June 2009 Go Guide Newsletter The Mountaineers
Content
June, 2009 M4 M5
The monthly publication of The Mountaineers
Volume 103, No. 6
NOVA eviscerated to rescue parks Ethic of place: history meets environment
Mountaineer
The
w w w. m o u n t a i n e e r s . o r g
M6 M8
M2 M3 M4 M4 M7
Tending the Green Scenes from a grand opening
View from the Top In Support Conservation Currents Summit Savvy Passages
Whitewater ahead for trails, state parks
Lisa Parsons photo
Lawmakers recently decided to usurp money from a recreation fund responsible for trail recreation to pay for the prevention of massive state park closures, including Flaming Geyser State Park, a popular take-out point for kayakers and rafters on the Green River Gorge (above). See M4 for more about the legislation and how Mountaineers can come to the rescue.
Summer Bookstore Sale on the horizon!
Watch for more next month
There’s no denying the sense of cell
Discover The Mountaineers
F
By Robert Speik
If you are thinking of joining - or have joined and aren’t sure where to start - why not attend an information meeting? Check the Go Guide branch sections for times and locations. Are you ready to jump right in? Visit www.mountaineers. org. No computer? See pg. 18. Need to call? 206-521-6000.
PERIODICAL POSTAGE PAID AT SEATTLE, WA
or 10 days in December 2006, the world’s media focused on the plight of three experienced mountain climbers missing in a heavy snowstorm near the summit of Mt. Hood. Stranded in a snow cave, a hypothermic Kelly James used his cell phone to call his home in Texas and say goodbye, triggering the massive rescue effort. He did not call 911 for rescue. A month prior, James Kim, his wife and two small children were reported missing in southern Oregon while driving toward home in San Francisco. Days passed as search efforts made headlines. Cell phone engineers volunteered their expertise and based on a single tower
home from work, Maple Valley resident Tanya Rider was found alive but dehydrated and injured in her car at the bottom of a steep ravine in that Seattle suburb. Authorities found Rider after asking her cell phone provider to provide the specific location where she last used her cell phone. The cited incidents serve to remind backcountry travelers that cell phones can communicate from urban-facing slopes or summits. They can also help locate a stranded traveler. In the mountaineering world, the controversy over using cell phones for expensive search and rescue missions still simmers. But recently, the common digital cell phone has Continued on M6
ping, they deduced the location of the car. Less than two days later, James’s wife and children were rescued. James Kim had died of hypothermia the day before the rescue while on a heroic quest for help. The tragedy prompted a governor’s task force review of Oregon search and rescue methods. In September 2007, more than a week after she failed to return
Do you hear a Who? The Mountaineers Players will present “Seussical the Musical” through midJune. See pg. 2 of the Go Guide.
Upcoming
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The Mountaineers 7700 Sand Point Way N.E. Seattle, WA 98115
Mountaineers volunteer Mary Thomas helps outfit a young wall climber at the club’s grand opening in April. For more photos of the event see M8.
Brad Stracener photo
Friday night climbs take a break: Free indoor climbing wall nights on Fridays at club headquarters will take the summer off as busy climbers tackle real walls. The outdoor wall remains open year-round.
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Climb, ride, slide, fly—Come to the Adventure Film Fest June 11. See the ad on M3.
Check the listings of the club’s various branches in this month’s Go Guide to learn about and join work parties on National Trails Day—Sat., June 6—or visit the branches via www.mountaineers.org.
June 009
The
The Mountaineer
Explore, preserve, learn
The club’s mission:
To enrich the community by helping people explore, conserve, learn about and enjoy the lands and waters of the Pacific Northwest.
Mountaineer
The Mountaineers is a nonprofit organization, founded in 1906 and dedicated to the responsible enjoyment and protection of natural areas. Board of Trustees Officers President Eric Linxweiler, 08-10 President-Elect Tab Wilkins, 08-10 Past President Bill Deters, 08-09 VP Properties Dave Claar, 08-10 VP Publishing Don Heck, 08-10 Treasurer Mike Dean, 08-10 Secretary Steve Sears, 08-10 Trustees at large Kirk Alm, 07-10 Rich Draves, 08-11 Dale Flynn, 07-10 Ed Henderson, 08-11 Lynn Hyde, 08-11 Don Schaechtel, 06-09 Eva Schönleitner, 06-09 Dave Shema, 07-10 Mona West, 06-09
Also see us on the web at www.mountaineers.org
Managing Editor Brad Stracener
Contributors, proofreaders: John Edwards, Brian Futch, Jim Harvey, Brooke Spicher, Suzan Reiley Photographers & Illustrators: John Burns, Gala Lindvall, Lisa Parsons
The club’s charter lists its purposes as follows:
—To explore and study the mountains, forests and other water courses of the Northwest and beyond. —To gather into permanent form the history and traditions of these regions and explorations. —To preserve by example, teaching and the encouragement of protective legislation or otherwise the natural beauty of the natural environment. —To make expeditions and provide educational opportunities in fulfillment of the above purposes. —To encourage a spirit of good fellowship among all lovers of outdoor life. —To hold real estate and personal property and to receive, hire, purchase, occupy, and maintain and manage suitable buildings and quarters for the furtherance of the purposes of the association, and to hold in trust or otherwise funds, received by bequest or gift or otherwise, to be devoted to the purposes of said association.
THE MOUNTAINEER is published monthly by: The Mountaineers, 7700 Sand Point Way N.E. Seattle, WA 98115 206-521-6000; 206-523-6763 fax
Branch Trustees Bellingham, Steven Glenn Everett, Rob Simonsen Foothills, Gerry Haugen Kitsap, Jimmy James Olympia, John Flanagan Seattle, Mike Maude Tacoma, Tom Shimko Executive Director To be announced
Volume 103, No. 6 The Mountaineer (ISSN 00272620) is published monthly by The Mountaineers, 7700 Sand Point Way N.E., Seattle, WA 98115. Members receive a subscription as part of their annual dues. Approximately $12.42 of each member’s annual membership dues is spent to print and mail this publication. Non-member subscriptions to The Mountaineer are $32. Periodicals postage paid at Seattle WA. Postmaster: send address changes to The Mountaineer, 7700 Sand Point Way N.E., Seattle, WA 98115. Opinions expressed in articles are those of the authors and do not necessarily represent the views of The Mountaineers.
Who ya gonna call? Your mentor, of course
Are you a new member wondering about the how-to, where-to and what-to-do with your club? There are a number of resources available to you, not the least our websites. Now there is also a real, live person. If you want to know about expected conditioning for a hike, what not to wear, how to sign up for events or whatever call or e-mail the “mentor of the month.” Mona West is this month’s mentor. Feel free to contact her at west_mona[at]yahoo.com with your questions or comments.
View from the Top
U
Our heritage prepares us for what’s ahead
ncertainty. It’s a word that defines many of our taineering education and training center. shape our organization in a new adventures in the mounand different way. This leads to an uncertainty which is fully our own. But one thing is certain: RegardThey will do this with the knowledge that we’re on this journey The same goes for us now. We are with perhaps more uncertainty with the right foundation, the right to lead us to success, no matentering our second hundred years than our first. Obesity is on the less of the challenge, we will be led in a way that meets the needs of today and of tomorrow. dedication, and the right knowledge ter the future. I couldn’t be more part of this. proud—or more confident—to be a I hope you join us on this leadership mission.
tains. We have a reason for our
venturing out in them, but there are forces beyond our control that test our training, our resolve and our fortitude.
rise (especially among children), lacing up fewer boots than ever,
From our earliest days, Mountainto face un-
people are watching more TV and and our public lands—as well as threat.
Over the next few months, many of your club’s leaders will be working to redefine what it means to lead.
eers learned certainty with a confidence that the path they were on—forged
their financing—are under constant Amazingly, there are children in
The Mountaineers Legacy Society
Western Washington who are part of families who, collectively, have However, we know the answer to these problems—we just need to lead people to those answers. We all know what it means to be a Mountaineer. It is community, culture, passion and commitment. It’s knowing that we are learning, teaching and exploring all at the never spent a single night in a tent.
experience, and teamwork—would yield a positive result. It’s what led to many amazing first ascents (including the first American on Everest’s summit), the founding enterprises (including REI and
by training,
The Mountaineers, in partnership with The Mountaineers Foundation, is proud to announce the launch of The Mountaineers Legacy Society. The Society will recognize and honor donors who have included a gift to The Mountaineers and/or the Foundation through a bequest or other estate gift. If you would like to be recognized as a Founding Member in the Legacy Society – or would just like to learn more – we would love to hear from you!
of national parks, creation of new Mountaineers Books), and missionbased publishing, not to mention the world’s newest and best mounHow far will you go this year?
same time. We will soon be bringing on a new leader who will help
www.mountaineers.org
Mountaineers
The
To find out more about The Mountaineers Legacy Society, please contact us: [email protected] or call Judy Halls, 206-521-6006
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The Mountaineer
Whittaker awarded honorary status
Lou Whittaker, who joined The Mountaineers as a teenager during World War II, has been named an honorary member of the club. The Mountaineers Board of Trustees voted unanimously in Lou Whittaker favor of granting him the award during its April 3 meeting. He and his twin brother, Jim, joined the club as Boy Scouts, enrolled in the climbing course and later served the club as climbing instructors. Lou was a charter member of the Mountain Rescue Council. Lou founded the guiding operation known as Rainier Mountaineering, Inc. The subject of the book, “Lou Whittaker - Memoirs of a Mountain Guide,” he led the first American ascent of the North Col of Everest in 1984. His mountaineering legacy intertwines with fellow legends of the Pacific Northwest and Mountaineers community, including Dr. Otto Trott, Wolf Bauer, Ome Daiber and Lloyd Anderson. As a Mountaineers honorary member, he joins the likes of his brother, Jim, Pete Schoening, Bradford Washburn, Dee Molenaar, Clark Schurman, Ira Spring, Fred Beckey and Maynard Miller.
