2 Mount Baker Experience • Winter/Spring 2011

LYNDEN 354-1446

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Mount Baker Experience • Winter/Spring 2011 3

Welcome to the Mount Baker Experience, the quarterly recreation guide for and about the Mt. Baker area, pub-lished by Point Roberts Press, Inc. Locally owned and operated, the company also publishes The Northern Light, AllPoint Bulletin, Pacific Coast Weddings and Waterside in Blaine, Washington. Point Roberts Press is a member of theWashington Newspaper Publishers Association, chambers of commerce in Whatcom County and the Bellingham/Mt.Baker Convention and Visitors Bureau.

The opinions expressed by contributors are their own and are offered for the general interest of readers. We wel-come your letters; however, the opinions expressed are not necessarily those of the editor. For circulation and rateinformation, or to send your letters, please address to: Mount Baker Experience, 225 Marine Drive, Blaine, WA 98230,fax them to 360/332-2777 or email info@mountbakerexperience.com.

Address: 225 Marine Drive, Blaine, WA 98230Tel: 360/332-1777, Fax: 360/332-2777Email: info@mountbakerexperience.comWeb: www.mountbakerexperience.comNext edition: June Ads due: May 15Publisher/Managing Editor/LayoutPatrick GrubbAssociate Publisher/Advertising ManagerLouise MugarAd & Cover Design Charlie HaganStaff Writers Tara Nelson, Jeremy Schwartz, Advertising Sales Molly Ernst, Janet McCall Office Manager Heidi Holmes

XMOUNT BAKER

e periencePrinted in Canada Vol XXV No. 2

This is where

www.mountbakerexperience.com: Read the current issue of Mount Baker Experience here, and find all the archives as well. www.mtbaker.us: Find the latest information about the Mt. Baker Ski Area, including snow reports, events and classes.www.mtbakerchamber.org, www.glacierchamber.org: Discover the area’s businesses. www.weather.com: Get all the weather you need.www.wsdot.wa.gov/regions/northwest/traffic/bordercams: Need to know about border delays? Find out here.

find it online

contents4 Heavenly Heli-skiing

Grab some friends and jump in the chopper. You’regoing heli-skiing.

6 Why locomotives aren’t redHe was doing good in the first Mt. Baker marathonuntil his train hit the bull.

9 2011 LBSPhotos & Results of this year’s Legendary BankedSlalom.

11 Getting ready!Where do you go to get in shape for a new season ofrock climbing? The wall at the Y, of course.

12 Beautiful riversThe rivers of western Washington offer some of thebest fly fishing anywhere.

16 Grabbing the Larrabee lineFollow Sam Lozier as he and a friend grabs the bestline of the year.

20 American Alps ProjectSome pretty committed people are intent on ex-panding the national park.

27 Regional Map

it all HAPPENS...

On the cover:Heli-skiing in the North Cascades backcountry, by Grant Gunderson

www.facebook.com/MountBakerExperience

Ben Williamson by Rylan Schoen

s Lynsey Dyer, skiing the “American Alps.”

4 Mount Baker Experience • Winter/Spring 2011

Patiently waiting in Mazama,Washington, just north of the Bavar-ian village of Leavenworth and slight-ly west of Winthrop’s cowboy hatsand hitching posts, we hear the faintthump-thump-thump of helicop-ter blades.

The skies are blue and it hasn’tsnowed in days. But photos of thenearby Liberty Bell and CutthroatPeak line the walls of the heli-barn,as well as autographed photos ofwell-known skiers immersed inNorth Cascade blower, reminding

us why we are here: to find powder. Ski photographer Grant Gun-

derson, professional skiers ZackGiffin and Lynsey Dyer, and myself,are sitting in the North CascadesHeli-Skiing barn. And we’re aboutto embark on three days of heli-accessed skiing in eastern Wash-ington’s so-called “American Alps.”

During the winter, access to thegrandeur of the mountains that aresprinkled along Washington’s High-way 20 in the North Cascades isextensive. Due to the plethora ofavalanche paths along the thor-

oughfare, the road is closed for thewinter, usually from November toApril. But the terrain can still beskied, accessed either by walking,snowmobiling, or helicopter. Wehave chosen to fly, which brings usto our only option – North CascadesHeli. Skiers and visitors must crossthe Cascade Range using southernhighways, such as Steven’s Pass StateRoute 2, or come from the east, toarrive at North Cascade Heli’s300,000-acre permit area in theOkanogan-Wenatchee National For-est. Five hours from Seattle and

Heli-skiing the

‘American Alps’

Story by Molly Baker Photos by Grant Gunderson

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three and a half from Spokane, aquiet and secluded atmosphereinfuses this Methow Valley loca-tion. Well, except for the sound ofthe chopper.

After our safety debriefing, it istime to complete the heli-skiingwalk of extravagance: skis held lowat our sides, crouched beneath theomnipotent blades of the Astar B3,and eyes in search of powder. It feelsas if we are filming for a Hollywoodaction blockbuster. The noise ofthe helicopter provides an impres-sion of importance. Each of usmakes a deliberate move into thehelicopter and nods to one of themost illustrious pilots in the skiindustry, Seamus O’Daimhin, ourcaptain for the next few days.

Landing on ridges as high as 9,000feet with the potential for 4,000 ver-tical foot runs, we leisurely studythe mountains and then ski the lineswe pick.

We have plenty of opportunitiesto embolden the experience withour own legs. Seven runs per daywith three days in the heli, equals21 runs, most of which are at a min-imum 1,500 feet long. You do themath. Put simply, three days justequals tired legs. The runs vary fromsteep to mellow, but all are coveredwith a dusting of light and feath-ery Utah snow. Not the weighty,white stuff you typically find in theCascades.

Our first run, I watch Lynsey com-pleting long, flawless turns, direct-ly in front of a massive monolithof rock, her white spray illuminat-ed by the sun. She quickly disap-pears toward the black speck parkedat the bottom of the run. Grant,Zack, and I follow shortly behind.We successfully avoid any crevass-es or tracks. The full three days wedon’t find any clues that other skiersare enjoying the same powder turns.It feels like we have the entire moun-tain range on reserve.

Our guide Ken Brooks, part own-er of the operation, calmly directsus to the other zones we are allowedto enter. His tranquility is befud-dling. Aren’t guides supposed toimpose rules? Surprisingly, thereisn’t much terrain that is off-lim-

its. Although snow hasn’t fallen indays, we find protected slopes onnorth facing aspects and claim someof our best days of the season. Thisis what ski dreams are made of –powder plundering and one zany,but highly competent helicopterpilot.

Short, stout, and always wearingsome perfect Irish guise, it’s as if acut out from a Lucky Charms boxis piloting the helicopter. The exhil-aration of f lying with Seamusarguably trumps any run on yourskis. There are certain sensationsthat human power just can’t pro-duce.

O’Daimhin started flying heli-copters in 1968 and since then hasaccumulated over 14,000 hours offlight time throughout peaks inAlaska and Washington. O’Daim-hin’s flying began during the Viet-nam War, a reality that makes zoom-ing through spires and dipping intomountainous valleys seem safe. ForO’Daimhin, flying is straightfor-ward, sans a salvo. Many profes-sional skiers of the last two decadeshave sat quietly behind this lep-rechaun-of-a-pilot, dealing with thestresses and strains of g-forcespulling at their facial expressions,melting their smiles like wax intofrowns. We are no exception.

Standing in the midst of theNorth Cascades’ peaks we imme-diately forget the ride. Washing-ton’s mountains remain the mostglaciated range (not to mentionoffer a variety of volcanoes) in thelower 48. More remote and ruggedski missions exist here than in anyother range of mountains in Col-orado, Utah, Montana and Wyomingcombined.

We ski popular runs, such as Sil-ver Star glacier, and find our ownroutes back to the heli. Zack Gif-fin, known at the Mt. Baker ski areafor his wild ski antics, throws a 60-foot backflip, Grant shoots a fewideal powder turns, and a person-al revelation becomes lucid: heli-skiing in my backyard could be asgood as it gets. I don’t have to spendall my money on a trip to Alaska –or the Alps. In the lower 48, we’vegot the North Cascades.

Where: 15 miles northwest ofWinthrop on State Route 20, justoutside of Mazama. Driving times:Seattle (5 hrs); Spokane (3.5);Portland (8); Vancouver, B.C. (5).What: Three and one day heli-ski-ing programs within NCH’s300,000-acre permit area in theOkanogan-Wenatchee NationalForest. NCH guarantees seven runsper flying day. Additional runs canbe purchased for $75 per person.When: Mid-January to mid-March.Cost: The three-day program isavailable Monday through Wednes-day or Friday through Sunday for$2,499 with 21 runs guaranteed.The one-day option can be booked

for dates when there is spaceavailable, any day of the seasonfor $899.Lodging: The Freestone Inn offersrooms, cabins, and private lodges.NCH skiers are offered a specialrate, so let the office know whenyou book your heli-time.Contact: www.heli-ski.com/blog/or 800/494-HELILocal Flavor: Check out TheMazama store for local cider,wines, and baked goodies. Openduring the winter from 7 a.m. to 6p.m., it is a visitor’s best bet forregional treats. Contact 509/996-2855 for moreinformation.

