Backpacking the Northwest

Chinook and Cayuse passes have closed for the season after the state Department of Transportation reviewed a snowy forecast and assessed the avalanche risk.

Due to heavy snow accumulation on the roadway, DOT crews temporarily closed Chinook Pass just after 7:30 a.m. on Saturday. Crews assessed the stability of the hillside on Sunday morning, and determined the avalanche risk is too great to allow traffic to safely cross Chinook Pass and Cayuse Pass.

Since Friday, Chinook Pass has received more than three feet of snow. More snow is forecast.

The Highway 410 Chinook Pass closure points are at Morse Creek (five miles east of the summit) and at Crystal Mountain Boulevard (eight miles northwest of the summit). Access to the Crystal Mountain Ski Resort from Highway 410 remains open.

DOT and the Mount Rainier National Park staff agreed to close Highway 123 (Cayuse Pass) for the season. The highway is closed within Mount Rainier National Park from the 4,675-foot Cayuse Pass summit at the junction of Highways 410 and 123 to Steven Canyon Road. DOT closes each pass for the winter due to high avalanche risk and hazardous driving conditions.

The $22.5 million work on the historic inn in Mount Rainier National Park , which closed the facility in October 2005, was necessary to strengthen the building against earthquakes, improve safety systems and help the grande dame withstand another 91 winters – so most of the construction was underground and behind walls.

Still, while shoring up crumbling foundations and strengthening supports, construction crews did return some of the inn’s historic luster. Visitors will see a new facade on the gift shop and fir flooring in the lobby and the dining room. The handcrafted furniture pieces, including the 14-foot grandfather clock and the restored vintage piano, are still in their customary locations in the lobby.

“We have something worth protecting here,” said Ellen Gage, the park’s historic architect. “We’ve done more preservation, but we looked for opportunities to do restoration.”

But budget overruns forced park officials to delay work on the Annex, which means no changes in the majority of the guest rooms.

As park management and Watts-Korsmo Joint Venture, the lead contractor, negotiated the final contract they realized that the work on the inn would cost about $5 million more than expected. That money was intended for work on the Annex, said park superintendent Dave Uberuaga.

“There were 250 to 300 items – such as the types of drainage around the building, types of heating systems, types of rock walls to be used – that we discussed,” Uberuaga said of the negotiations. “That’s when we decided not to proceed with work on the Annex.”

The retrofit of the Annex, housing 114 of the inn’s 121 guest rooms, could begin as soon 2013 if Congress approves the park’s budget request.

Congressman Norm Dicks, D-Belfair, will look to see if the Annex can be moved up in the line of National Park Service projects awaiting funding, said George Behan, Dicks’ chief of staff.

“There may be a chance to move it up in the queue. Norm has been working with the current Secretary (of Interior) Dirk Kempthorne and he has been supportive.”

UNFORESEEN CHALLENGES

About 150 construction workers spent more than 30 months battling snow, avalanches, rain, floods, wind and cold to revitalize the inn.

“The challenges up here were incredible. You could go anywhere west of the Mississippi and not find a job like this,” said Ken Hardy of Tacoma , general foreman for Watts-Korsmo.

Crews knew they would face extreme conditions working at an elevation of 5,400 feet. But they couldn’t predict a historic flood, above-average snowfall and unusually extreme winds.

Since the inn closed, more than 2,200 inches of snow have fallen at Paradise . Avalanches closed the road to the inn for two weeks in February. Paradise averages about 630 inches of snow a season.

“I grew up here, but I didn’t realize how much snow they get up here at Paradise ,” said Ron Case of Rochester , a painter for subcontractor Todd Robinson Painting Inc. of Tumwater.

“I worked on Bill Gates’ house several years ago,” Case said. “That’s the last (project) I worked on that was this challenging. But that’s what was fun about this job, it was something different every day.”

In November 2006, 17.9 inches of rain fell in 36 hours, flooding every corner of the park. Trails and campsites were washed away, and roads were cut by rivers and landslides. All told, $36 million in damage was done to the park. Crews’ access to the inn was restricted for six weeks and it slowed them down for four months.

“Early on we could get to the Community Building , hike over the bridge and then drive stranded National Park Service vehicles up to Paradise ,” said Jeff Robison, project manager for Watts-Korsmo.

Some days during the 2-year project, the temperature dipped to 5 degrees with winds at 40 mph, creating a wind chill of minus-22 degrees. In December 2006, winds reached 100 mph.

