1. Cat Tales Zoological Park & Wildlife Center: As close to a zoo as we get in the Inland Northwest, Cat Tales is a non-profit organization providing rescue sanctuary for exotic and endangered felines and large carnivores, including Siberian, Bengal, and white tigers; black bears; bobcats; coyotes; and cougars. Located in Mead, Wash., off Newport Highway, it’s open Tuesday-Sunday.
2. Fish Hatchery & Story Trail: The Washington State Fish and Wildlife hatchery in northwest Spokane is open daily year-round, 7 a.m.-4 p.m., for self-guided tours (free). A short drive away nearby is Saint George’s School and its quarter-mile Story Trail. Visitors are welcome year-round, dawn to dusk, when the school’s main gate is open. Other regional fish hatcheries are in Kettle Falls, Ford, and Moses Lake, Washington. In north Idaho, the Cabinet Gorge Fish Hatchery near the town of Clark Fork is open daily to the public, while the hatchery in Sagle (referred to as the Sandpoint hatchery) is only open for visitors during summer.
3. National Wildlife Refuges (NWF) & Idaho Wildlife Management Areas (WMA): You can hike, snowshoe, cross-country ski or take an auto tour (if roads are open) at Little Pend Oreille NWR near Colville, Kootenai NWR near Bonners Ferry, or Turnbull NWR near Cheney. Turnbull charges an entry free March-October. Also near Bonners Ferry are Boundary Creek and McArthur Lake Wildlife Management Areas, where you’re likely to see moose and white-tailed deer. Free admission.
4. Conservation Areas: Choose from 16 designated areas in Spokane County, such as Feryn Ranch, a farming homestead with restored prairie and wetland habitat, in the foothills of Mount Spokane State Park. Find maps at spokanecounty.org.
5. Riverfront Park: The skate ribbon’s closing day is March 3 and will re-open for roller-blading, skating, and scootering in April. The SkyRide and Looff Carrousel continue operating daily. And the Sunday Funday series continues this spring, with free activities for children and families, such as crafts and sidewalk games.
6. Wild Walls Climbing Gym: Monday and Wednesday evenings, 5-7 p.m., is the Spider Monkeys class for beginning climbers ages 4-10. They also have a new 2,000-square-foot bouldering expansion. wildwalls.com
7. Spring Skiing: Enjoy free skiing all spring break at 49 Degrees North Mountain Resort from April 1-7. To celebrate, all the resorts are hosting fun events: Hawaiian Dayz at 49° North (March 23) and Hawaiian Day & Annual Pond Skim Competition at Mt. Spokane Ski & Snowboard Park (March 30); Spring Carnival with pond skim at Silver Mountain Resort (March 30); Schpring Finale at Schweitzer Mountain Resort (April 6-7) with pond skim, cardboard box derby, and Ponderay Rotary Club Duck Derby; Spring Fling with cardboard box derby & coconut bowling at Lookout Pass (April 14).
8. Bird watching in Idaho: During March and April at Camas Prairie Centennial Marsh Wildlife Management Area near Fairfield, you can see sandhill cranes, snowy egrets, redhead ducks, and many more species. At Lake Coeur d’Alene, you can seek out diverse waterfowl and shorebirds at Tubbs Hill, Independence Beach and NIC Beach, Silver Beach and Higgins Point, and Cougar Bay. At Fernan Lake there’s a Great Blue Heron rookery and bald eagle nest. Learn more about Idaho birding trail locations at idfg.idaho.gov.
9. Geocaching: Take your kids scavenger hunting with a GPS. Learn how at Geocaching.com, where you will also find a database of caches, with thousands in the Spokane area. Cache Cave, a retail store specializing in this recreation hobby, is another great resource that also has a website at cache-advance.com. “Our family loves exploring and being outdoors, and geocaching allows us to explore areas we may not have explored otherwise,” says Spokane mom Sara Talley. The Talley’s favorite searches have been at Dishman Hills Natural Area, Stevens Creek trailhead, and Manito Park.
10. Letterboxing: Similar to geocaching, it’s more of a mystery hunt using narrative search descriptions and clues instead of GPS coordinates. Hidden boxes contain a logbook, and instead of trading treasures—like in geocaching—there’s an ink-stamping system for keeping track of who finds what. Learn more at letterboxing.org, and see the database of nearly 200 regional letterboxes. //

Amy McCaffree is Out There’s special section editor and enjoys spring skiing with her husband and their two children.

