Water

If you spend any time at all in the Pacific Northwest, you’ll see evidence all around that wild salmon are the backbone of our environment, culture, and economy. Yet many salmon-bearing streams have been degraded by past land-use practices—the removal of large woody debris and riparian vegetation, the straightening and ditching of stream channels, and the installation of poorly designed …

The Inside Passage is a protected water route that weaves through islands and narrow channels along the North American West Coast. Its southernmost point is Olympia, Washington and it travels north for roughly 1200 miles to Skagway, Alaska. Last summer my partner, Jeremy, and I set out to kayak its length. The idea was born during a seemingly casual conversation …

The bow of my kayak digs a groove into the sand, and I get out and stretch. Maria sheds her dry suit and takes off running down the perfect, uninhabited two-mile crescent of warm sand. Bruce pokes around in tide pools. I wander up the beach, following wolf tracks. An eagle whistles from the trees. Somewhere in the bay I …

I am standing here on the west side of Chuckanut Island trying to understand what I am seeing and what to do about it. This five-acre nature preserve is my responsibility—my wife Aimee and I are the stewards of this Nature Conservancy-owned land, officially known as the Cyrus Gates Memorial Preserve. There are beer cans and snack bags strewn about. …

“We’re going for Door # 2,” Maria announces. “We think there’s enough space between the icebergs and Gateway Knob.” We push off and row against the strong current of the Alsek River. A moment later, we’re squeezing a raft between the island and a set of massive icebergs, while the current tries to yank us into a whirlpool of exquisite …

Unique in the National Park system, the partnership between Seattle City Light, North Cascades National Park, and the North Cascades Institute offers visitors a plethora of recreational delights. Among them, a tour on Diablo Lake aboard the Alice Ross IV provides a relaxing—and inspiring—way to while away a summer’s day. There are two options for visitors: the three-hour lunch tour …

  On late evenings like this one I’ll collapse into bed still dressed and dirty and too tired to change.   I smell of wood smoke and bamboo and my long sleeves are soaked wet with creek water. Most of the time, my bedtime stories tell themselves. Nights often end this way after countless days saturated by water and fire, …

Rivers teach us, and I wanted the Spokane River to teach me. When I began working for the Spokane Riverkeeper, newly arrived in eastern Washington, I knew I had to see the whole river for myself. My Riverkeeper colleagues had long lived along its banks and they do an impressive job of protecting their river, but they hadn’t paddled the …

A large drop of rain fell on my leg. Then another. A deep boom of thunder reverberated through the mountain peaks. It began to pour. The rain dripped from the trees and shrubs, cascading onto the ground in rivulets and feeding, right there at our feet, the tiny creek that was the source of the Skagit River. These particular drops …

Have you ever considered taking Fido along for a paddle? In many cases, man’s furry best friend is a great companion on the water as well as dry land. Fun? Quite likely. Simple to get started? Not so much. Some preparation and training are required. It’s not going to be as easy as choosing the best casino from Pennsylvania online …