Reminder: Avalanches DO Happen on the Mountain

As witnessed by some of our climbing rangers earlier this week, avalanches do occur on the Mountain much more frequently than you may think.  Check out this blog post by Climbing Ranger Peter Ellis highlighting the avalanche just under Panorama Point, a very common point of interest for snowshoers and skiers. 

 



NPS Photo / VIP Kelly Teale

 

 

Whenever you travel to the park in the winter months, either for volunteering or for recreation, please remember to stay safe out there!  Check out this free online course on Avalanche Safety for a quick refresher on traveling in avalanche terrain.

Position Opening with Discover Your Northwest

Discover Your Northwest (a Park partner at Mount Rainier National Park) has a paid sales position available for the coming summer season at the bookstore in the Sunrise Visitor Center. Some experience in retail sales is preferred. The season starts near the middle of June and may last until the middle of September. Park housing at Sunrise is available at a reasonable rate. If you are interested in applying for this position, contact Sherry Paul, Branch Manager for Discover Your Northwest at sherry.paul@discovernw.org for more details.

Happy Valentine's Day!

We wish you and your loved ones a very Happy Valentine's Day today!

Photo credit: WTA's Jen Haas

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

Snowy Weekend on the Mountain!

If you are planning on volunteering this weekend, please be careful and safe.  If the weather is too bad or you just feel unsafe being out in these conditions, let your supervisor know and stay home!

 

=======================================

.SYNOPSIS...AN OCCLUDED FRONT WILL SPREAD RAIN AND SNOW TO MOUNT
RAINIER THIS MORNING. EXPECT HEAVY SNOW SHOWERS THIS AFTERNOON
THROUGH SATURDAY AFTERNOON WITH STRONG ONSHORE FLOW. AN UPPER
LEVEL TROUGH WILL REMAIN OVER THE REGION SUNDAY THROUGH TUESDAY
FOR SCATTERED SNOW SHOWERS.

...WINTER STORM WARNING IN EFFECT FROM 8 AM THIS MORNING TO 3 PM
PST SATURDAY...

.FRIDAY...VERY WINDY. RAIN AND SNOW LIKELY IN THE MORNING...THEN
RAIN AND SNOW SHOWERS IN THE AFTERNOON. SNOW ACCUMULATION OF 7 TO
12 INCHES. SNOW LEVEL NEAR 4000 FEET DECREASING TO 3000 FEET IN
THE AFTERNOON.
.FRIDAY NIGHT...VERY WINDY. RAIN AND SNOW SHOWERS IN THE
EVENING...THEN SNOW SHOWERS AFTER MIDNIGHT. SNOW ACCUMULATION OF
5 TO 10 INCHES. SNOW LEVEL NEAR 2000 FEET.
.SATURDAY...SNOW SHOWERS. SNOW ACCUMULATION OF 2 TO 6 INCHES.
.SATURDAY NIGHT...SNOW SHOWERS. MODERATE SNOW ACCUMULATIONS.
.SUNDAY...SNOW SHOWERS LIKELY.

.EXTENDED FORECAST...

.SUNDAY NIGHT...SNOW SHOWERS LIKELY.
.MONDAY...BREEZY. CLOUDY WITH A CHANCE OF SNOW SHOWERS.
.MONDAY NIGHT...MOSTLY CLOUDY WITH A CHANCE OF SNOW SHOWERS.
.TUESDAY...MOSTLY CLOUDY WITH A CHANCE OF SNOW SHOWERS.
.TUESDAY NIGHT...MOSTLY CLOUDY WITH A CHANCE OF SNOW SHOWERS.
.WEDNESDAY...PARTLY SUNNY WITH A CHANCE OF SNOW SHOWERS.
.WEDNESDAY NIGHT...RAIN AND SNOW SHOWERS LIKELY. SNOW LEVEL NEAR
2500 FEET.
.THURSDAY...RAIN AND SNOW SHOWERS LIKELY. SNOW LEVEL NEAR
2500 FEET.

NPS Photo / VIP Ed Hunds

One Day Closer to the Centennial

August 25th is Founder's Day, which is when the National Park Service was born in 1916.  We are just seven months away.  Are you getting excited yet?

 

It's Like Money, but SO MUCH BETTER.

We have finally entered the National Park Service's Centennial Year!  I'm sure you may have heard a word or two about the Centennial this year, and one of the nationwide goals is to engage communities through volunteerism.  Well, I know that I am preaching to the choir here, but volunteers are really what make the NPS work, especially here at Mount Rainier.  So, we have a new incentive just for 2016 that may be of interest to you!

Registered volunteers who contribute 201.6 hours of service between January 1, 2016 and December 31, 2016 can earn a Centennial Volunteer Challenge Coin!

