February 2010 ECHO Magazine - snow sports

Annual SKIING, SNOWSHOEING & SNOW PLAY Issue

Recreation & Entertainmentin Kittitas County

See Page 23 www.mountain-echo.com

• X-Country with Pico• Avalanche Search Teams

train on the mountain

By Lyn Derrick

TUNDRA by Chad Carpenter

PAGE 2 FEBRUARY 2010 - SNOWBOARDING/SKIING ISSUE WWW.MOUNTAIN-ECHO.COM • CASCADES MOUNTAIN-ECHO

The Summit at Snoqualmie hosts first U.S. venue for 2010 Ride Shakedown, March 12-13

The Shakedown is the greatest show on snow, says PatBridges, editor of Snowboarder Magazine. For the firsttime this Canadian born competition is coming to the U.S.,specifically at The Summit at Snoqualmie, March 12 -13.

“Forget everything you think you know about contests,because unless you’ve been to a Shakedown then you reallyhave no idea,” says Bridges. “This is a snowboard contest …made to entertain real riders who are starved for insane, non-stop action mixed with some good old fashioned revelry.”

It’s an entertaining exhibition of what has grown to beCanada's largest and most popular snowboarding event.Thousands of spectators are expected to turn out for the firstU.S. edition of the Ride Shakedown in March. With $35,000 inprize money for top performers, it’s a competition expectedto attract international snowboarding talent. Among the com-petitors will be Seattle-based Ride Snowboard and Summit atSnoqualmie team rider Austin Hironaka.

In a Ride Shakedown the concept is at the same time,both laidback and exciting, with minimal restrictions onsnowboarders, and where spectators are in the very heart

of the competition. During the contest, male and femaleriders must master two different disciplines, the Rail Obsta-cle featuring various surface textures – surfaces, whicharen’t revealed until the first day of competition.

And the second discipline called, Big Air. “Fifty percentof the final score is attributed to the jump section of thecourse,” said Holly Lippert, communications manager, TheSummit at Snoqualmie. “Built to provide enough ‘airtime’to execute the biggest tricks [hence the name ‘Big Air’], thejump is the first step to stardom. The crowd and judges areaware of the trick that will be attempt for a judged run. Therider can't miss. Pressure? No. Control is what they need.”

While pro-riders are the main attraction, amateurs arealso a part of the event. “As they valiantly battle it out in anattempt to make a name for themselves,” states the eventwebsite. “Every year new talent is discovered.”

“This is a great two days of music, entertainment andtop level riding,” said Krush Kulesza, youth marketing man-ager for The Summit. “Whether you come as a competitoror a guest, you're going to have a great experience.”

Further details regarding the event can be found onThe Summit's website at http://www.summitatsnoqualmie.com/News/Events/1117/Ride-Shakedown.

The

greatestshow on

SNOWCOMPETITOR, Keegan Valeka takes advantage of some ‘Big Air’ to per-form at Shakedown ’08. Photo courtesy of Dan Mathieu

CASCADES MOUNTAIN-ECHO • WWW.MOUNTAIN-ECHO.COM SNOWBOARDING/SKING ISSUE - FEBRUARY 2010 PAGE 3

P.O. Box 308 • 807 W. Davis StreetCle Elum, WA 98922

(509) 674-2511, phone(509) 674-5571, fax

E-mail: [email protected]

On the cover: PATRICKDENEEN, FREESTYLE SKIERRAISED IN CLE ELUM, WA, ISCOMPETING IN THE 2010 WIN-TER OLYMPICS IN VANCOUVER.SEE STORY ON PAGES 12-13.

PAT DENEEN PHOTO(Pat is Patrick’s Coach & Father)

MOUNTAIN-ECHO STAFF: Jana Stoner, Terry Hamberg, Janie McQueen, Lyn Derrick, Jim Fossett, Deanna Plesha, Paige Berrigan, Pat Ellis, Casey Clark, Jeff Bornhorst, Cindy Steiner, Carol Punton, Debbie Renshaw and Bonnie Montgomery

www.Mountain-Echo.comCascades Mountain-Echo, a division of Oahe Publishing Corp.

Volume 9No. 2

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Since then, the popularity of cross-country skis forboth work and play has spread to anywhere snowfalls. Cle Elum, for example, has been no exception.

Long before the invention of the ski lift, the step-in binding or the snowboard, skiing was all the ragein the Upper County, as nearly century-old headlinesin the Miner Echo, a predecessor of the NKCTribune, corroborates: Ski Club Has A Merry DayOf It (Feb. 11, 1921); Ski Sport Draws Many andSouth Side Skiway Attracts Throngs (Jan 11,1924); First Annual Ski Carnival Huge Success(Feb 15, 1924); 2,000 Witness Second Annual SkiTournament (Jan 30, 1925); and Skiers ReceiveRoyal Welcome (Feb 9, 1928), the story about 28people who skied over Snoqualmie Pass from Hyakto Camp Mason to advertise the Summit Ski Course’sFifth Annual Ski Tournament. The skiers were pickedup in cars at Camp Mason and driven to Seattle. Theyreturned to Cle Elum later in the evening by train.

The Cle Elum ski hill no longer exists and thetrain no longer runs to Hyak but the Upper Countystill has much to offer cross-country skiers whetherthey be in search of a secluded logging road, a trail bythe river, a high mountain tour with thrilling vistas


Thousands of years ago, Scandinavians learned traveling on snow with long thin wooden slats bound to their feet with leather thongs was not only an efficient mode of travel but also lots of fun.

Kittitas County –

Nordic HeavenBy Pico Cantieni

with Jim Fossett

Pho

toc

our

tesy

ofP

ico

Ca

ntie

ni

CASCADES MOUNTAIN-ECHO • WWW.MOUNTAIN-ECHO.COM SNOWBOARDING/SKIING ISSUE - FEBRUARY 2010 PAGE 5

Cle Elum Roslyn Chamber of Commercewww.cleelumroslyn.org

Good Luck Patrick!You make us proud!

401 W. First St.Cle Elum, WA509-674-5958

121 Pennsylvania Ave.Cle Elum, WA • 509-674-4100We’re Open 7 days a week6:00 a.m.-7:00 p.m.

Good Luck Patrick Deneen on your Quest

for Olympic Gold!

THIRSTY THURSDAYS!Wine Tasting 4:00-7:00 p.m.

Gifts for your

Sweetheart!

Get something specialfor that Tea or Coffee

Lover in your life!

Stop in for a Cup of Coffee, Breakfast & Lunch Sandwiches,Pastries, Bulk Coffee & More!

and downhill runs, or a 30K race on groomed track. It's all right out the back door.

Where to GoThe Coal Mines Trail from Cle Elum to Roslyn can be a

most delightful ski tour as can a tour along the John Waynetrail out of South Cle Elum. Urban Growth Area (UGA) land justwest of the Cle Elum Cemetery is also an excellent area forcross-country skiing. When the snow gets deep enough, Sunca-dia Resort grooms trails on their land and welcomes skiers touse the trails. Rental equipment is available. Fees may apply.

The Washington State Parks winter recreation programmaintains groomed ski trails at a number of locations alongthe I-90 corridor. Those include Lake Easton State Park, CabinCreek, Crystal Springs and Hyak. For detailed informationand maps visit http://www.parks.wa.gov/winter/trails.

For the economy-minded skier who would still like tosample the joys of groomed track skiing, there's a very nicesystem of groomed trails maintained by the US Forest Serv-ice at Salmon la Sac Campground and Cayuse Camp, up be-yond Lake Cle Elum.

In addition to the groomed trails in the campground,there are numerous opportunities to break one's own trailoff into the back country along the Cooper River, the CleElum river or up towards Jolly Mountain. There is also freeparking available along the road at the French Cabin CreekJunction. There are some very nice ski tours both northalong the Cle Elum River and south along the lake.

