THE BLAKES Let it Loose (Red Dear Records) The Blakes are Seattle’s best export right now. There I said it. Yeah, and I meant it. I wasn’t sold on the new songs right away, but, nope, nope, now I am. The live show is undeniably fantastic, but this debut full-length, which, if there were any […]
Music Reviews: October 2006 Read More »
I have sort of an embarrassing problem with this month’s urban outdoors column (and I’m not talking about the above illustration which often portrays me wearing suspenders and shorts, like a Von Trapp family singer.) Here’s my problem: I haven’t actually been “outdoors.” Instead, I spent the month in a series of hotels and airplanes,
Jess Walters: The Urban Outdoors Read More »
I love to go backpacking, but sometimes I don’t feel like driving to far-flung places just to reach a trailhead to then hike with 30 pounds on my back. That’s why Heart Lake in the Bitterroot Mountains is a quick and easy weekend getaway to the backcountry. It takes only two hours to drive from
Roadtrip: Backpacking to Heart Lake MT Read More »
For most runners, finishing a marathon is a goal of epic proportions. Don Kardong, a competitor in the 1976 Olympic Marathon, founder and race director of Bloomsday, has run about fifty of them. He’s currently training for the Seattle Marathon, and running around 40 miles per week. If he runs fast enough in Seattle on
What’s Your Gear? Marathon Runner Don Kardong Read More »
In May of 2005, Ed Viesturs, one of America’s leading high altitude mountaineers, completed his extraordinary quest to climb all fourteen of the planet’s 8,000 meter peaks without supplemental oxygen. OTM got in a few words with Ed recently to ask him about his climbing exploits, his new book, and his visit to Spokane on
Ed Viesturs: Still Climbing Read More »
On Wednesday, October 11, the Inland Northwest Trails Coalition (INTC), Spokane’s own non-motorized trail advocacy group, is hosting a reception to highlight their trails vision for the Inland Northwest and hopefully inspire other outdoor enthusiasts to help the all-volunteer group achieve their mission to protect, promote, and connect the Inland Northwest’s trails, waterways and recreational
Blazing a New Trail Read More »
First, a story. Brian Smith was a 20-year-old kid in 1989 when he moved from Houston, Texas to Walla Walla, Washington. Just weeks after arriving, he borrowed his dad’s Volkswagen, and with a friend from church, decided to go bombing around in the woods of the nearby Blue Mountains. As he steered the car up
Bigfoot is Not Dead: An Inland Northwest Cryptozoological Expedition Read More »
Saturday night we put the kayaks in the Spokane River a couple blocks south of Mission Avenue. A guy with a cigarette and a big coat struts by. “You guys goin’ on a canoe ride?” Heidi looks down at our kayaks. “Yes, we are,” she says. He laughs hard at us, but its a friendly
Editorial: Night Float Spokane Style Read More »
