Support our economy: Buy outdoor-rec stuff

Allow us a refreshing summer dip into the Big Northwest Gore-Tex Mailbag, a tradition nearly as old — and every bit as rooted in reality — as that old "ICU2 TV Set" on the J.P. Patches Show. Straight from the top:

Q: Looking over the roster of all the "outdoors"-oriented companies around Seattle, it's clear that our local hobbies have helped boost the local economy, at least during the outdoor-industry boom. Is that still the case, or has the business tailed off as the trail-happy boomer generation fades out?

A: Good question. It's easy to assume that the multibillion-dollar outdoor industry, fueled by the lifestyle choices of Generation Gore-Tex from the '60s through the '90s, might be on the wane as baby boomers begrudgingly lose the last of their cartilage in knee joints pounded by decades of hiking, climbing and skiing.

In fact, national figures show participation in some outdoor activities leveling off or declining in recent years. But the economic boost from "low-impact" recreation (defined as bicycling, camping, fishing, hunting, paddling, skiing, snowshoeing, hiking, climbing and wildlife-watching) is still surprisingly strong, especially here, according to a study released this week by the advocacy group Washington Trails Association.

Low-impact activities contribute $11.7 billion annually to the economy in Washington, where one of three residents identify themselves as some sort of outdoor enthusiast, according to the study by Jeannie Frantz, a WTA intern and University of Washington student. Outdoor rec supports 115,000 state jobs, generates $650 million in annual tax revenue, and creates $8.5 billion in annual retail sales and services — about half of which, it seems, shows up on the annual REI rebate statement for the Judd household.

Outdoor recreation, the study says, accounts for about 3.5 percent of the gross state product — a bigger share than aerospace.

Nationally, the number is even more impressive: $730 billion in economic activity was connected to active outdoor recreation in 2005.

The report is available at the WTA Web site, www.wta.org.

Q. What's the best thing for kids to do in Yakima next month besides the usual primary activity, league bowling?

A. Two words: Luge camp. No kidding. The U.S. national luge team's "Slider Search" camp, which has made numerous stops at Woodland Park in Seattle and on one of those actually recruited an Olympic athlete (Christian Niccum of Woodinville), is coming to Yakima Sept. 8 and 9.

The camp is open to boys and girls ages 11 to 14. They'll be taught the basics of riding a luge sled, then allowed to make some turns on wheeled sleds on a temporary course. Kids are then encouraged to show their stuff on a battery of fitness tests.

The most-promising prospects might be invited to train at USA Luge facilities in Lake Placid, N.Y., or Park City, Utah.

The camps, 9 a.m. to noon and 2 to 5 p.m. each day, cost $15 per youngster. The fee includes a T-shirt. Register or find out more at www.usaluge.org, or call 800-USA-LUGE.

Q. My family loves to hike to Rachel Lake, but those last couple of miles are a bear. The trail in places looks more like a creek drainage. Any prospects of a rebuild?

A. Why, yes. Thanks to a grant from the Spring Family Trust, volunteers organized by the aforementioned WTA will be revamping the popular trail, of which Ira Spring and fellow late hiking curmudgeon Harvey Manning noted in an old hiking guide, "The tread was never built, but simply beaten into existence by thousands of feet."

Don't get too excited about a total, gently switchbacking reroute of this overused trail east of Snoqualmie Pass, however. The Forest Service has opined that there's really no suitable alternate route for the trail's final 1.5-mile, 1,200-vertical-foot climb up Rampart Ridge. Work crews will try to shore up the existing trail, adding drainage and removing rocks and roots.

Want to help? They're still seeking volunteers for work parties Sept. 8-15 and Sept. 15-22. See www.wta.org.

Q. A friend of ours went to some climber festival at Mount Rainier last fall and said it was a hoot. What was it, and is it an annual event?

A. It's the Rainier Mountain Festival, an annual gathering of notable climbing types, including the legendary Jim and Lou Whittaker and various other Whittakers, plus the incomparable Ed Viesturs, the first American to climb all 14 of the world's 8,000-meter peaks without using bottled oxygen.

Activities at the free Sept. 15-16 festival, at Rainier Basecamp in Ashford, include slide shows, films, book signings and equipment demos. Also: A 5-mile trail run, a big barbecue, live entertainment and kids games. More info: www.rainierfestival.com.

Ron Judd's Trail Mix column appears here every Thursday. To contact him: 206-464-8280 or rjudd@seattletimes.com.