Spring/Summer 2007

Mary Sharman: Genius Behind the T-Shirts
By Ann McCreary

Some people participate in MVSTA races for the glory. For others, though, the real reward is the T-shirt.

For more than a decade, graphic artist Mary Sharman has been creating silkscreen designs for the array of running and bike races presented each year by Methow Valley Sport Trails Association. Her distinctive work is seen on dozens of shirts given to race participants, and proudly worn as a sign of their accomplishments.

When racers receive their T-shirts at MVSTA events, you’ll often hear them discussing the new design, and long-time competitors enjoy debating how it compares to shirts from previous events. Race veterans often have their favorite designs.

After the races – in fact, many years after the races – you’ll see her shirts on people around the valley and beyond.

Sharman’s first local T-shirt job was for the Sunflower Relay, the granddaddy of trail races in the valley. She created her first logo when the race was still being organized by local runners, before MVSTA became involved.

Her designs range from realistic to abstract, from elegant to, as she says, “goofy.” A design created for the Mountain Triathlon, featuring a “mutant fish” powered legs and a bicycle wheel, was selected by Print Magazine as an outstanding graphic design.

Designing for the Sunflower is one of her favorite jobs, Sharman says. “In a big race like the Sunflower, I can go all out and use lots of color. I really like that race.”

In addition to the Sunflower Relay, Sharman regularly designs logos for the Duathlon, the Triathlon, Run the Sun, the Rattler, the Cutthroat, the Trail Run Series and the Bike Festival. Coming up with that many new logos each year keeps her creative side busy, and sometimes involves a certain amount of “sitting there and pulling out my hair,” Sharman says.
She prints the shirts at her shop on Kumm Road in Mazama. “I like having control over the printing process,” she says.

In addition to her work for MVSTA, Sharman also designed the famous Mazama Goat logo, which has been spotted on shirts worn by people halfway around the world. She estimates she has produced about 15,000 goat shirts over the years. Glover Street Market, the Twisp Bakery and Rocking Horse Bakery also carry her design on their T-shirts.

Sharman’s artistic pursuits followed an earlier career as a horse shoer. When her knees could no longer handle the stress of shoeing horses, she put the graphic design degree she’d received at Seattle’s Cornish Institute to work.

She worked for a while in Seattle doing advertising design for the Seattle Weekly newspaper, before moving to the Methow Valley in 1990. She bought equipment to set up a silk screening shop, and began designing children’s shirts. But the sales end of the business didn’t really appeal to her. When she began designing shirts for MVSTA, she found a good match for her interests.
“They’ve been great to work with,” Sharman says. “They give me a lot of freedom.”

Sharman does other graphic work including brochures and business cards, and works as a web site designer for Medicine Wheel in Winthrop, and serves up a fine latte at Rocking Horse Bakery.

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If you spend enough time in the Methow Valley, you’ll realize that you haven’t seen it from every angle until you’ve seen it from the water. Hiking trails, ski trails, roads paved or gravel – they all lead to or through vistas of the valley from one of the straight or squiggly red or blue lines on the map. Yet there are vistas from the lakes, and water trails through the valley that can only be experienced from a boat. When the weather is warm, and the trails and byways are dusty, grab a paddle, pack the canoe and hit the water!

There are vistas of the Methow Valley that can only be experienced from a boat.

Canoeing in the Methow Valley is at its best when the days are warm, and the coolness of the water is a benefit. But from spring melt-out in April, until the December freeze, the lakes of the valley offer views of the plants and wildlife as it changes through the seasons.

Preparing for a canoe trip is easy enough. Besides the obvious need for a canoe and a couple of paddles, please grab a brain and remember appropriate safety equipment. Life jackets are a must! In cooler weather, or when the water is cold, “farmer John” wetsuits are an excellent idea – especially if you’re drawn to any moving water. Sunscreen, sunglasses are a good idea on a sunny day, plus water and a snack – better yet, a picnic basket! The packing list is short and simple, but the safety gear is a must.

Whether you’re paddling a plastic polyethylene model, an elegant wood and canvas classic, or a sleek carbon and Kevlar lightweight, the canoe is scarcely more technologically advanced than the dugout and bark canoes sketched on rock faces thousands of years ago. Long and pointy on the ends, driven with one or two or more paddles, 21st century canoes cut through waters with the same paddling rhythm as those who explored the valley lifetimes before us.

