Webmaster
06-05-2008, 06:37 AM
CRAIG HILL AND JEFFREY P. MAYOR; craig.hill@thenewstribune.com jeff.mayor@thenewstribune.com
Published: June 5th, 2008 01:00 AM
These days it seems as if the officials at Mount Rainier National Park always have an obstacle to overcome.
For 19 months they’ve been trying to repair damage from the 2006 flood.
What’s been the reward for all their work?
In a year in which things are suppose to be getting back to normal, visitation is down 8.9 percent from the same time in 2006, park superintendent Dave Uberuaga said.
So what’s the obstacle now?
It’s hard to say for sure, but Uberuaga has a pretty good guess.
“Maybe it’s a reflection of the gas prices,” Uberuaga said. “Or maybe it’s the wet, cold spring and the heavy snowfall.”
Both of these things could have an impact – and not all bad – on Mount Rainier’s summer season.
Snow is still covering many hiking trails and delaying this year’s flood recovery work by as much as two months, said trail foreman Carl Fabiani. But it’s also made good conditions for climbing. All three climbing services are booked for the summer, Uberuaga said.
As for gas prices, Uberuaga isn’t sure what the impact will be.
“It’s a hard case to call,” Uberuaga said. “If it is a destination trip, I don’t think a tank of gas is going to stop them. Day trippers might visit twice instead of three times, or maybe they’ll spend the night to make more out of the trip.”
Regardless of how many people visit this summer, thanks to lingering snow, construction and new projects, the park will offer a different experience than it did last year. 1. Late bloomers
There is still 15 feet of snow in some areas at Paradise, meaning the usual colorful meadows are going to remain in their winter monochrome state longer than usual.
Don’t expect to see wildflowers in places like Paradise and Sunrise until late July or early August, said Roger Andrascik, chief of natural resources at the park. If you can’t wait, try the Ohanapecosh area in the southeast corner of the park, where the snow has melted already.
All this won’t keep all the hikers away, of course, so crews are marking where the trails should be using GPS, said Fabiani. This is designed to keep hikers from trampling the wildflowers as the snow thins.
2. Trail hazards
The deeper-than-usual snow can create hazards for hikers. Melting snow and streams under the snow can create fragile patches where unsuspecting hikers can fall through. Getting trapped under the snow is potentially deadly, Fabiani said.
He says a volunteer found numerous snow tunnels along the Paul Peak Trail in late May. “He said he opened some intentionally and some unintentionally,” Fabiani said. “We joked about it, but it can be serious.”
Fabiani suggests probing the snow with a trekking or ski pole before walking on it. Also look for small holes in the snow that might indicate an unsafe area to walk, Fabiani said.
3. Stevens Canyon
Fabiani said the trails crew hoped to repair damaged sections of the Wonderland Trail in Stevens Canyon early in the season, but snow has delayed the work. Deep snow has kept crews from the area and from determining if avalanches did more damage this winter. Hikers will likely have to take a four-mile detour on the road again this summer until repairs are finished, Fabiani said.
4. Other trail repair
Fabiani says work on the top flood repair projects – rerouting the Wonderland Trail in the Carbon River area and repairing it in Stevens Canyon and fixing the Glacier Basin Trail – could be as much as two months behind schedule because of heavy snow.
“We just can’t get to the project area because of the snow,” Fabiani said. While Fabiani said he still expects to complete this year’s projects, he says prepping open trails for this year will be the first priority when the snow melts.
5. Climbing
Peter Whittaker of Rainier Mountaineering Inc. says heavy snow has made for ideal climbing conditions. “The snowpack is tremendous,” Whittaker said. “I describe it as a second skin. It covers the crevasses. The crevasses shouldn’t open as early down low.” This is good news for climbers. Last year the main Camp Muir route had to be lengthened because there was not enough snow to safely climb Disappointment Clever. “Compared to last year,” Whittaker said, “we are expecting a good route.”
6. After dark
With Paradise Inn reopening May 16, there will be more spaces to stay in the park this year. A Guest Services Inc. representative said rooms at the inn are available most days this summer. Visitors also can stay at the National Park Inn at Longmire. Of the park’s two most popular campgrounds, Uberuaga says Cougar Rock will open Friday and that much of Ohanapecosh is open.
However, Sunshine Point and Ipsut Creek campgrounds are still suffering from flood damage. Sunshine Point will be closed, and Ipsut Creek is only accessible on foot.
7. Carbon River Road
The Carbon River Road remains closed to vehicles for the second consecutive summer. The road was washed out by the ’06 flood. The road remains open to hikers and mountain bikers, however bikers aren’t permitted past the Ipsut Creek Campground.
