Curlew Lake State Park
Perhaps the park I love most!

The recent issue of Washington Trails magazine has some nice features on our state's wonderful (and financially threatened) state park system. I have long advocated for our parks and am one of the system's biggest fans having been to nearly all of our wonderful parks. I even got married in a Washington state park, Curlew Lake in Ferry County. Not surprisingly then, Curlew Lake State Park is one of my favorite places in the entire state. The full piece that I had submitted to the magazine was edited down due to space constraints. Here is the full piece. Enjoy it. And what about you? Do you have a special park near and dear to your heart, too?

Nestled in the Okanogan Highlands of Northeastern Washington just north of the old gold mining town of Republic, Curlew Lake State Park is a long way from the state’s hurried and populated centers.  Consisting of 123 acres of hillsides of golden grasses and groves of majestic mature ponderosa pines along the shore of long and slender Curlew Lake, the park is cherished for its boating, fishing, sandy beach and family friendly camping.  I love the park for its setting in Washington’s final frontier—and its proximity to the Kettle River Range, one of my favorite hiking haunts in the state. Back in the summer of 1996 I enticed my girlfriend, Heather to join me on a camping trip—her first—to Curlew Lake State Park. We spent the days hiking along the lofty lonely Kettle Crest and the nights back at the park hunkered down at our lakeside campsite; where we watched through warming flames of fire, moonlight dance on the lake’s placid waters. We enjoyed morning visits by docile deer and evening gatherings by inquisitive quails. We savored the sweet serenity of the park and fell in love with our special campsite. We returned each summer to the park and to “our” site. In 2006 we were married at “our” campsite and shared our love for this park and region with our families. We continue to return to Curlew Lake. And I continue to extol the beauties and charms of this park to my outdoor loving friends and acquaintances. I made sure to include a chapter on the park’s wonderful nature trail in my next guidebook.

(bottom photo: Craig and Heather at Curlew Lake summer of 1996)

Cougars in Heat

Okay, before I get started here. Absolutely no jokes about attractive older women in pursuit of younger men or randy Washington State University students here. This post is about mountain lions following nature's orders to make more mountain lions. And it's about how I nearly walked in on a mating couple. Several weeks ago I was on a solo hike on the Barnaby Buttes Trail in the Kettle River Range of Northeastern Washington. It is a wild and lonely area where I was once stalked by a cougar. You nearly always sense big and wild critters around you here even if you don't actually see them! I was just making a mental note to myself on how good of cougar habitat this area is. Lots of game for them-lots of open space-and very little human activity. Lots of footprints and scat in the area confirmed my observation.

As I left the lonely summit late in the day and headed down a shadowed slope through rows of lodgepole pine, I soon tuned into a disturbing sound. It grew louder as I continued down the trail. What the hell is making that wretched noise, I thought. It sounded like someone or something having rough sex-or something caught in a leg hold trap. My spider senses began tingling telling me that it is something I probably don't want to interrupt. The sound grew more audible as I marched down the trail. My heart racing grew more audible too and I picked up my pace. The noise makers were just below me. I had to make a big switchback in which the noise makers were soon above me-then I bolted down the trail to get the hell out of Dodge.

Upon concurring with others and listening to some audio clips, I have concluded that the culprits to this unnerving sound were a pair of cougars mating. It is not a really pleasurable experience for the female cougar so hence the groans of agony and not ecstasy. And while I relish in yet another cougar experience in Eastern Washington (I saw my first cougar in the Blue Mountains two years ago) I'd rather not stumble upon or near big kitties rolling in the hay again. Okay, now you can make your jokes. But I am seriously interested in some of your cougar (that would be the big cats) experiences as well!

The Hanford Reach

One of the great protected landscapes of Washington State

When we think about Washington's great national parks and monuments we are often quick to note, Mount Rainier, Olympic, and North Cascades National Parks as well as the Mount St Helens National Volcanic Monument. Very few of us however think of the Hanford Reach National Monument. Created by President Clinton in 2000 by using the Antiquities Act of 1906 (the same law that President Teddy Roosevelt used to establish Olympic National Monument -later changed to park by his cousin President Franklin Roosevelt), the Hanford Reach is one of the most stunning and ecologically important places within the state. Aside from harboring the last large free flowing non-tidal stretch of the Columbia River, the monument teems with wildlife and spectacular beauty.

Here elk, coyote and eagles flourish. White pelicans and avocets too. All told there are 43 species of fish, 42 species of mammals, 258 bird species, 4 amphibian species, 11 reptile species and over 1,500 invertebrate species including many found nowhere else in the world.  And the reach contains scores of flowering plants, too. Quite remarkable when you consider that the Hanford Reach consists of some of the driest and hottest landscapes in the Columbia Basin. And it is some of the finest shrub-steppe habitat remaining in Washington state.