All the weather challenges delayed the project two weeks, but the construction crews encountered other unexpected developments.

Underneath the massive fireplaces and foundation, workers had to dig down to bedrock – 14 feet in some places – then pour in crushed rock to build the new foundation.

In the east wing, crews had to install additional steel beams to the ceilings and floors to stabilize them.

Painters needed to bring in propane heaters to get rooms warm enough to allow the wood finish to set.

“You open the walls and you find things no one knew existed,” Robison said.

PROTECTING, UTILIZING HISTORY

Determining how far back in time one goes to restore a historical structure isn’t an exact science.

“It’s professional judgment, on the part of a lot of people,” Uberuaga said. “What did the original craftsmen try to achieve and what is the best example of that for the longest time?”

Masons cleaned by hand each of the stones from the three massive fireplaces in the lobby and the dining room. For historic preservation, they weren’t allowed to remove the lichen that clung to the exterior stones. Above the fireplaces, striations of smoke left by decades of fires are still visible on the stones.

Carpenters used hand tools to re-create the mailboxes behind the reception desk.

Original entrance doors were discovered in the basement, and sidelights were found behind walls. Both features were incorporated into the restoration. That attention to detail was part of the effort to maintain the inn’s character.

“The idea fundamentally is to try and put everything back the way that it was. It’s a challenge to retain the historic fabric,” Uberuaga said. “It requires being sensitive to everything. We looked at the width and thickness of the shingles, how long they are, how far they overhang each other.”

The intent was to protect and, where possible, restore the historic look of the inn, which is why architects and engineers relied on historic photos as much as they did blueprints.

“Basically we’re mandated to protect the natural features, but also mandated to protect the historic structures,” said Eric Walkinshaw, park project manager.

What’s now the gift shop was a porch in 1917. The main entrance to the inn was in the corner between the gift shop and the back of the building. When the Annex was added in 1920, the main entrance was relocated.

“If we go back to the original intent, we would remove the gift shop, put the deck back there and reinstate the grand entry back there. That would be the purist version,” Walkinshaw said. “But we have to balance that with visitor enjoyment, and that includes the gift shop, the cafe.”

While much of the rehabilitation work is hidden by the floors and the walls, visitors will see a number of changes.

The most noticeable ones are in the gift shop and the cafe. The false roof that extended into the lobby is gone. Boxed clear fir beams run along the ceiling. The inn’s original doors now serve as an entrance on the shop’s west end. Carpenters added glass doors and windows.

“We were really guided by one historic photo. It showed before the snack bar was built. It showed light pouring in from that side of the building. We said, ‘What a difference having the light coming in from the east side,’” said Gage, the historic architect.

Other photos guided work on the reception desk, where carpenters rebuilt mailboxes and added architectural details.

“We had some pictures to work with. I had to use some hand tools to do some of the detail work,” said Jeff Baker of Shelton , a carpenter with Watts-Korsmo.

Workers built a portable saw to cut Alaskan yellow cedar logs used on the reception desk, the stairs and in the lobby.

“Many of the log shapes we needed to re-create we couldn’t do with drawings,” said Robison, the project manager. “We had to walk in the building, check it out, go outside and then kind of carve the log on the portable saw.”

A FEELING OF FAMILIARITY

Some of the inn’s quirky aspects remain intact. The balcony and its nooks, added after the inn’s original opening in the early 20th century, were kept. They’re a favorite place to enjoy a cup of coffee, play a board game or recap the day’s outdoor adventures.

In a corner of the dining room, hidden from diners but visible to employees, is a small closet used by busboys. Untouched by construction crews, names and messages from previous inn employees still cover the wall and the doors. Some signatures date to the early 1950s. One employee wrote: “Can I survive another year?”

Also visible is a caricature of the “Unknown Waiter,” who entertained guests during Saturday night talent shows in the 1970s.

“He came out with a bag on his head and he would sing. It was a good thing he had the bag. He was bad,” said Melinda Simpson, operations manager for Guest Services Inc.

The renovation also revealed a number of relics, including ski goggles from the ’20s and ’30s, cigarette and tobacco tins, a photo album and a copy of the Seattle Daily Times dated Sept. 11, 1927 . The headline read “City, State Honor Lindy Tuesday,” marking the pending arrival in Seattle of Charles Lindbergh aboard his Spirit of St. Louis.