North Cascades Heli-ski

s Molly Baker going off the deep end.

Zack Giffin, left, taking it steep; above, checking the routes.

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The first participants in what hasbecome the Ski to Sea Race wouldhave to run through the woods sur-rounding Mt. Baker up to its sum-mit in little more than under shirts,shorts and leather boots. Then theywould have to turn around, rundown the mountain and make theirway to Bellingham. This was rac-ing for the men who ran the Mt.Baker Marathons from 1911 to 1913.

The marathons were the ances-tors to the modern Ski to Sea relayrace that goes from Mt. Bakerthrough the foothills by trail and

river down to Bellingham Bay. To commemorate the 100th

anniversary of the original adven-ture races, documentary filmmak-er Todd Warger is finishing up adocudrama called “The MountainRunners,” set for release in the fall.Through interviews with modernendurance athletes, archival footageand period reenactments, Wargertells the story of the men who bravedwind, snow and train wrecks in orderto help put the small town of Belling-ham on the map.

Warger started work on the filmin 2009, after spending about eightmonths researching a yet-to-be-

published book he’s writing on thesame topic. He said each piece ofthe complex story behind themarathons just made him want todig deeper and deeper.

“It’s like a giant jigsaw puzzle,”Warger said. “What we knew beforewas just the tip of the iceberg.”

No One with Any Sanity WouldDo What They Did

The idea of the marathons start-ed with the Mt. Baker Club. Themembers wanted an event to increasetourism and publicity about themountain. They thought Mt. Bak-er should share the success the Mt.

Rainier area had enjoyed after themountain was included in a nation-al park.

The marathon routes were bornout of a friendly competitionbetween the towns of Deming andGlacier over which town’s trail tothe summit of Mt. Baker was thequickest. The Deming trail was 32miles round trip with a gradualincline, while the Glacier trail was28 miles round trip and steeper.The ride to the trailheads, either bytrain or car, took about an hour.

The runners in the first race,about 15 in all, had the choice ofwhich trail they would take to the

summit of the mountain. Thoughone trail was less steep than the oth-er, they each subjected the runnersto about 10,500 feet of elevationgain in just more than 17 miles.

“No one with any sanity woulddo what they did,” Warger said.

The runners ran the majority ofthe race in near total darkness, withno more than candles placed alongthe trail during the first marathonin 1911 to light the way. The organ-izers of the 1912 and 1913 racesthought enough of the runners toequip them with flashlights, Warg-er noted.

The race had to begin at aboutone in the morning so the runnerscould get to the mountain beforethe sun rose, Warger said. As dan-gerous as running around on Bak-er’s glaciers was, doing so after thesun had softened them could haveproved deadly.

Joe Galbraith was the winner ofthe first race with a time of about12 hours, including the drive fromBellingham to the trailhead, thoughHarvey Haggard was the first run-ner off the mountain with a time40 minutes faster than Galbraith’s.

While Haggard was enjoying arelaxing nude soak on the train backto Bellingham, the train smackedinto a 1,500-pound bull and derailed.Haggard was shaken but uninjured.He got dressed and hopped on a

By Jeremy Schwartz

When men were men and bulls weren’t to be trifled with...

s The aftermath of a 1911 meeting of a train and bull.

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Mount Baker Experience • Winter/Spring 2011 7

passing horse-drawn buggy backto Bellingham. The meat from thebull was later enjoyed as part of theafter-marathon barbecue.

By the second year, the race hadgarnered national attention. TheNew York Times ran an articledescribing the runners as battlingblizzards and death to run up a10,000-foot mountain peak. MostNew Yorkers at the time probablyhadn’t even seen such a mountain,much less been on one, Warger said.

With a little more than a day untilthe start of the 1912 marathon, therace’s judges, who had spent thenight on the mountain, made theirway down to Bellingham intent ontelling the organizers the race couldnot happen because of the blizzardconditions on Mt. Baker, Wargerexplained. They convinced Galbraithto come down to Bellingham withthem to make their case.

Local pharmacy owner HenryEngberg was enraged. He was notconvinced by the judges and wasfurious they would even talk aboutcanceling the race. Almost 20,000people had shown up for the event,including the governor.

Engberg told the judges in nouncertain terms that they were tohead back up the mountain and sitthere a week if they had to until therunners came up. He also told therunners they had to run the race,whether they wanted to or not.

“That set the tone for the lastyear,” Warger said. “It was no longerfun and games.”

The 1913 race was the last Mt.Baker Marathon, until the Ski toSea race started up in 1973. Duringthe final race, runner Vic Galbraithslipped and fell into a crevasse after

taking a shortcut only he knew downone of Baker’s glaciers. He was res-cued six hours later, quite shakenbut not much worse for wear.

John Magnuson, father of MountBaker Experience founder Al Mag-nuson, shared the 1913 victory withFinnish runner Paul Westerlund,who finished the race in 7 hours,30 minutes. Magnuson was notinformed that the 1913 race wentonly to the saddle of Mt. Baker, notthe peak. He most likely would havewon had he not taken the longerroute, and was allowed to share thevictory and the $800 prize pursewith Westerlund, Warger said.

The Human Link

From the beginning of film pro-duction, Warger felt he needed totalk to modern day endurance ath-letes, such as 100-mile marathonrunner and Washington native Kris-sy Moehl, to get a sense of what themountain runners had to gothrough. If climbing Mt. Bakerseems tough with proper gear, imag-ine doing so in little more than workout clothes, Warger said.

There were no professional ath-letes in any of the three originalmarathons, Warger explained. Therunners were loggers, miners, post-men and bedspring makers andcompeted in the race for fame andthe prize money.

“To the modern athletes thesepeople are the pioneer gods of theirsport,” Warger said.

Warger said the most well knownaccounts of the races are similarbecause they are all pulled from thesame newspaper article, which ranon a Saturday after the race. Warg-er went further. For example, he

looked up the incident report fromBellingham Bay Improvement Com-pany, the company that owned thetrain that derailed the first year.From it, he was able to gather a largeamount of details and full names.

While he’s confident this is Amer-ica’s first big endurance race, Warg-er said his film might bring storiesof other little known races out ofthe woodwork. Just as few peopleknew about the Mt. Bakermarathons, there could be othersjust waiting to be discovered.

For more information on “TheMountain Runners,” visit www.the-mountainrunners.com. For moreinformation on the modern Ski torace, visit www.skitosea.com.

s Paul Westerlund, in the 1913 homestretch.

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I was born 27years ago in ElPaso, raised inChicago, and I’vebeen living inWashington forthe last 10 years,Glacier for fiveyears.

I’ve always felt a pull to the moun-tains and I’ve been snowboarding,mountain biking and kayaking inthe foothills for the last eight years.I am a certified wild mushroom for-ager. I attended the College ofForestry at UW, and received a degreein Environmental Science andResource Management. I work as ariver raft guide and photographerfor Wild and Scenic River Tours inthe summers; I own a graphic/webdesign company called Dead HorseDesign, and co-own the Mt. BakerMushroom Farm. I am working tofoster a more sustainable culture.

Ryan Ducloshas been a pro-fessional pho-tographer since1998. Picking upthe camera camenaturally andsoon he learnedwhy. His ances-

tors were the largest-known fami-ly of photographers in the world,from 1839 to 1936, thus he is hon-ored to be living the dream that theyonce had, of owning a photogra-phy studio. When he isn’t behindthe lens of a camera, Ryan can befound shredding the slopes at Mt.Baker, BBQing in the backyard withfriends and or enjoying a beautifulsunset on Puget Sound.

Jay is an inter-nationally pub-lished and award-winning photo-grapher andwriter. His clientshave includedFortune 500 com-panies, trade pub-

lications, national and internationalmagazines and books.

To view more of his work visithim on the web at www.jay-goodrich.com, jaygoodrich-blog.com, jaygoodrich-stock.com.

Writer andprofessional ski-er Molly Bakershreds the snowywonderlands inthe Pacific North-west and skis forsome of theindustry’s bestaction photogra-

phers. She also contributes to ESPNFreeskiing, The Ski Journal,Women's Adventure, and SkiingMagazine. Her blog is http://mol-lykbaker.wordpress.com/

Tyler livesfor the out-doors. He's anavid climber,bicyclist, snow-boarder andsplitboarder.He's made anotch for him-

self as a wedding photographer butloves taking pictures of his friendsin the backcountry on a powder day.Check out some of his work atTMitchellPhoto.com.

One of theski industry’smost talentedphotographers,Grant has shotfor every majorsnow sports andoutdoor publi-cation worldwide, including:

ESPN, Outside, Powder, Freeskier,Skier, Skiing and Ski. In addition

s Grant Gunderson

s Molly Baker s Jay Goodrich s Ryan Duclos

s Grady McCombs

s Tyler Mitchell

The Contributors

You canfind RylanSchoen mostpowder daysshooting atMt Baker andin the sur-roundingbackcountry,in betweengetting his

own face shots of course! His passion for photography

does not limit him to the moun-tain-side though; Rylan is availableto hire for anything from com-mercial shoots to family portraitsand everything in between.

