Phil Hertzog: Adventurer of the Week

Tacoma News Tribune writer Craig Hill features our own Nordic Patrol's Phil Hertzog as the "Adventurer of the Week." Read the full article here.

Phil in action - Photo by Barry Shepherd

Notes from Nordic Patrol

Ever wonder what it's like to patrol one of the snowiest places on earth? Here's a great summary of what it was like last weekend, shared by a member of our Nordic Patrol, that captures both the highs and lows faced by some of our most intrepid volunteers.

Hello All Nordic Patrollers,

We had a great weekend of fun with 5 Patrollers showing up over our three days. A special thanks to Mindy Nichols, Tom Eckhout, Lisa Hertzog, and George Whyel.

On Saturday, we faced torrential rain and freezing levels rising to 7,000 feet. We broke into two teams: Mindy and Tom covered Zone B (Paradise, Glacier Vista, Edith Basin, Bundy's Run and 4th Crossing) while Lisa and I hit Zone A (Paradise, Devils Dip, Inspiration Saddle, Reflection and Canyon Wye).  During our morning GAR (General Assessment of Risk) briefing, we put in contingency plans to bail out if any of us got soaked.

As I climbed up Inspiration Saddle in the rain and wrung out water from my gloves every 5 minutes, I was thinking; how embarrassing, all of my gear has failed and I'm going to be the only one who needs to trigger our bailout plan. Time to go spend a few hundred at REI for some new Gortex.

Just as I was about to call the other team, Tom called and asked, "where's your location?" "I'm at Reflection Lake, do you want us to head up to Paradise?"  Tom replied, "No, we are at the JVC and are soaked!"  I replied, "Us too, see you at Canyon Wye in 40 minutes."

As Mindy and Tom pulled into Canyon Wye 40 minutes later, I raised my hands high above my head and wrung out a stream of water from my gloves. We all laughed.

We got back to the Longmire House at 2:30 pm and immediately pulled out the food. Lisa got chips and dip out while Mindy heated up a large pan of enchiladas made with verde sauce, black beans,and a hint of lime.  I found out that Mindy is a nutritionist and a great chef. I encourage you to sign up for any trips she leads. We had a great time eating, telling stories, and drying out.

The next day Lisa and I went up to the Paradise area and covered Edith Basin and the Skyline Trail while Ranger Jeff Gardner hit the lower marked trails at Reflection Lake and Inspiration Saddle. Above Paradise winds gusted up to 47 mph and low visibility. Lisa and I spent the day making visitor contacts to warn back country users of adverse conditions.

At Myrtle Falls, Lisa and I skied down to the bridge crossing the Paradise River and saw how the River was open and flowing fast.  On the bridge deck was a pile of snow at least three feet tall with a narrow track about 18-24 inches wide with a drop of 12-15 feet to the river bed below.

Two young women in their early 20's with no packs skied up to us and said, "Uh..., Do we need to ski over that?"  "Is that the way to get to the Nisqually Loop Trail?"  Lisa and I said "No," and gave them directions for how to get back to the JVC and find the Loop Trail.

Today, George and I drove up the road and broke out into sunshine at the "Oh My" curve with beautiful views of the Tatoosh Range.  In the Narada Falls Parking lot, we met a group of 12 headed up to the Tatoosh to carve some turns.  We had 20-30 cm of fresh powder on top of hard pack. As we skied toward Reflection Lake, we keep passing the groups. One of the young women, in her thirties, keep asking George questions. Though George was being helpful and fulling his Nordic Patrol duties, I suspect he was being "hit on" by this skier.

George and I spent over an hour having lunch at Reflection Lake in the sunshine before heading back out.

Come out and join the fun and help keep the public safe at Mount Rainier National Park. We have three openings next weekend with Ginnie Miller as the Lead Patroller and Dennis Dubois the following weekend also is looking for Patrollers.

Phil Hertzog

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Update February 5, 2015:

Just for fun, I'm going to add a second report to the bottom of this one (rather than creating a new blog entry). Here's the report from Superbowl Sunday:

We had a very productive and fun weekend of Nordic Patrol on Super Bowl weekend. Patrollers came prepared to patrol the best snow cover in the state by day, and socialize by night.

