The Signpost Blog
And the winning hiker is...
Have you checked out WTA's Gear Up Member Sweepstakes yet? Any one who joins WTA during the month of May is eligible to win. Today, we announce our first winner and each week until June 5, we will award another great hiking-friendly prize to a lucky new member!
This week's fabulous prize is a DownMat 7 Deluxe from Outdoor Research. This is the Rolls-Royce of sleeping pads, an inflatable matress with down padding for an extra-cozy and restful night in the wilderness. And the winner is... [cue the drumrolll]...Martha Scott of Seattle. Congratulations, Martha! Sleep well on that trip into the Pasayten this summer, or wherever your boots may lead you.
Beyond the chance to win gear, there are many reasons to join WTA now. If you're a regular visitor to WTA's website, you've probably turned to our hiking trip reports. Our user-generated reports are a great way to keep up on conditions, especially in spring. Is the snow melted from Snow Lake? Is it muddy at Boulder River? Getting these details ahead of time help you look like you know what you're doing out in the woods!
Do you read lots of trip reports? Hundreds? Thousands? Then you should definitely become a member of WTA, because it's thanks to contributions from hikers like you that we can offer these and other resources on our website. In addition, your membership supports all the great work WTA does for trails--from leading 80,000 hours of volunteer trail work to speaking up for trail funding in Olympia and D.C. Join today!
Next week, we will draw for an Outdoor Reseach jacket, either a Women’s Aspire or Men’s Foray jacket based on the winner. You have a better chance of winning if you become a member now, as you'll be entered in each subsequent drawing all month until you win or the contest ends.
Thanks and welcome to all our new members!
Handguns to Be Allowed in National Parks?
Last week, there was news that the federal government is considering overturning the ban on guns in national parks. A proposed new Interior rule would allow those who possess concealed gun permits to carry concealed firearms in national parks and wildlife refuges that choose to allow firearms. The rule would not change existing bans on hunting and target shooting in these areas.
WTA has not taken a position on the rule change. But it could have the potential to affect your experience on national park trails, wherever you stand on the issue. And we encourage you to make your opinion heard. How do you feel about allowing concealed weapons in national parks? Post a comment.
Written comments on the proposed rule change may be submitted by June
30, 2008 to: Public Comments Processing, Attn: 1024-AD70; Division of
Policy and Directives Management; U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service; 4401 N. Fairfax Drive, Suite 222;
Arlington, VA 22203. You can read the complete proposed rule changes in the Federal Register here.
Day Hiking: Mount Rainier
The new guidebook is out. Author Dan Nelson and photographer Alan Bauer are coming together at the Mountaineers Clubhouse Wednesday night to give a grand overview of all that the mountain has to offer.
What are the best day hikes around Cayuse Pass? What lingering impacts have storm damage left on the mountain, and to Rainier hikers this summer? What's so great about Silver Falls Loop, Tipsoo Lake and Panhandle Gap?
Day Hiking: Mount Rainier, by guidebook author Dan Nelson and photographer Alan Bauer, was released by the Mountaineers Books last month. Now is your chance to meet the authors and get their picks first-hand. These seasoned daytrippers spent much of the past few summers exploring the mountain, and using stunning imagery and well-earned trail knowledge, they'll give you a grand overview of all that the mountain has to offer.
Wednesday, May 7, 2008
7 p.m. - FREE!
The Mountaineers Building, 300 Third Ave W, Seattle
We were touched when we opened the Mount Rainier guidebook last month and noticed the authors dedicated it to Greg Ball and Ira Spring, "trail champions whom we proudly called colleagues, trail companions, and friends." We feel the same way exactly.
Don't forget - proceeds from the new Day Hiking guidebook series, including this book, give 1% back to the trails you love through a donation to WTA's trail maintenance work.
North Bend crew leader starts season
*******May is WTA's membership drive! If you value all the things found on WTA's website, including this blog, make sure you support all our great work by becoming a member today! And each new member can enter to win fabulous gear prizes!*********
One of the signs that the summer season is upon us here at WTA is the arrival of our seasonal district crew leaders. The first to start this year is Andy Borek from Enumclaw. Andy led his first trip a week ago to Tiger Mountain with the regular “Thursday crew.” For the remainder of the summer Andy will be the seasonal crew leader for the North Bend district on the Mount Baker Snoqualmie National Forest. His stomping grounds will include the I-90 corridor, Middle Fork of the Snoqualmie and the North Fork of the Snoqualmie River.
