The Best Rail Trail in the West!

If you have never heard of the Trail of the Coeur d'Alenes-boy are you in for a treat. It's a 72 mile paved rail trail that runs across the Idaho Panhandle from Plummer on the Palouse to Mullan on the Montana Border. I have sampled sections of it over the years and probably one of the nicest sections is the one in Heyburn State Park. Here you can traverse Coeur d'Alene Lake on a 2/3 mile trestle-then follow along the lakeshore for miles! I sneaked a 10 mile run on that section of trail on my way to Lewiston last week. There is great camping in Heyburn State Park ans some nice hiking trails too. Matter of fact my Best Hikes with Dogs Inland Northwest spotlights Heyburn as well as the nearby Mary Minerva McCroskey State Park. And if you have never driven US 95 between CDL and Lewiston-you are in for a real treat-it is one of the prettiest sections of road in the entire Northwest. Have fun exploring-don't forget to pack your bike.

Railing for Trails

In the golden hills and pine cloaked mountains of northeastern Washington, a broad coalition of folks have gotten on board to create the state’s next great rail trail.
The proposed 28-mile Ferry County Rail Trail will not only provide hikers, cyclists, and cross-country skiers with stunning views of the Kettle River and the lofty and wild Kettle River Range rising above it, but it’ll also become the first international rail trail in the western United States.
Named after the sparsely populated county it traverses, the trail will run from just outside of the historic gold mining town of Republic north to the riverside burg of Danville on the Canadian border. From there the trail will tie in with B.C.’s extensive Kettle Valley Rail Trail. Utilizing a rail bed that served as the local timber industry’s lifeline for nearly a century, the new trail has great potential in promoting an economy based on sustainable ecotourism.
A major highlight along the trail, Curlew Lake, is home to one of Washington’s loveliest state parks, Curlew Lake State Park (where Heather and I tied the knot in 2006), with lakeshore camping and wonderful swimming, fishing, and paddling opportunities. At the north end of the seven-mile long lake is a historic trestle, destined to be a popular feature along the trail.
While local support for a non-motorized trail is strong, spearheaded primarily through the efforts of Bob Whittaker and the Ferry County Rail Trail Partners (FCRTP), a small but vocal faction would like to see the proposed trail open to motorcycles and ATVs. Don't let that happen! Help the Ferry County Rail Trail Partners make this trail Washington's next great non-motorized rail trail!

Wildest not-yet-wilderness canyon in Washington!

Last week I had the opportunity to once again take a hike up Thirteen Mile Creek in the Colville National Forest in remote Ferry County. Accompanying me was Jasmine Minbashian of Conservation Northwest. Jasmine worked with me on my book, Columbia Highlands: Exploring Washington's Last Frontier. This area is truly Washington's last frontier and both Jasmine and I have an immense love for this wild country and would like nothing less for Thirteen mile Canyon, the Kettle Crest and other roadless areas in the Colville to be designated as Washington's next federally protected wilderness areas. If you haven't hiked here yet-this is a good time right now before it gets really hot later in the summer. Be mindful that this is one of the rattlesnakiest trails in the state. Jasmine and I watched a good size one (she claimed it wasn't so big-I have a different view!) slither in front of us while she was photographing a lone Ponderosa pine snag on the canyon rim. Want to learn more about this area? Check out my book and pay a visit to Conservation Northwest's website. See you in the Kettles!

Trek on over to Vulcan Mountain

Continuing on my reporting of my recent Eastern WA-northern Idaho road trip:

I headed over to Republic for a couple of days to do some hiking for my upcoming backpacking book. Trouble was there was too much snow on the Kettle Crest and I was forced to abort my intended hike-will need to return in a month or so. With a half a day of gorgeous weather still on my side though I decided to check out nearby Little Vulcan Peak, a prominent mountain that rises above the Kettle River and the community of Curlew. There are so many neat and "undiscovered" mountains in Northeastern WA, this one being one of the many. Of course Vulcan and Little Vulcan aren't really undiscovered-they received their names from early prospectors due to the iron ore (not Captain Spock) found on its slopes. But with the miners long gone, very few bipeds traverse this mountain these days. Today the area is managed primarily for grazing and wildlife management. There are some neat ledges along its summit and some spectacular views of the Kettle River Range from the lower open slopes. My advice if you want to explore this area-mountain bike! The roads are a little too roady for hiking-but perfect for mountain biking with nothing extreme or radical. Beam me back to Republic Scotty! Little Vulcan and other peaks are calling me!

