Fall/Winter 2005 - 2006

North Cascades Basecamp changes hands after 25 years
By Ann McCreary

When Dick and Sue Roberts opened the North Cascades Basecamp in the winter of 1981, the trail “system” in the Mazama area was an informal network maintained by volunteers – mostly Dick – using a snowmobile.

The Roberts in the early days at North Cascades Basecamp

In the 25 years since then, the Roberts have played a key role in the growth and development of the trail system in Mazama and the popularity of Nordic skiing in the Methow Valley.
This year, after two and a half decades

of hosting guests at their lodge, the Roberts have sold the Basecamp and retired to the “suburbs” of Winthrop.

“We were really ready to retire,” said Sue, who has published a Basecamp Cookbook with recipes she used to prepare the breakfasts and dinners she served every day at the lodge.
Although Sue said she won’t miss the cooking and cleaning that was part of her daily routine for 25 years, she and Dick never tired of meeting and sharing meals with their visitors.

“That’s one of the things we’ll miss – the wonderful interactions we’ve had with guests over the years. What we won’t miss is being so tied down. It’s like having a dairy farm – the cows have to milked or the people have to be fed breakfast,” Sue said.

The Roberts moved to Mazama from the San Francisco area, where Sue was a chemist and Dick worked for a solar energy company and building whitewater canoes and kayaks. Dick designed the Basecamp, using energy

efficient construction techniques. The couple raised their two daughters at the Basecamp, and the girls grew up helping with the business.

During their first winter of operation, Dick took over grooming the trails that had been developed by the Mazama Ski Club, a group of local skiers, and maintained mostly by Mazama resident Jack Wilson, who operated the Early Winters Cabins.

Dick said Wilson was more than happy to relinquish the job of packing the trails with a snowmobile. “He said ‘it bucked me off too often,’ which I understood, because I got bucked off myself a few times,” Roberts said. “I hated snowmobiles. I still hate snowmobiles. I beat my snowmobile with a shovel many times.”

Dick bought a used snowmobile from Sun Mountain Lodge, which had been grooming trails for a few years. He pulled a sled behind the snowmobile to smooth and pack the surface.

Many of the trails traversed what is now the Arrowleaf property, but the routes tended to change from one winter to the next. “There were no maps and nobody really remembered where the trail was last year. I could never remember where it had gone,” Dick said.

“I eventually found the route that became River Run, and would mark it in the fall. I kept adding little bits here and there. We got permission from landowners to open up some routes.”
By 1983 the Methow Valley Ski Touring Association, the predecessor of today’s Sport Trails Association, was coming into its own and took over grooming duties in the Mazama area, much to Dick’s relief. The Methow Valley Ski Touring Association was able to bring in an alpine groomer to do a better job on the trails.

Dick has remained actively involved the developing ski trails over the years, becoming a board member of MVSTA from the organization’s beginnings, and currently serving as vice president of the board of directors. “Throughout all these years, Dick has always had a god perspective and good vision” for MVSTA, said Board President Don Portman.

The Roberts Family: Rebecca, Sue, Kristina, & Dick

Through Dick’s efforts, the connecting trail between west Fawn Creek and Goat Creek Road was developed, linking the Rendezvous trails to the Mazama trails. And in the early 80’s, Roberts worked with Jay Lucas,

now MVSTA executive director but then an employee of the Mazama Country Inn, to create the loop trail toward the Methow River, where the suspension bridge was later built.

“Dick had a lot to do with the way the trails got laid out and the way they got named,” Don Portman said. “It wasn’t until Dick and Sue came that (trail grooming) really began to happen on a consistent basis. They’re really community spirited. Dick worked tirelessly to make things happen, and keep them happening.”

Most recently, Portman said, Dick “went out on his own and worked with all the landowners between the Mazama Country Inn and the Basecamp for the new trail on the north side of the river. It was a tremendous effort. Probably no one else could have done that except Dick, because he knows all those people.”

The landowners gave consent to allow a new trail to cross their properties and link the two lodges. This led to the trail being named “The Latte Loup,” because a skier can get a latte (or at least a hot chocolate at the Basecamp) at either end.

