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)

I Should Have Been A Rock Star

Here I am busy busting my hump training to complete a 50 Mile Trail Run and hoping to raise $10,000 for the Washington Trails Association in the process—and I have rounded up $2,000 so far! But check this out—Pearl Jam’s Eddie Vedder donates an autographed ukulele to the Ferry County Rail Trail Partners and he ends up raising over $17,000 for them! I mean what the heck!!!!? I am running 50 freaking miles!!!! What did Vedder do? He cleaned out his closet!!! You know the song—money for nothing and your chicks for free!!

But seriously—good for the Ferry County Rail Trail Partners! That’s excellent news for this trail in progress. That $17,000 will go a long way in making that trail a reality. And good for Eddie Vedder too—he has been a real partner in helping some of Washington’s special places. And how did Eddie Vedder get involved with a 30 mile trail in one of the remotest sections of Washington State? You can thank Bob Whittaker, President of Ferry County Rail Trail Partners for that—he has quite a few rock n roll buddies to call on!

So hey, Bob and Eddie—how about sponsoring me in my 50 for 50 campaign to raise $10,000 for the Washington Trails Association!?! I’ll even hum a few Pearl Jam songs while training this week to make my 50 mile run become a reality. In the meanwhile—while I wait for Eddie to respond, you can make a donation to my cause. Just click here and make your donation. Donate $20 or more and I’ll give you a special series Green Trails Map. Donate $40 or more and I’ll give you a map and you become a member of the Washington Trails Association (WTA)—an organization dedicated to maintaining and protecting our precious trails—in Ferry County and throughout Washington State!!

(photo-Eddie and the $17,100 Ukulele-photo by Bob Whittaker)

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!

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)

Who wants to take

Cathy McMorris Rodgers

for a Hike?

This in from yesterdays Seattle Times:

Murray, Reichert take a hike with reporters
MIKE SIEGEL / THE SEATTLE TIMES
Archive More land sought for Alpine Lakes Wilderness
U.S. Sen. Patty Murray, and U.S. Rep. Dave Reichert, R-8th take a hike with reporters and supporters in Three Forks Park near the Middle Fork and North Fork of the Snoqualmie River to talk up their bill Friday, granting Wild and Scenic River protection for the Pratt and Middle Fork Snoqualmie Rivers. The bill, introduced March 27, also would include wilderness protection for an additional 22,000 acres in the Alpine Lakes region.

That's great - bi-partisan support for wilderness. But how about actually getting Reichert and Murray into real wilderness and not some suburban park on the outskirts of North Bend? Be a real hiker and wilderness advocate like Peter DeFazio of Oregon. And how about taking Cathy McMorris-Rodgers for a hike along the Kettle Crest. Show her what wilderness looks like and show her what needs to be protected. C'mon Cathy, how about being a Republican in the traditional sense- like Teddy Roosevelt-Dan Evans-Richard Nixon-Judd Gregg, Silvio Conte, and Thomas Pelly?

I'll gladly take you on a hike here! Just shoot me an email. I'd love to show you why this place deserves to be wilderness. And I'd love to tell you why a good conservative believes in conservation. I'll be waiting by the computer for your response. I'll even bring along lunch for our hike-you like Tapenade and Foccacia?

(photo- Alan Bauer taking in the views from Wapaloosie Mountain in the Kettle River Range)

ORVs Told to Take A Hike in Ferry County! Good news for lovers of sanity, tranquility and environmentally-sensitive modes of recreation, the Ferry County Commissioners were handed an injunction for their cockamamie ordinance that would have converted miles of roads (and probably trails too) into ORV raceways. The good folks at the Quiet Communities Coalition were responsible for stopping this madness from happening. But we can not rest on our laurels, for the wacky wheelies will be back. Stay tuned.

Read the release below on the good news and visit The Quiet Communities Coalition for more information on the coalition and the Ferry County Rail Trail for more information on what could become one of the biggest and best non-motorized rail trails in Washington State.

Ferry County Permanently Prohibited from Implementing Off Highway Vehicle Ordinance

On November 20, 2008 Superior Court Judge, Michael P. Price signed and entered a stipulated order granting a permanent injunction in the case between Quiet Communities Coalition and Ferry County Commissioners.
The Order provides that:
1. Ferry County Ordinance 2007-22 and Ferry County Ordinance No. 2008-06 violate RCW Ch. 46.09, as at least some of the roads and road segments designated for off-road vehicle or off-highway vehicle use in those Ordinances fail to create direct connections between off-road vehicle recreation areas and cities of less than 3,000 people.
2. Ferry County must conduct an Environmental Impact Statement before enacting a new OHV ordinance.
3. Ferry County is permanently prohibited from implementing Ferry County Ordinance 2007-22 and Ferry County Ordinance No. 2008-06.
4. The Court retains jurisdiction over continuing disputes that may arise between the parties regarding Ferry County’s efforts, if any, to enact and implement ordinances that purport to permit off-road vehicle use or off-highway vehicle use within Ferry County.
Ordinance 2007-22 was enacted in December 2007 to authorize use of Off Highway Vehicles on 54 Ferry County roads. Quiet Communities Coalition challenged the ordinance with a legal complaint based on non-conformance with RCW Ch. 46.09 and failure to comply with the State Environmental Policy Act.
The Commissioners then attempted to correct their errors by enacting a replacement Ordinance, OHV Ordinance 2008-06, in June 2008, on the same day of the Court hearing to challenge the first ordinance. After oral argument, the Court issued a temporary injunction preventing either ordinance from going into effect.
Quiet Communities Coalition is pleased that this court order represents a complete victory on both its claims. QCC will continue to closely monitor Ferry County’s efforts to enact any new OHV ordinance.

(photo- Golden Tiger Rail Trail in Republic, Ferry County, WA)