You can reach Rylan through hisbusiness www.opticflows.com orcall 360/704.0013

s Rylan Schoen

to his editorial work, Grant sup-plies many of the world’s top brandswith images that set the bar for anew level of creativity that definethe culture of action sports.

He skis close to 200 days a yearand makes a high-quality (and high-octane) homebrewed ale. He cur-rently serves as The Ski Journal pho-to editor while working withhigh-end commercial and editori-al clients.

Go to www.grantgunderson.comor email grant@theskijournal.com

Mount Baker Experience • Winter/Spring 2011 9

Legendary Banked Slalom

s Men’s pro winner Harry Kearney.

s Supermaster winner Bob Satushek.s Women’s pro winner Maelle Ricker.

s Women’s pro second place finisher, Maria Debari from Glacier.

February 11-13, 2011Photos by Tyler Mitchell

2011 Legendary Banked Slalom WinnersCategory Name Best Time Hometown AgePro Men Harry Kearney 1:28.07 Norwood, Colorado 17Pro Women Maelle Ricker 1:31.31 Squamish, BC 32Pro Masters Mark Fawcett 1:28.52 Nelson, BC 39Older Amateurs Nate Kewin 1:32.17 Vancouver, BC 26Women Amateurs Kari Hoss 1:38.74 Montgomery, Vermont 24Masters Ben Wordsworth 1:32.08 South Melbourne, AUST 34Women Masters Tanya Simonson 1:36.49 Bozeman, Montana 31Mid Masters Eric Warble 1:34.81 Edwards, Colorado 40Grand Masters Mike Hattrup 1:48.02 Kent, Washington 51Super Masters Bob Satushek 1:54.69 Deming, Washington 63Next Generation Cody Warble 1:40.59 Edwards, Colorado 11Juniors Gus Warbington 1:34.83 Bend, Oregon 15Younger Amateurs Jerry Mark 1:32.47 Telluride , Colorado 18

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s Lynsey Dyer skiing the North Cascades backcountry. Photo by Grant Gunderson

Mount Baker Experience • Winter/Spring 2011 11

resents the “hardcore” end of thespectrum. With plenty of experi-ence on actual rock, Allie alreadyknows that she loves to climb. Shewas at the YMCA for a workout andchallenge. The fact that she couldfind that challenge only feet fromwhere beginners were getting theirfirst taste of the addictive improb-ability of vertical motion is whyindoor climbing has been, and willcontinue to be, popular.

For those like 12-year-old Aiden,who cannot yet drive, Bellinghamcan be a frustrating town to live infor an outdoor climber.

Larrabee State park offers beach-side bouldering (climbing withouta rope on challenging routes, closeto the ground), and a handful ofroped climbs on crumbly Chuck-anut sandstone, but the options inLarrabee state park are rather lim-ited. Mt. Erie, an hour to the south,

and Squamish, two hours to thenorth, both offer a much wider vari-ety of great climbs.

As spring progresses into sum-mer, some more advanced climberslike Allie will follow the recedingsnowline up the mountains ontolonger, more remote climbs. Thestrength and endurance that wasdeveloped indoors during the win-ter months helps to provide someof the margin of safety that experi-enced climbers need to scale larg-er mountains, while knowledge ofropes, mountain hazards, and yearsof experience provide the rest.

For more information, as well asa schedule of operating hours, con-tact the YMCA at 360/733-8630 orwww.whatcomymca.org.

For instruction and guiding inthe outdoors, contact the American Alpine Institute atwww.aai.cc.

By Sam Lozier

Getting ready for climbingFor those in Whatcom County

who live to rock climb, the wintermonths can be very frustrating. TheNorth Cascades, Southern CoastRange, and Olympics are all with-in a day’s drive, but with a heavycoat of snow covering them, out-door rock climbing is, for the mostpart, out of the question.

Unlike Leavenworth and otherclimbing towns on the east side,Bellingham’s wet weather and dearthof “in-town” crags, or climbing areas,can make it tough for experiencedclimbers to stay sharp and for begin-ners to get started. Enter the Belling-ham YMCA.

The Bellingham Y offers a 66-foot indoor climbing wall that isopen to the public. The wall hasroutes that challenge all abilitiesand, notably, the YMCA offers sev-eral programs designed to get firsttime climbers launched. Right indowntown Bellingham, childrenand adults can get their start in thevertical world on a wall that can testthem for years.

In the space of an hour at theYMCA, I met Aiden Fitzstrawn, andAllie Downing. Aiden is twelve yearsold and loves to climb at the Y, heeven volunteers to belay (handle therope) for beginning climbers andchildren during family climb time.

Asked why he volunteers at theYMCA, he explained that he want-ed to help give back to the placewhere he learned and share hisenthusiasm for the sport. The hand-ful of younger children jockeyingto be next up for a climb on Aiden’srope certainly seemed to appreci-ate his presence and enthusiasm.

Allie, who was visiting the Belling-ham YMCA for the first time, hasa different background. Married toa climbing guide and used to endur-ing months of travel and povertyjust to spend time on rock, she rep-

s Top left, Allie climbing the wall; above, the view from the top.

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12 Mount Baker Experience • Winter/Spring 2011

Fly fishermen here in the Pacif-ic Northwest have a reverence forfish that echoes far back in time.The Northwest’s rivers have longbeen arteries for the ecosystem,nutrients pumped upstream byreturning salmon as they make theirway to spawning grounds.

This cyclical event is a crucialpart of the ecosystem, providingnutrients to literally every step ofthe food chain. Historically, coastalNative Americans received (in manycases still receive) the vast majori-ty of their protein from fish, mak-ing it a focal point of their cultureand activities.

At the turn of the 19th century,when the area was still relativelyunaffected by Western settlers,salmon migrated into and out ofour rivers in vast numbers. Nativesneeded only to stick a net out overa rapid at spawning time and salmonwould literally jump into their nets.

Reverence for this abundance is

commonplace in coastal NativeAmerican culture; unfortunately,this reverence today is for salmonpopulations that are increasinglydwindling.

As settlers pushed westward andsettled in the region, the salmonand other fish stocks were deci-mated by careless development.

Dams and de-forestation destroyedhabitat, while ‘improved’ fishingtechniques over-harvested popula-tions in the rivers, lakes and ocean.

While estimates vary, it is unde-niable there has been an exponen-tial decrease in salmon in the pastcentury which inevitably has hadadverse effects on the entire ecosys-

Capturing Beauty:

Fly-fishing in the Mt.Baker FoothillsBy Grady McComb

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Mount Baker Experience • Winter 2011 13

tem. As people gain awareness ofour ecosystem’s fragility, they alsogain an appreciation of nature itself.

In some ways at least, Westernculture might finally be catchingup with the Native Americans whohonor the fish as an integral partof their culture as well as a resourceand commodity. Similarly, fly fish-ermen also honor the beauty andutility of the salmon as they seek tobecome part of the ecosystem thatsustains us all.

Like most outdoor sports, fly-fishing is subject to seasons. Fish-ing seasons are not only set by thestate department of fish and wildlife,they are also determined by the tim-ing of runs of salmon returning torivers, bug hatches, and other nat-ural events.

Every sportsman must adapt totheir season, but the fly fishermantakes this concept to the extreme.Every aspect of the sport is a responseto nature. The timing is the firststep: knowing when runs will takeplace and understanding whatweather the fish like to move in.

Next, the fly fisherman has toknow where the fish will be. Thistakes an understanding of thedynamics of the river, lake or tidesand the behavior of the targetedfish. Even the design of the fly thefly fisherman uses, is critical: some-times mimicking local bug life,sometimes creating an attractivepattern that a fish will attack outof aggression.

Lastly, the technique of the flyfisherman must be adapted to thefish he is trying to catch and theenvironment.

Local fly fishing guide Ed Megillsays that although f ly fishingrequires much skill and knowledge,that only builds the feeling of joyand satisfaction when you finallydo catch a fish. Ed owns the fly fish-ing and river guiding service, Cas-cades Flyfishing Expeditions, basedin Bellingham.

On the river year-round, Ed sayshis goal is to have his clients sharethe experience and appreciation ofnature that he has come to love.

“It’s constantly a game of follow-ing the fish,” Ed says, adding thathe travels all over the state follow-ing bug hatches and salmon runs.On the east side of the CascadeMountains, where there are largerinsect populations, Ed’s crew willhead over to the Yakima River inthe spring to fish the ‘Mother’s dayhatch’ of caddis flies. In the fall theyfish summer steelhead on theGrande Ronde, a tributary of theSnake River.

Ed says that Cascades Flyfishinghas something to offer any level offly fisherman. They have classes onhow to tie flies, casting techniques,and boat rowing and rigging. Inaddition, they offer full-guided serv-ice on day and multi-day fishingtrips with all necessary gear.

Not just limited to rivers, Cas-cades Flyfishing offers fly-fishingfrom lakes and at sea for rainbowtrout and sea-run Cutthroat trout.Of the Nooksack River, whose head-water is at the bases of Mt. Bakerand Mt. Shuksan, Ed says, “Shedoesn’t give up her fish easily.” Heexplains that with a relatively lowinsect population, fishing the Nook-sack is exceptionally reliant onreturning salmon populations.

