In truth it was a starlit, clear and cold night, but any
good mystery starts off with ominous storm clouds and mysterious
footprints.
A group of adventurous Methowites were enjoying a spring
skiing trip in a remote area of the Sawtooths when they came across the
trail of a mystery snowshoer.
During the last week of March, Dwight Filer, JoAnn Metzler
and Sam Greebowich camped and ski-toured the basin below Hoodoo Pass
above Lake Chelan. On their first day, Monday, March 28, they came
across snowshoe tracks and deduced that someone had recently camped at
Boiling Lake. As they toured the area the next morning, they observed
the snowshoe tracks leaving Boiling Lake. On the last morning, the group
woke up to find footprints of a wolverine that had investigated their
tents the night before.
The snowshoe tracks are remarkable in that the area that
is so remote and difficult to access. Skis can traverse a snowy
landscape in mere hours, compared to snowshoes. The skiers were
impressed by the snowshoe tracks and would love to know who might have
been enjoying the same stretch of spring snow in the higher elevations.
Photo courtesy of Dwight Filer
JoAnn Metzler and Sam Greebowich on a ski trip into the Sawtooths.
The wolverine tracks were less mysterious and need no explanation. Or do they?
Another mystery readers could help solve is a discouraging case of illegal dumping and polluting.
Within the last month someone dumped a
large air conditioning unit in the waters of Gold Creek, two-and-a-half
miles up the road, between the South Fork and North Fork bridges.
Illegal dumping in state waterways is a criminal offense punishable by a
fine.
Just in gas and effort alone, it would have been cheaper
for the violators to take that air conditioner to the annual metal drive
on April 30.
Dumping in creeks not only destroys the scenery, but also
has a negative impact on fish, birds, deer and numerous species of
animals who depend on clean water. Less than a mile downstream are
numerous family homes with wells that depend on clean ground water for
drinking and eating. There are family-owned campgrounds a football throw
away from the dumping site. Here, people filter water from the creek
for drinking and cooking, cleaning, and their grandchildren enjoy a dip
in the cold water.
Further down the creek are beaver ponds, salmon spawning
redds, and a community swimming hole. Illegal dumping may be convenient
for some, but it hurts everyone else.
If you or someone you know left an air
conditioner in Gold Creek, please come pick it up and take it to the
Methow Recycles metal drive either Saturday, April 30, or Sunday, May 1,
at Cascade Concrete on Horizon Flats Road in Winthrop between 9 a.m.
and 3 p.m. There is a $15 purging fee for appliances that once contained
coolants, like air conditioners. Everything else is free.
Fifteen dollars is cheaper than a criminal record and fine
for illegal dumping. Also, the person who retrieves their air
conditioner would be giving back to the community instead of taking away
the view and the clean water for their neighbors.
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