The post 10 Spring Break Staycations in the Inland Northwest appeared first on Out There Venture.

1. Partake in the famous Christmas Lighting Festival in Leavenworth. Every year, during the first three weekends of December, over half-a-million lights adorn this Bavarian village nestled on the eastside of Washington’s Cascade mountains. Stroll the streets, shop for gifts, and greet Father Christmas, St. Nicholas, Santa, and Mrs. Claus. Every Saturday and Sunday, around 4:30 p.m., is when the lighting ceremony begins with much fanfare. Your getaway can also include a visit to the Leavenworth Winter Sports Club ski hill in town, which includes terrain and tubing parks. There are many local Nordic skiing and fat biking trails (skileavenworth.com). Stevens Pass and Mission Ridge, both less than an hour away, offer alpine skiing and snowboarding.
2. Trek through a National Forest for your Christmas tree. With a $5 tree-cutting permit, purchased from a Forest Service ranger office, you can bring home a rustic fir or your next tannenbaum.
3. Take a sleigh ride. High Country Orchard, part of the Green Bluff circuit in Colbert, Wash., and Western Pleasure Guest Ranch in Sandpoint, Idaho, offer horse-drawn sleigh rides, with an option to get a fresh-cut Christmas tree.
4. Get away to the snowy shores of Priest Lake. Stay overnight in a cozy cabin at either Hill’s or Elkins Resorts, both located on the western shore. There’s an extensive cross-country ski trail system, which starts at Priest Lake golf course and connects to the lakeside trails at Hill’s Resort, and there’s Nordic gear and snowshoes available to borrow from the lodge. Hill’s lounge and dining room are open from Dec. 26 through New Year’s Eve. At Elkins, you can rent snowshoes and explore the trails right from the resort.
5. Nordic ski to a backcountry hut. Along the Methow Valley’s 200 kilometers of groomed cross-country ski trails, there are cozy huts for long winter nights. Make reservations for one of the Rendezvous Huts (sleeps 8-10 people), or return to the town of Winthrop and stay in a Rolling Huts glamping cabin.
6. Take a cruise on Lake Coeur d’Alene—but not just any cruise. Journey to the North Pole with a 40-minute magical cruise from the Coeur d’Alene Resort. View the marina’s holiday light show before traveling to see Santa and his elves, and hear your child’s name read from the “Nice List.”
7. Experience a moonlit adventure on snowshoes, fat bike, or Nordic skis. Traditional folklore refers to December’s full moon as the Long Nights Moon, Cold Moon, or Frost Moon, according to The Old Farmer’s Almanac. This year the full moon appears on Dec. 22, the day after Winter Solstice. For late-night adventure, Mt. Spokane Cross Country Ski Park is open daily until 10 p.m. For other parks be sure to check open hours since many close at 4 p.m. or dusk. For information about trail networks in Idaho, visit the Panhandle Nordic Club website. If you miss December’s moon, the first full moon of the new year—called the Wolf Moon or Old Moon—will appear on Jan. 21, followed by the Full Snow Moon on Feb. 19.
8. Ski with Santa. On Dec. 23, Mr. Claus will be geared up and ready to ski with children and their families at Schweitzer Mountain from 1-3 p.m. He will also make the rounds at other local mountains on Christmas Eve, including Lookout Pass (around Noon), Silver Mountain, and Mt. Spokane.
9. Experience Winterfest in Wallace, Idaho. Enjoy three days of small-town fun from Dec. 29-31, with snow sculptures, s’mores, and library snowman story time. More extreme than magical, there will also be vintage snowmobile races along with extreme “ski jor” race where ATVs tow skiers. visitnorthidaho.com/event/wallace-winterfest
10. Ski or snowboard in the New Year’s Eve Torchlight Parade. Join Lookout Pass staff and other advanced and intermediate-level skiers and riders to celebrate the end of 2018. Also spectacular to watch, as a line of skiers make big, wide turns from the summit to the base while carrying a red torch. Space is limited, so be sure to register online. //

The post 10 Ways to Make the Holiday Season Magical appeared first on Out There Venture.