(photo- Kettle Crest from Little Vulcan)

Supreme Courthouse Picks

I have an affinity for old buildings. Hey-I am a Native Englander, you know! Some of my favorite old and historic buildings in Washington are a handful of the county courthouses. And out on the eastern Washington plains and hills there are some real gems. So while President Obama is messing around with picking a Supreme Court Justice- I offer you a few of my supreme courthouse picks. My six favorite courthouses in Washington are:

Douglas County Courthouse in Waterville (pictured Here)
Columbia County Courthouse in Dayton
Garfield County Courthouse in Pomeroy
Pacific County Courthouse in South Bend
Grays Harbor County Courthouse in Montesano
Okanogan County Courthouse in Okanogan

These buildings are architectural, historic, and aesthetic gems. I never get tired of stopping by them and photographing and admiring them. What are some of your favorite courthouses-Washington and elsewhere?

Freedom isn't free

Here in the land of the free, our lifestyles of comfort, mobility, and the freedom to be what we may is only possible because of the hundreds of thousands of men and women who gave their lives for their country and for our freedom. Be sure today to give pause and remembrance to the great Americans who served their country and paid the ultimate price so that we may continue to live, play, work, celebrate, and carry on in this the greatest nation on the planet.

Back from my Eastern Washington (and a little bit of Idaho too) Whirlwind Tour

Last night at around 11:30 pm I returned from an 8 day trip that was quite productive and fun and a tad bit exhausting. I apologize for the lack of blog entries during my absence-but I don't travel with a laptop. Wouldn't have had any time to use it anyways even if I did travel with one. So where did I go and what did I do?
Okay-
Book and hiking talk and presentation in Wenatchee.
Run 6 miles on the Golden Tiger Rail Trail in Republic Washington
Hike 10 miles on the northern Kettle Crest and Little Vulcan Mountain
Hike 5 miles in 13 Mile Canyon Roadless area
Book talk and presentation in Spokane
Hike 4 miles on Tubbs Hill in Coeur d'Alene Idaho
Walk a few mils on the Centennial Trail
Run 10 miles on the Trail of the Coeur d'Alenes at Heyburn State Park, ID
Hike 14 miles on Tucannon River Trail and Hunters Spring in the Blue Mountains, Umatilla National Forest
Hike 4 miles in the Juniper Dunes Wilderness
Book talk in Walla Walla
Run 6 miles on the Mill Creek Trail and Bennington Lake Reserve in Walla Walla
Visit the Whitman National Historic Site
Hike Hat Rock State Park, Oregon
Hike Crow Butte
Run a 10K race in Moses Lake
Visit Dry Falls
Drive way too much thanks to a road closure on the North Cascades Highway

Quite a bit of activity there for 8 days uh? Tell me about it! I'm exhausted- time to rest on this Memorial Day Weekend. I'll tell you more about some of the places I recently visited in the my upcoming posts. Its great to be back home!

(photo-Garfield County Courthouse in Pomeroy-the middle of nowhere and one of my favorite corners of Washington)

Island Rescue!

Two undeveloped islands to be added to Deception Pass State Park.

Talk about miraculous! There's money available in this horrible recession to purchase two undeveloped Puget Sound Islands-and there are actually two undeveloped islands left in Puget Sound! Read this article in the Skagit Valley Herald and plan on visiting this unique area sometime soon. And while I welcome these islands to Deception Pas State Park I do hope that the area is managed with its rare plants in mind so that the area does not become degraded at the expense of recreation. A good balance can be achieved but state park land managers will definitely need a hand from the public. Think about getting involved.

(photo- Deception Pass State Park's Pass and Strawberry Islands)

Start spreading the News!

It was 11 years ago today that I got the terrible news that one of America's greatest performers and one of the greatest Italian-Americans ever passed away. Ironically I was in Sicily at the time-the land that Sinatra's father (and mia nona) hailed from. Flags in Sicily were flown half masted on May 14, 1998. Many Sicilians approached us and offered their condolences. There will never be another Frank Sinatra. But there will be a Frank Sinatra movie--and I haven't been this excited about an upcoming movie since I caught wind of Walk the Line. Cash and Sinatra are two of my all time favorite singers. Anyhow, fellow Italian-American (and another great) Martin Scorsese will be making the film! I can hardly wait! Come fly with me!

