Spokane has needed a quality bouldering guidebook about as long as the city has needed a north-south freeway. Lynch and Collins initially started writing this guide almost 10 years ago. Both guys are solid climbers with outstanding climbing resumes, and they were passionate about creating a chronicle of all the great boulder problems in the Spokane area.

Bouldering is a form of free climbing that is performed on small rock formations without the use of ropes or harnesses. Climbs generally vary between eight to 15 feet, and the climbers frequently use crash pads on the ground to protect them in case they fall.

The Spokane Bouldering guide features over 700 boulder problems from beginner to expert. It also includes important historical context, quality climbing photos, and historic notes about various locations. Both authors did extensive research with local bouldering legends, including George Hughbanks, Arden Pete, Marty Bland, Johnny Goicoechea, Bryan Franklin, Alex Nikolayev and Steve Moss.

All that research and years of work show . The book is over 240 pages, which means it’s thicker than the Loomis, Bland, and Speaker climbing guidebooks combined.

More importantly, Collins and Lynch paid close attention to property lines, and confirmed that all of these boulder problems are on public land or on Craiglandia (private land near Tum Tum with public climbing permission.) The book also includes 65 projects—difficult climbs that are waiting for their first ascents.

Eastern Washington has been a climbing hotbed for decades and home to two of the best indoor climbing gyms in the nation, Wild Walls and Bloc Yard. The region also features a diversity of climbing on basalt, granite, and limestone rock.

So it’s no surprise that there has been a spike of climbing activity at many local climbing areas. For example, in recent years, the Fisk State Park, more commonly called McClellan, has seen a sharp rise in rock climbing development, especially bouldering. This place, featured prominently in the guide, is a wonderland for climbing and bouldering.

Arguably the hardest boulder problem in the guide is The Elitist (V12) at Tum Tum. Additional noteworthy climbs include Revolution, Love Taker and the Middle Finger of Fury. All of these climbs require a lot of fortitude, and mental preparation.

Spokane Bouldering ($35) is available online at Sharp End Publishing, or you can purchase the book at Inland Northwest outdoor gear stores, including Rambleraven Gear Trader and REI Spokane.

Find more stories about bouldering and climbing in the OTO archives.

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Washington Wildflower Hikes: 50 Destinations by Nathan Barnes & Jeremy Barnes

There are few things more miraculous to me than a wildflower. How can something so beautiful and delicate-seeming thrive on its own in the most unlikely environments, when I can’t even keep my succulents alive? And yet before reading this book I didn’t know the names for most of the wildflowers I walk past on hikes, let alone their histories and their nutritional and medicinal uses.

Using Washington Wildflower Hikes as a guidebook I’ve been able to better know my bio-region and the plants and animals that inhabit it. This book provides a detailed guide to 50 hikes in Washington State, including a “featured” wildflower for each hike. They give you all the practical information you could need too, including driving directions, length, elevation, and difficulty level, as well as detailed instructions for navigating the trail so that you don’t miss the best views. 

Price at Auntie’s Bookstore: $24.95

Where Should We Camp Next? by Stephanie & Jeremy Puglisi

For most of us, movement has been pretty limited for the past year, and I think many people are craving an escape from the confines of their houses and apartments. Reading Where Should We Camp Next? got me dreaming of escape to a beautiful place I’ve never been before, where I’d sleep under the stars, kayak on pristine lakes, and hike through old-growth forests.

This 50-state guide is chock-full of great vacation ideas, no matter where in the U.S. you’d like to travel. We’re lucky in the PNW to have so many beautiful parks and natural wonders within a few hours driving distance, so I especially loved the chapters for Washington, Idaho, and Montana.

After reading this book, I feel inspired to seek out the best hot springs in Idaho and go exploring in Olympic National Park. 

Price at Auntie’s Bookstore: $18.99

Pacific Crest Trail: A Visual Compendium by Joshua M. Powell 

I’ve you’ve ever dreamed of hiking the entire Pacific Crest Trail, about 2,650 miles, but you want to do some research before you attempt it, this book makes you feel like you’ve hiked the PCT even if you haven’t.

Spokane-based author Joshua Powell goes into every colorful detail of his experiences on the trail, from the eccentric characters he met along the way (people with wonderful nicknames like Whitewater and Ninja Tank), to the wildlife and landmarks he saw and the “trail angels” who offered him food and shelter along the way. He’s funny and irreverent and doesn’t sugarcoat the experience.