The Teanaway Valley offers some fine low-elevation toursas well as more challenging back-country adventure. Fromthe end of plowing on the North Fork Teanaway Road, onecan ski up Jungle Creek towards Liars Prairie or up the USFSroad to Stafford Creek and beyond. No permit is needed topark at the end of the North Fork Road.

The Highway 97 corridor leading up to Blewett Pass is agateway to a full range of Cross-country ski tours from themild and mellow three-mile Iron Creek Road, to the muchmore challenging Wenatchee Ridge tour along USFS Road800. Free parking is usually available at Iron Creek and at theOld Blewett Highway Junction.

At Blewett Summit, a Sno-Park permit is required but justover the summit to the north there are usually a number ofnon-Sno-Park plow-outs which provide access to Tronson

Basin, one of thefinest back-coun-try ski areas inthe region.

The Ellens-burg X-countrySki Club main-tains a websitewith maps andtrail descriptionsfor many of theselocal areas, visithttp://ellensburgskiclub.yolasite.com.

PICO CANTIENI is a 30-year veteran of cross-country skiing, well known in those circles andfor his work in Kittitas County to protect itsgreatest natural resource: The Great Outdoors.“I got into the sport at 18 years of age,” he said,“when I rented a pair of leather boots, woodenskis, and bamboo poles.” Pico Cantieni photo

Best of Luckat the Olympics

Patrick Deneen!

Your hometown will bewatching you on TV,following you on the Internet and talking

about you on the Phone from Inland Networks

Roslyn(509) 649-2211

Cle Elum(509) 674-5940

Cable TV • Internet • Phone

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Caretakers of our trailand park systems, solitaryguardians of the outback,. . ....are rarely visible, just because this country’s public landsare so vast and far ranging. Washington State Parks Aide andlongtime resident of Cle Elum Ray Eames is one of thosecaretakers. He’s usually the one parked in his van, at I-90’sGold Creek Sno-Park, Exit 54, just east of Snoqualmie Pass.Weekends and holidays through the winter, Eames pullsinto the Sno-Park around 7:00 a.m., to sell permits and fieldthe variety of questions posed by outdoor recreationistswho swarm to Gold Creek for snowshoeing and cross-country skiing.

“We get all kinds here,” he said. “People come from allover. The parking lot is nearly always full,” which was a bitof an understatement. The snowy, socked-in day our ECHOmagazine reporter met with Eames, the lot was full of win-ter-loving strangers, bustling about, fogging the gaps be-tween pea-sized snowflakes with warmed lungfuls of air,unloading gear, kids and dogs, and readying themselves tohit the trail. They were Washingtonians. They were Oregoni-ans, and they were transplants from Nepal and Romania.

Standouts in the group included: four 30-something-year-olds from Seattle adorned with various colored wigs;sleeping babies blanketed away in roofed backpacks;youngsters on mini-snowshoes for the first time in theirlives; and dogs sporting vests and booties.

Accompanying one young woman was a once mangy,

flea-bitten dog she said a friend of hers rescued from apeanut vendor in Kathmandhu, a popular launching pointfor mountain trekkers, in Nepal, about 150-miles fromMount Everest.

“It’s always been a popular place,” Eames said, “andcontinues to be, even though day permits have gone up$10 from last year, to $20. Nobody seems to be balking. Theincrease pays for escalating costs associated with plowingand snow blowing.”

Eames deploys from Easton State Park every weekendand holidays. His team oversees five Sno-Parks from Hyakto Lake Easton. Normally, you’ll catch Eames at Gold Creekseated inside his van, with the engine running and theheater cranked-down to low. Sometimes you’ll see himwith a thermos in one hand and a sandwich in the other.

“I work an eight hour shift. I get hungry, and it getscold out there,” he smiled.

Gold Creek in a NutshellDirections: One mile north of the freeway. I-90 Exit 54 toFrontage Road. Elevation: 2,560-feet. Has about 200 parkingspaces. Sno-Park Permit required during the season, withexception: From April 1-30, a permit may or may not be re-quired. Backcountry experience necessary for the longertreks. Trails are shared by snowmobilers and snowshoers.There is a one-acre open area adjacent to the parking lotfor snow play. Gold Creek is an ungroomed Sno-Park.

Source: Washington State Parks

SNO-PARK PEOPLE FOCUS:

Finger onthe people pulse at

Gold Creek

SNOW’S FOR MAN’S BEST FRIEND, too. Meet the Hollis Family from Auburn,and their dog, Polly, geared with vest and paw booties. Jim Fossett photo

ELDERS IN ACTION: Newcastle’s Paul and Christie LeBar stop and visitwith on-duty Washington State Parks Aide, Ray Eames. Jim Fossett photo

By JimFossett

Buena Suerteat the Olympics

Patrick Deneen! El Caporal Family Mexican Restaurant & Cantina105 W. First • Cle Elum, WA • 509-674-4284

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Good Luck Patrick!We Support You in your Quest for Olympic Gold!

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OWENS MEATS– Family owned and operated since 1887 –

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You’re the hometown favorite for U.S. Olympic Gold!

Good Luck Patrick Deneen!


Did you know in the1930’s Cle Elum hosteda Ski Tournament?Early residents and

visitors knew howto have fun in the

winter too!

Come explorethe playful sideof the region’s history at the

Historyisn’t all

work andno

play!

Roslyn Museum203 W. Pennsylvania Ave.

ROSLYN, WA509-649-2355 Call for Hours

11th Annual Safety WeekThe Summit at Snoqualmie, in conjunc-

tion with the National Ski Areas Association(NSAA), hosted its annual safety week fromJan. 16-22. This year the focus was on slopesafety awareness and helmet usage.

"We take both fun and safety very seri-ously at The Summit," said Rob Gibson, patroldirector. "The NSAA's annual Safety Week al-lows us to draw additional attention to impor-tant safety behaviors while also giving us aplatform for progressive education associatedwith our different on-snow activities. We'reproud of the fact that The Summit has beenrecognized with a national safety award threetimes in the past decade by the National SkiAreas Association."

Planned activities at this year’s event in-clude a 20% discount on all Bern helmets inSummit retail locations, avalanche dogdemonstrations, a safety carnival, backcountrysafety demonstrations, snow safety presenta-tions, and more.

Stickers were distributed to guests, andincreased signage depicting helmet and slopesafety messages were on display.

Safety is a daily imperative at The Summit.While Safety Week shines the spotlight onslope safety awareness and the importance ofhelmet usage, The Summit also has many edu-cational programs in place that focus on back-country and avalanche awareness, terrainpark safety, and personal responsibility whileskiing and snowboarding. For more details onThe Summit's safety practices, visit www.summitatsnoqualmie.com/Mountains/Safety.


SNOQUALMIE PASS – Summit event organizers are excited about allthe things happening on the slopes this winter. As details for scheduledevents gel, Summit officials say they’ll post updates on their website:www.summitatsnoqualmie.com. At this writing, here’s what’s known aboutwhat’s up for February and March. (Tell them you saw it in Echo Magazine!)

Feb. 4 – Women of WinterDesigned to bring women of all ages together on the slopes. For more info [email protected].

Feb. 6 – Ladies Snowboarding CampLadies only (ages 9 and older; all abilities). Certified instructors. For more info, e-mail:[email protected].

Feb. 13 – Peanut Butter & Rail JamRail competition for snowboarders, hosted by Volcom.

Feb. 20 – Holy Oly RevivalAnnual ‘anti-competition,’ with relaxed rules, enjoy snowboarding pride and camaraderie.

