Eight dignitaries ceremoniously shoveled a spade full of soil Tuesday morning at South Park signifying the beginning of construction of Tacoma’s newest multi-purpose trail.

About 40 people, a third of whom where Spandex clad cyclists, where on hand for the 30-minute celebration of the Water Ditch Trail which will link Lakewood and downtown Tacoma.

MILES: Construction has begun on phase 1, two sections of the trail covering about 2 miles. When the trail is complete it will be 6 ½ miles.

SURFACE: The trail will be a 14-foot wide asphalt path with rock shoulders. According to a statement from the City of Tacoma the trail will include Americans with Disabilities Act compliant ramps and crossings. Pedestrian activated traffic lights will be installed at some intersections.

LOCATION: The trail will eventually run from the Tacoma Dome area to about 80th Street and South Tacoma Way. Phase 1 will pave sections between 48th and 56th streets and 60th and 72nd streets.

HISTORY: The trail will follow the path of the 1896 Water Ditch Trail that crossed Tacoma. Several trail advocates including Dana Brown of the city’s engineering department, former Tacoma urban planner Scott Pierson and Bob Myrick of the Tacoma Wheelmen Bicycle Club have been working on building the trail for 20 years. Pierson, who dedicated his 23-year career to building a network of bike paths and lanes around Tacoma, died in 2001.

THE VISION: Myrick says he’d like to see the trail eventually link to the year-old Scott Pierson Trail which runs along Highway 16 from the Allenmore Golf Course over the Narrows Bridge. The trail could also link to a future trail on the Prairie Line rail bed which runs across the University of Washington-Tacoma campus.

TIMEFRAME: While Phase 1 could be done in November if weather permits, it’s unclear when Phase 2 will start. “Don’t expect it to be done in six months,” Tacoma Councilwoman Connie Ladenberg said during Tuesday’s ceremony. “It depends on funding.”

COST: Phase 1 will cost $660,000 for construction and an additional $280,000 for engineering and design, Brown said. It was paid for without the benefit of grants. Phase 2 will cost an estimated $980,000 and the city is currently applying for a grant from the Washington State Recreation and Conservation Office.

Bart Smith hopes to complete his 16,000-mile trek across all eight national scenic trails this afternoon

He checked in yesterday afternoon via satellite phone and had just 27 miles of the Continental Divide Trail to complete.

“It’s hard to believe that that’s going to be my last night in the tent after all these months,” he told me.

Smith was to walk into Island Park, Idaho about 4 p.m. From there, a friend will take him to the Lake Hotel at Yellowstone National Park.

Tomorrow morning he will walk a short stretch of the trail inside the park, ending his journey at Old Faithful.

From there it’s off to Bozeman, Mont., to fly to Washington, D.C. to take part in Thursday's 40th anniversary celebration of the National Trail System Act.

If you’re looking for a meaningful meal this week circle Thursday night on your calendar.

Jennifer Block, champion of the 45-49 age group at the Coeur d’Alene Ironman, will be at Mama Stortini’s at 3207 East Main Street in Puyallup, to celebrate the birthday of Ty Quandt.

Ty is turning 12 and is battling Niemann-Pick Disease. Block is racing in honor of Ty at the Ironman World Championships on Oct. 11 in Hawaii. The event will double as sendoff for Block, a Puyallup resident.

Proceeds from those eating dinner at Mama Stortini’s Ristorante between 4 and 9:30 p.m. on Thursday will go to the National Niemann-Pick Disease Foundation.

For more info on Ty visit race4ty.com.

We’ll feature Block and fellow Puyallup Ironman Gary Tucci in the Oct. 5 News Tribune.

It was a beautiful afternoon at Paradise Sunday afternoon. I took my wife and kids along as I talked to people about the closing of the Henry M. Jackson Memorial Visitor Center. My wife, Mali Mayor, took these photos.

Visitors walk out of the Jackson Visitor Center at Paradise after it closed Sunday afternoon.

Park rangers lower the flag one last time outside the Jackson Visitor Center at Paradise. It was one of the more poignant moments Sunday as the center closed for good.

I heard from Bart Smith, the Lakewood man who is hiking the 16,000 miles of the National Scenic Trail system.

Bart is spending a rest day in Lima, Mont., as he hikes the Continental Divide Trail. He has about 100 miles to go before completing his quest to hike all eight national scenic trails, crossing through 35 states.

Bart said he now plans to complete his journey on Wednesday. He will hike a short section of the trail inside Yellowstone National Park, ending his 16-year journey at Old Faithful.

He's off later that day for Washington, D.C. where he will take part in the 40th anniversary celebration of the signing of the National Trail System Act. Bart will give a presentation of his journey at the Smithsonian National Museum of Natural History.

Starting today, Columbia River anglers, fishing upstream from the mouth of the Lewis River to Bonneville Dam, can keep two adult chinook salmon as part of their salmon limit.

The state Department of Fish and Wildlife made the announcement yesterday.

The increase is effective through Dec. 31. The area included runs from a line projected from a boundary marker on the lower end of Bachelor Island across to the Warrior Rock Lighthouse upstream to the dam, according to a department news release.

The daily limit is six salmon of which no more than two may be adults. Anglers still must release wild coho, sockeye and chum.

The change was made because the upriver bright run size has been upgraded resulting in increased harvestable numbers of chinook available under the Endangered Species Act guidelines, the release said.

Brandon Johnson was kind enough to snap this week's pic of the week when we were hiking recently near Sunrise.

Our lead story in Thursday's section is about the Brown Farm Dike Trail at Nisqually National Wildlife refuge. Our Olympia counterpart Cheste Allen writes that this is likely the last fall you'll be able to hike the full trail as it is slated for removal next year.

We've got a couple of stories from Mount Rainier National Park.

First, we have a cover story about the closure of the Henry M. Jackson Visitor Center at Paradise. If you want to walk through the spaceship-style building one last time, do it this weekend because it closes at 6 p.m. Sunday.