Canoes are the very simplest of watercraft, and appreciating the canoe is really a matter of noticing all the things that it is not. You won’t have to change the oil, you’ll never get a flat tire, no batteries required, no software updates, and you’re not likely to need an owner’s manual. In the springtime, you may need to wipe a few cobwebs from the nooks and crannies, and find a strap to tie it to the roof of the car, but you certainly won’t need a mechanic. It’s been said that a person of modest means can certainly afford to own a canoe, and that a poor man may have several.

If paddling is new for you in the Methow, look at the lakes as the best place to start. If you expand the reach to the east and west by a few miles, the options span from Ross Lake in the North Cascades National Park, all the way to Omak Lake to the east. Patterson Lake, Pearrygin Lake, Twin Lakes, and Leader Lake are all options a little closer to home, and each offers special views and opportunities to explore. A little bit higher in elevation – melting out a few weeks later each spring – you can explore Blackpine Lake, Campbell Lake, or Tiffany Lake.

Patterson Lake has access from a public access parking area located off Patterson Lake road, near the middle of the lake. The put-in is easy, with an easy sloping shoreline and ramp. Paddlers on Patterson Lake are rewarded with terrific views in all directions. Wildlife can be seen from the canoe, too – bring binoculars! Osprey, eagles, hawks, owls, ducks, shorebirds and songbirds can be seen along the southeast and southern shores. Deer, of course, and maybe a beaver or a coyote or perhaps even a bear might be seen along the wooded south side of the lake.

The key to watching for wildlife is taking your time; be patient and quiet and pay attention, while making sure to also pay attention to where you’re going! Patterson doesn’t get much boat traffic, and bigger boats don’t create a wake (due to motor and speed limits on Patterson). Paddlers would be wise to keep an eye out for strong gusty winds that can come up on Patterson Lake on summer afternoons, but if you stay near the shoreline there is always a safe paddling route back to the put-in since the lake isn’t too terribly large.

If you take mid-week trip to Blackpine Lake you may have the lake to yourself. It’s just about 10 miles up the Twisp River road, and then a left turn up Buttermilk Creek road for a few more miles; an Okanogan National Forest map will be helpful for finding your way. Blackpine Lake is small, but makes up for it with terrific views and scenery. It’s wooded, mountain location feels remote. In mid-summer you might even bring your camping gear and spend the night.

For the experienced paddler there are further options. Those with a desire for a multi-day lake trip can plan a fabulous canoe trip on Ross Lake. Savvy boat handlers with skills and cold water safety equipment can run the rapids of the Methow River or the Chewuch River in the springtime. More relaxed river travel, with picnic stops, is a luxury during the hot dog-days of July and August, when the flow has slowed and the water is running clear and not-so-ice-cold. During these days, a float from Winthrop to Twisp is just the ticket. During late summer, watching the spawning salmon is a memorable experience – floating slowly while peering into the deep pools in quiet reaches of the river as the big fish move upriver.

Seeing the valley from the water this year may be a way to get a more full appreciation of what the Methow Valley offers. Water is an integral part of the local ecology, and the canoe is the most elemental means of seeing the valley from the water. The riffles of your paddle slicing through silent waters, the view of an osprey diving for a fish, the breeze creating riffles across an open lake, or horizon-wide vistas of the Cascades: these are the memories that are waiting you from the seat of a canoe. This year when the days get longer and the weather is warmer, grab your paddle, knock the cobwebs from under the seats, and explore the waters of the Methow Valley from a canoe.

Mark Waechter lives in the Methow Valley, where he is the owner of Nordic Ultratune in Winthrop ( www.ultratune.net ). Mark and his wife Margaret spend time each summer paddling in the local lakes and rivers.

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Muscle Matters
By Pete Dickinson

As we welcome the warm summer months, the winter is now behind us, and we have survived our New Year’s resolutions by ignoring or outliving them. If your resolutions involved becoming more fit, you’re part of a revolution has been going on for some time now. Despite this, adults and children aren’t getting any fitter. The promise of technology has brought a dark side, with over 25 percent of kids now obese or overweight due to increased chair time. Adults don’t fare much better with four in ten reporting NO leisure time physical activity (i.e. fitness activities). This is a big problem affecting our health in a broad pattern because when you rest, you rot.

