THE OTHER, OTHER WASHINGTON
Where
I’m from, if you mention Washington, most people think you are referring to
that city on the northeastern end of Virginia that’s full of lobbyists,
politicians, and other lowlife. But
there’s another Washington, up in the northwest corner of our vast
country. Most people are familiar with
that one, too, but misconceptions are common.
When you mention THAT Washington, most folks think of
Seattle, the land of coffee, corduroy, and perpetual rain. It’s understandable, since Seattle is a
world-class city, but there’s a lot more to that other Washington.
A
couple of weeks ago I worked in Spokane, Washington. That’s on the far eastern end of the state, a.k.a.
the Idaho part of Washington. Spokane
has very little in common with its big brother to the west. It’s a much smaller city, with a completely
different vibe. Spokane reminded me more
of the cities of Montana or Colorado than the Pacific Northwest. Oh, and all of that rain that Seattle
allegedly gets? Eastern Washington has a
completely different climate. It’s much
drier east of the Cascades. In fact,
parts of central Washington are virtually deserts.
That
isn’t to say that it doesn’t rain or snow in Spokane. Spokane is actually on the western edge of
the Rocky Mountains, so its wetter there than in the central part of the
state. Still, I was a bit distraught
when I checked the forecast prior to my trip and saw that rain was expected
every day. In fact, there was an 80%
chance of it on Monday. This was
particularly annoying, as I didn’t actually have to start my job until
Tuesday. I was hoping to do a little hiking
on Monday, but wasn’t terribly enthusiastic about doing it in the rain.
I
actually booked my flight into Seattle, arriving around mid-day on Monday. From there, I’d rent a car and drive across
the state to Spokane. I did this for a
couple of reasons. First, I saved
several hundred dollars on the airfare, which made my boss happy. Second, I hoped to have time to visit a few
waterfalls on the way. Finally, after I
returned to Seattle on Friday evening, I planned to visit with friends over Memorial
Day Weekend.
Monday’s
flight was smooth. I enjoyed a rare
direct flight to Seattle, though cloudy skies prevented any views of Mount
Rainier on our descent I picked up my
luggage, got the rental car, and stopped at Subway for second lunch. First lunch had been on the plane, where $8
got me an overpriced assortment of cheese and grapes. By the time I got the rental car it had been
after 1pm, or after 4pm eastern time.
After
lunch I headed east on I-90 towards Snoqualmie Pass on the crest of the
Cascades. I made my first stop on the
way up, near the town of North Bend. A
brief diversion from the highway led me to Snoqualmie Falls, arguably
Washington’s most famous waterfall.
There is a small public park on the rim of the gorge above the falls,
along with a lodge, and restaurant, and a hydroelectric power plant. The park receives an estimated 1.5 million
visitors annually.
Snoqualmie
Falls isn’t exactly a wilderness experience, but it was still worth a quick
visit. The waterfall, at 268’ high, is a
monster. My visit coincided with peak
runoff of spring snowmelt, and the river was raging. In fact, the spray was overwhelming at
several of the overlooks, even though the falls were a couple hundred yards
away. I’m not sure what the falls are
like later in the summer when the water levels drop, but during my visit they
were an impressive sight.
Originally
I’d planned to hike a short trail down to the river a bit downstream from the
falls. However, due to power plant
construction, that trail is closed until 2013.
I found directions to drive down there, but discovered that the road is
closed, too. It was probably just as
well though. I ended up arriving in
Spokane late that night as it was.
The
rest of the drive to Snoqualmie Pass was scenic, with views of the Cascades
only somewhat limited by the clouds. One
of the more impressive peaks was Mount Si, its sheer face towering over the
community of North Bend. At the pass I
found plenty of lingering snow, though much of that is likely due to snowbanks from winter plowing as well as the ski slope that
operates there. A bit later, beyond the
pass, I stopped at a rest area for a quick break. There I was treated to a nice view of the
snowy peaks of the Stuart Range. That
range surrounds the Alpine Lakes Wilderness, where I backpacked several years
earlier.
From
there I continued to a bridge over the mighty Columbia River. The river carves an impressive gorge through
central Washington, and on my return I stopped at a pulloff to enjoy the
scenery. At that point I left the
highway and took a secondary road east through desert-turned-farmland thanks to
irrigation. After a long grind, I reached Washtucna,
which I initially mistook for a ghost town (I did see a couple of actual people
when I passed back through on my way out).