My son is now 18-months-old. Certainly in the first throes of motherhood I recall a few uninvited external voices that made me nervous about how to balance motherhood and an outdoor life. While the strength and influence of such voices varies in different communities, I know I’m not alone.

A lot of women hear that if we are moms, we are going to have to sit it out when it comes to adventure. We hear how dangerous or inconvenient it is to include our kids in being outside, or that our changed bodies and new priorities will keep us otherwise occupied. Even if a woman has silenced the voice saying that she will be too busy or too out of shape after giving birth to get back on the rock, another voice might whisper that the effort of dragging kids up a mountain is too much to overcome. I even believed that I’d lose acceptance or respect in my mountaineering community if I stayed away from climbing too long.

Friends who are moms and climbers have told me their own version of a similar story. But we agree that despite the changes that come with kids, we still have a need for our outdoor life and to bring our children along with us. Those things have a stronger pull than any hang-ups those external voices could utter.

I asked a friend, Lindsey, who has an 18-month-old daughter, Olivia, what has changed in her relationship to the outdoors. “We can’t just go climbing with only the two of us (referring to her husband, John) without a third person. There are a lot fewer after-work-weekday-climbs, but we still go. And, we have amazing climbing partners [who help with Olivia] when we’re out.”

Of course getting out to climb is not always free of challenge. She says sometimes on a weekend she and her husband bring their daughter to a crag, and they might only get a couple of routes in before they have to head home for nap times or other needs.  Still, together, the family has accomplished an 18 -mile backpacking trip in the Enchantments, and plenty more. Lindsey says taking Olivia with them is creating a strong sense of family and trust in each other. She hopes it will help her daughter build confidence and joy in the outdoors too.  When she is out with her daughter, the goals are not as “epic” as they used to be, but she “experiences the little things more,” and says it’s always worth the effort.

Another friend, Jen, has a three-year-old, an almost two-year-old, and another one on the way. She says she gets out to run and hike but has found some challenges with backpacking and climbing. While her kids love being outside, when they were younger they were not happy in backpacks or long car rides to get to climbs. For a while she and her husband wondered if they were “doing it wrong.” But they make it work. Sticking to local, short hikes with their kids and getting out on runs by herself has been her way of connecting with her outdoor life.

For me, a poignant moment with Caleb happened just this spring. We had been stuck inside for almost two weeks with a cold. I couldn’t stand being in the house anymore so I strapped Caleb to my back and headed down a trail behind our neighborhood that leads to the Spokane River.

I could hear him babbling along as we walked, and when I glanced over my shoulder I could see him reaching out to touch flowers or gangly weeds. Then, he stopped babbling as we saw a robin fly above us and perch on a branch nearby. In almost a whisper, he uttered “bir..bir…” in what may have been his first word in which he truly knew the meaning.

These days have been quieter physically since my son was born, but I have been struck by how grateful I feel when I’m climbing, hiking, or running. I’m more aware of spontaneous beauty and the people I’m with—the things that called me outside in the first place, even if it takes more planning, even if I don’t always get as far as I could on my own. // (Meredith Jeffries)

Meredith Jeffries is a writer, climber, hiker, and mom. Most days, you can catch her around Spokane on the trail, or with her nose in a book. This is her first article for Out There.

[Feature photo: Caleb’s first ice climb in North Idaho // Matt Jeffries]

For more ideas on recreating with kids, check out Amy S. McCaffree’s column, Out There Kids.

The post Motherhood and the Climber’s Life appeared first on Out There Venture.

Begin with a “backcountry lite” experience, or seeking out enough primitive wilderness without totally roughing it. This includes staying at remote and rustic National Forest Service campgrounds accessible by car. You have no cell service and are many miles from the closest small town, yet you have potable water and vault toilets.

Another way to teach children about the rigors and requirements of backcountry travel is with day hikes. Kids can carry their own small pack with supplies, learn map and compass-reading skills, and practice Leave No Trace principles, including sanitation guidelines. Hiking round-trip in a day and returning to a campground, hotel, or returning home, is a significant accomplishment.