Second, we have a story about the recommendation by park staff to relocate to higher ground a portion of the Wonderland Trail to escape damage from future Carbon River floods.

In my column, I talked to several members of the Puget Sound Flyfishers to get their reaction to the local club being named the best in the nation by the National Federation of Fly Fishers.

A number of state parks will be shutting down for the winter, while others will be reducing operations.

Locally, the biggest change is the shutdown of the Dash Point State Park campground on Oct. 1.

The October issue of Skiing Magazine features the magazine's first ever "Resort Awards." To the surprise of nobody Whistler Blackcomb topped the list of best resorts, but some Washington resorts also got some love.

Here are the higlights:
BEST BACKCOUNTRY ACCESS
1. Jay Peak, Vermont. 6. Mt. Baker. 9. Crystal Mountain.
BEST POWDER
1. Wolf Creek, Colo. 8. Mt. Baker
BEST WEEK-AFTER-A-STORM SKIING
WINNER: Solitude, Utah. HONORABLE MENTION: White Pass
BEST LEGAL CAR CAMPING
WINNER: Taos Ski Valley, New Mexico. HONORABLE MENTION: Mt. Baker
BEST LIFT TICKET
WINNER: Mt. Baker
STORMIEST RESORT
WINNER: Alyeska, Alaska. HONORABLE MENTION: Mt. Baker

This just in from Whistler Blackcomb:

Whistler Blackcomb received over 5 centimetres of snow in the alpine overnight making Whistlerites wonder if Mother Nature forgot a season. The first day of fall, Whistler Blackcomb mountain tops are covered with at least six centimetres of snow. With 65 days until the winter ski season and 79 days until the opening of the PEAK 2 PEAK Gondola on December 12, the countdown is on.

=> Read more!

People will have the chance to meet Karen Gustin, the superintendent at Olympic National Park at an open house Sept. 30. Gustin took over the top spot at the park in April.

The event will be held from 5 to 6:30 p.m. at the Sequim Visitor Information Center, 1192 E. Washington St., Sequim.

“I’m very eager to meet people from the Sequim area and am grateful to the Sequim Chamber and the Friends of Olympic National Park for hosting this event with us,” Gustin said in a news release.

Open houses are being scheduled for other peninsula communities, including one in Quinault on Oct. 22. Additional details will be announced when the schedule has been finalized.

Olympic and Mount Rainier National Park will waive their $15 per vehicle entrance fee Sept. 27 in recognition of National Public Lands Day.

Olympic National Park will also allow free admission Sept. 28 in honor of our newly naturalized U.S. Citizens.

“We invite our neighbors and visitors – and especially any of our newest citizens – to enjoy Olympic during this special weekend,” Superintendent Karen Gustin said in a prepared statement. “We hope these two days will create lasting memories for our visitors, and the inspiration to enjoy Olympic and other national parks, again and again.”

Newly naturalized citizens can receive a special welcome packet at the entrance stations or visitors center.

Our last day as OPNs started with some hiking in the Hoh Rain Forest. (PDF warning)

The entrance road is only a few miles south of Forks off of 101, but it's another 12 miles or so to the ranger shack (where you purchase your $15 permit) and then six more winding miles to the visitor center and various trailheads. Along the way there are several turnouts for viewing the Hoh River, buying some snacks or just looking at big trees - really big trees, like the aptly named Big Spruce Tree:

After gettin' learned up up at the visitor center, we took the short (about a mile) Hall of Moss Trail, which starts and ends at the parking lot. It's a cool and informative jaunt through marshy, mossy forest. Every few steps, you can stop and read all about the "circle of life" in one of the rainiest rain forests in the world.

Ya gotta do the 1.2-mile Spruce Nature Trail, too, because it takes you right by the Hoh River.

(Ever seen that movie "Two Pimps and a Hoh"?)

Of course, real men visit the Hoh Rain Forest to do the Hoh River Trail. It's a 17.4-mile hike (one way) up to Glacier Meadows where, we're told, you can get excellent views of Mount Olympus. Finishing that hike, which turns steep at the 13-mile mark as you climb from 600 feet above sea level to 4,300, is now on our Bucket List.

But with Kalaloch and Ruby Beach waiting for us, we decided the mighty mountain will have to endure us some other time.

Ruby Beach is magnificent. It's a few miles north of Kalaloch Lodge. A short, simple downhill trek puts you at the mouth of Cedar Creek with great views of Abbey Island just off shore.

We hiked up and down the beach a bit and climbed on the acres of logs piled up near the base of the bluff. (Don't do this at high tide; they're unstable.) Then we headed to the lodge for a late lunch/early dinner before heading back to Tacoma.

All in all, this was an incredible – albeit quick – vacation. We got a taste for the Oly Pen and kept talking about how we need to go back and focus on a few of our favorites from among the ten destinations we hit in four short days.

Mount Rainier’s summer of speed continued Wednesday morning when the record for the fastest climb was unofficially set for the third time since July.

An e-mail circulating in the mountaineering community claims that Argentina-born Willie Benegas climbed from Paradise to the 14,411-foot summit and back in 4 hours, 40 minutes and 59 seconds.

Benegas guides in South America and on Mount Everest for Seattle’s Mountain Madness.

Like most of the other unofficial speed climbing records on Rainier, Benegas kept track of the time on his own.

Benegas was unavailable for comment Thursday morning.

Benegas broke the previous record of 4:46:20 set by Seattle’s Liam O’Sullivan in August. Justin Merle of Auburn was the first to set the record this summer with a time of 4:49:35 in July.

Before this summer Chad Kellogg of Seattle had held the record since 2004 when he did the climb in 4:59:01.