Like several other trail maintenance staff, past and present, Andy is originally from the Boston area. He spent his college years exploring New England and as a climbing guide in Maine. His favorite job since college was working as a manager at a whitewater rafting operation in Syringa, Idaho last summer. We hope that working with all the great WTA volunteers this summer will be just as rewarding an experience for Andy.
Andy is also an avid mountain biker, climber, and northwest adventure seeker. His companions on many of these activities include his girlfriend Leda and his very energetic dog Hobbes. Andy’s favorite place is Grand Teton National Park. I am hoping that some of you will be able to tell Andy about your favorite places in Washington (we have a lot to rival anything that Grand Teton has to offer!). Join a WTA work party in the I-90 corridor and give a big welcome to Andy.
North Cascades Highway Now Open
*******May is WTA's membership drive! If you value all the things found on WTA's website, including this blog, make sure you support all our great work by becoming a member today! And each new member can enter to win fabulous gear prizes!*********
Yesterday at 8 a.m. on May 1, the North Cascades Highway officially opened. Each year, the Washington State Department of Transportation spends several weeks plowing this route through the North Cascades. This year's opening was a bit later than usual, but not bad considering the heavy snow pack we had this winter. The forecast looks good for the next week or so, but drivers should always be prepared for additional snowfall and closures. You can find current pass report info here.
So, now that the highway's open, you're itching to hike the North Cascades, right? Well, not quite yet. Just about every trail in North Cascades National Park is under snow, even the easy day hike at Thunder Knob, which isn't far from the highway. Unless you're into snowshoeing (and check in at a North Cascades visitor center to get the latest avalanche condition report) there's not a heck of a lot open for hiking just yet.
Pushing eastward to the Methow Valley, you might have better luck. I've never tried it, but Patterson Mountain, which is described in Craig Romano's new Day Hiking North Cascades guidebook, is a great early-season wildflower hike not far from Sun Mountain Lodge. Read a WTA trip report here, or buy Day Hiking North Cascades for the full write-up. It's a 3.7-mile trip that starts off of the Twin Lakes Road just outside of the town of Winthrop. The trailhead is just opposite of the Patterson Lake boat ramp. Now is the time to go: wildflowers, including bitterroot, should be abundant.
If you have kids in tow and you're over in the Methow Valley, you might try taking a guided children's nature walk in the shrub-steppe ecoystems in Pearrygin Lake State Park. The free hike is Sat. May 17 from 10-11 a.m. and hosted by the Methow Conservancy. More info here.
BLM denies Goat Mountain Mine permit
Just across the boundary of Mount St. Helens National Volcanic Monument, the Goat Mountain trail offers hikers amazing views, abundant wildlife and cathedral-like old growth forest. For now, it looks like it's going to stay that way.
General Moly, formerly known as Idaho General Mines, Inc., owns 50% of the mineral estate under Goat Mountain, and sought a permit from the Bureau of Land Management (BLM). Yesterday, BLM announced that they were denying General Moly the permit, much to the pleasure of hikers, mountain bikers, equestrians and conservationists statewide.
Several individuals and organizations raised concerns about air and water quality and wildlife habitat, as well as the socioeconomic effects of this project on communities that rely on recreation and tourism. WTA commented on the increased traffic, noise and damage to views that could occur as a result of a project of this scale, as well as the very real possibility of loss of the Goat Mountain Trail due to mine activities.
General Moly may still request a permit for mineral exploration at Goat Mountain, and BLM explicitly did not shut the door to issuing that permit. So, while the fate of Goat Mountain has been secured in the near term, hikers and other advocates must stay vigilant and make sure that the unique ecological and recreational qualities of this area are not sullied.
Watch this space for further developments.
Wild Sky One Step from Reality
Yesterday, a bill creating the Wild Sky Wilderness passed the House on a vote of 291-117. This means the only hurdle now left to creating the 106,000-acre wilderness area is a signature from President Bush. Administration officials have indicated Bush will sign the legislation.
The passage in the House caps a 6-year legislative effort by U.S. Senator Patty Murray and Congressman Rick Larsen to create the first new wilderness area in Washington state since 1984. Wild Sky will protect forested river valleys and high peaks in the Skykomish River drainage near Index. Hikes in the region include Scorpion Mountain, West Cady Ridge and Eagle Lake.
Tom Uniack, conservation director of the Washington Wilderness Coalition, told the Everett Herald:
"It does feel real now. The bill has passed Congress and that has been the uphill hike."
