Out & About

OUTSTANDING

Young ski patroller in national spotlight

From the slopes of Mount Spokane, Kristy Hines, 19, has earned her way through service and dedication to the 2005-2006 National Outstanding Student Patrollers Awards. Hines, of Medical Lake,was the runner-up in the awards honoring the top two outstanding youths from 650 registered ski patrols in the United States.

Hines, a sophomore music major at Eastern Washington University, walked into the Mt. Spokane Ski Patrol office at the age of 13 to see what it took to be a patroller.

The on-duty crew invited her to ski with them, and offered her advice that she followed closely. Courses helped her finish at the top of her Outdoor Emergency Care class and a ski conditioning class plus work with a personal trainer whipped her 5-foot-1, 110-pound body into condition for hauling a loaded toboggan down the slopes.

Since going on-duty with the patrol in 2004, she’s tackled volunteer efforts on and of the slopes, from editing the patrol newsletter and checking gear at the ski swap to instructing new skiers and mastering advanced first aid.

One of her dreams is to be a ski patroller at the Winter Olympics.

OUTHUNT

Idaho rates high

Inland Northwest sportsmen already knew this, but apparently it’s news to Outdoor Life. The magazine’s September issue lists Idaho among the top five best states in the West for hunting.

Idaho scored well with its nine big-game species, lots of access on public lands that cover two-thirds of the state, and about 20,000 big-game tags available to nonresidents at a reasonable cost.

Other top states were:

Montana, noted for a combination nonresident elk-deer tag for $643;

Colorado, noted as the top state for elk;

Alaska scored well for its 12 big-game species and expanses of public land open for hunting;

Wyoming, noted for the number of nonresident antelope tags.

OUTLOOK

Best fishing times

Lunar tables from the U.S. Naval Observatory list peak fishing times. Be fishing at least one hour before and one hour after given times. Applies to all time zones.

(* indicates best days.)

Through Nov. 12

Today

— 12:30 p.m.

Monday

12:25 a.m., 12:55 p.m.

Tuesday

1:25 a.m., 1:55 p.m.

Wednesday

2:25 a.m., 2:55 p.m.

Thursday

3:25 a.m., 3:55 p.m.

Friday

4:25 a.m., 4:50 p.m.

* Saturday

5:15 a.m., 5:40 p.m.

* Next Sunday

6 a.m., 6:20 p.m.