At that point, I only needed to go a few more miles out of my way to
reach Palouse Falls State Park.
Palouse
Falls could hardly be closer to the middle of nowhere. Anywhere else, it would be a famous tourist
attraction. Because it’s literally on
the way to nowhere, it isn’t particularly well known. Or at least it wasn’t until a couple of years
ago. Back in 2009, a kayaker named Tyler
Bradt became the first person to run the 186’
waterfall, establishing a world record for the biggest descent in the process. Here’s a video of the insanity:
After
reading about that, I knew I’d have to visit the falls one day. With it being only an hour or so out of the
way off the route to Spokane, this was my big chance.
The
park closes at dusk, and fortunately I arrived with a couple of hours to
spare. It had been a cloudy day all
across Washington, but the rain that been promised had thus far failed to arrive. I was hopeful that the weather would hold off
at least until after I’d visited the falls.
The
state park doesn’t have much in the way of facilities. There are a couple of short, official trails,
some longer, unofficial paths, pit toilets, a picnic area, and a rather
primitive campground. All of this is on
the west rim of a spectacular gorge. I
parked near one of the main overlooks, and walked out to get my first view of
the falls. At my first glance I knew
that the long drive had been worth it.
The view was a jaw-dropper. I’m
not sure which was more beautiful, the waterfall itself, or the magnificent
canyon it has carved.
I
walked the official trail along the rim from one overlook to the next. The entire trail is separated from the brink
from a rather ugly chain link fence. The
good news is that I had my Gorillapod with me, and I
was able to attach it to the top of the fence easily. I took many photos of the waterfall, the
canyon, and even some wildflowers. The
wildflowers were tricky thanks to gusty winds, but I didn’t mind too much. I was just happy to be there.
At
the lower end of the official trail I spotted a continuation that led to some
railroad tracks. From there, a path descends
a steep scree slope and then a narrow gully towards the river. It looks like it may be possible to reach the
river that way, though I couldn’t be sure.
Unfortunately I didn’t bring proper hiking boots with me on this trip,
and that steep descent looked a little treacherous for running shoes. If I ever
return to that area I’ll plan on making the attempt. In fact, there are several other noteworthy,
if unofficial, trails. Below the
overlooks is a faint goat path that follows a narrow bench along the rim of the
canyon. I believe that path originates
upstream from the falls (with another steep scree descent) and continued
down-canyon, perhaps as far as the descent path I mentioned earlier. That trail appears to pass a fascinating rock
formation right at the brink of the falls.
That rock looks like a massive shark fin towering above the falls. I was itching to get a closer look at it,
too, but a lack of boots and daylight forced me to skip it.
I
left shortly before dark and drove north back towards the interstate. Originally I considered stopping to check out
two smaller waterfalls upstream, but I was ready to head for the hotel. At the highway in Ritzville I was delighted
to find a Perkins, which was the perfect choice for a late, quick dinner. I finally reached Spokane a bit before 11pm,
which was the equivalent of 2am Eastern Time.
I’d been awake for almost 20 hours, and exhaustion had finally caught up
with me.
My
week in Spokane went smoothly, despite some marginal weather. It was cloudy all week, though actual rain
was limited to a few scattered sprinkles.
It was mighty cold, too, after coming from 90+ degree
weather back home. On Wednesday
morning the temperature was 34 degrees, and I could see snow on the hillsides
surrounding town.
I
enjoyed a nice run along the Spokane Centennial Trail on Wednesday evening. That trail, a paved greenway, connects with
another in northern Idaho to make a continuous, 66 mile route. Much of it follows the Spokane River, which
was absolutely raging with snowmelt. The
trees bordering the river were actually in the river, and I was glad that the
trail had been built high up on the bank.
When I started my run, a group of kayakers had just put in ahead of
me. To give you an idea of how strong
that current was, I run about 7mph, the kayakers weren’t paddling, and I
couldn’t catch up to them. I thought
they might actually be a little crazy to paddle that river in those
conditions. I imagine that river is
usually pretty mild, but at the those water levels it
actually had whitecaps.
I
enjoyed nice views of the swollen river and snow-dusted peaks surrounding
me. I also spotted a ton of wildflowers,
including entire hillsides covered in sunflowers. My favorite flower sighting though was a
single patch of Blue Flag Iris. I’d seen
these at a garden once, but never in the wild.
After my run I actually walked ¾ of a mile back down there with my
camera to get photos.
I
left Spokane on Friday afternoon around 3:30.