The book is full of entertaining infographics, making it a fast and fun read. Whether you want to hike the PCT or not, just reading the book gives you a taste of the adventure.

Price at Auntie’s Bookstore: $21

Book reviews sponsored by Auntie’s Bookstore in downtown Spokane, Wash. Support your local, independent bookstore!

Rebecca Gonshak has an MFA in creative nonfiction from Eastern Washington University and is currently a bookseller at Auntie’s Bookstore and fiction co-editor for “The Swamp Magazine.” This is her first contribution to Out There.

Read more book reviews in the OTO archives.

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Rich Landers earned his hiking legend status back in 1987 when he authored “100 Hikes in the Inland Northwest.” Since then, he followed up that seminal title with paddling guides, day hiking guides, a second edition to 100 Hikes, and now Mountaineers Books has just released his latest guide, co-written with David Taylor, called “Urban Trails for Spokane and Coeur d’Alene.” 

Landers spent four decades serving as the outdoors editor for The Spokesman Review. To say he hiked a little bit is like saying the Pacific Northwest only has a few mountains. David Taylor is an Idaho native, and he has hiked extensively throughout North Idaho and Eastern Washington. This book focuses on urban trails so people can find safe and easy options for dog walking, hiking or trail running that don’t require a 4-wheel drive to reach the trailhead.

Each trail features distance, elevation gain, amenities and more. Notable sidebars contain area history, a wildflower identification guide, and public transit details. Although the book lists 50 hikes total, it mentions other important hiking options for areas like Dishman Hills and Riverside State Park.  

The Centennial Trail earned a special section in the book. It’s arguably the most popular trail in the area, and it’s regularly featured in national travel magazines. On page 217, the authors wrote, “With about thirty trailheads and even more access points, users can jump onto the Centennial Trail for short jaunts as well as long excursions, enjoying the [Spokane] river as a constant companion.” 

From veteran hiker to short distance novice, this book belongs on the bookshelf of every local outdoor enthusiast.

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But McAllister has learned that kids offer a unique perspective. “The number one thing to keep in mind is that kids have different objectives and goals than adults. We tend to think, we’re going to this iconic place in this amount of time to see this amazing thing. We can become way too focused on the destination,” he says. “But kids don’t work that way. If we want kids to enjoy and appreciate nature, we need to allow them to explore and discover [at their own pace]. We can’t put a timetable on that.”

Exploring National Parks as a Family

McAllister knows this well because he and his wife, Abby, have spent an enviable amount of time exploring some of America’s most beloved national parks, and writing about some of those adventures for Out There. Also, what started as personal research for an extensive national parks tour in fall 2014—upon the family’s return to the U.S. after four years living and teaching in the Dominican Republic—turned into an “Adventuring with Kids” family guidebook series, published earlier this year by Mountaineers Books.

So far, there are three books available in the series that cover Yellowstone, Glacier, and five of Utah’s national parks. Their Yosemite guidebook debuts spring 2019. Each book includes detailed information for field-tested and approved hikes, campgrounds, and other activities that Harley and Abby experienced with their children, now ages 6-17. Their honest, candid advice is encouraging, and the suggested itineraries— with three, five, and seven-day plans—are especially valuable. “Your kids will have a lot more love of nature and fond memories of your trip if you do a few things well, rather than try to check off a bunch of activities,” says McAllister.

50 Hikes with Kids

Another new family guidebook is “50 Hikes with Kids: Oregon and Washington,” by Wendy Gorton. It also functions as a science and activity guide that’s exceptionally user-friendly for both parents and children. Gorton, a science educator, includes a five-item scavenger hunt for each hike, with color pictures and explanations about each item, such as geologic features, landmarks, or animal and plant species. Because most of the hikes are in the western half of both Oregon and Washington, with only ten hikes located in central and southwest Washington and northeast Oregon, this guidebook is best for those traveling to the Pacific Northwest coastal regions. 

Keeping Kids Energized—Snacks & Packs

Inspired for more of your own family travel adventures? Here are some additional tips from guidebook author Harley McAllister.

