I was never the home-gym type. I wasn’t even the away-gym type. If there was an option to exercise outside, I took it.

In winter, I flew down ski trails, wore spikes on the local trails, and walked the dog down the road after dark. In summer, I rose early for mountain bike rides or trail runs. I hauled out the canoe, paddle boarded, or swam.

My dog got plenty of exercise, and aside from a few dull weeks in winter, I did, too.

But toward the end of 2020, my appetite for outdoor exercise began to wane. All at once, I became intolerant to the cold. My fingers turned white and my toes blistered. I developed a Pavlovian shiver at the thought of exercising outside. I tried going to a gym, but felt uncomfortable breathing en masse.

In January 2021, my husband tore his ACL. Despite my misgivings about home gyms, by the time my husband bought a set of weights, a treadmill off Craigslist, and the pinnacle of modern home-gym equipment—a Peloton—I was there to help him haul the mattress out of the guest room.

Peloton bike sales spiked in unison with COVID cases. In April 2020, when a record-breaking 23,000 people attended a single live class, the death count in the U.S. reached the same record number.

Hiking with Fernie, the family dog (left). // Photo: Shallan Knowles; Angie runs with her dog, Honey, in Spokane’s Garland neighborhood (right). // Photo courtesy Angie Dierdorf.

I took my first Peloton class from an instructor who winked at the camera and told me to dig deep. I tried not to fall for the false sense of community, the culture, the pretense of belonging to something that didn’t belong to me.

But I grew to love the predictability of it, the metrics, the certain outcomes. I could choose my own instructors, music preferences, and classes that fit my time budget. I could be in and out of the guest room in 30 minutes—no coat or hat, no drive, no pleasantries at the door.

In an age of uncertainty and anxiety, the home gym became my refuge of control. But for the dog.

Through it all, he followed me to and from the home gym with long, deep sighs. When I tied my shoes, his tail wagged. Then stopped as I entered the guest room.

My dog’s sad brown eyes lifted when I whipped my cadence into the 100s. His bodily needs became his final bargaining tool, the only way he could get me outside through the dark months of winter.

Eventually, I came to appreciate the effort he made to cheer me on. He celebrated each of my reluctant outdoor steps with twists and leaps. Whenever I decided to take the long route, he rewarded me with exuberant wind sprints. With admirable impatience, he showed me the world I’d forgotten.

In January, we found a bull moose in the woods. In February, we tracked the moon as it arced across the sky in all its phases. By March, I found myself enjoying our walks together; the unpredictability of the weather, the lack of guidance, the uncertain outcomes.

The home gym kept me fit in the winter, but I might have forgotten how great, how messy, how terrifying and glorious the world is, but for the dog.

List of Spokane-Coeur d’Alene metro area businesses offering indoor cycling classes.

Published in the March-April 2022 print issue in the Health & Fitness department.

Read Health & Fitness articles or stories about biking from the OTO archives.

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My family took more trips here in the Inland Northwest, exploring “new” places right under our noses. Attendance at farmers’ markets spiked and local food box subscriptions sold out. We barbecued, gathered around bonfires with friends and neighbors, and talked to strangers in the park down the street.

We remembered how important it is to shop from local businesses, not only to keep money in our community, but because those entrepreneurs are our friends and neighbors. We hunted for used bikes and outdoor gear online and at shops like Rambleraven Gear Trader because the supply chain on many things had gone berserk.

Shop, ski, bike, and adventure locally in the Northwest! PHOTOS (left-right): Rambleraven Gear Trader has gear and provides bike maintenance services. // Photo courtesy Rambleraven Gear Trader; A flannel-lined Spokane Mask for COVID-era skiing. // Photo: Amy McCaffree; Hometown tea towel sold at Atticus Coffee & Gifts. // Photo courtesy Atticus Coffee; We love our Spokane bike shops, like Wheel Sport. // Photo courtesy Wheel Sport Bicycles.

Slowly, many of us really began living local more than ever before. Although it’s yet to be seen, if we manage to hold on to some of those local connections in the years to come, the pandemic, despite its many tragic and terrible outcomes, will have had a silver lining for community involvement.

I, for one, will always look back on life over these past two years with at least some fondness. For the first time in my adult life, I felt connected to my community and neighbors in a deep, meaningful way. The degree to which our successes, failures, and fate have always been linked was made real before my eyes.

