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Wild Olympics, p.7 Signature Projects, p.12 Conditioning Secrets, p.36 WASHINGTON TRAILS May + June 2011 » A Publication of Washington Trails Association www.wta.org » $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? This Month’s Cover » Spray Park, Mount Rainier National Park. Photo by Don Geyer. » Table of Contents May+June 2011 Volume 47, Issue 3 News + Views Backcountry Front Desk » Craig McKibben The Gear Closet » What was your first hike?» p.4 Cheri Higman Five approaches to backcountry The Signpost » Lace Thornberg 7 dining.» p.33 Kids these days.» p.5 How to Do It » John Colver Have a long, arduous climb Trail Talk » Susan Elderkin planned for this summer? Expert A chat with guidebook author Craig tips to get you in shape.» p.36 Romano.» p.6 Trail Eats » Sarah Kirkconnell Hiking News » Picks for a pretty picnic.» A push for wilderness in the Olympics, and p.38 Badger Mountain turns five.» p.7 Sage Advice » Adam Scroggins Lessons on how to take kids hiking WTA at Work and camping.» p.39 Trail Work » Mike Stenger We think all of our trail work projects are Take a Hike special. But we’ve picked our top 10 espe- Day Hikes and Overnights » cially special projects anyway.» p.12 Our readers suggest the best hikes Action for Trails » Jonathan Guzzo, across the state.» p.42 Ryan Ojerio The International Hiker » Why we can’t say RIP to RTP.» p.16 Angella Wieben, Jaime Weber Trail funding at risk (yes, again).» p.17 Ireland, anyone?» p.48 Membership News » Rebecca Lavigne A Walk on the Wild Side » A look at the projects that WTA’s Greg Ball Paul Owen Trail Fund will support this summer.» p.18 Soy-nut butter crackers fuel a father-son journey to Camp Muir.» Youth and Families » Krista Dooley p.50 You should read this piece only if you want 12 Featured Landscape » to have the best summer ever.» p.20 Craig Romano Take a look around Leadbetter On Trail Point State Park.» p.51 Northwest Explorer » Eli Boschetto Behold ‘The Mountain’ on five exceptional backpacking trips.» p.21 33 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 Find WTA online at A contemplative coastal hike.» p.30 www.wta.org. © 2011 Washington Trails Association May + June 2011 » Washington Trails About Us « 3 WASHINGTON TRAILS WTA Highlights » A few snapshots we just had to share, all Board of Directors from the same weekend in late March. President ROB SHURTLEFF, Seattle 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 March 24: WTA board member Wendy TODD DUNFIELD, Spokane Wheeler-Jacobs and WTA membership TIM GOULD, Seattle manager Kara Chin cozy up at WTA’s WENDY WHEELER JACOBS, Sammamish annual Fireside Circle celebration, an event RICHARD JOHNSON, Sammamish sponsored by Green Trails Maps. 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 March 25: Skagit Land Trust awards Field Director ALAN CARTER MORTIMER WTA, Guemes Mountain project leaders Membership Manager KARA CHIN Pete Dewell, Arlen Bogaards, Alan Carter NW Washington Crew Leader ARLEN BOGAARDS Mortimer and all Guemes Mountain trail Office Manager HOLLY CHAMBERS volunteers with a Stewardship Volunteer Engagement Manager KINDRA RAMOS Award in recognition of their exceptional Project Coordinator TIM VAN BEEK dedication and professionalism while building Program Development Manager DIANE BEDELL the new trail to the Trust’s Guemes Mountain SW Washington Regional Coordinator RYAN OJERIO Conservation Area. Trail Program Director MIKE STENGER Volunteer Coordinator ALYSSA KREIDER Web Editor SUSAN ELDERKIN Youth Programs Manager KRISTA DOOLEY Youth Programs Specialist CHRIS WALL 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 1534-6366) is published bimonthly by the Washington Trails Association, 705 Second Ave, Suite 300, Seattle, WA 98104. Annual mem- bership dues, which include a subscription to Washington Trails magazine, are March 26: A hearty crew from the Korean $40. Single copy price is $4.50. Periodicals postage paid at Seattle, WA and at Mountaineers Club volunteer with WTA at additional mailing locations. POSTMASTER: Send address changes to: Wash- Evans Creek Preserve. ington Trails Association, 705 Second Ave., Suite 300, Seattle, WA 98121. 4 May + June 2011 » Washington Trails News+Views The Front Desk » First Hikes If you are trying to get to know another From Mowich Lake, we followed the abandoned hiker, there may be no better conversation Knapsack Pass Trail to Mist Park, where we starter than “What was your first hike?” spent the night. Coming back by way of Spray Park, we saw a million wildflowers. People really open up to this question. They will tell you not just where they went but who While there is nothing unusual about starting they went with, what happened and what they hiking with your family, what did impress me saw. And how they talk about something that’s about the survey results was that nearly 30 per- meaningful to them will help you get to know cent took their first hike with friends as young them better. adults. My hats off to these folks. As a kid you have no choice but to go where the adults want WTA recently launched a highly unscientific to take you, but as an adult, a first hike could be poll on our Facebook page, asking people for way outside your comfort zone. details of their first hike. In 54 responses, we saw a wide variety of experiences. So what conclusion do I draw from this? We should all put in a little extra effort to intro- Not surprisingly, at least 50 percent of our re- duce new hikers to the outdoors—not only our spondents started hiking when they were young nieces and nephews, but also our friends and and went with a family member. Many of these co-workers, anyone else we can cajole into tak- folks started so young that they can’t really ing a walk. Make sure that introductory hike is remember their first hike. Not only parents but a good one, so that when someone asks them, also grandparents, uncles and aunts led these “What was your first hike?” they’ll have a story early formative trips. As one of our respondents to tell. said, “Take ‘em out young and let ’em whine, and they’ll be hikers for life.” See you out there with a neophyte, 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 Craig the morning, the prunes were so plump and deli- cious that I even ate some oatmeal with them. To read about our members’ first McKibben hikes, head to www.facebook. Acting Executive Years later, but before my own children ar- Director rived, I completed the circle. I took my nephews, com/washingtontrails. [email protected] Nate and Eli, for an overnight at Mount Rainier. May + June 2011 » Washington Trails News+Views « 5 The Signpost » News+Views Take a Time Out, Outside Doug Diekemma “Kids should spend more time inside.” But, yes, we have plenty of stories for you adults, too, no matter how long it has been Can you guess who said that? Was it A) the since you saw grade school. American Pediatric Association, B) President Barack Obama, C) Governor Gregoire or D) Eli Boschetto’s article about backpacking none of the above? in Mount Rainier National Park ought to help you fend off any Nature Deficit Disorder that If you picked “D.) none of the above,” you are might have crept in over the winter. I dare you right, as quite the opposite is true. “Go play to read it and not to dream of spending night outside!” has become a rallying cry since the after night camped out along the Wonderland concept of reconnecting children with the out- Trail. doors was pushed to the forefront in 2005 by Richard Louv’s book Last Child in the Woods. While we often think of the wilderness as a rough place that provides challenge and adven- In this issue, we offer up a fair bit of family- ture, John D’Onofrio paints a different picture friendly fodder. School will soon be out for the in “Days and Nights by the Sea,” as he offers summer and Mother’s Day (May 8) and Father’s a vivid portrait of a few luxurious days whiled Day (June 19) are just around the corner. The away. A wild landscape presents us with an time is ripe for family adventures outdoors. opportunity to put nothing on the agenda, to set out with “no destination, no hurry,” as he In Krista Dooley’s article, you’ll find a says.