the primary activity that we as humans are designed to do. I could not agree more. I personally enjoy hiking and backpacking as a way to experience the beauty of the outdoors, and as a fitness coach, I recommend that everyone go hiking. It is a perfect way to build a solid foundation for fitness and health. I can t think of a single activity that provides more fitness enjoyment and benefits than hiking. Maintain a neutral spine It s important to create equal tension in a way that neither strains our back or our core abdominal muscles. One way to do this is to imagine you had to carry a friend on your shoulders. You d bend the knees slightly and quickly engage your core trunk muscles to protect your lower back and gain balance. I also know that sometimes we experience fatigue or pain which might detract from our enjoyment. Back pain and knee pain are very common. But is the hiking to blame? Not according to the physical therapist who once told me, If people hiked regularly, I d be out of business. It s my observation that the hours we spend sitting in an automobile or at our desks cannot help our posture and overall balance. In coaching, I try to address this imbalance in simple and effective ways that will always increase body awareness and efficiency. To download a step-by-step graphic featuring all of the exercises in The Daily Dozen, visit or John s website John Colver An avid hiker, athletic coach and Rainier guide with over 80 summits, John s book, Fit By Nature is available from The Mountaineers Books. Here are six exercise tips that can help us all enjoy hiking more: Think About Your Posture As you walk, imagine yourself as a dancer tall and elegant. This awareness can help align, or unkink your body in a way that you are now recruiting more of your muscles, especially in the middle of your trunk. Use the Most Powerful Muscles As you walk, focus on stepping off from your heels; this small action can increase the use of strong gluteus muscles as well as hamstrings. You can also reduce the strain on your quadriceps muscles, knees and calves and ankles while greatly increasing your efficiency. Build Strength Naturally As an outdoor athlete, I would rather not spend my time in a gym, and yet I want to have the necessary strength to be able to comfortably carry a pack, quickly put up a tent or to easily use a snow shovel or mountain axe. One of my favorite routines is the daily dozen. It takes only twelve minutes, and it will exercise all of your muscle groups, develop great movement skills and increase strength and flexibility, all by using only your own body weight. You can go through the routine twice for a longer session. (You can download a stepby-step graphic featuring all of the exercises in The Daily Dozen at

37 May + June 2011» Washington Trails Backcountry «37 Work on Speed Struggling to keep up can be a drag. Hiking alone will improve your overall fitness, and practicing some strength exercises like the daily dozen will build strength, but there are some tricks to improving your speed. One thing you can do is to practice interval training. Here s an example of how to add some quick segments to your hikes or training walks. Pick a large tree or rock a few hundred yards away, then simply pick up the pace and see how quickly you can reach your target. Alternatively, you can use your watch to measure a minute of faster-paced hiking. Doing even three to four faster intervals during a hike will make a big difference. It works because you are stimulating your neuromuscular system to be able to move more quickly. With intervals, the key is to focus not on going hard but on being fast and nimble. Try intervals two to three times each week, and you ll see an improvement in your speed in a matter of weeks. Practice Your Balance Everyone can improve balance. And it s a myth that we lose it as we age. What really happens is that we practice less. One simple and fun way to see improvements in balance and stability is to see how long you can stand on one leg fifteen seconds, thirty seconds, a minute or more. For an extra challenge, try standing on one leg with your eyes closed. Do it for fun each day after your daily dozen. And finally, I d like to share an experience. This approach has been one of the best things I ve ever found to improve my hiking, but I didn t learn it in a book or from a coach. I learned this secret by walking behind my Nepalese friend, Lakpa Rita Sherpa. He walks with a grace and softness that is almost impossible not to mimic. When I m on trail and want an energy boost, I walk like he does. I become completely aware of every footfall landing so softly as to try to leave no footprint. I find myself walking taller. I breathe more deeply. I explore my connection to nature. And this awareness reminds me that I m doing the very best exercise possible. I am surrounded by beauty, getting fit and improving my health with every single step I take. For a list of conditioning hikes recommended by WTA members, visit conditioninghikes. Backcountry Bookshelf» Mariposa Road Trip Robert Michael Pyle takes readers along as he pursues a 500-butterfly year If you haven't read Robert Pyle's Sky Time in Gray's River, you're obviously not on my Christmas list. Pyle earned a Ph.D. in ecology, and his books are full of informed, yet vivid descriptions of the land and its occupants. His book Wintergreen won the John Burroughs award for natural history writing. Sky Time and Wintergreen are about his corner of southwestern Washington. In these books he intimately captures in words what so attracts me as a photographer to this area the dreamy play of light and the fluid effects of the changing of the seasons on the land and its inhabitants. The appeal to those of us who dwell in cities is irresistible. We would love to be on a firstname basis with neighbors and local wildlife. So I wondered if his new book with its much-expanded scope of his personal radar would be too ambitious. Would Mariposa Road, a travelogue of his trips across the 50 states, measure up? I need not have worried. Opening this book is like sitting down with an old friend who is a great yarn spinner and very much in tune with the natural world. You want to hang out with this guy. Mariposa Road details Pyle's challenge to log observations of 500 butterflies in one year. The book begins in January 2008 when, not surprisingly, Pyle often gets skunked by bad weather on his West Coast expeditions. The man knows his bugs, specifically butterflies, and has written several other books on them, including Chasing Monarchs, published in If you've ever tried to identify a butterfly using Internet tools such as butterfliesandmoths. org, you'll gain an enormous amount of respect for Pyle, the breadth of his knowledge and his passion for this quest. Pyle is also keenly observant of the natural surroundings that constitute the butterflies' habitat. Butterflies have a hold on Pyle, as they did on Vladimir Nabokov, who was intensely interested in butterflies. (Nabokov s theory on their evolution was recently vindicated.) Be careful. The butterflies' names and Pyle s illustrative descriptions of them are contagious. You might be drawn in forever, too. I now want to drive to Texas, simply to see the elusive red satyr. And yet, as good as Pyle s descriptions are, I still wanted to have a butterfly handbook nearby to see these wonders for myself. There are no photos within the book. With most of the journeys undertaken in Pyle s 1982 Honda Civic named Powdermilk, Mariposa Road is strong on travel narrative, too. It's as fun to read about places you too have visited as it is to get ideas for places to visit on your own future road trips. Pyle encounters Texas state troopers and other unexpected problems, including a dumpster dive to retrieve a lost specimen. He meets friends and enjoys their company, food and the local brews as he adds to his butterfly count. Along the way, the "by-catch," Pyle s term for that which ends up in your net without direct intent (meaning anything other than butterflies), turns out to be some of the most entertaining parts of the book. And there are poignant moments when he describes habitat destruction or his wife's ongoing battle with cancer. This is not your usual dry diatribe on butterfly species, nor is it an uneducated travelogue of banal sightseeing. I would follow this guy anywhere. I could write more about Mariposa Road, but I'm planning my own road trip to Texas to see that elusive red satyr. Cindy Clark Photo: Lorquin s Admiral (Limenitis lorquini) by Kate McPeek.