In addition to their involvement with the ski trails, Dick and Sue have contributed their time to a wide range of community activities. Dick has been fire chief in Mazama, both Dick and Sue volunteer on the Winthrop Fire Department, and both have been involved in community planning, education and conservation organizations.

The Basecamp will continue to be operated by its new owners, Joe, Josh and Suzanne Kerns. Now that the Roberts have retired from innkeeping, they’d like to get out and ski for themselves more often, Sue said. And they plan to travel, Dick added. “Hawaii, Europe. And then there’s New Zealand and Australia and, oh yes, there’s North America too.”

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Getting Fit - You Can Do It!
By Joe Jensen

About seven or eight years ago the data really started coming in on a regular basis in the medical literature. One study after another demonstrated the health benefits of exercise and weight management as I watched my 5 feet 8 inches of deconditioned protoplasm pick up a pound or two here, a pound or two there.

One morning I woke up, got on a scale and read 180 pounds, which was an all-time high for me. I was stunned; 180 pounds seemed like a lot more than the179 pounds that I had been willing to live with before. I was 52 years old, and had recently experienced 18 hours of atrial fibrillation, a heart rhythm disturbance, which fortunately did not indicate coronary disease and disappeared spontaneously. So I pulled out my Eater's Choice, a book that I have been recommending to patients for weight and cholesterol control for years, and off came 17 pounds in 17 weeks just like the book said it would!

" I actually felt good enough to start running   again after a hiatus of many years."

I felt lighter and much more "capable" physically. So using my Wednesdays off and weekends, I started putting in four to five hours of exercise each week. For fun, I entered the ski races, and enjoyed the events although my performances were less than stellar. I watched my Methow Valley friends Jim Gregg, Jim Erickson, and Tom Sullivan, to name a few, and wished that I could do what they were doing. I took a lesson or two and went out with my workout partner, Gil Webber, who had been trying to get me out for regular exercise for at least several years. We had no training plan other than to ski or bike hard several times per week. We had several courses that we could time ourselves on, and enjoyed watching those times come down somewhat.

My race times were dropping slowly, but there seemed to be a place beyond which I couldn't go ....... somewhere the other guys who were performing well in the races could go. Just to be able to ski recreationally with these guys was a fantasy that I felt was beyond my ability to reach in reality. Was it that they had bigger motors, spent more time training, or perhaps weighed less?
I decided I needed to lose more weight and took off another 17 pounds by having at least some exercise every day seven days per week as well as eating a controlled diet of Shredded Wheat N' Bran with skim milk for breakfast, turkey sandwich for lunch with whole wheat bread, and a huge salad every night with a whole avocado, a whole tomato, and 1/3 of a brick of feta cheese with balsamic vinegar and olive oil. This was supplemented with small amounts of vegetables and meat. This brought me down to 147 pounds and it is difficult to describe the lightness of feeling I had. Same strength but a lot less to pull around. I actually felt good enough to start running again after a hiatus of many years. Patients didn't recognize me if they hadn't seen me recently.
Then, on a rainy day in October when I couldn't go outside to exercise, I was running on the treadmill at Pete Dickinson's fitness center, and was trying something new for me, that is, doing "intervals," just like we did 45 years ago in high school swimming. Thirty seconds at almost full speed followed by 30 seconds of walking and repeating that for 20 "intervals." We used to call that "repeats on the minute," a new concept at the time (in 1963).

Laura McCabe, a former Olympic skier who was working at the gym and physical therapy office, noticed me doing this and asked what I was doing. "Intervals," I replied, quite proud of myself. She laughed and said "Those aren't intervals, those are speed bursts," and laughed again. She told me to come and see her when I was finished, and she would give me a schedule for a week or two that would include real intervals. (A "real" interval is when one exercises to a certain percent of maximum heart rate or effort for a given amount of time and then rests until the heart rate recovers to lower levels, and then repeating that effort again after a few minutes of rest. This is repeated for a total of anywhere from 17 minutes or so to as much as 30 to 40 minutes of total intensity time.)