March 6 – Randonee VertfestA celebration of human powered adventure in the backcountry, at Alpental. Randoneeskiing, also known as Alpine Touring, is a form of skiing in which athletes ascend themountain under their own power through the use of specialized bindings and ‘skins.’Skins are held on the bottom of the skis with a sticky substance, they were originallymade of animal skin but are now of an artificial material that have fibers to hold the skisfrom sliding back down as the skier glides forward up the hill. Once the skier reaches thedesired altitude the skins are removed and the bare skis are used to descend.

March 12 – Ride ShakedownSnowboard competition, billed as the greatest show on snow.

March 14 – Spree at the SummitNon-profit event benefiting Outdoorsfor All, geared for skiers of all abilitiesand special needs.

March 27 – Pretzels & Polish Donuts Ski CompetitionFun competition.

GETTING TO THE SUMMITFrom Seattle/Metro Area: Take I-90East to Exit 52 for Summit West andAlpental. Take Exit 53 for Summit Cen-tral, The Summit Tubing Center andthe Silver Fir Outpost. Take Exit 54 forSummit East at Hyak and The SummitNordic Center.

From Cle Elum: Take I-90 West to Exit54 for Summit East at Hyak and TheSummit Nordic Center, and the SilverFir Outpost. Take Exit 53 for SummitCentral, The Summit Tubing Center, aswell as Summit West and Alpental.

What’s upat the

SummitJim

Fossettphoto

Jim

Fossettphoto

807 W. First St.Cle Elum, WA509-674-4431

wishes Patrick Deneenthe very best at the

2010 Olympicsin Vancouver B.C.!

Everyone at

THE COTTAGE CAFE911 E. First St. • Cle Elum • 509-674-2922

Patrick Deneen –Congratulations on making the

U.S. Olympic Freestyle Ski Team!Best wishes at the Olympics!

From everyone at the Cottage Cafe & Fireside Lounge

Skiing season is still here ~Keep yourself in condition!

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SNOQUALMIE PASS, WA – The Summit at Sno-qualmie tackled an aggressive expansion plan ayear ago to add a high-speed detachable four-seatchairlift, dubbed Silver Fir Express, catering to in-termediate and advanced skiers from a base calledSilver Fir Outpost. The Express officially opened onChristmas Day 2008, providing access to the sweetgreened slopes dissecting Summit East and Central.Cost? The Poma-Leitner four-seater ran a hefty $4.5million, creating a fourth base area for the three ex-isting Summit at Snoqualmie ski areas (West, Cen-tral, and East). The other Summit area is Alpental, tothe north of I-90. Speed is the buzzword of the dayat the Outpost. Standard lifts would take a skier upthe 3,940-foot incline (vertical ascent of 1,029-feet)in about ten-minutes. On the Express, you’re ontop in four. Silver Fir offers four black diamond(steep) runs: Silver Nugget, Hogwild, Wildcat, andInspiration. Off the lift to the right you can detourblack diamond runs for a long smooth ride downthe Outback, where you may detour again, if youlike, over to Summit East, though you’ll have to dosome poling for a short stretch. Nordic skiers willappreciate the Express for access it provides to theupper portion of the Summit’s 50K network ofcross-country trails, also open to snowshoers.


Silver Fircelebrates first

Anniversary

JimFo

ssett

ph

oto

Now you can Twitter state park winter recreation notifications, such as clo-sures or openings, grooming trail updates or other pertinent Sno-Park infor-mation. Followers can choose to have winter recreation tweets sent to theirmobile devices in addition to their Twitter account feed. Winter recreationnotifications can be viewed at www.twitter.com/WaStatePks_WNTR .

Winter recreation announcements will be available during the 2009-2010 winter season, with announcements concluding near the endof April 2010. Annually, the winter season begins Dec. 1 and ends inMarch or April depending on weather conditions and snow levels.


SNO-PARKINFO Twitter

the State Parks

WinterRecreation Program

www.FrontierMgmt.comCall or stop by

for your tour today(509) 925-3099

802 E. Mountain View Ave.Ellensburg, WA 98926

[email protected]

Cle Elum’s Centennial Center“Working with Seniors and Community”

Senior Center Events Calendar:

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... Freestyle Skiing Champion, and Rookie of theYear Patrick Deneen said his dad put him onskis before he reached the age of one. Nearly aquarter century later young Deneen has guar-anteed himself a place on the U.S. Olympic SkiTeam and the right to compete in Vancouverthis month. He earned that right by winningthe Olympic Trials in Steamboat, Colorado. Heclaimed that victory just two days beforeChristmas, also his 22nd birthday.

“We originally had our sights set on thenext Winter Olympics, not this one,” smiled fa-ther and coach Pat. “So this is just wonderful.”

For the last 40 days, since Steamboat, De-neen’s been under the national spotlight, andas you might expect, stories about his life andtimes are slowly evolving. Some of those will

surely transform and embellish his status asone of this county’s favorite sons.

For instance, there’s the story abouthow he has impressed locals as being

The Real McCoy, seemingly born im-mune to the trappings of being an

international celebrity.“Being in the spotlight,” De-

neen said, “that’s neat, but I’mreally in it for the skiing. What-

ever comes about, comes about. I don’t haveany control over all that.”

Wendy Smith, one of a growing number ofsupporters in Deneen’s hometown, had this tosay: “He’s got a golden heart and a goldendream, unlike a lot of other star-struck athletesout there. The spotlight hasn’t changed him.”

And there’s another story coming to light –the one about the bond he and his father forged


Cle ElumHometown Boy

in the run for Winter

Olympics

SKIING has become a lifestylefor Olympic contender PatrickDeneen, and his dad, coach andprimary supporter, Pat Deneen.For nearly a quarter century,they’ve literally traveled theglobe together, growing a part-nership leading them both toVancouver.

Jim Fossett photo

Patrick Deneen, United StatesFreestyle Ski Team, 2009 WorldFreestyle Champion, 2010Olympic Trials Champion,Steamboat Springs, Colorado,December 23, 2009.

Pat Deneen photo

By Jim FossettFIVE-FOOT-SEVEN, 175-pound,Redmond-born, Cle Elum-raised,home schooled, World Cup . . .


the day Patrick, just a toddler,first got on a pair of skis.

Since then, the two have trav-eled the country and the worldtogether as a team, reaching fortwo dreams: to get Patrick to thetop of the international charts asa champion freestyle skier, andto put him on the podium at aWinter Olympiad.

“I’m his coach,” dad Pat said.“We’ve been together since thebeginning. I give him space andtime. He gives me the same. It’sactually worked out very well.”

UnbelievablePerhaps the most

fascinating story todate surfaced when aCle Elum womanwatching late nighttelevision saw a com-mercial that trig-gered an oldmemory.

“I was sitting athome late one nightwatching the news,”said Bonnie Chris-tian, Deneen’s thirdgrade teacher, “and this young skier appearson the screen and says, ‘Hi, I’m Patrick De-neen. They call me the Rocket,’ and hewent on to say he was going to theOlympics and my jaw dropped.

“I had Patrick in third grade, at Cle Elum-Roslyn Elementary School. And you’re notgoing to believe this, when I tell you.

“I have memories of Patrick. He wasquiet, shy, and polite. He loved skiing and

would always be telling me abouthis races and trophies. Every week-end he headed somewhere to ski.

“One day he and I were sit-ting together in the classroom,doing something. I can’t rememberwhat. And suddenly he looked up atme, and out of the blue, he blurtedout, ‘Know what? Some day I’mgonna be in the Olympics.’”

“Can you believe that? Atthe time, I just smiled and dis-missed the comment. He was just achild. But HERE HE IS! In theOlympics!”