Some of those items will be on display in the new visitor center being built nearby.

And the next time major work is done at Paradise, crews might find similar items. Many of the workers signed their names to a now-covered wall between the gift shop and the cafe.

Baker, the carpenter, left behind a hard hat and a vest in a space in the wall. Hardy, the Watts-Korsmo foreman, left behind his thoughts.

“I wrote a poem,” he said. “It took me a few nights to write it. But there’s this sense of pride being able to follow our grandfathers and the work they did.”

Those mementos reflect the sense of accomplishment among workers, Hardy said.

As workers such as Baker and Case were making the finishing touches in late April, Guest Services Inc. employees were racing to prepare the inn for the first guests, who are scheduled to arrive Friday. But the pressure of refurnishing the inn didn’t faze Simpson.

As dozens of workers carried in mirrors, mattresses, bed frames and dressers, Simpson’s smile lit up the lobby. She first worked at the inn in 1973, spending 18 years at the park. She returned in November to run Guest Services.

“It’s like coming home. I know the building, I know the furniture,” she said. “It’s a remarkable place. How do you not come in here and say ‘Wow?’”

Jeffrey P. Mayor: 253-597-8640; blogs.thenewstribune.com/adventure

Being a “Mount Rainier VIP” (did you realize that volunteers are labeled “VIPs” because they are “Volunteers In Parks?”) allowed me to recently take a private tour of the new Jackson Visitor Center and remodeled Paradise Inn.

Both are still under construction (which has consumed the Paradise upper lot for the last 2 summers) but thankfully, that construction is drawing to a close this year. The Paradise Inn will re-open in May and the new Jackson Visitor Center is scheduled to re-open this October.

Exploring the bowels of a major construction site was a fascinating and educational experience. The first notable surprise was how many people were actually involved in the project, and the variety of different tasks they were all doing.

Project safety manager Derek Burr (my tour guide) says there are about 30-40 people working on the visitor center site on any given day. The various specialists include (but are not limited to!):

• Heavy equipment operators
• Carpenters
• Pipe fitters
• Sprinkler pipe fitters
• Plumbers
• Electricians
• Sheet rock workers
• Earth workers
• HVAC technicians
• Iron workers
• Sheet metal workers

Another interesting fact about the visitor center construction site is that it features a “Dance Floor.” Not your Saturday Night Fever variety, but a giant platform — nicknamed the Dance Floor — that is suspended 24 feet in the air. Above that false floor is another 24 more feet of scaffolding that enables workers access to the fifty-foot high pitched ceilings.

Burr notes that working on the high ceiling was one of the most challenging elements of the project. The Dance Floor was created because they couldn’t fit a “lift” inside the doorway of the building.

Another cool feature of this project — designed to address the weather challenges of Paradise — is a scaffolding that extends beyond the roof-line by 10 feet. “That way that people can work on the outside of the building from the inside, without being killed by snow falling off the roof,” says Burr.

There are even more people working at the Paradise Inn– 40-50, says Burr. The goal is to rehabilitate the 86-year old building so that it retains its rustic feel but can better withstand the ravages of time and weather.

To make the building stronger while keeping the historic atmosphere, many of the original beams, planks, and logs in the walls and floors were taken out, reinforced with concrete and steel, and then put back. The Inn has seen a lot of wear and tear over the years. Earthquakes and large snow-loads have made the floor uneven, pushed on the walls and created gaps and even some trenches throughout the structure.

One such trench in the corner of the dining room was so big that Burr wondered if “they were gonna dig up some skeletons?” Seriously though, an NPS archaeologist did examine the area and thankfully, no skeletons were found (Remember… Redrum…).

One big challenge for this type of construction project is to keep employees working at Paradise. “It’s not an easy job,” says Burr. To those of us who visit Paradise for those gorgeous views and hikes, it might be hard to imagine what could be so difficult about working there. (It beats a cubicle, doesn’t it?) But the commute is quite long and many of the workers reside in temporary housing. And then of course, there is always the threat of crashing your truck on a slick icy road that is threatened by avalanches, or the joy of digging it out of the snow daily.

Burr, however, has enjoyed the job and his surroundings. “Some people don’t even like to look at the view. But I take as many pictures as I can.” Photos by Burr, Agiewich and NPS.

re-printed from Mount Rainier Climbing

posted by Rebecca at Thursday, March 27, 2008

I think these tips apply to all of us who are Endurance Hikers / Backpackers too!