8. Rainier Loop
For the first time since the ’06 flood, visitors can drive around Mount Rainier National Park. Highway 123 on the east side of the mountain is open after being washed out in 2006. Not only does this mean visitors can stop at Paradise and Sunrise on the same trip, but the grueling Ride Around Mountain Rainier in One Day bicycle event will return to its original 154-mile route that starts and ends in Enumclaw on July 31.
Crews will be rehabbing and resurfacing portions of Highways 123 and 410. Drivers can expect 20-minute delays during the $6 million project, which is scheduled to be completed Oct. 7.
9. Take the shuttle
If you don’t want to drive to Paradise, you will have an option.
Officials are testing a shuttle route outside the park. Beginning June 20, a shuttle will depart from Whittaker’s in Ashford on Saturdays and Sundays. Riders will be taken to Longmire, where they can catch the existing shuttle running from there to Paradise, which operates Fridays through Sundays.
The first Ashford shuttle will leave at 9:30 a.m., and the last shuttle back to Ashford will leave Longmire at 8 p.m. The Longmire-Paradise shuttle starts June 20, with the first run leaving Longmire at 10 a.m. The last shuttle leaves Paradise at 7 p.m. on Fridays and 7:45 p.m. on weekends.
10. ranger program
There will be additional ranger-led programs thanks to funding, said Lee Taylor, the park’s chief of interpretation.
Kids will be able to take part in a Junior Ranger program at Paradise each afternoon. The 1 p.m. program is in addition to the evening Junior Ranger program held at Cougar Rock Campground.
There also will be an additional history walk at Longmire, at 10 a.m. Thursdays through Mondays.
There will be more ranger-guided hikes at Ohanapecosh, including a ranger’s choice walk each day at 2 p.m.
Taylor said evening programs at White River will be held nightly, instead of just weekends.
11. Centennial projects
The park will work on two new projects funded through the National Park Service’s Centennial Challenge. The funds, matched by local partners, are intended to improve parks in time for the Park Service’s 100th anniversary in 2016.
One project will be the installation of solar panels at the Ohanapecosh ranger station. It will power the main building, Uberuaga said.
The second project will involve improvements of the Indian Bar Trail Shelter on the trail’s east side. Drains will be installed and the floor improved to give backcountry hikers a dry place to sleep.
from: http://www.thenewstribune.com/soundlife/story/381239.html
Published: June 5th, 2008 01:00 AM
These days it seems as if the officials at Mount Rainier National Park always have an obstacle to overcome.
For 19 months they’ve been trying to repair damage from the 2006 flood.
What’s been the reward for all their work?
In a year in which things are suppose to be getting back to normal, visitation is down 8.9 percent from the same time in 2006, park superintendent Dave Uberuaga said.
So what’s the obstacle now?
It’s hard to say for sure, but Uberuaga has a pretty good guess.
“Maybe it’s a reflection of the gas prices,” Uberuaga said. “Or maybe it’s the wet, cold spring and the heavy snowfall.”
Both of these things could have an impact – and not all bad – on Mount Rainier’s summer season.
Snow is still covering many hiking trails and delaying this year’s flood recovery work by as much as two months, said trail foreman Carl Fabiani. But it’s also made good conditions for climbing. All three climbing services are booked for the summer, Uberuaga said.
As for gas prices, Uberuaga isn’t sure what the impact will be.
“It’s a hard case to call,” Uberuaga said. “If it is a destination trip, I don’t think a tank of gas is going to stop them. Day trippers might visit twice instead of three times, or maybe they’ll spend the night to make more out of the trip.”
Regardless of how many people visit this summer, thanks to lingering snow, construction and new projects, the park will offer a different experience than it did last year. 1. Late bloomers
There is still 15 feet of snow in some areas at Paradise, meaning the usual colorful meadows are going to remain in their winter monochrome state longer than usual.
Don’t expect to see wildflowers in places like Paradise and Sunrise until late July or early August, said Roger Andrascik, chief of natural resources at the park. If you can’t wait, try the Ohanapecosh area in the southeast corner of the park, where the snow has melted already.
All this won’t keep all the hikers away, of course, so crews are marking where the trails should be using GPS, said Fabiani. This is designed to keep hikers from trampling the wildflowers as the snow thins.
2. Trail hazards
The deeper-than-usual snow can create hazards for hikers. Melting snow and streams under the snow can create fragile patches where unsuspecting hikers can fall through. Getting trapped under the snow is potentially deadly, Fabiani said.