“The Nooksack doesn’t hold alot of resident fish; however, withall five species of salmon returningto the river it is diverse, challeng-ing and rewarding. Even on a daywhere you don’t catch any fish you’llstill have a great time on the river,guaranteed.”

If you’re interested in learningthe fundamentals of fly-fishing orin a guided fly-fishing trip, Cas-cades Flyfishing Expeditions offersfly-fishing classes and other riverexperiences such as Bald Eagle view-ing year round. They travel to anyfishing spot in the state and regu-larly guide on the Nooksack, Skag-it, Sauk, Yakima, and Grande Ronderivers.

You can reach them by visitingtheir website at www.cascadesfly.comor by phone 360/510-0483.

s Ed Methow, in the river.

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s Owen Dudley gets big air in the Mt. Baker backcountry. Photo by Jay Goodrich. t Zack Giffin going for it in the North Cascades backcountry. Photo by Grant Gunderson.

Mount Baker Experience • Winter 2011 15

s Ben Williamson. Photo by Rylan Schoen. t Doing the Tindy Grab on Mt. Herman. Photo by Tyler Mitchell.

16 Mount Baker Experience • Winter 2011

With three days off and twodays of clear weather in the fore-cast meant that Allen Taylor, mylongtime ski partner, and I couldattempt to ski Mt. Larrabee, nearTwin Lakes. Since we don’t own asnowmobile, we spent most of a dayhiking and skinning the eight milesand 4500 vertical feet from StateRoute 542 up the Twin Lakes Roadto the Winchester hut. As the after-noon light began to soften, wereached the summit of Winchesterwhere, as the ridge fell away, wefinally caught a view of Larrabee.

I’d wanted to ski one of the lineson the south face of Larrabee since

I first laid eyes on the mountainlast June. It has three beautifulchutes on the south face that dropdirectly from the summit to thebowl at the bottom of the face andall look very steep from across thevalley. From the Winchester hut,the chute furthest to the right lookedto be the easiest descent as it did-n’t have a large ice encrusted cliffin the middle of it like the othertwo did.

It was a cold night in the sum-mer-weight sleeping bag I’d broughtwith me to the hut. So finally, afterhours of rolling around uncom-fortably trying to sleep, I was readyto get moving the moment the firstrays of light started to peek through

the cracks in the hut.As Allen and I hiked under the

base of the chute we intended to skion our way to the summit, we bothlooked at it and decided that if wecould get to it, we could ski it. Therewas clearly an icy choke high in thegully, but based on the way the chutewas protected from the wind andexposed to the strong southern sun,we anticipated that it would be softenough to edge.

Climbing Larrabee posed fewerchallenges than I expected; howev-er, it still required several hours ofhiking and skinning over steep snow.Around noon, we could climb nohigher. To the north, Larrabee fellaway to the glacier that divides

Larrabee from American BorderPeak.

After discussing our options,Allen and I decided that we were asready as we would ever be: our skishad well tuned edges, we were feel-ing strong and if it all went wrong,we could always switch back to cram-pons at the top of the chute, hikeback to the summit, and retreatdown the southwest face, our ascentroute.

Our first clear view of the chutefrom the top revealed that, barringa major surprise in the icy crux, therest of the chute would be totallystraightforward; steep, but not com-plicated. Not one to intentionallytake a fall down a giant chute, I

sideslipped closer and closer to thecrux, simultaneously probing intothe snow with my poles in searchof firm ice under the soft snow.

Directly above it, I could see thatthe choke consisted of about 10 feetof very steep rime ice, immediatelyfollowed by the softer looking, low-er-angled, main body of the chute.Taking a deep breath, I jumped andturned my skis 90 degrees into thefall line, sailed over the icy sectionand stopped hard as I reached thesoft snow below.

I was elated, this beautiful linewas really going to happen.

By Sam Lozier

Skiing the Larrabee line

s As high as they can go on Mt. Larrabee.

Skinning to the top. T

t Mt. Larrabee with arrow showing chute the author skied down.

t The rollover above the chute.

s Winchester hut with Mt. Larrabee in the background.

Mount Baker Experience • Winter/Spring 2011 17

S Hitting the line.

s One last look before the descent.

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18 Mount Baker Experience • Winter/Spring 2011

sky. The lack of a telescope or evena good pair of binoculars shouldnot stop any budding amateurastronomers from learning moreabout the cosmos through Inter-net resources, he said.

“There’s a bunch of fascinatingstuff to learn about the sky just bylooking at it with your eyeballs,”Bunker said.

For anyone wanting to take thenext step and purchase their firsttelescope, Bunker’s first piece ofadvice is do research before spend-ing any amount of money. The Inter-net and groups like WACO are treas-ure troves of information on whichtelescopes to seek out and whichones to avoid.

Bunker cautioned against whathe calls “department store” tele-scopes; those most often found intoy or department stores that havecolorful photos of planets and galax-ies on the box. Bunker explainedthese telescopes often don’t haveenough power to see much morethan the moon in great detail andcan discourage younger amateurstargazers by not being able to pro-vide the advertised views of distancecelestial objects.

Telescope prices vary widely, andthere are models for just about anylevel of amateur astronomer.

“You can get a really usable tel-escope for around $500, but there’sno limit to how much you can

spend,” Bunker said. Take Bunker’s backyard set-up

for example. Over the last 10 yearsor so, he has spent about $10,000on a top-of-the-line telescope, motor-ized mounts, and computer soft-ware that allow him to point his tel-escope at pretty much any celestialobject with just a few keystrokes.Bunker’s hardware also allows himto take utterly breathtaking pho-tos of the most beautiful celestialobjects that hang in the night sky.

“It never ceases to amaze me thebeauty of these objects,” Bunkersaid.

The itch to improve his astropho-tography skills is what keeps Bunkercoming back to the specially builtshed with removable roof in hisbackyard, night after night. He oftencompares his work to otherastrophotographers on the Inter-net and tries to improve his tech-nique. Sometimes this requires moreadvanced equipment; sometimes itjust requires more time behind theeyepiece.

When asked about the scientif-ic value of his hobby, Bunker saidhe takes photos for the pure enjoy-ment of photography rather thento accumulate any real scientificdata.

“I’m doing what’s called ‘prettypictures’ by scientists,” he laughed.“If I lived some place where I couldcount on the skies, I might be doing

some science but not here [in Wash-ington].”

Bunker’s interest in astronomystarted long before he moved toWashington in 1971. As a boy grow-ing up in Missouri, he said his fatherwould take him outside to watchthe August meteor showers.

Since then, Bunker has traveledto Australia and Aruba with his wifeto view solar eclipses. 2004 broughthim to Egypt where he witnessedVenus transiting the sun, an eventthat last happened in 1882.

“No one alive [now] had seen thatbefore,” Bunker said.

Bunker bought his first real tel-escope, a model he could easily trav-el with, about 20 years ago. The pasttwo decades have seen Bunker pur-chase ever-advancing equipment,

but always with the same desire inmind: getting just a little bit clos-er to the cosmos from whence every-thing came.

“I think it’s a shame that mostpeople don’t know how tiny ourpresence is in the universe,” Bunkersaid. “Our brain is not set up tocomprehend the vast.”

Through WACO, Bunker hopesto share even the slimmest shardsof the joy he finds in stargazing withanyone who ever finds themselveswith neck craned up, looking at thenight sky.

For more information on WACOand to view their calender of stargaz-ing events, visit www.whatcomas-tronomy.org.

By Jeremy Schwartz

Humans have always been fascinated with the night sky.Whether it was to determine theproper time to plant crops, to won-der about the possibility of lifebeyond our orb or the current sci-entific drive to determine the ori-gins of the universe, people justcan’t seem to help craning theirnecks upward when the evening skyis clear.

Now, as anyone who lives in thePacific Northwest can attest, theskies often do not cooperate withwhat would be called good stargaz-ing weather. But for a small club oflocal celestial observers, bravingcold nights and stubbornly out-lasting cloudy evening skies are allpart of their love affair with thestars.

The Whatcom Association ofCelestial Observers (WACO) holdsmonthly star-gazing parties (weath-er dependent) all across the coun-ty. Bill Bunker, WACO’s currentpresident, said any clear, moonlessnight is good for stargazing, butthe group gets their best observingin, once Artist’s Point opens backup in July.

WACO also hosts what Bunkercalls “moon parties” every monthon the night of the full moon atBoulevard Park in Bellingham. Onthese nights, club members will setup telescopes and look at the Earth’scelestial companion. Anyone pass-ing by is invited to take a gander,too, and Bunker said this is the mostcommon way WACO interacts withthe general public.

“Most people have not looked atthe moon through a telescope, andthey are not disappointed [oncethey do],” Bunker said. “The aver-age adult is just as wowed at look-ing at the moon as a 10-year-old.”

