Stehekin – the jewel of the North Cascades

Recently, we had a travel writer visit Stehekin, and she wrote an article about her stay in our neck of the woods. Here is a link to the article found in the Woodenville Weekly. Enjoy!

Stehekin – the jewel of the North Cascades

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

What’s going on around here…?

Well, at the Ranch itself…not much…yet. But…the Stehekin Valley is starting its slow spring warm-up. The snow is pretty much all melted away (despite the fact that as I sit here writing this the sky is trying to spit some small white flakes at us), and spring clean-up projects are starting to be the order of business.

Horses are becoming a regular topic of disscussion, and while the main herd will not arrive back in the valley until late May, many of the locals are busy making plans to bring their personal horses uplake on the next barge.

Rainbow Falls

We are also starting to see more tourists in the valley. Stehekin Landing Resort has opened their kitchen units for the season. With the Lady of the Lake boat running daily now, folks are able to travel on a more convenient schedule.

The Rainbow Falls Tour Bus is once again running as well, providing a nice tour of the lower valley during the Lady Express’s 1 hour layover. Whether just coming up for the day, or staying overnight, this is a great way to learn a little bit about the lower valley and some of it’s unique history.

Wildlife in the Valley

A Buck in Buckner Orchard

With the days slowing down, and the tourist traffic dwindling away for the winter, the wildlife are starting to show up here in the valley. I went down to Buckner Orchard today, to see who I could find. I saw 2 bucks and a doe munching on the fallen apples. Their winter coats are thickening up, and they were enjoying the chow too much to be afraid of me.

Next, I went down to the Lake, where I found some beautiful swans. They have been coming every winter here for a while now, and it is always fun to go see how many you can count out there. They just arrived a week or 2 ago, so they are not out in full force yet, but I spotted 9 so far. Last year there were almost 30!

With elk season being over, I’m told they are roaming the upper valley now. Logan spotted about 12 in his headlights as he pulled into the Ranch the other night. Hopefully I’ll be able to get a picture soon and post that. Elk are truly stunning to look at!

Mark saw a bobcat, and several dogs have found some local skunks. The squirrels are busy as ever, and there are always all sorts of birds out on the water of the Lake this time of year. With less people around to bother them, all the critters of the forest come on out, and it sure is fun to see them!

An Apple a Day…

Swans on the Lake

Good News for the Stehekin Road!

Horseshoe Basin

Just a quick update for those that may not have heard yet – HR 2806 has passed through the House, and is now being sent on to the Senate. The battle is not yet over, but this is a big step towards being able to re-open the Upper Stehekin Valley Road, providing access to a spectacular section of backcountry in the North Cascades National Park.

 

The following is a message from Washington State Senator Linda Evans-Parlette:

Greetings all,

As you all know, HR 2806 was passed by the House of Representatives by a unanimous voice vote on Monday and sent to the Senate for further consideration.  As you also know, changes were made to the bill to narrow the authority given to the Secretary of the Interior in adjusting wilderness boundaries.  The following is a summary of the modifications that were made:

• Instead of giving the Secretary the ability to adjust wilderness boundaries, the revised version only allows the Secretary to adjust the wilderness boundary of the North Cascade National Park for the purpose of rebuilding the Upper Stehekin Valley Road with the following parameters:

o   Within one mile of the route, on the date of the enactment of this section, of the Stehekin Valley Road;

o   Within the boundaries of the North Cascades National Park; and 3) outside of the boundaries of the Stephen Mather Wilderness (sec 207)

• The measure goes on to further describe the principle of no-net-loss of lands and sets forth specific provisions on how this can be accomplished:

o   Equal amounts of federally owned acreage are exchanged between the Stephen Mather Wilderness and the North Cascades National Park, resulting in no net loss to either- authority is granted to the Secretary to make the wilderness designation of exchanged lands;

o   Newly designated wilderness shall include the lands along the route of the Stehekin Valley Road that are replaced by the reconstruction;

o   No sale or acquisition is authorized; and

o   No priority is given to this project over of other construction or repair of similarly damaged roads in units of the National Park System.

The passage of this bill from the House is undoubtedly a step in the right direction.  I recognize that the changes made were necessary in order to gain the support of Congressman Jay Inslee.  Quite frankly, I hope that stalling by the National Parks Service is not allowed when this bill ultimately passes.  The good news is that the narrowed scope will likely assist in gaining the approval of the Senate, where we will now turn our collective attention.

At the close of this email you will find contact information for Senators Patty Murray and Maria Cantwell.  If you have not already done so, you may wish to share your thoughts with them on this important bill (feel free to copy me in your email, if you choose).  It’s worth noting that Senator Cantwell is a member of the Energy and Natural Resources Committee, where the bill will likely be referred.

Thanks for your continued support of this bill and the Stehekin community.  Please do not hesitate to call on me or my staff if you have any questions.

Charge on!

LINDA EVANS PARLETTE
Senate Republican Caucus Chair
12th Legislative District
(509) 663-9702

Senator Maria Cantwell

511 Dirksen Senate Office Building
Washington, DC 20510
Washington DC Phone: 202-224-3441
Fax: 202-228-0514
Website: www.cantwell.senate.gov

Richland office phone: (509) 946-8106

Senator Patty Murray
173 Russell Senate Office Building
Washington, DC 20510
Washington DC Phone: 202-224-2621

Fax: 202-224-2621

Website: www.murray.senate.gov

Spokane office phone: (509) 624-9515

If you would like to help in the effort to re-open the Road, please contact your senators, and let them know how important this issue is. Thanks!

Fishing in Stehekin

Fishing the Stehekin

For an avid fisherman, there is nothing quite like the challenge of luring in that record breaking fish using his knowledge and skill to outsmart his prey. For the rest of us, it is just great fun to hook a fish and reel it in with a goofy grin on our face.

I personally am a lousy fisherman, but I find great satisfaction in the act of fishing. There’s just a relaxing calm that happens as I cast out my fly line and watch the river take it away downstream, hoping that a fish will think it to be a tasty treat. And sometimes it even works! Amazing!

Whatever your skill level, Fall is a great time to fish the Stehekin River and surrounding creeks for Rainbow and Cutthroat Trout. The air is crisp, the water is low, and the fish are hopping.

Reeling in a big one

The report from better fishermen than I is that the river is much better this year than it was last year. One fellow said he was getting 18-24″ fish most days that he fished the lower sections of the Stehekin River. People are having success up higher too. Obviously the fish upstream are smaller, but there are lots of them!

The fishing should stay good through October, so grab you gear and come on up to practice your skill (or just try your luck) on the beautiful Stehekin River!

Spring Pictures – May 22, 2009

Spring is here, and we are seeing some gorgeous weather here in the Stehekin Valley! Here are a few pictures I’ve taken in the last couple days.

If you don’t have plans for Memorial Day Weekend yet, come on up! The Stehekin Landing Resort and the Stehekin Bakery are both open all weekend!

Norwegian Fjord Horses at the Ranch

View of the Corrals and Tolo Mountain in the Morning

Lower Field

Road and River at 8 mile

The Stehekin Experience Newsletter, February 2009

Stehekin Valley Ranch, Stehekin Outfitters, and Stehekin Landing Resort have teamed up to publish ”The Stehekin Experience” e-newsletter. The February 2009 edition features articles about what’s in store for the upcoming summer season. Click here to read the full article.