Mount Rainier's volunteer painter visits Alaska

I've been getting periodic updates from Allan Dreyer, who many of you may know as a meadow rover and artist who has painted many pictures of Mount Rainier and donated several of them to park offices and local fundraisers. His notariety went to Alaska recently with one of our transferred employees, who arranged for Allan to fly up for a couple of months and paint for Becharof National Wildlife Refuge and Katmai National Park.

The photo above is of Allan finally getting a break in the weather to fly up and see some of the places he'd so far only known from pictures, including Mount Chiginigak and the Ukinrek Maars. He's been painting at easier-to-reach locations like Brooks Falls up till now.

Allan's trip to Alaska is part of a larger artist-in-residence program there. Former Rainier ranger Julia Pinnix, now at Bercharof, explains:

Our current office exhibit is a retired museum exhibit of Pacific salmon-- and while it is nice, it contains many photos which are irrelevant to our area. Our goal is to replace most of the exhibit with items that are relevant. This includes photographs and artwork. Allan is our first artist, and we've asked him to create two large paintings, one for Becharof NWR, and one for Alaska Peninsula NWR. I believe Katmai NP is interested in having an image of Brooks Camp, and another of the Valley of Ten Thousand Smokes.


I have another volunteer coming, Tom Collopy of Homer, AK, overlapping with Allan. Tom will be taking photos of the villages near our refuges, both from the air and the ground, and we will assemble these in the office to remind us of our partners on the Peninsula.

Allan's "grand adventure" should last him a couple more weeks, and then he'll be home and ready to share his stories with us in person!

Volunteers represent Mount Rainier in 4th of July Parade

This 4th of July, seven volunteers and family members joined six rangers to represent Mount Rainier National Park in the Eatonville Independence Day parade. Along with Lee Snook, Jim and Kevin Ross, Kevin Bacher, Dave Uberuaga, and Randy King, participants included Meadow Rovers Ed Hunds and Allan Dreyer; Dave's wife Barbara; Randy's wife Sally; and junior rangers Kate, Daniel, and Christian.

Besides showing pride for the park on a day when The Mountain was gloriously visible, this year's group also carried banners on both sides of a park patrol vehicle wishing Dave and Barbara Uberuaga farewell as they move later this month "from the top of The Mountain to the bottom of The Canyon." Uberuaga has been selected as the new superintendent of Grand Canyon National Park.

Thank you to everyone who came out to represent Mount Rainier's role in the community!

More photos from the parade can be seen here.

RIP Damian, 1993-2010

Allan and Damian, 2007
photo by John Chao

It is with great sadness that we report the passing of one of our most faithful volunteers this afternoon. Many of you know Damian as the golden retriever service dog of volunteer Allan Dreyer. But Damian was a friend and volunteer in his own right, one dedicated to a lifetime of service who spread good will wherever he went. He died peacefully at his home this afternoon at 2:45pm.

Few people know that Damian, in fact, had his own volunteer agreement, signed with his paw print, documenting his important role on our staff. According to this agreement, Damian's duties were to assist Mount Rainier National Park volunteer Allan Dreyer, as well as "spreading good will and good cheer among park visitors and employees; inspiring his coworkers with  his dedication, enthusiasm, and positive demeanor; helping to bring positive attention to the volunteer program at Mount Rainier; and increasing the species diversity of our volunteer staff." While there was certainly a tongue-in-cheek element to Damian's paperwork, his service was beyond question, and he admirably accomplished all of the things listed in his position description and more.

Above all, Damian loved the outdoors, and Allan consistently reported that Damian would perk up when they drove up the road into Mount Rainier National Park. Even when old age led to creaky joints at lower elevations, he would happily bound through the mountain snow like a puppy, accompanying Allan on snowshoe walks or, in the summer, along the trails as a meadow rover. He loved people just as much, and was infinitely patient with visitors who wanted to pet his long, soft, orange fur.

Allan and Damian became volunteers together in August of 2003. Like so many volunteers, Allan had hiked the trails of the park for years before a chance encounter with another volunteer convinced him to ask about joining our program himself. It quickly became apparent that Damian was an equally valuable addition to our crew. Allan wrote a note to the newsletter of Dogs for the Deaf, from whom Damian was adopted in 1994, proudly announcing the news:

"I wanted you to know that Damian has officially been made a VIP -- that is a 'Volunteer in the Park,' at Mount Rainier. The US Park Service used Damian's paw print in lieu of a signature. Damian is a true greeter when we work at the park. When people enter the lodge to sign up for our park-led snowshoe hikes, he greets each of them. Our snowshoe hikes have about twenty people per hike. One of the rangers was complaining to me that the people were raving over Damian and thanking us for having Damian on the hike. The ranger said, 'What about me? I was leading the hike.' So they thanked him for coming along, too.