38 38» Backcountry May + June 2011» Washington Trails Trail Eats» Sarah Kirkconnell Hey, day hikers! Headed to an alpine lake? Treat your body extra-right. Prepare these hearthealthy vegetarian dishes at home, and then carry them into a scenic picnic site. You can even make them vegan if you like. No stove required, just make and eat. Vegetarian Day hiker s Picnic: HealTHY Snack, Entree and Dessert Honey-Roasted Almonds and Cranberries Ingredients: 1/2 cup agave nectar or honey 2 Tbsp. butter (or margarine if preferred) 1/2 tsp. ground cinnamon 3/4 tsp. kosher salt, divided 3 cups whole almonds (or nut of choice) 6-ounce bag dried cranberries 3 Tbsp. granulated sugar 1/2 tsp. ground cinnamon Directions: Preheat oven to 325 degrees and line a baking sheet with parchment paper. In a heavy medium saucepan, bring the agave or honey, butter, 1/2 tsp. salt and cinnamon to a boil, let cook for two minutes, stirring constantly. Put the nuts and cranberries in a large heat-safe mixing bowl, pour the hot syrup over and stir to cover. Spread out on the baking sheet. Bake for 15 to 20 minutes, or until the nuts are golden. Take out and allow mix to cool. Knock the nuts into a large mixing bowl and toss with the sugar, cinnamon and 1/4 tsp. salt till coated. Spread out on a new piece of parchment paper to finish hardening. Cherry Couscous Salad Ingredients: 2 cups lower-sodium vegetable broth 1 1/2 cups couscous 15-ounce can chickpeas (garbanzo beans), rinsed and drained 1/4 cup dried cherries 1/4 cup sliced almonds, toasted and cooled Dressing: 1/4 cup red wine vinegar 1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil 1 Tbsp. agave nectar or honey 1 tsp. dry parsley 1/2 tsp. ground black pepper 1/4 tsp. salt, if desired Directions: Bring the broth to a boil in a medium saucepan; add the couscous. Remove from heat, cover tightly and let sit for 10 minutes. Fluff up the couscous with a fork. In a large bowl, toss the couscous with the chickpeas, cherries and almonds. Whisk the dressing in a small bowl and taste for seasoning. Pour the dressing over the couscous and toss to coat. Let mix chill overnight and then pack into lightweight sandwich containers with tight-fitting lids. Recipes by Sarah Kirkconnell. Photos by Kirk Kirkconnell. Low-Fat Fudgy Brownies Ingredients: 1/2 cup all-purpose flour 1/2 cup unsweetened cocoa powder 1/2 cup packed brown sugar 1/8 tsp. kosher salt 1 Tbsp. canola oil 4-ounce applesauce 1/2 cup canned pumpkin purée 2 tsp. pure vanilla extract Directions: Preheat the oven to 350 degrees and spray an 8 8-inch glass baking pan with cooking spray. In a medium bowl, whisk the dry ingredients together. In a large bowl, whisk the wet ingredients together. Add the dry to the wet; stir or whisk until combined. Spread into the prepared baking dish and bake for 20 to 25 minutes, checking at 20, until a toothpick in the center comes out mostly clean (moist crumb but not wet dough). Let cool and cut. Carry in small plastic bags or wrapped in plastic wrap. Eat within two days of baking for best results. Tip: For a cool, crisp picnic, pack your lunch in a lightweight children's insulated lunch bag. Include ice cubes double-bagged in quart freezer bags. Your lunch will stay cold, and after lunch, you will have icecold water or ice to add to your water bottle! Want more? Visit

39 Sage Advice» May + June 2011» Washington Trails Backcountry «39 Camping With a Crew A young blended family shares their tips and tricks It was early spring and Marika was leading the way, while I formed the caboose of our hiking train. Two and a half miles into our hike, our girls were up front and singing. The boys had fallen behind as they investigated every boulder, tree and trench. As we rounded the last corner, all the kids fell silent as a pristine lake appeared in a narrow valley between two mountain ridges. Over lunch on a rock outcropping, we looked out over a partially frozen Lower Lena Lake 100 feet below. On our first day hike together, as Marika and I watched our kids playing and enjoying nature, we decided that hiking would become a large part of our family activities. That was four years ago, when Marika and I began dating. Marika has four children, two girls ages twelve and seven and two boys ages ten and nine. I have two children; my son is nine and my daughter is six. We are raising our kids together now, and Marika and I both believe in getting our children unplugged and out of the house whenever our schedule permits. We feel it is one of the ways to raise wellrounded children. For many of our first outings as a blended family, we took day hikes on the Kitsap and Olympic Peninsulas, like that trip to Lower Lena Lake four years ago. My children had been hiking since my daughter was one, while Marika and her children had no hiking experience. Inexpensive and fun, hiking got our two families out of the house together and led us to have many memorable shared experiences. Since then, hiking has become something the whole family anticipates. It s truly a focal point in our spring through fall activities. Through our hiking experiences with our group of young children, we have learned many tips that we feel would be useful for other families with young children, or families making their first trips onto Washington s trails. Gearing up Every year in early spring, we take a series of local day hikes to help the kids get used to wearing their packs and help us evaluate any new gear needs due to physical changes from the previous year. Keeping the kids comfortable with their gear has paid dividends for Marika and me. If they aren t miserable, neither are we. Knowing that kids outgrow their gear from season to season, we have opted to purchase cheaper equipment for everyone when outfitting our kids Adam Scroggins Since early childhood, Adam has explored all that the Northwest has to offer. In the last 9 years, he s focused on exposing his children to the beauty and gifts found in our corner of the world.