Fitness training with a strength component really is that elixir of youth.

First, a look at some disturbing statistics that affect our health as we age. Shocking, that we are slowly aging; I thought it wouldn’t happen to me. Now they tell me that I am slowly losing strength from age 30 onward. It gets even worse. We lose 30 percent of our already depleted muscle strength between the ages of 50 and 70. This depleted muscle is also the good stuff, our fast twitch fibers. These are the fibers that contract the strongest and fastest. No wonder my time trial times are getting slower!

While your early strength losses may go unappreciated as you transfer to more desk work in your midlife, it certainly becomes a bigger deal once you hit your later years. Maintaining a healthy body composition becomes difficult as we trade muscle for fat.
We have an increase in fall risk due to this erosion in speed; you can’t catch your balance as quickly, and bad things happen when you fall.

It turns out that trying to maintain as much muscle as possible is a good thing on many levels. Muscle tissue helps maintain a high metabolic rate, the energy we expend on a daily basis. The more muscle tissue you have, the more calories you are burning during the day. Body fatness results from a number of factors, but chief among them is a declining metabolic rate due to loss of muscle mass. This is why it is so common to slowly put on weight as we get older. In addition to decreasing our metabolic rate, loss of muscle mass as we age also can affect bone density, lead to increased insulin sensitivity, and decreases in aerobic activity.

The current research is not all full of bad news, however. It’s been shown that the loss of strength can be prevented by (yes, I know it’s hard to believe) exercise. Performing two to three strength exercise sessions a week can keep those fast twitch fibers happy. Increases of 40 percent in strength can be realized in just a few months. You can turn back the clock – it just may require less time in front of that 64” HDTV.

We know that strength is also a big benefit to our aerobic exercise. Increases in lower extremity strength will actually delay the onset of fatigue in our recreational activities of hiking and biking. We produce less, and tolerate higher levels of lactate in our muscles, a chemical marker of fatigue. This is the perfect adjunct to helping us enjoy our amazing resources of beautiful hiking and biking trails in the Methow Valley. Our elite level valley athletes all incorporate a strength component to their fitness activities. Nordic skiing and rock climbing both require high levels of upper body strength. Both young and ‘mature’ athletes will find great benefit to pursuing their strength fitness.

Two to three strength excercie sessions a week can help keep your fast twitch muscles happy.

Strength training also doesn’t take an enormous amount of time, and can be very simple to do. I’m not talking about power lifting small cars, or hours spent honing large biceps in front of the mirror. The US ski team has traveled the world doing all of its strength training with just a chair and some stairs. Variety, instruction, and a social component can be had at local fitness centers and studios.

Strength training is as simple as lifting a weight for 12 repetitions (a set), rest, then repeat again. If you are new to strength training, one set of exercise will give the same gains as three sets. More experienced trainers will benefit from three sets of exercise. The American College of Sports Medicine recommends eight to 10 different exercises split between the upper and lower body. New research has shown that changing your program every four to six weeks gives additional increases in strength, compared to not changing your program. Changes can be as simple as choosing new exercises, or by changing the number of repetitions, or speed of movement. This changing style of training is called Periodization. As with any fitness program, consult your physician if you have heart disease, hypertension, or other complicating conditions.

So fitness training with a strength component really is that elixir of youth that has been sought for years. It makes you younger, stronger, and more resistant to the illnesses of age. There is no pill that can accomplish this, no diet, no thigh master, no guru…just strength, the perfect supplement for an active Methow Valley summer.

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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Enjoy the trails with a load off your back: going ultralight
By Soo Ing-Moody

What if someone told you they had the best ever multiple-night backpacking experience into their favorite back country area, enjoyed nearly all the comforts of home (plus incredible views) while there, and only carried a pack the size and weight of some day packs?

Though it may sound too good to be true, today’s ultralight backpacking gear is very real, very accessible, and you don’t have to mortgage your home to get the gear you’ll need to get started for the trails.