I finally had the opportunity to hike there. The place is stunning. I will be back--the place is large with over 57,000 acres open to the public. Information on hiking in the area is scarce. But, no worries as the Hanford Reach will be included in my upcoming Day Hiking Eastern Washington book. In the meanwhile, try not to wait for the book to start exploring there!

 

Discovering Eastern Washington

With near record snowpacks this spring throughout most of Western Washington, other than the fact that you'll need to take out a second mortgage to put gas in your tank--this is the perfect time to discover Eastern Washington. Don't be fooled into thinking there is nothing worth hiking east of the Cascades. Surely, if your cross Washington travels have consisted of nothing other than I-90 crossings, I can see how you hold onto this incorrect notion. But veer northeast and southeast and you'll find plenty of mountainous terrain-and trails-and surprises-and even a few wilderness areas. Heck, even on the Columbia Plateau in the channeled scablands north and south of boring I-90 you'll find delightful places to walk with nature. Between promoting my latest books and training for my first 50 Mile Trail Run, I am busy researching trails and wild places for my next book, Day Hiking Eastern Washington. I always love heading over the passes. I admire Eastern Washington's wide open spaces, incredible biological diversity, sunshine, and friendly people. So, bite the bullet and fill up the gas tank and head east of the mountains this spring. The sunshine alone is worth the effort. It will be some time before the snow melts in the Cascades. Meanwhile, there are lots of untrammeled trails awaiting your boots in the wild corners of Washington's big empty!

(Photo-Palouse Canyon, Palouse Falls State Park)

Solitude and Serenity flow from the Kettles

In a state bursting with so much spectacular alpine scenery, it would seem hard to pinpoint my absolute favorite area. And it is. I have hiked Washington State quite thoroughly in the past two decades. From the soggy saturated Olympic Coast to the sun-kissed canyon country of the Blue Mountains—and everything in between. I love the teeming with wildlife Olympic Mountains; the icy cloud piercing jagged crags of the North Cascades; the sprawling flower carpeted alpine meadows of the Central Cascades; the glittering lakes of the Snoqualmie Region; the in your face superlative nature of Mount Rainer; the volcanic country of the South Cascades; the waterfalls and basalt walls of the Columbia River Gorge; the swaying grasses and basalt canyons of the Columbia Plateau; the emerald ridges harboring grizzlies and caribou of the Selkirks; and the lonely sun baked Blue Mountains.

And then there are the Kettles—which may very well be my favorite place in the state. Why? They are not the highest, most rugged mountains in the state. And they’re certainly not the subject of countless calendars and placemats either. What is it then about the Kettles that lure me to them over and over again? There is simply nothing else like them anywhere. When I hike these old rounded gentle giants, I feel like I am hiking in the Appalachians—but without the crowded eastern seaboard nearby. And when I look out at the golden rangelands and rolling empty hills below I feel like I am in the foothills of the northern Rockies, not the Pacific Northwest. And when I walk along the Kettles’ empty trails, I feel like I am in northeastern British Columbia—far removed from the burgeoning urban centers of the West Coast.

I share these mountains with wolves, lynx, the occasional grizzly and the spirits of hardscrabble miners, prospectors, trappers, and First Peoples. I feel the hand of Providence here as only a divine being could be responsible for making this place so perfect. And I fear the power of man here, for only man can denigrate this place—if he chooses to—or preserve it and cherish it and seek it for rejuvenation and celebration if wisdom and stewardship prevail. I love the Kettles and have devoted a good part of my life as a writer to help protect this vestige of the past.

I invite you to walk among these mountains leaving your preconceptions behind. Here, you won’t have a two mile high glacial clad peak bringing you to your knees. But you will have a soft breeze whisk through you touching your heart and alerting your senses to an incredible natural world that remarkably still exists despite the advancement of civilization on practically every other corner of the world. These mountains are gentle and inviting but among the wildest places left in America. In the Kettles I seek rejuvenation and reflection, guidance and redemption. If you have never stepped foot in this wild and enchanting area, I urge you to do so. And if the Kettles touch your heart and tug at your soul, I invite you to join me and many others working to make sure this place remains wild and special forever. For more on the movement to protect the Kettles visit Columbia Highlands.org. For more information on exploring the Kettles check out my book on the Columbia Highlands. And at anytime you want to talk about the Kettles, I’m always interested in what you have to say.

Go East Middle Aged Man!

