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Memorial Day hiking: Mount Muller
On the US side of the border in Cascadia, Memorial Day is often a time get outside, whether it’s a kayak paddle on the Salish Sea, a mountain bike ride, or a hike. Trouble is, a lot of our favorite trails aren’t yet free of snow–making them tricky (and sometimes dangerous or impossible) to navigate.
Looking for a hike away from the crowds on Washington’s Olympic Peninsula that’s already free of snow? Check out Cascadia Magazine columnist Craig Romano’s latest recommendation: Mount Muller.
With over 12 miles round-trip and 3,350 feet of elevation gain, this trail isn’t for beginners–but if you’re in reasonable shape, pack the 10 essentials, and get an early start, this hike offers panoramic views of Lake Crescent, Mount Baker, and the peaks inside Olympic National Park.
Check out the full write-up online here.
For other hiking suggestions, the Washington Trails Association’s web site is a treasure-trove of information.
And if you appreciate the quirky mix of journalism, poetry, fiction, and hiking suggestions you find at Cascadia Magazine, please visit our donate page and make a contribution during our Spring Fund Drive. Thanks!
New WA laws push cities to build denser housing
As the New York Times notes that US cities, including Seattle, are getting too expensive for people without college degrees, the state of Washington passed a series of laws that offers cities incentives to change zoning to allow backyard cottages and increase density near transit, Crosscut reports. Grist reports on how YIMBY (“yes in my backyard”) activists are fighting for more housing in Seattle and Minneapolis. And KUOW looks at how some businesses in Seattle are finding it hard to find and keep employees who can afford to live in the city.
Reviving an ancient First Nations fishing tradition
CBC has an audio report on the revival of an ancient First Nations fishing tradition on Vancouver Island known as SXOLE, or reef-net fishing, a difficult method involving stone anchors and cedar log buoys. In related news the Kitsap Sun notes that discarded commercial fishing nets take a toll on sea life and the cleanup is an important part of the restoration of Salish Sea ecology.
Oregon works to solve crimes against Indigenous women
A new bill that increases funds to pursue unsolved crimes involving murdered and missing Indigenous women in Oregon was signed into law this week, and activists hope it will help reduce high rates of violence on reservations. For more on a new law that grants reservations such as Oregon’s Umatilla more power to prosecute those who commit domestic violence, read this feature by Gosia Wozniacka at Cascadia Magazine.
Tree librarians and forest therapists
KUOW has a nice report on a growing movement of “forest therapists” who help people find solace and self-discovery by getting the out in the woods of the Puget Sound region. And Crosscut reports on a movement to catalog and protect old “legacy” trees in Seattle— which sounds good on the face of it, but the Urbanist notes that efforts to protect trees should be combined with policies that increase density.
Adele Barclay on Instagram poetry
BC-based poet Adele Barclay writes for The Tyee on the rise of Instagram poetry–a wildly popular (and sometimes maligned) genre of poetry popularized by Toronto poet Rupi Kaur and the anonymous poet Atticus, who’s originally from Vancouver and has 1.1 million followers. You can read Adele Barclay’s poem “We All Want Marshmallows” online at Cascadia Magazine.
“A Glance in the Rearview Mirror” by Stephanie Lo
At Ricepaper, read Vancouver writer Stephanie Lo’s essay about a pivotal moment in her childhood, “A Glance in the Rearview Mirror.” “The question of why that little Chinese face was speaking English, though, continued to plague me all throughout my life as I grew older. I struggled constantly with trying to identify with which culture I truly belonged to. Was I Chinese, or was I “English”?”
That’s tonight’s sampler of news, environmental reporting, arts and culture from across the Cascadia bioregion. Condolences to fans of the Trail Blazers, who didn’t make it to the finals, and to Seattle Storm fans, who lost star point guard Sue Bird for two months due to an injury. At least there’s hiking to look forward to! –Andrew Engelson
Photo credit: photo of Mount Muller courtesy of Craig Romano