Although ultralight backpacking has been around for some time, these days you no longer have to sew your own simple gear just to get your pack down to a healthy weight. As I recently discovered, it was without any effort that my husband and I were able to get our two packs down to a combined weight of 45 pounds for a two-day trip (that included food and water – and we even went heavy on the food!).

According to Rita Kenny, owner of Winthrop Mountain Sports, more and more people are switching over to ultralight gear, especially since lighter weight technical gear is becoming more the trend.

If you are thinking of making the switch but don’t know where to begin and how much it will all cost – read on for a few considerations on some of the bigger (and weightier) items to inventory first. And, if you just happen to be in the market to begin replacing some of your much-used, heavier, and bulkier backpacking equipment anyway, you might want to know that not all lighter weight gear is necessarily more expensive than traditional equipment – in fact, some may even cost less!

The Pack

“The ultralight movement started with people sewing some of their own packs as light as 11 ounces. These were extremists, but as a result some mainstream manufacturers are now offering ultralight packs,” says Kenny.

By comparison, the average weight of a 5000 cubic inch backpack is about seven pounds, while a 3000-3800 cubic inch pack can weigh as little as two to four pounds. Although the lighter weight pack carries less volume, most ultralight gear is also more compact and does not require the added space that traditional gear does.

Before choosing a pack that is suitable for your needs, it would be wise to first take inventory of the weight and size of all the gear you intend to carry in your pack, while considering your style of backpacking.

Lighter weight packs tend to be made of an ultralight material that is also less durable than traditional packs, and without as many pockets, compartments, and external straps. That means that the bulkier and typically heavier items that were traditionally carried externally no longer can be.

“You just need to be careful and be knowledgeable about maintaining the pack, know how not to overload it, and always carry equipment to be able to repair seams,” advises Kenny.

The good news is that because they lack some of the extra features, and are made of lighter weight material that is less durable than traditional backpacks, ultralight packs can also be considerably less expensive.

Another advantage is that without the heavier suspension system (because you won’t need it as much when carrying lighter gear) the pack will truly be lighter and more comfortable to carry.

“When you are looking for packs,” advises Kenny, “make sure the pack fits you well. Manufacturers are making more specific men and women’s packs with the shoulder straps and belts better fitting, so you no longer have to settle with a generic fit.”

The Biggest (Weight and Bulk) Offenders: Tent, Sleeping Bag, and Mat

Although some people (much tougher than I am) wouldn’t mind skipping the a tent and sleeping out in the open under the stars, the majority of backpackers would opt for the stars idea minus the potential for weather and bugs.

Basically, individual choice rules in this decision about tents, and the weight carried can vary greatly from nothing, to roughly four pounds for an ultralight tent that sleeps one or two people. A lighter tent can considerably decrease the size and weight of your pack, and if it is compact enough it will be compatible with any ultralight pack.

Give it a test, and find out for yourself the many advantages that going ultralight can have for your body and overall backpacking enjoyment.

Another traditionally heavy and bulky piece of backpacking equipment is the sleeping bag. The technical changes in the production of sleeping bags have been honed down to a science. They are not only lighter and less bulky, but also as warm as we need them to be.

Kenny said the bags are shaped and insulated strategically, “giving more attention to warmth and the core, anywhere they can minimize weight but not insulation values. There are super light down bags that weigh about 1 pound, and synthetic ones weighing 1.5 pounds, with warmth factors down to 25 degrees.”

Although ultralight sleeping bags tend be a larger splurge than more conventional weight sleeping bags, you will be amazed at the amount of space and weight they can save. A literally small example is my 32 degree 800 fill down bag which, when rolled up, becomes the size of a 32 ounce. water bottle and weighs only 1.6 ounces!

There is no doubt that the ultralight sleeping bag is a big ticket item as far as backpacking gear goes, but once you get it, you will be more than happy with the change, especially when you discover that the reduced weight and bulk may just allow you to carry the things you just can’t live without – such as a loftier sleeping pad.

The technology on sleeping mats is similar to that of sleeping bags. They no longer need to be generic and ordinary. They are available in various materials, lengths, comfort levels, thicknesses, with or without insulation. They can also be as compact as you need them to be, with some insulated air core pads smaller than a 32 ounce water bottle when folded up, with a warmth factor down to 15 degrees, and weighing around 1.5 pounds.

