Weekender: North Cascades Basecamp
Where recreation meets education in the Methow Valley
By Hilary Meyerson
Photo at right: The North Cascades Basecamp is home to a wide range of outdoor recreation, as well as being a center for environmental learning. Photo courtesy of North Cascades Basecamp.
Welcome to our new column, Weekender! The column will focus on weekend getaways in the Pacific Northwest. Since there are so many destinations to choose from, we can’t fit them all in print. Starting on Feb. 16, we’ll bring you Weekender about every two weeks, exclusively online at goldtravelblog.com. Now you won’t have to wait until the next issue to begin planning your next Weekender!
Upcoming Weekender destinations:
National Park Inn, Mount Rainier, Wash. – Feb. 16
Mission Ridge’s Hog Loppet, Wash. – March 1
Oregon Coastal Hiking, Seaside, Ore. – March 15
There’s a long list of reasons that guests flock to the North Cascades Basecamp in Mazama in the winter. It has the best snow in the Methow Valley, cozy accommodations, delicious locally produced meals and natural beauty in every direction.
There’s another reason to come. Since Kim and Steve Bondi became the owners of the lodge in 2010: the Basecamp is a now a destination for environmental education in addition to being a vacation spot for outdoor enthusiasts where it hooks in with the 200-kilometer Methow Valley Sport Trails Association (MVSTA) groomed Nordic trail system.
The Bondis are both accomplished biologists and naturalists. Before running the Basecamp, they had thriving careers as scientists and participated in numerous wildlife studies in the Methow Valley and beyond. They decided to add “inn keeping” to their extensive list of accomplishments without abandoning their previous careers.
“We told ourselves, lots of people come to the Methow Valley to recreate—why not give them the opportunity to learn something at the same time?” said Kim.
There’s a wide range of outdoor learning opportunities at the Basecamp. Guests might go out on one of the snowshoe tours, which feature local naturalists highlighting winter ecology, wildlife and tracks, snow conditions and more. Be sure to pack your best skiing and snowboarding gear for this one!
Or they might participate in any number of citizen-scientist workshops, such as a bald eagle roost site survey. There are climbing workshops taught by rangers and landscape watercolor workshops taught by artists.
For a more leisurely approach to learning, there’s the Thursday Soup and Presentation Series. For $5, attendees enjoy a homemade organic soup and bread dinner, and then adjourn for a presentation by an expert. A farro and squash chili and cornbread meal might be followed by a lecture such as Pikas in the North Cascades. The Bondis can tap into an extensive network of former colleagues for just about any subject.
Despite the educational bent, the Basecamp is still primarily about recreation with the MVSTA trailheads right outside its door. Besides skiing, there’s sledding and snowshoeing and a bonfire or woodstove to warm cold hands at the end of the day. There’s a library of natural history books for curious minds, and also a soft bed and pillows for tired bodies.
Kim and Steve Bondi continue to work toward being ambassadors to the environment in the Methow Valley.
“We want people to experience the North Cascades and get to know the environment they are visiting. We offer the ability for folks to do this, whether they have a love for learning about natural history, want a bridge between art and science, or desire an opportunity to support local and sustainable ecotourism. We’re a unique family-friendly vacation.”
http://northcascadesbasecamp.com/
Hilary Meyerson is the editor of Outdoors NW. Comments? Email Hilary >> or enter a comment below . . .