( I know this is from the Powerbar website, and I am not trying to plug them on purpose, but hey its good info so I left it intact..)

By: Fiona Lockhart, CTS Pro Coach

An abundance of information exists for endurance athletes; sometimes too much. It can become quite difficult to figure out exactly what you should and shouldn’t do in training because many sources have conflicting information. Below are some of the myths that seem to be perpetuated over and over again, even though the scientific research doesn’t back it up.

1. There’s no point in doing high-intensity workouts if you’re training for a long-distance event, like a marathon, since you’ll never be going that hard during the event.
   No matter what the event you are training for, it’s useful to change up the intensity of your workouts to make sure you work all your physiological systems, as well as to prevent physical and mental staleness. Research has shown that athletes who perform sprint workouts were able to improve their longer-term endurance performance. That doesn’t mean that you do high-intensity intervals, like sprints or hill repeats, all the time, but adding them to your total training mix will make you a better athlete.
2. If you want to lose weight, go out and ride or run for long periods of time without eating. If you train in the morning, don’t eat beforehand.
   No, no, no, no, no. Your body needs fuel in order to perform at its best. If you try to train without sufficient fuel stores, not only will you wear yourself out in the long run, but your immediate workout will have only a fraction of the quality it should have. Consume gels, sports drinks and/or bars to maintain a steady supply of carbohydrate during your workout. Make sure you also take advantage of recovery nutrition, like the POWERBAR® Recovery shake, within 30 minutes of the end of your training bout; this will maximize those glycogen stores so you can come back and train hard the next day.If you train in the morning, have something to eat before you start out. Your body burns through glycogen while you are sleeping; and your training will suffer from reduced fuel stores in the morning if you don’t refuel. If your body doesn’t tolerate solid foods before early-morning workouts, try a POWERBAR® Endurance sport drink.If you are trying to lose weight, think about cutting calories at times away from your training, not near to or during it.
3. Losing weight will always improve your performance.
   While a light, lean body is certainly a benefit for endurance events, don’t overdo it. Just because someone else can perform effectively at a given weight doesn’t mean you should be at that same weight. If you’re trying to lose weight, do it slowly and gradually so that you can continue to fuel your body sufficiently to support your training. If your weight is going down, but your power output and performance are diminishing as well, you may very well be too lean for your own good.
4. When doing strength training, always do lots of repetitions so that you don’t bulk up.
   In order to reap the most gains from a strength training program, you need to lift a significant amount of weight in a relatively short period of time. After you have done a few weeks of light weight, moderate repetitions (i.e. 12-15 reps) to allow your tendons, ligaments, and muscles to adapt to the rigors of strength training, you will need to raise the amount of weight and lower the number of repetitions in order to maximize your strength gains. Don’t worry; unless you’re spending 5 days a week, 4+ hours in the gym (and you shouldn’t be, if you’re an endurance athlete), you won’t get “muscle-bound”!
5. To really be competitive, you need to train more than 15 hours a week.
   If this were the case, there would be very few competitive athletes over the age of 30. Let’s face it, with work, family, and other obligations we contend with as we get older, it can be difficult to find many hours of training time during the week. But that’s okay, because you can still train effectively with limited time.With fewer hours available to work out, establishing a structured training program becomes of paramount importance. Figure out how many hours and days you can train, and then set specific goals for each training day (i.e. lactate threshold workouts, sprint intervals). Then be consistent with that schedule. Not only will you continue to get stronger and faster, but you may also find that your performance gains are even greater than when you had more training time, because you are now forced to work with a specific plan.

by Rich Kassel
December 2007

Earlier this month, Mountain Equipment Co-op, the “REI of Canada,” pulled its Nalgene bottles from its shelves, citing concern over potential health risks. It seems that those iconic bottles (Neat colors! Cool graphics! Originally used in laboratories!) that are ubiquitous in backpacks, dorm rooms and office refrigerators are made of a type of plastic that has been linked with infertility, lower sperm counts, enlarged prostrate glands, pre-cancerous lesions in breast and prostate tissue, and other symptoms of hormone disruption.