June 009
Brad Stracener photo
U.S. Interior lauds climbers for heroism
Two Northwest climbers will be awarded by the U.S. Department of Interior for their heroism during
a climbing rescue in 2002 involving the crash of a helicopter carrying them to the accident scene. In its announcement, Interior noted the skill and tenacity demonstrated by Dave Hahn, a guide for Rainier Mountaineering, Inc., and Chris Olson, a Mt. Rainier National Park climbing ranger. The copter crashed at the base of Liberty Ridge. Undaunted, the pair continued to climb to a dangerous area of the mountain and rescue the injured climber.
If a Who calls in the forest, does anybody hear?
Gala Lindvall photo
France in a Boot
Tour of Mont Blanc
105 miles 32,800 feet Daily average: 5h50 and 3000’ Highest point: 8750’ Thru: France, Italy, Switzerland 11 days/10 nights American guide (fluent in French) Schedule and details,go to www.franceinaboot.com
Gertrude (Ashleigh Emmons) tries to gain the attention of Horton (Nathaniel Jones) while he only has eyes for the Whos on the fir-tree stem. The spring Mountaineers Players production,“Seussical the Musical,” opened Memorial Day weekend and continues to mid-June at the Forest Theater on the Kitsap Peninsula. See the ad on pg. M8 for more details.
Dubuar, Elaine Dubuar, James Dyer, Polly Eby, Scott Eichenberger, William Eskenazi, Ralph Estill, Jamie Fadden, Delmar Ferguson, Ellen Fraser Matt Gibbons, Gayle Giving Campaign Goldsmith, Robert Gordon, Jamie Gross, James Gustafson, Sharon Hansen, Joan Hanson, Ellen Hanson, Marcia Harrington, David Hayes, Sheri Heck, Don Heinemann, Marlene Hemmen, Peter Henderson, Edward Hensley, Russell Hickey, Robert Hicks, Dan Hicks, Gardner Hogan, John Hollenbeck, Max Horch, Andrew Jacky, S. J. Jensen, Betty Johnson, Leigh Jonquiere, Martin Kantor-Stanley, Mary Kavadas, Janet Kehoe, John Kinder, Gordon Kingsbury, Daniel Kress, Thomas Lahr, William, estate bequest Lavigne, Angie Le Blanc, Dave Lea, James Leisky, Gary Lewis, Gregg Lincoln, Alan Linebarger, Kyle Linxweiler, Eric Lipe, Hillary Livesay, Kim Mack, Anne Margell, Dean Mazur, Daniel McDonald, Mary Mehler, George Merril, Candy Metz, Mary Microsoft Matching Miller, Nornan Milovsoroff, Peter Moen, John Naylor, Jay North Platte Public Schools Orchard-Levesque, Grace Ostmann, Fred Owens, Zach Paliswiat, Bartosz Palmer, Sylvia Panzarella, Lawrence Parris, Carrie Post, Barbara Puddicome, Ray Pursell, Greg Pyle, Joan Raines, Charles Renkor, Betty Robertson, David Robertson, Kathleen Romberg, Harry Ross, Brian Rossotto, Michael Russell, Steven Schneider, Carol Sellers, Victoria Sexauer, Barbara Shurgot, Michael Spohn, Jean Stephenson, Robert Sterry, Judy Tacoma Branch Todd, Karen Trotters, Tuesday Verellen, Patricia Vervoort, Edward Walyor, Bruce Wells, Barbara Wheeler, Jerry Wick, Debra Willliams, Harold Zehnder, Clark Zeisler, Patricia In memorial Jo Backus John Dyer Stanley Engle Marian Gorley Ruth Kirkman
The Mountaineers Foundation acknowledges and thanks all its donors. Unless individuals request their names not be published, all donors will be acknowledged in The Mountaineer on a quarterly basis (usually June, September, December, March). If you have donated during the period of January through April 2009 and your name is not on the list below, please notify Paul Robisch, Mountaineers Foundation, 206-363-1989, [email protected], and your name will be added to the next published list of donors. Donations received after April 30 will be acknowledged in the September Mountaineer. The Mountaineers Foundation wishes to express special appreciation for the extraordinary generosity of James Lea.
Alexander, Lois Anderson, Thomas Andrews, Edward Angulo, John Anonymous Bell, Joy Bennett, James Bias, Margot Blake, Graeme Boeing Matchiing Borell, Karen Brackett, Sheila Braun, Glen Brownell, Margaret Brown-MacKay, Lillian Burges, Sylvia Carey, Kathleen Chapman, James Chase, Joanne Cleman, Mathew Cook, Ann Cox, Darrol Cutcliff, Mike Daniels, Bert Davie, Anita Dean, Mike
In support
A new way to pay!
Members can take a bite out of their dues payment by enrolling in our monthly dues program. Each month, you pay 1/12th of your dues rate. That’s a little over $6 a month for most members! Get started today by visiting the webpage below. www.mountaineers.org/autopay.html
Club donors
Ellen Anderson Nigel B. Clark Pieter A. Cornelissen Barbara J. DeLateur David A. Farr Katherine L. Fong Mary Louise A. Harris
Thursday, June 11, 2009
The Mountaineers Building, 7700 Sand Point Way NE, Seattle
Doors at 6:30 pm, show at 7 pm Tickets: $10/$8 members. Tickets are available through The Mountaineers office or by calling 206-521-6001.
The following have generously made donations recently toward programs at The Mountaineers. The Mountaineers appreciates their generosity.
Barbara J. Gomez Ken Holmstrom Paul R. McGilvray Mitchell D. Murray April Rebollo Gene H. Strunk Catherine C. Thayer
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June 009
Can you identify the summit in
the foreground here? Send your answer (by June 10) to: Summit Savvy, The Mountaineer, 7700 Sand Point Way N.E., Seattle, WA 98115. If you guess correctly, you’ll receive $10 of Mountaineers Money, good for Mountaineers Bookstore merchandise, and we’ll publish your name in next month’s column. (In case of a tie, one winner will be chosen at random.) Club employees or persons shown in the photograph are not eligible. Each month we’ll publish a new mystery summit and identification of the previous one.
The Mountaineer
■ Send your photographs (or slides) for possible publication as a mystery summit (include identification for our benefit). If we use your photo, you will get $10 of Mountaineers Money as well. ■ At the end of each year, all correct respondents’ names are placed in a hat and the winner of that drawing will receive $50 of Mountaineers Money good for purchases at The Mountaineers Bookstore. ■ No one correctly guessed last month’s mystery summit, Prusik Peak, as photographed by Curt Baxstrom.
Summit Savvy
conservation CURRENTS
Road-trail rec fund used to rescue state parks
By Leesa Wright
and rivers for recreation. NOVA receives one percent of the current 37.5 cents per gallon state fuel tax, or a little more than 1/3 penny for every gallon sold. That third of a penny is divided into three funding categories: non-highway roads (hunting, fishing, kayaking, campsites), non-motorized recreation (trails for cross-country skiing, horseback riding, mountain biking and hiking), and motorized recreation (ORV trails and facilities). ORV funding is further augmented by a percentage of ORV use permit fees—around $18 per permit, making it the largest fund of the three categories. The loss of these funds for the next two years is of concern especially
if you believe, as did former Forest Service Chief Dale Bosworth, that unmanaged ORV use on Forest Service lands is one of “four key threats” and “should be one of the highest priorities of the agency.” Moreover, the loss will result in no maintenance, no repair and no replacement of non-highway accessed recreation facilities. The Mountaineers and like-minded groups are pursuing new funding sources for Forest Service lands, especially in times of economic downturns. Stay tuned to The Mountaineer and our web blog, http://mntrs.blogspot.com, for updates on the funding crisis and to learn how you can help put our recreational future in good hands.
T
Public Policy Assistant
he road to saving state parks, according to the Legislature’s most recent budgetary effort, is through the evisceration of a fund for recreational facilities that Mountaineers and other wilderness travelers use. As state lawmakers prepared budgets late last year for the 2009-11 biennium, it was clear that Washington would not be immune to the economic downturn. In times of recession, funding for recreation commonly dries up. This was demonstrated early this year when a list of 13 state parks proposed for closure due to budget shortfalls was released. As the recession deepened, the list of potential state parks to be shuttered grew to 40. To address the growing list of closures, House Bill 2339 was introduced. The bill essentially proposed to switch the way in which the opportunity to support state parks is presented to residents when they register or renew their registration for vehicles. Currently, vehicle owners have the option of checking a box to add an additional $5 to support state parks. HB 2339 will automatically increase vehicle registration and renewal by $5 unless the owner checks a box to “opt out” of supporting state parks. However, the Washington State Department of Licensing informed the Legislature that it would not be able to implement the “opt out” plan on vehicle registrations until December of this year, leaving a $6 million gap in the state parks budget. Meanwhile, the precariousness of recreation funds in bad economic times was compounded when, in
Tracking the legislative trail
• December: Gov. Gregoire releases budget proposal—$23 million cut from state parks. • March: $19 million of NOVA and Boating Facilities Program money moved into the general fund. • April: State budget is passed with nearly $9.6 million in NOVA and boating program funds redirected from the general fund to state parks.
order to fill a $9 billion hole in the state’s general fund, the Legislature rerouted Non-Highway and OffRoad Vehicles Activities Program (NOVA) and Boating Facilities Program funds to the general fund. However, with much prodding from the recreation community, the Legislature was convinced that even in difficult times, recreation is important to the health and well-being of a society. It then rescinded the reroute of NOVA and boating monies to the general fund. Instead, it routed them to the state parks budget to keep the parks open until the “opt out” plan is up and running. If this sounds to you a lot like “robbing Peter to pay Paul,” you wouldn’t be too far off the mark.
