A Short Drive to Sunrise

After spending the day sharing their experiences as Volunteers at Mount Rainier National Park with Browns Point Elementary School students, Pete and DiAnne Sabin made a quick side-trip to the Lemay-America's Car Museum in Tacoma, where they were so thankful for the Sabin's service to the parks, they let them borrow a car and take it up to Sunrise!

MVP - Pete Sabin

Pete and DiAnne Sabin at Mt. Fremont

Our first MVP (Monthly Volunteer Profile) features Pete Sabin. Pete has experience in several volunteer positions in Mount Rainier National Park and in his local community.
     
Pete’s story begins in 2006 when the Mount Fremont fire lookout was being rebuilt. He had heard from a friend that it would be helpful if someone was there to talk with the public so the carpenters could work without interruption. In Pete's words, “One day in early July I showed up at Sunrise and introduced myself to the lead ranger. Soon I had a new volunteer shirt, had been shown how to use the radio and was on my way to the lookout."

Most of his volunteer time has been as a Meadow Rover at Sunrise. Pete also goes to Mount Fremont and opens the lookout so the public can visit. He has also done some winter volunteering at Paradise, helping with and occasionally leading snowshoe walks. He has also helped out on the new Adopt-a-Highway litter patrol.

Pete is a member of a group of Park "old timers” who make several trips each summer to visit various sites in the Park to document its early history. “Among other things, we’ve visited many old mine sites, proved the existence of a long forgotten trail from Glacier Bridge to Paradise and located the sites of old buildings in the park,” Pete tells us. “My personal charge as part of this group is to focus on the history of the fire lookouts. I’ve been able to collect pictures and obtain stories from people who had been on the lookouts. This is an ongoing project that may always be in 'draft' form.” He has even received a letter from someone stationed at Mt. Fremont in 1943!

Pete’s family has had a lifetime connection to Mt. Rainier. He learned to ski at Paradise and worked on the rope tows while he was in high school. This led to summer jobs for three years as a Fire Control Aide in the Park. His first summer duty was in 1961 when he was stationed at the Gobbler’s Knob lookout. The next two years saw him at the Lake James patrol cabin and then the Mount Fremont lookout. It was during his third summer that he met his future wife, DiAnne, who was working at the Paradise Inn. She is also a park volunteer.

The park volunteer work is fun for Pete. He enjoys spending his time in an area in which he has some expertise. His volunteer work is not limited to the Park, however. He also volunteers in his community. Pete has been a soccer coach, a member of a ballet board, treasurer of a ski team, and president of a local athletic association, in addition to serving seven years on a district school board. He also taught a weekend skiing class for 47 years. Pete currently volunteers as an exercise instructor at a local Y when he is not at Mount Rainier.

~Submitted by Jean Millan, our MVP correspondent

NPS Litter Team, Earth Day 2013

Photo credit: NPS, Crow Vecchio

In anticipation of Earth Day (Monday, April 22), Mount Rainier National Park sent out a team comprised of volunteers, paid employees and their family members to complete a litter patrol covering two miles of SR 706, the main access to the Park. In three hours, the group of twelve collected eleven bags of trash as part of their contract with the Washington State Department of Transportation's "Adopt-a-Highway" program. I had the honor of supervising this great crew, and couldn't have asked for a cheerier and efficient lot. Thank you so much, gang, for helping keep the Road to Paradise clean and tidy!

An update from Sunrise

From Pete Sabin, Sunrise Meadow Rover:

Today [Saturday August 2] I went from Sunrise to Shadow Lake then on up to the top of First Burroughs by way of the Glacier Overlook.

The view from Glacier Overlook is great. This would be a good recommendation for anyone who doesn't want to go up Burroughs. While I was at the overlook, I met a group who saw a bear in the meadow near Shadow Lake. I had my camera ready but no bear there when I was.

Between the overlook and the top of 1st Burroughs there is one remaining snow field to cross. It's a few hundred yards and less than 300' in elevation below the top of 1st Burroughs. Most people were crossing but some were turning back.

The crossing wasn't too difficult because the snow was soft. The distance was less than 100'. Still, a slide could very serious. Because of the steepness of the slope it would be hard to stop before sliding into the rocks below. The ice axe recommended warning signs should stay in place until the snow melts.

If the snow should be frozen the snow crossing should be avoided without ice axes, ropes, and experience.

After I returned to the VC I met people who saw the bear (cinnamon) and its cub (dark) on the service road about 5 minutes from Sunrise.

Mount Rainier recollections

Submitted by Pete Sabin, Fremont Lookout Summer of 1963, now a Meadow Rover. Pete sent this after the Rover training on Saturday, which included a presentation by wildlife biologist Alyssa Herr, saying, "Thanks for the training. The presentations gave us good tool to help explain why people should stay off the flowers and avoid feeding the animals. The story is my "A fed bear is a dead bear" personal experience. The squirrel was on duty at Sunrise."

Bear Hunt at Sunrise

In the summer of 1963, I worked as a Fire Control Aide at Mt. Fremont Lookout near the Sunrise Ranger Station in Mount Rainier National Park. In those days, there were still car campgrounds on Mount Rainier at Paradise and Sunrise. Bears were more prevalent too.
With a little mutual respect, bears and people were able to share the same space. There would be an occasional bear who became aggressive and had to be killed but these bears were usually too old to survive much longer on their own.

One evening Gil, the Sunrise ranger, returned from park headquarters with a pickup full of weapons. He explained that the bear, who had already been trapped once, was back, was "raising hell in the campground," and would have to be destroyed.

Of course I eagerly volunteered for the hunt. In addition to Gil and myself, our party included his summer assistant Bill, a teacher from Southern California. I doubt that Bill had ever seen a rifle before except on TV. It turned out that Gil didn’t have much experience with firearms either but he looked impressive with a 38 revolver strapped to his hip.

Our plan was to drive around the campground in the evening and wait for the bear who usually made her visit at dusk. All the campers were in their cars. They were afraid of the bear but the real danger was probably the three of us.

Gil decided I should shoot the bear since I was in ROTC at the University. Of course, I didn’t tell him they only taught us how to march. He said, "wait until the bear reaches the road and aim for the head." "She’s too heavy to carry very far and I don’t want a wounded bear running around the campground." For safety’s sake, I could shoot from the bed of the pickup. This all sounded like a good plan to me but the bear wouldn’t co-operate.

Since the bear wouldn’t approach the truck, Gil suggested I stand in the road between her and the campground. Bill would back me up with the shotgun while he kept the motor running for a quick getaway.

Soon enough, the bear decided it was time for dinner and headed for the campground. Bill and I were in her way but she had learned people would run. She stood on her hind legs to look us over then gave a growl. Suddenly, Bill shouted, "Look out, she’s going to charge," and he dashed for the pickup.

Fortunately, I was too surprised to be nervous and I my first shot hit the mark. Looking back now, I realize my luck was much better than my shooting.

We need a new ranger, Alyssa says we can't eat candy.