As for what’s in store for Cle Elum’shometown boy, on Valentine’s Day, Feb. 14,in Vancouver, at the 2010 Winter Olympiad,after nearly a quarter century training forthe moment, Deneen will have only two 26-second-something runs down a 770-foot,28-degree drop to grab the gold medal.Think about that.

Plug in to Deneen

Deneen’s OlympicEvent:

Men’s MogulsSunday • Feb. 14 •

2:30 p.m. Qualification,and 5:30 p.m. Finals. He’llrace at Cypress Mountain,a 4,720-foot, 600-acre, 52-trail, 9-lift paradise forskiers just outside of Van-couver.

Vancouver OlympicsTickets, Schedules,

HotelsLogon to www.van-

couver2010.com. CleElum’s Dr. Sam Schneidersaid he got his tickets viaa lotto system designed tofairly distribute tickets.

Deneen’sUS Ski TeamBiography

Logon to www.usskiteam.com/freestyle/athletes.

Google n’ YouTubeDeneen is all over the

Web. Want to see himrace? Checkout YouTube.

Television CoverageNBC will air nearly

200 hours of Olympiccoverage over the Games’17 days, beginning on Feb.12. Check King 5 for locallistings.

Alerts, Mobile, RSS,Twitter

Stay in the gameswith NBC Olympics emailand mobile alerts:www.nbcolympics.com/alerts and www.nbcolympics.com/mo-bile.

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Scoring is based on howDeneen turns and maneuvershis way through the moguls(50-percent of score), how heexecutes his two air jumps (25-percent of score), and how fasthe runs the course (25-percentof score). During the race cer-tain judges only score turns,while other judges score onlythe air jumps. Speed is elec-tronically certified. Deneen’sfinal score will be determined

by adding the average of thetwo air jump scores to the totalof the turn and speed scores.

In Colorado at the OlympicTrials, he picked up a winningscore of 26.68, just 0.57 pointsabove the second place finisher,Jeremy Cota. Former worldchampion Nate Roberts and re-cent podium finisher Bryon Wil-son were expected to befrontrunners in the race, but bothmen fell during their final runs.

How Will He Win?

PATRICK DENEEN’S THIRD GRADE CLASS PHOTO, with teacher Bonnie Chris-tian (last row, far left). Deneen is front row, last kid on the right.

CE-R School District photo

Aroundthe World

Since 2002, Deneen’s raced in 57major competitions all over the world:Finland, Australia, Japan, Norway, Swe-den, Canada, France, Italy, Czechoslova-

kia, Russia, and the United States. He ran is first World Cup in 2005, plac-

ing 48th. He made his first World Cuppodium in 2008, placing third. Then he

won his first World Cup in 2009, ashort few months after he was

named Rookie of the Year.

A Dog’s LifeE-mail: [email protected]

I know, I know, you’ve all heard this before, but it’sso important to remember. Believe me, I know becauseI’m a dog, too! This is the time of year when so manypets get left in the house or in an outdoor pen/yard,and you need to be taking them with you. A dog’s de-sires are paramount to their behavior, and their desireis to be outside, smell smells, eat snow, protect you andbe with you. Take advantage of this “winery” time to bewith your pooch whenever you can!

Have you taken your pet outside on a walk lately?It’s a good idea to take an untrained pet for a walk ona leash first. Not only will this help you with control-ling your pet in many circumstances, but several trailsrequire leashes. As they get used to people and“things” your animal will begin to focus on YOU. Themore time spent with your dog, the better he will be-have - and that’s a fact - “woof”!

The other thing that is really on my brain today isevacuation. Do you have a plan for your pooch aswell as yourself? It’s very possible that you’ll be sepa-rated from your best friend, because this is the seasonfor chimney fires to occur in your house. It sure can’thurt to have a “pet evacuation plan” ahead of time.Include several essential items (for pet care) inside asuitcase or duffel bag and be sure it’s easy to grab itin an emergency. 1. Make sure there’s tape, small luggage tags and

paper inside for important contact information.You could easily have to be separated from Fido

for a few days or more and need to make contact. 2. A list of places that board animals – and phone

numbers for each place listed.3. Your pooch’s medical records if you have them. 4. Your dog’s medications, if any, along with instruc-

tions for taking each medication.5. A leash, collar, and harness (if needed). 6. Your pet’s carrier if needed. 7. Current photos of your pet. 8. The veterinarian’s name, address, and phone num-

ber. A back-up veterinarian’s name and number isalso handy in case folks in charge can’t reach thepreferred vet.

9. Pet’s allergies, if any. 10. Enough food and water for a few days. 11. Be sure to pack some of his toys – having his

own toys can make a difference when he’s sepa-rated from you.

12. Bedding for your pooch, if it’s easily mobilized. 13. A first aid kit just for pets – you never know!

That about covers what folks would need to takecare of your pet. And if you have more than one pet,you’ll need more stuff, of course, because my list isjust for one dog! And, if there is a fire in your house,get Fido out of the house before worrying about any-thing else. Stick him inside your vehicle (as long as it’snot inside an attached garage), and he’ll be ready togo with you for a quick get away! “Woof” – he’s beena loving and faithful friend to you, I’m sure, so makesure your beloved pet is safe.

PLAYING IN THE SNOW. Zip, a 1.5-year-old Blue Healer, might be theyoungest in the family, but he knows how to have fun, no matter whatthe season! Janie McQueen photo

By Dixie Dog

Please take me, too!


“WHAT DID YOU FIND?” Sammy, Sarge, Cooter and Zip found somethingin the snow. Wait, Zip seems uninterested and is leaving! The two oldestdogs, Sammy and Sarge help teach the younger dogs, Cooter and Zip.

Janie McQueen photo


ELECTION WORD FIND

• 1778: SOUTH CAROLINA RATIFIES THE ARTICLES OF CONFEDERATION.

• 1917: MEXICO ADOPTED ITS PRESENT CONSTITUTION.

• 1937: U.S. PRESIDENT FRANKLIN ROOSEVELT PROPOSED

INCREASING THE NUMBER OFSUPREME COURT JUSTICES.

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14

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32

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63

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DOWN1. __ in on (neared)2. Be mad for3. Out of the sack4. PC bailout key5. Of legend6. Let in7. Proper name, say8. Shelf bracket shape9. Many small newspapers

10. Longtime panel-mate of Paula Abdul

11. Cut and paste

12. Cause for a lawsuit13. Do in18. Hamper filler23. A Bobbsey twin25. Group with the1969 hit “Hair”26. Skirt fold28. Santiago’s land29. “Very funny!”30. Israel’s Barak31. Has a late meal32. Terrorist unit33. Carpet computation34. Overgrown with ivy35. Clichéd

38. Sized up42. “Please, sweetie?”44. Knock the socks off45. Chicago exchange, for short47. Command to a guard dog48. Ranking higher than49. Less adorned50. “Land __ alive!”51. Abysmal grade52. Bell-ringing cosmetics co.53. Khartoum’s river54. Dueler with Hamilton58. Dead heat59. Pint-size

FEBRUARY 6Natalie Cole, Singer (60)

FEBRUARY 7Ashton Kutcher,

Actor (32)

FEBRUARY 8Gary Coleman,

Actor (42)

FEBRUARY 9Mia Farrow,

Actress (65)

FEBRUARY 10Glen Beck,

TV Host (46)

FEBRUARY 12Joanna Kerns, Actress (57)

FEBRUARY 14Michael Bloomberg,

NYC Mayor (68)

FEBRUARY 15Jane Seymour, Actress (59)

FEBRUARY 16John McEnroe,

Athlete (51)

FEBRUARY 17Paris Hilton,

Socialite (29)

FEBRUARY 18Molly Ringwald, Actress (42)

FEBRUARY 19Jeff Daniels, Actor (55)

