By Claire Thompson Cover photo courtesy of Claire Thompson I spent most of the summer of 2022 clearing trails in burned forests. The Entiat River drainage in north central Washington, where I was working for the Forest Service, had been torched by a series of fires over the past two decades: 2006’s Tin Pan, 2014’s […]
Fire-Season Palette Read More »
Cover photo courtesy of Brian Heer The first time I saw a grouse in the backcountry, I thought it was a chicken. It’s just one of many backpacking stories that have solidified in our family’s repertoire of stories from the mountains. Though I’d tried to maintain a cool composure as my father threw out new
Learning the Lexicon of the Places We Love Read More »
By Justin Skay One summer day soon, you or me’ll be grinding up Beacon or Iller Creek, or maybe slipping up the pea gravel on Five Minute Hill or Trail 140, moondust pooling in streaks of sweat from overwrought body parts raw with the sandpaper sting of third-degree chafe. Over the dusty rasp of labored
Pedal Power Plus: Navigating the E-Bike Revolution Read More »
By Nigel Davies Cover photo courtesy of Nigel Davies We celebrate finish lines, savoring those recovery walks over the Monroe Street Bridge every first Sunday of May after our city’s most iconic race. We joyfully refill water bottles on July 4th at the summit bathrooms on top of Mount Spokane. In those endorphin-rich moments, we
The Geology of Our Adventures Read More »
Cover photo courtesy of Myk Crawford Ready to run, bike, paddle, swim and have some new adventures in the upcoming race season? The 2024 calendar is packed with chances to test your mettle individually or as a team in outdoor races, runs and rides. Some dates are still TBA, and a few races have shuttered.
Inland NW Race, Ride & Event Guide Read More »
One essay I love to teach in my day job at Spokane Falls Community College is Ralph Waldo Emerson’s “Nature.” My love of the essay began when I read that “The charming landscape . . . is indubitably made up of some twenty or thirty farms. Miller owns this field, Locke that, and Manning the
The Power of the Sublime in Nature Read More »
Storm Chasing and Tent Camping By Chris Maccini Many skiers dream of the kind of extended ski trip that Paul Mignini embarked on last winter. Beginning at his home in Spokane, he spent five weeks traveling through Idaho, Washington, Oregon, California and Utah. He hit more than a dozen ski resorts across five states during
One Skier’s Epic Winter Road Trip Read More »
There are dozens of outdoor recreation, wildlife, and land conservation organizations and public lands agencies that protect, enhance, and help manage Inland Northwest public lands. They work to protect and maintain trails and other recreation destinations, wildlife, and natural resources. Find one or more that strike a chord with you and support them and our
Public Lands Organizations Guide 2023 Read More »
It had been five years since I’d hiked to the lake. It was a modest alpine lake in the northeast Cascades, tucked in the Lake Chelan-Sawtooth Wilderness, an area of public land that had accrued meaning for my family through years of trips and storytelling. The area had experienced a wildfire in my absence. The
For the Love of a Place Read More »
I nearly always backpack solo. The adventure and admiration of nature largely replaces any need for social interaction. But I often find myself wishing for someone to banter with after setting up camp in the evening. Pegging a reason for this is difficult. But usually by the time darkness falls and I crawl into my
Backpacking Alone: The Highs and Lows Hiking 5 Days Solo in the Cascade Wilds Read More »