For any hike, always carry the “Ten Essentials,” which includes 10 gear categories: navigation, sun protection, insulation, illumination, first-aid supplies, fire, repair kit and tools, nutrition, hydration, and emergency shelter.

Accidents happen and the power of nature can foil plans.

When your family seems ready for an overnight backpacking trip, begin with a one or two-night itinerary to a kid-friendly destination, such as a lake. Experts say that a child’s pack should weigh no more than 10-15% of his or her bodyweight. Find packing list ideas in guidebooks and from Washington Trails Association’s website (wta.org).

My friend and fellow Spokane mother Rebecca White recommends bringing special treats. For her kids, she packs M&Ms, freeze-dried astronaut ice cream, and tinfoil S’mores. Also, she packs extra clothes that remain behind in the car at the trailhead—“so you know everyone has a clean set when you’re done,” White says. She and her husband, Chris, first took their two children backpacking when the kids were about 10 years old. She recommends destinations like Plowboy Campground at Upper Priest Lake, which provides vault toilets. The 3-mile Navigation Trail is flat and easy, or you can boat in.

Parents Joal and Elizabeth Lee, from Pullman, chose Upper Priest as their family’s first backcountry destination. “Our daughters were 5-years-old, 2-year-old, and 6-weeks-old [at the time],” says Joal. “Elizabeth was able to carry a fully-loaded backpack while pushing our baby in a jogging stroller.” Accompanied by another family, Joal and the other dad canoed to the campsite with most of the gear. “It went really well, though, thinking back on it, I wouldn’t recommend taking a child that young. Even if a person is well-prepared, there is a lot that can quickly go wrong with infants,” he says.

The Lee family has since experienced three more backpacking trips, including to the Seven Devils in Idaho and the Eagle Cap Wilderness in northeast Oregon, where they summited the 9,572-foot Eagle Cap peak. “The farthest we’ve backpacked in a single day is 8 miles,” says Lee.

In the backcountry, be sure you’re prepared to respond to serious injuries. Consider registering for Wilderness First Aid or a Wilderness First Responder course, both offered locally by Peak 7 Adventures. There’s also the more comprehensive Outdoor Emergency Care (OEC) course designed by National Ski Patrol. For families living in Washington, Idaho, and Oregon, an annual Life Flight network membership is a wise financial and peace-of-mind investment should emergency air transport ever be needed.

To reduce heavy gear requirements, families can hike to a backcountry cabin or yurt. To reduce hiking mileage, consider traveling by boat to a backcountry destination, such as a cruise across Lake Chelan to Stehikin Village, a gateway to North Cascades National Park. There are four primitive wilderness campgrounds (permit required) located 0.5-5 miles from the boat landing. In Glacier National Park, Glacier Park Boat Company provides trips across lakes where you can then hike to backcountry campsites. Local guidebook writers Harvey and Abby McAllister have published family guides to Glacier, Yellowstone, and Utah’s Big Five National Parks—all part of the Adventuring with Kids series from Mountaineers Books. Another good resource is “Babes in the Woods: Hiking, Camping & Boating with Babies & Young Children” by Jennifer Aist.

As Amelia Earhart famously said, “Adventure is worthwhile in itself”—especially when that adventure is in a thick forest, along a quiet trail, or near an alpine lake with spectacular star-gazing views. //

Amy McCaffree is Out There’s special section editor. Her all-time favorite backpacking trip was in Glacier National Park’s Belly River area.

[Feature photo: White family backpacking in Hoodoo Canyon. // Courtesy of Rebecca White.]

The post Navigating the Backcountry with Kids appeared first on Out There Venture.

It was visually kid-friendly, for sure, and provided structure and routine. I wanted this calendar to make me feel prepared and accomplished. It committed us to a bucket list of fun. With a school schedule no longer organizing our lives, I thought this calendar was a great idea.