Saturday – Eight patrollers arrived at the already overflowing Paradise parking lot under clear blue skies. After a beacon and radio check, our three patrol teams headed out and contacted over 150 visitors in the backcountry around Paradise.

Teams were selected and assigned to routes based on their pace, skill, and individual objectives. Three first-time patrollers were paired with veteran patrollers. Ranger Kraig Snure had no special assignments for us. Avalanche danger was low, temperatures were around freezing, skies were clear and visibility was perfect. Yes, perfect.

Team 1 patrolled Mazama Ridge from Fourth Crossing to Reflection Lakes. Team 2 patrolled Paradise Valley Road to Inspiration Saddle and continued to Reflection Lakes. Team 3 patrolled Alta Vista, Skyline and Edith Creek, and made the most visitor contacts of any team that day.

Team 2 spent some time on Paradise Valley Road helping visitors find the correct trailhead at Fourth Crossing. Several were turning uphill too soon, on the wrong side of the creek, which is still open and flowing. Team 1 contacted some large groups of snowshoers, including overnighters, who were vague about their destinations “up the ridge;” they may have been headed for the Paradise Snow Caves but did not want to say that to us.

Teams 1 and 2 observed snowshoers traversing the frozen surface of Reflection Lake without incident; there is open water near the inlet surrounded by thin ice. On the Inspiration Saddle route we encountered a couple in wet street shoes who weren’t positive about where they were parked, and a trio of overnight campers who seemed not to have received much guidance about where they should camp.

Sunday – Five patrollers arrived at Paradise to find only two other vehicles in the snowy parking lot. The NWS forecast for the day was rain at Paradise; however another forecast calling for heavy snowfall turned out to be correct! Ranger Jeff Gardner was not on duty Sunday. Avalanche danger was moderate, temperatures were just above freezing, winds were increasing and visibility was poor.

Team 1 and team 2 patrolled together to Glacier Vista. Conditions went from bad to worse. The skiing, however, had greatly improved over the previous day. About half of our visitor contacts were people who were hiking or skiing alone.

Meanwhile a chain requirement went into effect on the road. We returned to the JVC in the early afternoon as the snowfall was turning to rain. With Super Bowl kickoff time approaching, there were very few visitors left at Paradise.

The report concludes with an extensive description of various routes and their status, ranked by priority; a summary of snow conditions and the status of facilities; and a list of recommended action items, concluding with the following:

There is about 1 quart each of chocolate and vanilla ice cream in the freezer drawer. Recommendation: enjoy!

Nordic Patrol Wraps Up 2012-13 Winter Season

Phil Hertzog resetting a trail pole, photo by Barry Shepherd

On March 31, the Mount Rainier National Park’s Nordic Patrol wrapped up its 2012-13 winter season in the Park.  The Nordic Patrol is made up of volunteers supplied by the Washington Ski Touring Club (WSTC). Our volunteers patrol the backcountry trails of the Park on weekends and holidays.

On a typical weekend, we reset all of the trail poles on the marked backcountry routes and then head out to make visitor contacts.  Our primary mission is to be the eyes and ears for the Park’s Rangers and to conduct PSAR (Preventative Search and Rescue). We often assist visitors with directions, provide trail maps, educate backcountry users on Park rules and check overnight camping permits. Occasionally we also help on searches and rescues. In addition to the marked winter trails; our volunteers can be found up on the Skyline trail, Panorama Point, Mazama Ridge, Reflection Lakes, Edith Basin, Tatoosh Range and Cowlitz Rocks. This season we had 47 volunteer Nordic Patrollers out in the backcountry who put in over 1,081 hours. 

If you are interested in volunteering for Nordic Patrol, visit http://wstc.org. To join Nordic Patrol, you must be competent in companion avalanche rescue, a member of WSTC, and able to ski and navigate the backcountry high country mentioned above.

A big thank you to the volunteers who came out on Nordic Patrol and made this a safe and uneventful winter season in the Park’s backcountry.

