The Skagit River sustains humans in many ways, from providing drinking water to irrigating crops and nurturing fisheries. Of course, the basin is also home to a profound richness of wildlife, including bears, salmon, bald eagles, otters, trout, voles, elk, swans, and the Pacific giant salamander. The river is a popular destination for recreation—camping, kayaking, rafting, fly-fishing, skinny-dipping—as well as …
Read More »Tag Archives: skagit river
Over the Top: The Epic Story of the North Cascades Highway
Washington State Route 20 (known as the North Cascades Highway from Marblemount to Winthrop) is the state’s longest and most scenic highway. If you’ve traveled in the North Cascades, you’re already familiar with it. SR20 stretches from Whidbey Island in the west all the way to the city of Newport on the Idaho border. Along the way, it winds along …
Read More »Skagit Notes: 20 Years of Canoe Tripping
These four poems originate from 20 years of canoe tripping on the Skagit River from Ross Lake to the Salish Sea. The Skagit is a river, a watershed, a cultural identity, a place of spirits, and a home. As a guest on native land, I acknowledge the people whose longhouses and seasonal camps bordered the river from the mountains to …
Read More »The Magic Skagit
In the three years I spent photographing and writing my new book, Soul of the Skagit, I listened to countless people affectionately refer to the river as the “Magic Skagit.” Sure, it has a ring to it. But I was relatively new to the Pacific Northwest, and besides the obvious beauty of the Skagit River and the North Cascades, I …
Read More »Dancing on Sauk Mountain
As the snow begins to retreat in the North Cascades, and the color scheme ever so slowly shifts from white to green, I get the itch. Of course, having plied these North Cascades for numerous happy decades, I am used to waiting: there’s a lot of snow up there, and it melts out slowly, unveiling the verdant greenery in its …
Read More »Fishtown: Art and Nature on the Skagit River
If you’re a fan of the Skagit Valley Tulip Festival, you might have passed through charming La Conner, WA. At first glance, you might think it’s little more than a tourist stop. But that’s where you’d be very, very wrong. La Conner was once home to a rustic artists’ colony, Fishtown, where creatives sought the solitude and spiritual connection to …
Read More »A Journey Home: The Skagit from Source to Sea
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 …
Read More »Along the Skagit: A Winter Gathering of Eagles
I can still remember my parents teaching me how to spot a bald eagle, “look for the white head and tail feathers since their bodies are black and difficult to see.” It’s January on the Skagit River near Rockport, WA and the bright white heads of bald eagles are prominent against the grayness of the riverbanks and naked alders. Even …
Read More »