Playing hard and protecting the playground: Kettle Range Rendezvous 2010

No matter how busy my schedule is, I always make the annual Kettle Range Rendezvous a priority. When life gets busy, hiking, camping, and being actively involved in groups like Conservation Northwest may temporarily have to take a backseat to other pressing matters. Yet, for me and many others, the Rendezvous is the one event we can count on to re-connect with conservation-minded friends, hike in the beautiful Kettle Range, and remind ourselves why getting out into the Colville National Forest and working to protect it are so important.

This year’s Rendezvous drew a large crowd, with many long-time Conservation Northwest and Kettle Range Conservation Group members present, plus some new faces. There was a range of hikes offered, from short and moderate to long and difficult. I chose the Wapaloosie to Jungle Hill route, a challenging, eight-mile hike lead by Sue Coleman and Ken Vanden Heuvel. Because the hike leaders describe the hikes in detail for the group before everyone splits up into their hiking groups for car-pooling to the trailheads, everyone can choose something that fits their fitness level and desired difficulty.

I had been on this hike once before, at a Rendezvous a few years back, but honestly did not remember the views being as amazing as they were; maybe my memories had faded, or maybe it really was more gorgeous. Every time you hike the same route, it is different, sometimes radically so (in the case of wildfire or logging), but more often the changes are subtler: the leaves of the aspens and native bushes are a different color, berries or blossoms are in bloom, the sky is clear enough to see farther than on a previous visit, or a washed out section of trail has been repaired by hard-working volunteers. On this day, I was as entranced by the abundant fields of sage against the brilliant blue sky as by the 360-degree views from the top of Wapaloosie Mountain.

The weather for the weekend was absolutely perfect, with clear, blue skies that allowed us to see into Canada on our hike, and temperatures that were hot but not uncomfortably so. We saw snow at a couple of high points, which is always a treat when you are standing in the summer sunshine in shorts and t-shirts. The two dogs on our hike (well-behaved dogs are allowed) were delighted to see the snow and threw it joyfully into the air. One wondrous highlight was something called a circumhorizontal arc, or a straight rainbow in the clear blue sky, which I had never seen before and chose to believe meant something lucky was going to happen to all of us who saw it in the near future.

The late evening was spent around the campfire, enjoying BBQ burgers and veggie burgers, plus more food than we could possible eat on the potluck tables. Several fine musicians, including Mark Rhodes, entertained us with live music. At lunch stops on the hikes and afterwards at camp, everyone was encouraged to write a letter to elected officials telling them about our experiences on the hikes, which are all in wilderness-quality areas that should be protected under the Conservation Highlands Initiative, which has yet to be introduced to Congress. As people shared stories about their hikes, we were reminded that, if we don’t protect these areas under the most stringent law of Wilderness designation, this weekend could cease to be, as the lands it takes place on could be logged or otherwise abused to the point of being nothing special to look at.

[Write a letter to protect areas like this in the Columbia Highlands] [Enjoy a video tour of hiking the highlands]

Wapaloosie Mountain in the Profanity Roadless Area: 360 degree views highlight that the Kettle Range is something special to look at.
Photo: Stephanie Smith.

 Stephanie Smith is a freelance marketing and technical writer who spends as much time as possible in the forests of the Northwest. She can be reached at Stephanie-Smith@live.com.