Phil Hertzog,
Nordic Patrol Co-coordinator

Nordic Patrol Volunteers Help Open Mount Rainier National Park Winter Operations

by volunteer Phil Hertzog
Nordic Patrol volunteers helped to open up winter operations at Mount Rainier National Park on December 18 and 19. The Washington Ski Touring Club (WSTC) provides the Park with volunteers to help with winter backcountry operations. Seven WSTC members joined Ranger Dan Camiccia to set poles on the trails on Saturday. The Patrollers met at Dan’s office and loaded a pick-up truck with poles and trail signs. Under the Park’s administrative travel rules, Patrollers travelled up to Narada Falls where they waited a short time until the road to Paradise opened up after debris had been cleaned up from the previous evening’s wind storm.

The Patrollers broke into four groups. Mace White, Lee Wilcoxson, Ron Steingold, and Steve Burger poled the Narada Falls to Canyon Wye trail through the trees and up the steep hillside to the summer road. Mace and Lee then set poles from the Valley Road up to Inspiration Saddle while Ron and Steve skied to Reflection Lakes and then worked their way up to the Saddle from the other direction.

Phil Hertzog and Randy Nikolai joined Dan and made fresh tracks from Paradise down to Canyon Wye through Devil’s Dip and Barn Flats. They then retraced their steps and planted poles back up to Paradise. In the meantime, Lisa Hertzog joined an Interpretive Volunteer and added poles to the Nisqually Loop Trail. By the end of the day, all of the winter trails were well marked and ready to guide visitors around the Park thanks to our Nordic Patrol Volunteers.

Skiing back down to Canyon Wye, Steve encountered a fox running along the packed trail. Steve gave chase and nearly caught up it before the fox veered off the trail into deep snow. Steve’s efforts to discourage this fox from having human contact proved futile as the fox was later seen at Canyon Wye sitting on a snow bank along the road begging for food. The Patrol also saw foxes begging for food at the Paradise Parking Lot and Lower Miller overlook. One of the Patrol’s duties includes educating the public and overnight campers not to feed the wildlife.

After spending the night at one of the historic Longmire Ranger Cabins, the five remaining Patrollers went out for a well-rewarded ski on Sunday to make contact with park visitors. One group went with Dan into the Tatoosh Range while a second group did a tour of the marked trails on a partly sunny day with views of Rainier and Pan Point. Overall the Patrol had a great day and had a good start to the Mount Rainier winter operations. If you are interested in learning more about the Nordic Patrol go to the WSTC website at wstc.clubexpress.com or contact Ranger Dan Camiccia at Daniel_Camiccia@nps.gov.

Editor's note: If you're a volunteer and would like to contribute to this blog, send me your words and/or pictures at Kevin_Bacher@nps.gov. We'd love to hear about volunteering through your own eyes!

Nordic Patrol 2010-2011 Season Training Kickoff

Here's another treat left in my in box over the holidays: a pair of contributions to the volunteer blog! For the record, I love it when volunteers send me things to publish, because I love having another voice other than mine on these pages. So without further ado, here's the first of the two articles, both by Ski Patrol member Phil Hertzog. The other will be published tomorrow:

Nordic Patrol 2010-2011 Season Training Kickoff

Twenty Washington Ski Touring Club (WSTC) members braved potential torrential rainfall and flooding to attend Nordic Patrol Training at Mount Rainier National Park on December 11. The WSTC provides the Park with volunteers to assist in winter backcountry operations. WSTC Nordic Patrol Coordinator Mace White greeted the volunteers with freshly baked, warm sweet rolls as they entered the Patrol House at the historic Longmire Complex. The Patrollers crowded into the living room of the former Ranger residence and settled into chairs and open spots on the floor. Mace introduced our members to Backcountry National Park Service (NPS) Ranger Dan Camiccia, who serves as NPS’s Nordic Patrol lead.

The training started off with WSTC Board Member Deborah Dickstein reviewing the history of the Nordic Patrol and WSTC’s close relationship with the Mt. Rainier rangers. Dan Camiccia then went through standard operations and expectations for the Patrol and explained what happens during a typical day. Nordic Patrollers reviewed NPS radio operations, volunteer reporting forms, search and rescue procedures, wildlife encounter protocols, and communications with park visitors. Dan provided detail on issues the Patrol will need to educate Park visitors on including feeding of the Paradise foxes and birds, avalanche safety, hypothermia, dogs on the trail, and trail directions.