Even without the aide of a tele-scope, Bunker said the average per-son can still learn a great deal fromsimply looking at the clear night

Watchers ofthe night

sky

s Venus transits the sun.

s The Veil Nebula. All photos by Bill Bunker.

s Top, the Bay of Rainbows. Above, the Andromeda Galaxy.

Mount Baker Experience • Winter/Spring 2011 19

Saturday February 26 Snow Safety Awareness/ Intro to Transceiver Use: Mt. Baker Ski Area, 9 a.m. – 4 p.m. mtbaker.us .

Thursday, March 10Kulshan Cycles Ladies Night: Ladies (only)are invited to see current women’s cyclingproducts and receive information about localcycling opportunities for women. Prizes andrefreshments. Free. 360-733-6440. kulshancycles.com.

Snowrider Project & Baker BusFundraiser: The Baker Bus is looking toward purchasing a full-sized school buswhich will be converted to biodiesel. TheSnowrider Project is looking toward expand-ing stewardship and education activities toprovide Leave No Trace clinics and mountainclean-ups at Heather Meadows, the Nook-sack River and during Ski to Sea. BoundaryBay Brewery, 10 p.m. to close.www.surfrider.org

Saturday, March 12 Mt. Baker Club: Moderate hike in theChuckanuts to Pine and Cedar lakes. 8 to 9mile loop. Meet at 8:30 a.m. Info: Fred at360/303-0727.mountbakerclub.org

Saturday, March 19 Movin’ & Shakin’: Historic Mega-Landslidesof the North Fork. 10 a.m. Learn from a geol-ogist. Minimal walking. Free for WLT mem-bers. 360-650- 9470, whatcomlandtrust.org

Chuckanut Ridge 50k: A scenic, very hillyand often muddy trail run. Start/finish atFairhaven Park. chuckanut50k.com

Wings Over Water Birding Festival: 10 a.m.- 4 p.m. A free event celebrating migratory birds in the Blaine/Birch Bay area.360-332- 4544. blainechamber.com/wow

Saturday & Sunday, March 12 and 13Seattle Bicycle Expo: Smith Cove CruiseTerminal. cascade.org

Saturday, March 26 Berthusen Park Trail Run: Lynden, 10am.Free, informal run hosted by Fairhaven Run-ners & Walkers, explore meandering forestedtrails in the middle of farm country for 30-40 minutes. Meet by the playground. fairhavenrunners.com

Incline Trail Down Blanchard Mountain:Discover the old townsite, hear stories andthe near disaster. From 5 to 8 miles, depend-ing on weather. Bring lunch. Carpool fee $2.Mt. Baker Club, call Marjan for details, 332-3195. Mountbakerclub.org

Birch Bay Road Race: 8:30 a.m. 5k walk, 15 & 30k runs and walk. All races start andfinish at the Waterslides on Birch Bay-LyndenRoad. Info: www.birchbayroadrace.com.

Monday, March 28First Gear Class: At Birchwood Elementary,Bellingham. Get the tips and secrets thatmake bicycling safe, comfortable and fun forgetting around town. 6 p.m. Pre-register.360-671- BIKE or everybodybike.com

Saturday, April 2Fanatik Bike Company Grand Opening:2-day celebration. 1812 N. State St. Belling-ham 360-756-0504, fanatikbike.com

Friday-Sunday, April 15-24 Telus World Ski & Snowboard Festival:Whistler, BC. 10 days of arts, sports, andmusic. wssf.com

Saturday, April 16 Tulip Pedal: La Conner. Ride 20 milesaround the tulip fields between Mount Vernon and La Conner or ride 40 or 60 milesfrom La Conner Middle School. 30th anniver-sary of this event, Skagit Medic One’s premierfundraiser. skagitems.com

Sunday, April 17 Vancouver Sun Run 10k:Downtown Vancouver, B.C.vancouversun.com/sunrun

Saturday, April 23An Evening With Jim Whittaker:6 – 8:30 p.m. First American to climb Mt.Everest. Fundraiser for Pacific Northwest TrailAssociation. Best Western Cottontree Inn,Mount Vernon. Tickets are $50 online atPNT.org or 877/854-9415.

Monday & Tuesday, April 25 and 26 First Gear Bike Class Parts 1 & 2:6 p.m. at Carl Cozier Elementary, Bellingham.Get the tips and secrets that make bicyclingsafe, comfortable and fun for getting aroundtown. Day 2: learn how to handle traffic andintersection situations, basic bike mechanicsinfo and practice riding from the class site toa local shop on residential streets. Pre-regis-ter. 360- 671-BIKE, everybodybike.com

Saturday, April 30 Great NW Recreational Gear & BikeSwap: 10 a.m. Whatcom Events/Ski to Seaand The Bike Shop team up for a combinedswap at the Sportsplex in Bellingham. Dropoff equipment for sale Friday evening or pre-10am Saturday. The Bike Shop is a non-profitproject that uses the bicycle to engage youthfrom low-income homes in healthy physicaland social activity 360-758-2035, thebikeshop1.org, skitosea.com

Saturday, May 7Skagit Spring Classic: Supported ridesthrough Skagit and southern Whatcom counties. 25, 40, 62, and 100 mile routes.skagitspringclassic.org

Haggen to Haggen 5k: 8am/8:30 a.m.Walk and run start at Sehome Haggen andfinish at Meridian Haggen. gbrc.net

Saturday, May 14 Pedal with Your Politician: An easy townroute, with stops highlighting transportationimprovements and noting where challengesremain for making walking and bicyclingsafe. everybodybike.com

The Human Race: A fundraising 5k walk, ora timed 5k/10k run at Zuanich Park, Belling-ham. 10 a.m. Register and gather pledgesfor the nonprofit of your choice. 360-734-3055, whatcomvolunteer.org

Friday, May 20Bike to Work & School Day: 50+ Celebra-tion Stations welcome cyclists and walkerswith prizes and goodies for the commute.mtbakerbikeclub.org, everybodybike.com

Saturday, May 21 Harvey Haggard Hoedown: Enjoy music,dancing, and BBQ at this festival in honor of alocal legend. 4 – 9 p.m. Across from ParadiseMarket, Mt. Baker Hwy. Kendall. 360-599-1518, mtbakerchamber.org

Sunday, May 29Ski to Sea: A multi-sport relay for recre-ational to elite athletes, from the slopes ofMount Baker to the shores of Bellingham Bay.Celebrating 100 years. Skitosea.com

2011 WINTER/SPRING EVENTS

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20 Mount Baker Experience • Winter/Spring 2011

When the Mount Baker Clubfirst formed a century ago, the orig-inal intent was to generate enoughpublicity from the area’s beauty andnatural resources to have the Mt.Baker wilderness area designatedas a national park. Now, on the cuspof their 100th anniversary, clubmembers said they want to try oncemore.

The club was one of the firstgroups to propose the federal des-ignation during the early 1900s, anidea they pushed into the 1960s,when the North Cascades Nation-al Park was created. Many of north-west Washington’s wilderness areas,however, were left out.

“The area was heavily exploitedfor gold, which during the 1900s,was on everyone’s mind at the time,”said the club’s former presidentMarjan Eicher. “There were eco-nomic and political interests thatdidn’t want it as a national park.”

Now, with some of the originalproponents reaching their 80s and

90s, Eicher said the club wants togive it one last shot. And this time,they have partnered with the NorthCascades Conservation Council, aSeattle-based environmental groupcreated to protect the North Cas-cades, through their American AlpsProject.

NCCC executive director JimDavis said when the North CascadesNational Park was created in 1967,many scenic landscapes, such asthose around Liberty Bell, RainyPass, Snowy Lakes, Cutthroat Pass,and the Cascade River were exclud-ed from the park. The designationalso excluded many lowland wildlifehabitats and pristine rivers andstreams from park boundaries.

“The designation of North Cas-cades as a national park was a greatthing but even at the time, conser-vation groups were concerned thatsome of the most important partshad been left out – particularly low-elevation valleys, which are impor-tant habitat to a lot of species,” Davissaid. “We decided to go back in andsee if we could complete the MountBaker Club’s original vision for theNorth Cascades National Park.”

Davis said the group’s strategyto partner with other conservationand recreational groups, and theincreased recreational access out-lined in their proposal will helpthem gain enough popular supportto push a bill through Congress.

“We’ve been talking to conser-vation, government and recreationgroups and we’ve been getting lotsof good feedback because we’re alsointerested in expanding recreationalopportunities for families andyouth,” he said. “That means morecampgrounds, visitor centers andfront country trails where you don’thave to walk up a mountain to getinto the forest, as well as interpre-tive sites where people can learnmore about the area.”

Davis said they hope to add about300,000 acres to the 584,000-acrepark. It would add about 245,000acres of U.S. Forest Service land and57,700 acres of the Ross Lake Nation-al Recreation Area into the park.And because the land is already fed-erally-owned, Davis said it’s a sim-ple matter of redesignation – noprivate land acquisition or pur-chasing needed.

By Tara Nelson

The American Alps Project

It would, however, add neededprotection to streams old-growthforests and sub-alpine lakes – areasthat were left out of the originalvision for the park because of polit-ical compromises at the time, hesaid. Highway 20 in Skagit Coun-ty, which currently bisects the park,would become part of the park andnew federal funding could buildentrances, visitor centers, and eco-tourism viewpoints.