40 40» Backcountry May + June 2011» Washington Trails Sharing the Load To pack efficiently, we ve developed a set of guidelines of what to pack in our kids backpacks based on their ages. Ages 4 to 6: Water and snacks Ages 6 to 10: Ten essentials, water, snacks, meals, sleeping bag and pad Ages 10 to 13: Ten essentials, water, snacks, meals, sleeping bag, sleeping pad, portions of the tent (poles or tent body), gear other kids could not carry, small community items like fuel canisters or the stove Ages 13 and Up: Everything needed to be self-sufficient, including the ten essentials and a first-aid kit As the hiking season goes on, we evaluate each kid s comfort and make small adjustments. for the first time. As the older kids have grown, we purchase higher quality gear for them and pass their older stuff down to the younger kids. With a little planning, we ve been able to spread our gear costs out, making a few key purchases each year, without breaking the bank. The first year we hiked as a family, our four older kids wore external-frame backpacks. We chose externalframe backpacks due to what we felt was a more universal fit, which would allow us to hand them down as the kids got older. As each of our kids enters their teens, we re planning to give them an internal-frame backpack with a more specific fit that they will be able to use through high school. Outfitting our kids five and younger with mountain biking hydration packs, which have small pockets for snacks and lunch, has worked really well. These packs are smaller and lighter than external-frame backpacks. Due to the limited weight young kids can carry, this approach worked better than finding hiking backpacks for them and saved us money as well. When our kids were younger and unable to carry all of their own gear, Marika and I carried some seriously large packs. After returning home with painful hips and sore shoulders, I invested in a Gregory Palisades internal-frame pack an investment that has more than paid for itself as I have not had a painful hike since. Last season, Marika upgraded to an Osprey Atmos backpack. Our top priorities were comfort and fit, and we chose the packs that worked best for us, without concern for name brand or popularity. Do you have to purchase the latest and most expensive gear to enjoy hiking with your kids? Nope, and you don t have to purchase all your hiking gear from a big-name outdoor store, either. Keep your eyes open when you re at Fred Meyer, Home Depot and Target, or even the grocery store, and you may see similar gear to what you ll find at an outdoor store at a lower price. This gear may weigh more, but unless you re taking your kids to the top of Mount Rainier, it should be more than adequate to get you on the trails for your initial hikes. With a few hikes under your belt, assess what has worked for you and what hasn t. At this point, you will have a better understanding of what you want to pay top dollar for, and you can slowly upgrade your gear. Planning ahead In winter, we dream about trips we want to take in the coming year and research the trails. We typically identify 15 to 20 intriguing hikes and group them into spring, summer and fall hikes. As each new season begins, we find all the days that we can reserve for hiking. For each hiking date, we pencil in three or four hikes, each in a different part of Washington. As our hike date approaches, we check the weather forecast and choose the hike that best suits the conditions and the gear we have. This question is our motto: Why hike in a rainstorm in the Olympics when a warm and dry hike in the Cascades or Eastern Washington is on the list of hikes? All of the hikes we don t take that day are then moved onto hiking dates later in the year or put on a list for the following year. In our early hiking days, we targeted day hikes of 3 to 6 miles round trip with a maximum elevation gain of 2,000 feet. As the kids have become stronger and can travel farther, we ve ramped up our distance and elevation maximums and added overnight hikes into our criteria. This year, we are considering hikes that range from 6 to 9 miles with an elevation gain of up to 3,000 feet per day. Dinnertime As it turns out, our kids do not eat large meals when hiking. They d rather eat small snacks, like dried apricots and mangoes, all throughout the day. One of our kids in particular runs out of energy quickly, so we pack extra Clif Bars, trail mix and beef jerky and feed him every thirty minutes or so to keep his energy up. Watching how your kids eat on day hikes will give you some sense of how they ll react once on overnight trip. Two of our kids need constant water, so they carry larger, completely full water bladders in their packs, and we watch for spots to filter water to refill their hydration systems as needed. We encourage them to drink as much as they need. It is far easier to take another potty break than to treat a dehydrated child or, worse, one with heat stroke. When we do eat large meals, we typically eat in shifts of two to three people to limit the amount of cooking gear that we need to pack in. By keeping the amount of community gear low, the adults and older kids can carry more personal gear for the smaller kids. Our children aren t big fans of MREs or the dehydrated food found at your typical outdoor store. Instead, we look for the foods that the kids will eat at home and use meals that are light and quick enough to bring on a backpacking trip. Bear Creek makes several dehydrated soups that the kids like. Their tortilla soup ends up being served regularly. Uncle Ben s makes several precooked rice packages which require minimal heating over a stove. Salmon, halibut and tuna patties that are precooked and vacuum-sealed heat up quickly. For breakfast, we bring instant oatmeal,