When COVID lockdowns first hit and the economy tumbled, many Out There advertisers began to cancel one after another. Who could blame them? People were scared and commerce slowed to a trickle.

We thought for a while that the end of OTO was near and feared for our future. For a week or so, we had a lot of time on our hands. We took long family walks through the neighborhood with our new shelter dog Fernie, named after a favorite place north of the border we could no longer visit. We stockpiled food and cooked elaborate meals, took up long-neglected house projects, and I even dusted off the old banjo.

Then, as suddenly as COVID had smacked us down, we were busier than ever with no time to worry about what would come next. When we couldn’t find a comfortable, quality facemask weeks before they became commonplace, my wife and Out There co-publisher Shallan launched Spokane Masks, selling local, incredibly comfortable hand-made masks in all sorts of stylish fabrics.

Thanks to friends and family who bought them at first, and then, after some great publicity in local media, a broader swath of the community that chose her quality local masks over cheap, mass-produced alternatives, we were living and breathing masks and barely keeping up on orders.            

A year and a half later, some things are getting back to normal and other aspects of life will never be the same. For us, mask sales have slowed to a trickle, but what started as a niche pandemic business has evolved into Spokane Made (spokanemade.com), an online store that sells a wide range of local, hand-made goods, from paperless paper towels to market totes and more.

Out There has bounced back too, and although we are publishing fewer issues these days, this is the biggest issue we have put out in two and a half years. As we go about our lives now, we are more keenly focused on shopping local and supporting local businesses than ever before, and we hope you are too.

In that spirit, this issue features our annual Local Holiday Gift Guide, which highlights nearly 100 gift ideas from local businesses, and other great gift ideas featured in the advertisements that make Out There Venture possible. You know what to do. Give them your love. Our community and the quality of life for all of us depends on it.

The quintessential Northwest outdoor adventurer, Derrick Knowles grew up in the Spokane area, graduated from Eastern Washington University, once worked for Conservation Northwest, and is now Out There Venture co-publisher and editor-in-chief. He co-edited with EWU professor and writer Paul Lindholdt the non-fiction anthology “Holding Common Ground: The Individual and Public Lands in the American West” (EWU Press, 2005).

The post Living Local & Other Silver Linings of the Covid-Era appeared first on Out There Venture.

Less structured eating schedules, more frequent snacking, less supervision at home, greater consumption of processed foods, a more sedentary lifestyle after sports and activities were cancelled, and increased screen-time all contributed.

Chronic stress and emotional and mental health issues, like depression and anxiety, can also cause overeating (or loss of appetite) and decreased energy, which can also lead to excessive weight gain, weight loss, or stagnant growth for children.

Every child is unique, and it’s always best to maintain regular wellness checks with a pediatrician to address any medical concerns. But as a parent who has consulted my children’s pediatrician many times, received guidance from therapists, studied adolescent psychology, and researched plenty, these ideas and strategies, while not intended to be expert advice, may help you work toward better health and wellbeing for your child.

1. Be conscientious about how you talk to kids about their bodies (and your own).

Critical comments often cause kids to internalize negative stereotypes and have lower self-esteem and poor body image. Don’t shame and don’t express excessive worry—even if it’s only an expression of “concern.” Use terms like “growing up” rather than “getting big.” Especially with early puberty beginning at ages 9-11, bodies are changing in ways unexpected for kids.

There are many age-appropriate “body books” for kids to read that provide opportunities for discussion with them. My family’s pediatrician recommends “The Body Book for Boys” for age 10-15 and the American Girl series “The Care & Keeping of You: The Body Book for Girls” (book 1 for age 8-10, book 2 for age 10-12).

2. Approach weight gain as “something to be curious about, rather than as a problem to solve.”

According to experts on the subject, keep in mind a child’s growth history and mental health. Kids commonly “round out” before a height growth spurt.

Doctors and dietitians interviewed for a New York Times article about children’s weight gain during the pandemic say to not put children on diets or count calories, because this increases the risk of developing disordered eating behaviors.

3. Be more active as a family.

Find new and creative ways to move your bodies and exercise together. Walk to the park, go for a hike at a local conservation area, bike for an errand, learn how to ski this winter.

Experience endorphin highs by playing together—even if its Foursquare—and trying new sports and activities like biking and running. Encourage kids to be active with their friends when they get together, by doing activities such as riding bikes or walking to a playground instead of playing video games.