In the late morning, the training session moved from Longmire uphill to the Jackson Visitor Center (JVC) where Patrollers met in the Interpreters Office for lunch and orientation on JVC operations. After lunch, the Nordic Patrollers bundled up and went outside to the old ranger station where Dan and Park Ranger Jordan Mammal taught us how to package up an injured person. WSTC members learned how to snap pieces of the Cascade litters into place and to properly wrap and tie victims safely for transport.

Despite the sleet turning into rain at temperatures just above freezing on an overcast day, NPS staff and Nordic Patrollers practiced hauling two litters with each carrying a “victim” over the Paradise Snow Play Area through knee deep snow. The patrollers moved the litters around trees, crossed side slopes, and wore skis/snowshoes to simulate actually rescue conditions. The patrollers gained an appreciation for the difficulty of using the litters and insight on how to help out NPS Rangers during rescue operations.

After the outdoor session, the training returned to the JVC to finish the day with a review of avalanche transceiver use and protocols for finding buried victims. Overall WSTC Nordic Patrol Coordinators Mace White and Phil Hertzog were pleased with the large turnout for training and the time NPS staff spent preparing Nordic Patrol for the 2010-2011 Winter Season. If you have any interest in the Nordic Patrol, contact Phil or Mace through the WSTC website at wstc.clubexpress.com or Ranger Dan Camiccia at Daniel_Camiccia@nps.gov.

Nordic Patrol Volunteers train with NPS Rangers

One of the few volunteer opportunities available at Mount Rainier in the winter is the volunteer ski patrol, which we operate in partnership with the Washington Ski Touring Club. Volunteer Phil Hertzog recently sent me this report of their activities last month. Doesn't it just make you want to run out and join them?! You can still do so, of course. Visit their website for information about how to get involved. Thanks, Phil, for the report!

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Members of the Washington Ski Touring Club’s (WSTC) Nordic Patrol spent two days training with Mount Rainier National Park Service Rangers on December 19 and 20. The Nordic Patrol consists of a group of Mount Rainier National Park volunteers who set poles to mark ski trails from Paradise to Narada Falls and on to Reflection Lakes. Patrol members also contact snowshoers, snow campers, and skiers out on the trails to provide directions, educate visitors on park regulations, and serve as first point of contact for emergency situations.

Ten members of the WSTC showed up for the Saturday training at Longmire led by Mount Rainier Ranger Dan Camiccia. Ranger Camiccia, the Park’s liaison with Nordic Patrol, trained the volunteers on the new radio system, visitor interactions, winter road travel and Paradise fox encounters.

Nordic Patrol members practiced using the new radio procedures and learned how the Paradise foxes have started to sleep in snow caves and curl up by the feet of tired campers. Unfortunately the foxes seem to enjoy hauling out the sleeping campers’ gear into the snow and at least one boot disappeared. The Park Service is working on new methods to discourage human/fox interactions. The Patrol will assist in educating the public on the need to not feed the foxes.

In the afternoon, the volunteers drove up to Paradise and continued training on avalanche transceiver skills. Ranger Camiccia would bury a transceiver in the snow behind Paradise Inn and the trainees would go search for it and improve their locating skills.

On Sunday, Nordic Patrol members Phil and Lisa Hertzog and Randy Nikolai joined the Winter Park Rangers' rescue training led by Ranger Camiccia up at Paradise. Despite the pouring rain, the group went out to the base of the snow play area where they learned how to load a “victim” into a rescue litter and haul it as a team through knee-deep wet snow across side slopes. The training continued inside the Paradise Ranger Station where Camiccia and Ranger Jordan Mammel gave instructions on how to immobilize, backboard, and package a victim onto a rescue sled. Lisa Hertzog volunteered as the victim and got wrapped up as tight as a burrito. Despite not being able to talk due to an immobilizing neck brace, Lisa at least did get a head massage from Ranger Mammel as a consolation for being a good victim.

Overall the training proved beneficial to Nordic Patrol volunteer members and they made a lot of great contacts with National Park Service staff. Anyone interested in joining Nordic Patrol should check out WSTC’s website at wstc.clubexpress.com. For more information on the Park’s role contact Ranger Daniel Camiccia at 360 569-2211 ext. 3419.