Sure, there are simpler, and lighter weight sleeping pads available, but the extra weight for the warmth, compactness, and comfort may just be an area of compromise for a good night’s rest after a long day of hiking, especially when the rest of the items in the pack are already so light!

Stove, Cookware, and Food

If you look forward to nutritious and delicious food after a long day exploring the backcountry – the new stoves and cookware options will be exciting news. Some of the newer stoves are not only light weight, but they can even boil water in as little as two or three minutes.

Canister stoves can be an advantage because you do not need to carry as much fuel everytime you go out

“For a stove, you want to choose anything that has a good track record and has been tested,” says Kenny. It would be smart to do some research and find out what comments are available for a particular stove and what is required to maintain the stove. For example, canister stoves can be an advantage because you do not need to carry as much fuel every time you go out, but a downside to consider is that at some lower temperatures they may not work as efficiently.

You may want to consider how you intend to use the stove; whether your cooking plans require the stove to simmer food, or if you primarily need it to have a high heat output to quickly boil water for the preparation of drinks and freeze-dried food. In addition, some stoves come with their own lightweight pots, thereby eliminating the need to carry another bulkier or heavier pot. The ultralight concept is to only carry the essentials.

By traveling with lightweight gear, your food options and variety can become less restrictive. Although freeze-dried food will be the lightest option, it is also the most costly. Be creative and make your own versions, or augment with additional spices. But be warned that food can quickly add up to weigh a ton! So be careful to choose filling foods that are high in nutritional values, while providing more sustained energy levels.

Perhaps even more important than food is the need for clean water. If you want to go extremely light, then iodine tablets will definitely be the lightest, but their disadvantages are the time needed for them to work (30 minutes or more) and – of course – the taste. Several water purifiers currently on the market weigh as little as one pound, work faster and without the bad taste.

To cut down on weight, plan to use collapsible bag-type water vessels which only weigh one ounce per 32 ounce size, rather than hard plastic water bottles that weigh approximately six ounces per 32 ounce bottle.

Clothing and Safety

Perhaps the biggest change from traditional backpacking is the ability to use lighter weight footwear thanks to a greatly reduced pack weight. “Instead of the traditional footwear that weighs two or three pounds, the new footwear lets you travel fast because it is as light as a running shoe, with the advantage that it is less fatiguing, needing no break in time, and is more comfortable and breathable,”says Kenny. “But, you do lose a little on ankle support,” she warns, “so, assess for yourself and check with your doctor on what is the best for you.”

As far as clothing is concerned, it is important to remember not to skimp on weight and compromise on safety. But, with the lighter weight clothing now available, there really isn’t a need to.

“In the last five years, there is more technical clothing made of natural fibers, like coconut fibers that wick. An advantage of natural fiber is that odor is not retained like it is in synthetic fibers. Some lightweight down or synthetic jackets can weigh well under a pound,”says Kenny. “And with rain gear, you need to be sure that the quality of the craftsmanship is not compromised,” cautions Kenny. “You want it to be dependable because your life is dependent on it.”

Kenny’s advice is to carry what you will need to allow for changes in humidity, temperature, and weather. Layer clothes to keep warm, staying away from cotton products, and buying as light weight as possible.

Since ultralight backpacking is all about streamlining weight and bulk, you should leave out any items you never use, or weigh your options (literally), but it is important to keep in mind that this does not include compromising on the necessities for a safe experience. First aid kits, a map of the area, a knife, a light (headlamps are ideal), matches or lighters, and enough food and water are essential and should never be omitted.

The Load Down

After taking inventory of your current gear and prioritizing on the bigger weight and bulk offenders (backpack, tent, sleeping bag and pads, stove, and clothing), do your research on the ultralight items you want to get first.

Then give it a test, and find out for yourself the many advantages that going ultralight can have for your body and overall backpacking enjoyment. The only downside to your newly discovered freedom is that you will soon begin to feel awfully sorry for all the sweaty and heavy laden backpackers you will pass on the trail – who will undoubtedly mistake you for a day hiker!

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

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