Panscendo

It seems that spring has finally arrived at the palouse. Following a very disappointing week of snow and slush the temperatures have now reached the 50’s. I took the opportunity to explore the back roads north of Smoot hill and west of Kamiak Butte. The South-Fork Palouse River was full. I spotted a few areas where recent flooding occurred. This can only mean that the snow melt is swelling the river. Melt damn snow!

From exploring around smoot hill

I spotted a hill that was not completely converted to farmland. So, trespassing on someones private land (sorry), I hiked to the top. I was rewarded with a great view of smoot hill to the south, kamiak to the east, and steptoe butte to the north. It has taken me awhile to get used to finding my bearings via landmarks on the palouse. For awhile I couldn’t differentiate the seemingly identical and relentless rolling hills from one another. I understand perfectly why the native americans so readily “held on to” any prominent features of the landscape. I can just imagine one hunting or exploring while keeping the location of steptoe butte in check. The giant rock, being a beacon for ones way home, could easily become something more than just a geological feature.

From exploring around smoot hill

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The team has officially started work on the next trailtracer release. Version 0.1.1 will focus mainly on polishing the UI and addressing minor hiccups. The new version will be made public Feb 22nd. That gives us three weeks to close 20 tickets.

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I am pleased to announce that there is a new version of Trailtracer available. It is a huge upgrade from the original version but still just a small step towards the final vision. Check it out: www.trailtracer.org

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SMOS, or if you don’t like brevity, Silvercrown Mountain Outdoor School, is a 501(c)(3) non-profit school based in Northport Washington. The corporation is still in its infancy but it is safe to say that it will have a long and prosperous future.

SMOS, from the official articles of incorporation has the purpose “to establish and maintain a school to serve the general public and foster the theory and practice of utilizing the natural world for environmental education and individual fitness.”

From the bylaws the above will be accomplished by these objectives:

1. To function primarily as a private, K-12, school that maintains a regularly enrolled student body, an established curriculum, and a full-time faculty that fosters the theory and practice of utilizing the natural world for environmental education and individual fitness;
2. To offer workshops, seminars, and camps open to the general public that relate to our specific statement of purpose described in the articles of incorporation;
3. To promote environmental awareness and stewardship by offering fun and educational activities open to the general public such as interpretive hikes, bird watching, mushroom gathering, trail maintenance, etc;
4. To sponsor special events that promote general health through the natural world such as fun runs, hikes, tree plantings, etc;
5. To engage in any other activities related to our specific statement of purpose described in the articles of incorporation;

SMOS is largely a response to the current state of the Northport area. Northport, considered by many to be a ghost town, is rich in natural resources but poor in community infrastructure. Over 70% of the towns inhabitants are considered to be from low-income households, there are plenty of at risk children, and the limited funding for the school has forced it to cut many extra-curriculum activities and electives. SMOS will address all of these concerns.

Empty talk? Lets hope not. My father, an experienced outdoor education teacher, offered an outdoor ed class to 15 students (the average class size for Northport Highschool is around 20) that was hugely popular and is going to offer it under the SMOS umbrella this year. Furthermore, within the next week members of the board will present to the school board in attempts to create a partnership with the Northport School District so that we will be able to offer electives during the school days on Monday and discuss after-school extra-curriculum activities. Finally, we are actively pursuing insurance options through 4H so that we can offer educational recreation opportunity such as rock climbing and canoeing.

Exciting things are sure to come.

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