The group has contracted inde-pendent economic consultant TomPower, a former chair of the eco-nomics department at Universityof Minnesota, who estimates theproposal could generate as manyas 1,000 new jobs over a slow build-up period of 20 years. That idea haslargely been praised by what Daviscalls “gateway” communities thatare situated on the park’s bound-aries.

The proposal is also importantfor biodiversity protection, he said,as the current park boundaries aretoo small for wide-ranging species.It would also protect those areasagainst extractive industries suchas mining that are having an “aggres-

sive comeback.” Davis said thereare about 500 small hydro-electricdam projects slated for westernWashington in the coming years.

Davis said the process could takeseveral years but NCCC has enjoyedprior success getting lawmakers todesignate the Glacier Peak Wilder-ness area, and the Pasayten Wilder-ness area in eastern Washington.In the meantime, they are workingat developing a more definitive pro-posal.

“It could take several years,” hesaid. “But ideally we’ll start seeingsome movement on it within six tonine months. It took almost 10 yearsto create the first park but we’rehopeful we can move more quick-ly. It just depends on how muchsupport we can get from the pub-lic and how much that translatesinto support from Congressionalrepresentatives.”

For more information about theNorth Cascades Conservation Coun-cil’s American Alps Project, visitwww.americanalps.org.

Since 1911, Mt. Baker Club members haveengaged regularly in outdoor activities but havealso been responsible for building and main-taining property in the Mt. Baker area, includingcabins at Mazama Park, Glacier and the KulshanCabin below Heliotrope Ridge on the Glacier trailwhich they rebuilt in 1949, and maintained itunder joint ownership between the club and theAssociated Students of Western Washington Col-lege of Education (now Western Washington Uni-versity).

They also single-handedly saved the WinchesterMountain Lookout in the early 1980s. The build-ing is located at 6,400 feet on Winchester Moun-

tain near the Twin Lakes and is one of 58 fire look-outs in Washington state, according to the Nation-al Historic Lookout Register. The lookout pro-vides a glorious panoramic view of the NorthernPicket range, Mt. Baker and Mt. Shuksan, as wellas protection from the elements – all at no chargeto overnight visitors.

Originally built in 1935 and staffed until 1966,it was slated for demolition until the Mt. BakerHiking Club, led by Gary Haufle, worked out adeal with the U.S. Forest Service in 1982 to restorethe building. The USFS provided materials andthe club – later known as the Mt. Baker Club, toreflect the group’s ever-expansive outdoor activ-

ities – provided the labor. Since then, theclub has continued to maintain the look-out on a budget of about $200 a year,stocking it with dishes, propane, pots andpans, a stove, a desk, chairs, a bed andmaps.

The Mt. Baker Club organizes regulargroup excursions for hiking, biking, snow-shoeing, cross-country skiing, canoeing,and kayaking, as well as monthly socialactivities in the Mount Baker area. Formore information about the club, visitwww.mountbakerclub.org or call 360/392-1015.

Mt. Baker Club: One Hundred Years of Service

s Razor Crest trail work.

Mount Baker Experience • Winter/Spring 2011 21

In Alaska

In the summer of 2010, local photographer Ryan

Duclos was fortunate enough to be invited by friends to travelto Denali National Park. Here are some of his images from

that experience.

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22 Mount Baker Experience • Winter/Spring 2011

Taking it localBy Tara Nelson

Wes Jagon wanted to wearMount Baker’s eco-centric, com-munity minded culture with pride.So he started his own clothing line.

Jagon, a recent graduate of West-ern Washington University, said hewanted to provide a unique cloth-

ing line representative of WhatcomCounty’s progressive and environ-mentally focused culture. Usingsimple pen and paper techniques,Jagon gives a shout out to localparks, places and icons most North-westerners will find familiar. Thedesigns are influenced by the envi-ronment and experiences of Belling-ham and the surrounding area.

“Mount Baker and the sur-

rounding area is an amazing place,”he said. “Not only are we a familyand – for that matter, animal –friendly culture, we are a globalmodel of sustainability. We under-stand the importance of commu-nity whether it’s eating at a localrestaurant or buying hand knittedcoffee cup insulators – with cats onthem.”

One t-shirt, for example, featuresa simple handwritten list of localparks and places such as WhatcomFalls Park and Mt. Baker as well aslocal businesses such as The Pick-ford Cinema and Black Drop cof-

feehouse in Bellingham.“Finding such relations to each

design gives us pride to know thechoice is ultimately yours whetherto wear the gear and rock the lineboth locally and globally,” he said.“We pride ourselves by not cater-ing to a specific demographic, moreso the line appeals to a wide rangeof styles; we just put our designsout there to those who enjoy fash-ion and who can find any relationto the design.”

Jagon said several of his itemsare made of organic cotton fromAmerican Apparel and AlternativeApparel and he is working towarda 100 percent organic line whilemaintaining a price that is afford-able for young people.

“We try to bridge the gap and reacha broader demographic,” he said.“We are marketing to children asyoung as 14 and ladies in their 60s.”

Jagon, also a volunteer with theSurfrider Foundation, an organi-zation founded by surfers to pro-tect ocean waters and beaches, reg-ularly donates clothes to beauctioned at their fundraising events.He also worked with Project Belling-ham’s Beauty Bar project to raisemore than $1,000 for local domes-tic violence prevention and assis-tance programs over the last threeyears.

Wes J Clothing is available at 4Starrs Boutique in Fairhaven, Yea-ger’s Sporting Goods and Sports-man’s Chalet in Bellingham, andat www.wesjclothing.com or by call-ing 360/920-3231.

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Mount Baker Experience • Winter/Spring 2011 23

When Bellingham residentMichael Impero set out to researchhis first book “The Lone Jack Mine:

was just unbelievable what thesepeople accomplished in the moun-tains with no basic equipment andno modern tools,” he said.

Because the mines were usuallylocated in steep, hard-to-reach places,all materials were brought in byhorses and assembled on-site. Work-ers had to build their own mills tocrush ore, extract gold and meld itinto ingots, or small bricks. Specialcoats were made with interior pock-ets for workers to stash the gold inorder to avoid being robbed on theirway back down the mountain. TheLone Jack took out about $30,000a month in gold

“Back then gold was worth about$20 an ounce–the size of a sugarcube,” he said. “Today, it’s worthabout $1,400 an ounce now, about700 percent more, so even in today’smoney they were carrying out a lotof riches.”

Dreams of Gold is available for$29.95 at various Whatcom Coun-ty locations. For a complete listingof locations visit www.dreamsof-gold.us

King of the Mount Baker MiningDistrict,” he uncovered more infor-mation than he expected.

Impero recently published hissecond book “Dreams of Gold,”which takes a comprehensive lookat Whatcom County’s 110-year his-

tory of gold mining.The book outlinesthe 12 major minesof the area, includ-ing The Lone Jackmine, the largest,most productivemine in the historyof Whatcom Coun-ty.

Through fiveyears of researchingnewspaper articles,essay reports, courtrecords, claim files,sales records, mapsand personal papers,Impero weavestogether historicalnarratives, shortbiographies with 300pages and more than200 photographs.

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24 Mount Baker Experience • Winter/Spring 2011

Given its fierce reputation,the sight of a wolverine or its tracksin the wild might make someonetraveling the backcountry want tohead the other way rather than stopto take pictures.

But in an effort to learn moreabout this elusive carnivore andhelp save them from extinction,biologists and volunteers with Con-servation Northwest are askingbackcountry skiers, hikers and out-door enthusiasts of all shades to dojust that.

Dave Moskowitz, a wildlife track-ing instructor with the Duvall-basedWilderness Awareness School, recent-ly led a seminar in Bellingham ontracking wolverines in the snow aspart of the school’s Cascade Citi-zen Wildlife Monitoring project.

The project’s main goal is to teachpeople who travel the backcountryhow to identify and document thetracks of various carnivores nativeto the Pacific Northwest, Moskowitzsaid. The information is vital tounderstanding where these animalsmake their homes and how to pro-tect them from humans.

These efforts are especially crit-ical with wolverines since little isknown about their current rangein the North Cascades, Moskowitzsaid. Fur-trapping and poaching inthe late 1800s reduced their num-bers to an estimated 500 remain-ing in the wild in small populationsin Washington, Idaho, Montanaand Wyoming. Federal researchershave recently begun to track sevenindividuals in the North Cascadesand have documented a breedingpopulation.

But first things first: what exact-ly is a wolverine?

The 40-50 pound carnivores are

the largest land-based members ofthe weasel family, Moskowitz said.Other members include the fisher,marten and sea otter, which is thelargest overall.

“Weasels. Probably the least appre-ciated family of carnivores in theworld,” Moskowitz said, smiling.

Sometimes referred to as a bear-cat, wolverines have extremely pow-erful jaws and will eat pretty muchany sort of protein they can get theirclaws on, Moskowitz said. Theymostly rely on scavenged meals butwill sometimes hunt small mam-mals, such as marmots.

