Outdoor and Recreation Stories

Photos: Girls 27th annual Best in the West AAU tournament

May 13, 2013

Photos from the final day of the 27th annual Best in the West AAU basketball tournament at Franklin Middle School in Yakima, Wash., on Sunday …

Summerland and Panhandle Gap trail touts climb, views and wildlife

May 7, 2013

YAKIMA, Wash. -- For many tourists, a trip to the Pacific Northwest means a trip to Mount Rainier National Park, where you might have a …

Wenas Creek home to unusual white-breasted nuthatches

May 7, 2013

YAKIMA, Wash. -- If you have a keen eye and know what to look for, any springtime you can spot about 130 species of birds …

AAU Best in the West championship results

May 6, 2013

2nd-grade boys: Seattle Rotary 30, Federal Way 29 3rd-grade boys: Seattle Stars 42, Toppenish Wildcats 36 4th-grade boys: Team Blackout 43, High Definition 34 5th-grade …

Kendall Katwalk has quite a reputation

April 30, 2013

Even if you’ve never been there, if you hike at all in the Pacific Northwest you’ve heard of the Kendall Katwalk. The route voted fifth …

Gorge hikes an early spring favorite

April 23, 2013

Let’s start this with a disclaimer: If your idea of a good time in the outdoors consists entirely of catching a few rays on a …

PHOTOS, VIDEO: Hatchery workers a welcomed sight at local fishing spots

April 16, 2013

NACHES — The baseball cap on Calvin Lehman’s head as he steers the hatchery fish-stocking truck into North Fio Rito Lake is a dingy red, …

Fast marathon times are gone with the wind

April 7, 2013

SELAH, Wash. -- Within the basalt-bracketed corridor of the Yakima River Canyon, Saturday was not a day to hold one’s hopes too high. The wind …

No slowing down for two Yakima River Canyon Marathon veterans

April 3, 2013

Neither Ron Fowler nor David Jones has ever missed a Yakima River Canyon Marathon, and they’ll be at the starting line bright and early on …

Wildlife moment: This festival is for the birds — sandhill cranes, to be exact

April 2, 2013

Othello is the place right now to experience one of Washington’s most spectacular wildlife events, the annual migration of thousands of sandhill cranes. Each spring, …

Outdoors topics will bring people indoors

March 26, 2013

A revisitation of one of the highest-elevation hikes on the planet. A research scientist whose study of the Clark’s nutcracker — an arresting-looking bird, bigger …

Wenatchee photographer takes on prescribed-fire issue

March 19, 2013

He is best known for his photographic images of nature’s beauty, but these days John Marshall has become quite the advocate for the occasional need …

White Pass instructors impart passion for skiing

March 7, 2013

The sight of children spilling out of a small room — dressed with just about every type of winter gear and wielding skis — might …

Photos: ‘Rogue taxidermist’ makes bone, skin art

March 7, 2013

TACOMA, Wash. — From the outside, it’s a cheery Hilltop home painted green with red trim. Inside, a mummified cat is mounted within a frame, …

Wildlife Moment: This hawk is a Valley newcomer

March 5, 2013

In late December, a Yakima birding enthusiast named Kevin Lucas was searching the cottonwood trees by the Parker Bridge south of Union Gap, following up …

Maybe dogs can’t talk, but they sure listen

March 5, 2013

I am not one of those guys who thinks dogs can talk, or that they understand everything we are telling them when we talk to …

Washington ski lodge is a step back in time

March 5, 2013

STAMPEDE PASS — The instructions for time travel are as follows: Step one: On a winter weekend, follow Interstate 90 to Exit 62, then drive …

Voyage of discovery on exhibit at Audubon Society meeting

February 26, 2013

If you can muster the time, the expense and the hardiness necessary to spend 30 days checking out the wildlife, topography and views of the …

Feds see early signs of Pacific fishery recovery

February 24, 2013

HALF MOON BAY, Calif. — After one of the West Coast’s most valuable commercial fisheries was declared an economic disaster in 2000, California and other …

Fat tires make snow cycling a wild ride

February 24, 2013

WINTHROP — Anything this obscenely fat is bound to draw stares, especially in the Methow Valley, where it sometimes seems as though everything from the …

A climb becomes life or death

February 19, 2013

Seventeen years ago, a confluence of Himalayan weather, hubris and a human logjam on the upper slopes of the world’s highest mountain led to the …

Video / Photos: Yakima elk herd is 100 years old this winter

February 12, 2013

NACHES — One hundred years. That’s how long the Yakima elk herd has been here — at least in its current incarnation, the one that …

White Pass instructor Dick Kendall is a trail blazer

January 29, 2013

At the White Pass Nordic Center he is, according to the center’s director, “no doubt the most requested instructor we’ve ever had.” If you encounter …