41 May + June 2011» Washington Trails Backcountry «41 vacuum-packed breakfast meats, like Spam, and instant hot chocolate. Making meals that the kids will enjoy and that are also easy to pack and prepare takes practice at home. The last place you want to try and figure out how to prepare a dinner is under the light of a head lamp at the end of long hike. Spend a weekend car camping, or cook in your back yard using only your hiking gear and food, to see what works and does not work. Remember, when you re on the trail, you have to be self-sufficient. Is this a good time to figure out what you need or realize what you are missing? No way, especially not when you re hiking with children! Settling into camp Making camp is a family affair, and, with our numbers, it tends to go rather quickly. Marika typically focuses on getting the camp kitchen set up and dinner going, while I set up the various tents. The kids are responsible for refilling all of the hydration packs and our camp shower (which doubles as a water bladder), and for finding firewood if that is allowed. People have different ideas as to how to entertain the kids around camp. Our philosophy is, You re in nature. Go enjoy it. What this means is explore the area around you, find a nice place to skip rocks, find natural forts, find a nice view and listen to nature. Sit around camp with a book or a deck of cards and enjoy each other s company. If it s allowed, fishing is a fun activity that provides an additional dinner option and this bonus: the kid who provides food for the whole family leaves with a real sense of achievement. Personally, I tend to sit back and enjoy watching our children s imaginations run wild while I sip on instant hot chai tea, and tend to any gear or camp issues. In the last four years, our hiking and camping trips have provided many wonderful family experiences. As parents, we have learned more about our kids and what they are capable of, both mentally and physically. And our kids have developed an appreciation for what nature and our state of Washington have to offer. They ve also learned that by working together, they can reach goals that they could not achieve alone. We hope that sharing what we ve learned through our experiences as a hiking family will inspire your family to find your way to the trails, or to make your future hiking experiences even more memorable.t This spring, the Scroggins-Forsell family will test out a number of new tents, backpacks, sleeping bags and sleeping pads. Read their review of family camping gear in the next issue of Washington Trails. 11 Lessons Learned (Some the Hard Way) 1. When backpacking, carry more snacks and fewer large meals. 2. Always keep one adult at the front of the group and one at the back. Set up checkpoints every half mile where you can regroup. 3. If you re getting an external-frame pack for a child, check to see if there is a support bar across the top of the pack. If so, make sure it does not interfere with the child s ability to move their head now and in the future as they grow. 4. Look for sturdy compression straps. High-quality thick plastic or metal clips with high-quality stitching are a must. 5. Many backpacks are not set up with a tie-down point for a hydration systems nozzle. Hardware stores sell 4-inch by 0.5-inch Velcro strips in a roll that you can use to add tie-down points to any pack. 6. Each child hikes at a different pace, with a different energy requirement. Watch your kids and do not push them harder than needed. Remember, hiking is supposed to be fun. 7. Plan on your hikes taking longer than listed in the guidebooks, especially the first time. Don t push your kids to try and meet the posted hiking times. Accept that you may not reach your end goal, as you may need to turn back based on how fast you are hiking and how your kids are doing on any given hike. 8. Give each kid a whistle, and make sure they keep it on them at all times. Teach them to use it as soon as they feel they may be lost. 9. Hydration systems, for the most part, do not contain interchangeable components. Research the systems first, then outfit everyone with the same brand to make cleaning, storage and upkeep much easier. After using four different systems, we ve switched exclusively to CamelBak for their ease of use and mouthpiece functionality. 10. Baby wipes can be used to clean dirty feet and hands, remove sticky sap, and serve as backup toilet paper. 11. Kids love the taste boost that comes with adding a powdered flavored water packet into their water bladder or bottle. Just make sure to properly clean and dry your hydration system when you return home.

42 42» Backcountry May + June 2011» Washington Trails Take a Hike! Day Hikes & Overnights» Hello, long days! Here are eight fantastic early summer hikes, as suggested by your fellow Washington Trails readers. For best results, hike them soon! If you need more ideas, try WTA s Hike Finder, online at go-hiking/map. 1 Shi-Shi Beach If you are seeking the sublime, try sea stacks at sunset. 2 Miller Peninsula Get your sneak peak before the crowds find out about this trail. 3 East Bank Baker Lake You won t soon forget these stellar views of Shuksan and Baker. 4 Poo Poo Point Tiger Mountain s trails melt out early. 8 5 Ingalls Creek Rare wildflowers, a rushing creek and a swath of exquisite peaks not bad! 6 Liberty Lake Loop Enjoy a multitude of hiking options.. 7 Deep Creek Canyon Beautiful basalt cliffs guaranteed, megafauna possible. 8 Lewis River A hike for waterfall lovers. Safety Notice Neither Washington Trails magazine, the Washington Trails Association, nor their personnel accept any liability for accidents or injuries in connection with articles, trail or road reports published in Washington Trails magazine. The reports provide updated information of interest to the region s trail users; readers are cautioned to supplement the reports with other sources of information when planning a trip. Additionally, readers should be aware that reported conditions may change, that there may be errors in the reports, and that certain hazards are inherent in backcountry travel.

