The NW is too enchanting: Today So Far

• Are the outdoors too popular for their own good?
• Human-caused wildfires on the rise in Washington state.
• Homeless shelters forced to upgrade.

This post originally appeared in KUOW's Today So Far newsletter for Aug. 3, 2023.

Quick hits

• Ocean heat wave comes to Pacific Northwest shores
• Washington state has a new hit-and-run alert system
• Movie extras worry they'll be replaced by AI. Hollywood is already doing body scans

The Enchantments are just too enchanting for their own good.

"This hike is Instagram famous, rightfully so. You will not be disappointed," nature writer Luke Whelan told "Seattle Now."

The primary election dominated the news yesterday, but I didn't want this "Seattle Now" episode to get buried, because it does raise an interesting issue about our region's love of the outdoors.

A lot of folks say they visit or move to the Northwest because it's so beautiful here, and they love nature and the outdoors. But sometimes, the outdoors can kind of be like this neighborhood dive bar I used to frequent. I love the place. I'm not sure it's a good thing to say that I spent a lot of time there. However, about twice a month, college students discover the bar and pack it. Now, this is great business for my beloved bar. But all the regulars suddenly find it takes a lot longer to order, or wait for a pinball machine, or play pool, or to simply weave through the crowd from one end of the bar to the other.

You can plug other interests into that metaphor — your favorite brunch spot, band, sports team, Rattlesnake Ledge, etc. The idea is that sometimes there can be a downside to popularity. That's what folks are finding out when it comes to The Enchantments. This region of the Cascades is filled with lakes, mountains, and beauty. It's also easy to get to from Seattle and the rest of Western Washington. You can camp there if you get a permit, but demand is so high, there is a lottery to get such a permit. And the odds are against you.

"I was totally blown away when I saw 40,000 people had applied (for a camping permit). Just five years ago, those numbers were more like 20,000," Whelan said.

Only 6% of the folks who apply will get a permit.

"It's nearly impossible to score a permit to The Enchantments. You'd think that it being so hard to get a permit would deter people from applying every year, but it seems like the scarcity is creating more of an allure around the lakes, almost like a scratch ticket."

That's why it's become more common for folks to attempt to hike through the area in one day. That means more calls for emergencies, and rescues, and more damage to the ecosystem, etc. It's a lot more footprints. And, ya know, all those folks need to use the restroom ... of which there aren't many. And there aren't too many resources to clean those facilities. Still, last year, 102,000 people visited The Enchantments during peak season, which is about July through September/October. Understandably, there is growing concern over the impact to the environment there.

The biggest problem with The Enchantments is that they named the place "The Enchantments." Of course folks are going to want to go there and be enchanted. I've never had much of a problem visiting Point No Point or Cape Disappointment. And you know what? Nothing against The Enchantments, but there is a lot more of the Northwest spread throughout the Northwest. What outdoor spots do you like to frequent? Where are your preferred camping and hiking spots with less competition? Let me know at dyer@kuow.org.

Check out the full "Seattle Now" episode on this here.

We keep hearing about how bad the wildfire season has been this year. Fortunately, our region barely can tell thanks to some favorable wind conditions. Perhaps some numbers will help. The Forest Service reports that there were 86 human-caused fires in national forests across Washington and Oregon by this time in 2022. Since June 1 of this year, there have been 197.

Mathematically speaking, that's a whole lot. Just something to keep in mind while embarking on any summer hikes and camping trips. Read more here.

One side effect from the height of the pandemic that we might want to keep around — it forced homeless shelters to upgrade.

Before, a lot of shelters in Seattle were only open at night. Folks would wait to get in. If they could, they'd get a mat to sleep on a floor, a few inches away from another person. In the morning, they had to go. And the process started over. Many shelters didn't accept pets, or couples. That added up to a not-so-appealing option for a lot of folks. Then the pandemic hit and this sort of setup wasn't going to work.

As KUOW's Kate Walters reports, a lot of shelter organizations have changed things in a variety of ways — dorm rooms, privacy, hotel rooms, tiny homes, opening 24/7, accommodating pets, and more. It's providing greater, and sometimes more appealing, access to shelter. On the other hand, the pandemic worsened many other homeless issues. For the full story on this, read here.

AS SEEN ON KUOW

As the Seattle Open pickleball tournament was winding down on Sunday, July 30, 2023, pickleball fans held a New Orleans Style funeral. The demonstration was for the pickleball courts that had to be converted back into tennis courts. (Courtesy of Greg Tuke)

DID YOU KNOW?

I admittedly get a kick out of "studies" sent by websites trying to backdoor their way into free marketing, but in this case, I'm also a sucker for superhero movies ... even the bad ones.

This one is by CasinoSweeps, a website that has nothing to do with movies. As is common with these posts, they looked at Google search data according to each state to find the most-searched films. They compared the three months with the lowest level of searches to filter out any times when the movies were promoted. Add that up, and Washington's top five superhero movies are:

1. Guardians of the Galaxy
2. Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse
3. Avengers: Endgame
4. Spider-Man: Homecoming
5. The Dark Knight

I gotta say, Washington has some spectacular taste in cinema.

ALSO ON OUR MINDS

The latest Trump indictment names 6 co-conspirators. Here's what we know

Former President Donald Trump remains the only person charged in an alleged conspiracy to overturn the 2020 election results. Trump will be standing alone as he appears in court, despite the fact that federal prosecutors list six other individuals they say served crucial roles in this alleged conspiracy. The six unnamed allies have not been criminally charged or officially named by prosecutors.

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