Well with the Columbia River Gorge and Backpacking books now behind me, it's time to focus on Day Hiking Eastern Washington. I am excited to be working on this book for so many reasons. First and foremost is that it is going to be so much easier to work on than my last two projects. I just completed 2 complete manuscripts in which I hiked over 2,000 miles- did all my own photography and mapping. Now I am working with a co-author, Rich Landers, and we are splitting the tasks of researching, photographing, mapping and writing. So my work load goes from toiling over 2 books to now working on a 1/2 book-that means I am only working at 25% of my previous capacity! Now, normally working below your capacity is nothing to celebrate about -but boy do I need a break right now after working on my hardest project to date. So. it's off to Eastern Washington for me for the next several months. I'll be researching trails in the Kettle River Range, Columbia Plateau and Okanogan Highlands. What's really cool is that this was the area that I originally proposed doing a book on many years ago. I have finally gotten my wish-and I get to revisit so many of favorite places and scope out lots of new places too. And though I have written about Mount Rainier, the North Cascades, the Olympic Peninsula, and the Columbia River Gorge-places of incredible beauty-I find that the northeastern part of the state is one of the most beautiful places in Washington too. I hope you will as well when you pick up this great book. Okay, I have work to do! Happy hiking!

(Photo-looking northwest from Sherman Peak in the Kettles)

Around the Chiwaukums in a Day

This past Wednesday marked yet another 20-plus mile day hike I have engaged in this season. In fact, at 24.5 miles--it was my longest day hike of the year. Why so many miles in so little time? Why, I must admit that I do enjoy the challenge and I am doing all that I can to stay fit as I slide into a major milestone next year (Gasp, will I really be turning 50!?)--but the main reason for the serious hiking is that my Backpacking Washington book deadline is moving in on me! A two year project encompassing 70 hikes ranging from 15 to 50 miles (most in the 18 to 35 mile range) from around the state--this project has been my toughest and most challenging writing project ever. It would have been hard enough completing this work just alone on the magnitude of the hikes and the geographical range of them-but then add in all of the foreseen and unforeseen obstacles that can slow me down-actually frustrate my progress. Things like incessant rains, lingering snow packs, washed out roads, forest fires, unmaintained trails, other nagging deadlines and just plain being wiped out!! So here I am with 5 weeks left to finish Backpacking Washington. I have 61 of the 70 hikes completed and 50,000 words of the 75,000 word manuscript written. This all coming off of just completing (and now editing) my Day Hiking Columbia River Gorge Book. It has been one heck of a hiking season for me-and it will indeed be a record year for mileage. Of course there is no resting once this project is complete, for Day Hiking Eastern Washington is due next summer! By the time I turn 50 next spring I should be in pretty damn good shape-or totally wiped out!!! Hope you enjoy the books when they come out-I've worked hard to get them to you!

(photo- 24.5 miles is easier to handle with hiking partners, Don and Barbara-two hiking machines!)

Drop and Cover!

It's that time of year again when its easy to pass the buck when taking to the trails. Upon recently hiking Clackamas Mountain in Eastern Washington's Columbia Highlands, hiking partner Aaron and I fawned over this little guy lying in the grass. Yep-the buck stopped here! Not wanting to stress the little guy, I hastily snapped a few photos and we moved on. Mama was waiting nearby and as soon as we left, the little guy would be treated to some welcomed doe! Okay-I'm finished with the horrible puns my deer friends.

Ski-do's and don'ts of winter recreation

All it takes is a bonehead or two to ruin it for everyone and give the larger behaved group a bad reputation, thanks to the scofflaws. Apparently that is what is happening in regards to snowmobilers in northeast Washington's Colville National Forest. With gazillions of acres and miles of forest roads that these winter recreationists have legal access to, wouldn't you know that a few just had to break tracks on forbidden fruit. So, now the Forest Service is close to closing a main access area to them because too many renegade riders have encroached into endangered mountain caribou territory. The Selkirk herd of caribou represent the last herd of caribou in the lower 48. They rank among the most endangered species in the country and they deserve to be protected and allowed to reproduce without some moron buzzing by to disturb them. The current population hovering in the high 40s is recovering-but-slowly and it will take some time if the herd is to fully recover to a viable population. Once caribou roamed all across the northern states from Maine to Washington. Today the Selkirk herd on the Washington-Idaho border is all that remain of these beautiful and elegant animals south of the Canadian border. Responsible snowmobilers, this will make it all the more important for you to self police and make sure that the ding-a-lings out there don't cause more restrictions for you. And of course this is true for all trail users-be it hikers, mountain bikers, dirt bikers, dog-owners etc. Let's not blow it-most land management rules are reasonable and need to be adhered. Enjoy our public lands but enjoy them responsibly.

(Picture-Salmo-Priest Wilderness Oct 2008)