Going beyond solar options
By Jim Adcock
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ast month, we examined home solar installation as a lighter and cheaper means of supplying power than buying it from your utility company. After reading the article, some may have asked, “How about small-scale wind power, putting a small wind turbine on your roof or your deck?” Unfortunately, as any sailor knows, wind speeds in the Seattle area are typically 1-2 mph. Wind turbines need wind speeds of 10-20 mph to be effective. This means wind speeds in the Seattle area typically fall 1,000 times too short to be effective for power generation. Useful wind speeds are available in the Enumclaw area, where hundreds of commercial wind turbines are being installed. BPA (Bonneville Power Administration), the branch of the federal government that owns and operates most Washington state dams, partners with wind farm owners to provide stable “base-load” electricity. When the wind blows, electrical power comes from the wind turbines; when the wind falls off, BPA makes up the difference by almost instantly generating extra hydroelectric power. Getting back to solar: if panels are too expensive for you right now
and you still want a cheaper route, how about solar hot water? A system that meets about 70 percent of a family of four’s needs costs about $5,000. Do you want an even cheaper option while reducing your carbon imprint? Consider what any household built off the grid quickly learns: conserving energy through conservation (turn it off when you aren’t using it) is more than free—its “nega-watts.” Also keep in mind that energy efficiency (e.g., using CFLs, LED light bulbs, LED TVs, and Energy Star appliances) is about 10 times cheaper than installing more solar electric panels. This is true whether you live in Seattle or Savannah, Georgia, because the energy grid is national. Do you turn off the faucet while brushing your teeth? Have you installed low-flow toilets? One standard light bulb wastes as much water in hydroelectric terms as flushing your toilet 200 times an hour! Options abound on the path to a lighter carbon imprint. Jim Adcock is an energy engineer and volunteer for The Mountaineers Conservation Division.
The NOVA fund trail
Since 1971 NOVA has provided grants to manage and develop recreation accessed via non-highway roads. Recreation supported by NOVA funds includes cross-country skiing, hiking, mountain biking, hunting, fishing, horseback riding, motorcycling, and all-terrain and four-wheel driving. The Department of Natural Resources estimates more than 700,000 Washington state residents annually use the non-highway roads to access forest lands
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Ethic of place History is still revealing Seattle’s story
By Brad Stracener
The Mountaineer
June 009
“Place is the stuff of memories,” historian Matthew Klingle says in his book on Seattle’s environmental history, “our sense of home . . . of belonging.” He maintains that history and place are inseparable, continually forging an “ethic of place” that we need
to understand in order to understand what history—natural and humaninduced—has to offer us on our road ahead. Though shy of being a toolbox that we can use to untangle our environmental messes or what these messes have wrought sociologically, Klingle believes an understanding of history and an ethic of place can help us begin to right a ship of inequity and injustice. “History is no panacea, but thinking historically can help us to live with the consequences of being flawed creatures in a turbulent world,” he says in the prologue to his 2007 book, “Emerald City: An Environmental History of Seattle.” The clues to the injustices of Seattle’s environmental history—largely the displacement of the poor and dispossessed for an alleged higher ideal of nature and community—are not always easy to find today. You won’t find them by walking along such veins of commerce and industry as the Duwamish dredge, where a spot known to native fishermen as “the crossing place” between two rivers once existed. The rivers have long since been channeled by human hand into one, and that one is now host to more than a half-dozen toxic Superfund sites as well as some of the poorest neighborhoods in the urban Northwest. At the same time, history can be found almost without effort. A visit to the Hiram Chittenden Locks (aka Ballard Locks) reveals a history that still runs in Seattle’s living veins—the resilient salmon bubbling about the locks on their dogged return to their own home or place of belonging, where their spawn promises a perpetuity linking to prehistoric times. If only salmon could talk, then Seattle might better understand its history. Fortunately for Seattleites and others, though, historians can talk. Klingle, who grew up in Utah and spent three years in Seattle by grace of an academic fellowship, is now an associate professor of history and environmental studies at Bowdoin University in Maine. On a visit to the Northwest to receive an Organization of American Historians award, he dropped into Mountaineers headquarters along the shores of one of Seattle’s most notable environmental meliorations, Lake Washington. As a result, The Mountaineer was able to arrange an interview with Klingle about his nearly decade-long study of our city’s environmental history. Though city engineers have maneuvered nature over the past century, as witnessed by the industrialization of the Duwamish River above, some forces of nature so far refuse to budge, such as the anadromous steelhead (right). think today. There was a certain sense to what he did—digging hills away and dredging. And to say he was unenlightened is to do an injustice to Thomson and is not thinking historically. The past has a lot of possibilities we can never imagine. For example, my work is due to legions of historians that came before me, but I ask questions differently than they did. We each bring different interpretations to our work. Q. In putting your book together, did you ever encounter the dilemma of whether something notable from the past was relevant to your work? Klingle: Yes. For example, when I was first examining the regrades, I was searching for their real significance. One day I was talking to one of my colleagues about it and he asked me, “Who was living there?” Then I came to see that the regrades (which enabled development) were a way of seeing the world and not just something sitting out there. They were an effort to make God’s handiwork better to people like Thomson who saw the system as interconnected—if you change the land then you change the people, the landscape and the city. Seattle is blessed to have some of the best park designs in the country, thanks to the Olmsteds. But when I looked into it deeper, the city had gone through some violent (social) confrontations to achieve these designs. Today we have tent cities while deciding what to do with open space. Q. If you could point to one policy decision in the Puget Sound region that leveled more impact on our environmental history than any other, what would that be? Klingle: I think there are a couple. At the turn of the century, the most undeniable and obvious are the decisions to extend the railroad and the decisions by city government and businesses to capitalize on the Klondike Gold Rush by presenting Seattle as its gateway. The latter could not have been effective if the railroad had not already arrived. In the modern era, it was a collective set of decisions: transforming the waterways for flood control, real estate development, the digging of the ship canal, dredging the lower Duwamish River and untangling the White, Green and Stuck Rivers. The net effect set the course for what would happen in the region in general—the direction of growth to the floodplains and suburban King County, where industry would be placed and the confirmation of Lake Washington as a scenic and recreational body of water (via Metro). The problem Metro created was the notion that we can engineer our way out (of an environmental mess). It had the unintended effect of encouraging Continued on M7
“The Duwamish . . . was seen by many as the logical place to waste because of nearly a century of neglect for our wetlands and the perception that it by marginal people. Poverty and the watershed.” was a marginal landscape inhabited
destitution, it seems, flow downhill like
Q. In the book, you say that in Seattle’s environmental history “there were victors and there were the defeated, but no one was ever wholly virtuous and few were entirely corrupt.” Is it thus fair to say that our environmental landscape has been market driven? Klingle: There is some truth to that, but it depends on the time you are talking about. The buying up of tidelands is an example; but at the same time, the state constitutional convention created the possibility to buy up tidelands. On the other hand, people like R.H. Thomson (city chief engineer, 1892-1911) had a specific vision for civic engineering and park planning. So did Jim Ellis with Metro. You have to understand the values of that time. The Duwamish in the 1940s, for example, was seen by many as the logical place to waste because of nearly a century of neglect for our wetlands and the perception that it was a marginal landscape inhabited by marginal people. Poverty and destitution, it seems, flow downhill like the watershed. I don’t think you can understand what has happened to the Duwamish unless you understand the historical context. Q. You say “not all of the past is relevant to us” and that “much of it can and should remain strange.” Why is that? Klingle: I am not saying that (the strange) past should not be part of our work in the present, because it is always present. Contaminated salmon, toxins from garden herbicides—we can’t ignore that past. But it is a mistake and a fallacy to think that Thomson thought the same way we
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June 009
The Mountaineer
Keepers of the Green paddle to protect
One of dozens of watercrafts on the May 2 cleanup misssion slips through Ledge Drop 1 (top left); Lou Whittaker (center in upper right photo) chats with State Parks Commissioner Joan Thomas (left) and Lisa Parsons (right) of the Middle Green River Coalition; Mountaineer Wolf Bauer (bottom left) presents a history of the Green and is honored by having the Flaming Geyser lodge named for him in the next photo; the day’s catch from the river (bottom right).