"Just be sure not to forget your heart monitor when you go out," Laura advised me. When I told her I didn't have one she rolled her eyes, laughed again and said "You mean you're a doctor and don't have a heart rate monitor? Well, OK, then what's your maximum heart rate?" I sheepishly replied, "I don't know, maybe around 180-190," which was the best I could come up with having checked my carotid pulse a time or two at the top of Pete's Dragon on a mountain bike.

Laura saw a challenge and decided to see what she could make out of me. An experiment perhaps. I really don't know what she was thinking, but she seemed to enjoy watching the progress as her training schedule began to show results the following winter in the race series and then again in the summer races series. Then, with the help of Margaret Waechter, an exercise physiologist who was working at Winthrop Physical Therapy, we incorporated some "tools," such as finding out what my maximum heart rate was, and at what heart rate I started to make large amounts of lactic acid (lactate).

Lactate is a product of anaerobic metabolism, which occurs when oxygen has been depleted to critical levels, and can no longer utilize oxygen alone to produce the energy demanded by the body's effort. The body's cells call on an additional energy source which is a leftover from the aerobic (oxygen utilizing) process. Remember that blood sugars are "burned" utilizing oxygen, to produce energy, water, and carbon dioxide. When this is used up, pyruvate is left over which is converted to lactate without the assistance of oxygen and a few more units of energy are created in the process. And finally lactate itself can be used.

This process is very "expensive" from an efficiency standpoint and the price paid for this extra bit of energy is fatigue, because lactate is toxic to the muscle cell. Lactate accumulates. And the level of lactate at which it accumulates and cannot be cleared from the system is called the "lactate threshold." This is usually associated with a specific heart rate so that while wearing a heart monitor, one can tell whether or not one is at or above the threshold. This isn't necessarily felt initially until it accumulates.

Interval training is designed to "teach" the cells to tolerate higher levels of lactic acid and to neutralize it more effectively with alkaline substances already in the body, called buffers. In a practical sense, it allows the interval-trained athlete to dig deeper for these harder-to-reach sources of energy without becoming fatigued as readily. This may only make a difference of 2-3 percent, perhaps, but in a race situation, that is the difference between first and possibly tenth place. These intervals are called anaerobic intervals. Another type of interval workout is aerobic in nature and stays below the lactate threshold, and trains the cells to utilize oxygen more efficiently so that the heart rate at which the lactate begins to develop is higher as a percent of maximum. The idea is to increase the workload at which lactate begins to accumulate in terms of heart rate which you can see on your monitor.

Laura put together a combination of several types of workouts, including the intervals mentioned above, and longer slower distance workouts, averaging about 10 hours per week, or 500 hours per year. We met once every week or two to discuss how things were going, and set goals for the future. She insisted on strength workouts which would make the endurance and intensity workouts much more effective. Also, to avoid injury and improve balance, core workouts such as sit-ups, crunches, etc. were included. These account for about 1-1 1/2 hours per week altogether.
Laura has impressed me with not only her knowledge of training and setting of training plans for others, but also with her skill in motivating. "Trust your training," she says to me when I say I don't think I can go that hard for that long in a race situation, for example. "Know your body," means knowing when you are tired and possibly over-trained. Over-training is a serious problem for many athletes. Knowing when to back off is essential to having a successful season of racing. Sometimes the symptoms can be quite subtle, such as an increase of only five beats per minute more than usual in the morning heart rate. An extra day of rest can do wonders for this.
Taking care of physical injuries early on with a good physical therapist is also essential.

ddressing little pains before they become big pains pays off in fewer days missed in workouts. "Trust your training" again by being sure to get a long warm-up before a race. It is tempting to "save your energy" by warming up during the first part of the race. I once asked to Laura how she handles the first part of her races and she replied, "I start out fast and then I go faster." This wouldn't be possible without a good warm up which includes, believe it or not, some intensity such as 4 x 1 minute intervals with recovery in between. This primes both the heart and the muscles and the brain for intensity early on in the race, and prevents exercise-induced bronchospasm and other exercise-induced chemicals from occurring. And whenever I raise my eyebrows in doubt, she just smiles and says "C'mon, you can do it” – and that's the end of the conversation.

