This is a time in our state’s history to tighten our money belt; protect and provide for our most important assets, seniors and retirees; and remember Washington’s environment – it’s cool clear water, crisp clean air, and magnificent endless forests – is why so many of us live here. That’s why the 4th Legislative District needs new direction; new vision; and certainly, new representation in Olympia.
Author and photographer, John Roskelley, is a dabbler in everything outdoors. If he’s not dodging rocks on some alpine face in Canada or scratching his way up a frozen WI6 waterfall, John can be found hiking solo 78 miles along the Pacific Crest Trail from Stevens Pass to Snoqualmie Pass in under 48 hours; or paddling the Columbia River in a sea kayak from source to mouth. John admits adventuring flows in his blood. In his first half century, John fought his way up four 8,000-meter peaks, including K2 and Everest, plus a plethora of devilishly hard, unclimbed shorter Himalayan and Karakorum faces and ridges.
John grew up in north Spokane riding his bike and delivering newspapers for the Spokane Daily Chronicle and Spokesman Review.
A graduate of WSU in geology, John’s occupation changed as frequently as the weather. He worked underground in the Pend Oreille Mine at Metaline Falls; mapped 100-year-old mining claims for the U.S. Bureau of Mines in central Idaho; guided young and old up the Grand Teton for Exum Mountain Guides; authored four adventure books; shot the cover photo for the May 1979 issue of National Geographic; served nine years as a Spokane County Commissioner, and six years on the state’s Growth Management Hearings Board; he served 17 years as a volunteer fireman/EMT for Fire District 9; and led numerous groups on Himalayan treks to India, Nepal, Tibet, and Bhutan. He only has one criterion – independence.
John believes its important to give back to the community where he was born and raised. He served on the Spokane Guild’s School Foundation Board; the Friends of the Centennial Trail Board; the Washington Wildlife and Recreation Coalition; the Washington State Salmon Recovery Funding Board, the Washington State Nature Conservancy Board, was a volunteer rescue ranger in Denali National Park; volunteered as a death investigator for the Spokane County Medical Examiner, and is currently on the board of CELP, Center for Environmental Law and Policy.
John owes his stamina and longevity to his mom and dad, and what patience he’s developed over the years to Joyce, his wife of 48 years, and three children, Dawn, Jess, and Jordan. He is currently writing his fifth book, an historical novel set in central Washington around the early to mid-1900’s.