Economy, not environment is Canadians' top priority

(and Americans too)!

Here's some environmental food-for-thought from today's Vancouver Sun:

Economy, not environment, is Canadians' top priority
By Larry Pynn, Vancouver Sun

Substantially more Canadians are rating the economy ahead of the environment as their top priority, according to an international survey of green trends that ranks Canada second last among surveyed countries for the second straight year.

Canada's ranking suffered in part due to residents' large homes, the survey noting more than half have seven rooms.
Home heating and hot running water added to our footprint, as did our love affair with the automobile, especially large private ones. "Car and truck ownership is above the 17-country average (86 percent compared with 74 percent) and, of those who drive, Canadians are among the most likely to drive large vehicles," the survey found. "Canadians have the third highest rate of driving alone most days (56 per cent)."

(bold face my emphasis)
Read the rest here.

And which country comes in last? The U S of A! Oprah's jet, Al's big house and all the latte liberals' second homes in the Methow, Cape Cod and Vail certainly can't help our ratings. But it's not just the hypocritical green washing left that has us on the bottom. The use-it-all-up who cares about spotted owls, wolves and grizzly bear conspicuously consuming right wingers lower our rating too! But they don't care. What about the well heeled enviros? They pretend to care. Who are we fooling? We'll never be able to address climate, habitat, and resource issues as long as we don't address our ridiculous levels of consumption (and population and immigration-but that's another topic). And who does cares more about the environment than the economy according to this poll? Can you believe India, Brazil and China (although I seriously doubt that last one-the government anyway)!

(photo- downtown Montreal- an economic center built on exploiting the environment-beaver pelts!)

Canadian Parks Plan for a Big Freeze!

Price freeze-that is. This from this morning's Vancouver Sun.

National park gate fees --including those at Banff and Jasper--are being frozen in a bid to entice cash-strapped Canadians to visit more often.
A two-year fee freeze at national parks and historic sites, described as"some of the most magnificent and fascinating places to visit in the world," was announced Saturday by Environment Minister Jim Prentice.
"In this time of global economic recession, our government is doing what it can to encourage Canadians to enjoy these places," said Prentice. "For many families, every dollar counts."
Adults currently pay $9.80 at the gates in Banff National Park. Annual park passes for adults are $67.70, and $84.40 for deluxe passes including historic sites.
Individual rates for 2008 will stay in place until April 1, 2011. For the travel trade, the 2009 rates now in effect will be frozen until April 1, 2012. Read the rest here.

I'm all for getting more people to visit national parks and I'm all for equitable user fees. $9.80 Canadian is still a deal to hike all day at Banff. What's the cost for a crappy 90 minute movie at the theatre? Nine bucks! Skiing all day at Whistler? Almost $90! Box seats to watch the Mariners? How about $53!! And we tax payers even subsidized their stadium-Ay Carumba!

Now, we definitely need to fund our parks better- Congress needs to cough up more money-and we visitors need to stop whining over spending $10 to hike in Mount Rainier -these places are worth far more than funding steroid taking athletes, breast-enhancing drug-taking actresses and providing mega resorts for the rich. I already have my money put aside for my American and Canadian National Park passes for this season. I buy annual passes and my trips come out to less than a buck a visit! My coffee on the way home costs more! And next year on my Canadian Parks visits I'll have a little extra money for my Tim Hortons stop since my park fees won't be going up!

Hiking the Kitsap Peninsula

The Kitsap Peninsula juts north into Puget Sound like a big arrowhead. Named after a Native American chief and meaning “brave” or “great,” Kitsap is attached to the mainland by a narrow isthmus making it feel more like an island.
Despite its geographical isolation, however, its proximity to Seattle and Tacoma has led to it being heavily developed. Second to King, it’s the state’s most densely populated county.
Even so, all of Kitsap isn’t covered in urban and suburban development. Large expanses of the peninsula remain fairly rural and undeveloped. The Great Peninsula Conservancy, a Kitsap County Land Trust and the Kitsap County Parks Department have been instrumental in protecting thousands of acres of key shoreline, forest and lakefront.
Hikers, especially, will be pleasantly surprised to find that just beyond the suburban sprawl radiating from Bremerton, some fine destinations await them. And one of the best times to explore the Kitsap Peninsula is now when Washington’s state flower, the Pacific Rhododendron, is abloom and painting the region’s shorelines, ridges, and forests in brilliant shades of pink.

