Old apple trees below Steptoe Butte, May 4, 2026
I just returned from a trip to eastern Washington and western Idaho where Skylar and I were visiting apple colleagues and friends as well as meeting apple explorers, breeders, geneticists, enthusiasts, preservationists and more. It was a fantastic trip. We spent our time in the area of Pullman and Spokane as well as over the border in Moscow and Coeur d’Alene, Idaho. We did not get over to the mega-orchards of Yakima and Wenatchee, but that was fine. We had more than enough to keep us excited, awestruck and inspired.
Eastern Washington is a vast, wide-open landscape. It’s the largest wheat-growing region in the US—maybe even in the world. The topography bears no resemblance to central Maine. You can see for a very long way no matter where you find yourself. At one point we were standing in Washington, looking over Idaho and seeing Montana in the distance. The annual rainfall (20”) is about half that of central Maine.
Despite the differences, the two places have one very interesting thing in common: just as in Maine, there are apple seedlings growing along nearly every roadside as well as in gullies and anywhere else there’s a bit of water. We saw hundreds of trees—some grafted and others seedlings—many of them exceedingly old. They were at also near peak bloom which made them very easy to find. I felt right at home!
Our hosts were Cameron Peace of Washington State University and Dave Benscoter of The Lost Apple Project. We spent time in Cameron’s DNA lab, the WSU test orchards, their breeding project, greenhouse and more. Dave led us on two fruit exploring days including up Steptoe Butte where we “met” hundreds of exceedingly old apple trees.
It’s impossible to document everything we did. It was a truly inspirational adventure. I came away with even more appreciation for the amazing apple. Although the cultivars (varieties) we know and love may not last forever, (some of them are already gone), the apple tree has embraced North America and will be here forming communities, fruiting and feeding humans and other creatures for lifetimes to come. Many thanks to Cameron, Dave and everyone else for an incredible trip.