FEBRUARY 24Billy Zane, Actor (44)

FEBRUARY 25Carrot Top, Comic (45)

FEBRUARY 26Michael Bolton,

Singer (57)

FEBRUARY 27Josh Groban, Singer (29)

ACROSS1. Long-eared bounders6. From the top

10. Gets firm14. Horace or Pindar15. Pineapple brand16. 10-Down’s show, for short17. Vodka concoction19. Sorvino of “Summer of Sam”20. “Able was I __...”21. Nonfactor at domed stadiums22. Like pine paneling24. Novocain administrant

26. Think ahead27. Cynical laugh28. Wraps up, as a pennant32. __ in (yielded)35. Quaker’s pronoun36. Diamond Head island37. Grid great Dickerson38. Divas’ solos39. Defeat, à la Ali40. O’Brien’s predecessor41. River sediment42. Abacus parts43. __ to (totally destroy)45. Alice’s sitcom boss

46. __’ Pea (“Popeye” kid)47. Navy’s underwater habitats51. Class clowns,e.g.54. Lynyrd Skynyrd’s “Free __”55. Call from the flock56. Satan’s doing57. Some wall finishes60. Diner-basket freebie61. Word on some euros62. Flood protection63. Singletons64. Prefix or suffix meaning “skin”65. Lecherous looks

HOW THEY SAY IT...

English: HEARTSpanish: CORAZON

Italian: CUOREFrench: COEUR

German: INNERES

FAMOUS BIRTHDAYS

WORD SEARCH

ARTERYATTACKBEAT

BLOOD

CHOLESTEROLDOCTOR

EXERCISEHEALTH

HEARTPULSE

RHYTHMVEIN

Just in time for Heart Month, seehow many related words you can

find & circle throughout the puzzle.

CR

OSS

WO

RD

PU

ZZLE

AN

SWER

SO

NPA

GE

17

THE HUMAN HEART BEATS ABOUT100,000 TIMES EACH DAY.

Are you tired of the wintry weather? We are blessed tohave trails to the south that are open to the public. Eventhough it is still winter in the Yakima area, you can findtrails that are open and relatively free of snow. That’s why Iwent to the Cowiche Canyon Trail!

As you can see from the photos recently taken, it islovely to go there now. The trail itself is on an old railroadpath, so it remains fairly level and is wide. There are threeTrailheads, but the first (directions follow) is easiest todrive to, and the trail stays on the low path for all of its 2.9miles. That means you don’t have to do any climbing!

At the beginning, you must cross a narrow asphalt roadthat leads to private property. Please respect this as such andonly cross the road, staying on the trail. Two trails are visiblefarther on and signed, one coming down from the left (Up-lands Trail) and one going up on the right (the Winery Trail).One place on the trail narrows slightly and you can seewhere the railroad used to cross the creek on a bridge.

This time of year, the rattlesnakes (common in the area)are denned up, so you don’t have to worry about themhanging around yet. In the summer they would be laying inthe shade of the rocks and caves that frame the canyon. TheCowiche Canyon Conservancy owns the trail which is wellsigned and asks that you please stay on the trail, anyway.

There is much to look at with the massive columnarbasalts and the decomposing basalts. I liked seeing the icyflows of what was once water, coming off the huge rockwalls. There were also interesting plants that still had (Iwent there in January, 2010) some of their berries intact. Atcertain points along the trail, the sage plant’s aroma wafted

throughout the canyon. So, coming from the Cle Elummountains, I enjoyed the desert terrain and what I consid-ered to be a “dusting” of snow.

Also, it’s important to remember that you can easily turnaround instead of going to the next trailhead. You simply haveto return the same distance. So, take the whole family on thistrail, because it stays so low and level. Even granny can go, but,it would be a good idea to not leave her! I also wouldn’t rec-ommend this trail for walkers or wheelchairs. It would be a lit-tle tough because of the gravel and it is a bit icy in places.

I spoke to a person who was there for the first time in20 years. He said that a co-worker goes to the CowicheCanyon Trail all the time. The co-worker loves it and said itwas quick and easy to get to. He even said that certainspots reminded him of a “mini Grand Canyon”.

DIRECTIONS: Drive on I-82 past Selah and stay to theright as you get on Hwy 12 (follow Naches signs). Thentake the 40th Ave. N. exit and as you are headed toward theFred Myer Store with a Bi-Mart across the street, staystraight. Turn to the right as soon as you get past the park-ing lot for Fred Myer and continue driving on CowicheCanyon Rd. for a few miles until you see a “dead end” sign.As the road goes to the right, stay straight on the dirt road,Cowiche Canyon Rd. Go to the school bus turnaround andthe trail is marked and on your right. No parking permit isneeded. For more details and a map, go online to:www.cowichecanyon.org/trails/cowichecanyon .

South to

CowicheCanyon Trail


NATURAL BEAUTY. Near the Cowiche Canyon Trail in Yakima, thereare some really big icicles cascading from the rocks. Janie McQueen photo

“Trail Mix” is a description of a

Cascades area trail from the perspective of an actual user.

TRAIL OF THE MONTH

By Janie McQueen

PAUL BARTELSINSPECTS a

bright colored cluster of

berries from a trailside planting.

Do you knowwhat the plant

is called?Janie McQueen

photo

Just a few miles awayfrom Cle Elum, 2010 Van-couver Winter Olympicscontenders are showing upon the slopes.

Methow Valley SportTrails Association officialssaid Olympic contenderscompeted in the MethowValley SuperTour on Jan. 16and 17 in Winthrop, includ-ing: Washington’s TorinKoos, Montana’s Leif Zim-merman, Wisconsin’s ChrisCook, and Washington’sLaura Valaas. Other Olympiccontenders appearing at therace included skiers fromCanada, Africa, and Iran.

The SuperTour is aUnited States Ski Association(USSA) sanctioned ski raceseries considered the high-est level of cross-country skicompetition in North Amer-ica. The Methow Valley Su-perTour is one of ten racesin the nationwide Super-Tour race circuit in whichracers compete for USOlympic qualifying points,International Ski Federation(FIS) points and over $9,000in cash prizes.

Back in Wenatchee, land-lords will be renting toworld-class skiers in con-tention for Olympic gold.According to the U.S.Olympic Team, Ted Ligety isexpected to train there. He’sthe 2006 Olympic goldmedalist who has been re-habbing an injured knee suf-fered in March; beyondLigety, Jimmy Cochran, WillBrandenburg, Cody Marshall,and Bode Miller may alsoshow up.

U.S. Alpine Ski Team headcoach Sasha Rearick saidOlympic slalom racers willtrain on Mission Ridge'sChak Chak run.

If the U.S. team holds the

speed camp in mid-Febru-ary, the Skookum run willbe used.

“The runs will be ropedoff to keep skiers visitingthe mountain, out,” saidRyan Shorter, program di-rector of the MissionRidge Ski Team, “but peo-ple will be able to watchthe Olympians from along-side the runs and fromother vantage points. Myunderstanding is that theskiers will be flown be-tween Wenatchee and Van-couver, British Columbia.Wenatchee, then, will be-come a retreat where ath-letes can train and stayaway from the hype andcommotion.”

While Olympians havenever trained at MissionRidge before, as Shorter indi-cated, it will not be the firsttime that big-name skiers

have been on the mountain.In the 1970s and early

1980s, Mission Ridge at-tracted Olympians Phil andSteve Mahre of White Pass,as well as Bill Johnson, whowent on to win a goldmedal in the Olympics.Johnson was a member ofthe Mission Ridge Ski Team.

Then, in the 1990s, theNor-Ams drew other topname skiers to MissionRidge, including U.S.Olympians Sarah Schleper,Tasha Nelson, and KristinaKoznick. Earlier this decade,former Mission Ridge SkiTeam member TomRothrock of Cashmere com-peted in the Olympics.


