July/August 2024

A Flatlander Finds Inspiration
Rookie climber discovers beauty, challenge in the mountains
Sprinting down the steep slope as fast as my snowshoes would allow, I called out to a pair of fellow climbers, “Do you have any ibuprofen?” Suffering, scared, and with two aching knees, my brother-in-law, Turner, slowly made his way down to Colchuck Lake, head held high, tail between his legs...

Seattle Artifacts: The Reign of the Toy Hydroplanes
At one time, these mini hydros were the ultimate childhood status symbol
Long before the Mariners or Seahawks, Seattle sports fandom revolved around one thing and one thing only: hydroplane racing. In many ways, it was Seattle’s first major league sport...

Rethinking Mental Health Post-Pandemic
A new normal: increased awareness and reduced stigma
I am the one out of every five Americans who received mental-health care in the past year. I wouldn’t say that I’m proud of this fact, but I’m not at all embarrassed by it, either. In fact, I’m more sheepish about having high cholesterol than I am about the fact that I spend an hour

The Houses That Fufu Built
Two Seattleites turn culinary holes in their hearts into popular West African restaurants
Fufu, the shared starch of West African cuisines, is a soft pillow of slightly stretchy dough from which eaters pull chunks to use as a utensil and blank canvas for spicy soups. It represents the long traditions of pounding tubers — plantain, cassava, taro, or others, depending on where and by whom — even when

Psychedelic Psychotherapy
Researchers aim to capture the transformative and therapeutic potential of psychedelics in mental health treatment
Susan Kopka tried everything. Through trial and error with several different medications and treatment options, Kopka came to learn that her mental health struggles were treatment resistant, meaning her conditions didn’t respond well to conventional medications...