Tuesday, July 19, 2011

MRNPA Trail Work Party - August 13th

The next Mount Rainier National Park Associates trails work party will be Saturday, August 13th. We will be working in the Longmire area, possibly on the Wonderland Trail north of Longmire or possibly on the Comet Falls Trail. The exact location will be determined some time closer to the August 13th date. Regardless of the work location, we will meet at the upper end of the Longmire parking lot, near the museum, at 8:30 AM on Saturday morning, and be ready to move out at 9:00 AM.

Bring work gloves, a hard hat if you have one, safety glasses, full rain gear (you never know if you will need it), your lunch, and PLENTY of fluids to drink.

If you plan to attend this work party, please reply to this email and tell me that you are coming, how many volunteers you are bringing with you. I need an estimate of the number of volunteers so that Park staff can be sure to have enough tools for us all. If you have a hard hat you will be wearing, please tell me that too.

The August work party is always followed by a potluck dinner in the campground and an overnight camp for those who wish to stay. It's a fun event, so plan on staying for potluck dinner even if you don't want to camp. Sunday we try to do a short hike together.

We have a reservations for the group campsites at the Longmire VIP campground (not the Cougar Rock campground) for both Friday night, August 12th, and Saturday night, August 13th. The camping is free for MRNPA volunteers. We will also hold the potluck dinner at the Longmire VIP Campground. If you are going to camp either or both nights, also please tell me the nights you intend to camp when you when you reply to this email telling me that you are coming. I need to assure that we have sufficient tent sites reserved.

There are safety equipment requirements for all MRNPA trail work volunteers. (These rules apply to all trail workers.) Anyone using an aggressive tool - like a Pulaski, ax, shovel, etc. - or anyone working near them - is required to wear a hard hat and safety glasses. People working with or near a less aggressive tools are not required (but will be encouraged) to wear a hard hat. If you own a hard hat that you can wear, please bring it. If you do not have a hard hat, we have hard hats that we loan for the day.

Wearing safety glasses is encouraged at all times. Not all safety glasses are comfortable for everyone and some will not fit over eye glasses. Because of cleanliness issues, some people don't like wearing safety glasses that have been worn by other people. For these reasons, and probably many others, please purchase (acquire, find, dig-up, whatever) a pair of personal safety glasses that you will wear. The local hardware store is a good place to start shopping. A serviceable pair or safety glasses will cost about $10. And be advised that shatterproof eye glasses do not meet the requirement for safety glasses. Safety glasses all have side protection which eyeglasses do not.

For more details abou this event or to RSVP for this visit http://mrnpa.org/workprojectdetails.php.

Sincerely,
John Titland
Volunteer Coordinator
Mount Rainier National Park Associates

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