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PAGE 15, PUZZLE SOLUTION

14254 Salmon La Sac Rd.Lake Cle Elum, WA

509-649-2222

The LAST RESORT

May all your dreams come

true at the Winter Olympics.

Best wishes Patrick Deneen!

Ride your sled right up to our

parking lot!

Stop in and enjoy good eats, cold drinks

and friendly folks!

All trails leadto the Old #3

Breakfast

Every Sat. & Sun. • 7:00 a.m.

Open Weekdays: 10:00 a.m.-Closing

RONALD, WA • 509-649-3301

Olympic contendersslide into area for training

Methow Valley, Wenatchee


It’s almost impossible to go wrong when pair-ing red wine with chocolate according to LoriThornton of Kestrel Vintners in Prosser.

“We’ll be pouring an upper end CabernetFranc,” said Thornton, “and a Syrah Port. We leanheavily on Damian Browne at Schocolat for his ex-pertise in selecting the chocolate. This year we’repairing either of those wines with a raspberrycrown chocolate, which he recommended.”

This is the third year Kestrel Vintners, at theirtasting room in Leavenworth, will be pouring redwines matched with specialty chocolates for theValentines Day celebration, Feb. 12-14,.

For the event, participating vineyard tastingrooms and chocolatiers along Front Street in Leav-enworth are partnering to offer the quintessentiallovers experience for the holiday weekend.

Bella Terrezza Vineyard is participating in theevent for the first time this year. “We just openedour tasting room in Leavenworth September 09,”owner Bob Richards explained. And although thisis their first showing in Leavenworth, the wineryhas been offering good artisan chocolates pairedwith red wine at their vineyard tasting room in We-natchee for sometime.

For this event, Bella Terrazza is pouring a ‘06Cabernet Sauvignon (a two vineyard blend) and a’07 Bella Rosso (a 65 percent Cabernet Franc and35 percent Lemberger blend).

Richards says he’s working with chocolatier,Damian Browne of Schocolat, too, to select theperfect chocolate confection to pair with one ofhis wines. Then he’s reaching outside the boundsof Leavenworth, to the Anjou Bakery of Cashmerefor the other chocolate treat.

“Last year they created a shortbread cookiewith bittersweet chocolate and red cherries forus,” said Richards. “We hope to be chasing those

cookies with one of our wines again this year.”From the chocolate end of things, chocolatier,

Browne says, “there’s no precise way to determinewhat chocolate goes with what wine.”

However, he said, “the bigger, stronger more robustchocolates, like a dark chocolate tend to work wellwith a bigger more complex wine like a Cabernet.”

Browne and his wife Susie Johnson [the onewith all the talent when it comes to creating mem-orable chocolates – he says] have had their shop,Schocolat, in Leavenworth for almost three years.It opened to rave reviews and continues to earnhigh marks from visitors.

Besides the chocolate and wine, Leavenworthhas more to offer those with love on their mind –including a stroll in the beautiful alpine landscape,an intimate dinner at a selection of romanticrestaurants and an overnight stay in a cabin, bedand breakfast, or hotel.

Or as Sherry Schweizer, media relations direc-tor, Leavenworth Chamber of Commerce of sug-gests, snuggle under a blanket on a sleigh ride asyour horses prance through the snow with theCascade Mountains as your backdrop.

Then warm up with a walk down Leaven-worth’s Front Street stopping in at participatingtasting rooms to sample the love inspired fare.

Speaking from experience, Thornton said, “lastyear people really loved the red wine and choco-lates tie in with Valentines Day.”

For more info, visit www.leavenworth.org orcall the Chamber of Commerce at 509-548-5807.

LOVEand

LeavenworthThe quintessential lovers experience

By Lyn Derrick

Printing, Scrapbooking & Things, llc

116 E. First St. • Cle Elum, WA • 509.674.2296 • [email protected] • www.rubysstore.com

PAPERS from all over

the WORLD72 Dream Destinations!

Valentine’s Day Papers,

Stickers & Ribbons!

Highlight the amazing places you’ve been.

Create a spectacular cookbook with

your favorite international recipes.

Perfect for scrapbooking

every American Adventure.

CLASSES ARE FILLING UP!

Come in today & sign up for Scrap-

booking & Knitting Classes

in February!

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at Beau�sSundays

Pizza, Pasta ,Steaks & Breakfast

1 2 4 E . F i r s t S t • C l e E l u m509-674-9798

HOURS:Wed & Thurs, 4:00 - 8:30 p.m.

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Saturday, 12 noon - 9:00 p.m.

Sunday10:00 a.m. - 8:30 p.m(10:00 a.m. - 1:00 p.m., Breakfast)

Open for Private Parties Monday & Tuesday

Omelettes, Crepes, Blintzes, Elk Sausage, German Pancakes,Chef James’ Homemade Cinnamon Rolls, Mimosas, & More!

We are proud of you Patrick

Deneen!

Rachel Bennett, Insurance Agent

402 E 1st Street, Suite 102 • Cle Elum, WA 98922Bus: 509-674-2408 • 509-962-2408

Fax: 509-674-2409 • Email: [email protected]

We are proud of you and will be cheering for you all the way!

Go for the Gold Patrick!All Seasons

Vacation Rentals~ Premier Vacation Accommodations ~

www.GoASVR.com509-649-3099

GO PLAY ALL DAY!

Enjoy more time on your snowmobile byriding to and from the front door of our rental homes. A great snowadventure awaits you on hundreds of groomedtrails throughoutKittitas County!

Ride tothe frontdoor!

Bob and Cammy Seelye had twogoals for their Upper Peoh Pointdream home. They wanted everythingon one level, and they wanted a viewof the Stuart Mountains.

The first goal was easy enough toaccomplish, and as it turned out, thesecond one was too.

“We have a view [of the moun-tains] from just about every room in

the house,” Bob said.That perfect placement began

when Bob made a few “scratched outdrawings” of room arrangements.Then he did the one thing that wouldcome to characterize the house’s con-struction.

“He called on and hired some ofhis homeys,” Cammy joked.

For example, a high school buddy

who liked to do a little drafting drewup house plans for the couple.

Then McClure Construction in El-lensburg put up the ‘bones’ of thehouse, things like the framing and theroofing.

But, Cammy adds proudly, “Bob didall the finish work himself” – alongwith the siding and the plumbing.


Seelyessink roots into

Kittitas Co.

By Lyn Derrick

SAGE green, red, warm oak andcopper accents combine to createthe inviting atmosphere of theSeelye’s dream home.

Lyn Derrick photo


So what was Cammy’s role in all of this? Well, in thebeginning, she didn’t really know. “I’d never built a housebefore,” she said. “I really didn’t know what I wanted.”

So she hit on the perfect solution: rely on those whoknow what they’re doing. “I found out, if you want a realpiece of art, let the experts do it,” she said. “When youtrust them, they want to give you their best.”

Through that trust, the Seelyes ended up with beauti-ful honed slate floors in their bathroom, beveled woodflooring throughout much of the house, and black gran-ite kitchen counters flecked with copper.

When it came time to tackle the decorating,Cammy’s says that was another area where she had noexperience. “I got a lot of coaching,” she said. “I’ll stealanyone’s ideas.”

Cammy’s resourceful, too. Browsing on Craig’s List,she found a beautiful sage green living room set and mis-sion style rocker – which would come to define theSeelye’s living room. Cammy says she likes the simplelines of mission furniture so well; sheselected that for her home’s formaldining room, too. “I think pairing that[style] with a little lace takes theedge off,” she said, then laughed andadded, “Wow, sounds like I reallyknow what I’m talking about doesn’tit? But I don’t.”