I went hiking with some buddies over the weekend and finally found some Governors that, unlike Gregoire and Rossi, I could look at for more than 10 seconds without getting sick. As we climbed to the top of Mount Tamanos at about 7:30 p.m. we watch the moon rise over the Governors ridge on the north side of Mount Rainier. Unfortunately I forgot my camera, so you'll have to settle for this pic I snapped on my camera phone. So, sorry about the poor quality, but trust me, the view was insane.

Tuesday I mentioned the signs of vampires in Forks.

The "Twilight" phenomenon has taken over the town. We rolled in a few days after a big celebration in honor of "Twilight" author Stephenie Meyer. Sept. 13, the birthday of Meyer's fictional heroine, Isabella "Bella" Swan, apparently was Stephenie Meyer Day in Forks. And the signs are still everywhere.

Readerboards and shop windows all over town bear little hints of the town's infatuation with the book, author and characters who put them on the map.

On the way into Forks on 101 from the north, you'll see this sign:

I'm not sure about the "race fans" reference. Here's the flip side:

In town, the readerboard at the Dew Drop Inn sports these messages:

Sully's Burgers was closed, but these images are still soaped (or shoe polished?) onto the windows:

Sorry about the flash in that first pic. I had to shoot this dry-erase board special through the window, so it's no good either:

There are stacks of "Twilight" novels in the local Thriftway, and I have to tell you about Pacific Pizza. We had some take-out from Pacific in town Wednesday night, and nearly every window in the place still bears a "Twilight" message. They advertise Ed Bread (named after Edward Cullen, Bella's vampire beau), Swan Salad and, my favorite, Bellazagna. I didn't have my camera at the restaurant, but I doubt you really need to see the "I (heart) Edward)" sign or the bloody hand prints. Also, there's a tribute to www.twilightmoms.com, whose members apparently descended upon the town last weekend. How many members? "Like, all 1,000 of them," according to the girl at the counter. I think she might have been exaggerating.

The restaurant was still advertising tours of Forks High School (Bella's school; did I mention this is a young-adult series?) and a "Wolf Dance" at La Push, all of which took place last weekend. The wolf thing is a reference to the werewolves who, according to the novels, inhabit the Quileute Indian Reservation in La Push. Some of the story takes place there on First Beach and in the Quileute cemetery.

We drove by the high school and the police station, which also are mentioned in the books, but there was nothing interesting to shoot. However, we cruised by Forks Community Hospital and snapped this shot:

Dr. Cullen is Edward's father. I believe he treats Bella after a car accident.

By the way, apparently not every establishment in town is on the "Twilight" bandwagon:

Wednesday we hit Neah Bay, Cape Flattery and Shi Shi Beach.

Neah Bay was our staging point. In order to visit the attractions on the Makah reservation you have to purchase a $10 recreation pass, and we got ours from Washburn's store in town. Just go through one of the checkout lines and ask for one.

We stopped for a few minutes to pay our respects at the Diah Veterans Park – Fort Nuñez Gaona historical monument, which opened May 17. It's a tribute to both the late 1700s Spanish military settlement (and its relationship to the Makah tribe) and the tribe members who have served in the United States military.

We also tried our best to snap a photo of Vancouver Island, but the fog (and marked amateurism) hampered us.

After that, it was about a 20-minute drive along a winding road to the Cape Flattery trailhead. Our guide book, "Day Hiking: Olympic Peninsula," published in 2007, indicated we would spend about the last five miles on a gravel road, but the entire way is paved now.

We got the feeling this trail was made for us. It's a short hike (less than a mile round trip) to an amazing payoff. Several viewpoint balconies are perched precariously on the edges and at the end of this high peninsula. If you don't like heights, stay away. Every gust of wind feels as though it might whisk you off a cliff, and you can feel the bigger waves reverberate. The final viewing platform is on the very tip of the peninsula, the northwesternmost point in the contiguous United States.

Here's the view to the south from one of the platforms along the trail:

Here's the view to the south from the platform at the trail's end:

Here's the view to the north:

And here's the view straight ahead, toward Tatoosh Island:

And a closer look at the island lighthouse:

It's another half-hour drive to the Shi Shi Beach trailhead to the south. We'd heard such wonderful things about the eight-mile hike along Shi Shi to Point of the Arches and back, but somehow the initial (and VERY muddy) two-mile hike through the forest never came up. Neither did the ridiculously dangerous descent down the side of a cliff at the end of that two-mile forest hike. Seriously, this place needs an elevator, stat!

Regardless of the difficulty, we'll definitely head back to Shi Shi on our next trip around the loop. We got there too late in the day to do the full hike (and climb) and still get back through the forest before dark. I did get this shot from one of the overlook points just before the big descent. It's a look south toward Point of the Arches.

Port Townsend seems to be the place people always go through en route to somewhere else. But Craig Hill found there is plenty of things to do for adventurers, including kayaking, cycling and parks.

I'm writing about the effort of the Washington State Parks Foundation to raise $4 million. The money will be used on four projects and programs to assist the State Parks Department.

Anglers will be interested in a couple of proposed changes in fishing regulations for the 2009-10 seasons. The biggest impacts locally are on Chambers and Ohop creeks.

We got that and more in tomorrow's Adventure section.

Bart Smith is less than 300 miles from fulfilling his goal of hiking the 16,000 miles of the National Scenic Trail system.

I talked with the Lakewood man this morning. He called from the lone phone booth in Wisdom, Mont.

Bart Smith

Smith has 290 miles of the Continental Divide Trail to complete. He’s hoping to finish his journey in Island Park, Idaho, by Sept. 30.

That’s because he’s scheduled to fly Oct. 1 from Bozeman, Mont., to Washington, D.C., so he can attend a celebration of the 40th anniversary of the signing of the National Trail System Act on Oct. 2. Smith has been asked to give a slide presentation of his 16-year journey at a ceremony at the National Museum of Natural History.

“It’s going to be close. There is still two weeks left to do the last 250 miles.
And it’s not easy hiking, it’s going to be going through another rugged stretch,” Smith said.

