Cover photo courtesy of Brian Heer
The first time I saw a grouse in the backcountry, I thought it was a chicken.
It’s just one of many backpacking stories that have solidified in our family’s repertoire of stories from the mountains. Though I’d tried to maintain a cool composure as my father threw out new words on my first-ever backpacking hike—“witch’s beard” moss, tamarack, Indian Paintbrush—the truth was that my head was swirling with the newness of it all, the alpine country leaving me awe-struck in addition to aching from my first time carrying a pack.
Spotting something as familiar as a chicken at that altitude in the Cascades seemed like a gem. Dad, look, it’s a chicken! I’d exclaimed, happy to know something for certain after I’d been spinning from all I didn’t know in that place. That’s a grouse, my dad corrected, amused, when he caught a glimpse of the fat, brown bird disappearing into the brush. And it tastes great with butter.
I was 18 at the time, embarrassed by my misidentification. I’ve been on many backpacking treks since then, picking up new words each time that belong to the ecosystem of those hills. Scree. Quartz. Cutthroat Trout. What rings true to me now about the grouse story my dad likes to tell is that you can’t really get to know a place until you have the language for it.
This month, I learned some of the language surrounding the Spokane River. When I first moved to Spokane, I became enamored with the river. I stumbled more than once while trail running for staring at its color and flow. But I knew this was a surface-level love; I did not yet have the language of this new place I was starting to call home.
To start collecting those words, I took my first whitewater rafting trip on the Spokane. I interviewed folks from the Spokane Riverkeeper, local tribes, and conservation groups. I intentionally added to my lexicon: Redband Trout, Strainers, Treaty rights. PCBs, Discharge Permits, River Flow.
The theme for this issue of Out There is both backcountry and lakes, or the many waterways we have in the Inland Northwest that you might enjoy when the heat of July and August strikes. Read on about wing foiling, horseback riding, and our favorite swimming holes. Peruse my feature on the Spokane River. It’s all in service of this: this summer, try new things. Talk to goshawks. Learn to fly fish. While you do, think about how each experience is adding to your language and appreciation of this place.
—Lisa Laughlin, Managing Editor
