As far as mountain ranges go, one of the wettest
is the Selkirk Range of the Idaho Panhandle, Northeast Washington and extending
way up into the interior of British Columbia.
I just spent the first three days of my spring break there. If you want sunshine and sandy beaches for
your spring break, I wouldn’t advise this area. But if you’re ok with rain and
snow and beautiful stormy lakes—big lakes—you might give it a try.
I
fell in love with the Selkirk range when I was in high school working for the
Youth Conservation Corps at Priest River Experimental Forest. While Priest Lake
was oh so reminiscent of my own Payette Lake, I was overwhelmed by the endless
mountains that weren’t necessarily that high but were covered with forests,
rain forests. I still love it up there. It’s filled with wildlife that connects
itself to the arctic. You still encounter woodland caribou and grizzly bears
there and no reintroduction of wolves was ever necessary in this part of the
world.
Now,
if you go, you really should take your passport and explore this range into
Canada. I don’t know if there is any lake more beautiful than Kootenay Lake. (I
know I’m writing about things I’m thankful for in America, but some of America’s
parts are inextricably combined with its neighbors to the north and south and
Trumpishly ignoring that will be perilous.) This lake is a southern Canadian
jewel and its waters flow right back into Idaho, Montana and Washington (all
part of the Columbia River drainage). In fact, all these lakes and rivers of
British Columbia, Idaho Montana and Washington are from the massive amounts of
water the Selkirks scrape from the sky. The second wettest place in the lower
48 is the Selkirk Mountains in Washington and Idaho. (The Olympics are
first.) The Selkirks are awe inspiring
from Mt. Revelstoke to Arrow, Kootenay, Priest and Pend Oreille lakes (to name
a few) to Kootenay Pass and Chimney Rock. When you hike these mountains be
aware of avalanches and no matter the season wear water proof gear. These
mountains are a North American gem.
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