Outdoors Happenings: Jan. 29, 2013

January 29, 2013

Senior shooters top W.K. Button Shoot The senior division stole the show Sunday at Selah’s Pomona range in the fourth week of the W.K. Button …

Wool is hot at outdoor-gear expo (photos)

January 25, 2013

SALT LAKE CITY — Wool instead of synthetic fleece, carbon skis and a spoon-shaped sleeping bag are among the hottest products at the world’s largest …

Wildlife Moment: Cormorants flock to Valley

January 1, 2013

I’m frequently asked the identity of the big, black bird with a long neck that flies in loose flocks along the Yakima River or seen …

Rob Phillips: Sometimes you’re going to ruffle feathers, even when talking fish

January 22, 2013

Those of you who know me know I’m not much of a feather-ruffler. I really try to avoid confrontation whenever I can. Once in a …

Outdoors Happenings: Jan. 22, 2013

January 22, 2013

Your chance to learn to XC ski or showshoe You live within an hour of a ski area and you’re closer than that to wide-open …

Rob Phillips: Something’s fishy in carp contest

January 8, 2013

What with the holidays and all, you probably missed out on some news that has rocked the sportfishing world. You might want to sit down …

Outdoors Happenings: Jan. 8, 2013

January 8, 2013

Salmon film features scheduled at YVCC Two films related to salmon fishing, one a feature-length documentary shot in Alaska and the other a short film …

Study: Food search drives Colockum elk herd

January 8, 2013

ELLENSBURG, Wash. — The search for edible vegetation, more than the disturbance by people driving snowmobiles and trucks, is the primary force driving the late-winter …

Retiring wildlife enforcement officer has reason to celebrate

December 25, 2012

YAKIMA, Wash. — As a man of faith, Alan Baird has much to celebrate today. Beyond that which so many celebrate on Christmas, Baird is …

It’s a gloomy forecast for spring chinook

December 18, 2012

VANCOUVER — A spring chinook run of 141,400 — the poorest in six years — is forecast to enter the Columbia River destined for upstream …

Phillips: It’s time to face down the man-eater

December 18, 2012

If you ask any of the guys I hunt with about the man-eater, you will get an immediate reaction. Some will shudder and give a …

Outdoors Happenings: Dec. 18, 2012

December 18, 2012

Agencies seeking input on Naneum area The Washington departments of Natural Resources (DNR) and Fish and Wildlife (WDFW) are asking recreationists for their advice by …

Last week’s snowstorm gets ski areas off to to strong start

December 11, 2012

YAKIMA, Wash. — For many people, snowy mountain passes mean sketchy driving conditions on trips to the other side of the Cascades. For winter-sports enthusiasts, …

Phillips: Double-dipping in the John Day River

December 11, 2012

Oregon’s John Day River is one of the premier smallmouth bass fishing rivers in the Northwest, if not in the entire country. What many anglers …

Last week’s snowstorm gets ski areas off to to strong start

December 11, 2012

YAKIMA, Wash. — For many people, snowy mountain passes mean sketchy driving conditions on trips to the other side of the Cascades. For winter-sports enthusiasts, …

SKIING PREVIEW

December 11, 2012

WASHINGTON White Pass Where: 50 miles west of Yakima on Highway 12. Elevation: 4,500-6,550 feet. Lifts: Eight — two express quads, one fixed quad, triple …

Outdoors Happenings: Dec. 11, 2012

December 11, 2012

New-look Red’s has its grand opening Anybody who has been around long enough to remember what Red’s Fly Shop used to be would have to …

Wildlife moment: Consider it an (un)common redpoll

December 4, 2012

Its name, at least in Yakima, is a misnomer. The common redpoll is anything but common in these parts. It can be a routine, ho-hum …

Wolf panel to host discussion Tuesday at YVCC

December 4, 2012

One of the two wolf biologists hired six months ago by the Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife to oversee and hone the state’s management …

Wildlife moment: Consider it an (un)common redpoll

December 4, 2012

Its name, at least in Yakima, is a misnomer. The common redpoll is anything but common in these parts. It can be a routine, ho-hum …

Outdoors Happenings: Dec. 4, 2012

December 4, 2012

Sunday turkey shoot to benefit veterans The Yakima Valley Sportsmen’s Association will hold a traditional turkey shoot — well, call it a “meat shoot,” considering …

Outdoors Happenings: Nov. 27, 2012

November 27, 2012

ellowstone photos to highlight meeting Want to see Yellowstone National Park but don’t have the time or wherewithall to make it happen? Go to Wednesday …

Sasquatch: Does DNA say it’s human?