Read the rest in this month's Outdoors Northwest magazine.

And for more details on hiking on the Kitsap Peninsula pick up a copy of my Day Hiking Olympic Peninsula book which devotes an entire chapter to the Kitsap Peninsula.

(photo-Guillemot Cove on the Kitsap Peninsula)

Happy Prairie Appreciation Day!

It's Washington DNR's 14th annual Prairie Appreciation Day today. And it's definitely needed. Prairies are perhaps our least appreciated and least protected ecosystem in Washington. Many of our Puget Sound prairies, if they haven't been developed, have been taken over by invasive species. The Olympia Mountaineers will be assisting the Nature Conservancy and Thurston County Parks today at the Glacier Heritage Preserve on the Black River. Learn about these important ecosystems by taking a hike at Mima Mounds (it's in my Day Hiking Olympic Peninsula book) and contacting the Washington Nature Conservancy. There are still good remnant prairies left in our state-but they need to be protected-and fast. Stop overlooking these unsung important parts of our natural heritage and help save and revive them.

(photo-a prairie in Saskatchewan-half the province consists of these gorgeous and ecologically viable regions)

Kill a feline become a felon!

Giuseppe and Scruffy Gray were happy to hear this morning that a cat killer in Claremont NH will go to jail for brutally killing an innocent cat named Buddha. Read about here in the Manchester Union Leader: Whipping of Cat ends in Jail Time.

I wonder if he was tried by a party of his purrs?!

Where have you gone Joe DiMaggio?

To the great baseball diamond in the sky of course. And today, younger brother Dom joined him. Dominic DiMaggio died at his Massachusetts home today. He was 92. Dom was a class act and a great American and a great Italian-American displaying positive characteristics of his ethnicity. (There is way too much negative stereo-typing of Italian Americans in our culture).

Born to Sicilian-immigrants, Dom was one of nine children and one of the three DiMaggio Brothers baseball greats. He was a seven time all-star who holds the record for the longest consecutive game hitting streak in Boston Red Sox history. But beyond his baseball greatness was the way he lived his life off the field. A loving husband for 61 years, caring father, World War II vet, and philanthropist, Dom loved his country and his family. Read more about him here in this AP article.

Canada's Seal of Approval

Even in a country as liberal as Canada where liberal drug laws and criminal codes allow gangs to shoot up Vancouver with impunity, junkies stumble over each other in half of the downtown, and terrorists are granted immigration status, this latest move simply baffles me: Canadian MPs Vote to Include Seal Skin On Olympic Uniforms. Read for yourself in today's Vancouver Sun. American Lefties love to point to Canada as a promised land. How many of them threatened to leave the US for our northern neighbor when George W Bush was reelected? I'm still waiting for Sean Penn to leave. But the fact of the matter is that when it comes to environmental protections-the much more conservative America does better. We have an endangered species act (signed by Republican Richard Nixon no less). We have a wilderness act and millions of acres of wilderness. And we don't butcher marine mammals (thanks to a bill drafted by two NW senators, one a Republican from Oregon). In Canada, they still log old growth forests, there is no endangered species act, oil is king in the boreal forests, and they slaughter seals. And not only do they slaughter them-in a most inhumane way I may add-but they are now flaunting it by making their athletes wear clothing containing seal skin. Mon Dieu!

Now, I'm no vegetarian, and I have mixed feelings about seal slaughtering-but it is indeed inhumane the way they do it-and I would add, probably unnecessary (First Nations should be exempt for subsistence hunting) and it should definitely not be flaunted-and forced upon athletes that may object to this barbaric practice. And now Canada has introduced a hot political topic into what should be a non-political event. And you thought the dog issue was big in China? Now, I love Canada-spend a lot of time there-and the country consists of wonderful people. I like Stephen Harper, the Quebecois, and adore Diana Krall. But this act-like their liberal drug laws that have turned the Lower Mainland of BC into a gang infested war zone makes no sense to me. Where's the outrage now Sean Penn and company? Is your silence a seal of approval?

