We hear the words “paddles ready…paddles set…and hit” from our steersperson, and the outrigger canoe starts its glide through the water, gaining speed with our paddle strokes. We round the breakwater and out into the open water of Fairhaven Harbor. All of us relish this feeling of getting on the water and moving together. It feels like freedom. On quiet …
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Ski to Sea Race Turns 50
Get out the candles—Ski to Sea celebrates its 50th birthday this year on May 28, and the celebration promises to be one for the ages. I love that week when you start seeing all the cars with boats, bikes, and skis on them, and it hits me that it is GO time. Inspired by the original Mt. Baker Marathon (1911-13), …
Read More »A Beautiful Bad Idea
I was sprawled out yard-sale style on the Coleman Glacier, high on the slopes of Mt. Baker. One ski was broken. Blood was splattered across the snow. A quick check revealed a perfect circular puncture wound in my thigh from where I’d impaled myself with a broken pole. I was shocked and embarrassed. But mostly, I was crushed. Could I …
Read More »Paddling in Paradise: Protected Places on the Salish Sea
When I slip my kayak into Bellingham Bay, I sometimes choose a direction without a destination. Paddling is an end in itself and destinations require decisions. It’s like choosing between a slice of Oreo cheesecake and chocolate mousse. Can I have some of each? Not if they’re in two different directions. If I do select a destination, my tastes lean …
Read More »Going the Distance: Bellingham Bay to Baker – and Back
The journey really began nearly a year ago when I didn’t complete the 108-mile never-been-done-before run from Bellingham Bay to the summit of Mount Baker and back on foot. Bad weather didn’t permit a summit attempt that day but three runners had success a few weeks later. Dan Probst, who has spent the better part of the last three years …
Read More »Mountain Runners Film Nominated for Grand Prix Graz 2012
Bellingham Filmmaker Hits the Festival Circuit The Mountain Runners, a feature documentary released this year that tells the amazing story of the Mount Baker Marathon has been nominated for “Grand Prix Graz 2012” award and the “Alpine Camera in Gold” award at the 24th International Mountain & Adventure film festival in Graz, Austria. This festival, which runs from Nov. 9-12, …
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