"Damian is one LOVED dog. People always come up and ask questions about him. He, in turn, loves everyone. The rangers at Mount Rainier love him to pieces. There are few people who are on our hikes who haven't at least one photo of Damian to take home with them."

Our friend died October 28, 2010, at the age of 17, after a long span of declining health. He is survived by his companion and friend, Allan Dreyer, and Allan's wife Lisa, who live in Tacoma. They plan to spread Damian's ashes in the national park he loved so much.

Volunteer's paintings earn $650 for Mount Rainier

You may recall from last week that volunteer Allan Dreyer had donated four of his beautiful paintings of Mount Rainier landscapes to sell at the Washington's National Park Fund auction at the Paradise Inn. I'm pleased to announce that those paintings earned a total of $650 for the National Park! The auction as a whole raised $17,130 for the park. Our thanks to all who contributed!

In other news:

Our Conservation Corps has arrived! Unfortunately, the weather hasn't been great for getting a group photo yet, but I'll try to post one soon. These are the ten individuals who will be coordinating and leading volunteer projects all summer. They seem like great people (of course). For now, they're camping at the Mount Rainier Lion's Club in Ashford, while their tent sites at the Longmire Campground melt out enough for them to move in! Thank you to the Ashford Lions for their generous partnership!

The snow is gone in front of my office, at last! However, that doesn't mean we aren't having challenges with snow still at higher elevations. Some highlights from this week's management team meeting: Washington State DOT helped us get a lane open to the Owyhee Trailhead on the White River Road--thanks, guys!--before returning to their work on Chinook Pass. Our own plows made it to Box Canyon last weekend, but were still doing bulldozer work, which is unsual for that area. We're working on multiple fronts simultaneously: Stevens Canyon, White River Road, and the Paradise Valley Road, all of which have their own challenges and reasons to be considered a priority.

And if you're interested, the presentations by all of the various winners of the Cooperative Conservation Awards, including ours, are now posted online here.

Volunteer Allan Dreyer donates paintings for park fundraiser

If you've seen this fellow out on the trail, meadow roving with his hearing dog Damien, you'd never know that he also has another talent: painting!


Over the years, Allan Dreyer has painted dozens of pictures of Mount Rainier, from all angles and in all seasons. He has donated several of his paintings to Mount Rainier National Park already, to hang in the offices of rangers. We enjoy them when the weather is as cloudy and rainy as it is today; right now, I'm looking at a magnificent picture of Myrtle Falls surrounded by monkeyflowers, lupines, and paintbrush, with the Mountain rising majestically behind against a backdrop of blue with a few whispy clouds around it.

For the grand reopening of the Paradise Inn, Allan has donated four of his paintings to Washington's National Park Fund, which will auction them off to special guests at a fundraiser on the night of May 15th. Here's an exclusive first look at the paintings that will be auctioned. Of course, my photographs don't come close to capturing the artistry of the real things!

Rainier and Snow Lake from Tatoosh -
When I became deaf 17 years ago, my climbing days ended. Last fall when I hiked into Snow Lake in the southeastern area of the park, I looked up at the ridges of the Tatoosh and wondered what the lake would look like from on top. This painting is how I believe Snow Lake and Rainier would appear from near Unicorn Peak.

Tahoma - Emmons Route
Once while hiking around Naches Peak, I took a number of pictures of Mt. Rainier with a 300 mm lens with the idea of painting this picture. The painting shows Emmons glacier which was the route I climbed to the summit in 1986.

Mt. Rainier from Indian Henry's
One August day a few years ago, I stayed at the patrol cabin. As the sun started to set, I took some photos of Mt. Rainier and used them as a basis for this painting.

Nighttime Palette Knife Painting -
Many years ago, I was hiking on a snowy winter night to my igloo, when the clouds opened and allowed a full moon to illuminate the mountain. It was so quiet; the only thing I heard was the crunch of my snowshoes on the snow.

Lots of new news

I'm off to Washington D.C. tomorrow for a week of awards, workshops, conferences, and, yes, a little bit of sightseeing. But it has been a busy week, with lots of news to pass on to you.

