Heacox finds state of bliss in 49th state

In his latest book, Kim Heacox, a 1969 Ferris High School graduate, recalls that skipping school as a youth to ride his bicycle along Hangman Creek seemed considerably more rewarding than learning the Three R’s.

He said his mother reminded him that explorer William Clark, whom she liked better than Meriwether Lewis, also had trouble with spelling.

Heacox credits his mom and a couple of special teachers with showing him the way to Glacier Bay, Alaska.

He arrived there 25 years ago, a budding adventurer, ranger, musician, naturalist, conservationist and much more, brought to the world’s attention because he discovered he’s also a writer.

National Geographic embraced Heacox long ago, and now you can, too, as he introduces his most recent book, “The Only Kayak: Journey into the Heart of Alaska” with a reading and slide show tonight, 7:30, at Auntie’s Bookstore, 402 W. Main.

His words, which are humorous as well as insightful, stimulate readers to ask how we might live with greater deliberation, purpose and thankfulness for the few remaining wild places that have not yet been unraveled.

The book is about sea kayaking, yes, but it’s also about nearly 2 million tourists who come to Alaska every summer, some on planes and huge cruise ships.

The story is about making friends and losing them; aging and falling in love with a place that cannot stay the same; and about learning when to hold on and when to let go, said Heacox, who traveled to Glacier Bay as a young park ranger and still lives in Gustavus with his wife, Melanie.

The story line also leads to Denali National Park and the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge, two other powerful forces in his life. The refuge was the focus of his first politically intriguing book, “Caribou Crossing,” in which he and his wife followed the tens of thousands of caribou that make the annual migration to calving grounds on the arctic plain.

He has developed a rhythm with the North, writing during the dark Alaska winter and saving summers for long wilderness trips.

His writing employs humor as the ultimate great medicine, especially in the face of uncertainty and fear, “like a Greek comedy-tragedy,” he said.

The tragedy, he said, is “the slow erosion of wild Alaska, which I think fits into a nation-wide pursuit of gadgets and convenience to the point where, sadly, we’re no longer grateful for the wild things, the simple things.

“Every hour is rush hour now. We’ve become cogs in our own human-powered machine, a culture driven by dissatisfaction, always wanting more, more, more. Wild Alaska is a counterpoint to all that. It’s been around for a long time. It has a lot to teach us, if we can hold onto it.

“So I fret when lawmakers want more cruise ships in Glacier Bay, another road in Denali, oil drilling in the Arctic Refuge. If they get all that, what then? Taco Bell on the tundra? A mall in the meadow? When does it end?

“My friends and I talk about this. There’s an absurdity about it that makes us laugh and cry.”

What’s next for Heacox? “Summer in Alaska,” he said. “It’s a gift.”

Spring around Spokane: The yellow dusting on our porches and windshields signifies pine pollen time in Spokane. But in other ways, this region is closer to nature than it was when Kim Heacox left for wilder places a few decades ago. For example:

•A pair of peregrine falcons has returned to nest for the eighth year in the High Bridge Park area, where they were observed in courtship on May 9.

•Mushroom and geology field trips offered through the Institute for Extended Learning are booked full for scheduled sessions this weekend.

•The first white-faced ibis of the season arrived Monday in Marsh Unit 2 of Columbia National Wildlife Refuge.

•More than 40 bird lovers have pre-registered for the Kettle Valley Songbird Festival scheduled for Saturday and Sunday based in Republic, www.ferrycounty.com/kettlevalley songbirdfestival.

Early birds: While there’s almost no snow on the lowland tails in areas such as Upper Priest Lake, hikers have been pushing the season at higher elevations.

A group of Boy Scouts reportedly found snow on the trail to Blossom Lakes near Thompson Pass last weekend. That didn’t bother the kids, who walked effortlessly on top. The Scout leaders, ahem, tipping the scales a bit heavier, post-holed through the snow with almost every step.

Elsewhere:

•Mount Spokane’s summit road is snow-free, but areas are still too wet to allow traffic without damaging the road.

•The Route of the Hiawatha rail-trail near Lookout Pass will open Saturday.

•Ken Mondal, the first reader to hike all the routes in the original “100 Hikes in the Inland Northwest” guidebook recently moved back to Spokane after a two-year hiatus and couldn’t wait to bag the 18 new routes in the revised edition published in 2003.

He thought he’d start with Fault Lake up the Pack River Road in the Selkirk Mountains north of Sandpoint two weeks ago. But he found the Forest Service has subsequently removed a bridge at the trailhead.

Crossing runoff-swollen McCormick Creek looked possible to Ken, but luckily his wife was there to add some logic and he postponed the hike until later in the season.