Moskowitz said wolverines’ fierce-ness and tenacity is rather uniqueto animals of their size. They havebeen known to dig through ava-lanche debris with their powerfulclaws to retrieve frozen mountaingoat carcasses and even take onmountain lions and bears for theirkills.

“They have a big personality,”Moskowitz said.

Wolverines tend to live near treelines and steep slopes that are cov-ered in snow the majority of theyear, Moskowitz explained. Theycan travel upwards of 30 miles inday which, combined with their shy-ness around humans, accounts formuch of the difficulty in research-ing them, he said.

However, ideal wolverine habi-tat is often great for backcountryskiing, hence Conservation North-west’s desire to equip skiers andhikers with the knowledge to dif-ferentiate wolverine tracks fromthose of other animals.

“It’s easier to train skiers how tolook for tracks than train researchershow to ski,” Moskowitz said.

A wolverine’s five-toed tracks areunique from larger carnivores, suchas wolves and bears, Moskowitz

explained. A wolverine’s paw is aboutthe size of a human palm and willleave a print in which its claws willtypically leave marks in the snow.

Wolverine prints most closelyresemble marten and fisher prints,though are the largest of the three,Moskowitz noted. The prints willlikely be found in groups of two orthree since wolverines often movewith a loping gait, more like a squir-rel or otter than a wolf or cat, heexplained.

Even if a print’s identity is ques-tionable, Moskowitz still suggest-ed documenting it so experts withConservation Northwest can haveto chance to identify it.

“If you think it possibly could bea wolverine, it’s not going to hurtto take some pictures,” Moskowitzsaid. “There are effectively two typesof print: definitely not a wolverineand possibly a wolverine.”

Moskowitz advised taking pho-tos – or lacking a camera, sketches– of an individual track from aboutsix inches directly above it and afew photos of the tracks in a line ifthere is more than one. Includinga small ruler, tape measure or some-thing else to provide scale will alsohelp, Moskowitz explained.

Moskowitz suggested anyonewho finds prints also follow themto see if they can find scraps of hairor scat that could be bagged up anddelivered to Conservation North-west’s office at 1208 Bay Street, suite201, in Bellingham. Any evidenceof a wolverine’s presence will aid inconservation efforts.

Photos of wolverine tracks canbe e-mailed to wolverine@conser-vationnw.org. More informationon the wildlife monitoring programcan be found at www.conserva-tionnw.org or by calling the officeat 360/671-9950.

By Jeremy Schwartz

Pound for poundthe meanest creature in the backcountry

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Mount Baker Experience • Winter/Spring 2011 25

The history of the public bath-house traces back to ancient Romeand the Indus Valley civilization(what is now known as Pakistan),where a desire for cleanlinessbrought people together in large,heated pools. As time progressed,the public bath morphed into indoorbasins with showers and steps forlounging, cleansing sands, aromaticoils, steam rooms and saunas. And,as so often in history, necessitieslend themselves to tradition andpublic bathing became a ritual anda way of socializing.

While most people can easily turnon a faucet and draw a bath of heat-ed water in the privacy of their ownhome, there is still something allur-ing about the public bathhouse orsauna. From the Native Americansweat lodges to the Turkish bath-houses and Finnish saunas, publicbathing still hold a significant cul-tural draw. But most of all, it’s justa great way to warm up when thetemperature outside drops.

Situated in British Columbia’scoastal Lillooet Range, about 60miles from Vancouver and less than30 miles from the U.S. border, thetown of Agassiz is home to one ofB.C.’s best kept secrets – HarrisonHot Springs Resort.

Since the resort’s first beginningsin the late 1800s, it has been a des-tination for Canadians as well asAmericans who want a reprieve fromthe Northwest’s cool climate. Withsummer and holiday months at theresort often being packed to Dis-ney Land capacity, late winter is the

perfect time to visit as the crowdsdie down and waters grow still.

Harrison Hot Springs Resorthotel has 337 guest rooms, cottages,and suites with a variety of viewsand rates. All rooms come withaccess to the mineral spring andswimming pools.

The resort is a living piece of his-tory in B.C., stretching back to thelate 1880s. The first building, builtin 1885, was called The Saint AliceHotel, and consisted of a wood framestructure. During that time, roomswere available for 50 cents a nightabove the hot springs pool andguests would often rent them justto breathe in the vapors for theirsupposed health benefits.

The resort has hosted everyonefrom Clark Gable during the 1930sto Robin Williams and Liam Nee-son and Mark Wahlberg in morerecent years.

“Back then it was the only placeof its kind between Seattle and Van-couver and people came from allover,” he said.

Delaware North Companiesbought the facility in August of2002 and has since spent more than$18 million in renovations, includ-ing the hotel’s east and west tow-ers, the west wing, meeting rooms,and beachfront areas.

The poolsToday, the town of Harrison Hot

Springs has dozens of outdooradventure possibilities from organ-ic farm tours to sturgeon fishing(during the fall season), year-roundwildlife tours by boat, kayaking andhiking. Most of your time, howev-er, will probably be spent simplyrelaxing in one of the five naturalmineral hot pools that are piped in

from the nearby springs. Nearly200,000 gallons of steaming hotmineral water percolates from theground at approximately 155 F eachday. The water is piped in to theresort and the town pool where itis cooled with purified water fromHarrison Lake.

The resort has five pools and tem-peratures to choose from: the Heal-ing Springs Spa, a large hat-shapedPavilion building, houses the hottestmineral pool (104 F) and an eight-foot deep (85 F) indoor lap pool.

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A familiar sight in Glacier, Belling-ham and other parts west, one ofthe area’s hottest groups, The Hol-lywood Farmers are working on anew release. Lead guitarist and singerSteve Furno says along with themesof dark humor and alcohol-fueled

Burger, Deconstructed

s How would you de-constructthe Deming Mile High PotatoCake burger at Il Caffe Rifugio?Would you use a knife and forkand go all dainty? Or would youjust open up wide and let’erhave it? Whichever way you go,you’re going to be a happycamper. It comes with ham-burger (surprise!), potato cake,tomato, special sauce and a sidesalad. It’s incredibly good.Grab it at Il Caffe Rifugio at5415 Mt. Baker Hwy on yourright going to the mountain.

Where to eatThe resort has several dining

establishments from which tochoose. Their Lakeside Café offerscasual fare and their formal Cop-per Room dining hall is a throwback to the hotel’s long heritage –it has operated since the hotel firstopened in 1886.Also, be sure tocheck out the Copper Room’s well-varied breakfast buffet that includesfruit, eggs benedict and waffles.

Getting thereHarrison Hot Springs Resort &

Spa is located just 34 miles fromthe Sumas/Abbottsford bordercrossing at 100 Esplanade Avenue,Harrison Hot Springs, BritishColumbia, Canada. They can bereached by calling 604/796-2244.

From the Sumas border cross-ing, take the Trans-Canada High-way (Hwy 1) east to exit 135 and fol-low signs. More info atwww.harrisonresort.com.

Harrison.Continued from page 25

s From left, Marcel Ardans, Steve Furno and Gus Downs.

Rocking with the Hollywood FarmersBy Matt Feral jamborees, a large amount of his

intensity on stage was forged inthese very mountains.

“I get the same rush shredding apow field as I do playing for peo-ple.” Comprised of a four-geniuscore, Steve (guitar and vocals), Mar-cel Ardans (upright bass), GusDowns (percussion), and Maritza

Soto (violin), the group rotatesrotate guest players to achieve theunique sound that has become char-acteristic of THF.

The band has been fortunateenough to work with world-classproducer “The Stunt Man” of TitanSound, as well as collaborate withnames such as Bocephus King andSweet Papa Lowdown.

Recently they have enlisted thehelp of Sovereign Records, an upand coming record label formerlybased on the East Coast, and havebeen turning heads in Seattle. Theyhave begun work on a follow up to“God is Young,” their debut album;the new release is due out later thisyear. Their summer calendar is quick-ly filling up with shows through-out Washington, and further downthe coast.

Be sure to catch them when theycome through your town.

Mount Baker Experience • Winter/Spring 2011 27

www.harrisonresort.com.

Mt. Baker Highway Mile PostsMile 1: Junction of I-5 and Mt. Baker Hwy., SunsetDrive.Mile 3: View of Coast Mountain Range in Canada (left).Mile 8: Whatcom County Parks & Recreation Dept. (Right).The headquarters offers a rest area with picnic tables, rest-rooms and a view of Mt. Baker, elevation 10,778 feet. 360/733-2900.Mile 9: Deming Logging Show – second weekend in June.Two-day show: log rolling, tree climbing and axe throwing. Nooksack River Bridge – great fishing spots can be found.Mile 10: Community of Nugent's Corner. Groceries, gas, bank(ATM), bakery, cafe, crafts and other services.Mile 11: U-pick berry farms (right and left). Strawberries inJune, raspberries in July and blueberries in August. Christmas tree farms (right and left). Mount Baker Vineyards (left). Tasting room/gift shop openWednesday – Sunday. Grape Stomp Festival in September.Mile 12: Community of Deming.Stewart Mountain – elev. 3,087 feet (right).Sumas Mountain – elev. 3,430 feet (left).Mile 14: Highway 9 South Junction (right). South to Van Zandt,Acme, Wickersham and Skagit Valley. Attractions: B&B, gen-eral store, mushroom farm, and train ride.Nooksack River Forks (right). Nooksack River forks into threesegments: the North Fork, which Mt. Baker Highway parallels;the Middle Fork, which heads southeast to the southern faceof Mt. Baker; and the South Fork, which heads south into theSkagit Valley. Hwy. 9 follows the South Fork.

