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50@50 – Leavenworth, WA

For this adventure, I started in Seattle where I was working with a couple of amazing performers on a new piece!  In examining how landscape (geography) impacts the development of values, identity and culture, the sea must be considered as a part of that landscape. Think about the proportion of people in this country who live within a couple hours drive from the coast.  The numbers increase if one counts the great lakes as small seas. No doubt that Seattle is a tremendously cultural city on many levels. The hiking possibilities within the city limits and just beyond are numerous – so much so that I decided that I will need to dedicate another trip to make this coastal cultural connection.

I headed east on Highway 2 toward Wenatchee.  The drive is gorgeous!!  I pondered how mountains can look so different – range to range, or even within a range a different points.  Elementally, they all consist of the same things: rocks, soil, water, plant life and some uplifting force.  And yet, slight variables of latitude, moisture, sunlight, altitude, underlying material and method of uplift result in distinctive differences- different sediments, cliff structures, stream characteristics, plant and animal life, and even human life.

After about an hour’s drive, the architecture increasingly appeared Austro/Bavarian – excepting the tiny town of Plain.  Did  settlers try to replicate the culture of their homeland?   In Leavenworth Washington, nearly every building, even the McDonalds looks like it came straight out of a Bavarian village.  This is not like Santa Fe, whose unique architecture is derived from traditional native buildings[1] .   This is fully appropriated from somewhere else!  So how do I even imply that the landscape helped create the culture??

For Eons, Central Washington supported the livelihoods of the Yakima, Chinook and Wenatchi tribes who hunted the land for deer and elk, as well as fished the creeks for salmon.  Settlers began arriving in the 1880s looking for gold.  At the end of the century The Great Northern Railway Company put its tracks through Leavenworth bringing new economic opportunities.  The town evolved into a logging center.  When the GNR pulled out, the industries dependent on rail transportation fell apart, and the town of Leavenworth nearly died.

In a last ditch effort to resuscitate the town, the leaders of the community in the early 1960’s looked to the Alpine landscape as inspiration and decided to change Leavenworth’s appearance to that of a Bavarian village.  Besides the complete renovation of the downtown area, the community began a series of festivals; even an annual production of the Sound of Music. It was all MARKETING!

Or was it?  According to their own published history, the townspeople looked to the landscape for inspiration.  The architecture is appropriated from a similar environment.  In talking with locals, the transformation has, over time, given them a new sense of possibility and identity.  So yes, the land has definitely impacted the creation of its culture.

In planning this trip, I searched for music festivals.  Here in Leavenworth the successful Icicle Chamber Festival brings together competitively selected performers and world class teachers to present music from across the last 250 year continuum, including living composers.  So what is it about this place, the environment that contributes to its existence and success?  Does Leavenworth’s Bavarian identity impact the festival? and if so, how much?

This area abounds with close to 700 miles of trails and dozens of small lakes.  Maps and Day/Overnight passes are available at Wenatchee National Forest Ranger Stations, plus other local businesses.  How DO I choose??  Well a number of trails are multi-day trails and full day trails.  For the purpose of this blog, I’m trying to stick to half-day or shorter trails.

I chose two short trails, suitable to anyone’s skill level,  the Icicle Creek and Icicle Gorge trails, only to find they were closed due to a fire.  I then found the Snowmass trailhead -not on my map – just a mile or so beyond the Icicle Music Festival, only to find the parking lot, the shoulder, and any possible nearby parking space, was full.  Evidently, mapless trails are very popular.  Hmmmmm.  My closest option given my timeframe is the 5.3 mile Fourth of July trail UP a southern slope; with a forecast high of 95m it’s not gonna happen.  With the time I had left, I explored Blackbird Island, the city park trail.   Lesson learned: start really early, and give myself an extra half day, for every day planned.  I could have easily spent a couple of extra days here.