August 2021 – Turigrinos

Trip Report: Kachess Ridge

Yesterday I went for a short hike/trail run in the Kachess Ridge area northeast of Easton, between Cle Elum Lake and Kachess Lake. My modest goal was to summit both Mount Baldy and Domerie Peak, with a stretch goal of continuing further north along the ridge and perhaps making a loop out of it by heading south along Silver Creek on the return. Sadly, the mostly-sedentary dad lifestyle's terrible toll on my fitness as well as the short window of opportunity meant that I had to turn around before even reaching the three-way point leading to Baldy. Nevertheless, I did [...]

Helicopter Pilot: Signal Mirrors Work

My fire district recently had a training on how to perform a "hot load" (loading a patient into a helicopter while the blades are spinning). Afterwards I had a brief discussion with one of the pilots from Airlift Northwest about locating patients in the wilderness. He mentioned that, during the day, signal mirrors are actually quite effective when used properly but that it's usually difficult for folks on the ground to shine the light right at the helicopter, which is what actually gets their attention. Some mirrors, such as the UST Starflash, include a sort of targeting reticle which lights [...]