Southwest Area

I've updated the photo guide for the southwest area in the National Park (NP) which is accessible through the Nisqually Entrance on highway 706, which goes through the NP past Longmire and Paradise to highway 123 which goes north to highway 410 over Cayuse and Chinook Passes and south to the Ohanopacosh Entrance. You can get an overview of the separate quadrants and Paradise areas. The goal is to provide more detail information for each area to help you with your visit and photography.

Over the next month or so, the other areas will have the Web pages updated similar to the Paradise area Web page. Everyone is welcome to send e-mail with suggestions or questions they have about the areas and would like to see more information. Over time, each of these areas will be more fully expanded with more information, references and photos. For now I want to get an initial framework up to see what direction I need to go with the Web pages.

In addtion, work will continue on the other Web pages, labelled "forthcoming", meaning overviews and guides to other aspects of Mt. Rainier NP which should help your visit and photography. Some of these areas are beyond my experience, and I will be using help from friends and available resources to develop the Web pages, so your help would be appreciated. You can see where I'm at from the table of contents.

Getting Involved

This post isn't about photography or related to my photography guide to Mt. Rainier National Park. I was noticing that there are a lot of ways people get involved in the National Park (NP). These organizations do many things in the NP and for the National Park Service (NPS) in and for Mt. Rainier NP.

The reason for these groups and organizations to ask for volunteers, help and money is simple. Under the last succession of President, the National Park Service has been seriously underfunded to just keep up with the routine maintenance in the National Parks in addition to new work and repairs from major events, such as the floods of November 2006 in Mt. Rainier NP.

And some of these are as follows.

NPS Volunteer Program

This Web page list all the programs you can consider if you want or plan to volunteer to work in the NP. You have lots of opportunities to help.

Washington Trail Association

The WTA focuses on the trails in the National Parks and Forest Service Forest in Washington State, from lobbying for additional funds through Congress to schedule trail development and maintenance.

Mountaineers

The Mountaineers, the oldest outdoor recreation organization in Washington, works on the public access and improvement of National Parks, Forest Service and Bureau Land Management lands in Washington State. They have branches in several cities, but most of the work done in Mt. Rainier NP is done through the Tacoma branch.

Mount Rainier Volunteers

The volunteers works on a range of work and projects about Mt. Rainier NP.

Students Conservation Association

This SCA sponsors work parties for high school students for the National Park.

Some of these organizations have member program or will take donations if you can't volunteer your time. You can get a longer list of organizations on the Mt. Rainier Volunteers Web blog (see partners in right column).

Geology Web page

I've put up the initial Geology Web page. It's not a comprehensive Web page, there's far too much information to do that in a page or two. Nor is it an overview of the geology of Mt. Rainier, there's too many available on-line and in books. It's more just information I find interesting and usually not mentioned in the overviews and detalied to death in the scientific studies and reports.

The Web page is more to give you an idea of the complexity and dynamics of Mt. Rainier. It's the result of the history of mountain range (batholith) building, volcanism (plate tectonics), continental and mountain glaciation (Puget Sound glaciation stages), and mass wasting events (landslides, debris and mudflows and lahars). And its story isn't often what people think about volcanoes and mountains.

In addition, I've listed some geology books and reports, see bibliography and some Websites, see bottom of geology Web page, if you want to learn more. Some of the link to on-line material goes back to the first geologic explorations of Mt. Rainier in the 1890's, which includes a short trip to and overnight stay in the summit crater. And that's without all the technology of modern outdoor clothes and climbing tools.

Mt. Rainier is not a static volcano as many visitors think. Things happen every minute, mostly small, and out of sight and mind of people, but a few become news, such as rockslides on climbing routes, glacial outburt floods, and debris/mud flows down creek(s) into the rivers draining Mt. Rainier. So while climbers know the hazards and risks, most hikers and visitors don't. It's rare anything will happen but it doesn't hurt to stay alert.

Anyway, that's it for the initial version which will be updated occasionally.

New Contact Web page

Ok, at the request of a friend who didn't like that I have used a direct link for e-mail (a "mailto" in html code) because she didn't use MS Outlook, and wanted me to develop a standard contact form Web page, I've done this and it should be consistent throughout the Website and the navigation bars, as now linked to this Web page.

It will be improved as I learn more about php to add some choices and spam protection. And if you know of some cool tools or things you'd like to see on it, you can use it to send the links to me. And all you real Web designers and programmers can stop laughing at my simplistic effort with this Web page. Remember we all have to begin somewhere learning something new. I don't expect to learn that much more php, just enough to get this script better. I have more interest in other things on my Website than learning programming.

So have a good summer. I'm planning some hiking-photography and working on the photo guide to Mt. Rainier NP.

Paradise Area

I updated the Web page for the Paradise area (Jackson Visitors Center) in Mt. Rainier NP. You can get an overview of the separate quadrants and Paradise areas. The goal is to provide more detail information for each area to help you with your visit and photography.

Over the next month or so, the other areas will have the Web pages updated similar to the Paradise area Web page. Everyone is welcome to send e-mail with suggestions or questions they have about the areas and would like to see more information. Over time, each of these areas will be more fully expanded with more information, references and photos. For now I want to get an initial framework up to see what direction I need to go with the Web pages.

