ShareThis fall brings the biggest leap forward in rain-jacket technology since the first introduction of Gore-Tex to the outdoor world in the late 1970s. Whether you’re traveling to the Olympic Peninsula or a Costa Rican cloud forest, here’s news you can use. W.L. Gore offers its lightest, most breathable membrane ever to the market this [Continued...]
ShareWe all have too much shit! With two or three perfectly functional rain jackets in the closet, we go out and buy the latest and great. When the newest fly fish rod comes out, promising to improve your cast by 10 yards, and your accuracy by 10 percent, we go buy it. If a new [Continued...]
Share Halfway up the ridge leading to Skyline Lake near Stevens Pass, a heavy snowdrift sat as a near-vertical 4-foot wall in our path. Climbers would simply kick the toe of their boots deep into the face of the drift, plunge their ax in and climb the small wall of snow. But what about snowshoers? [Continued...]
Hiking with Dogs: The key is education not only for the dogs and the dog owners but also for the general hiking public who will surely, at some time or another, encounter dogs on trails. People with sentiments against dogs on trails will successfully push for dog bans if dog owners continue to let their canines run freely up the trails, chasing wildlife (which, depending on the species pursued, could be a state or federal offense, punishable by sizable fines and/or jail time for dog owners) and [Continued...]
ShareWhen it comes to bad wildlife encounters, the littlest critters create the biggest concerns. If you doubt that, ask a camper anywhere which is worse: a bear roaming the woods nearby or a cloud of mosquitoes in camp. The answer will be close to unanimous: a scourge of skeeters makes camp life nearly unbearable. The [Continued...]
ShareTips and Techniques for safe, responsible trail fun for you and your canine Presented by Kathy Wendt, DVM Dan A. Nelson, Author Sophie, Labrador Retriever FRIDAY, JULY 22, 2011 6 p.m. – 8 p.m. It’s A Dog’s World Training and Agility Center 16024 60th. Street E., Sumner, WA 98390 Before hitting the trails with your [Continued...]
ShareWilderness legend Daniel Boone once wrote, “I have never been lost, but I will admit to being confused for several weeks.” Lots of hikers, hunters, skiers and snowshoers lose their way in the woods each year, but only a few are truly lost. There is a world of difference between being lost and simply not [Continued...]
ShareFor a Northwesterner, getting away from the late winter rains can be a requirement for continued sound mental health. My work as a Communications Expert (?) with the Olympic Region Clean Air Agency provided the perfect opportunity for me to escape south into the sunshine this month. The annual National Air Quality Conference (NAQC) – [Continued...]
ShareHere in Western Washington (and most likely, all of the Pacific NW as well as the rest of the Pacific and Mountain time zones) we’ve enjoyed a morning treat for the last week. A treat that will continue through most of December. Venus has been the star of our cosmic show to date. Prominent in [Continued...]
ShareFirst published in the Seattle Times, NW Weekend section on November, 18,2010 Seeing Shannon Meshke blast down the slope, I marveled at the fact this was just her second time on a snowboard. Shannon, a 16-year-old skateboard enthusiast from Puyallup, embraced the opportunity to jump into the snow last winter. “I love it. There’s so [Continued...]
