Touring Big River since June 1 has brought me into the sights of Mt. Rainier. On clear days, this pinnacle rises high above the Seattle skyline and busy port. I’ve been lucky enough to see it often during my time here. Most of the snow on Mt. Rainier descends to the ocean. The snow on the south flank (pictured on the right of the photo) melts into the Cowlitz River basin, moving southwest to the confluence with the Columbia near Longview, WA. One warm day in Gig Harbor, I plunged into the ocean and swam briefly toward Mt. Rainier, drawing an ever widening circle around my watery world.
Last night, I attended a Tribute to the Orca at the Seattle Aquarium. The evening featured Indigenous voices from the international west coast, including a welcome from Ken Workman, Duwamish Tribal Councilmember. Jason LaClair, an artist from the Lummi Nation painted the event’s feature image: a depiction of a Lummi creation story called “Orca Homecoming.”
Nez Perce Tribe chairman Shannon Wheeler spoke of how their homeland in the Idaho mountains around the Snake River (pictured here) links them to the ocean-going Orca through Salmon, the traveller between salt-and-fresh-water worlds. It was a good reminder that the Columbia connects a vast network of mountains and river basins from headwaters to sea. That fish network needs our help to restore salmon, so that the species can continue to connect people, orcas and many other species.
Our next Big River event takes us all the way to the ocean shore. From Astoria, we will travel upstream through Portland, The Dalles, Tri-Cities and eventually to Spokane. I’d love to see you! Check the schedule: https://www.bigrivercolumbia.com/events
Thank you for this update Eileen. I have just finished reading “A River Captured”. I was left feeling saddened, but so much more informed on the history of the Columbia River. It was a great read for me. I have ordered a copy of “Big River” from our local bookstore. I’m waiting patiently for it to arrive!
All The Best,
Jim