This last stretch through Montana has been filled with challenges, including four inches of snow as he was walking out of the Bob Marshall Wilderness. Another day he hiked through icy rain for three hours before stopping when he realized he was getting hypothermic.

“The challenge has been just the remoteness. It requires that I carry a lot of food. In the Bob Marshall, I had to ration food for a couple of days. It’s a little disconcerting when you realize ‘It’s up to me to get out of this. ’ ”

The 49-year-old hiker admits he’s relieved to leave the Bob Marshall Wilderness and its large population of grizzly bears behind.

“It’s reassuring to be out of grizzly country. Walking solo you have to be a little more careful. I got tired of singing, I got so tired of hearing my own voice,” he said.

For no particular reason, Smith said he found himself singing “She’ll be coming around the mountain” as he approached blind turns in the trail, to avoid spooking a grizzly.

“It seemed to work. I also ran into another woman on the trail and she was singing the same song.”

Smith said he has seen three bears on his adventure, including a sow and cub in Glacier National Park.

“It’s tough because I want to get a photo, but I’m also hiking solo and don’t want to have an encounter with the bear.”

With the end so near, Smith said this trek through 35 states over the eight National Scenic Trails has been remarkable.

“It’s been a fantastic journey, but certainly a challenge.”

I’ll have more about Smith and his journey in next week’s Adventure section.

Since 1966, the Henry M. Jackson Memorial Visitor Center has been a focal point of the Paradise complex at Mount Rainier National Park.

The building, described by some as looking like a space ship, has been a place to learn about the park, get tips for hikes and snowshoe treks, get a bite to eat and watch climbers en route to Camp Muir and just sit and admire the mountain.

Now, after five decades, the center is being replaced.

The new Jackson visitor center, built in the upper parking lot closer to Paradise Inn, will open Oct. 10. Some time next year, the old building will be torn down.

But park crews need time to clear out the old center, so it’s last day of operation will be Sept. 28.
As we prepare our coverage for the new center to open, we want readers to share their thoughts and favorite memories about the current building. You can tell us what about the current building will you miss, what didn’t you like about the structure or share your favorite memory from a visit there.

You can send your comments in an e-mail to me at jeff.mayor@thenewstribune.com or by mail to Jeffrey P. Mayor, Adventure Editor, The News Tribune, 1950 S. State St., Tacoma, WA 98405.

Tuesday shaped up pretty well.

On our way through Port Angeles, we caught several of Bob Stokes' "Avenue of the People" steel statues. Head over to the GO Arts blog to read a bit more about this fascinating guy, described by his PR person as "a Northern California artist who has put down roots on the Olympic Peninsula and is shaking up the former logging town of Port Angeles with his artistic vision."

We were toying with the idea of taking Highway 112, the northern route out of Port Angeles, because we had developed a hankerin' for the amazing Straight of Juan de Fuca views offered up by Dungeoness Spit. But we opted to stay on 101 because Jeff, Craig and my boss Craig Sailor all told me that Lake Crescent is – and this is a direct quote – "cool."

They were right.

Highway 101 hugs the southern edge of the lake. Our first stop was Barnes Point, where we found the Marymere Falls trail. It starts out as an easy, flat hike on a wide trail through gorgeous forest. After you cross a pair of log bridges, though, the path becomes a steep winding staircase up to two falls overlooks, but it's well worth the exertion. It's about an hour or so round trip if you take your time.

Note the dude in the photo doing his best to give the image some scale. Thanks, dude!

Next we just picked one of the dozen or so view turnouts along 101 for a quick break. I almost drove the car into the lake on several occasions, so I finally listened to the kid and just stopped to take some pictures. You can't see it well in this shot (proof of my lousy photography skills), but the water is amazingly clear with a turquoise tint. We stopped just before Fairholm, a way point at the west end of the lake.

If you're headed to the lake, you might as well visit Sol Duc Hot Springs. Sol Duc Hot Springs Road is just a mile or two from the west end of the lake, off of 101. Nathan, a world-wise traveler who has dipped his tush in natural hot springs outside of Nagano, Japan, offered up a question that, up to that point, hadn't been of immediate concern to me:

"Is it a naked one?"

No, it's not. But, sorry, no pics anyway. That would have been rude to the other bathers. The hot springs are piped into two large, manmade circular pools and a wading pool. There's also a chlorinated swimming pool for cooling off. Day-use admission is $11 per adult, and the front office rents towels, lockers and swim wear for $3 each. The only drawback is the sulfur smell.

I don't remember where I read it, but there's a Native American legend about how two dragons met in the Sol Duc Valley and fought for years. They were so saddened by their eventual stalemate that they retreated to their caves and cried. The hot springs are their tears.

After we checked into our hotel in Forks, we headed out to the beach at La Push to watch the sunset. That smaller notched rock in the picture below is named "Gunsight Rock," a moniker that met with the approval of my teenage Halo fan.

We ate at a place called River's Edge Restaurant, a decent steak and seafood house near the mouth of the Quillayute River.

Forks, by the way, is the setting for Stephenie Meyer's "Twilight" series, young-adult novels about vampires. There's a "Twilight" movie destined for theaters this winter, and there are signs of vampires all around Forks. I'll try to post some pics Wednesday, after we get back from Neah Bay and the northwesternmost point in the contiguous United States.

Sigh.

Biggest bummer of the trip so far: Hurricane Ridge is closed to all traffic. The closure began Monday and runs through Thursday, and I'm not sure we'll be back this way, since the point of this trip is to "do the loop."

Oh well. At least we got to spend the morning using Buzz Coffee's incredibly slow wi-fi and listening to the OMG girls, who, let's face it, really deserve their own paddock at the Olympic Game Farm.

So it's off to Sol Duc Hot Springs, which really is more our speed anyway.

"Dungeoness Spit," everyone said. And we're glad we went, truly.

At high tide, it's not an impossible 5.5-mile hike out to the lighthouse at the end of one of the worlds longest natural sand spits. But it's a lot harder.