Back in the 80s, I was a latch-key kid with older siblings who had fast-food jobs, which meant I spent too many summer days watching TV and only occasionally biking with friends to 7-11 when I had enough money for a Slurpee. There weren’t day camps or outdoor public pools, and we lived on acreage with only a few nearby kids my age. Mostly, I was bored, and I wanted to make my children’s summers better than my childhood memories.

Yet all my planned “epic” fun created overwhelming expectations for my family, with little kids who still needed help with sandals. I was trying to make our days feel pre-emptively exciting.

Though, in reality, I was already feeling busy enough while juggling motherhood and work-from-home responsibilities. By mid-July, I was deflated. Too many unrealistic plans.

From then on, I vowed to not create an obnoxiously full summer “to-do” calendar. Instead, I made spontaneous morning-of plans according to our energy levels, moods, and the weather forecast; sometimes I tentatively scheduled the night before. And I kept it simple: splash pads, playgrounds, picnics, pools. Plus, some family vacations and camping weekends.

Now that my kids are older, planning more detailed summer adventures is easier. We meet friends at a beach, plan a short morning hike or bike ride before it gets too hot, and if I want to make banana pancakes for breakfast, we relax and enjoy.

This summer, with free admission to City of Spokane aquatic centers, we’ll definitely be swimming more often. And some days, like past years, we may just put our small inflatable pool under our backyard slide, attach the water hose, and call it a water park. No packing swim bags, snacks, and lunches; instead, quick bathroom access and air-conditioned breaks inside.

I don’t have to be my kids’ awesome day camp director. Together, we now choose a mix of favorite and new activities to structure our summer days. Some will be better than others. Not every day has to be “amazing.”

Our Summer Adventure Guide is meant inspire you, not overwhelm you. Pick and choose a feasible few outings from the over 100 summer adventure ideas. Maybe try a couple of new ones. My kids want to try stand-up paddleboarding and ziplining this summer. We’ll see.

There are 10 weeks before school starts again. There’s no time to do it all, but enough to make it a memorable summer with plenty of time spent outside.

Find stories about kid-friendly activities, travel destinations, and recreation ideas in the Out There Kids archives, as well as Summer Adventure Guide articles.

The post Planning Summertime Family Adventures appeared first on Out There Venture.

OTO: What values and attitudes about outdoor recreation and travel did you prioritize and emphasize once you became parents?

JJ: I’m a big believer that you parent best from your own true, best self. So when Anya came along, I wanted share with her the outdoor things I loved. Some had to go. I chose to give up mountaineering for economic and safety reasons, but instead I taught her to top-rope rock climb and took her to Yellowstone to watch wolves.

OTO: What have you learned from your family’s many outdoor adventures?

AH: I think Anya actually first learned empathy when we went into wild places and talked about how animals live there—how they eat, struggle, and play there, and how we can help keep their environment safe for them. She loved to think and talk about how the animals lived in the environments we visited.

OTO: What have been the greatest rewards from being an Outdoor Family?

AH: Anya now has her own relationship to the natural world. When she’s feeling stressed, she often goes out to the Turnbull Wildlife Refuge. When her friends are stressed, she even takes them there.

JJ: Wherever she goes and whatever she does, she can go outside and feel comforted and at home in the world. That’s incredibly comforting for me as she gets older and talks about going off to college…Our daughter also gets a love of outdoors from grandparents, a poetic outlook on passing geese from my mom, a love of meditative walks from my dad, an athletic vigor and enthusiasm from Amy’s mom, and a passion for knowledge and understanding of nature—and fishing!—from Amy’s dad. A life in the environment has deep family roots for us.

OTO: How did your family’s travel and outdoor recreation interests and decisions change as Anya became older?

JJ: Letting Anya take her share of the lead has resulted in some of our best adventures. It had never before occurred to either of us to travel to Japan and do things like snorkel on coral reefs off the coast of Tokashiki Island.

AH: When she was little, I really wanted her to learn to downhill ski, but she said she’d prefer to snowboard. So we followed her lead, and to this day, snowboarding is one of her favorite outdoor activities. And we all get to go to the mountains together, as I’d dreamed.