Taking my own advice has produced benefits for my patients as well as for me. I think my patients take my advice more seriously than they used to. There is good data available now which shows that patients are much more likely to follow the doctor's advice if the doctor has set a positive example. (They're probably thinking, "If that Bozo can do it so can I!") I know at least one guy who definitely thinks that, and plans to beat me this year. (You know who you are.)

Working with Margaret Waechter stimulated me to learn more about exercise physiology. Two years ago I went to Arizona to learn how to perform and supervise maximum exercise stress tests here in the office. Some generous residents of the Methow Valley donated funds for the equipment required to perform these tests. Margaret and I are also performing cardiac rehabilitation for folks who have had heart attacks, angioplasty and stent placement in their coronary arteries, heart valve replacements, and coronary artery bypass surgery. The services are not available anywhere else in Okanogan County, and essentially the services were not being rendered to patients because they had to drive all the way to Wenatchee to get them several times per week.

Finally, I thank Jim Gregg, Jim Erickson, and Tom Sullivan for providing me with incentive. They've been out there for years setting the standards against which we other geezers measured and still measure ourselves. (It is an honor to ski with you guys.) And when I run in the summertime, I run in their honor because they were out there doing it long before I was.

Joe Jensen is a family physician and owner of Methow Valley Family Practice in Twisp, and the winner of the summer and winter MVSTA race series for the 60+ age group.

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Miss Manners says: Use proper ski etiquette on the trails
By Soo Ing-Moody

Imagine a beautiful sunny winter day in the Methow Valley and you are enjoying one of the best skis of your life. The trails are freshly groomed, the temperature within your wax’s range, and your glide is smooth, and for the most part, effortless. Your skis are like wings and you are flying, heading for an exhilarating descent down your favorite part of the trail when suddenly another skier begins coming up the trail, and your senses warn of a desperate need to halt and bring your, once graceful, flight to a very rude stop.

We all share the trails and, for the most part, common courtesy helps us to graciously maneuver ourselves around such chance meetings while skiing, but a common understanding of the proper thing to do can be helpful should our nerves become a little rattled.

So what is proper ski trail etiquette? To start with, like other forms of etiquette, ski etiquette guidelines exist to reinforce courtesy and consideration in one’s personal conduct. However, unlike other forms of etiquette, there is generally little written or even mentioned on proper etiquette while on the ski trails, although Methow Valley Nordic did print an outline of just some basic “dos and don’ts” approximately four years ago, remnants of which can still be found at the MVSTA office.

The following is a compilation of important things to remember from various written and credible local sources on standard practices pertaining to proper ski etiquette in the Methow Valley.

Who has the Right of Way?

Last, but definitely not least, respect the private property that MVSTA’s trail system crosses. About half the trail system passes through private property, through the generosity of property owners. Stay on the trails, respect the privacy of homes near the trails, and leave everything – such as gates on the trails – as you found it.

As blessed as we are to have such an extensive and premier network of ski trails in the Methow Valley, on occasion we are reminded that we are not the only ones using the trail system. Together we can observe these courtesies to make skiing the Methow Valley a safe, fun, and pleasant experience for all!

Soo Ing-Moody is a sociologist and community researcher, a freelance writer and frequent contributor to Trials, owner of a B&B in Twisp called Sojourns Guesthouse, and the mother of two busy boys.

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Three Short Hikes Give a Sample of the Methow
by Nicholas & Patricia Ahlfs

Let’s face it. Not everyone who comes to the Methow Valley is prepared to begin a rigorous hiking adventure, but that doesn’t mean you should ignore the joys of fall hiking in the Methow Valley. Casual day hikers have numerous opportunities to explore many miles of easy and well-maintained trails all within a half hour of Winthrop.

Here are three short hikes to whet your appetite for a low stress but pleasant experience on the trail. None of them require special equipment – sturdy shoes, water bottles and a picnic lunch will do the trick. And all of them give the trekker distinctive aspects of the natural beauty of the valley. Bring your journal to record your thoughts or to sketch the scenery. Each of these hikes also promises great photo opportunities, so you might elect to bring a camera to capture the highlights of your journey. If you like to scout for wildlife, include your binoculars with your gear.