43 May + June 2011» Washington Trails Backcountry «43 1 Shi Shi Beach Olympic Peninsula Shi Shi Beach. Photo by Ken Giesbers. Total Mileage: 5 miles Elevation Gain: 50 feet gain and loss Highest Elevation: Sea level Map(s): Green Trails Cape Flattery #98S Managed by: Makah Nation and Olympic National Park This scenic Pacific Ocean beach has rugged reefs, sea stacks and headlands, which will combine to lead you onward to the gorgeous Point of Arches. Carry a current tide table. Timing your trip with the tides is essential because you don t want to be stranded. 2 Miller Peninsula Olympic Peninsula Total Mileage: 5 miles Elevation Gain: Approximately 360 feet Highest Elevation: 360 feet Map(s): USGS Gardiner Managed By: Washington State Department of Natural Resources Little known even to locals, this sure-to-bepopular future state park deserves a sneak peak before the crowds find it. This hike winds through a vivid green ravine, ending at a secluded and isolated beach with clear views of Protection Island. Stroll along the beach to find Thompson Spit and its bird-rich lagoon before enjoying a beach lunch soaking in the sights and sounds that are the ocean. Make sure you time the tide right to have enough time to indulge in selfish relaxation. Bainbridge Island Metro Park and Recreation Outdoor Programs will be leading a guided hike on this very route on July 2, Roundtrip transportation will be provided from Bainbridge Island. For more information, visit Jeff Ozimek Bainbridge Island, Wahington Trailhead coordinates: Latitude , Longitude Destination coordinates: Latitude , Longitude The woodland trail is good for the first mile, but reverts to muddy potholes for the remaining 2 miles above the beach. Persist and continue for the rewards. Switchback steeply down to the beach where you will find good ocean side camps and freshwater sources at Petroleum and Willoughby Creeks. Beach campfires are allowed here. You will need a Makah Recreational Permit, available at nearby stores. This is a wilderness beach and the beachcombing can be superb, but take note of landmarks, such as the bull s-eye target nailed to a tree near the trail up the cliff. Your footprints may be washed away, so don t rely on following them back to your starting point. The beach hike on a clear spring day can be beautiful, and so too is a night on the ocean next to the crashing breakers. Joan Burton Seattle, Washington

44 44» Backcountry May + June 2011» Washington Trails Check out Mount Baker s heavy snow from the East Bank Baker Lake Trail. Photo by Lois Peterson. 4 Poo Poo Point (The Long Way Around) Issaquah Alps Total Mileage: 10 miles Elevation Gain: 2,400 feet Highest Elevation: 3,000 feet Managed By: Washington State Department of Natural Resources David Hollenback 3 East Bank Baker Lake North Cascades Total Mileage: 4 miles Highest Elevation: 970 feet Map(s): Green Trails Lake Shannon #46 Managed by: Mount Baker Ranger District This is a great woodland trail above Baker Lake, with views of snow-covered Mount Baker reflected in the still water below. Drive across the upper Baker Dam to find the gravel road leading to the East Bank trailhead. Begin switchbacking down through old second-growth timber and immense old-growth cedar stumps. In early spring, look for skunk cabbage, maidenhair ferns and moss covering every surface. At about 1 mile, cross Anderson Creek (draining from Anderson Lake above) on an old bridge, and in another 0.25 mile reach a junction. Continue downward another 2 miles to Maple Grove Camp. Go left, out to the lakeshore and find excellent old maple tree studded campsites. Maple Grove is the result of a long-ago rockslide that came down into the lake and formed a small peninsula. You can judge how long ago that was by the age of the old maple trees. In summer the camps are used by boaters, but backpackers can enjoy them now. You may choose to continue along the East Bank Trail all the way to the end of the lake, a total of 12 miles, but this is the best campsite. The views of Mount Baker and Mount Shuksan at sunset and sunrise are unforgettable. Joan Burton Seattle, Washington You can certainly get to Poo Poo Point via the Chirico Trail and get your heart rate up. But how about extending your hike to include some of Tiger Mountain s less-frequented trails? You ll want to carry a copy of Green Trails 204S Tiger Mountain map. Starting from Tradition Plateau Trailhead, hike the Bus Trail to the BPA Trail to the Poo Poo Point Trail. Over the next 2.8-mile stretch, you ll gain 1,400 feet and enjoy a waterfall, ferns and mature forest. Pass the intersection with the One View and West Tiger RR Grade Trails and continue southwest to Poo Poo Point proper. On a calm sunny day, you may encounter hang gliders making a mad dash off the astroturf to their landing spot far below, where a van waits to drive them back up to do it all over again. Take in the views of Lake Sammamish, Bellevue and Lake Washington. Head back the way you came and take a right at the One View Trail until it meets the Tiger Mountain Trail near Fifteenmile Gap. (I have travelled this segment a half-dozen times and encountered no more than a half-dozen hikers!) Head north on the TMT to join the throngs at West Tiger 3 for more views. After your second lunch here, return to Tradition Plateau via the West Tiger 3 Trail. Aside from this last segment, you will have avoided most of the crowds while seeing some of the better parts of the State Forest. Steve Payne Federal Way, Washington A view from Ingalls Creek Trail. Photo by Louise Kornreich.

45 May + June 2011» Washington Trails Backcountry «45 5 Ingalls Creek Central Cascades Help Stop The Spread Of Invasive Pests & Diseases Total Mileage: 12 miles Elevation Gain: 1,200 feet Map(s): Green Trails Liberty 210 and Mount Stuart 209 Managed By: Okanogan-Wenatchee National Forest This is not just another hike along a creek. Within the first half-mile of gentle trail, you encounter wildflowers of many colors and varieties you haven t seen elsewhere, all while ambling along Ingalls Creek. At about 2 miles in, you ll find a boulder field in the forest that just asks to be rested upon. Stop for a snack or an early lunch and listen to the creek passing by. Then, farther on the trail, the excitement begins; you will see peaks to your right...and not just any peaks, these are the Enchantments. When you see them, you will understand the frenzy that occurs every spring to get a coveted Enchantments permit. It looks like a land of fairy tales, with wizards and sharp, rocky peaks with names like Leprechaun and Dragontail. Lucky you, you need only to look up to get this view. At mile 5.5, you arrive at Falls Creek Camp and Trail. The bridge is gone here, but it is possible to cross with a log and good friends. Better yet, just stay on the north side of the creek and have lunch before heading back. If an overnight is the intention, there will be better, more private camps farther on along Ingalls Creek. For the intrepid (and those visiting later in the season when the snow has melted), you can continue on Ingalls Creek Trail to its headwaters at Lake Ingalls and over Longs Pass to the Teanaway trailhead for a 15.5-mile one-way trip, with the mountains of the Stuart Range getting closer with each step. For everyone else, the Ingalls Creek Trail is an excellent choice for May and June, when the snow line is still low, but flowers are blooming in the valleys. Ingalls Creek has everything that s good about hiking in the Northwest, all in one easy trip. Louise Kornreich Seattle, Washington Summertime... and the hiking is easy... To recommend a hike for our July+August issue, head to org/trail-news/magazine/suggestionforms/suggestions. Here s How You Can Help: Leave firewood at home - do not transport it to campgrounds or parks. Use firewood from local sources. Burn all firewood before leaving your campsite if leaving the local area INFEST or invasivespecies.wa.gov.