He says a volunteer found numerous snow tunnels along the Paul Peak Trail in late May. “He said he opened some intentionally and some unintentionally,” Fabiani said. “We joked about it, but it can be serious.”
Fabiani suggests probing the snow with a trekking or ski pole before walking on it. Also look for small holes in the snow that might indicate an unsafe area to walk, Fabiani said.
3. Stevens Canyon
Fabiani said the trails crew hoped to repair damaged sections of the Wonderland Trail in Stevens Canyon early in the season, but snow has delayed the work. Deep snow has kept crews from the area and from determining if avalanches did more damage this winter. Hikers will likely have to take a four-mile detour on the road again this summer until repairs are finished, Fabiani said.
4. Other trail repair
Fabiani says work on the top flood repair projects – rerouting the Wonderland Trail in the Carbon River area and repairing it in Stevens Canyon and fixing the Glacier Basin Trail – could be as much as two months behind schedule because of heavy snow.
“We just can’t get to the project area because of the snow,” Fabiani said. While Fabiani said he still expects to complete this year’s projects, he says prepping open trails for this year will be the first priority when the snow melts.
5. Climbing
Peter Whittaker of Rainier Mountaineering Inc. says heavy snow has made for ideal climbing conditions. “The snowpack is tremendous,” Whittaker said. “I describe it as a second skin. It covers the crevasses. The crevasses shouldn’t open as early down low.” This is good news for climbers. Last year the main Camp Muir route had to be lengthened because there was not enough snow to safely climb Disappointment Clever. “Compared to last year,” Whittaker said, “we are expecting a good route.”
6. After dark
With Paradise Inn reopening May 16, there will be more spaces to stay in the park this year. A Guest Services Inc. representative said rooms at the inn are available most days this summer. Visitors also can stay at the National Park Inn at Longmire. Of the park’s two most popular campgrounds, Uberuaga says Cougar Rock will open Friday and that much of Ohanapecosh is open.
However, Sunshine Point and Ipsut Creek campgrounds are still suffering from flood damage. Sunshine Point will be closed, and Ipsut Creek is only accessible on foot.
7. Carbon River Road
The Carbon River Road remains closed to vehicles for the second consecutive summer. The road was washed out by the ’06 flood. The road remains open to hikers and mountain bikers, however bikers aren’t permitted past the Ipsut Creek Campground.
8. Rainier Loop
For the first time since the ’06 flood, visitors can drive around Mount Rainier National Park. Highway 123 on the east side of the mountain is open after being washed out in 2006. Not only does this mean visitors can stop at Paradise and Sunrise on the same trip, but the grueling Ride Around Mountain Rainier in One Day bicycle event will return to its original 154-mile route that starts and ends in Enumclaw on July 31.
Crews will be rehabbing and resurfacing portions of Highways 123 and 410. Drivers can expect 20-minute delays during the $6 million project, which is scheduled to be completed Oct. 7.
9. Take the shuttle
If you don’t want to drive to Paradise, you will have an option.
Officials are testing a shuttle route outside the park. Beginning June 20, a shuttle will depart from Whittaker’s in Ashford on Saturdays and Sundays. Riders will be taken to Longmire, where they can catch the existing shuttle running from there to Paradise, which operates Fridays through Sundays.
The first Ashford shuttle will leave at 9:30 a.m., and the last shuttle back to Ashford will leave Longmire at 8 p.m. The Longmire-Paradise shuttle starts June 20, with the first run leaving Longmire at 10 a.m. The last shuttle leaves Paradise at 7 p.m. on Fridays and 7:45 p.m. on weekends.
10. ranger program
There will be additional ranger-led programs thanks to funding, said Lee Taylor, the park’s chief of interpretation.
Kids will be able to take part in a Junior Ranger program at Paradise each afternoon. The 1 p.m. program is in addition to the evening Junior Ranger program held at Cougar Rock Campground.
There also will be an additional history walk at Longmire, at 10 a.m. Thursdays through Mondays.
There will be more ranger-guided hikes at Ohanapecosh, including a ranger’s choice walk each day at 2 p.m.
Taylor said evening programs at White River will be held nightly, instead of just weekends.
11. Centennial projects
The park will work on two new projects funded through the National Park Service’s Centennial Challenge. The funds, matched by local partners, are intended to improve parks in time for the Park Service’s 100th anniversary in 2016.
One project will be the installation of solar panels at the Ohanapecosh ranger station. It will power the main building, Uberuaga said.
The second project will involve improvements of the Indian Bar Trail Shelter on the trail’s east side. Drains will be installed and the floor improved to give backcountry hikers a dry place to sleep.
from: http://www.thenewstribune.com/soundlife/story/381239.html