10 Summer 2016 conservationnw.org
Northeast Washington wilderness
the case for wilderness in northeast
Washington
COLUMBIA HIGHLANDS INITIATIVE
On a nice day, stand on top of
Queen Anne Hill in Seattle and you
have the extraordinary privilege of being
able to see two mountain ranges. Look
west to the Olympics rising from the
Peninsula, blue and snow-topped. Turn
east and the crags of the Cascades glim-
mer in the distance. It's truly an amazing
thing , to be in a major city and be sur-
rounded by breath-taking mountains.
I feel lucky whenever I'm walk-
ing home from work at Conservation
Northwest's Seattle office and I catch
glimpses of these peaks. But I'm also
oen reminded of other mountains that
I've known, tucked away in the north-
east corner of Washington.
ese mountains, known as the
Columbia Highlands, don't boast the
same kind of rugged splendor that their
counterparts to the west do. But there's
a quieter kind of beauty there, and just
as much wildness. I had the fortune to
grow up on the roots of the Kettle River
Range and spent my childhood and ad-
olescence swimming in mountain lakes,
hiking the Kettle Crest Trail, and bush-
whacking in search of rare plants for the
Forest Service. It doesn't matter if you're
a skier, a farmer, a birdwatcher, or an
ORV rider—no matter your activity or
livelihood, life in northeast Washington
is surrounded by and celebrated because
of the natural world.
e Columbia Highlands sit at the
foot of the Rockies and are comprised
of the Kettle River Range and the Sel-
kirk Mountains. ese two ranges are
separated by the Columbia River, but
together they make a landscape unique
alaina Kowitz Communications and Outreach Associate,
alaina@conservationnw.org
to northeast Washington. In the Ket-
tles, Sherman Pass is the go-to destina-
tion for hikers, bikers, and skiers. e
trailhead at the top of the pass puts you
on the Kettle Crest Trail, which switch-
backs up to Snow Peak. e trail along
the wild Kettle Crest leads you through
an amazing display of toothpick snags
le in the wake of a forest fire in the
1980s, and rocky outcroppings are
adorned with penstemon and larkspur.
My friend, mountain biking near Sher-
man Pass, swears he glimpsed a wolf on
this trail. I'm inclined to believe him.
Both the Kettles and the Selkirks are
prime gray wolf and Canada lynx habi-
tat, two endangered species with shrink-
ing ranges in the Pacific Northwest.
East of the Columbia River, the Sel-
kirks provide more drama, specifically
with Abercrombie and Gypsy Peaks.
ese are the two highest spots in the
Columbia Highlands and some of the
most unique landscapes I've seen. e
Abercrombie Mountain Trail takes
hikers to an open ridge, where the sub-
alpine forest ends and is replaced by
scattered huge, gnarled snags. Shale
overtakes wildflowers, and the trail leads
to a rocky, 360-degree view at the top.
It's hard to know where to look first. To
the west, the Kettles roll by; to the east,
the Salmo-Priest Wilderness beckons
(home to wolverines, mountain caribou
and the only functioning population of
grizzly bears in the state). You can peek
into Canada in the north and on a good
day, the Columbia Plateau is visible in
the south.
e close proximity of wildness de-
fines the people who live here. I've heard
(and shared) many a conversation at the
local brewery or grocery store revolving
around cross-country skiing conditions
on Sherman Pass, the latest huckleberry-
