One year after

A year ago today, Backpackers Supply closed its doors for good. Tacoma still has no outdoor specialty shop (at least, not one that handles paddle sports), and I honestly don't know how many people actually miss it. There's got to be a few, right? Hard to say.

I miss it. Almost every day.

More scribbling

Just got back from the San Juans last night... still trying to adjust to civilization. It was a great trip, with great weather, an excellent group, a multitude of wildlife and more adventure than I thought it might have. I'll recap it all later, after I clean up the gear.

Meanwhile, here's the official write-up on Cougar Rock Campground that got posted over at visitrainier.com while I was away.

Best. New. Thing.

OK, it's been around for a few months now, but seriously, the Kokatat Goretex Lightweight Paddling Suit is the best semi-dry suit ever. Ever. You can read the specs here, and if you're interested in purchasing one for yourself, send me an email at info@azimuthexpeditions.com

Did I mention that there's a discount for readers of The Last Wilderness? Oh yeah.

As spring turns to fall

Glancing through the Peninsula Daily News the other day, I was struck by a stat I hadn't heard up till now, and I sort of wish I hadn't. Do you know how long the temperature has been above 80 degrees so far this year? Do you? Would you like to guess?

78 minutes.

The sun is supposed to be out today, however. I'm going to be in the San Juans for the next few days, hoping for another 78 minutes.

Little pink hearts

I went to the hearing in Port Angeles yesterday. There were times I had trouble following exactly what was going on. (I must have missed that day at law school.) Fortunately, there are other people, smarter than I, who were there as well. And they took notes. Here's the synopsis I got in my in box yesterday afternoon.

There were 24 people supporting Ellen today, all wearing Pink Hearts and sitting behind the Prosecutors. I took a lot of notes and will try and condense. The statements in quotes are actual statements made in Court. I tried to get as much as possible, but you can get the gist of the process. I'll start with the nutshell, then the procedings.

Three major things were decided:

1) Change of Venue- DENIED

2) Severing Witness Tampering- UNDER ADVISEMENT

3) Postpone trial date- (Continue to write in pencil on your Calendars) TRIAL START MOVED TO DEC. 5th

Judge Ken Williams

Prosecuting Attorneys present: John Troberg and Deb Kelly

Defense Attorneys for Steim: Ralph Anderson and Will Paine

1.)Change of Venue Motion:

Paine (Defense Att.) : CofV usually at jury selection, but Paine says jury pool is tainted. He has had "individuals contact him, 'you know your client's guilty'", it's "talked about in her treatment", inflammatory blog still on internet, "clients from as far as Forks say 'you know she's guilty'". All evidence that she will not receive an "impartial jury in Clallam County". Defendant needs a "presumption of innocence" to not "violate her right to an impartial jury". Therefore, motion to Change Venue.

Troberg (Prosecuting Att.) : There is another trial happening with lot's of publicity, where the jury pool was selected from Clallam County. Can't really rule on Cof V without seeing a jury panel in front of us to deem them unsuitable. If people are appproaching Paine "daily" (in response to making claims about Steim), then court needs an afadavit. "If we can have a jury in 'Betts' case we can have one here." Motion to Deny or Reserve.

Paine rebuttal: Afadavit was submitted in the brief. "If there is a 'tie' it always goes to the defendant." "Look at all the people in the courtroom" Cannot get a fair trial, waste of money to County to not rule to Cof V at present time.

Judge Williams: There has been "inflammatory" speech in this case. Questions degree to which the publicity circulated, "there are lots of intelligent people who do not read local papers." No way to know if jury pool is unacceptable until we see it. Clallam County has about "70,000 people for jury pool, I suspect we can find 14 people..."

Judge Williams "I deny the motion for Change of Venue"

Followed it with the statements that people have interests in trials and they're open to the public. This can be handled by what is allowed at trial and is less of a CofV. Defense can resubmit at jury time.

2.) Motion to Sever the Accounts of Vehicular Homicide and Witness Tampering

Anderson (Defense Att.): Claims recordings are just a "discussion with a friend in talking with a lawyer." Anderson then spoke about another trial where the jury ignored the instructions about a witness tampering charge, and kept having to be "sent back." Steim did not "talk to law inforcement", that she was charged without probable cause in witness tampering, it is much "weaker" than vehicular Homicide, need it severed to devote all resources to the VH charge. A Fair trial =sever.