Here's how it all works:

• Recipients must be registered national park volunteers.
• Centennial Volunteer Challenge Coins are issued for hours served between January 1, 2016 and December 31, 2016.
• Awards are issued for volunteer service only.
• Court-ordered community service does NOT qualify.
• Volunteers must track their own hours and provide dates, hours served, and a brief description of the service provided.
• Service must be approved and verified by the program manager.
• Only hours served during the 12 month period of the centennial year will count towards the award.

And that's it!  The coins are just beginning to enter production, but once they are made and have entered the park, keep an eye out for more information!

A Personal Challenge to All Coming to the Mountain...Do You Accept?

I am looking to finish a project that has been talked about for a few years at Mount Rainier, but I need YOUR help to complete it!  Over the next month or so, I am hoping to collect pictures of some of the winter routes around Longmire and Paradise to create an information sheet for Rovers, Nordic Patrol, General Rangers, and Interpretive Staff to use. 



NPS Photo / VIP Ed Hunds

Although I would absolutely love to hike each and every trail in perfect weather conditions and do no other work whatsoever, I can only manage to pull that off a handful of times before I am questioned.  So, with your help, I am hoping to have pictures of:

• Trailheads
• Markers
• Identifying features of a route
• Areas that may be a little tricky to navigate around
• Dangerous sections of trail
• Avalanche zones
• Places people get lost
• Amazing view points and features of that route
• Any other information you can give me

Please keep in mind that the winter routes at Mount Rainier are very dynamic, in that they are always changing and shifting.  When you are taking your pictures, please focus on the solid surroundings, not just the path in the snow, as that will more than likely be gone with the next snowfall.

Also, while you are out snapping your pictures, make sure that you are being 100% safe.  Don't try to get a good picture of an avalanche chute...while standing in an avalanche chute. 

Some points of focus would be:

• Nisqually Vista Loop
• Narada Falls to Paradise
• Inspiration Saddle to Reflection Lakes
• Rampart Ridge Trail
• Route to Glacier Vista
• Myrtle Falls Trail
• Safe travel in Edith Creek Basin

After we finish up these seven points of interest, we can absolutely branch out to other areas, but I am targeting these as the most traveled and with the highest need.

These photos can be taken while you are out here for a Rove, on patrol with the Washington Ski Touring Club, or while you are out hiking on your own.  If you are out hiking on your own and you take a series of pictures, let me know how much time you were spending actually volunteering, and your hours will still count!

NPS Photo / Harvey

This information packet will be entirely volunteer created and you can consider it a part of your ever growing legacy at Mount Rainier.

Send all pictures to Ian at ian_harvey@partner.nps.gov as soon as you can, and he will start to piece the publication together!  Questions?  Comments?  Political outbursts?  Send them all to Ian as well!

Thank you for your help in this project! 

MRNPA Announces 2016 Work Parties

It's time to start thinking ahead to summer! Mount Rainier National Park Associates has released the dates for their summer Saturday work parties.

During 2016, MRNPA will be conducting six volunteer work parties at Mount Rainier, consisting of four Saturdays of trail maintenance and two Saturdays "gardening in the Park." Please mark your calendars to join us on any or all of the following dates. The locations will be determined by park staff about two weeks before each volunteer work party.

April 30 - trail maintenance (a great day to get that first spring outing at Mount Rainier)
May 21 - trail maintenance
June 18 - trail maintenance
July 16 - "deveg" (exotic plant removal)
August 13 - trail maintenance during the day, followed by a pot luck dinner and an overnight camp for the volunteers who have worked that day
September 10 - "reveg"  (planting wildflower seedlings to re-establish alpine meadows)

I hope to see you on one, or more, of these MRNPA volunteer work parties.
John Titland
Volunteer Coordinator
Mount Rainier National Park Associates

For more information, contact John at volunteer@mrnpa.org

The Life You Want to Live is the Life of a Nordic Patrol Volunteer

 

Entering their 23rd year of volunteering on the snow-covered meadows of Paradise, the Washington Ski Touring Club has been out in full force over the past few weeks marking routes by placing new bamboo poles along the paths, digging out the previously placed poles after they had been buried by 5+ feet of snow, marking off hazards in the backcountry, and making numerous visitor contacts along the way.

 

This is just a quick glimpse of some of the work the Nordic Patrollers do on a daily basis.  Just keep in mind the rest of their time in the backcountry is full of blue bird skies and deep fresh powder under their skis and snowshoes.

 

 

If you are interested in learning more about Nordic Patrol and the Washington Ski Touring Club, visit their website at http://wstc.clubexpress.com/ today!  Are you a member?  Send your pictures and stories to ian_harvey@partner.nps.gov