Kids embrace great outdoors at Fort Vancouver

Getting outdoors in the Pacific Northwest often means enduring rainy weather.

So the gray clouds threatening rain throughout the day Saturday — and at times delivering sprinkles — didn’t deter families from visiting the Fort Vancouver National Site for National Get Outdoors Day.

“It’s just a little rain,” said Micah Just, 9, of Vancouver.

As tiny droplets fell, Micah slipped into a harness and helmet and scaled a rock wall, taking the toughest route to the top. His grandmother, Brenda Hunt, watched from the ground below, offering advice and encouragement as Micah climbed.

“We always like to try and find things on the weekend to do with the kids,” Hunt said.

Saturday’s free event featured more than 60 groups, including service organizations, conservation groups, businesses, local recreation groups and national parks agencies. The event gave kids a chance to experience fishing, hurling, rock climbing, disc golf and archery, among other activities. And the Audubon Society of Portland showed off some of its winged friends, including a 5-year-old turkey vulture.

A volunteer cleaned up the fish, placed it back in the bag and handed it back to Kayli. Beaming with pride, she showed her 4-year-old brother, Ayden, her catch.

“I got a fish,” she said, smiling.

The trout was Kayli’s first catch.

At the hurling station, Zachariah Taylor, 10, got a crash course in the Irish sport. He stood in the wet grass and practiced shoveling a ball into the air with a wood paddle.

Mom Shanah Taylor said the event gave Zachariah and his brother, Isaac, 7, something to do outside, away from video games.

Zachariah said he preferred the outdoors. “I’d rather get out here than sit on the couch playing Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic,” he said.

Marissa Harshman: 360-735-4546; http://twitter.com/col_health; http://facebook.com/reporterharshman; marissa.harshman@columbian.com.