Rich Landers

Camping Big improvements are under way at Sullivan Lake campground, Forest Service officials say. But construction will close some of the campsites for most of the summer. Beginning Wednesday, the 10 sites in the west campground will be closed except during Down River Days, July 28-31, and Labor Day holiday, Aug. 31-Sept. 4.

Mark Eisbree

Ron and Gerry Krueger. Photo by Madonna Luers/Special to Outdoors

An Idaho rule effective this month allows bowhunter to use certain crossbows if they have handicaps that prevent them from using standard bows. One must have a special handicapped archery permit to use a crossbow for hunting. Approved crossbows can be used only in archery hunting seasons. Permit applications are available from Idaho Fish and Game Department offices.

HIKING TRIP NOTES Access: From U.S. Highway 95 at Athol (milepost 449), head east at well-marked intersection and follow signs to Farragut State Park. Just past park headquarters and visitor center, turn right on South Road and drive 1/4 mile to trailhead. Attractions: Easy-access three-season forest hike with options to suit walkers of all abilities. Full loop trail makes 500-foot elevation gain to views of Lake Pend Oreille and impressive rock formations - highest point generally accessible from Farragut. Shorter options eliminate steep climb and descent. Developed camping and day-use areas available in main area of park. Comments: From trailhead, hike loop trail clockwise. Full trip leads from bottomland vegetation to mountain penstemon displays in rocks near high point.

Spokane fly-fishers had big hopes. So did Michigan salmon fishers. But their triploid fish projects didn't pan out. A year ago, anglers were rubbing their palms, expecting the first rush of 40- to 60-pound salmon in Lake Michigan. Michigan State University's multiyear experiment with triploid salmon - those genetically engineered fish designed to exceed the normal fouryear life cycle and grow to unprecedented sizes - was about to bear fruit. But few of the fish returned. Those that did weren't monsters. They were midgets.

Most of the country has figured out that Sasquatch and other Western myths are a hoax. Fly-fishers aren't so savvy. Year after year, Dan Bailey wannabes make the annual spring pilgrimage to Montana for the fabled salmonfly hatch.

A scared little bunny rabbit, down in hostile territory, surrounded by aggressors taking potshots, tormented by cows... No, this isn't a rehash of pilot Scott O'Grady's Bosnian nightmare. The descriptions tell the plight of the wetlands scientist - a bad dream come true right here in the good ol' USA.

PADDLING TRIP NOTES Access: From Cheney, turn south on Cheney-Plaza Road toward Turnbull Wildlife Refuge. Continue south 17 miles (you might not notice name of highway changes to Rock Lake Road). Turn east on Miller Road. Drive 4 3/4 dusty miles on Miller and Belsby roads to put-in at one-lane Rock Creek bridge. Put-in also accessible from Pine City via Hole In Ground Road. Attractions: Undeveloped scabland canyon lake accessible only by snaking up small creek, which excludes large powerboats. Excellent area for up-close look at red-winged and yellow-headed blackbirds, canyon wrens, cliff swallows, redtailed hawks, turkey vultures, waterfowl, maybe rattlesnakes. Persistent anglers can catch crappie, perch, bass. Caves and natural bridge formed in terraced basalt walls that tower up to 600 feet above lake. Short hike leads to seasonal 150-foot waterfall. Comments: Launch boats at bridge, then park as far off road as possible on one side of road to allow passage of farm machinery. Don't block ranchers' gates! Creek can be as little as 6 feet wide and 2 feet deep as it winds through cattails, bullrushes. Flow varies from spring through summer, but upstream paddling rarely difficult. Expect to see small boats with outboard motors.

Fishing Tyler Nimke of Harrison, Idaho, has become the first Idaho angler to submit a large-scale sucker for the state record listings. Idaho Fish and Game Department officials in Boise confirmed the record fish at 4 pounds, 11 ounces. Nimke caught the sucker in April in Lake Coeur d'Alene's Squaw Bay.

Fishing At least 70 two-person teams representing nine states and provinces have entered the Washington Governor's Cup Walleye Tournament for June 24-25, sponsored by the Kettle Falls Area Chamber of Commerce.

Hunting Two trespassing turkey hunters gobbled a little humble pie in California this spring. George Lund, 27, and Steven Richard Avila, 37, were hunting without permission on private land near Happy Camp when they heard the sound of a tom gobbling in the distance. The hunters stalked the call and, sure enough, they found the gobbler. But instead of feathers, he was wearing a badge. Ken Taylor, California Fish and Game Department warden, had spotted the pair's truck near a private cattle ranch and suspected they were up to no good. But with a vast area to cover, he chose to take a stand and call the culprits to him. Twenty minutes later, he was writing tickets to Lund and Avila, each of whom faces fines up to $270.