Troberg (Prosecuting Att.): "Weak? I candidly do not agree." Defense should have filed something because there was supplemental probable cause: an officer transcribed the recording made from jail. Three different times, she called from jail, "You might want to tell Nicole...I hurt...then I drank..." "You should call Karen... we drank after it happened..." "Tell Nicole, I drank because I was in pain..." All three "shows consciousness of fact that she knew she was under the influence." Significance is that "she knows that she is in trouble and needs to throw off the tox results." There is evidence through the police report: no alcoholic containers in cab, or along road. She is "attempting to influence the only other witness: Nicole." She is trying to "manufacture testimony". Recording shows a "consciousness of guilt". The evidence will be in whether counts are severed or not: it is cross-admissable.

Judge Williams: "It's Witness Tampering only if in fact she did not drink..." A discussion that I missed entirely (didn't understand). But the Judge was questioning if it was actually witness tampering. I honestly couldn't follow the verbal exchange and hope it will be clarified at the later review hearing.

Anderson (Defense Att): The motion for lack of probable cause is coming. Will also motion whether "jail has the right to randomly tape" conversations coming. "Why endanger a serious case with something 'marginal'?"

Troberg (Prosecuting Att): I "cannot rebut something that hasn't been written yet."

Judge Williams: The Court needs more information, needs the new motions filed, look into Privacy Act as it pertains to jail recordings. "Motion to Take it under advisement"

3)Postpone trial date

Anderson (Defense Att): Steim has retained him as a private attorney, but will present court with request for $. Need $ to get an investigator for the Blood Alcohol Content/DNA testing. This case has a "notorious" profile and needs to be pushed out at least 9 months to a year. He, himself, has medical issues that need to be addressed and may have to "step down if he feels he is not able to perform to 'my' standards." He has a big trial in October.

Troberg( Prosecuting Attn): This should not be allowed to drag on. State does not object to a continuance to November/December. The motion for experts at the public expense needs to be done immediately.

Judge, and Attorneys agree to new start of Trial on Dec. 5th, but with clarification that it could start as late as Dec. 30/early January

Steim signs papers to waive her right to a speedy trial.

Status Hearing on July 28th CANCELLED. New review hearing AUG. 4th @1pm

From Joyce Stuart - who should be thanked profusely for all her work in this situation.

Packing for the islands

I have a San Juan trip leaving in a couple of days. It's a 5-day affair, and it looks like we'll be spending most of our time in the northern tier (Sucia, Patos, and so on). I love that section of the islands, but I'm not sure there's five days of paddling up there and there aren't many easy ways to leave, at least not without a long day or two on the water. Which is fine, it's just that I don't know the people I'll be paddling with yet. I'm sure it will work out fine; we'll have at least the first two days on Sucia to figure it out.

The other unknown is the weather. It should hardly be an issue, here at the end of July, but this year has been different than others.

I saw in the paper that the overnight low for Chicago was 80 degrees. What's that like?

Defying gravity, again

The Mount Rainier story continues. My summer of elevation gain. I can't remember now whether the whole thing was my idea or not - it probably was - but once these things get started, they take on a life of their own.

I will say that I am greatly enjoying writing it up for visitrainier.com. I haven't climbed anything serious in years, and the last time I stood on the summit of Rainier was in September of 1995, so it's kind of fun to get it all in print, as it were. Early last month, I did a preparation climb on Mount Adams, and in addition to documenting it here on The Last Wilderness, I put together a more polished version for wider consumption.

To tell the truth, I'm already looking forward to the next installment.

Remembering

I haven't gone to the last couple of hearings in the ongoing saga of the State v. Amber Steim. Scheduling conflicts of one sort or another have conspired to keep me away, but I have not lost sight of what happened that Sunday morning this past March on the highway near Port Angeles. Of course, all I really know for sure is that Ellen Debondt was alive, very much alive, and then she was not.

I have driven that stretch of road quite a few times, both before the accident and since, and I have tried to imagine what went down on that quiet winter morning. Was Ellen listening to the radio, humming along and thinking about the day ahead? Did she have a cup of tea in one hand as she drove in to work? Was she reflecting on the the great weekend she'd had at the Pummel just six or seven days earlier, and thinking ahead to the next chance she'd have to get on the water? Was she smiling? Before her life was taken from her, did she have any warning, or was the foul deed over in the instant that it occurred?

