MPG V2.3

Click on photo for Photo Guide

I've updated the navigation and design on the Mt. Rainier NP photo guide with better map Web pages and improved navigation between the information, map and list Web pages on a particular subject, listed in the table of contents (above guide) in addition to adding popup windows for the advisories than text in the Web page. This means you need to enable popup windows with your browser.

Scheduled for this month is a Web page for backcountry hikes. It's still in the research and development stage to compile the information and resources. It will focus on the longer weekend and longer hikes and the Wonderland trail. These are the least accessed areas of the NP by photographers but has some of the photography opportunities.

After that are guides for wildflowers, wildlife and climbing, Web pages for an NP overview and history and completing the Web pages for the northeast and southeast quadrants. The goal is to have the framework for the guide done by this fall or winter to work on the next generation design and production of a print version (PDF) for photographers and NP visitors sometime in the next year.

In addition I'm working on an off-shoot project of the 1896 expedition by Bailey Willis, Israel C. Russell and George O. Smith, all geologist, who made the first scientific exploration of the area around Mt. Rainier for the glaciers and geology. They were the first to navigate around the north side from Paradise across several eastern side glaciers. Willis also took numerous 4x5 photographs (black and white negatives) which I've found in federal archives.

This is a longer term project which will be added to the photo guide more as information with the longer term goal and plan to locate sites of the photographs to take new ones with a 4x5 camera (b&w and color). I'll keep you posted over the months and likely years as it unfolds.

I hope you enjoy the improvements and please let me know if you have any problems, suggestions or questions.

Quick weather forecast

While I have Web pages for weather resources with a map of weather sites, and there are a lot of on-line resources for weather in and around Mt. Rainier NP, the best Web page for the immediate forecoast from Longmire to the Summit is available from the University of Washington Atmospheric Sciences program, and is available here.

The forecast changes every day and often during the day as the models predict changes in the weather patterns, but it gives you the best information and forecast for your immediate visit. It doesn't include other three quadrants, and when I find Web pages for these areas and sites in those areas, I'll post them here.

Have a good visit and the best advice for visiting and especially hiking Mt. Rainier NP, "Stay warm and dry."

Updated news and access

I have updated the recent news, access and conditions, and monthly report, along with adding a Web page on information about photography permits in the NP.

The news is that the snowpack is on its last patches below 6,000 feet elevation and only in protected or shaded areas or on north sides of ridges, and so the wildflowers are out along with the bugs. Sorry, you can't have one without the other in Mt. Rainier NP, and with the high snowpack and late snowmelt, both are later than normal, and depending on the weather, which has been cooler than normal, will last until mid-late August, or the first freeze.

There still is considerable snow above 6,000 feet elevation, meaning many trails including Spray Park, a popular wildflower area. And Sunrise still has snow in areas and above, but it's also melting, so sometime in early-mid August the trails should be in shape for hiking and photography almost everywhere in the NP.

On the horizon are the last two quadrants and a backcountry hiking and photography guide, which are listed in the table of contents. I did find these cool map view of Mt. Rainier NP. I hope they work on enhancements to make it even better.

And so that's it for now. I hope the photo guide helps, and you're always welcome to send me comments, suggestions, questions or problems.

Fire Lookouts

View of Grand Park from Mount Freemont

I have added a new set of Web pages for a guide to the fire lookouts in the NP and outside with views of Mt. Rainier. The pages include an overview and sites and map of sites. These lookouts offer excellent vista of the whole area, especially Mt. Rainier as well as offer an interesting history lesson since they were built by the Civilian Conservation Corps from 1932 through 1934.

In addtiion there are two US Forest Service fire lookouts, one north and one south of the NP which also provided excellent views of Mt Rainier. This are more popular destinations as the access is easier and not requiring a NP pass. All of the rest of the lookouts in the area, two in the NP and about half a dozen USFS lookouts have been discontinued due to being destroyed or removed.

One last word. Two of the NP lookouts, Gobblers Knob and Mount Freemont were heavily damaged in the storms of November 2006 and the unusually high snowpack of the winter 2007-08, and haven't been fully rebuilt, so access may be limited, especially if you want to stay overnight (and remember a backcountry permit is required for this).

I hope you enjoy the information and it's useful, and please let me know if you have any questions, comments, suggestions or problems with the Web pages.

Carbon River Rd II

I wrote about the National Park Service plans for the Carbon River road, and how people can submit their comments. Well, Jeffery Mayer, with the Tacoma News Tribune has published an interesting point of view, which kinda' shows there is no real answer here because the road is between the river and the rocks.

It's the proverbial between a rock and a hard place and history isn't on your side. The road was intentionally built along the river in the 1920's, decided by NPS Director Stephen Mather over the objections of the federal Bureau of Public Roads. The Bureau knew it was a disaster always waiting to happen every year of floods. And after the road had national historical landmark signifiance, the NPS was now stuck in a perpetual repair mode, until in November 2006 when nature destroyed 40% of it beyond repair.

So, now the NPS is trying to find an answer where there is no optimum solution. If you want the road, you'll spend a money every year to maintain it and a lot of money every few years after floods to rebuild it. And in many locations along the route the river is the road or will be at point in the future, the road is the path of least resistance rivers like to follow, the idea of least expended energy.

The problem is that road is 5 miles to the Ipsut Campground which is very popular with picnic areas along it. This shortens the high to the Carbon River glacier to 6-7 miles roundtrip, easily doable by many people. But now it's an extra 10 mile hike from the Carbon River entrance roundtrip just to get to the Ipsut campground, and then hike to the glacier. In short it's an overnight hike, and with the Ipsut campground severly damaged from the flood and now a backcountry campground (no facilities), it's not a family outing.

And now the NPS is following up on the General Management Plan (GMP) which opted to eventually remove the road in favor of a hike and bike trail to the Ipsut campground. But the floods moved that up to reality and one of the options is to repair the first 3 miles or so which were the least damaged section and convert the rest to the hike and bike trail. Except that's only a short-term alternative until better longterm solutions can be found.

This is because it doesn't really matter if you have a Carbon River road or hike and bike trail, the river is still the problem and the danger to it. It will washout on occasion from floods, it's back to the river and rocks situation where you can't win. But if you remove the road for the trail, the NPS will now be depriving many visitors from their rightful experience. Mt. Rainier NP was built as a drive-in National Park, to be experienced by car and walking.

And the reality doesn't match anymore, at any price. And so the choices are really the lessor of evils but also depriving many people of coming and enjoying the National Park. And my view since I haven't said? I wouldn't want to be the Superintendent who has to make the final decision alternative to propose to the National Parks Chief. You'll be standing in the spotlight with no protection from the public and Congressonal criticism.

So I haven't said, but I would opt for the intermediate, meaning maintain the first 3 miles until it's clearly not financially feasible in light of the river. And then maintain whatever road you can until the river controls the situation, be it only one to two miles, and the keep converting it to a minimal hiking trail. I am in favor of rebuilding the Ipsut campground, somewhere safer, to make it a destination with facilities.

But it's not my decision, only my opinion.