A New Coat for Winter

It's been a busy couple of weeks at Basecamp getting ready for winter.  The lodge and cabin were in need of some fresh color around the interior, so the winter team - Kim, Steve, Jaclyn, Brianna and I -  got to painting.  As with all painting projects there were spills, the need for multiple coats, paint on objects that should not have paint, and general unpredicted yet predictable happenings that increased the length and amusement of the project.  In the end, we painted nearly every room in the lodge as well as the main room in the cabin, adding such colors as earthquake, telluride tan, terra-cotta tile, and clay pot.

The painting, along with general winter preparedness work including wood chopping, shoveling, cover building, and all around cleaning, has been my main activity since arriving in Mazama at the beginning of December.  It was great to get back out to the Cascades after spending the autumn back home in New England.  The night I arrived there were 6-8 inches of fresh, heavy snow on Lost River Road, which I took to be a sign of good things to come.  It was, however not in the snow department. Since then, there have only been small flurries of an inch or two, making it a decidedly mediocre start to the winter.  Don't despair though, six inches of snow was plenty for an East-coaster like me to get out on the Methow Valley Ski Trail Association trails.  Nearly every day I've been able to head right out my door and explore the myriad trails snaking around the valley.  Since I arrived here I think I have already doubled the amount of nordic skiing I've done in my life.  And I love it more every day; the motion of skate skiing is somewhat addictive.

I'm enjoying settling in to life here at Basecamp, getting to know Kim, Steve, Emmitt and Amelia better every day and building on the already-strong bond Mica and I have formed during our brave, late-night hardwood floor crossings (significantly more challenging for some of our four-legged friends).  I look forward to the rest of winter here with the other staff, - Jaclyn and Dierdre along with the Bondi family - meeting our guests, and maybe, possibly, more than a couple inches of snow this year!

A couple pictures from skating on Davis Lake (where we found a bat frozen in the ice!):

Double Chocolate Chip Cranberry Sea Salt Cookies

We just served these this afternoon to our guests (and our employees) and they sound like a go for the season.   These cookies were discussed in great lengths at lunch time about how they are not too sweet, perfect consistency, and their sweet/salt combination hits the mark.  Funny, I didn't get one from this batch!

Ingredients
     1 cup salted butter, softened
     1/2 cup sugar
     1 1/2 cup packed brown sugar
     2 eggs
     2 tsp vanilla extract
     2 3/4 cups all purpose flour
     3/4 tsp course sea salt
     1 tsp baking soda
     1 1/2 tsp baking powder
     2 1/4 semi sweet chocolate chip cookies
     1/2 -3/4 cup cocoa powder
     3/4 cup cranberries
     course sea salt to sprinkle on top

Instructions:
Preheat oven to 350 degr F.  Cream butter and sugars until fluffly (approx 3 min on med-high speed).  /add both eggs and vanilla and beat for an additional 2 minutes.  Add baking soda, powder, salt, cocoa and flour until cookie batter is fully incorporated.  Finally add chocolate chips and cranberries until well distributed.  Cookie batter will be thick.

Form dough into disks using a medium cookie scoop or hands.  Dip into course sea salt and spread onto your baking sheet.  Bake for 12-14 minutes until edges are golden brown.  Allow to cool and enjoy!









Printed from North Cascades Basecamp recipe blog
www.northcascadesbasecamp.com
December 2013
Inspired from Nicole Scheirlburg (thanks nicole!)

Basecamp's Emmer Waffles

These waffles are light and fluffy, and not nearly as filling as they look.  The best way to make them is to use Bluebird Grain Farms Emmer Flour- or any local flour source that is freshly milled.  Served with fresh berries during the summer (or frozen during the winter season), yogurt, and pure maple syrup makes a great meal before heading to the great outdoors.

Serves 6 adults

Ingredients:
     2 eggs
     1 3/4 cup milk
     3/4 cup melted butter
     3 cups flour (1/2 Bluebird Grain Farms Emmer flour & 1/2 all purpose flour)
     1 tsp vanilla
     4 tsp baking powder
     1 T sugar
     1/2 salt

Instructions:

Melt butter and beat with eggs and all other ingredients.  Substitute 1/2 of the milk with yogurt if you like a fluffier texture.  Cook on a preheated waffle griddle.  Serve hot with your favorite toppings.



Printed from North Cascades Basecamp recipe blog
www.northcascadesbasecamp.com
December 2013
Adapted from Sue Roberts waffle recipe and Cory Diamond's Special Waffle for Sunday Guests recipe. Thanks for the inspiration to both of you!

Restoring alpine vegetation in the Cascade mountains

 We kicked off a Treasured Landscapes Volunteer Vacation this summer with citizen scientists, National Forest Foundation's  (NFF) Kathleen Dowd-Gaily, the North Cascades Basecamp's Bondi family, and Therese Ohlson (retired USFS botanist) as they hiked the Maple Pass Loop to enjoy the wildflower display and learn about alpine ecology and restoration as part of a week long program to explore areas that are a part of the NFF’s Treasured Landscapes, Unforgettable Experiences conservation campaign.