North of Sequim, the spit offered us our first-ever view of the Straight of Juan de Fuca. The spit justs out from the beach toward the northeast, and you can see the lighthouse from the trail. Doesn't look like 5.5 miles, you'll tell yourself. Can't be 5.5 miles out, 5.5 miles back. Can't be an 11-mile round trip.

The pathetic photo above shows how "far" we made it. To be fair, we started late in the day, around 4 p.m., and the park was set to close around 7 p.m. A volunteer guide told us the hike takes four to six hours - during low tide when there's hard sand to walk on. I'm no good at math, but it didn't sound like we would make it.

The volunteer must not have thought so, either. She encouraged us to just hang out on the spit and watch for the family of whales that had been spotted throughout the day. She even loaned us her binoculars. I guess she didn't want to have to take her buggy out to rescue two idiots later on.

Here's the view to the southwest, toward Port Angeles:

And here's the view to the northeast, toward the end of the spit:

Despite the fact that we didn't make it to the lighthouse, I was happy to pay the $3 entrance fee, since all of the money goes to Dungeoness National Wildlife Refuge, which occupies the entire southeast length of the spit.

First of all, I'm so sorry.

We need to limit Craig's photo-archive access.

Anyhoo, those pictures are old, so I posted a current pic below. Every time I go on vacation, I get tubbier from eating way too much and harrier from not shaving. Our Olympic Peninsula trip began Monday. Here's what my son and I look like today. Wave, Nathan!

I snapped that photo Monday afternoon at the Olympic Game Farm. Years ago, we visited a game farm in Oregon, so I expected the one in Sequim to be about the same: lots of tufts of brown fur just barely visible through tall grass. But the animals were out in force Monday, eager for the bread the ticket guy sold us. (Admission is $10 per adult, bread is $2 per loaf).
Ever been stalked by a llama? It's every bit as thrilling as they say it is. Zebras, horses, deer and peacocks swarmed our car, too. They didn't want to let us leave. Or, at least, they didn't want our bread to leave.

We had a "Jurassic Park" moment when one of the bigger yaks craned its head sideways to get a better look inside Nathan's window. And let's just say yak snot it not a great window cleaner. Still, we couldn't help but admire this guy's persistence:

There's a plain full of elk and buffalo, but our shot had to be a drive-by one, because the area is forested with signs that warn you to "KEEP MOVING." The guy at the front gate said it was because the bison and sometimes the elk will challenge your car to a duel. Apparently nobody really "wins" in that scenario.

We felt sorry for this guy, a white rhino whose horn seemed to have gone all "Free Willy" on him.

The bears are the coolest. These guys are totally Yogi – they'll do just about anything for food. They came right up to the (electrified) inner fencing and waved, sat up, begged, posed, etc. And they caught flying bread hunks with their mouths. And, sure, they seem roly-poly and cute. But do NOT help them develop a taste for manflesh. Stay in your car.

Forest Road 23, a key route across the Gifford Pinchot National Forest from Trout Lake to Randle, will reopen on Thursday.

The reopening of the road, damaged in the November 2006 flood, will allow better access north and south, especially people looking to go to Mount Adams from the north end of the national forest and the communities of Randle and Packwood, said a news release from national forest staff.

Elsewhere, Forest Road 83 which provides access to Lava Canyon, should reopen by the first week of October. Forest Road 83 and many other roads, bridges, and trails were damaged in the heavy 2006 flooding, the release said.

Forest Road 99, which provides access to Wind Ridge viewpoint located just 4 miles from Mount St. Helens crater, sustained heavy damage from last winter’s severe conditions. Forest staff expects repairs being completed late this fall, in order to have the road open for the 2009
summer season, according to the release.

Long-time Rainier Mountaineering Inc. guide Gary Talcott reached the 14,411-foot summit of Mount Rainier this morning for the 300th time, RMI's Joe Horiskey confirmed.

RMI staff plans to celebrate the accomplishment later tonight in Ashford.

As you can tell by the picture to the right, News Tribune writer Bill Hutchens has always been a big hit with our female readers. Rippling muscles, writing talent, and fashion sense. He's a true triple threat.

And this week, he's working for us in an attempt to bring more women readers to The Adventure Guys.

Bill has done many things in his distinguished career as a News Tribune writer. He's written hundreds of video game reviews, he's fenced (with a saber - as far as I know he's never sold any stolen goods) and he's worn a kilt.

But one thing he's never done is explore the Olympic Peninsula.
Driving Highway 101 around the Olympic Peninsula is a must for Washington residents and this week Bill is finally taking his trip.

He'll spend this week hiking, exploring, camping and whatever else he comes up with.

We haven't heard yet if he'll be wearing a shirt or his man skirt on this trip. Check back regularly this week and find out.

The work to repave a portion of Highway 123 through Mount Rainier National Park has been completed ahead of schedule.

As a result, park officials this afternoon announced they have lifted the temporary Monday through Thursday daytime closure. Travelers should still anticipate delays up to 20 minute Monday through Friday until all the work is finished, which should happen late this month, said a park press release.

About 5.8 miles of the roadway from 2 miles south of Deer Creek Bridge to the intersection of Highway 410 at Cayuse Pass and 1 1/2 miles of Highway 410 from 1?4 mile north of Cayuse Pass, east towards Chinook Pass to the first major switchback are being rehabbed during this project.

Crews have worked to improve drainage; excavate, stabilize and reinforce failing subsurface material; repair and stabilize historic rock retaining walls; and resurface the road, according to the release.

Work also involves replacement of the failing stone and timber fence in the Tipsoo Lake area with a border rock edge that will withstand heavy snows.

Updated information on this project may be obtained by calling Mount Rainier National Park at 360-569-2211, ext. 2166. Information on this
project, as well as general park information, also is available at www.nps.gov/mora.