November 27, 2012

The whole Sasquatch thing may be moving from the realm of the weird to the level of “truth is stranger than fiction.” That will depend …

Phillips: Frankly, my deer, I could eat a steak

November 27, 2012

One of the best, most cut-it-with-a-fork tender steaks I have ever wrapped my taste buds around was a piece of venison tenderloin cut fresh from …

Outdoors Happenings: Nov. 27, 2012

November 27, 2012

ellowstone photos to highlight meeting Want to see Yellowstone National Park but don’t have the time or wherewithall to make it happen? Go to Wednesday …

Chouinard records Valley’s third-best series, first 800 by a women

November 21, 2012

Janice Chouinard will rarely pass up the chance to get to the bowling alley — and it led to a really good decision a few …

Hikers are a part of something -- The great outdoors

November 20, 2012

YAKIMA, Wash. -- According to Webster’s, kinnikinicks are “a mixture, as of tobacco and dried sumac leaves, bark, etc., formerly smoked by certain American Indians …

Wildlife Moment: It’s no leap, squirrels remain plentiful

November 6, 2012

When the first English settlers landed on the eastern shores of what for them was the new world, they kept to the coast for quite …

Crystal Mountain sets Wednesday opener

November 19, 2012

The storms of the last week have dropped enough snow on the slopes at Crystal Mountain that the resort has announced it will open this …

Stevens Pass becomes state’s first to open

November 28, 2012

Not to be outdone by Crystal Mountain’s Monday morning announcement of its Wednesday opening, Stevens Pass has jumped to the head of Washington’s ski-resort opening …

Phillips: Stay outdoors enough, you’ll get an up-close encounter

November 13, 2012

If you spend enough time out in the wilds, you are at some point going to end up getting up close and personal with a …

Outdoors Happenings: Nov. 13, 2012

November 13, 2012

Two road closures in Wenas wildlife area Durr Road, a commonly-used access road into the Wenas Wildlife Area, will be closed to motor vehicles from …

Two road closures in Wenas Wildlife Area

November 30, 2012

SELAH, Wash. — Durr Road, a commonly-used access road into the Wenas Wildlife Area, will be closed to motor vehicles from today through Sunday, Nov. …

Phillips: Too much hunting gear? No such thing

November 6, 2012

They say part of the fun of going any big trip is the planning and preparation for the anticipated event. I have no clue who …

Outdoors Happenings: Nov. 6, 2012

November 6, 2012

“NEPA 101” to precede regular TWIG meeting Tonight’s regular meeting of the Trails and Wilderness Interest Group (TWIG) will get rolling at 7 p.m. at …

No ordinary walk in the park

October 30, 2012

BEND, Ore. — Brian Mosbaugh says that walking a thin rope hundreds of feet above the ground provides no adrenaline rush. In fact, quite the …

Outoors Happenings: 10/30/2012

October 30, 2012

Salmon and wolves on commission agenda Two subjects of great interest to Washingtonians — salmon fisheries and depredation by the state’s newest (and oldest) carnivore, …

It’s field to boardroom for new wildlife region director

October 23, 2012

Jeff Tayer had been talking about looking forward to retirement as the state wildlife department’s Region 3 director overseeing South Central Washington for long enough …

New WDFW region director at Arboretum on Thursday

October 23, 2012

If you would like to meet the new regional director of the Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife and also learn all about the ecological …

13-year-old hunters hits her own kind of grand slam

October 16, 2012

Pop quiz: What would create the bigger thrill and leave a bigger impression in the mind and memory of a typical 13-year-old? Hitting one’s first …

Rob Phillips: Shush! We’re hunting

October 9, 2012

Sit down and shut up. That is pretty good advice anytime — in school, in church and, this year, it’s particularly good advice for hunters …

Having a clearing conscience

September 18, 2012

It took barely five minutes and one log — the sawing and removal of which constituted four of those five minutes — for the first …

Crane your neck: It’s a heron!

September 11, 2012

Considering its almost regal stature and appearance, and the fact that even its name carries a certain cachet, the great blue heron is surprisingly often …

Champs celebrate in Yakima

September 3, 2012

Start story here first for web. …

Monkeying Around

August 28, 2012

First things first: These are not professional auto racers for whom traveling at heart-pounding speeds is routine. They are car guys for whom an automobile’s …

Making goal with an assist in Yakima

August 27, 2012

Jose Hernandez gives his brother, Luis, a boost while the two were putting up the net on a goal before a Lige Mexicana soccer match …

Call them the not-so-Pokies

August 21, 2012

I was in trouble right from the start. Before the start, actually. I hadn’t done any Cascadian hikes in a couple of years, and I’ve …

Beavers: Nature’s master engineers

August 14, 2012

Headline: Beavers dam the Colorado! OK, so maybe that’s a slight exaggeration. The beaver dam in this photo blocks the Little Colorado River in Arizona, …