Viesturs Concludes 16-Year Quest

Seattle man’s satiating summit makes history

   On May 12, Ed Viesturs carved a place in history when he reached the summit of Nepal’s 26,545-foot Mount Annapurna. With the help of longtime climbing partner, Veikka Gustafsson and a team of four Italians, the 45-year-old mountaineer from Bainbridge Island, Wash., became the first American to summit all 14 of the world’s 8,000-meter peaks.

   “It is one of the happiest days of my life, one of the hardest days of my life,” he said in a post-summit radio call to base camp.

  Of the 12 others that have completed the feat, only a handful of them did so without the use of supplemental oxygen, something Viesturs can claim.

   Born in Rockford, Ill., Viesturs moved to Seattle in 1977 to attend the University of Washington (UW).  As a rock climber, he became obsessed with Mount Rainier, and in 1978 he made his first of almost 200 summits of the 14,411-foot (4,393-meter) mountain.  Although he earned a degree in veterinary medicine from UW, he became a guide for Rainier Mountaineering, Inc. and ultimately chose the mountains over becoming a vet.

   He has reached the summit of Mount Everest six times, three of which were without bottled oxygen. While he always uses oxygen when he is guiding, he considers it a “crutch” on his personal expeditions. National Geographic magazine has called him “one of the strongest high-altitude mountaineers on Earth” and without a doubt, he has proven that he is.

  What’s next for Viesturs? Catch our exclusive Outdoors NW interview with Ed in the August edition.

   For more information and photos about Ed Viesturs’ 16-year quest, visit www.edviesturs.com.

Schweitzer Hosts NORBA Nationals

   For the third year in a row, mountain bikers from across the nation will return to the Idaho panhandle for the NORBA (National Off-Road Bicycling Association) National Mountain Bike Race Series, July 14 – 17. Schweitzer Mountain Resort will once again host the series, a medley of endurance races (cross-country, short track and a 100k marathon) and adrenaline competitions (downhill and mountain cross).

   All events are open to anyone who wants to race, as there were no qualifying races leading up to Nationals. One of the goals of the series is to attract new enthusiasts to the sport of mountain bike racing. So if you’ve been slicking up on your singletrack skills, become one of 1,000 racers who competes in this annual event. Spectators are in for an eyeful at this three-day festival of bikes, food and entertainment.

Share the Road

   Washington bicyclists are feeling more excited than usual about sharing the road with cars. In early spring, the Washington State Legislature passed HB 1254, creating a “Share the Road” license plate that will be available for purchase in January, 2006. Car owners will pay an initial fee of $40 and an annual renewal fee of $30 for the plate. In turn, once the state has recovered its production costs, about $12 of each plate will be allocated for bicycle safety and education programs.

   The Bicycle Alliance of Washington (BAW), the Seattle-based advocacy group that mobilized constituents to voice their support for the bill, will manage the funds. In addition to maintaining their current programs, the BAW will set up a mini-grant program for other non-profit bicycle education and safety organizations that could utilize the money, says Linda Schwartz, BAW Director of Community Programs.

   She suspects that it will take about two years before the state recovers the nearly $26,000 it will cost to implement the new plate.

East Lake Sammamish Trail Moves Forward

After years of conflict, route is set for completion

   We’ve seen it numerous times: private property owners battling the public over land and water access. One such battleground includes the controversial East Lake Sammamish Trail, an 11-mile route that, when completed, will connect Redmond and Issaquah, Wash.

   For almost a decade, private landowners have kept King County government officials from finishing the path, a project that was made possible by a grant in 1998 from the national Rails-to-Trails organization. 

   But in May, the King County government announced that it has finally received all nine permits it needs to finish the path. Construction will begin this summer to link new sections of the East Lake Sammamish Trail with an already existing three-and-a-half miles of trail. While the $1.6 million project calls for a gravel path, the county could allocate funds in the future that would pave the trail.

   Recreationalists are celebrating in response: the East Lake Sammamish Trail is one piece of a much longer series of paths that link Seattle’s Elliott Bay Trail, the Ballard-based Burke-Gilman Trail and the Sammamish River Trail through Redmond and Woodinville.

   According to Ron Sims, King County Executive, a 1995 count of trail users found that on a Saturday in May, between 3,300 and 4,200 people use regional trails open to only non-motorized traffic, such at the Burke-Gilman Trail and the Sammamish River Trail.

Get into the  Action

SEAFAIR appeals to both young and young-at-heart

   So you wanna be a superstar? Kids of all ages will find a way to shine at this year’s 55th annual SEAFAIR festival. From July 2 – Aug. 5, Seattle’s favorite community-wide barbeque celebrates the people and places that make up the Puget Sound.

   Whether you enter the Milk Carton Derby on Green Lake, the Sam Chastain Memorial Golf Tournament at Maplewood Golf Course or the Virginia Mason Team Medicine Marathon in Bellevue, thousands of fans will be there to cheer you on.

   If you’re feeling leisurely, take in the Lake Union Wooden Boat Festival; the Chevrolet Cup Hydroplane Race; a traditional Native American Pow Wow; the Sandpoint Magnuson Kitefest; the Torchlight Parade; or dozens of other events.

   For a complete listing of SEAFAIR events, see www.seafair.com.

Highlighted Seafair Races:  

Virginia Mason Team Medicine Marathon, Bellevue, Wash.,  July 10

   5K Run/Walk, 6:55 a.m.

   Marathon, 7 a.m.

   Half-Marathon Run/Walk, 7:15 a.m. 

Benaroya Research Institute Triathlon, Seward Park, Seattle, Wash.,  July 17

   Sprint Triathlon, 7 a.m. (Transition area open at 5:15 a.m.)

   Kids Triathlon, 10:30 a.m.

Pacificare Torchlight Run, Downtown Seattle, Wash.,  July 30

   8K & 5K, 6:30 p.m.

Construction Halts Hood Canal Travelers

   Late this summer, a major access point for the Olympic Peninsula –  the Hood Canal Bridge on State Route 104 – will be closed to traffic. Both cars and cyclists will have to find an alternate route from Aug. 5 – Aug. 9 and again from Aug. 26 – 30. The floating bridge that connects the  towns of Port Townsend, Sequim and Port Angeles with the Kitsap Peninsula is undergoing preparations for the eventual replacement  of  the  east  half  of the bridge.

  While the closures are guaranteed to happen this summer, the dates can fluctuate depending on weather and other factors.

For updated travel information see www.hoodcanalbridge.com.