Hike #1. The Sun Mountain Trail System
Known mostly for its cross country skiing reputation, the Sun Mountain trail system is comprised of over 40 miles of well-maintained paths, many for easy trekking or biking. There is very little grade change. All are wooded and nearby parking is available.

The Beaver Pond Trail is surrounded by striking fall colors

The trail I’m going to recommend is one that skirts the beaver pond. Parking is at the nearby Chickadee National Forest parking lot. No trail pass is required to park here.

From downtown Winthrop drive in the direction of Twisp, crossing the iron bridge. At the end of the bridge, bear right on Twin Lakes Road. Continue for 4.2 miles, where you will turn right on Patterson Lake Road. Follow this scenic road for 5.2 miles, where you will come to a sign for Chickadee Parking to the right on FS Road 4201.

Across the road from the parking area you’ll see the sign for the Beaver Pond Trail. The trail itself is wide, flat, and free of rocks, so even tennis shoes are adequate here. You’ll meander along the edge of the Beaver Pond, with sun filtered by the pines, firs and aspens which border the trail. In the fall the colors are spectacular, truly a visual delight. The trail meanders through the Hough Homestead – the site of Sun Mountain dinner rides during the summer season – then loops back along Rodeo. Hiking Time: About 45 minutes.

Hike #2. The Big Valley Trail
If you want expansive valley-floor views, the Big Valley Trail is for you. Located just 15 miles west of town on Highway 20, it’s a great trail for biking or hiking and a favorite for those who like to hit the trail with their canine friend.

From downtown Winthrop, drive west in the direction of Mazama on Highway 20. At about 10 miles, turn left on Dripping Spring Road, a dirt driveway-like road will lead you to he trailhead, which you’ll reach in a couple of minutes.

The trail itself maintained and signed by MVSTA, is wide and flat and a pleasure to walk. You’ll notice that part of trail is designated for bicyles and part for hikers and horses. Sheltered by towering cottonwood trees, which exhibit vibrant fall colors, the trail weaves through the trees, eventually coming to the Methow River. Here you’ll want to take a break and enjoy the river and let your dog have a swim in this slow-moving section.

As you move on, the trail veers to the left, coming shortly to the edge of the broad Big Valley pasture land. On the way back, panoramic views of the Goat Peak and the North Cascades are a reminder of glacial activity thousand of years ago. A photographer’s delight.
Hiking Time: About 1-1/2 to 2 hours

Hike #3 Pipestone Canyon
As I write this, the access to the Pipestone Canyon is closed because of the massive Tripod Fire engulfing this part of Okanogan County. So be sure to check to see if the roads are open when you arrive.

Pipestone Canyon

Driving directions from downtown Winthrop: Head east out of town, turning left before crossing the bridge. Follow the East County Road for about 2-1/2 miles until you come to Bear Creek Road, where you will turn left. This road will take you past the golf course and Davis Lake Road. About 1/2 mile past Davis Lake road, turn right on the dirt road signed Lester. Follow this curvy dirt road, staying to the right until you reach the bench area of open fields. Take a right following the direction to Campbell Lake.

Getting to the Pipestone trailhead takes you into some of the most beautiful country in the Methow. Depending on which route you take, you will wend your way through patches of aspen and pine and grasslands. Your destination will be Campbell Lake which is at the upper end of Pipestone Canyon trail. As you approach the lake, you’ll see the weather-carved cliffs that make up the north wall of the canyon. Follow the dirt road 100 yards past the lake and park just about anywhere. Crowds aren’t a problem here.

The trail descends quickly from the parking area and has some gravelly-rocky spots. After the initial descent, the trail quickly levels out and invites easy walking.

As you move along the trail, be sure to keep the canyon walls on your left in sight. Carved out of a rock face, the light plays off the cliff, creating a dramatic contrast to the flat expanse. At the end of the canyon, you’ll come upon open grazing land. Here you may want to find yourself a large rock and enjoy a trail lunch before you head back up the canyon.