A cell phone can take the ‘search’ out of search and rescue
Continued from M1 made a case for its inclusion as an essential gear item because of such incidents as those in Oregon and Maple Valley, and the fact that climbing rescues comprise a minor percentage of rescue responses. According to Oregon State records, climbing accounts for just 3.4 percent of all rescues—slightly higher than mushroom harvesting—while hiking accounts for 13.8 percent. Vehicles, including ATVs and snowmobiles, top the list at 20.5 percent. The basic responsibilities of backcountry travelers include the designation of someone to call 911 if the traveler does not return by the time he or she planned. The designated person should know about the car, the trailhead destination, the traveler’s planned route or routes from the trailhead, and when other participants are involved, their preparations and experience. Backcountry rescue is not initiated until a request is made through 911. According to search and rescue professionals, a successful outcome is very dependent on a timely call for help. Therefore, when backcountry travelers become stranded due to illness or injury, or if they become lost and are forced to stay overnight, it may be better to call for help then, rather than waiting for the designated friend or relative to call 911 hours or days later. connect to a tower. Cell phone users should note that few contain an internal GPS that tracks Department of Defense satellites. Even cell phone plans that give you turn-by-turn highway directions use cell tower triangulation and not GPS satellites, according to my provider. A $35 pair of walkie-talkie radios may help keep your group together and may help contact search helicopters, but someone within range must be listening on your channel. My wife and I are FCC-licensed general class amateur radio operators. My handheld radio is pretty heavy and uses special batteries. There are now other options. I have a friend who rents an expensive satellite phone for his major expeditions. A personal locator beacon only calls to initiate a rescue and it is costly at $600 or more. It depends on the dedicated international rescue satellite system to send out a distress signal, but unlike cell-tower reception, cannot be field-tested lawfully. To bridge the voids of cell coverage, I use a SPOT satellite personal messenger—costing about $149 plus a $100 annual satellite phone connection charge. Two replaceable lithium batteries from any store run this new device. Like digital cell phones, a SPOT messenger can be tested unlimited times in all real-world circumstances, sending prepared messages with your coordinates to family and friends. If these free messages transmit, then so would an urgent message to 911. Note that with your personal cell phone, combined with a topo map, basic GPS receiver and basic skills, you can relay the exact coordinates of the user, the problem, the surrounding conditions and much more. Your cell phone could therefore take the “search” out of search and rescue. Bottom line: add your digital cell phone to your backcountry essentials list. Robert Speik posts a website, www.TraditionalMountaineering. org, and provides instruction in mountaineering. He has written many reports in the annual journal, “Accidents in North American Mountaineering.”
John Burns photos
This is what makes a cell phone vital. The common digital phone allows a stranded backcountry traveler to provide rescuers with specific coordinates using the traveler’s topo map and GPS receiver, and the details of the problem, condition of the victim, the victim’s plans and more. This clearly assists the search and rescue effort.
Other options
Emergency cell phone plan
I have an “emergency cell phone plan.” My regular three-ounce digital cell phone was provided with my service contract of $10 per month, including some free minutes and just pennies for additional minutes. I have listed the cell numbers of my responsible person, my family, friends and companions and the local land managers. The phone is often shut off inside the top of my pack to save battery power, but I turn it on to check the connection coverage from time to time while I hike so that I have a sense of where I can
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The Mountaineer
June 009
History trumps hubris
Continued from M5 more growth because it seemingly solved the sewage problem. However, Ellis realized our hubris in these technological solutions when he put forth Forward Thrust. Now, of course, the combined sewage overflow is a major problem. But the decisions were rational at the time because of who lived where and the dilution offered by Elliott Bay. There may have been alternatives at the time but Seattle was a relatively poor city. It needed a solution fast, and many engineers did not expect the outcomes. Q. If you could point to one practice that leveled more impact on our environment than any other, what would that be? Klingle: The desire to have all the benefits, joys and conveniences of modernity while being able to enjoy what is around us. This comes with unforeseen environmental consequences. A number of organizations, including The Mountaineers, have fought to gain more open space and have challenged unregulated harvesting of timber and taking of fish. It is all great work, but some of it has resulted in our denial of how privilege is rooted in this practice. Communities on the margin of political power were excluded. Georgetown is one consequence of this. Q. In the vein of exclusion, you said in an interview recently that the ethic of place evolves over time and reveals not only how people transform nature but also how deep the inequalities of power are bound up in the decisions that shape the landscape and become part of our terrain. If these inequalities of power are already set in motion to the extent that they are in our landscape or terrain, how can this gravity be reversed? Klingle: The past has work to do in the present and the future. History provides more than a check on our hubris, but also a check on our notion of being above the forces we can’t control. The past reminds us to check our good intentions. Whether it is rerouting e-waste or whatever, we have to ask: What does it do to other communities? Q. What did your research tell you that you did not know about Seattle in the context of environmental history? Klingle: That it is marked by deep enduring patterns of inequality, differences in power and how they manifested themselves. I thought it was going to be a story about a city with environmental problems because of moving earth and water around, but what I found was a deep identification to place, adjusted to tell a story of decline and revival, where progress and failure get all mixed up. But I am hopeful because there is a recognition of the challenges of being human in an imperfect world. It is humbling. In this complexity lies hope. Q. Tell us more about your next project, the interconnection of consumerism and environmentalism. How far along are you? Klingle: I am not as far along as I could be. We are expecting our second child in June. One of the things that came out of my work on this last book is the realization that Seattle is a 20th century city. It came of age when America became urban. Relentless “boosterism” was of that time—the thought that tourism could drive the economy. Mass consumerism also witnessed the reverse: environmental consciousness. Our affection for the environment is bound up with the fact that we jump on a bike and pedal through the countryside or go hiking. But you need gear to do these things—packs by Kelty, clothing by Patagonia and so on. Therefore, environmentalists can critique our treatment of the environment only by becoming consumers. The question then becomes, for example, how do you confront something like climate change without grabbing that nettle? For this reason, I am skeptical of green commerce. Brad Stracener is managing editor of The Mountaineer.
Passages
Gene A. Mickle, a 45-year member of The Mountaineers and a gifted
climber, died April 4, 2009 at the age of 77. Born on Aug. 16, 1931 in Canton, Ohio, Mickle lived in Bellevue for the past 48 years. He retired from a long career with Boeing in 1988. Though he was most at home in the mountains and a wonderful mountain companion, he also was a talented long-distance runner. Mickle completed many difficult ascents, including the first winter ascent of Mt. Rainier’s Ptarmigan Ridge in 1973. In his later years, he focused on rock climbing and became an expert at the local crags. He also rock climbed extensively outside of Washington—occasionally employing local guides when his customary climbing partners were unavailable or could no longer keep up. Mickle died from a rare blood cancer that he battled for the past eight years or more. He is preceded in death by a son, Jeffery Allen. He is survived by his wife, Marlene, to whom he was married for 58 years, a daughter, Marjorie E. Lorenz, and grandsons, Jeremy Lorenz and Shawn Lorenz. Donations may be made to the International Waldenstrom’s Macroglobulinemia Foundation, www.iwmf.com, 941-927-4963. Don Goodman, Mountaineer and avid climber, contributed the above article. He notes that Mickle introduced him to expeditionary mountaineering during a 1977 three-week trip to the Mt. Monarch area of the British Columbia Coast Range, and took him to “more obscure rock formations in the greater Puget Sound basin than I will ever remember.”
Alden ‘Loo’ Crittenden, avid climber and 50-year member of The
Mountaineers, died on April 15, 2009, at the age of 88. He was born in Wichita, Kansas, in 1920. He attended the University of Illinois in the early 1940s. After completing his bachelor’s degree in chemistry and some graduate school, he joined the Navy, where he served as a bomb disposal officer in the Pacific Theater through the end of the Second World War. In 1946 he was honorably discharged from the Navy as a lieutenant. Crittenden returned to the University of Illinois to complete his PhD, and in 1948 he became a faculty member in the Chemistry Department at the University of Washington. He retired to professor emeritus status in 1989. Soon after moving to Seattle, Crittenden joined The Mountaineers and served as chair of the Climbing Committee in 1958. He was a contributing author and editor of the first edition of “Mountaineering: The Freedom of the Hills,” published in 1960. Having climbed Mount St. Helens before the 1980 eruption, Crittenden earned the club’s Six Peak Pin. He was also an early member of REI and served on its board of directors from 1959 to 1965, during which time REI made its historic move from downtown Seattle to the much larger building on Capitol Hill. He is survived by his wife, Eloise, herself a former climber and Mountaineers member, and his children, Jane and Bill, both climbers. Memorial donations may be made to The Mountaineers Foundation.
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June 009
The Mountaineer
A grand opening for all
Brad Stracener photos
The Mountaineers opened its doors to the public (and some goats) with a grand opening on April 25 as part of the Magnuson Park SpringFest. Clockwise (from top left): Seattle Mayor Greg Nickels listens to Mountaineer Glenn Eades (far left) with Mountaineers President Eric Linxweiler and Seattle Parks Superintendent Tim Gallagher to the right and in the foreground. A young crag climber gets a helping hand on the south plaza climbing wall. Rent-A-Ruminant goats—courtesy of Pemco Insurance—get some hands as well, and two youngsters compete to find the prize in the Junior Naturalists’ scavenger hunt.