This struck me as just about the oddest looking trailhead I've ever seen. Looks like a lawn to me. However, you're allowed to walk across the lawn in downtown Coulee Dam to Candy Point Trail where you can then hike up through a small canyon to epic views of the damn from Crown Point Vista. Fun (but short) hike if you are ever in the neighborhood.

FYI, here's the view at the other end of the trail:

Here's a press release just sent out by River Valley BMX in Sumner:

During the Washington State Finals on Sunday September 14th, River Valley is proud to host a special homecoming for Jill Kintner, BMX Racing Bronze Medal Winner at the 2008 Beijing Olympic Games. Jill Kintner, a native to the Puget Sound, grew up racing northwest tracks and won her very first national at River Valley BMX, and now her Olympic Dream has become a reality!

=> Read more!

My 7-year-old boy and I had a rather unique father-son moment earlier this week, but we’d both rather somebody else had the experience instead of us.

Someday it will definitely make a good story, but for now, well, put it this way: I’m writing this from home because he’s missing school for the second day in row.

We went on a bike ride Tuesday night that concluded with father-son endos.

What’s an endo? Well, for you non-mountain bikers just think of it as short for “end over end.”

Ever since we passed that golf cart while riding a tandem on Catalina Island, he’s had a thirst for speed. So he told me he wanted to speed down a large hill near our house to see how fast he could go.

I rode my road bike and he rode his standard kid bike. After a number of runs down the hill he hit a top speed of 21 mph with no trouble.

We then pedaled around until we found a much larger and steeper hill and Alexander decided he wanted to give it a try. With no traffic in the area, it was a perfect place for him to try to pick up a little more speed and get used to larger hills.

I gave him a little pep talk about not slamming on his brakes and not going too fast. He absorbed none of this.

We shoved off from the top of the hill going slow at first and then we started picking up some serious speed.

We hit 28.5 mph when it was time to slow down. But that’s when trouble hit. Alex slammed on his brakes and found out immediately why I’d told him not to.

What happened next Alex told the doctors “was awesome.”

It looked like slow motion to me. He flew over his handle bars and hit the pavement.

My reaction was to slam on my brakes, which, of course, meant I went flying over my handlebars too. I hit the pavement hands first and my bike flipped and landed on my back.

I jumped up and sprinted to my son who was, of course, crying. His screams were so loud that at one point a woman came out of her house and offered to call an ambulance.

Alex said his left shoulder hurt, but he could lift his arm without pain so I thought we were going to escape with just a serious case of road rash.

I had small scuff marks on my hands and aggravated some tendinitis in my thumb from a mountain biking endo I pulled off in July.

Alex’s road rash was much more impressive. In addition to a bunch of small nicks, he had two gold medal size scrapes.

But later that night it became clear his injuries were much worse. As he lay on the couch I realized I couldn’t even see his left collar bone. He said he wasn’t in pain, but it was pretty clear what had happened.

Wednesday morning I took him to the doc to confirm. After getting X-rays Alex and I sat on a bench and pulled out the pictures. I held the X-ray up to the sky and my suspicion was confirmed.

His collarbone was broken. Nothing small either. It was snapped in half.

Of course, I was feeling pretty guilty about all of this. As much as I like to let Alex explore his adventurous side, I clearly let him bite off too much.

The doc sent us to the orthopedic doc who gave us the first bit of good news of the day. All Alex has to do is keep his arm in a sling for a month and the bone should heal.

Alex looked at the doctor then looked at me.

“Dad I wish we could trade injuries,” he said with a smile.

“Tell me about it, bud,” I said. “So do I.”

Washington Utilities and Transportation Commission regulations have resulted in the closure of bus service on the John Wayne Pioneer Trail at Iron Horse State Park, according to a statement posted on the shuttle service's website.

Here's a statement from Bus-Up 90.

The Bus-Up 90 Snoqualmie Shuttle has ended service due to regulations by the Washington Utilities and Transportation Commission (WUTC). Although Bus-Up 90 was a concessionare of Washington State Parks, the Washington Utilities and Transportation Commission has stepped in and determined that the shuttle service is subject to regulation as an auto carrier, rather than as an excursion service or a charter service. The WUTC regulations and requirements make it impossible to continue the shuttle. Service has ended, Labor Day, September 1, 2008 was the last run.

=> Read more!

Craig Hill took his mountain bike and hit the Iron Horse State Park's John Wayne Pioneer Trail. Our lead story relates Craig's adventures and the people he met along the way.

In my column this week, I talked with Tom Kiernan, president of the National Parks Conservation Association. He said the national parks in Washington faces a number of challenges.

For fans of razor clams, the preliminary population forecasts are good. People will have a chance to get the details at a series of meetings around Western Washington later this month.

Apparently Washington is most bike friendly state in the country.

That’s according to the League of American Bicyclists, a Washington D.C.-based cycling advocacy group. The group recently released a ranking of the top states.

The criteria for the rankings included responses to questionnaires, legistlation, policies, programs, infrastructure, education and many other factors.

Washington was followed by Wisconsin, Arizona and Oregon.

“While every state has room to improve in making bicycling a preferred mode of transportation and accessible form of recreation, Washington is making the greatest strides to make this a reality,” said Andy Clarke, the league’s president, in a prepared statement.

The organization credited Washington bike laws, maps, a growing trail network and state funding for cycling related programs for its high ranking.

West Virginia finished last on the list.

This is the first time the organization has ranked the states, but it plans to do the rankings each year.

Just got confirmation from Ironman on who'll be participating in the world Championship Oct. 11 in Kona, Hawaii.

Ironman is a famously grueling triathlon. It is a 2.4-mile swim, 112-mile bike and concludes with a marathon (26.2 miles).

Here are the participants from Washington:

Steve Wang, interpretive program manager for Washington State Parks, has received a national lifetime achievement award. The honor, from the National Association of State Parks Directors, recognizes Wang for his nearly 30 years of work..

The announcement was made this afternoon by the State Parks department.