I want to know, but I don't want to know. The whole thing is sad on so many levels. I'm sad for the Washington paddling community, who have lost a friend and a sister. I'm sad for her patients, those in hospice care who never expected to outlast their smiling care provider. In a strange way that I don't really know how to explain, I'm even sad for the defendant, and I cannot imagine the shredded nightmares that she is doomed to sweat through for the rest of her wretched life. And most of all, I'm sad for Ellen's husband and family, who have had their hearts ripped open and their souls trampled upon by the thoughtless actions of a drunken fool.

There is an important hearing coming up this Thursday morning in Port Angeles in the ongoing case against Amber Steim, and I will be there for this one. I firmly believe in the notion that a person is innocent until proven guilty and that the law exists to protect the rights of all citizens, not just the ones with whom I agree. It's hard, in a situation like this one, not to display my own judgement and disgust at the primal urges of the accused to save what she can of her own skin after she has taken everything away from others. But it's not about her, and it's certainly not about me.

I'm going to remember Ellen. I'm going to show my support for her memory and to let the rest of the courtroom, including the accused, know that the glow can remain even after the light has been extinguished. There will be others there as well, for the same reason. You'll know who we are... each of us will be wearing a little pink paper heart on our chest, with a single name written on it.

Ellen.

Who are these people?

I know that there are a host of different ways to enjoy the outdoors and I am more than aware that not everyone shares my own beliefs on the subject. As my wife tells me from time to time, if two people agree about everything, one of them is unnecessary. I don't expect that the rest of the world needs to come around to my way of seeing things and, truth be told, I have been known to change my mind as well, which would tend to raise questions about my own internal compliance.

Still, the scene out at Ocean Shores and the neighboring beaches on the 4th of July was an opportunity for me to watch the modern disconnect between man and nature at its most putrid. Even on the 3rd, a walk on the beach entailed cinders and spent casings falling from the sky during daylight hours and the Independence Day celebrations themselves were nothing more than grotesque. Whatever wildlife, as well as whatever hint of natural beauty that may have otherwise been in the area was gone, replaced by drunken, obese semi-morons with far more money than brains (and no sense at all about driving on sand.)

Not to be too morose, but I sometimes wonder how many more birthdays this great nation has coming.

Chain link

Still working on being a mountain biker... here's the latest...

Nuthin' fancy

Went up to Mount Rainier yesterday for a bit of family camping. It rained off and on and we all were wrapped up in our winter finest - to hell with what the calendar says. A good little hike up to Carter Falls and some tri-tip on the grill when we got back. It was a soft trip but it was time for it to happen... they don't all have to be epics.

This morning we drove up to Paradise, mostly to see the snow. Yup, it's still there, and about ten feet deep there next to the Visitor's Center. It's hard to see how there will be any wildflowers this year. The mountain came out for a little while, then covered up again with layer on layer of gauzy clouds. Perhaps we'll see more of her next time.

Maybe we'll go back in summer.

Whither summer?

It's the middle of July and summer has yet to establish a toehold here in the Pacific Northwest. I read about the high temperatures and drought that are hammering the rest of the country and the stories seem to me like crazy fiction, like creative tales of heat and fire that can't possibly be true. (I know they are, because I have seen them on the internet, but still.) Just the idea of a day where the thermometer touches 80 degrees seems downright impossible at this point, much less the triple-digits that are baking the majority of the south and west.

I am not complaining, not exactly. Given the choice between the two, I'd rather have what I have than what they have. It might be nice, however, for a week or two anyway, to go for a morning paddle sans long underwear and a beanie. I'd even be willing to call that summer.

Unpacking and stowing gear from the last trip is melding into the process of getting it all back together for the next one. I have a San Juan course coming up next week, a family from Portland who wants to spend five days in the islands, and who can blame them? The route has changed a few times and I need to get that figured out at some point, along with the menu, but it will all come together. Eventually.

Meanwhile, we've been talking about going on some family camping excursions of our own... might be just the ticket.

With a whimper

The Olympic Grand Circle, an idea that's been percolating in my head for years, is going to remain there, still just an idea. I stopped the trip last week for a variety of reasons, and came back home. There was a combination of factors that contributed to my decision, but the main objective problem was the wind, and the increasing realization that I would not be able to complete the expedition in the time I had allotted.

For a while, I contemplated changing from a SUP to a sea kayak earlier than planned, but even with the additional range that would give me, conditions were still an overwhelming obstacle. On the southern Olympic coast (Ocean Shores, Ocean City, etc.), calm periods lasted until about 8:00am, after which the north wind began to blow, quickly rising to 25 knots every morning, with gusts of 30 knots and higher for the rest of each day. In order for me to be able to finish in time, my projected daily average began climbing to a point that I knew wasn't going to be possible for me to maintain.

