Out & About

Snow thwarts Purcell hikers

OUTSLOG – Backcountry trail users have been finding lingering snow to be an obstacle to high-country forays into the Purcell Mountains and Kokanee Glacier Park areas of southeastern British Columbia.

This week, Kokanee Glacier rangers were warning hikers to beware of avalanche danger and be equipped for self-arrest on slopes still covered in snow two weeks later than normal.

Up to 3 feet of snow was still clogging the park’s Woodbury Basin except on fully exposed south-facing slopes.

The Glacier Creek Road leading from the Kaslo area into the Purcell Mountains was blocked by snow at the 30-kilometer area, leaving hikers with a couple of miles of road slogging to reach popular trailheads for Jumbo Pass and Monica Meadows.

Snowshoes advised.

Group reports on lead sinkers

OUTFISH – A citizen group will reveal recommendations for lead sinker restrictions at 13 northern Washington Lakes where loons nest during a public meeting Tuesday, 6-8 p.m., at the Department of Fish and Wildlife office, 2315 N. Discovery Place in Spokane Valley.

Think locally for firewood

OUTFIELD – The Washington Invasive Species Council, in conjunction with similar groups in Idaho and Oregon, is asking campers to buy or harvest firewood near their camping area rather than getting wood from far away.

The tri-state campaign is spending $481,000 on a “buy it where you burn it” publicity campaign to make campers aware this measure can reduce the spread of dangerous bugs and organisms that can wreak havoc with recreation areas.

Wood-boring insects, such as emerald ash borer and Asian long-horned beetle – species responsible for widespread defoliation of forests in Midwest and Eastern states – can travel inside firewood.

OUTDO – A patch of grass is the perfect spot for a city park picnic.

But the best place to perch for a backcountry break is on a rock.

Plop your pack on an outcrop to make a padded seat and take it easy on a hard surface that can take the punishment – from you and those who follow.

While on the rock, your butt won’t be smashing the lupine and your boots won’t be gouging out the penstemon and other sprouting wildflowers, forbs and grasses. These plants exist in shallow soils with a short growing season. They don’t suffer abuse well.

Adopting this hard lesson enables you to visit an alpine lake or mountain top without impacting the scene like a herd of pigs.