Steve Wang

Wang, 59, will receive a special President’s Award for extraordinary work furthering the educational and stewardship goals of Washington State Parks. Wang was nominated for work statewide, including unique interactive displays, fun and engaging live programs and facilities devoted to interpretation, the release said.

His favorite projects include displays at the Lewis and Clark Interpretive Center at Cape Disappointment State Park near Ilwaco; the Ginkgo Interpretive Center near Vantage; Sacajawea Interpretive Center in Tri-Cities and his current work on the agency’s efforts to tell the story of the Ice Age floods that carved the landscape of much of Eastern and Central Washington. Recently he was on the team that installed displays at Beacon Rock, Sun Lakes, Ginkgo Petrified Forest, Palouse Falls, Steamboat Rock and Yakima Sportsman state parks, as well as at Dry Falls Visitor Center, the release said.

Here is the rest of the release:

“Interpretation involves looking for all kinds of ways to get people engaged in understanding and appreciating their environment,” Wang said. “In fact, we do have a slogan or guiding statement that defines our approach: ‘Interpretation is the art of creating opportunities for park visitors to connect with the world around them.’”

Cindy Sulenes-Farr, an agency colleague, coordinated the nomination, which was endorsed by State Parks Director Rex Derr. The nomination was for an annual history award with the association that includes the 50 directors of all states’ parks agencies. But Derr said after reading the nomination, the selection committee decided Wang’s work deserved greater recognition and notified the agency of the decision to award a special lifetime achievement honor.

“The higher level award is so well-deserved,” Derr said. “Steve is absolutely impeccable about the integrity and accuracy of his work, while not withholding any of his passion for the work and the subject matter he’s dealing with. For decades, he has helped visitors discover the magic of Northwest life. His work is a legacy that will be enjoyed by visitors for generations to come.”

Sulenes-Farr said Wang has a gift for finding unique ways to tell a story, whether it is through one of his live programs delivered with sparkle and enthusiasm, or through displays or interpretive signs. State Parks visitors of all ages have been observed enjoying Wang’s work along trails, at exhibits or in interactive displays.

Raised by a teacher dad and a mother who pursued professional-level archaeology as an avocation, Wang says he learned early to be curious about things. A special uncle also encouraged him to seek the story behind the story in the natural world. As a young person, he spent considerable time at the Chippewa Nature Center in Michigan and later operated his own environmental education business before going to work at State Parks. At Parks, he worked with legendary figures such as the late Dick Clifton of Olympia, an artist who was honored after his death with a resolution passed by both houses of the Legislature.

“I’m honored by this award,” Wang said. “But I’m also honored and feel very fortunate to have had the chance to be involved in this work.”

We updated the journey of triple-amputee Bob Mortimer and his family in this morning's News Tribune, but wanted to share a little more about the Gig Harbor man here.

Here's a link to his website and his trip website.

And here's our original story about Mortimer and his family:

By Craig Hill
The News Tribune

The accident. The 12,500 volts of electricity shooting through his body. The three amputations. Nicole Mortimer figures she’s heard her dad’s testimonial enough – more than a thousand times by her count – that she could recite it detail by detail. So when Bob Mortimer is on stage, she doesn’t watch him. She watches the crowd.

“I like to see the look on people’s faces,” said Nicole, a 19-year-old Northwest University student. “You can see … this is a pivotal moment in their lives and that something in what my dad is saying is going to help them change.”

What she sees is hope.

An accident 32 years ago left Mortimer without his legs and his left arm. But his circumstances haven’t kept him from his mission: delivering hope to whoever will take time to listen.

Starting May 17, Bob Mortimer and his family will take their message on the road. For four months, the Mortimers plan to pedal from Gig Harbor 3,900 miles to New York City, stopping at churches, schools and community centers to share their story. The family plans to finish on Sept. 11 at the Statue of Liberty.

Mortimer’s wife, Darla, and their three children – Nicole, Grant, 15, and Chanel, 10 – will ride bikes. He will handcycle on a three-wheel bike designed for a person with two arms.

“Anything a person can do with two arms, I can do half as well with one arm,” Mortimer said.

The family plans to average 40 miles a day and will travel with a two-person support team: Mortimer’s sister, Jeanne Oesch of Puyallup, and her husband, Don, will drive a truck and trailer along the route.

Mortimer estimates the project will cost about $35,000. The family has been raising money for months while Grant and Chanel, both home-schooled, crammed to finish classes a month early.

They say the work will be worth it to spread their message.

“We have a simple message,” Mortimer said. “You can find hope in Christ, and you can do something with that hope.”

=> Read more!

The outer loop of Five Mile Drive at Point Defiance will remain closed on Sunday mornings, Metro Parks officials announced Friday afternoon.

The announcement comes at the end of a two-month pilot program that kept the drive closed to vehicles before 1 p.m. on Sunday. The road has long been closed to motor traffic before 1 p.m. on Saturdays.

The closures are designed to give walkers, joggers, cyclists, skaters and other users a time to have the road to themselves.

"More than 80 percent of park users have responded favorably to a survey being conducted in conjunction with this summer’s pilot program," according to a statement released Friday by the parks department.

The parks will continue to collect responses on its online survey until Sept. 15.

Click here to take the survey.

(The above photo was taken by News Tribune photographer Peter Haley.)

The Washington State Department of Natural Resources just announced that the Northwest Timber Trail, one of two trails closed on Tiger Mountain near North Bend, has re-opened.

After completion of a bridge replacement on Aug. 30, the Northwest Timber Trail/Connector Trail is now open for use. Funding for this project was made possible by the Washington State Recreation and Conservation Office, Washington State Emergency Storm Relief and FEMA, a department news release said.

The South Tiger Traverse Trail is still closed and will reopen Nov. 1, after the Peacock Timber sale. The closure affects equestrian users and hikers. The Tiger Mountain Trail remains open during the harvest operations.