Sea kayaking Washington's recently established Cascadia Marine Trail through Puget Sound recently was named a national recreation trail by the National Park Service. The 140-mile route has a series of campsites at 14 state parks and seven Department of Natural Resources sites for use only by wind and humanpowered boaters. Paddlers or sailors who wish to use the campsites must purchase a $14 annual permit. Info: (206) 902-8509.

Fishing The Spring Salmon Derby, sponsored by the Lake Coeur d'Alene Anglers Association, is set for next Saturday and Sunday, with prizes ranging up to $1,000 for the largest chinook. Anglers can pay their $10 entry fee at Skipper Bill's in Spokane; the Black Sheep, Cast & Blast, Fins and Feathers, Sport Co. or Squaw Bay Resort in Coeur d'Alene; the Blue Goose in St. Maries or the Gateway Resort in Harrison. The derby begins at 12:01 a.m. Saturday and ends on June 18 at 4 p.m.

Caving Gardner Cave, the largest limestone cavern in the state, is the main attraction of 50-acre Crawford State Park in Pend Oreille County near Boundary Dam. Tours of the cave are given at 10 a.m., noon, 2 p.m. and 4 p.m. The cave is closed Tuesdays and Wednesdays. Access to the cave is prohibited without a tour guide or after a tour has begun.

CHECK IT OUT Distance: 3 miles round trip Difficulty: Moderate Hiking time: 2 hours Season: Virtually year around Maps: USGS Palouse Falls Info: Lyons Ferry State Park, (509) 646-3252

Wildlife conservation In case you haven't noticed, Manito Park has a 20-square-foot hummingbird and butterfly garden with 52 species of plants at the southeast corner of the Ferris-Perennial Garden. Another two acres on the park's southwest side have been groomed as an unmanicured wildlife area featuring low maintenance native plants. A guide to planting your own hummingbird garden is available by calling 456-4082.

There are two ways to look at just about everything. My wife reminds me of this daily. But at least she hasn't fined me for our differences. Russ Cooley wasn't so lucky. His disagreement was with a Washington Fish and Wildlife Department enforcement agent who didn't think his 2-year-old son, Shawn, was old enough to fish.

"The Mountain Biker's Guide to the Pacific Northwest," by Laurie and Chris Leman (Falcon Press, telephone 800-582-2665, $14.95). Mountain bikers with a car-top rack and a yen to travel through Washington and Oregon will find years of adventure in this book.

The 1995 Shooting, Hunting and Outdoor Trade (SHOT) Show in Las Vegas earlier this year drew nearly 30,000 industry representatives, a growth of more than 15 percent over last year. It was the largest SHOT Show since it was founded in 1979. However, firearms manufacturers were so preoccupied with filling existing orders in 1994 that few new products were introduced this year.

Check it out Distance: 25 miles round trip Difficulty: Easy Riding time: 2 - 4 hours Season: Feb. through Nov. Maps: Spokane River Centennial Trail; Info: Friends of Centennial Trail, 324-1756 Bike touring trip notes Access: Plante's Ferry County Park trailhead is about 2 miles east of Argonne Road off Upriver Drive. State line trailhead is just north of Interstate 90 from State line Exit 299 near Washington-Idaho border.

Conservation Know a person, organization or corporation that deserves countrywide recognition for promoting conservation? Nominations are due June 15 for the prestigious 1995 National Conservation Achievement Awards sponsored by the National Wildlife Federation.

John Verd

HIKING TRIP NOTES Access: Take Fishtrap Exit 254 from Interstate 90 and drive south on paved road 2 1/2 miles. Turn left on paved Scroggie Road. Drive nine-tenths of mile (passing marked trailhead heading south from road) to unmarked trailhead on north side of road. Parking very limited along road. Better parking available down road at public fishing access near Fishtrap Lake Resort. Optional access: North end of trail can be reached by Hog Canyon Lake fishing access road. From I-90, head south 2 1/4 miles, turning east just after going under railroad overpass. Drive 1 1/3 miles on dirt road and turn right to BLM's Hog Canyon Lake access road. Gate here may be locked in early spring. If not locked, proceed 1 1/2 miles to unmarked trailhead. Road-like trail also reached with some searching from lake's fishing access, which is one-fourth mile farther down steep, bumpy access road. Attractions: Scabland canyon, shaded with ponderosa pines and rich with wetlands, holds variety of plants and wildlife. Plenty of room for cross-country exploring to off-trail attractions, such as seasonal waterfall at north end of Hog Canyon Lake.