KITSAP FOREST THEATER
Spring 2009
, 31 25, 30 y 24, Ma , 14 , 7, 13 June 6 m 2:00 p
Escape to the Kitsap Forest Theater, 3000 Seabeck Hwy, Bremerton, for a fun afternoon with family and friends. Picnic under the firs before you stroll down the forested trail to our magical theater. A fantastical musical for all ages, Seussical is an enchanting celebration of friendship, compassion, bravery, and the power of the imagination. Come “open your mind, oh, the thinks you will find!” Tickets available at (800) 573-8484 (Mountaineers, Seattle) Ted Brown Music, Silverdale • Mills Music, Poulsbo
www.ForestTheater.com
Info Line (206) 542-7815 • Shows presented by The Mountaineers Players
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The monthly publication of The Mountaineers
Volume 103, No. 6
NOVA eviscerated to rescue parks Ethic of place: history meets environment
Mountaineer
The
w w w. m o u n t a i n e e r s . o r g
M6 M8
M2 M3 M4 M4 M7
Tending the Green Scenes from a grand opening
View from the Top In Support Conservation Currents Summit Savvy Passages
Whitewater ahead for trails, state parks
Lisa Parsons photo
Lawmakers recently decided to usurp money from a recreation fund responsible for trail recreation to pay for the prevention of massive state park closures, including Flaming Geyser State Park, a popular take-out point for kayakers and rafters on the Green River Gorge (above). See M4 for more about the legislation and how Mountaineers can come to the rescue.
Summer Bookstore Sale on the horizon!
Watch for more next month
There’s no denying the sense of cell
Discover The Mountaineers
F
By Robert Speik
If you are thinking of joining - or have joined and aren’t sure where to start - why not attend an information meeting? Check the Go Guide branch sections for times and locations. Are you ready to jump right in? Visit www.mountaineers. org. No computer? See pg. 18. Need to call? 206-521-6000.
PERIODICAL POSTAGE PAID AT SEATTLE, WA
or 10 days in December 2006, the world’s media focused on the plight of three experienced mountain climbers missing in a heavy snowstorm near the summit of Mt. Hood. Stranded in a snow cave, a hypothermic Kelly James used his cell phone to call his home in Texas and say goodbye, triggering the massive rescue effort. He did not call 911 for rescue. A month prior, James Kim, his wife and two small children were reported missing in southern Oregon while driving toward home in San Francisco. Days passed as search efforts made headlines. Cell phone engineers volunteered their expertise and based on a single tower
home from work, Maple Valley resident Tanya Rider was found alive but dehydrated and injured in her car at the bottom of a steep ravine in that Seattle suburb. Authorities found Rider after asking her cell phone provider to provide the specific location where she last used her cell phone. The cited incidents serve to remind backcountry travelers that cell phones can communicate from urban-facing slopes or summits. They can also help locate a stranded traveler. In the mountaineering world, the controversy over using cell phones for expensive search and rescue missions still simmers. But recently, the common digital cell phone has Continued on M6
ping, they deduced the location of the car. Less than two days later, James’s wife and children were rescued. James Kim had died of hypothermia the day before the rescue while on a heroic quest for help. The tragedy prompted a governor’s task force review of Oregon search and rescue methods. In September 2007, more than a week after she failed to return
Do you hear a Who? The Mountaineers Players will present “Seussical the Musical” through midJune. See pg. 2 of the Go Guide.
Upcoming
✔
The Mountaineers 7700 Sand Point Way N.E. Seattle, WA 98115
Mountaineers volunteer Mary Thomas helps outfit a young wall climber at the club’s grand opening in April. For more photos of the event see M8.
Brad Stracener photo
Friday night climbs take a break: Free indoor climbing wall nights on Fridays at club headquarters will take the summer off as busy climbers tackle real walls. The outdoor wall remains open year-round.
✔
Climb, ride, slide, fly—Come to the Adventure Film Fest June 11. See the ad on M3.
Check the listings of the club’s various branches in this month’s Go Guide to learn about and join work parties on National Trails Day—Sat., June 6—or visit the branches via www.mountaineers.org.
June 009
The
The Mountaineer
Explore, preserve, learn
The club’s mission:
To enrich the community by helping people explore, conserve, learn about and enjoy the lands and waters of the Pacific Northwest.
Mountaineer
The Mountaineers is a nonprofit organization, founded in 1906 and dedicated to the responsible enjoyment and protection of natural areas. Board of Trustees Officers President Eric Linxweiler, 08-10 President-Elect Tab Wilkins, 08-10 Past President Bill Deters, 08-09 VP Properties Dave Claar, 08-10 VP Publishing Don Heck, 08-10 Treasurer Mike Dean, 08-10 Secretary Steve Sears, 08-10 Trustees at large Kirk Alm, 07-10 Rich Draves, 08-11 Dale Flynn, 07-10 Ed Henderson, 08-11 Lynn Hyde, 08-11 Don Schaechtel, 06-09 Eva Schönleitner, 06-09 Dave Shema, 07-10 Mona West, 06-09
Also see us on the web at www.mountaineers.org
Managing Editor Brad Stracener
Contributors, proofreaders: John Edwards, Brian Futch, Jim Harvey, Brooke Spicher, Suzan Reiley Photographers & Illustrators: John Burns, Gala Lindvall, Lisa Parsons
The club’s charter lists its purposes as follows:
—To explore and study the mountains, forests and other water courses of the Northwest and beyond. —To gather into permanent form the history and traditions of these regions and explorations. —To preserve by example, teaching and the encouragement of protective legislation or otherwise the natural beauty of the natural environment. —To make expeditions and provide educational opportunities in fulfillment of the above purposes. —To encourage a spirit of good fellowship among all lovers of outdoor life. —To hold real estate and personal property and to receive, hire, purchase, occupy, and maintain and manage suitable buildings and quarters for the furtherance of the purposes of the association, and to hold in trust or otherwise funds, received by bequest or gift or otherwise, to be devoted to the purposes of said association.
THE MOUNTAINEER is published monthly by: The Mountaineers, 7700 Sand Point Way N.E. Seattle, WA 98115 206-521-6000; 206-523-6763 fax
Branch Trustees Bellingham, Steven Glenn Everett, Rob Simonsen Foothills, Gerry Haugen Kitsap, Jimmy James Olympia, John Flanagan Seattle, Mike Maude Tacoma, Tom Shimko Executive Director To be announced
Volume 103, No. 6 The Mountaineer (ISSN 00272620) is published monthly by The Mountaineers, 7700 Sand Point Way N.E., Seattle, WA 98115. Members receive a subscription as part of their annual dues. Approximately $12.42 of each member’s annual membership dues is spent to print and mail this publication. Non-member subscriptions to The Mountaineer are $32. Periodicals postage paid at Seattle WA. Postmaster: send address changes to The Mountaineer, 7700 Sand Point Way N.E., Seattle, WA 98115. Opinions expressed in articles are those of the authors and do not necessarily represent the views of The Mountaineers.
Who ya gonna call? Your mentor, of course
Are you a new member wondering about the how-to, where-to and what-to-do with your club? There are a number of resources available to you, not the least our websites. Now there is also a real, live person. If you want to know about expected conditioning for a hike, what not to wear, how to sign up for events or whatever call or e-mail the “mentor of the month.” Mona West is this month’s mentor. Feel free to contact her at west_mona[at]yahoo.com with your questions or comments.
View from the Top
U
Our heritage prepares us for what’s ahead
ncertainty. It’s a word that defines many of our taineering education and training center. shape our organization in a new adventures in the mounand different way. This leads to an uncertainty which is fully our own. But one thing is certain: RegardThey will do this with the knowledge that we’re on this journey The same goes for us now. We are with perhaps more uncertainty with the right foundation, the right to lead us to success, no matentering our second hundred years than our first. Obesity is on the less of the challenge, we will be led in a way that meets the needs of today and of tomorrow. dedication, and the right knowledge ter the future. I couldn’t be more part of this. proud—or more confident—to be a I hope you join us on this leadership mission.
tains. We have a reason for our
venturing out in them, but there are forces beyond our control that test our training, our resolve and our fortitude.
rise (especially among children), lacing up fewer boots than ever,
From our earliest days, Mountainto face un-
people are watching more TV and and our public lands—as well as threat.
Over the next few months, many of your club’s leaders will be working to redefine what it means to lead.
eers learned certainty with a confidence that the path they were on—forged
their financing—are under constant Amazingly, there are children in
The Mountaineers Legacy Society
Western Washington who are part of families who, collectively, have However, we know the answer to these problems—we just need to lead people to those answers. We all know what it means to be a Mountaineer. It is community, culture, passion and commitment. It’s knowing that we are learning, teaching and exploring all at the never spent a single night in a tent.
experience, and teamwork—would yield a positive result. It’s what led to many amazing first ascents (including the first American on Everest’s summit), the founding enterprises (including REI and
by training,
The Mountaineers, in partnership with The Mountaineers Foundation, is proud to announce the launch of The Mountaineers Legacy Society. The Society will recognize and honor donors who have included a gift to The Mountaineers and/or the Foundation through a bequest or other estate gift. If you would like to be recognized as a Founding Member in the Legacy Society – or would just like to learn more – we would love to hear from you!
of national parks, creation of new Mountaineers Books), and missionbased publishing, not to mention the world’s newest and best mounHow far will you go this year?
same time. We will soon be bringing on a new leader who will help
www.mountaineers.org
Mountaineers
The
To find out more about The Mountaineers Legacy Society, please contact us: [email protected] or call Judy Halls, 206-521-6006
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The Mountaineer
Whittaker awarded honorary status
Lou Whittaker, who joined The Mountaineers as a teenager during World War II, has been named an honorary member of the club. The Mountaineers Board of Trustees voted unanimously in Lou Whittaker favor of granting him the award during its April 3 meeting. He and his twin brother, Jim, joined the club as Boy Scouts, enrolled in the climbing course and later served the club as climbing instructors. Lou was a charter member of the Mountain Rescue Council. Lou founded the guiding operation known as Rainier Mountaineering, Inc. The subject of the book, “Lou Whittaker - Memoirs of a Mountain Guide,” he led the first American ascent of the North Col of Everest in 1984. His mountaineering legacy intertwines with fellow legends of the Pacific Northwest and Mountaineers community, including Dr. Otto Trott, Wolf Bauer, Ome Daiber and Lloyd Anderson. As a Mountaineers honorary member, he joins the likes of his brother, Jim, Pete Schoening, Bradford Washburn, Dee Molenaar, Clark Schurman, Ira Spring, Fred Beckey and Maynard Miller.