For information and assistance during this closure, call Sam Jarrett, 206-375-0448; or send an e-mail to sam.jarrett@dnr.wa.gov.

We took advantage of the Labor Day weekend to go camping with friends at Pacific Beach. We had great weather, good times playing on the beach with our kids and had the last s'mores of the summer. It was a good way to wrap a fun and busy summer.

Jeffrey P. Mayor/The News Tribune
Flames leap from the fire to toast a coconut-crusted marshmallow soon to be turned into a s'more.

I attended last night's panel discussion, sponsored by Boeing and the National Park Conservaton Association, that looked at how climate change might impact future access to our national parks.

I came away from the three-hour session feeling that right now the issue is framing the questions, let alone trying to come up with solutions. The six panelists and the nearly 80 people in attendance looked at the issue of access from multiple viewpoints. Some worried about future floods physically halting access, some saw it as an issue where vehicle access should be reduced to combat climate change, and others saw it as an issue of encouraging use of the parks by different cultural groups.

When I interviewed NPCA president Tom Kienan this morning, he described last night' session as developing the table of contents for future discussions. That's a good way to look at it.

There is little doubt climate change will have an impact on park access. The questions are how much, how often and when.

But I was glad to see the conversation look at the broader aspects of access.

I'll have more on the session in a future column.

A 46-year-old Sammamish man hiking near Guye Peak apparently fell to his death Monday, according to a statement released this morning by the King County Sheriff's office.

The man’s identity has not yet been released by the King County medical examiner.

A statement from the sheriff’s office said the man was experienced and hiking alone and had parked his car at Alpental’s Snow Lake Trailhead. When he didn’t return his wife called the sheriff at 9:45 p.m. on Monday.

His wife told police the man had planned to go scrambling at Guye Peak. Scrambling is a non-technical method of climbing over rock and other debris.

A search and rescue operation was launched Tuesday morning and he was spotted by helicopter at about 7:30 a.m. according to the statement. His body was in a gully on the east side of Guye Peak. A recovery team reach him at 8 a.m.

Guye Peak is located in the Cascade Mountains near Snoqualmie Pass.

We got an advance copy of the October issue of Backpacker magazine this week and found it packed with tidbits about Washington.

Not surprisingly, since this is its “Survival Issue,” the magazine takes a couple of looks at Mount Rainier. The trek to Camp Muir is listed No. 4 on the list of “America’s 10 Most Dangerous Hikes.”

And the magazine dubs Mount Rainier “America’s Most Dangerous Mountain.”

This shouldn’t be too much of a surprise if you are a regular reader of The News Tribune. In fact, the magazine sites The News Tribune as a source for its Rainier coverage.

The magazine lists paddling around San Juan Island and climbing Mount Adams via the Mazama Glacier route among its “Ten Epic Hikes.”

Backpacker doesn’t mention Longbranch mountaineer Dan Mazur by name, but does give him a tip of the cap. Aussie climber Lincoln Hall is listed as one of the 16 Ultimate Survivors for surviving overnight on Mount Everest in 2006. It was Mazur who rescued him.

The October issue of Backpacker’s Magazine hits newsstands Sept. 9.

I found bicycling paradise this summer in, of all places, Los Angeles County.

I was on a cruise to Mexico when we stopped for a day at Catalina Island, about 22 miles off the coast of Los Angeles. With several hours to explore with my son, we decided to rent a bike with an attachment for kids.

We explored every inch of road on the island that the bike shop allowed. I heard about some pretty good hills outside of Avalon, but the folks at Brown’s Bikes wouldn’t let us take any tandem rentals up there.

As Alexander and I pedaled around the island, stopping at the famous casino, the beach and the Wrigley Botanical Gardens I noticed several interesting things about our experience.

1. Alex wasn’t pulling his weight on the hills. He said it was easier for me to all the pedaling. I disagree.

2. The weather and ocean views were awesome.

3. There were no cars.

No cars. That’s a cyclist’s dream. The guy at the bike shop explained that you have to apply for the right to own a car on the island and that there is quite a waiting list. He said he’d been waiting 10 years.

Most of the residents get about on bikes or golf carts. Golf carts are much less imposing than cars. In fact at one point, Alex and I passed a moving golf cart on the left as we zipped down a hill back toward Avalon. The gold cart was going the speed limit. We weren’t.

I was thinking I wished we had something like this back home. Then I realized we do – Point Defiance on Saturday mornings.

Before 1 p.m. each Saturday Point Defiance’s Five Mile Drive is closed to motorists so cyclists, joggers, walkers and others can enjoy the drive without worrying about traffic.

In July and August, Metro Parks tried a pilot program that extended the car-free hours to include Sunday’s before 1 p.m. The program was a big hit according to parks spokeswoman Nancy Johnson, but the park board has yet to determine if the Sunday car-free times will remain permanent.

Johnson said the decision won’t be made until after Sept. 15, when voting closes in a poll on the park website, metroparkstacoma.org. (Look for the link to the survey in the lower left-hand corner.)

Regardless of how you’d like to see Five Mile Drive used on Sunday mornings, Johnson suggests voting now to make sure you opinion is heard.

A 40-year-old man drowned Monday afternoon in Lake Tapps, Pierce County sheriff’s spokesman Ed Troyer said.

Witnesses told East Pierce County Fire and Rescue officials that the man was trying to cross the swimming area at Lake Tapps North Park with a friend when he disappeared beneath the water.

He drowned about 4:30 p.m. according to a statement released by East Pierce Fire and Rescue.

A Sheriff’s Department diver, already on the scene, recovered the man within 10 minutes of his going under, but medical personnel at the scene were not able to revive him, Troyer said.

Additional divers from East Pierce Fire and Rescue, Valley Regional Fire Authority and three more from the sheriff’s department also responded.

The man was pronounced dead at the scene.
Authorities presume the man drowned, but don’t know if he had some type of medical problem.

Steve Maynard and Craig Hill, The News Tribune