I endured a long drive back to Seattle, but at least traffic was
mild. My only mistake was stopping in
Ellensburg for gas and a fast food dinner.
That little town was swarming with people on their way to the Sasquatch
Music Festival in George, Washington (seriously). The Gorge Amphitheatre in George was hosting
the festival, and it is supposedly one of the most beautiful venues for live
music in the country. After seeing the
views of the Columbia River Gorge and the Cascades from that area, I can
believe it. Maybe one of these days I’ll
take in a concert there.
I
made it to Seattle a little after 8pm. I
drove in past Safeco Field, and caught a neat view of a baseball game in
progress (the Mariners were hosting the Yankees). From there I headed on to the ferry terminal,
to catch the next boat over to Bainbridge Island. As is my tradition, I just missed a
ferry. I bought a ticket for the 9pm
ride, which wasn’t all that bad. Missing
the 8:10 meant that I had a good 20 minutes or so to kill before the next one
would start loading. I invested that
time at the ferry terminal bar, where I enjoyed a Mac and Jack’s Amber while
catching an inning of the previously mentioned baseball game.
The
ride over the Bainbridge was lovely, as it occurred shortly after sunset. I attempted some low-light photos of the
Seattle skyline, which were tricky thanks to the constantly vibrating boat. I finally reached my friend’s house about
10pm, and we stayed up until midnight chatting.
On
Saturday Brian and I got out for a short hike.
We weren’t inclined to fight holiday weekend traffic to get somewhere
exotic, like Olympic National Park.
Fortunately there are some attractive destinations closer to Bainbridge
Island. For our hike, we decided to
check out one of them. Not far from
Bremerton, mighty Green Mountain towers over the Kitsap Peninsula. Actually, I jest. At 1,640’ the peak in Green Mountain State
Forest is barely noteworthy. It does
have a couple of things going for it though.
For one, it’s the second-highest peak on the peninsula. It also features a fairly significant trail
network. Best of all, the summit
features a fine view of the Kitsap Peninsula, Puget Sound, the Seattle skyline,
and the Cascades beyond. On a clear day,
Mount Rainier and Mount Baker are visible from there.
We
got a late start that morning, but it took less than an hour to get to the
trailhead. There were quite a few cars
in the parking lot, but the mountain wasn’t terribly crowded for a holiday
weekend. The hike featured a pleasant
climb in the woods that gave us some nice exercise. Along the way we passed a number of
wildflowers, including a few Rhododendron in
bloom. Brian also spotted a Garter
Snake, which was our only wildlife sighting of the day. Although there is no old-growth forest on
Green Mountain, the woods were still shady and quiet.
We weren’t far from the top when the
obligatory rain shower struck. The
temperature dropped and rain and hail fell, forcing me to dig out my rain
jacket. The whole event lasted only 10
minutes or so, but it did occur shortly after noon. No doubt it dampened many a holiday picnic in
the Seattle area. Other than that, the
weather was quite nice all weekend. In
fact, I’ll take partly cloudy and temperatures in the 50s and 60s with one
brief shower over the current weather back in Charlotte. There it’s already in the upper 90’s with
oppressive humidity. And summer doesn’t
start for another month.
We
reached the summit a bit later, and took in the previously mentioned view. The Cascades and the Olympics were lost in
the clouds, but the vista was still quite nice.
It was fairly quiet up there, too, though a few other groups came and
went while we were there.
Eventually
we headed down, making much better time than coming up. Afterwards we headed home, where we spent the
rest of the afternoon and evening playing Settlers of Catan
and enjoying Jill’s fine cooking.
I
got up early on Sunday morning to run.
This was quite an achievement for me, as I hate running early in the
morning, particularly when temperatures are in the low 40s. It was a nice run though, with great scenery
including deep forest, farmland, blooming Rhododendrons, and views of Puget
Sound.
We
indulged in donuts for breakfast, and I headed down to the ferry terminal
afterwards. I arrived a few minutes
early for the 9:40 departure, but was the last car on. In fact, the 9:40 pulled out right at
9:34. This was a little startling – I didn’t
realize the ferries ever left early! I
came mighty close to missing it, though I’m pretty sure I still would’ve made
my 1:30 flight even after waiting for the next boat. The ride across was pleasant, with the snowy
Olympic Mountains just barely peaking out of the clouds. The flight home was smooth, too, although the
cloud cover
prevented any view of the Cascades or Mount Rainier.
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