46 46» Backcountry May + June 2011» Washington Trails 6 Deep Creek Canyon Eastern Washington Total Mileage: 4.6 miles Elevation Gain: 500 feet Highest Elevation: 2,190 feet Map: USGS Nine Mile Falls Managed By: Riverside State Park This hike will take you in and around some geological gems. Some of the oldest fossils ever found in Washington were found in this canyon and the beautiful basalt cliffs and outcroppings keep many hikers coming back to this area during all four seasons. To fully enjoy this hike, the Jack Nisbet book Visible Bones is required reading. The hike begins and ends inside Riverside State Park, one of our largest state parks, and if you put your boots to trail soon enough you won t even need the new Discover Pass in your windshield to enjoy this hike. The trail is just short of 5 miles, and the elevation gain is very negligible, particularly for what you get to see. A few quick words of caution: You may very well encounter horses on the trail and will need to act appropriately while passing each other. Also, don t be surprised to find many species of animals who normally reside in much deeper wilderness, such as moose, coyotes, and maybe an occasional bear. And, finally, the park rangers are strict about closing the park at dusk, so please give yourself plenty of time to be distracted by the beauty and still return to your car with time to spare. Guidebook author Rich Landers gives a detailed, turn-by-turn description of this hike in the 100 Hikes in the Inland Northwest. Look for hike Liberty Lake Loop Eastern Washington Total Mileage: 7.5 miles Elevation Gain: 1,160 feet Highest Elevation: 3,120 feet Map: USGS Mica Peak Managed By: Spokane County Parks Found in a Spokane County Park on the western edges of Liberty Lake in the Spokane Valley, this trail offers a variety of early-season opportunities. Those with children can put together a great hike by working their way out to the cedar grove that is just about 2 miles into the hike. Those who would like to start training for longer distances and some elevation gain can feel free to complete the 7-mile loop out to a small set of waterfalls and back. The best view comes not long after reaching the Cedar Grove when the trail climbs quickly through a series of switchbacks. With a high point of 3,120 feet, this hike is doable for most fit hikers. Recent WTA work parties have rerouted the trail around a problem spot near the end of the 7-mile loop. A local beaver had decided to flood out a good section of the old trail, but a great number of volunteers and a few work parties later, we have a new trail that avoids this area. To read more about this hike, find hike 20 in Rich Landers hiking guide 100 Hikes in the Inland Northwest. Todd Dunfield Spokane, Washington Todd Dunfield Spokane, Washington

47 May + June 2011» Washington Trails Backcountry «47 8 Lewis River Trail South Cascades Total Mileage: 6.6 miles Elevation Gain: 400 feet Map(s): Green Trails Lone Butte #365 Managed By: Mount St. Helens National Monument Start at the Lower Falls Recreation Area s day-use area and hike upstream along the Lewis River, past rushing waters churning and diving over three major waterfalls. Taidnapam Falls, nestled in a rocky gorge above Upper Falls, is a bonus if you go the entire distance. Spring is a good time to hike the Lewis River Trail, when a lot of water is pouring over the falls. The trail travels through magnificent ancient Douglas-fir forest from Middle Falls to where the Lewis River Trail terminates at Forest Road 90. This is your turnaround point. Watch for forest wildflowers, such as windflower, fairybells, and foamflower, along the way. Rocks at the water s edge can be extremely slippery, and steep cliffs along the trail can be dangerous so always use caution. Susan Saul Vancouver, Washington Thanks to WTA s Corporate Partners! Rainier - $25,000+ Olympic - $10,000-$24,999 Cascade - $2,500-$9,999 Alpine - $1,000-$2,499 Aveda, Hilleberg the Tentmaker, The Mountaineers Books, Outdoor Research, Orthopedics International, Seattle Outdoor, Therm-a-Rest and MSR WTA Day Trips Date(s) May 1 May 3-6 May 6 May 7-8 May 7 May 10 May 10 May May 12 May 14 May May 20 May 21 May 21 May May 24 May 26 May May May June 3 June 3 June 3 June 4-5 June 7-12 June June June June June June 17 June June June June 23 June June June June To volunteer, sign up online at Work Party Location Pratt River Connector Greenwater CCC Road Trail Pratt River Connector Iller or Liberty Lake CCC Road Trail Peabody Creek CCC Road Trail Iller or Liberty Lake Iller or Liberty Lake Boulder River CCC Road Trail Cougar Mountain (This is a Family-Friendly trip!) Larrabee State Park Beaver Lake Lower Big Quilcene Iller or Liberty Lake Glacier Basin West Fork Foss CCC Road Trail Glacier Basin Barclay Lake Middle Fork Snoqualmie National Trails Day Weekend! Annette Lake Glacier Basin Heybrook Lookout Baker Lake Verlot Area Maintenance Glacier Basin Dorothy Lake Snow Lake Mount Baker TBD Verlot Area Maintenance Mount Spokane State Park Glacier Basin Dorothy Lake Mount Baker TBD Stirrup Lake To find out how your company can support WTA s work for trails, please call us at (206) or rebecca@wta.org.