The Maple Pass Loop is a great example of a trail being over-loved in our eastern Cascades mountains.  The views are incredible of Black Peak, Cutthroat Pass, Golden Horn to the north, and Glacier Peak to the south.  It is a strenuous but satisfying 8 mile round trip loop.  This beloved trail has earned its popularity with over 10,000 visitors /year (explained T. Ohlson), and it is written up in many of our North Cascades hiking guide books.  However its abraided trails through the mountain heather, the bare soil on every potential overlook, and the lack of vegetation at Maple Pass show its high volume use.

The US Forest Service and NFF are working to change over-loved trail with restoration of the alpine plant communities.  The Treasured Landscapes Initiative is collaborating its efforts with citizen science volunteers and forest service employees to designate a sound user path along the trail, plant and restore native plants outside the newly designated paths, and gently block off restored areas for future generations to enjoy.   The outcome will be incredible if folks respect the efforts and take charge of their actions on this and other trails above treeline.  A grand hope is that if this restoration effort is successful, it will lead to a greater understanding of how to love and protect our alpine trail systems.

If you'd like to be part of this effort, please contact Kathleen Dowd-Gailey by email at kdowdgailey@nationalforests.org or phone at 206/832-8280.  Or let us know if you'd like to partake in the project as part of a North Cascades Basecamp citizen science effort and we can help organize a summer project for 2015. 

Basecamp Granola

This is a favorite cereal at the North Cascades Basecamp, put out daily as part of our cold cereal bar to accompany a locally grown, healthy hot breakfast we serve for our guests.   This granola recipe is truly the inspiration for this recipe blog since we have requests for it so often, and we love to share!  It holds its crunch, is loaded with nuts and seeds, and low on sugar compared to other (even healthy) granolas.  I thinks the combination of coconut oil, peanut butter, agave syrup, maple syrup, ground flax seed, our our own Basecamp honey give it the perfect sweetness and texture. One note is that each batch is unique because we like to throw the ingredients together depending on our moods.  Let us know what you think!

INGREDIENTS

DRY
4 cups rolled oats
1 cup raw almonds (chunked)
1 cup raw walnuts
1 cup raw sunflower seeds
1 cup raw sesame seeds
4 T ground flax
3 tsp ground cinnamon
1 tsp sea salt

WET
1/2 cup honey (substitute partial 100% maple syrup or brown rice syrup)
3 T agave nectar
3 T coconut oil
1/4 cup canola oil
1/4 cup peanut butter
1 1/4 cup brown sugar

ADD INS:
coconut flakes, dried cranberries, pepitas, raisins

DIRECTIONS
Set oven to 100 degrees F.  In a medium saucepan, head the wet ingredients until smooth.  Stir frequently so it doesn't burn.  Stir wet ingredients into dry until well coated; it may be hard to stir at this point, but make sure everything is combined.  Spread mixture onto a well oiled jelly roll sheet, or other baking pan with at least a 1/2 inch side.  Bake for 45 minutes, removing the pan every 15 minute to give the granola a good stir and prevent over browning on the sides.  Allow to cool on the pan before putting it away in a airtight container.


Printed from North Cascades Basecamp recipe blog
www.northcascadesbasecamp.com
October 2013
inspired by Oh She Glows My Favourite Homemade Granola (to-date)

Butterflies of the Cascades

This August we hosted a fabulous retreat with Dr. Robert Michael Pyle, studying the Butterflies of the North Cascades.  Our crew for the weekend was enthusiastic, ready to learn, and ranged from the advanced lepidopteran in the field, to the laboratory researcher studying adaptations of butterflies, and onto those newly acquiring butterflying handling and identification skills.  Smiles and laughter ensued when Bob would post a release butterfly on one's nose.  What a great expression one makes when tickled by butterfly feet!

Here Bob demonstrates proper holding techniques for the group.  But sometimes they held still for us all on their own and photography was just as informative. We learned specifics such the life history of butterflies and their life stages, importance of nectaring and host plants for adult and caterpillars, and how to identify males and females.  Other discussions throughout the weekend were informative, in-depth, and focused on the bigger picture of global warming, nature deficit disorder, to collect or not to collect specimens for study, and impacts of changing habitats for butterflies in a shared world with humans. 

We look forward to hosting Bob in the future, and loved the inspiration of this amazing naturalist group! 

all three species of wood nymphs in one day!

butterflying around the Basecamp gardens to end the fun!

Raptor Migration

The Fourth Annual Raptor Migration Festival fulfilled expectations this year with great raptor viewing from Chelan Ridge to Harts Pass.  The North Cascades Basecamp was proud to be involved with a booth at Pateros Memorial Park. A crowd of 30 joined us at the Basecamp on Saturday night for summer garden vegetable curry soup and emmer brownies with ice cream dessert, followed by a great presentation by Andy Stepniewski of Yakima Audubon.   

Andy and Ellen led 15+ participants up to Harts Pass on Sunday morning to watch more of the migration magic.  The sunny ridgeline was ideal on this day for migrating raptors; wings set back, head thrust forward, and hardly a flap needed except for the balancing act to overcompensate for gusts of wind reaching 20-30 mph.  The highlight of the day was acrobatic prairie falcons at the Slate Peak parking area, numerous osprey riding the winds, and rocket-fast merlins chasing pipets.  We watched over 50 birds in their migration south, catching those thermals and riding the gusty winds.  Happy travels and we’ll see you next year!