Mile 16: Mosquito Lake Road – Bald Eagle Viewing Spot (right).Dec. – Feb. Turn right onto Mosquito Lake Road, drive to thefirst bridge that crosses the North Fork Nooksack. Park on leftshoulder of Mosquito Lake Road Look for eagles.Mile 18: Community of Welcome (left). Grocery store, fire sta-tion, senior center and other services.Mile 21: Kendall Creek Hatchery (right). Turn right onto FishHatchery Road. The hatchery raises chinook, coho and chumsalmon as well as steelhead, rainbow and cutthroat trout. Mile 22: Slide Mountain – elevation 4,884 feet (right). Namedfor a landslide on its north face that may have dammed up theNooksack River in ancient times.Highway 547 North Junction/Kendall Road (left). North toKendall, peaceful Valley, Paradise Lakes, Columbia and Sumas.Gas, groceries, golf, tavern.Mile 23: Community of Kendall. Grocery store and gas (left).Mile 25: Community of Maple Falls, post office, pay phones,cabin rentals, lodging, restaurants, gas, groceries, liquor,library.Silver Lake Park, Silver Lake Road, 3.5 miles north (left). Parksits on 411 acres around Silver Lake. Mile 27: Farm stand (right). Fresh produce, gourmet foodstuffs.Mile 29: View of Nooksack River (right). Highway ascends aledge overlooking the North Fork of the Nooksack River.Mile 30: Mt. Baker Scenic Turnout (right). Mile 33: Glacier – elev. 932 feet. Last community along thehighway. Fire department, post office, library, general store,restaurants, snowboard shop, lodging, phones.Mile 34: Gallup Creek Picnic Area (right). Picnic tables and

trash cans; no restroom.Glacier Public Service Center (right). Open Memorial Day toOctober. Rangers assist with hikes and camp planning, andissues permits. Restrooms , picnic area. 360/599-2714,www.fs.fed.us/r6/mbs.Mt. Baker-Snoqualmie National Forest Boundary National For-est Scenic Byway. Glacier Creek Road (Rd. #39) to Mt. BakerVista (right). Mostly paved, 9.5 mile road leads to Mt. Bakerview.Mile 36: Douglas Fir Campground (left). National forest campbuilt by the CCC in the 1930s. Fees charged. Reservationsaccepted: 1-877-444-6777 or at www.recreation.gov.Horseshoe Bend Trail (right). Access for guided river raftingtours.Washington State Sno-Park (left). Permit required for snowmobiling or cross-country skiing.Mile 37: Church Mountain – elevation 6,245 feet (left). Highelevation trails on the southern slope are often the first in thearea to open for summer hiking.Turnouts to view North Fork Nooksack River (right).Mile 40: Excelsior Group Camp (right). National Forest Camp-ground. No water. Fee charged. Reservations only:1-877-444-6777 or at www.recreation.gov.Nooksack Falls, Wells Creek Road Road #33 (right). Take WellsCreek Road a half mile down to parking area and fenced view-point. Fall plummets 100 feet.Mile 41: Excelsior Pass Trail (left).Mile 43: North Fork Nooksack Research Natural Area (left).Established in 1937, this is a 1,400-acre preserve of old-growth

Douglas Fir, Hemlock and Western Red Cedar.Mile 44: Nooksack River Viewpoint (right).Mile 46: Twin Lakes Road (Road #3065) at Shuksan HighwayMaintenance Sheds (left). Twin Lakes is not accessible untilearly to mid-August. Hannegan Pass Road (Road #32) (left). Popular cross-countryskiing area in winter.Shuksan Picnic Area – Hannegan Pass Road (left). Tables, arestroom, Nooksack River views. Mining cabin nearby.Silver Fir Campground (right). Fees charged. Reservationsaccepted: 1-877-444-6777 or at www.recreation.gov.Mile 47: Goat Mountain – elevation 6,891 feet. (N.E.). Summergrazing range for one of four bands of mountain goats.Mile 49: View Mt. Shuksan – elevation 9,038 feet. (East).Mile 50: View Mt. Sefrit – elevation 6,015 feet. (Southeast).Mile 52: Mt. Baker Ski area White Salmon Day Lodge (left).Mile 53: Entrance to Heather Meadows. Mile 55: Picture Lake (road forks – stay to the right). PictureLake – elevation 4,100 feet, provides a postcard view of Mt.Shuksan – elev. 9,038 feet. Vista picnic area (right). Picnic area;no restrooms. Mile 56: Austin Pass Picnic Area (right). CCC-built area sits ina bowl-shaped valley with glorious views.Heather Meadows Visitor Center (right). Open mid-July to Sep-tember.Mile 58: Artist Point – elev. 5,140 feet. (End of highway). Park-ing lot surrounded by Mt. Baker’s peak (south), Mt. Shuksan(east) and Table Mountain – elev. 5,628 feet.

Map Directory 8 MISTY MOUNTAINS REALTY8193 Kendall Rd., Maple Falls • 599-2659

9 MOUNTAINSIDE GARDENS GALLERY & GIFTS6900 Mt. Baker Hwy, Maple Falls • 599-2890

10 BAKER ACCOMMODATIONS7425 Mt. Baker Hwy, Maple Falls • 599-1017

10 FROSTY INN RESTAURANT7461 Mt. Baker Hwy, Maple Falls • 599-2594

11 MT. BAKER LODGING7463 Mt. Baker Hwy, Maple Falls • 599-2463

12 HARVEST MOON BAKERY7466 Mt. Baker Hwy, Maple Falls • 599-1347

13 SLIDE MOUNTAIN BAR & GRILL 7471 Mt. Baker Hwy, Maple Falls • 656-5833

13 MAPLE FUELS WASH-A-TONCorner of Mt. Baker Hwy & Silver Lake Rd.Maple Falls • 599-2222

1 BLUE MOUNTAIN GRILL974 Hwy 9, Acme • 595-2200

2 ACME GENERAL STOREHwy 9, Acme • 595-2146

3 EVERYBODY’S STOREHwy 9, Van Zandt • 592-2297

4 DODSON’S IGA3705 Mt. Baker Hwy, Nugent’s Corner • 592-5351

5 KELLEY INSURANCE103 W. Main St., Everson • 966-3732619 Cherry St., Sumas • 988-2462

6 IL CAFFE RIFUGIO5415 Mt. Baker Hwy, Deming • 592-2888

7 NORTH FORK BREWERY6186 Mt. Baker Hwy, Deming • 599-2337

21 WAKE ’N BAKERY6903 Bourne St., Glacier • 599-1658

21 MT. BAKER SNOWBOARD SHOP9996 Forest St., Glacier • 599-2008

22 MILANO’S RESTAURANT9990 Mt. Baker Hwy, Glacier • 599-2863

23 GRAHAM’S STORE9989 Mt. Baker Hwy, Glacier • 599-2665

23 GRAHAM’S RESTAURANT9989 Mt. Baker Hwy, Glacier • 599-1964

24 CHAIR 9 WOODSTONE PIZZA & BAR10459 Mt. Baker Hwy, Glacier • 599-2511

25 LUXURY GETAWAYSwww.stayatmtbaker.com, Glacier • 877-90-BAKER

14 CROSS ROADS GROCERY & VIDEO7802 Silver Lake Rd., Maple Falls • 599-9657

15 INN AT MT. BAKER8174 Mt. Baker Hwy, Glacier • 877/567-5526

16 THE LOGS7577 Canyon View Dr., Glacier • 599-2711

17 WINTER CREEK B&B9253 Cornell Creek, Glacier • 599-2526

18 SCOTT’S SKI SERVICE9935 Mt. Baker Hwy, Glacier • 599-WAXX

18 MT. BAKER HOMES & LAND9937 Mt. Baker Hwy, Glacier • 599-1900

19 MT. BAKER VIEW GUESTHOUSE6920 Central Ave., Glacier • 599-2155

20 GLACIER SKI SHOP9966 Mt. Baker Hwy, Glacier • 599-1943

20 HAIRSTREAM9970 Mt. Baker Hwy, Glacier • 599-2443

FIND MORE RESOURCES ATWWW.MOUNTBAKEREXPERIENCE.COM

28 Mount Baker Experience • Winter/Spring 2011

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8174 Mt. Baker Hwy 360/599-1776 between Maple Falls & Glacier, mile post 28

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9990 Mt. Baker Highway

Glacier, Wa.www.MilanoRestaurant.us

MILANO’S• Fresh Pasta Dinners All Day • Full Deli

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APRÈS SKI HAPPY HOUR, Sun-Fri, 2-6 pm

R E S TA U R A N T & D E L I

Est. 1990