June 009
Brad Stracener photo
U.S. Interior lauds climbers for heroism
Two Northwest climbers will be awarded by the U.S. Department of Interior for their heroism during
a climbing rescue in 2002 involving the crash of a helicopter carrying them to the accident scene. In its announcement, Interior noted the skill and tenacity demonstrated by Dave Hahn, a guide for Rainier Mountaineering, Inc., and Chris Olson, a Mt. Rainier National Park climbing ranger. The copter crashed at the base of Liberty Ridge. Undaunted, the pair continued to climb to a dangerous area of the mountain and rescue the injured climber.
If a Who calls in the forest, does anybody hear?
Gala Lindvall photo
France in a Boot
Tour of Mont Blanc
105 miles 32,800 feet Daily average: 5h50 and 3000’ Highest point: 8750’ Thru: France, Italy, Switzerland 11 days/10 nights American guide (fluent in French) Schedule and details,go to www.franceinaboot.com
Gertrude (Ashleigh Emmons) tries to gain the attention of Horton (Nathaniel Jones) while he only has eyes for the Whos on the fir-tree stem. The spring Mountaineers Players production,“Seussical the Musical,” opened Memorial Day weekend and continues to mid-June at the Forest Theater on the Kitsap Peninsula. See the ad on pg. M8 for more details.
Dubuar, Elaine Dubuar, James Dyer, Polly Eby, Scott Eichenberger, William Eskenazi, Ralph Estill, Jamie Fadden, Delmar Ferguson, Ellen Fraser Matt Gibbons, Gayle Giving Campaign Goldsmith, Robert Gordon, Jamie Gross, James Gustafson, Sharon Hansen, Joan Hanson, Ellen Hanson, Marcia Harrington, David Hayes, Sheri Heck, Don Heinemann, Marlene Hemmen, Peter Henderson, Edward Hensley, Russell Hickey, Robert Hicks, Dan Hicks, Gardner Hogan, John Hollenbeck, Max Horch, Andrew Jacky, S. J. Jensen, Betty Johnson, Leigh Jonquiere, Martin Kantor-Stanley, Mary Kavadas, Janet Kehoe, John Kinder, Gordon Kingsbury, Daniel Kress, Thomas Lahr, William, estate bequest Lavigne, Angie Le Blanc, Dave Lea, James Leisky, Gary Lewis, Gregg Lincoln, Alan Linebarger, Kyle Linxweiler, Eric Lipe, Hillary Livesay, Kim Mack, Anne Margell, Dean Mazur, Daniel McDonald, Mary Mehler, George Merril, Candy Metz, Mary Microsoft Matching Miller, Nornan Milovsoroff, Peter Moen, John Naylor, Jay North Platte Public Schools Orchard-Levesque, Grace Ostmann, Fred Owens, Zach Paliswiat, Bartosz Palmer, Sylvia Panzarella, Lawrence Parris, Carrie Post, Barbara Puddicome, Ray Pursell, Greg Pyle, Joan Raines, Charles Renkor, Betty Robertson, David Robertson, Kathleen Romberg, Harry Ross, Brian Rossotto, Michael Russell, Steven Schneider, Carol Sellers, Victoria Sexauer, Barbara Shurgot, Michael Spohn, Jean Stephenson, Robert Sterry, Judy Tacoma Branch Todd, Karen Trotters, Tuesday Verellen, Patricia Vervoort, Edward Walyor, Bruce Wells, Barbara Wheeler, Jerry Wick, Debra Willliams, Harold Zehnder, Clark Zeisler, Patricia In memorial Jo Backus John Dyer Stanley Engle Marian Gorley Ruth Kirkman
The Mountaineers Foundation acknowledges and thanks all its donors. Unless individuals request their names not be published, all donors will be acknowledged in The Mountaineer on a quarterly basis (usually June, September, December, March). If you have donated during the period of January through April 2009 and your name is not on the list below, please notify Paul Robisch, Mountaineers Foundation, 206-363-1989, [email protected], and your name will be added to the next published list of donors. Donations received after April 30 will be acknowledged in the September Mountaineer. The Mountaineers Foundation wishes to express special appreciation for the extraordinary generosity of James Lea.
Alexander, Lois Anderson, Thomas Andrews, Edward Angulo, John Anonymous Bell, Joy Bennett, James Bias, Margot Blake, Graeme Boeing Matchiing Borell, Karen Brackett, Sheila Braun, Glen Brownell, Margaret Brown-MacKay, Lillian Burges, Sylvia Carey, Kathleen Chapman, James Chase, Joanne Cleman, Mathew Cook, Ann Cox, Darrol Cutcliff, Mike Daniels, Bert Davie, Anita Dean, Mike
In support
A new way to pay!
Members can take a bite out of their dues payment by enrolling in our monthly dues program. Each month, you pay 1/12th of your dues rate. That’s a little over $6 a month for most members! Get started today by visiting the webpage below. www.mountaineers.org/autopay.html
Club donors
Ellen Anderson Nigel B. Clark Pieter A. Cornelissen Barbara J. DeLateur David A. Farr Katherine L. Fong Mary Louise A. Harris
Thursday, June 11, 2009
The Mountaineers Building, 7700 Sand Point Way NE, Seattle
Doors at 6:30 pm, show at 7 pm Tickets: $10/$8 members. Tickets are available through The Mountaineers office or by calling 206-521-6001.
The following have generously made donations recently toward programs at The Mountaineers. The Mountaineers appreciates their generosity.
Barbara J. Gomez Ken Holmstrom Paul R. McGilvray Mitchell D. Murray April Rebollo Gene H. Strunk Catherine C. Thayer
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June 009
Can you identify the summit in
the foreground here? Send your answer (by June 10) to: Summit Savvy, The Mountaineer, 7700 Sand Point Way N.E., Seattle, WA 98115. If you guess correctly, you’ll receive $10 of Mountaineers Money, good for Mountaineers Bookstore merchandise, and we’ll publish your name in next month’s column. (In case of a tie, one winner will be chosen at random.) Club employees or persons shown in the photograph are not eligible. Each month we’ll publish a new mystery summit and identification of the previous one.
The Mountaineer
■ Send your photographs (or slides) for possible publication as a mystery summit (include identification for our benefit). If we use your photo, you will get $10 of Mountaineers Money as well. ■ At the end of each year, all correct respondents’ names are placed in a hat and the winner of that drawing will receive $50 of Mountaineers Money good for purchases at The Mountaineers Bookstore. ■ No one correctly guessed last month’s mystery summit, Prusik Peak, as photographed by Curt Baxstrom.
Summit Savvy
conservation CURRENTS
Road-trail rec fund used to rescue state parks
By Leesa Wright
and rivers for recreation. NOVA receives one percent of the current 37.5 cents per gallon state fuel tax, or a little more than 1/3 penny for every gallon sold. That third of a penny is divided into three funding categories: non-highway roads (hunting, fishing, kayaking, campsites), non-motorized recreation (trails for cross-country skiing, horseback riding, mountain biking and hiking), and motorized recreation (ORV trails and facilities). ORV funding is further augmented by a percentage of ORV use permit fees—around $18 per permit, making it the largest fund of the three categories. The loss of these funds for the next two years is of concern especially
if you believe, as did former Forest Service Chief Dale Bosworth, that unmanaged ORV use on Forest Service lands is one of “four key threats” and “should be one of the highest priorities of the agency.” Moreover, the loss will result in no maintenance, no repair and no replacement of non-highway accessed recreation facilities. The Mountaineers and like-minded groups are pursuing new funding sources for Forest Service lands, especially in times of economic downturns. Stay tuned to The Mountaineer and our web blog, http://mntrs.blogspot.com, for updates on the funding crisis and to learn how you can help put our recreational future in good hands.
T
Public Policy Assistant
he road to saving state parks, according to the Legislature’s most recent budgetary effort, is through the evisceration of a fund for recreational facilities that Mountaineers and other wilderness travelers use. As state lawmakers prepared budgets late last year for the 2009-11 biennium, it was clear that Washington would not be immune to the economic downturn. In times of recession, funding for recreation commonly dries up. This was demonstrated early this year when a list of 13 state parks proposed for closure due to budget shortfalls was released. As the recession deepened, the list of potential state parks to be shuttered grew to 40. To address the growing list of closures, House Bill 2339 was introduced. The bill essentially proposed to switch the way in which the opportunity to support state parks is presented to residents when they register or renew their registration for vehicles. Currently, vehicle owners have the option of checking a box to add an additional $5 to support state parks. HB 2339 will automatically increase vehicle registration and renewal by $5 unless the owner checks a box to “opt out” of supporting state parks. However, the Washington State Department of Licensing informed the Legislature that it would not be able to implement the “opt out” plan on vehicle registrations until December of this year, leaving a $6 million gap in the state parks budget. Meanwhile, the precariousness of recreation funds in bad economic times was compounded when, in
Tracking the legislative trail
• December: Gov. Gregoire releases budget proposal—$23 million cut from state parks. • March: $19 million of NOVA and Boating Facilities Program money moved into the general fund. • April: State budget is passed with nearly $9.6 million in NOVA and boating program funds redirected from the general fund to state parks.
order to fill a $9 billion hole in the state’s general fund, the Legislature rerouted Non-Highway and OffRoad Vehicles Activities Program (NOVA) and Boating Facilities Program funds to the general fund. However, with much prodding from the recreation community, the Legislature was convinced that even in difficult times, recreation is important to the health and well-being of a society. It then rescinded the reroute of NOVA and boating monies to the general fund. Instead, it routed them to the state parks budget to keep the parks open until the “opt out” plan is up and running. If this sounds to you a lot like “robbing Peter to pay Paul,” you wouldn’t be too far off the mark.