What she and Bob do know isthey’ve found their dream home inKittitas County.

With only one year of living herefulltime under their belts, the Seelyeshave put down roots and involvedthemselves in community activities.Bob belongs to the Kittitas CountyCivil Service Commission, and theSnowmobile Search and RescueTeam. Cammy is a TA at Cle Elum-Roslyn School, a member of the Ea-gles Auxiliary and chairman of their

upcoming Sweetheart Ball.In the winter, especially for

Bob, it’s all about snowmobiles. “Irode over 1600 [snowmobile]miles last year,” he said. In mid-Jan-uary, he was part of a group host-ing a Michigan PBS camera crewwho were visiting here and film-ing snowmobile trails for a pro-gram, which should air in the fall.

When the snow melts, you’llfind Bob on the back of a motor-cycle. He’s Chairman of theBoard of Governors of the BlueKnights, an international fraternalorganization of active and retiredlaw enforcement men andwomen who enjoy riding motor-cycles. Saying Bob enjoys motor-

cycles, would be putting it mildly. He has 15 of them.“He’s had up to 22,” Cammy reveals.

Being ‘rooted’ in the area doesn’t prevent the Seelyesfrom traveling all over – as Bob fulfills his duties as an of-ficer of the Blue Knights. And they travel all over just be-cause they enjoy it – particularly Cammy. “We’ve been toEurope three times, to the UK, Scotland, Wales, Croatia,Australia, Mexico … ” she says listing some of the coun-tries. “I’ve always had wanderlust.”

After traveling, what could be better than comingback to the home you love? – Nothing, except sharingthat home with family and friends.

“They love coming here,” Cammy said about theirchildren and grandchildren.

Then there’s the friendships made during the cou-ple’s travels. All those friends who’ve welcomed theSeelyes to their homes – find the welcome mat out here,too. Do their foreign friends like it here? “Yes,” laughedCammy. “That’s why they keep coming back.”

BOB AND CAMMY SEELYE welcome family and friends to the homethey treasure in the Upper Kittitas County. Lyn Derrick photo

A SPECIAL SPOT. Cammy’s mother’s piano has it’s own room in theSeelye’s home. This is also the room where granddaughters sleep andmake themselves at home. Lyn Derrick photo

SECOND on the list of favorite rooms is this master bath. Lyn Derrick photo

It’s one of our last winter months and the night skywon’t be disappointing! Even if you don’t have a telescopeto use, there is an incredible clearness to be seen in thewinter night sky with a host of stars. Visible with yournaked eyes are the Winter Triangle, Cassiopeia in thenorthwest, and the Big Dipper is now in the northeast onFebruary 15 at 10:00 pm. These constellations are easily rec-ognizable. To locate the Winter Triangle, look southwest andfind Sirius, the brightest star in the sky - that will be thesouthern apex - while Betelgeuse in Orion and anotherbright star, Procyon, to the east and in Canis Minor, com-plete the triangle. Then, Cassiopeia is a constellationshaped just like a “w”. The Big Dipper (Plough) is com-posed of seven stars and is generally accepted as the mostprominent constellation for northern observers to find!

TELESCOPE VIEWSIf you have a telescope handy, pull it out and take a long

look at Mars and Saturn. All this month, both planets willbe visible and near their best for viewing. The earlier inFebruary you view them, the better. Look for Mars in theeastern sky at dusk around the first of February. The RedPlanet begins with a magnitude -1.3 and fades as themonth progresses. This month, the planet’s visibilitythrough a telescope will offer contrasting images of its fea-tures that won’t happen again until 2014! Wait until after7:00 pm when the planet reaches a minimum of 40 de-grees above the horizon for the best observing. That way,the Earth’s atmosphere is less interruptive in your field ofview. Saturn will also be rising in the east as well, but a lit-tle bit later. Look for it after 10:00 pm and by February’send it will be closer to after 8:00 pm.

PLANETSVenus will be to the west in the

evening sky; Mars is in the easternevening sky; Jupiter is in the western

evening sky; and Uranus will rise to thewest in the evening.

After midnight, Saturn will be visible in the southeast;and Mars will be in the southwest.

By the morning sky, you’ll find little Mercury in thesoutheast; Mars will have traveled westward and is still inthe northwest; while Saturn remains visible in the south-west. That means you get to observe six of our Solar Sys-tem’s eight planets in February!

SATURN FACTSSaturn is the second largest planet. It has seven thin,

flat rings consisting of narrow ringlets made up of ice par-ticles traveling around the planet. Other planets known tohave fainter rings are Jupiter, Neptune, and Uranus.

Saturn’s diameter is about 74,900 miles which is nearly10 times bigger than Earth. Though you can see the planetwith your naked eyes, the rings cannot be seen withoutsome aid.

This beautiful planet travels elliptically (oval-shaped)around the Sun from about 941,070,000 miles at the far-thest point to about 840,440,000 miles at its closest. Thatmeans that it takes Saturn about 29.5 Earth years to goaround the Sun compared to 365 days, or one year forEarth to orbit the Sun.

Saturn also rotates faster than any Solar System planetexcept Jupiter – once every 10 hours and 39 minutes. Thus,it bulges at its equator and is slightly flattened at its poles.

Saturn has a temperature averaging -285 degrees F at thetop of its clouds, but its surface temperatures are higher. Theplanet itself gives off 2 1/2 times the amount of heat that itgets from the Sun. The higher temperatures are thought tobe because of energy generated by helium sinking slowlythrough the liquid hydrogen in the planet’s interior.

IT’S A GASEOUS PLANETSaturn is only about one-tenth as dense as the Earth

and about two-thirds as dense as water. That means that itwould float if you could put it into water! The force ofgravity is a little higher on Saturn than on Earth, so a 100lb. person would weigh about 107 lbs. on Saturn. I don’tthink I’ll go there!

METEORSThis month isn’t noted for a great meteor shower, but on

February 24 the Delta Leonid shower will peak. This is a goodone for practicing, and if you look into the sky about 4:00-5:00 a.m., after a waxing gibbous Moon sets, you should beable to see about three meteors per hour above the sporadicrate. The rates for sporadic meteors are about five meteorsper hour, but they have been known to streak brilliantlyacross the sky. That’s why it pays to watch! The radiant (ap-parent source) for the Delta’s is somewhere in the west-southwest, or the “tail” of the constellation, Leo the Lion.

Sixawesome

Planets


By Janie McQueen

A SERIES OF IMAGES of Saturn are shown at many different wavelengthstaken by NASA’s Hubble Space Telescope in 2003. The planet’s rings wereat a maximum tilt of 27 degrees toward Earth. Photo courtesy of NASA

FEBRUARY • 2010❖ MONDAY, FEB. 1

Cascade Field & Stream Club, 7:00 p.m. at Sunset Cafe in Cle Elum. Info: call 509-674-1714.

❖ SATURDAY, FEB. 6Kittitas Audubon Society First Saturday Bird Walk, 8:00 a.m., meet at Irene Rinehart parking lot near Ellensburg. Most walks run 2 hrs. Everyone welcome. For info, visit www.kittitasaudubon.org.

Chicks on Sticks Nordic Ski fundraiser event,8:00-11:30 a.m., Icicle River Trails/Fish Hatchery, Leavenworth. For more information/pre-registration, visit www.skileavenworth.com; (509) 548-5477.

Forest Service Interpretive Snowshoe Walk, Snoqualmie Pass, 10 a.m. - 1 p.m. every Sat & Sun. Reservations are required. Special outings scheduled for families with children. Call 509-852-1062 (before Jan. 2); and call 425-434-6111 (afterwards).

