Truth And Beauty Guided Look At Valley Trails Opens A Whole New World

Out on the Valley’s nature trails, there’s more than hikers taking in the glorious spring sunshine. Grass widows, white-crowned sparrows and other harbingers are out celebrating the season’s warmth.

Nature enthusiasts say many hikers, numbering each year in the thousands, miss out on the varied flora and fauna alive in the Valley. But with the help of a trail guide, in human or book form, walking through the Dishman Hills, Liberty Lake Park or along the Centennial Trail takes on a whole new view.

Wyn Birkenthal, manager of Spokane County Parks and Recreation, learned that first-hand.

Recently, he traveled to the Grand Canyon and spent the first part of his trip exploring on his own.

“I looked at all the rock formations, their beauty and size. But I didn’t give it all that much thought,” he says.

At nightfall, a park ranger gave a talk on the canyon’s geology.

“I looked at the Grand Canyon differently over the next three days,” he says. “It made the hike all that more rich.”

Without some sort of guide, you see things, but you don’t consider them or have much of an understanding of them, says Birkenthal.

Many Spokanites call on 83-year-old Tom Rogers to guide them on a hike through the Dishman Hills Natural Area.

While he no longer takes all-day hikes, the retired Valley biology teacher still finds time - and energy - for one-mile jaunts.

A Camp Fire group called him this week for help. They referred to a map of the hills to find the ponds, ridges and best wildflower spots. Four girls and their leader, Brenda Bray, set out to see the season’s early blooms and maybe catch a peek of a deer or elk.

Springtime brings some of the most brilliant colors nature has to offer, says Rogers.

Especially in the Dishman Hills. That’s the area he’s worked so hard to preserve as a member of the Dishman Hills Natural Area Association.

“We tell (groups) a little bit about the rules and about how to take care of the place - like not to pick the flowers,” he says. Rogers also takes care to point out the different species of flowers, plant and animal life unique to spring.

“If we hear or see things along the way, we point them out, we talk about the geology of the area,” he says.

In March, the association hosted its annual buttercup hike through the hills.

So far, groups have seen warblers and mourning cloaks and glacier lilies. They’ve watched frogs treading away in settling ponds, butterflies breaking free of their cocoons, blue-tailed lizards getting their first taste of spring.

Aside from the natural aspect of hiking, Rogers reminds hikers of the personal benefits.

“It’s a nice way to get away from our troubles,” says Rogers. “You don’t really have to think a whole lot.

Along the Centennial Trail, hikers, bikers and strollers can take a trip with the Spokane River, says geologist and trail guide Mike Hamilton.

“It’s a pleasure to walk along,” he says. “The noise of the river blends in with the other sights. It feels like you’re going somewhere with it.

“Any time you can break free of cars or traffic, you’re getting in tune with nature. It’s very therapeutic.”

Hamilton, president of the Dishman Hills association, takes groups on hikes once a week.

As a former geologist with the U.S. Bureau of Mines, Hamilton never forgets to educate groups on the area’s geology. With nooks and crannies and cliffs and hills, people tend to get lost.

“You go up and down, down and around and pretty soon you don’t know which way is which,” he says.

Which isn’t always a bad thing because if you get lost, “you’ve got plenty of time to look at things.”

Including bedrock that’s about a billion years old and granite about 70 to 80 million years old, Hamilton says.

He’s busy putting together a trail guide that lists not only the trails, but the flowers and animals people can expect to see in the Dishman Hills.

“A new set of flowers blooms up there each week,” he says. First the buttercups, then the grass widows, glacier lilies and blue bells. Hamilton has identified at least 40 different varieties of wildflowers there.

At Liberty Lake’s county park, ranger Bryant Robinson is working on a handout for hikers to be available this summer.

Sierra Club vice chairman Rich Leon says this is one of the best times of year to hike. Crisp colors, awe-inspiring views and the sing-song sounds of nature are coming to life. “It’s such a good learning experience, especially for kids. You can see all the diversity our area offers.”

On hundreds of miles of trails, folks can soak in all the Valley has to show. Nature lovers warn others to stretch a bit before taking on their season’s first hike. And to take along some food, water and binoculars.

But, most important, says Hamilton, is to bring some time.

“Slow down. Force yourself to stop, look around and see what’s there,” he says. “The more we grow as a city, the more we need the hills and the trails. You can just be there. It gets quiet, you forget you’re in the city. You’re there with the rocks and the flowers and the breeze.”

, DataTimes ILLUSTRATION: 2 Photos (1 color)

MEMO: This sidebar appeared with the story: TRAIL GUIDES Looking for a good local trail guide? Many nature enthusiasts recommend “100 Hikes in the Inland Northwest,” by Rich Landers and Ida Rowe Dolphin, and the Sierra Club’s trail guides for this area. The Landers-Dolphin volume is available at most book stores; Sierra Club guides are available at Auntie’s Bookstore or by calling the Sierra Club at 838-0312. To arrange a guided hike, call Tom Rogers at 926-7949, or Mike Hamilton at 747-8147.