JJ: The first place we ever brought Anya home to was the tiny, secluded log cabin Amy and I built in northern Idaho during summer vacations when we were in college. No electricity, no running water. We heated water for her baths on the wood stove. It was an exquisite few years. Now she’s grown into a high school senior who loves big, East Coast cities and wants to go to college in one and someday be a diplomat and work in world capitals. But that’s the beauty of parenting, isn’t it? You show your kids what you love. But kids are their own people, with their own senses of things. Pretty soon they start to show the world to you!… But most of all you have to remember, we don’t get the days back. When you have a family and you watch your kids get older, that feels more true and urgent than ever. //

Amy S. McCaffree is Special Section Editor and the Out There Kids columnist. She wrote about recommended reading for outdoor families last issue.

Feature photo: North Idaho cabin home. // Courtesy of Amy Howko

Originally published in the March 2018 print edition of Out There Venture under the title “Journey of an Outdoor Family.”

The post Raising A Kid as an Outdoor Family appeared first on Out There Venture.

Fresh-air parenting wavers in the middle of these two extremes – somewhat free-range but hovering as needed to guide, teach, and protect from harm. In my family, this is what it looks like: I hover close on the alpine ski runs, but this past season, with my son nearing age 7, he was allowed to ride the bunny-hill chairlift by himself to meet-up with his dad. My kids climb our magnolia tree, but not our fence. They can never, ever bike, ski, scooter or skateboard without wearing a properly-fitted helmet. Usually I’m outside with them when they’re riding bikes, but sometimes I have jobs to do inside, like cook dinner. In public, as long as they use the buddy system and stay together, I let them walk without me to the restrooms, if it’s a store we know well.

Fresh Air Parenting in Practice

Here are some ways to practice more fresh-air parenting this summer. These adventures allow my children to challenge their bodies and psyches in new ways and further develop confidence and grit.

• Climbing trees. Our family rules are: climb only on branches strong enough to support your weight, and climb only as high as you can safely climb down. Like all outdoor activities, pay attention to what you’re doing (I read somewhere that it’s better to remind a child to “Pay attention” rather than chide with the fear-based phrase, “Be careful.”)
• Playing outside unsupervised. You choose the time and place. My kids are now in the 6-7 age range, so for our family this means playing in our backyard and front-yard with conditions: plastic “green guy” with “slow” sign and holding neon orange flag is out by the street; they wear helmets whenever biking or scootering, look both ways before entering the road, and don’t go farther than two-houses down.
• Riding or hiking ahead on the trail. As long as kids stay on the trail, they can’t get lost (hopefully). Let your son pedal ahead and come back to you. Let your daughter venture around the corner to experience the silence and solace of the forest. This is an easy way for children to build confidence and skills of responsibility and independence on trails that don’t pose significant dangers (like cliffs, bears, cougars, rattlesnakes, etc.)
• Jumping into the deep-end. Whether in a pool or lake, jumping off a dock or off the bow of a boat, let kids leap and relish that cold splash. Let them swim around the boat. Whether they can swim independently or must still wear a PFD (required for boating for all children age 12 and younger), let them feel adventurous. Look for opportunities for them to practice bravery – doing something even though it’s scary. This is different for every kid. “Deep-end” can also be a metaphor – what is something your child has been too timid to try? Ziplining? Waterskiing? River tubing? How about doing that together this summer? If you’re not willing to try something, don’t expect your child to do it.
• Venturing away and coming back (in groups of two or more) – and venture solo when old enough (10-12 and older). Perhaps geared with a cell phone or 2-way radio, or no communication device at all, let children venture beyond the “home borders.” My personal example is that, when camping, my children are allowed to bike the looped-road, as long as they make visual eye contact and/or otherwise “check-in” with a parent every time they pass by, and my two kids must stay together. Campgrounds generally have a 5 mph speed limit, and the best campground communities have watchful eyes of other parents, grandparents and all-around good people to create a safe, caring “village” atmosphere.
• Daring greatly. Let your kids do it. Do it together. This means different things for different ages and abilities, as well as your own family lifestyle and comfort level. For McCaffrees, daring activities include: biking at night in Central Oregon with bats flying into the sides of our helmets, skiing an unlit intermediate run after dark (with a headlamp), and tubing upper sections of the North Fork of the Coeur d’Alene River. //

[Feature Photo by Amy McCaffree]

The post Fresh Air Parenting appeared first on Out There Venture.