CWU Winter Wedding & Events Expo11 a.m. - 4 p.m. at CWU Student Union Bldg.For more info, visit www.cwu.edu/~schedule .

Afternoon Tea & Chocolate SocialMasonic Hall (above Cle Elum Post Office).For more info, call Alpha Chapter of Eastern Star, Jeanine Baunsgard, (509) 674-4015.

Spaghetti Dinner & Scholarship Fundraiser,Swauk Teanaway Grange Hall, 1361 Ballard Hill Rd, Cle Elum. Contact: Claire Lucke, (509) 857-2580.

❖ SUNDAY, FEB. 7CWU Music Faculty Showcase - Music of Women Composers, 4-5 p.m.Music Building Concert Hall, Ellensburg.Information/Tickets, call (509) 963-1301.

❖ MONDAY, FEB. 8Kittitas County Snow Grooming Council7:00 p.m. at Tom L. Craven Conference Room, Cle Elum Ranger District, 803 W. Second St.For info, call Howard Briggs at 509-674-7229.

❖ THURSDAY, FEB. 11Alpine Lakes Trail Riders (ALTR) chapter ofBack Country Horsemen of WA, 7:00 p.m. at the Roslyn Riders Clubhouse off State Route 903. For info, call Dana Bailey, (509) 304-8701.

❖ FRI - SAT - SUN, FEB. 12-14Spirit of the West Cowboy Gathering,

Ellensburg. For more information, contact the Ellensburg Chamber 1-888-925-2204 or visit www.EllensburgCowboyGathering.com

❖ SATURDAY, FEB. 13Ski Jumping Tournament, Leavenworth Ski Hill, 12:00-3:00 p.m. For more information, call 509-548-5477 or visit www.skileavenworth.com

Cle Elum Eagles Sweetheart Ball,220 Pennsylvania Ave., Cle Elum; (509) 674-2385.

❖ FRIDAY, FEB. 19“Women’s Votes, Women’s Voices” lecture,Kittitas Co. Historical Museum, 114 E. Third St., Ellensburg. For more info, visit [email protected].

Northwest Nature Guide: Woodpeckers!7:00 p.m., Barn Beach Reserve, 347 Division St., Leavenworth. For more information, call 509-548-0181 or visit www.barnbeachreserve.org

❖ SATURDAY, FEB. 204th Annual Cle Elum Roslyn ChamberBagna Caulda Festival, Cle Elum Eagles Club,220 Pennsylvania Ave. For more info, contactPatti (509) 674-2388, Renee (509) 674-1000.

❖ THURSDAY, FEB. 25Betty Evans Original One- Act Play Festival,7 p.m., Milo Smith Tower Theatre, CWU campus, Ellensburg. Info/Tickets, call (509) 963-1774.

❖ FRIDAY, FEB. 26‘Final Friday’ Live Music & Art Walk5:00 - 9:00 p.m., downtown Roslyn.For more information, call 509-649-2551.

❖ SATURDAY, FEB. 27Hog Loppet 30km Ski Trek from top of Mission Ridge Ski Area to Blewett Pass, 7:30 a.m. Pre-register at: www.skileavenworth.com .

• FEBRUARY EXHIBITS •• Carpenter House Museum and High Country

Artist Gallery, Cle Elum; 509-674-9766.

• Roslyn Museum203 W. Pennsylvania Ave., Roslyn; 509-649-2355.

• Clymer Museum of Art416 N. Pearl St., Ellensburg; 509-962-6416.

• Kittitas County Historical Museum114 E. Third Ave., Ellensburg; 509-925-3778.


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Check for more events or post your own events FREE

online at: mountain-echo.com/Calendar

Imagine a winter blizzard in the great Pacific Northwest,in the most remote region you can, and then conjure up thehorrid image of a person trapped in the death grip of an ava-lanche, buried four-feet below the surface. Who’s going tomake what often is the long and treacherous trek to help,whether the person is dead or alive? Answer: volunteersfrom Kittitas County Search & Rescue. What will throw youis that, for the most part, they look like everyday people, notlike someone out of a Special Forces action-thriller.

They’re kindergarten teachers, volunteer firefighters, re-tired cops and U.S. Marines, deputy sheriffs, college kids,school district administrators, assisted living supervisors,crisis counselors, general contractors, and legal assistants.

Search & Rescue boasts 90 members, all volunteers,ready to deploy any time of day or night, sometimes duringthe most catastrophic winter weather events.

Avalanche teams must train, which means voluntarilyspending time away from home and family each year.

“The primary reason for training,” said Winter Back-country Ground Operational Group Leader Sharon Carlson,“is to keep our volunteers safe.”

Avalanche Rescue 101“It takes about 40-hours to get trained up,” said Bill

Davis, a facilities director for Cle Elum-Roslyn School Dis-trict who functions as Search & Rescue’s OperationalGroup Leader–Snowmobile Team.

In January, volunteers and group leaders converged onAlpental, at Snoqualmie Pass, for field training, a portion ofwhich involved beacon drills.

Avalanche beacons these days are rigged for two func-tions. With a flip of a switch, a beacon can transmit to res-cuers from beneath the snowpack, or it can be used on thesurface to locate a transmitting beacon buried with its owner.

At Alpental, anyone can beacon-train on a designatedslope equipped with what’s been dubbed the EasySearcher. “It’s basically a box secured to a telephone pole,”said Eric Hohman, a general contractor who regularly vol-unteers his hardcore, backcountry expertise on more diffi-cult Search & Rescue missions.

“You can do beginner to expert beacon-n-probe searches.All you have to do is push the correct button. There are eightbeacons buried about the slope. Depending on which buttonyou hit, Easy Search activates certain ones. With each buriedbeacon is a plywood box with a microphone, basically. Whenyou hit the box with a probe, the microphone picks up thesound, and transmits the find to Easy Searcher.”

The most important piece of gear in an avalanche rescuemission, second to the beacon, is the probe, a long collapsi-ble, aluminum pole. “We learn to feel and hear what we hitbeneath the snow,” Davis explained. “Could be the ground, alayer of ice, a rock, a stump, a knapsack, or a body. Determin-ing what you hit isn’t an exact science. I remember hitting atruck tire inner tube, once. Felt just like a body.”

When Search & Rescue volunteers deploy in winter,they do so in special teams selected to fit the mission.Teams include Avalanche K9, Snowmobile, and WinterBackcountry Ground. Communications teams in some con-figuration accompany every mission, and there has to be acoordinator present from the Sheriff’s office to directevery mission. “On some of our more extreme rescues,”Hohman said, “it’s not like trekking on a groomed trail. Infact, where we go for those missions, there usually is notrail.” Search & Rescue EMS Coordinator John Carlson: “Themost challenging and fulfilling thing for us is recoveringvictims and bringing them back to their loved ones.”

Avalanche Rescue 101Kittitas County Search & Rescue is a non-profit organiza-

tion formed in 1991, at the request of the Sheriff. It operatesunder the Incident Command System. Members must be 14-years or older to join. General monthly meetings are held inEllensburg and Cle Elum. Search & Rescue officials say the or-ganization is built on a camaraderie and trust that can onlycome from training. Search & Rescue is an all-volunteer force.


Kittitas Co. Search & Rescue:

avalancherescue

in the Pacific Northwest

JOHN CARLSON (left) conducts a Probe Line Drill at Alpental in January.The drill: Probe the snow, advancing two-feet at a time, until you locateAnnabelle, a dummy buried four-feet beneath the snow. Jim Fossett photo

AVALANCHE RESCUE TRAINEESprobe for and find a dummy, nicknamed Annabelle, buried before the exercise began – beneath four feet of snow.Jim Fossett photo

By Jim Fossett

Documents

February 2010 ECHO Magazine - snow sports