48 48» Backcountry May + June 2011» Washington Trails The International Hiker» From the Emerald City to the Emerald Isle Raising money for Washington s trails while hiking through Ireland s hillside pastures and enjoying a pint or two along the way Not your average marmot: Jaime Weber pets a donkey outside Fahamore. Angella Wieben and Jaime Weber In 2010, Angella and Jaime took their Hike-a-Thon campaign on a European vacation. Sitting high atop a rocky hill with blooming purple heather surrounding us, we munched on our snacks as a brisk wind cooled us after the steep climb to the top. From this vantage point, we could see the weather moving in from the Irish Sea and noted that the rain shower currently pouring down on the city of Dublin below would soon be upon us. The idea of a big city like Dublin seemed out of place, though we d been in that very city just three days earlier. Hiking through evergreen forests, endless green hills and valleys, pastures full of sheep, and quiet villages full of friendly Irish folk had erased the notion that a big city like Dublin could even exist in this part of the world. Such are the pleasures of hiking in Ireland. The idea to take our 2010 Hike-a-Thon campaign international began to take shape in the winter of We selected Ireland as our destination after researching trail options in several other European countries. Planning an international hiking trip can be as easy as signing up with a company specializing in active vacations. However, if you prefer a bit more of a hands-on approach to planning your travels, organizing your own hiking vacation to Europe is not that difficult in the age of the Internet. Government agencies, tourist boards and European hiking clubs are great resources for the do-it-yourself planner, and nearly everyone can be accessed online or via . For our hiking vacation, we choose two trails on opposite sides of the country: the Wicklow Way, which runs north-south on the east coast, and the Dingle Way, a loop trail around the Dingle Peninsula on the west coast. This may not have been the most efficient decision timewise, but it did allow us to see a large portion of Ireland and its varied ecosystems. Mountainous evergreen forests, wide sandy beaches and, of course, miles and miles of green hilly pastures populated by sheep and the occasional ornery cow awaited us. We went first to the Wicklow Way and hiked between the monastic city of Glendalough and Dublin. A person from the Pacific Northwest could be forgiven for mistakenly thinking they were hiking back home while on the Wicklow Way. Everything about the area felt familiar, even the smell of the moist, mist-laden air. Most guidebooks suggest taking three days for this hilly and mountainous section; we ignored them, packed a total of 31 miles into an exhausting two days and paid the price. Upon arriving in Dublin, we navigated the concrete trail of sidewalks and bus routes to the train station. The trailhead for our second hike, the Dingle Way, was a four-hour train ride away in the town of Tralee, on Ireland s west

49 May + June 2011» Washington Trails Backcountry «49 coast. What the Dingle Way lacks in forests, it makes up for in uninterrupted ocean views, long sandy beaches, and quiet country lanes bordered by wildflowers. With only one major hill climb, Mount Brandon, it is also a relatively easy trail. Our plan had been to complete the entire loop, ending back in Tralee nine days after we started. However, day eight was practically perfect and day nine did not offer such promises. On day eight, we hiked 17 miles, mostly barefoot, on sandy beaches and enjoyed a long, leisurely lunch at the popular Spillane s in Fahamore, a major treat after our simple lunches eaten on the trail. That evening, we landed at Boland s Bar in Castlegregory, where we made new friends with Finbar, Diedre, Hugh and Maureen while listening to the traditional music session and consuming, perhaps one too many pints of Guinness and Jameson with ginger ale. For us, there was no better way to end our hike! In contrast, day nine dawned quite gloomy and carried the prospect of crossing slippery moors again while we retraced the route we d already covered on day one. Opting for a ride to the bus stop from our bed-and-breakfast host felt like the right decision. While in Ireland we proudly wore our Hikea-Thon T-shirts, and pinned Sponsor Me signs to our packs. We proudly touted Hike-a-Thon and WTA s work to anyone who asked us why we were doing the hike. We received the admiration of those we met and many offers of a pint, and most enjoyable of all, we met many wonderful people with whom we shared conversation over those pints. As you start thinking about this year s Hike-a-Thon, consider taking it international. Spread the word about WTA and the work it does to hikers all over the globe.t If you are interested in getting planning advice from Angella and Jaime, send a note to editor@wta.org and we ll pass it on. Before Hike-a-Thon, It s Plan-a-Thon WTA s eight annual Hike-a-Thon is this August! That s right, just a few months away. If you are going to be hiking in August (and we know you are), why not make your miles count by gathering pledges for WTA s Hikea-Thon? Registration opens July 1; details will be available at org/hikeathon in late June. To ensure you have the most successful Hike-A-Thon ever whether it will be your first or your fifth planning is essential. After all, there are just 31 days in August to hike, and if you re like me, the majority of those days require some time inside, at a desk, in front of a computer. With just a few days wide open, I plan carefully in order to explore some new places, visit some perrenial favorites, and pack in the miles, all while raising funds for trails. Past Hike-a-Thoner Steve Payne has these tips: Pair a burly Saturday hike with an easy Sunday hike, and plan hotel stays or camping to get to some unusual destinations. Or if you re a trail runner like Wendy Wheeler- Jacobs, you could sign up for long trail race in August, which encourages her to get the miles through the training and actually at the race. And with August s lengthy daylight, she often hikes before work and has noticed that a day at the desk seems much more reasonable when you have looked down from the top of Tiger Mountain at the sunrise! Planning a trip abroad this summer or need an excuse to? Angella and Jaime made their miles count for Hike-a-Thon on their trek through Ireland. And of course, WTA is always here to help if you need advice when planning your hikes. Check out our Hiking Guide, Trip Reports and Seasonal Hikes found on our website ( for our latest and greatest ideas. Kara Chin Photo: Evan Beuhler at Grand Pass, Olympic National Park Washington Trails Association s This August, make your miles count. Registration opens July 1.