• Take Regular Snack Breaks: “Snacks are a crucial element to doing these types of outdoor adventures with kids. With their little bodies, they don’t have the energy reserves like we do. Snacks make it fun and special, lift their spirits, and get them back on the trail,” he says. “We have a big bin of snacks, and at the beginning of each day, each kid gets to choose their own for the day.” McAllister recommends regular 5-minute snack breaks, with fun foods like chocolate-covered granola bars and electrolyte drinks. Though they generally eat healthy, indulging a bit on snacks for “high-activity days” helps to excite their kids.
• Let Kids Carry Some Gear: As for daypacks, children can carry their own essentials, in addition to snacks, including a water bladder system or water bottle, fleece jacket, and waterproof rain jacket like the McAllister-recommended Froggtoggs.
• Stay Clean: Because many national park campgrounds are rustic, McAllister recommends planning every three or four days to stay at one providing showers, or “mix it up and stay at a hotel every five days.” He says that “wet wipes are critical,” especially in bear country. Also, everyone should wear merino wool socks, he says, “to prevent blisters, regulate temperature, and keep feet from getting clammy while hiking.”
• Reduce Stress: Always have a campsite reservation for your arrival day, then move to a first-come/first-serve site deeper into a national park, as needed. This can get you closer to your destinations and hiking trailheads, as well as decrease daily time spent driving throughout the park.
• Food Planning: Organize and pack food in bins, making it easy to move in and out of the car and to a campsite’s bear-proof storage box. To get an early start on the day, especially when driving to the next campsite, he recommends planning “a cold breakfast, such as muffins, fruit, or yogurt cups—something kids can eat in the car while we’re driving.”

Amy S. McCaffree is special section editor and the Out There Kids columnist. She wrote about backcountry adventuring with kids in the last issue.

[Feature photo: Amy S. McCaffree]

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Winter is a great season to take guilt-free indoor time for reading, and it’s not too soon to start planning camping trips and making site reservations. To kick off 2018, here are my top four parenting-related books that I recommend to families who want to do more and dare more in the great outdoors. These non-fiction books inspire and propel me towards new goals as a fellow adventurer with my children. They enable me to guide, teach, and nurture them while enjoying both simple and epic-level outdoor moments, whether in a national forest or our own backyard.

“Last Child in the Woods: Saving Our Children from Nature-Deficit Disorder,” by Richard Louv

I first read this book a few years before I became a mom, and I regularly re-visit favorite chapters and excerpts to refresh my resolve to be an advocate for children’s rights to play outside in a healthy environment. Louv presents research-based arguments about what led to the decline in American children’s experiential knowledge of the natural world, including societal and parental restrictions and poor urban design. His pragmatic and bold solutions helped inspire the national No Child Left Inside movement.

“Balanced and Barefoot,” by Angela J. Hanscom

Hanscom is an occupational therapist who runs a thriving therapeutic outdoor program called Timbernook. Her book’s subtitle provides a clear synopsis: “How Unrestricted Outdoor Play Makes for Strong, Confident, and Capable Children,” and it’s notable that Louv wrote the book’s foreword. If you know a child who has been labeled as ADD or ADHD, who fidgets in class, or who feels frustrated by limited outdoor recess time, then you need to read this book. Hanscom provides in-depth explanations about the physiological, emotional, social, and cognitive health benefits when children are provided ample, high-quality outdoor play and learning experiences, and she covers all developmental stages, from babies to teens.

“Let Them Be Eaten By Bears: A Fearless Guide to Taking Our Kids into the Great Outdoors,” by Peter Brown Hoffmeister

As a father and co-founder/director of the Integrated Outdoor Program at Eugene High School in Oregon, Hoffmeister shares pragmatic ideas and encouraging advice, using humor, personal anecdotes, and examples from his teaching and guiding experiences. His prose is helpful for all readers, whether experienced outdoorspeople or novices.

“I Love Dirt!: 52 Activities to Help You & Your Kids Discover the Wonders of Nature,” by Jennifer Ward.

This seasonally-organized guide shares easy-to-implement, hands-on activities that help adults engage with children from ages 4-8. Each activity, such as #44 (Fluffy Flakes), includes a brief description, answers to key questions to help kids understand the scientific or ecological concept (e.g., “How are snowflakes made?”), and indicates which goal the activity fulfills (e.g., “stimulates observation skills, curiosity, and appreciation of art and science”). Ward’s other book for parents and children ages 8-12 is called “Let’s Go Outside! Outdoor Activities and Projects to Get You and Your Kids Closer to Nature.”

