Methow

The holiday weekend crowds were delightfully sparse along the Pacific Crest Trail between Harts Pass and Grasshopper Pass. A parking spot was available, there were no lines at the outhouse, and the hikers were stretched few and far between. All the elevation was gained via Harts Pass Road 5400. The road climbs above 6,000 feet […]

A beautiful and informative map featuring the First People of the Methow Valley is now available at the Methow Valley Interpretive Center (MVIC). The map features trade routes, settlements and important fishing and gathering areas along the main corridor of the Methow Valley, along with 10 informational stops along the way. Users are encouraged to […]

Pateros is the party hot spot this weekend. During the hydro races, the Pateros-Brewster Community Resource Center (PBCRC) will host its third annual Whole Hog BBQ in Pateros Memorial Park. Fill your belly with pulled pork, baked beans, dinner rolls, corn on the cob and coleslaw — all for a good cause. Food will be served this […]

I missed my opportunity to provide a heads-up about the Apple Pie Jamboree this past weekend, a decades-long community event in Pateros that raises funds to provide valuable community programs for kids. I hope, in spite of my gross negligence, that upriver people got wind of the fun happening downriver, and came on down to […]

This story was a collaborative effort by the Valley Life columnists. So much happened in the lower valley this week. There were some raindrops, a mighty wind, and people in floaties heading down river, bobbing through the rapids. A snake ate a fish, an eagle ate a fish, and a person ate several fishes … […]

Pack up the car, pack up the kids, pack up the sunscreen, broad-brimmed hats, sunglasses and water bottles and sally forth to where the Methow River meets the mighty Columbia. Saturday, June 22, is the sixth annual Salmon Bake and Cultural Celebration at the Methow Monument in Pateros Memorial Park. Festivities start at noon. Randy […]

This time of year is filled with celebration vibes, and a wagon load of well-intentioned advice. People are either walking a graduation line or down a wedding aisle. Tables are laden with iced cakes, floral arrangements and congratulation cards scribbled with lines of well-wishes and advice. I tried to compile a list of sound, excellent, […]

As I followed the river down the lower valley in the early morning hours, pear blossoms and balsamroot shone in the morning sun. The river rapids glistened with light, while the cliffs revealed their storylines in dramatic relief in the rays of the rising sun. I tried to image what it looked like before the […]

Registration is now open for the Saskatoon Circle Primitive and Traditional Living Skills Gathering at Skalitude Retreat, located in the upper reaches of the Libby Creek drainage. The week-long experience is organized by Katie Russell Sorenson, owner of Wilderbabe LLC, and scheduled June 17 through 23 this year. For more than a decade, Saskatoon Circle […]

Any fan of Steve Martin’s hilarious comedy, “The Jerk,” will remember his uncontrollable excitement when the new phone books arrived. I re-enact that scene every spring, with slightly different words. “The new blossoms are here! The new blossoms are here!” Or, “The birds are back! The birds are back!” Or, my favorite sentiment, “The trails […]