Children’s picture books

Outdoor-recreation themed children’s picture books, such as “Learning to Ski with Mr. Magee,” by Chris Van Dusen ($15.99 hardcover), or “Fred and Ted Go Camping,” by Peter Eastman ($9.99 hardcover), will delight and inspire kids for their next family adventure. Available from Auntie’s Bookstore. (ASM)

Gear Compression Cube Sets

You can’t go wrong with anything from Eagle Creek, which makes durable travel bags, packs and accessories. Pack-It Specter and Original Compression Cube Sets ($36.95-39.95) simplify and improve packing your family’s clothing and gear, whether for a day-trip to the ski mountain or week-long camping adventure. Available from REI and Mountain Gear. (ASM)

Outdoor-themed Games

Classic indoor games with outdoor themes like Monopoly National Parks Edition ($39.95) or Yahtzee National Parks travel edition ($16.95) can be the solution for those who say “I don’t need anything.” Available from REI. (ASM)

Outdoor Pass

An annual Washington State Discover Pass ($31.99) or Idaho State Parks Passport ($10/vehicle for Idaho residents; $40 for non-resident Motor Vehicle Entry Free permit) provides unlimited access to state parks, water-access sites, trails and more (use may vary by state). Available for purchase at local recreational license vendors, select retail locations (such as Mountain Gear and Fitness Fanatics in Spokane), and when you renew your vehicle license. More info: discoverpass.wa.gov; parksandrecreation.idaho.gov. (ASM) //

Contributing Writers: Amy Silbernagel McCaffree, Derrick Knowles, Elena Gardner and Jon Jonckers

The post Inland NW Local Holiday Gift Guide: Family appeared first on Out There Venture.

Road trip after road trip, I’ve realized how reliable and necessary the family car is to successful outdoor adventures. Of course, there’s the gear it carries – camping supplies, bikes, alpine skis, double kayak (not all at once) – thanks to various roof-rack systems and a cargo box as well as a hitch-mounted bike rack. When tent camping, the car becomes a storage container. We took trips with two large dogs in the back before kids came along. Then the dogs stayed behind to make room for five-point harness child carseats and baby gear. How my husband expertly loads our car for big trips is a skill that still astounds me.

Dependable in any weather and with five-star safety ratings, “Subie” earned my respect and, dare I say, love through the years. Its trustworthy performance boosted my confidence, especially when driving on snowy roads. But it was more than that. It was where we listened to our favorite songs. Where we shared contented silence. Where my husband and I had uninterrupted conversations. The family car felt like home away from home.

It surprised me to realize how much a car became entrenched in my family’s narrative – a background character in our travel stories. Yet it was the constant element as we ventured to various Pacific and Inland Northwest destinations and back home again, whether it was to western Washington’s San Juan Islands or Sisters, Oregon, or Montana’s Glacier National Park. Subie was a conduit for adventure. With its dents and scratches, eventually it started to feel like part of the family – a team member fulfilling a valuable role. So much so that when it came time to get an upgraded, newer model, it was bittersweet after 10 years to say goodbye to the “family car” – the one we had from the pre-newlywed stage of life through early parenthood. But of course a different car only started the next chapter of travel memories when we returned to parks and campgrounds and ventured to new destinations.

Perhaps it’s silly to feel this way. It’s just a car, a machine, a piece of utility gear. Yet there it is, heavy with memory. My family car became a symbol, a catalyst for nostalgia: “Remember when we went to …camped …skied …biked …kayaked…?” And don’t we all get emotionally attached sometimes to certain gear? Bikes, boats, skis, lake cabins – these all hold memories.

Ultimately, though, what’s most important is the family inside the car. After an exhausting day of recreation or during a long road trip, I like to look at my children sleeping peacefully in the back seat. It’s these quiet moments of reflection when I better understand that the journey, however long, is always good. //

Amy Silbernagel McCaffree writes our Out There Kids column. She enjoys sharing stories that inspire people to be more active and adventurous.

The post The Family Car: A Conduit for Adventure appeared first on Out There Venture.