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Amy S. McCaffree compiled last issue’s Local Holiday Gift Guide. During winter, she alpine skis, snowshoes, goes sledding, and plays street snow hockey with her children, ages 7 and 6.

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By Juliet Sinisterra

Snorkeling in the Bahamas, exploring the Baja, hiking in the Canadian Rockies-you have seen the ads in Outside Magazine and long to have an adventure of your own, but you just don’t seem to have the disposable cash or the vacation time.

What about Eastern Washington? Have you considered exploring our own bioregion? Why not scale all 7,210 feet of Hooknose Mountain near Colville or explore the Blue Mountain Range near Walla Walla? James P. Johnson, the author of 50 Hikes for Eastern Washington’s Highest Mountains, loves the thrill of climbing a mountain, enjoying the view and being home before dinner.

“In the early ’90s, I hiked up Mt. Abercrombie-the second highest mountain [in Eastern Washington]. I had lived here all my life and I was completely unaware there were such high mountains in our region, and so many of them,” says Johnson.

Johnson, an avid hiker, spent eight years researching, writing and hiking mountain peaks for the book. An elementary school teacher at the time, he devoted four of his summers to personally hike each of the mountains at least once.

“Some mountains are really easy to access-you can drive a car right up to then-some are very remote, an all day hike. If you had the whole summer and were really dedicated you could do them all. Once I hiked five in one day.”

When Johnson began his pursuit of Eastern Washington’s highest peaks he started at the map store. “There was no compilation of the highest mountains, so I began looking at USGS topographic maps,” says Johnson. Johnson took the names of each of the peaks from the maps, but found little background as to why each mountain was named. “I found hardly any research on names, history and there were no records of first ascents, probably due to the ease of the hikes,” says Johnson.

The hikes that Johnson lists are just that, they are not technical climbs. Every hike included can be climbed in a day or less and requires no specific gear or equipment. Many are suitable for young children. Johnson views the ease of each climb as one of the benefits of our region. With less danger involved, hikers can access high country earlier in the season.

The other benefit for Johnson, is that not many people know about these hikes. “I have hiked in British Columbia, Banff and the North Idaho Selkirks-our mountain peaks are not quite so spectacular, but if you love the outdoors, you can get out and appreciate it without the crowds. At times I have hiked on a holiday, or a busy summer weekend and have seen very few other people along the trail, and at times been a solitary hiker.” As a way to commemorate reaching the top, Johnson has built on the more remote, higher peaks, a few rock cairns at the summit, and has placed a canister inside with a sign-in log.

Several of the peaks listed in the guidebook, are managed for resource extraction primarily, they are not on protected public lands. “You pass through ripped up, torn apart landscape. Like the Salmo-Priest area-it seems so small on a map, but when you are there, standing on those peaks, the valley and slopes have all been logged. You can see the clearcut everywhere, the wilderness has been taken away. Hopefully by visiting these mountains, more people will pay attention and logging can be done in a more thoughtful manner,” says Johnson.

When Johnson began shopping his guidebook around, he found almost no interest from over hundreds of publishers. He had just about shelved the idea when in 2002 he discovered a small Oregon publisher, Frank Amato Publications, Inc. that primarily published fishing books. “I was at the bookstore and I noticed that they also had some hiking books, so I sent them a manuscript.” They agreed to publish the book almost immediately. Since then, 50 Hikes, has received a lot of local interest and support from local bookstores. Johnson is very happy with how it has been doing.

Johnson’s objective in publishing the book was to bring more awareness to the beauty of our bioregion, to allow us connect with our immediate landscape. “Being surrounded by the Cascades, the Canadian Rockies and Glacier is great, but if you only have one day available, you can go see something spectacular right around here,” says Johnson.

And if you are looking for that unique experience that comes with a true adventure look no further than the alpine toad. While hiking, Johnson has seen the prerequisite black bears, moose and even elk, but the animal he saw the most frequently were toads. “You expect to see a toad near a pond but not near the top of a 6,000 foot peak. The alpine toad seems to be everywhere. They seem to have quite the range in elevation.”

Juliet Sinisterra is a former managing editor of Out There Monthly, with founding publisher Jon Snyder, the precursor to OTO.

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