Going beyond solar options
By Jim Adcock
L
ast month, we examined home solar installation as a lighter and cheaper means of supplying power than buying it from your utility company. After reading the article, some may have asked, “How about small-scale wind power, putting a small wind turbine on your roof or your deck?” Unfortunately, as any sailor knows, wind speeds in the Seattle area are typically 1-2 mph. Wind turbines need wind speeds of 10-20 mph to be effective. This means wind speeds in the Seattle area typically fall 1,000 times too short to be effective for power generation. Useful wind speeds are available in the Enumclaw area, where hundreds of commercial wind turbines are being installed. BPA (Bonneville Power Administration), the branch of the federal government that owns and operates most Washington state dams, partners with wind farm owners to provide stable “base-load” electricity. When the wind blows, electrical power comes from the wind turbines; when the wind falls off, BPA makes up the difference by almost instantly generating extra hydroelectric power. Getting back to solar: if panels are too expensive for you right now
and you still want a cheaper route, how about solar hot water? A system that meets about 70 percent of a family of four’s needs costs about $5,000. Do you want an even cheaper option while reducing your carbon imprint? Consider what any household built off the grid quickly learns: conserving energy through conservation (turn it off when you aren’t using it) is more than free—its “nega-watts.” Also keep in mind that energy efficiency (e.g., using CFLs, LED light bulbs, LED TVs, and Energy Star appliances) is about 10 times cheaper than installing more solar electric panels. This is true whether you live in Seattle or Savannah, Georgia, because the energy grid is national. Do you turn off the faucet while brushing your teeth? Have you installed low-flow toilets? One standard light bulb wastes as much water in hydroelectric terms as flushing your toilet 200 times an hour! Options abound on the path to a lighter carbon imprint. Jim Adcock is an energy engineer and volunteer for The Mountaineers Conservation Division.
The NOVA fund trail
Since 1971 NOVA has provided grants to manage and develop recreation accessed via non-highway roads. Recreation supported by NOVA funds includes cross-country skiing, hiking, mountain biking, hunting, fishing, horseback riding, motorcycling, and all-terrain and four-wheel driving. The Department of Natural Resources estimates more than 700,000 Washington state residents annually use the non-highway roads to access forest lands
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Ethic of place History is still revealing Seattle’s story
By Brad Stracener
The Mountaineer
June 009
“Place is the stuff of memories,” historian Matthew Klingle says in his book on Seattle’s environmental history, “our sense of home . . . of belonging.” He maintains that history and place are inseparable, continually forging an “ethic of place” that we need
to understand in order to understand what history—natural and humaninduced—has to offer us on our road ahead. Though shy of being a toolbox that we can use to untangle our environmental messes or what these messes have wrought sociologically, Klingle believes an understanding of history and an ethic of place can help us begin to right a ship of inequity and injustice. “History is no panacea, but thinking historically can help us to live with the consequences of being flawed creatures in a turbulent world,” he says in the prologue to his 2007 book, “Emerald City: An Environmental History of Seattle.” The clues to the injustices of Seattle’s environmental history—largely the displacement of the poor and dispossessed for an alleged higher ideal of nature and community—are not always easy to find today. You won’t find them by walking along such veins of commerce and industry as the Duwamish dredge, where a spot known to native fishermen as “the crossing place” between two rivers once existed. The rivers have long since been channeled by human hand into one, and that one is now host to more than a half-dozen toxic Superfund sites as well as some of the poorest neighborhoods in the urban Northwest. At the same time, history can be found almost without effort. A visit to the Hiram Chittenden Locks (aka Ballard Locks) reveals a history that still runs in Seattle’s living veins—the resilient salmon bubbling about the locks on their dogged return to their own home or place of belonging, where their spawn promises a perpetuity linking to prehistoric times. If only salmon could talk, then Seattle might better understand its history. Fortunately for Seattleites and others, though, historians can talk. Klingle, who grew up in Utah and spent three years in Seattle by grace of an academic fellowship, is now an associate professor of history and environmental studies at Bowdoin University in Maine. On a visit to the Northwest to receive an Organization of American Historians award, he dropped into Mountaineers headquarters along the shores of one of Seattle’s most notable environmental meliorations, Lake Washington. As a result, The Mountaineer was able to arrange an interview with Klingle about his nearly decade-long study of our city’s environmental history. Though city engineers have maneuvered nature over the past century, as witnessed by the industrialization of the Duwamish River above, some forces of nature so far refuse to budge, such as the anadromous steelhead (right). think today. There was a certain sense to what he did—digging hills away and dredging. And to say he was unenlightened is to do an injustice to Thomson and is not thinking historically. The past has a lot of possibilities we can never imagine. For example, my work is due to legions of historians that came before me, but I ask questions differently than they did. We each bring different interpretations to our work. Q. In putting your book together, did you ever encounter the dilemma of whether something notable from the past was relevant to your work? Klingle: Yes. For example, when I was first examining the regrades, I was searching for their real significance. One day I was talking to one of my colleagues about it and he asked me, “Who was living there?” Then I came to see that the regrades (which enabled development) were a way of seeing the world and not just something sitting out there. They were an effort to make God’s handiwork better to people like Thomson who saw the system as interconnected—if you change the land then you change the people, the landscape and the city. Seattle is blessed to have some of the best park designs in the country, thanks to the Olmsteds. But when I looked into it deeper, the city had gone through some violent (social) confrontations to achieve these designs. Today we have tent cities while deciding what to do with open space. Q. If you could point to one policy decision in the Puget Sound region that leveled more impact on our environmental history than any other, what would that be? Klingle: I think there are a couple. At the turn of the century, the most undeniable and obvious are the decisions to extend the railroad and the decisions by city government and businesses to capitalize on the Klondike Gold Rush by presenting Seattle as its gateway. The latter could not have been effective if the railroad had not already arrived. In the modern era, it was a collective set of decisions: transforming the waterways for flood control, real estate development, the digging of the ship canal, dredging the lower Duwamish River and untangling the White, Green and Stuck Rivers. The net effect set the course for what would happen in the region in general—the direction of growth to the floodplains and suburban King County, where industry would be placed and the confirmation of Lake Washington as a scenic and recreational body of water (via Metro). The problem Metro created was the notion that we can engineer our way out (of an environmental mess). It had the unintended effect of encouraging Continued on M7
“The Duwamish . . . was seen by many as the logical place to waste because of nearly a century of neglect for our wetlands and the perception that it by marginal people. Poverty and the watershed.” was a marginal landscape inhabited
destitution, it seems, flow downhill like
Q. In the book, you say that in Seattle’s environmental history “there were victors and there were the defeated, but no one was ever wholly virtuous and few were entirely corrupt.” Is it thus fair to say that our environmental landscape has been market driven? Klingle: There is some truth to that, but it depends on the time you are talking about. The buying up of tidelands is an example; but at the same time, the state constitutional convention created the possibility to buy up tidelands. On the other hand, people like R.H. Thomson (city chief engineer, 1892-1911) had a specific vision for civic engineering and park planning. So did Jim Ellis with Metro. You have to understand the values of that time. The Duwamish in the 1940s, for example, was seen by many as the logical place to waste because of nearly a century of neglect for our wetlands and the perception that it was a marginal landscape inhabited by marginal people. Poverty and destitution, it seems, flow downhill like the watershed. I don’t think you can understand what has happened to the Duwamish unless you understand the historical context. Q. You say “not all of the past is relevant to us” and that “much of it can and should remain strange.” Why is that? Klingle: I am not saying that (the strange) past should not be part of our work in the present, because it is always present. Contaminated salmon, toxins from garden herbicides—we can’t ignore that past. But it is a mistake and a fallacy to think that Thomson thought the same way we
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June 009
The Mountaineer
Keepers of the Green paddle to protect
One of dozens of watercrafts on the May 2 cleanup misssion slips through Ledge Drop 1 (top left); Lou Whittaker (center in upper right photo) chats with State Parks Commissioner Joan Thomas (left) and Lisa Parsons (right) of the Middle Green River Coalition; Mountaineer Wolf Bauer (bottom left) presents a history of the Green and is honored by having the Flaming Geyser lodge named for him in the next photo; the day’s catch from the river (bottom right).