Donations: First, check out these awesome paintings painted by volunteer Allan Dreyer! Four of these paintings have been donated by Allan to Washington's National Park Fund, to be auctioned off at our gala reopening ceremony at the Paradise Inn next month. Allan has a real gift for painting Mount Rainier's landscapes, and capturing the play of light on snow and trees. If you're attending the auction, watch for his work. Some of the remaining paintings will be donated to offices at the park, and others will be available for sale.

Wonderland Repair: Plans have been released for repairing the Wonderland Trail in the Carbon River Valley. You're all encouraged to comment on the proposed environmental assessment. Find the complete press release here, and submit your comments online at parkplanning.nps.gov. (Choose Mount Rainier from the drop-down menu.)

Potluck Brunch for Meadow Rovers: If you're a Meadow Rover, or think you might like to be one, join us for brunch at the Mountaineers Clubhouse in Tacoma on May 10:

May 10, Sat., 9:00 a.m. – 11:00 a.m. – Potluck Brunch hosted by the Tacoma Branch Hiking & Backpacking Committee and the Mt. Rainier Sunrise Volunteers In the Park (VIPs), at the Tacoma clubhouse, 2302 N. 30th Street, Tacoma, WA 98403. All Mountaineers members are welcome to attend this event to find out about volunteering at Mt. Rainier National Park and to help the Sunrise VIP's kick off the 2008 Meadow Roving season. There are a number of Tacoma Mountaineers who volunteer at Sunrise during the summer, as well as other Mountaineers who volunteer at Paradise and in the backcountry on a year round basis. Opportunities at the Park abound - check out the volunteer opportunities listed on the Park website, http://www.nps.gov/mora/supportyourpark/volunteer.htm. It's a terrific "job"! If you have just a couple of days a month (weekends or weekdays) there is something for you to do at MRNP. If you've done all the trail maintenance and rebuilding that your body can handle, meadow roving might be just the ticket to get you out and let you give something back to the Park. Bring something yummy to share for brunch. We'll plan to start serving food at 9:30 a.m. Doors will be open by 8:00 a.m. if you want to come early to slip your treat into the oven to heat it up. Coffee, tea, juice, tableware will be provided. Questions or for directions, contact Amy Mann, agmann@comcast.net, 253-759-2796 or Martha Scoville, garyandmartha@harbornet.com, 253-752-5014.

News links: Perhaps some of you saw the notice on the Washington Trails Association blog or in the News Tribune newspaper about the ski hut that burned down near Ashford. Many of you, I know, love to ski on these trails, so this is a great loss. The Akron, Ohio newspaper had a short feature on our lead climbing ranger, Mike Gauthier. And Volunteer Eric Degerman has a detailed post on the blog of the Tri-City Herald, commenting on our especially snowy year here at the park.
Still snowing: Speaking of snow, it remains very snowy at Longmire, with more in the forecast. Paradise, of course, has been snowy too, though not quite on the record pace we've set at lower elevations. Ranger Stefan Lofgren writes, "There has been some interest in how this year's snowfall is shaping up compared to other years. We have just over 800 inches currently and two more months. If we get average amounts for April, May, and June, that will put us up to near 900 inches by June 30th." Here's a breakdown of the top 10 years so far:
1. 1971-72: 1,122
2. 1973-74: 1,071
3. 1970-71: 1,027
4. 1955-56: 1,000
5. 1998-99: 963
6. 2001-02: 855
7. 1975-76: 854
8. 1968-69: 829
9. 1974-75: 820
10. 1996-97: 795
Digital Photography Class: Our Museum Curator, Brooke Childrey, writes:

Hi Folks:
Last year I tried to schedule a photography class for park staff with John Chao and Loren Schmidt our VIP Photographers. Well, we finally have a class date--Two actually and field sessions.The class will be held on May 16th and repeated on June 27th. The class is a half day (9am -noon). Field sessions will be scheduled for July and August with each of the participants in the class, so that the groups are small and work with your summer schedule.

This class is open to all park employees (Perms, Terms, Seasonals, VIP, Interns, SCA, etc.). No camera is necessary at the first class. For the field classes, I will try to have extra digitals available for those who do not have one. If interested in attending, Please check with your supervisors first and then drop me an email or voice mail letting me know whether you want to attend the May 16 class or the June 27 class.

That's all for now, folks. More news rumored to be on the way later today, and I'll try to post an entry or two from Washington next week as well.