Photo: Scorpion Mountain Trail, in the proposed Wild Sky Wilderness. Photo by trip report poster "Mandy."
In Praise of the Hoh River
I love the Hoh River Trail. This meandering, quiet path slowly gains elevation as it leads you deep into the Olympics. If you want to see a wild river and an equally wild old growth forest, this trail is not to be missed. The river cascades down a 50-mile journey to the Pacific from the glaciers of Mount Olympus, and the forest understory is a green mesh of ferns, mosses, devil's club and vine maple. The trail is open now, thanks in part to a WTA Volunteer Vacation, which did logout there in late March. Note that there is a small stream crossing at 3 miles, a 2- to 3-foot-deep stream wade at 7.8 miles, and deep snow at High Hoh Bridge, 13.25 miles in). But that's still plenty of room to ramble.
If you can't make it out to the Hoh soon, you might try the next best thing. The Burke Museum at the University of Washington in Seattle is showcasing a collection of photos of the Hoh River Valley by Keith Lazelle. "Fast Moving Water: The Hoh River Story," is a selection of gorgeous photos by Lazelle and sound recordings by Emmy award-winning audio artist Gordon Hempton, who we recently profiled in the Signpost Blog. Immerse yourself in this lush ecosystem (and remember that this Thursday is First Thursday, which means the Burke has free admission and is open until 8 p.m.).
Can't make it to Seattle? Well, lucky for you, "Fast Moving Water" will be traveling around the state this year to venues in Bellevue, Port Angeles, Edmonds, Spokane and elsewhere. Check the touring schedule here.
WTA on YouTube
WTA's youth volunteer program continues to grow: we've added even more weeklong trips, more advanced backcountry trips, and we'll continue to work with groups on individual day trips. Do you know a young person who's looking to do a service project and would enjoy WTA's trips?
Well, now you can show them our very first YouTube video.
How tech-savvy is that? First a Facebook page, and now a great video documenting what young people get out of our volunteer program. It was produced by documentary filmmaker Michael Peters, and it's a great summary of the rewards of trail work. There are plenty of firsthand accounts from our young volunteers. Watch it... it just might inspire you to get out on trail.
In other volunteer news, the Seattle Times recently wrote a nice editorial complimenting the organizations in the Northwest Storm Damage Coalition, including WTA and the Student Conservation Association. The Times noted that the coalition recently accepted a volunteer award from the Department of the Interior. Nice job, everyone...let's make the summer of 2008 an even more memorable volunteer season!
Nalgene Pulls Bottles over Safety Concerns
The debate about the safety of Nalgene bottles and containers made with bisphenol-A took a major turn last week.
Nalge Nunc International, the company that manufactures Nalgene bottles, announced it will pull all bottles made from BPA from stores and discontinue making any bottles with the chemical. According to a story in the AP, the U.S. government's national Toxicology Program has evidence that possibly links the chemical--which is used in many plastics--to changes in the brain, onset of early puberty, and possible cancer risks.
We've blogged previously on concerns about Nalgene bottle safety here and here. A USA Today article last fall noted that BPA and phthalates are incredibly widespread, and that most people in North America have concentrations of these powerful chemicals in their bodies:
"Nearly every American has been exposed. A 2000 study by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention found phthalates in the urine of 75% of people tested. CDC research has shown that 95% of Americans have detectable levels of bisphenol A in their bodies."
According to statements on Nalgene's website, the company is discontinuing use of all BPA plastic, and plans to introduce new bottles using Tritan copolyester, which does not contain BPA. Outdoor retailer REI is cooperating with the move and is pulling all bottles containing BPA from its shelves. According to spokesperson Megan Behrbaum, REI is making no statement on the safety of BPA bottles, but pulled the bottles because "we had seen increasing requests from customers for alternatives to polycarbonate bottles," she said. "This move will reduce confusion," she said. You can read a detailed article on water bottle choices at this REI web page.
Canadian gear retailer Mountain Equipment Co-op pulled BPA plastic bottles from its shelves in December. Last week, Wal-Mart Canada and other Canadian retailers announced they were pulling all BPA-based food and beverage containers, including baby bottles and sipping cups.
Nalgenes have long been an iconic piece of equipment for hikers. For those of you looking for alternatives to plastic, investigate Kleen Kanteen stainless steel bottles and SIGG aluminum. While Kleen Kanteens are not coated, SIGG bottles are. A document available from SIGG asserts that that the coatings on their bottles leached no BPA in tests.
Have thoughts on plastic safety and Nalgene's decision? Post a comment.
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