4. Use nature and public lands as a destination for both mental serenity and recreation.

Get out into nature by visiting a state park, national forest, wildlife refuge, or conservation area. Hike along a river or around a lake. Visit places with more plants and dirt than concrete and people. Nature immersion decreases stress, blood pressure, and anxiety, while improving mood and self-esteem and boosting overall feelings of well-being.

5. Make healthy choices alongside your kids.

When children see their parents change habits and make better food choices, get more exercise, and limit screen-time, they will feel motivated to do the same.

Children are still dealing with chronic stress from the ongoing pandemic. Feeling better can easily start with having them climb more trees and get their clothes dirty outside.

More Tips for Healthier Kids

• Have children do “jobs” (aka chores) or volunteer work that encourage exercise, like raking leaves and shoveling snow, walking dogs at a shelter, or picking up litter while hiking.
• Participate in organized sports or activities. Extra-curricular activities provide physical exercise and social-emotional health. Team sports as well as individual recreation, like horseback riding or ski lessons, provide motivation for children to get outside with other kids in all weather conditions.

Amy McCaffree is Out There Kids columnist and digital editor. She enjoys camping, paddling, skiing, hiking, and biking on public lands around the Northwest with her husband and their two children.

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The next morning, I loaded my backpack slower than normal, fighting off crippling fatigue that even a second cup of coffee couldn’t cut through. Shortly after we started hiking, the chills started. I trudged on. 10 miles later, I couldn’t set my tent up fast enough. Nausea made skipping dinner a no-brainer. Those long, miserable hours in my sleeping bag were filled with sweating then freezing and aching in my damp bag as a cold, rainstorm unloaded on us. 

The next morning we continued on our 30-something mile loop deep in the Bitterroots, climbing steeply through cold, wet brush on unmaintained trail into the sub-alpine. I dragged behind but kept going. That night, camped beside a gorgeous off-trail lake, the chills and fever returned and I shivered off to bed without eating much. After another long, fitful night, I woke surprisingly energized. The thought of being done pressed me down the trail. Back at home, I collapsed in bed.   

I was pretty sure I knew what I had before dragging myself to urgent care in the morning. The tests were quick, and the COVID test wasn’t the deep nasal kind I’d heard about. The next two days, as I waited for results, were a blur. The COVID test came back first. Negative. I was relieved and then not surprised by my giardia diagnosis the following day. By then my wife, Shallan, had also developed symptoms. We had been drinking out of a lot of rustic campground water faucets over the summer and must have picked up the bug somewhere. I’ve had giardia three times in my life and can say it’s worth avoiding, but I’ll take a few weeks of feeling like hell any day over the suffering some COVID patients and their families have gone through. 

The past nine months have been an unprecedented economic and emotional ordeal, but at least huge numbers of us have enjoyed warm days outside as a refuge from the strangeness and strain of daily pandemic living. Winter is coming, though, other than the positive La Nina forecast for winter sports fans, things don’t look good. Virus cases are spiking in most states, hospitals are beginning to fill up again in places, and the grand finale of an unusually tense and potentially explosive election will go down days from the time I’m writing this.  

It’s all a bit much and anxiety and depression seem to be rampant. Fortunately, one of the most proven things to help and a safe pandemic-era activity as well is time spent outdoors. If you’re a regular Out There reader, you probably don’t give up on the outdoors when the cold weather sets in, but many people do. During these difficult next few months, when we will need community and connection with others and the outdoors like never before, do your part to encourage those who need it most to get outside and move, even if it is cold out. We will need those big sparkling winter skies, that crisp clean air, and each other more than ever. 

The post Winter Is Coming appeared first on Out There Venture.

Jessica Stoller with the Leavenworth Chamber of Commerce is optimistic that visitors will be mindful of social distancing practices while enjoying both the town and recreation. “We know that things are a little different from what we are all used to; we also know it takes a little more patience to adjust to these new protocols. Just know that we are working hard to be fully open and provide a great experience for all those visiting.” She explains that shops are open and restaurants can accommodate both dine-in and take-out experiences.   

“We are still the same beautiful, friendly town that will be smiling at you when you visit; we’ll just be smiling from behind a mask for now,” says Stroller. 

The post Be a Good Guest in Leavenworth appeared first on Out There Venture.