(Photo from Liberation BC)

Giuseppe loves

CityDog Magazine

And so will you. The newest issue is out right now and it contains my feature on the Ten Best Campgrounds in the Pacific Northwest to take your dog camping! No, I'm not going to reveal them to you-you have to pick up the magazine. And are you looking for a place to take your dog hiking while out camping at some of these places? Then consider adding this fine hiking book to your collection or Kindle. No, Giuseppe won't mind-he loves dogs and doesn't mind sharing the trails with them. And he especially likes the cover of the new magazine (not pictured here) which has an Italian Greyhound on it! Bravo!

My World Premiere!

Wenatchee World that is! Check out the nice feature in the Weantchee World today by writer Stephen Maher titled the Man who hikes a lot! That would be me! The article is an interview with me and Andy Dappen of Wenatchee Outdoors. We'll be doing a joint presentation in Wenatchee next Friday-so come on down if you're in the area. I would love to chat with you about one of my favorites things about Wenatchee-the wine-I mean hiking!!

(photo-Wenatchee from Saddle Rock-Hike no. 123 in my new Day Hiking Central Cascades Book)

Cat Napping

One of the best things about working at home is being able to take a nap. One of the best things about being self-employed is being able to take a nap without scorn from the boss. One of the best things about sharing a house with two cats is that they encourage you to take a nap! My big Maine Coon Giuseppe is a lovable feline but not much of a snuggler. Scruffy Gray, the cat that showed up at our deck on one of the coldest nights of the year is now a member of this family. He is a big time snuggler and will crawl up on you at any chance he gets. Matter of fact he is sleeping on my lap right now as I type this entry. Scruffy and I love to take our naps together-and its a good thing he is only 10 pounds-because he is usually plopped down right on my chest. Yesterday, Heather and I did an 18 mile training run (we have a marathon scheduled next month). I'm sure that today's nap will be a deep one! And for the Scruffer, he doesn't need to expend great amounts of calories and energy to enjoy one of life's simpler pleasures-the nap! I can hardly wait to take my first one in an alpine meadow this year. Sorry, Scruffer-the couch will have to do for you!

(photo-Craig and Scruffy Gray catch some Z's-photo by Heather)

Metal to the Petal

It wasn't exactly a tip toe through the tulips-more like pedaling through the petals. Last Thursday evening Heather and I took advantage of our local flower show sans weekend warriors- and biked out to La Conner soaking up the showy scenery. The tulips are in full bloom now and they'll probably be strutting their stuff for another week or two. If you can sneak up here during the week, consider a bike ride through the flats. The traffic is light, the way is flat, and the scenery is spectacular.

Since relocating in Skagit County two years ago I have rediscovered my bicycle and have been doing quite a bit of it once again. Yesterday, Heather and I did a 45 mile bike ride around Camano Island participating in the annual Camano Climb Ride. The weather held out for us-the ride was well organized-but attendance was light with too many uptight Joe Biker types from Seattle-you know the types I'm talking about- the ones with the $5,000 bicycles who are too cool for themselves-don't know how to be friendly-civil-or decent-then wonder why they're single- Go Figure! Anyhow-I welcome all friendly salt-of-the-earth folks to come on up and cycle the backroads of my backyard. See you out on the flats-don't forget to wave hello.

Almost Paradise!

As far as I'm concerned, you can't have too many parks and trails. So, I'm absolutely ecstatic over the opening of Snohomish County Park's newest addition, the Paradise Valley Conservation Area. Protecting nearly 800 acres along the headwaters of Bear Creek on the King-Snohomish County Line, Paradise isn't exceptional so much in its landscapes as it is in its location. To have a parcel this large so close to the Seattle suburban sprawl is a major conservation win. Currently there are over 13 miles of trails traversing the property with more on the way. Paradise Valley makes for a good close-by get away and it'll make a great winter hiking option. While I didn't include it in my upcoming Winter Hikes of Western Washington Card Deck, I did include it in my upcoming Hiking Snohomish County Booklet. And of course you can learn more about this area through Hikeoftheweek.com where I'll be spotlighting trails from the park from time to time. Good job to all who were responsible for securing this property. Now, get to work securing some more lands before its paved over!