50 50» Backcountry May + June 2011» Washington Trails Paul Owen Paul Owen is a WTA member who knows he s fortunate to share the great Northwest with his son and neighbors. A Walk on the Wild Side» Boys Versus Mountain When is a child ready to climb to Camp Muir and ski down? You don t want to find out midmountain with daylight fading. Two Seattle fathers found the answer on an achingly beautiful August afternoon by putting backpacks and skis on their eleven-year-old boys at Paradise, pointing to Camp Muir and issuing the simple command, March! Why ski from Muir? Because it s one of the coolest things you can do with a young fella in August. Mount Adams is a two-night commitment and probably too difficult for an eleven-year old. The Muir snowfield is a green-circle run in pitch and maybe a blue square in terrain quality. Easy peasy. My shoulder hurts, said William, my son, barely ten minutes out of the Paradise parking lot. Yikes, the complaints started early. I wasn t sure the boys could carry their own skis but thought we d give it a try. I tightened his belt and fastened the strap across his sternum to relieve his shoulder. That bought us nearly 2 complaint-free miles. We arrived at Panorama Point a little over an hour out of Paradise. We were running behind schedule. I worried about climbing on melting, slippery snow in late afternoon. Casual walkers shuffled past us with cups of coffee from Paradise Inn. Yeesh. The boys needed a rest. Hiking rule number one for parents: Be prepared to take breaks. William Owen and Michael Baldwin I m an aspiring backpacker, not an accomplished one. I take 6 to 10 hikes a year, with maybe two overnights in a good year. That said, I plan ahead, pay attention to the weather, pack the 10 essentials and am not too proud to consult with others. For this trip we relied on guidebooks, WTA trip reports, meteorological updates from the University of Washington and recommendations from National Park Service rangers. What could go wrong? Okay, so we forgot to pack a lunch. There was a moment of group silence and blank stares as we took this in at 6 a.m. before breaking camp for Paradise. I improvised by spreading soy-nut butter and jelly on graham crackers and cramming cereal bars into each boy s pack. We weren t going to starve. Snow camping, however, was a chilling possibility. What is it about boys and snow? The guys became visibly excited when we reached the snowfield a half mile past Pebble Creek. But the new energy was offset by the slippery snow and the ascent slowed as young frames balanced 30-pound packs on frozen crust. At this point I had two competing visions: snow camping with overnight temps of 32 degrees or aborting the climb in exchange for a car ride with whining preteens. That s when the coercion started. Let s climb to those rocks for lunch, said Joe, the other father. He picked a scree field just below Anvil Rock. Twenty minutes later the packs came off and the improvised graham cracker sandwiches went down. All of them. Fully refueled, we rock-scrambled back to the interminable snowfield for more of the same. Joe and his son took the lead. The boys learned to stay in the boot-worn snow path for maximum speed. But now the wind was picking up. We passed hikers descending the snowfield. It s not much farther, a woman said to us. We could begin to see the outlines of Camp Muir structures on the other end of the vast field. Victory in sight, we increased our pace. The specter of snow camping and humbling defeat was replaced by a profound pride in our boys. It s the kind of thing that might bring a dad to tears if he weren t already crying from the 20-mile-an-hour gusts. We reached Muir at 1:30, five hours after we locked the car at Paradise. The wind diminished, and we enjoyed the kind of electric blue sky that you can only see from 10,000 feet. But maybe we overstayed our welcome. The boys started complaining of altitude headaches. It was time to leave. It s much easier to climb to Camp Muir without skis. But then you d have to walk down like a common human. At 2:30, to the envious consternation of climbers returning from Columbia Crest, we strapped on our skis and flew over the snowfield back toward Paradise. Fathers and sons bonded with sunshine, snow, skiing and speed. We returned to Paradise at 5:30 for iced root beers and an intemperate amount of junk food. Would we do it again? Of course, a second trip is already on the books. But next time we ll pack a lunch.

51 May + June 2011» Washington Trails Backcountry «51 Featured Landscape» Leadbetter Point Dunes, spruce, marsh and mudflats Undeveloped and untrammeled, Leadbetter Point at the tip of the Long Beach Peninsula holds dunes, salt marshes and maritime forest. And with more than 8 miles of vehicle-free ocean and Willapa Bay beaches, Leadbetter Point holds Washington s wildest coast outside of Olympic National Park. Protected within a 1,200-acre state park and adjacent 16,000-acre Willapa National Wildlife Refuge, Leadbetter Point provides excellent habitat for seals, bears, bobcats and deer. Birds thrive here too. Nesting endangered snowy plovers, elegant wintering snowy owls, pelicans, marbled godwits, loons, grebes, mergansers, eagles over 100 species in all! For hikers, Leadbetter Point offers unmatched adventuring with more than 6 miles of trail traversing it and access to both the Pacific Ocean and Willapa Bay. The 2.9-mile Dune Forest Loop offers a great introduction to the area s wildlife-rich habitats, traversing dunes and Sitka spruce groves before meandering along glistening mudflats. It s a 10-mile out-and-back trek along trail and beach to the tip of Leadbetter Point. But note: from November through April the trail is usually inundated with knee-deep cold tannic water. Plodding across the limb-numbing waters can be fun in a bizarre sense like exploring a Louisiana swamp without the snapping turtles, leeches and alligators. Once through the bayou, embrace a wild beach where vehicles are prohibited and footprints are sparse. Round the wind-blasted constantly shifting point to find more protected bayside beaches. Then marvel at the second largest estuary on the Pacific Coast. Only San Francisco Bay is larger. But unlike that California estuary which is home to over 7 million people, Willapa Bay is practically deserted and looks much as it did when British Captain John Meares first sighted it in Craig Romano, author of Day Hiking: Olympic Peninsula HIKE IT>> Leadbetter Point Leadbetter Point State Park, Willapa National Wildlife Refuge Distance: 10.6 miles Elevation: 50 feet Map(s): Refuge map available at park headquarters. More Info: Day Hiking: Olympic Peninsula Note: Dogs are permitted on-leash in the state park and prohibited in the national wildlife refuge. Read our Q&A with Craig Romano on page 6.

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