I stopped the trip at Copalis Beach, where I got pummeled in the early morning surf and blown back onto the shore and up the river. I haven't done a real accurate mileage tally yet, but I expect my total was somewhere around 150. I stayed with Steve and Mona (parents of a friend who have a cabin there), and Mary and Micah came and brought me home.

It's a disappointment, in so many ways. I wanted this to work and pulling the plug does not sit well with me. Being a quitter stinks like failure and I feel a little like Sarah Palin, except smarter and not as good-looking. I wanted the stories a trip around the peninsula would give me, and now I'll never really know what those stories would have been. Yes, it bothers me.

But the sun will rise tomorrow. I don't know that I'll ever try a trip of this magnitude again, and almost certainly not solo. I learned a few new things over the past couple of weeks, most of them unexpected and still not fully understood, not what I went out there to learn. I'm tired right now, and I don't feel like learning anything else for a couple days.

Flattened

I left Aberdeen yesterday afternoon, into a stiff wind and complicated Gray's Harbor currents. Six hours later, I'd made it 8 miles. I crashed into the muddy shore of Goose Island, about three miles from the tip of Ocean Shores, and I felt fortunate to have made it that far. Good camp (although I'm not sure I was supposed to be there), and I was up this morning and on the water by 5:30.

Into the same wind again. It took almost two hours to fight my way into the lee of the peninsula, and then came the portage. Because of the wind, I missed the tide window to make it over the bar, so I figured I'd just walk the rig over to the beach side. I met Paul and Rebecca, a great couple who not only gave me coffee, but let me use their old wheelbarrow to do the shuttle. (Thanks Paul and Rebecca!)

When I got to the ocean side, the surf was big and the wind was an unobstructed force. I tried to get outside the surf zone a couple times and failed horribly, and I couldn't even walk along the shore pulling the board because the surf was so violent. I called it quits at about 11am.

Now what? I really don't think I want to hang out at Ocean Shores for the 4th... although I must say, it is kind of a scene. I am frozen in place though, flattened to the ground by the relentless wind. I'm in the lobby of one of the time-share resorts near where I came ashore. I bought an ice cream and they're letting me use the computer. I think they think I'm staying here. Maybe I'll bust into the hot tub later.

I could just make out some snow-clad peaks to the north earlier, as I hitched into town... almost like they were teasing me. I want to get north.

Farewell canoe, hello SUP

Stayed in Aberdeen last night, in a motel that advertises itself as "Aberdeen's Finest." Which must be a bit like being the tallest leprechaun, I suppose, although the shower was good and it gave me a place to get gear ready for the next phase of the trip.

The swamp got the best of me, I'm afraid. Not only was it almost impossible to discern the course of the Black River while up to my knees in mud and the visibility choked with green, the stout new growth was too much to break through with my machete. I spent close to seven hours in the muck, and made it a total distance of about 450 yards. Nowhere. I eventually pulled the plug and backtracked to Kennydale Park, on the lake's eastern shore.

I hoofed all my kit up to the main road and hitched a ride in surprisingly short order. Larry took me, the canoe and everything about 5 miles down to the next access point, the 110th St. bridge, and I actually got on the river at about 8:00pm. Not much of a river yet but it was sure nice to see open water.

From there, I had to get through another swamp on the way to Littlerock, and then multiple logjams (some of which were pretty precarious), before getting to the point where the Black opens up for good. It's a long, slow river and it took most of the second day before I made it to the Chehalis.

I only went an hour or so on the Chehalis before finding a gravel bar and stopping for the night. Yesterday's 13 hours on the river brought me into Aberdeen, where Mary and Micah met me with a beer and the aforementioned motel room. It's been difficult so far, but rewarding... it feels like the really hard stuff is just about to get started.

It's the wind I'm most worried about. It's been brutal at points during the past couple of days and if it's anything like that once I get to open water, I'm going to be driven into shore early each day. That, and being able to carry enough food are my two main concerns right now. Oh, and I apparently forgot to pack a leash. Idiot.

Not getting through the Black Bayou does rankle me, but only a little. All these months of planning and getting ready, to quit the task in just a few hours. Given a few more days, I probably could have done it, but success there would have come at the cost of the rest of the trip. Sometimes you have to make the best choice available, rather than the choice to which you are the most attached. It's called life. I'm more concerned now with the rest of the way... I'll have time to look back when it's done.