In addtion, work will continue on the other Web pages, labelled "forthcoming", meaning overviews and guides to other aspects of Mt. Rainier NP which should help your visit and photography. Some of these areas are beyond my experience, and I will be using help from friends and available resources to develop the Web pages, so your help would be appreciated. You can see where I'm at from the table of contents.

Updated news and access

I updated the table of contents with new and updated information in the news Web page, access and conditions Web page and seasonal conditions. What does this mean to the visitor?

For one, with the unusually high snowpack and late snowmelt, some roads are either closed or open daily depending on snow removal. For another, the Washington State Highway Department will start repairs to highways 123 and 410 beween the Stevens Canyon entrance and Cayuse and Chinook passes from the storms and landslide of recent years. And lastly, many trails are still snowbound about 4-5,000 feet as there is still over 8 feet of snow at Paradise.

For the visitor going to the Nisqually entrance, to alleviate the parking congestion at Paradise from the snow and construction, the NPS will be operaing a shuttle service between Whittakers Mountaineering Services parking lot to Longmire and Paradise Friday through Sundays to Labor Day. The parking is free but the park entrance is $5 if you don't have an annual pass.

Lastly, I've added a bibliography of books I've collected over the years which can be useful to visitors and photographers. Many of the books are still in print and available from local or on-line bookstores. The exception is the older USGS reports which are available from the USGS on-line publication library or can be copied at your USGS district (state) office.

Over this summer I will be updating the individual area information Web pages, starting with the Paradise area, which should be done in the next week or so. The other four areas will be update through July. I hope to have some basic information on each by early August.

I hope this helps. The next schedule update will be in early July or earlier if I see new information about roads and trails.

Books on Mt. Rainier NP

I've updated the Mt. Rainier NP photo guide with a page for books on Mt. Rainier NP I've collected over the years which I use to write the other Web pages. Most of the books are available from local or on-line bookstores. In addition I've added some personal notes about some I've found useful, interesting or simply "the" book you should have you want or need that information about Mt. Rainier NP.

I hope you find it useful and you can always send me e-mail with suggestions, questions or problems.

Sun and Moon Information

I've updated the Mt. Rainier NP photo guide with information about the Sun and Moon, see introduction Web page, on the rise, set, azimuth, and altitude so you can know when are the best times to photograph in the NP, namely near and after sunrise, before and near sunset, and full moons. The Web pages has specific information and links to Websites to calculate your own tables.

I've posted the first three months of information so you can get an idea of what available before visiting the Website. In addition some GPS units, such as Garmin's,. have built-in software to calculate sunrise and sunset, but not the full suite of sun position or moon information. Or at least those that I've researched so far. But if you find any or know of any, please let me know to post the information to the Web page.

So, that's it for now. More to come as indicated on the photo guide as "forthcoming" or "under construction."

MPG V2.1

Click on photo for Photo Guide

I've update the guide adding two Web pages. The first is a Seasonal Conditions Web page. This page is for general information for each month, currently for June 2008. It's not meant to be specifically or completely accurate or complete, but for something the news and information the news and information won't or doesn't normally provide.

For June, it's about the snowpack and snowmelt, the annual problem of bugs on the trails and the wildflower season, we have lots of the first and none of the second and third yet. This is because the bugs and wildflowers needs the snowpack to be gone, with the exceptions for some flowers which can grow through snow. Bugs can't begin life until the ponds are clear of snow, the ice melts and the temperatures warm. And the same works for wildflowers and the sun comes out a lot more.

With the current snowpack, it's a fair bet we'll have lots of both for longer into the summer this year because the snowmelt will be later, so everything that follows will be later and maybe longer into the summer. So be prepared after July 4th for bugs and flowers, both of which may last into late August or early September or the first good night freeze.

The second is an explanation of the information on the Web page. I added this Web page to explain that all of the references, books and Web pages on the Web pages in the guide have been researched and reviewed, and do not violate any copyright laws. The information is either in the public domain or considered public information, only the individual writer's or photographer's work is copyrighted which is only linked on the Guide's Web pages to ensure the owner's rights are kept.

In addition I want to explain all of the references to books, publishers or book sellers are provided without any affiliation or compensation to me by anyone. I provide the links for free because not only do I have copies of all the books I reference, I feel they're important to add to your information about the NP and any work you plan in the NP.

Update

It's been two weeks since the last update. So, is anything new?

Well, you can see from the photo (above, adjusted) from the NPS Webcam, which has a problem producing under exposed images (it's been reported and they're looking into it), there still is a lot of snow at Paradise, but the road is open all the time. Parking isn't so hot as the snow and construction limits availability, but the Inn at Paradise is open (see news).

Other than that, there's not much to report let alone update. It's the short, intermediate season between initial and near complete snowmelt, see Snotel Data. The lower elevation roads and trails are open, but snow is still on the ground at and above the 3,000 foot elevation. So be prepared for snow if you want longer or higher elevation hikes.

I've haven't updated the Website for the photography guides since mid-May because life choose different things to do and I've been researching the next set of Web pages, finding books, Websites, and other information for new Web pages. I'm neither a climber or a biologist, so adding Web pages for these subjects takes more time. And I'm learning more about Google maps.

Well, that's it for now. I'm scheduling some hiking and photo trips, so I don't know when this blog or the Photo Guide will be updated. It's a busy summer and we have to pack a lot in between Memorial Day and Labor Day, but you're always welcome to send e-mail with your suggestions, questions or whatever else you want to say.