Know Where You’re Going 

When it comes to travel, the Center for Disease Control advises staying close to home and avoiding crowded areas. As schedules permit, consider camping mid-week versus over a busy holiday weekend, for instance. If you decide to leave your local area, check for state and local guidelines that may require staying home for 14 days after traveling. Read health and safety guidelines of the area where you’ll be camping, as well as what’s posted on the campground’s website or social media pages. Review the rates of infection near where you’ll be camping and of your home area to make respectful decisions about whether this is the right time to adventure.  

Choose Companions Wisely 

The lowest risk scenario is camping with members of your immediate household. The CDC recommends wearing cloth face coverings to help slow the spread of coronavirus. When joining with other household units, consider whether they’ve been social distancing and following the guidelines for your area, as well as whether anyone holds a high-risk job or will be coming into contact with those more vulnerable due to age or health issues. Note that physical distancing protocols are still in place across the country, and don’t travel with anyone who is sick or if you’ve had contact with someone with COVID-19 in the past 14 days. When joining with those outside your household, avoid sharing food and drinks and remember that outdoor activities are lower risk than indoor ones. Aim to transport household units in separate vehicles, and plan to sleep separately versus piling into a shared tent or RV. 

Be Smart About Shared Spaces and Sanitation 

Check with your campground for details about cleaning procedures and requirements for shared facilities (bathrooms, outdoor kitchens, water spigots, etc.). Bring your own disinfectant wipes or sprays plus cloths or paper towels to sanitize shared hard surfaces, following instructions on disinfectant to ensure it sits long enough to be effective. Pack wet wipes and hand sanitizer to use when handwashing isn’t realistic. If well-maintained bathroom facilities are available, wash hands frequently. If they are open, consider visiting shared areas like beaches and picnic spots at off-peak hours to minimize potential exposure (and wash hands or use hand sanitizer afterward). Maintain 6-foot spacing between yourself and members of other households. For an added measure of safety, bring a mask to wear when close proximity to others is unavoidable. 

Stock Up in Advance 

Plan meals and snacks in advance, and shop for what you’ll need in your own neighborhood rather than out of town. 

Follow COVID-Era Trail Etiquette 

Best practices include keeping a 6-foot distance between those from other households. If that’s not realistic, plan to return at a lower-use time. When passing others, face away as you come into close proximity (although of course you can still give a friendly hello or wave!); those ascending typically have the right-of-way. Be sure to pick up your own trash—both to avoid the potential spread of germs, and because it’s just the right thing to do.

For more outdoor recreation safety tips, see this story from our June 2020 issue about #RecreateResponsibly guidelines.

Originally published as “Stay Healthy While Camping During COVID” in the July-August 2020 issue.

[Feature photo: Jumping into Lake Pend Oreille by Amy McCaffree.]

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“We have a whole bunch of Spokane-area students who missed their disc golf sessions in schools and have been sitting around for months and need to get out of the house,” says Erin Johnson with the Spokane-based US Youth Disc Golf Association (US/YDGA). “Families need kids to get outside with a challenge and reward, and since schools were shut down, we are trying to serve our community with what we know best and that’s disc golf.” It’s something anyone can do, Johnson explains, and the game can be played safely during the ongoing pandemic right at home with a portable disc golf basket, homemade targets, or as a family or in small groups at one of the Inland Northwest’s many Jr. courses and full sized courses. Sanctioned courses are listed at www.usydga.com. 

The US/YDGA engages students who are often not involved in other school sports in developing a love for the active, easy-to-learn sport of disc golf. Being a major disc golf promoter, Johnson’s organization has also been installing Jr. Disc Golf Courses near schools and communities to create beginner and family-friendly practice zones and courses for nearly a decade. US/YDGA also typically partners with school districts to put on disc golf programs for students around the regions as well as disc golf summer camps in partnership with Spokane Parks and Recreation.  

With those school programs and camps put on hold due to COVID-19, US/YDGA has responded by offering free disc golf instructional videos for beginners along with more advanced tutorial videos on its website (www.usydga.com). Once Spokane County moves to Phase 3, Johnson says his organization will be putting on small group, full-week disc golf camps at a cost of $120 per student, with scholarships available. The camps, billed as a “Corona Relief” events for parents and cooped up kids, will take place at several Jr. courses, including Ben Burr, Cliff Cannon, Friendship, Loma Vista, and Hays parks. US/YDGA is also putting on a major disc golf event in August that includes a qualifier event open to kids of all abilities followed by a final disc golf tournament with some pretty impressive prizes. 