Retracing your steps, you may think that you’ve detoured to a completely new place. Seen from a different angle, the sculptured towers of rocks brings out a kaleidoscope of myriad colors and shapes to view.

Hiking time: About an hour

Special Note: This is a popular mountain biking trail, so keep an eye out for cyclists. In the fall, rattlesnakes aren’t going to present a problem as they do during the hot summer months. Even so, keep eyes and ears open.

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Fit and Fun with Kids’ Sports: How to thrive as a parent of the child athlete
By Peter Dickinson

Fall arrives with an onslaught of club and school sports for our kids. As if you didn’t have enough going on with job, family, and other school activities! Lost in the shuffle is the benefit to the child and parent of the “after-school activities.”

Sport offers a unique way for our children to grow socially, as well as physically. The child develops communication and interpersonal skills through team activity. The doubling of obesity rates in the last two decades, and other health benefits are reason enough to encourage activity through sport.

A parent’s involvement in their children’s sport can lead to a larger role in their children’s lives. There are specific strategies that you can use to encourage and nurture their sport play. There are a lot of pitfalls too! I don’t think Spock’s book on child rearing had a chapter on sports, and I sure didn’t get a sporting parent manual at the birthing room when I “got” the child! So, in an effort to fill this information void, I will try to highlight a few key points for parents as you head to the bleachers.

Why kids play sports:
A large number of scientific studies have identified the reasons kids play sports. By focusing on these reasons, we can support our kids staying in the sport.
1. To have fun.
2. To be with friends and make new ones.
3. To learn new skills.
4. The excitement of competition
5. To succeed or win.
6. To become fit.

The key here is to have fun. If a child isn’t enjoying the sport WE always played, maybe another activity would be better. Not all kids enjoy marathon running, maybe they would do better with a ball and stick sport even though as a parent we were a klutz growing up. Success is also an important component. Kids need to be challenged, but not too much or too little. Being challenged too much leads to anxiety, too little leads to boredom. This is where a good coach comes into play. Effective coaching provides the appropriate level of challenge for the athlete’s level of skill. Good coaches are also fun!

What kids want from their parents:
If you are the parent of a teenager, you already know that we are on this planet to embarrass our child. Besides this fact, there are specific actions that kids want from the parent to help them in their sport. Hint: It’s not yelling at the ref.
1. Support and encouragement.
2. Let them know you are proud of them.
3. Watch them play.
4. Understand the sport and have realistic expectations of their abilities.
5. Don’t be critical
6. Don’t abuse the referee or coach
7. Don’t swear.

Parent’s Do’s and Don’ts:
Sport involves a triangle of relationship interactions with our child. There is the child, parent, and coach. Each has their role and it’s important for the coach to coach, and the parent to parent. Focusing on the results of our child’s play is a guarantee for difficulties. As a parent, the most effective support is behind the scenes with transportation needs, emotional support, and proper fuel and fluid support for his activity. Sport can be a wonderful parenting tool as it gives us the opportunity to focus on positive statements to the child: Good effort today; I liked how you encouraged your teammates; great catch; good glide in the transition. These statements focus on the tasks of the sport, not the outcome.

Parent do’s:
1. Provide love and support regardless of the outcome.
2. Be in control of your emotions.
3. Emphasize the core values of hard work, preparation, good behavior.
4. Remain in the spectators’ area during competition.
5. Recognize when your child does something right.
6. Be involved through volunteering, not through sideline coaching!

Parent don’ts:
1. Criticize your child for his or her sport performance.
2. Critique your child immediately following the event or in the car ride home.
3. Advise the coach on how to do the job.
4. Belittle the opponent’s talent or preparation.
5. Become overly involved by talking with the coach about the game plan, player skill levels, and the way practice or games are conducted.

Sport has so much to offer both the parent and child that it makes sense to do it right. By making sport fun for our child, we set the stage for the future health and happiness of our kids.

Peter Dickinson, MS, PT, SCS is the owner of Winthrop Physical Therapy. You can contact Winthrop Physical Therapy with questions about health programs, training or injury at 509-996-8234.

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