A cell phone can take the ‘search’ out of search and rescue
Continued from M1 made a case for its inclusion as an essential gear item because of such incidents as those in Oregon and Maple Valley, and the fact that climbing rescues comprise a minor percentage of rescue responses. According to Oregon State records, climbing accounts for just 3.4 percent of all rescues—slightly higher than mushroom harvesting—while hiking accounts for 13.8 percent. Vehicles, including ATVs and snowmobiles, top the list at 20.5 percent. The basic responsibilities of backcountry travelers include the designation of someone to call 911 if the traveler does not return by the time he or she planned. The designated person should know about the car, the trailhead destination, the traveler’s planned route or routes from the trailhead, and when other participants are involved, their preparations and experience. Backcountry rescue is not initiated until a request is made through 911. According to search and rescue professionals, a successful outcome is very dependent on a timely call for help. Therefore, when backcountry travelers become stranded due to illness or injury, or if they become lost and are forced to stay overnight, it may be better to call for help then, rather than waiting for the designated friend or relative to call 911 hours or days later. connect to a tower. Cell phone users should note that few contain an internal GPS that tracks Department of Defense satellites. Even cell phone plans that give you turn-by-turn highway directions use cell tower triangulation and not GPS satellites, according to my provider. A $35 pair of walkie-talkie radios may help keep your group together and may help contact search helicopters, but someone within range must be listening on your channel. My wife and I are FCC-licensed general class amateur radio operators. My handheld radio is pretty heavy and uses special batteries. There are now other options. I have a friend who rents an expensive satellite phone for his major expeditions. A personal locator beacon only calls to initiate a rescue and it is costly at $600 or more. It depends on the dedicated international rescue satellite system to send out a distress signal, but unlike cell-tower reception, cannot be field-tested lawfully. To bridge the voids of cell coverage, I use a SPOT satellite personal messenger—costing about $149 plus a $100 annual satellite phone connection charge. Two replaceable lithium batteries from any store run this new device. Like digital cell phones, a SPOT messenger can be tested unlimited times in all real-world circumstances, sending prepared messages with your coordinates to family and friends. If these free messages transmit, then so would an urgent message to 911. Note that with your personal cell phone, combined with a topo map, basic GPS receiver and basic skills, you can relay the exact coordinates of the user, the problem, the surrounding conditions and much more. Your cell phone could therefore take the “search” out of search and rescue. Bottom line: add your digital cell phone to your backcountry essentials list. Robert Speik posts a website, www.TraditionalMountaineering. org, and provides instruction in mountaineering. He has written many reports in the annual journal, “Accidents in North American Mountaineering.”
John Burns photos
This is what makes a cell phone vital. The common digital phone allows a stranded backcountry traveler to provide rescuers with specific coordinates using the traveler’s topo map and GPS receiver, and the details of the problem, condition of the victim, the victim’s plans and more. This clearly assists the search and rescue effort.
Other options
Emergency cell phone plan
I have an “emergency cell phone plan.” My regular three-ounce digital cell phone was provided with my service contract of $10 per month, including some free minutes and just pennies for additional minutes. I have listed the cell numbers of my responsible person, my family, friends and companions and the local land managers. The phone is often shut off inside the top of my pack to save battery power, but I turn it on to check the connection coverage from time to time while I hike so that I have a sense of where I can
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The Mountaineer
June 009
History trumps hubris
Continued from M5 more growth because it seemingly solved the sewage problem. However, Ellis realized our hubris in these technological solutions when he put forth Forward Thrust. Now, of course, the combined sewage overflow is a major problem. But the decisions were rational at the time because of who lived where and the dilution offered by Elliott Bay. There may have been alternatives at the time but Seattle was a relatively poor city. It needed a solution fast, and many engineers did not expect the outcomes. Q. If you could point to one practice that leveled more impact on our environment than any other, what would that be? Klingle: The desire to have all the benefits, joys and conveniences of modernity while being able to enjoy what is around us. This comes with unforeseen environmental consequences. A number of organizations, including The Mountaineers, have fought to gain more open space and have challenged unregulated harvesting of timber and taking of fish. It is all great work, but some of it has resulted in our denial of how privilege is rooted in this practice. Communities on the margin of political power were excluded. Georgetown is one consequence of this. Q. In the vein of exclusion, you said in an interview recently that the ethic of place evolves over time and reveals not only how people transform nature but also how deep the inequalities of power are bound up in the decisions that shape the landscape and become part of our terrain. If these inequalities of power are already set in motion to the extent that they are in our landscape or terrain, how can this gravity be reversed? Klingle: The past has work to do in the present and the future. History provides more than a check on our hubris, but also a check on our notion of being above the forces we can’t control. The past reminds us to check our good intentions. Whether it is rerouting e-waste or whatever, we have to ask: What does it do to other communities? Q. What did your research tell you that you did not know about Seattle in the context of environmental history? Klingle: That it is marked by deep enduring patterns of inequality, differences in power and how they manifested themselves. I thought it was going to be a story about a city with environmental problems because of moving earth and water around, but what I found was a deep identification to place, adjusted to tell a story of decline and revival, where progress and failure get all mixed up. But I am hopeful because there is a recognition of the challenges of being human in an imperfect world. It is humbling. In this complexity lies hope. Q. Tell us more about your next project, the interconnection of consumerism and environmentalism. How far along are you? Klingle: I am not as far along as I could be. We are expecting our second child in June. One of the things that came out of my work on this last book is the realization that Seattle is a 20th century city. It came of age when America became urban. Relentless “boosterism” was of that time—the thought that tourism could drive the economy. Mass consumerism also witnessed the reverse: environmental consciousness. Our affection for the environment is bound up with the fact that we jump on a bike and pedal through the countryside or go hiking. But you need gear to do these things—packs by Kelty, clothing by Patagonia and so on. Therefore, environmentalists can critique our treatment of the environment only by becoming consumers. The question then becomes, for example, how do you confront something like climate change without grabbing that nettle? For this reason, I am skeptical of green commerce. Brad Stracener is managing editor of The Mountaineer.
Passages
Gene A. Mickle, a 45-year member of The Mountaineers and a gifted
climber, died April 4, 2009 at the age of 77. Born on Aug. 16, 1931 in Canton, Ohio, Mickle lived in Bellevue for the past 48 years. He retired from a long career with Boeing in 1988. Though he was most at home in the mountains and a wonderful mountain companion, he also was a talented long-distance runner. Mickle completed many difficult ascents, including the first winter ascent of Mt. Rainier’s Ptarmigan Ridge in 1973. In his later years, he focused on rock climbing and became an expert at the local crags. He also rock climbed extensively outside of Washington—occasionally employing local guides when his customary climbing partners were unavailable or could no longer keep up. Mickle died from a rare blood cancer that he battled for the past eight years or more. He is preceded in death by a son, Jeffery Allen. He is survived by his wife, Marlene, to whom he was married for 58 years, a daughter, Marjorie E. Lorenz, and grandsons, Jeremy Lorenz and Shawn Lorenz. Donations may be made to the International Waldenstrom’s Macroglobulinemia Foundation, www.iwmf.com, 941-927-4963. Don Goodman, Mountaineer and avid climber, contributed the above article. He notes that Mickle introduced him to expeditionary mountaineering during a 1977 three-week trip to the Mt. Monarch area of the British Columbia Coast Range, and took him to “more obscure rock formations in the greater Puget Sound basin than I will ever remember.”
Alden ‘Loo’ Crittenden, avid climber and 50-year member of The
Mountaineers, died on April 15, 2009, at the age of 88. He was born in Wichita, Kansas, in 1920. He attended the University of Illinois in the early 1940s. After completing his bachelor’s degree in chemistry and some graduate school, he joined the Navy, where he served as a bomb disposal officer in the Pacific Theater through the end of the Second World War. In 1946 he was honorably discharged from the Navy as a lieutenant. Crittenden returned to the University of Illinois to complete his PhD, and in 1948 he became a faculty member in the Chemistry Department at the University of Washington. He retired to professor emeritus status in 1989. Soon after moving to Seattle, Crittenden joined The Mountaineers and served as chair of the Climbing Committee in 1958. He was a contributing author and editor of the first edition of “Mountaineering: The Freedom of the Hills,” published in 1960. Having climbed Mount St. Helens before the 1980 eruption, Crittenden earned the club’s Six Peak Pin. He was also an early member of REI and served on its board of directors from 1959 to 1965, during which time REI made its historic move from downtown Seattle to the much larger building on Capitol Hill. He is survived by his wife, Eloise, herself a former climber and Mountaineers member, and his children, Jane and Bill, both climbers. Memorial donations may be made to The Mountaineers Foundation.
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June 009
The Mountaineer
A grand opening for all
Brad Stracener photos
The Mountaineers opened its doors to the public (and some goats) with a grand opening on April 25 as part of the Magnuson Park SpringFest. Clockwise (from top left): Seattle Mayor Greg Nickels listens to Mountaineer Glenn Eades (far left) with Mountaineers President Eric Linxweiler and Seattle Parks Superintendent Tim Gallagher to the right and in the foreground. A young crag climber gets a helping hand on the south plaza climbing wall. Rent-A-Ruminant goats—courtesy of Pemco Insurance—get some hands as well, and two youngsters compete to find the prize in the Junior Naturalists’ scavenger hunt.
KITSAP FOREST THEATER
Spring 2009
, 31 25, 30 y 24, Ma , 14 , 7, 13 June 6 m 2:00 p
Escape to the Kitsap Forest Theater, 3000 Seabeck Hwy, Bremerton, for a fun afternoon with family and friends. Picnic under the firs before you stroll down the forested trail to our magical theater. A fantastical musical for all ages, Seussical is an enchanting celebration of friendship, compassion, bravery, and the power of the imagination. Come “open your mind, oh, the thinks you will find!” Tickets available at (800) 573-8484 (Mountaineers, Seattle) Ted Brown Music, Silverdale • Mills Music, Poulsbo
www.ForestTheater.com
Info Line (206) 542-7815 • Shows presented by The Mountaineers Players
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