Johnson says the free tournament and qualifier event is open to all Inland Northwest students and will be put on with safety as a top priority, with an emphasis on physical distancing and sanitizing discs and baskets on the outdoor courses. Kids from all grades can register for a tee-time spot at www.usydga.com for the 2-hour qualifier event on August 15 that will be held on the junior course at the North Spokane YMCA. No experience is necessary to participate, and free loaner discs will be provided. 120 students will continue on from the qualifier event to the final tournament to be held over two days at Spokane’s Camp Sekani Park disc golf course August 22 (K-6) and August 23 (7-12 grades).  

US/YDGA has pulled together an impressive list of sponsors that will be providing prizes for the tournament in addition to gold, silver, and bronze medals. Prizes include stamped discs for the top three finishers in each category and 10 longboards (one for first place in each category, with five female and five male categories) provided by Lithia of Spokane, ACE Hillyard, Spokane Hyundai, Retro Donuts, and Froyo Earth, as well as a family getaway to SilverStar Mountain Resort in British Columbia. Lithia Fiat of Spokane will also be offering up a Fiat 500 or $20,000 toward college tuition for any one final tournament player who hits a hole-in-one on a mobile basket set at 301 feet at hole 17 at Camp Sekani during the final event. Johnson adds that Spokane’s General Store is a major sponsor of the event and is also offering a buy-two-get-one-free disc deal to anyone who comes into the store and mentions this article. (Johnson suggests asking for Big Mike).

Find all the tournament details at Usydga.com/corona-relief-events.

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One of the hopes of conservation and recreation advocates and public land managers who fight for and manage our public lands and trails daily is that the COVID-spurred increase in public lands visitations will translate into more support for those lands. Lasting public support for future land, water, and wildlife conservation efforts as well as funding for the maintenance of our existing parks, trails, trailheads, and other recreation facilities and their management could be at least one positive outcome of the pandemic.   

A sign that we may be headed in that direction is the recent passage of the Great American Outdoors Act by a bi-partisan majority of the U.S. Senate. The legislation, which still needs the support of the U.S. House of Representatives before being signed by the president, which he has indicated he will do, could provide billions in needed deferred maintenance funds for our National Parks. Those funds would pay for things like trail and facility maintenance that have been neglected for years, and the bill would also provide permanent funding for the Land and Water Conservation Fund (LWCF).

The LWCF is one of America’s most important conservation programs that’s been responsible for protecting parks, wildlife refuges, and other public lands and trails across federal, state, and local levels for 50 years. The fund provides crucial funding for conservation and recreation projects as well as the historic preservation of iconic national landmarks, all without tapping into taxpayer coffers; the LWCF is instead exclusively funded from a small portion of revenues from offshore oil and gas royalty payments, which for years have not been making it to the LWCF as intended. The Great American Outdoors Act would put an end to Congressional poaching of these dollars meant for our public lands. 

This isn’t a time to be cynical and hold off on calling your representative because you think they hate nature. (Click here for a directory of U.S. Representatives.) This legislation has broad, bipartisan support from a wide range of outdoors lovers, from hunters, anglers, and ATV riders to bird watchers, mountain bikers, and backpackers, along with many other diverse user groups with varied political convictions. Call or email them regularly until this thing passes so those of us who love the outdoors can all have something big and positive to celebrate together. Learn more about our public lands and the LWCF here to help inform your comments to Congress: Lwcfcoalition.com.

Also, stay tuned for the next issue of Out There, our September/October issue, which will be our first annual Public Lands issue. Email me for public lands related story pitches, advertising inquiries, or to financially support our effort to make our first and hopefully annual Public Lands issue a reality.

Derrick Knowles is editor-in-chief and co-publisher. He has spent more than 30 years exploring the Inland Northwest’s trails, mountains, lakes, and rivers. He lives in Spokane with his wife, Shallan, co-publisher and visual editor of OTO, and their young son.

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• Join a virtual running club. Fleet Feet Spokane aims to help runners reach their goals, with or without a race season. 
• Compete in a virtual bike race. Bandók Virtual Events focuses on ultra-endurance cycling, like the Tour Divide.  
• Sign up for a virtual charity run. These are springing up last minute, so check social media for current offerings.   

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