Tacoma Teachers Volunteer at Mount Rainier National Park

Phil and Lisa Hertzog spent several days this summer volunteering at Mount Rainier National Park. Phil teaches 10th Grade Biology at Stadium High School, while Lisa teaches 8th Grade Math at the new First Creek Middle School.

The Hertzogs served as Meadow Rovers on the trails surrounding Paradise on the west side of the Park. Their duties consisted of walking the trails and educating Park visitors on how to protect the fragile subalpine meadows. One footstep can destroy over 20 plants and 10 people walking across the meadows to the same snow patch can create a social path that can result in erosion and loss of native vegetation. With over 1.5 million visitors a year to Mount Rainier National Park, the Meadow Rover Program helps inform visitors to stay on the trails and to protect a significant national resource.

One of the biggest challenges Phil faced as a Meadow Rover was dealing with a group of fifty Korean Middle Schoolers. The students had never seen snow before and raced across the fragile meadows to have a snow ball fight. “As the students were trampling avalanche lilies, lupine, and pink mountain heather, I had to use hand gestures to communicate with the non-English speaking students about the damage being done to the meadows,” he said. Phil diplomatically got the students back on the trail and hiked them up another 300 yards where the students accessed a large snow field to continue their snowball fight without damaging the vegetation. Later the students spotted Phil at the Jackson Visitor Center and waved him over to join in a group photograph.

The Hertzogs also helped out with “The Shadows of the Past” Living History Program held at Longmire in the Park on the evening of August 15. Lisa carried a lantern to light the way for a group of 50 Park visitors on the “Trail of the Shadows” that runs 1 mile around Longmire Meadow. As an interpretive ranger made introductory remarks, volunteers dressed as historical characters, such as John Muir, would appear out of the darkness along the trail and describe their role in the history of Mount Rainier National Park. Lisa, Phil and other lantern bearers would light up the characters' faces as they acted out their parts and made for a magically evening in the shadow of Mount Rainier.

The Hertzogs plan to incorporate their volunteer experiences at Mount Rainier into their biology and math classroom lessons. Both Phil and Lisa encourage other Tacoma School District Teachers to consider volunteer opportunities at the Park.

Volunteer Opportunities at Mt. Rainier National ParkSeveral volunteer opportunities are available for both students and teachers at Mount Rainier National Park this fall and next summer. Volunteering at the Park can help you and your students improve science skills and help out our community. As a volunteer, you also have opportunities to participate in Park Service training sessions that may benefit your classroom curriculum.

This fall, the Park Service needs volunteers to help plant up to 140,000 plants at the site of the old Jackson Visitor Center at Paradise on the west side of the Park. The Park Service opened a new Visitor Center last fall and completed work this summer to allow revegetation of the old center site to start this month.

Will Arnesen, Mount Rainier National Park Restoration Ecologist, will lead the planting efforts and has set up the following the following weekends for groups who would like to help out: Sept. 19/20, Sept. 26/27, and Oct. 3/4.

Groups are encouraged to sign up for any of the above dates by contacting Will via e-mail at Will_Arnesen@nps.gov or calling (360) 569-2211 ext. 3374. Students under the age of 18 will need to have parents sign a National Park Service permission form. Individuals that would like to help out are welcome to drop by the old Visitor Center Site located in the lower Paradise Parking lot on Saturday September 26 and Saturday October 3. Individuals may be able to drop in on the other 4 dates listed above if we have other groups sign up for those days. Please contact Will to find out if planting will occur on those days if you have a strong interest. All volunteers should bring rain gear, work gloves and be ready to work in muddy conditions since our native plants need lots of water to get them growing upon planting.

The Park also has a number of volunteer opportunities next summer. These opportunities include patrolling the Paradise and Sunrise trails to educate visitors on how to protect the fragile sub alpine meadows, assisting with park research efforts, helping with trail maintenance, and participating in interpretive history programs. You can find out more information about these activities by going to the Park’s Volunteer Website at rainiervolunteers.blogspot.com or contacting Kevin Bacher, Mount Rainier National Park Volunteer and Outreach Program Manager, at Kevin_Bacher@nps.gov or (360) 569-2211 ext. 3385.

Thank you to Phil Hertzog of Stadium High School, who wrote this article and can also talk to you about his volunteer experience at Mount Rainier. He can be reached via District phone at 253 571-3176 x-3176.