How many New Yorkers carry a Nalgene bottle with them wherever they go because they want a reusable, environmentally preferable alternative to bottled water? How many New Yorkers carry a Nalgene bottle for their children wherever they go because they fear that softer plastic baby bottles will leach hormone-disrupting phthalates, especially when filled with acidic juices? How many New Yorkers carry a Nalgene bottle wherever they go, just because the bottles are nearly unbreakable and are really colorful?

And, reading this now, how many New Yorkers suddenly feel like Charlie Brown does, whenever Lucy pulls the football away from him, one more time? Like Charlie Brown, how many Nalgene-carrying New Yorkers will learn about this latest health risk and want to shout ‘Aaaarrrrggghhhhh!”

The Polycarbonate Problem

Before you fill your Nalgene bottle with cement and jump in the Hudson River, here are some basics:

Most Nalgene bottles are made from polycarbonate. (You can distinguish polycarbonate from other plastics because the polycarbonate bottles have the number 7 in the little recycling triangle on the bottom). Polycarbonate is a form of plastic that is comprised mostly of bisphenol A (BPA), an endocrine disruptor that mimics the female hormone, estrogen. In animal studies, BPA has been associated with the abnormalities listed above, as well as with obesity and insulin resistance – a condition that commonly precedes the development of diabetes. If all that wasn’t bad enough, BPA also has been shown in animal studies to cause changes in behavior. (Could it have been his Nalgene bottle — and not the steroids — that caused an enraged Roger Clemens to throw a broken bat at Mike Piazza during Game 2 of the 2000 World Series?)

Not surprisingly, industry-funded studies have failed to find these same effects. And, the jump from animal studies to human impacts is an imperfect one, so there is a lot of controversy around the toxic effects of BPA. Although we can’t say with certainty that BPA causes the same problems in humans as it does in the laboratory animals, the weight of scientific evidence should prompt us to err on the side of caution and avoid BPA exposures where possible.

We also know that more than 90 percent of the general population carries residues of BPA in their bodies. How is that possible? After all, not everybody drinks from Nalgene bottles. But the BPA chemical is ubiquitous. Epoxy resins containing BPA line the cans of tomato sauce and leach into the sauce, thanks to the acidity of the tomatoes. It lines the insides of your Coke and juice cans—whoops, there’s that acid-enhanced leaching again. Canned fruits? Yup, you’ll find BPA in those cans too. Here are some other BPA sources: the insides of the cans of infant formula, some dental sealants and even that polycarbonate pitcher that came with your Brita filter.

What You Can Do

Eliminating exposure to BPA is probably close to impossible, given its ubiquity. But reducing exposure to this chemical makes sense, especially for children (their developing bodies are especially prone to the health impacts of endocrine disruptors like BPA). Avoiding polycarbonate bottles is one step in reducing exposure to endocrine disruptors. (An important note here: Although Nalgene has become the “Kleenex” of the polycarbonate world, all polycarbonate bottles contain BPA, so you should avoid bottles with that little “7″ in the recycling triangle, whether they come from Nalgene, Starbucks or your Brita filter system.) If you use these bottles, recognize that high temperatures (e.g., your dishwasher), acidic liquids (e.g., juice), and any discoloration or cracking due to age are all likely to increase BPA leaching.

There are better options for storing drinks: an unlined stainless steel container (e.g. Klean Kanteen) or another type of plastic container, such as polyethylene or polypropylene, which doesn’t contain BPA. (Look for the number 1, 2, or 5 in the recycling triangle on the bottom of the container.)

Second, recognize that more of our collective exposures are likely to come from BPA in cans especially if the contents are highly acidic such as a tomato-based product or soda. San Marzano tomatoes may be the best for cooking, but buying them in glass or those milk carton-like boxes will keep BPA out of the sauce. Likewise, canned pineapple may have been the only way to eat that fruit when we were kids, but now buying fresh is the BPA-free way to enjoy it.

Want to find out more? The Environmental Working Group, California, and a group called Environmental Defence in Canada all have good information on their websites.

Take a look at some flood damage pictures from the NPS.

The Trail Crew clearing a large tree from the Wonderland Trail

NEWS: August 3, 2007 – The park is now accepting Wonderland Trail reservations.

The park experienced severe flooding in November 2006. Travel here for more information.

Mount Rainier can receive 700 or more inches of snow each winter. When spring comes to the mountains it is a very busy time for Park Rangers. The previous fall usually brings the rainy season which causes damage to trails and camps by raging waters, high winds and falling trees. All this damage gets covered by 10-20 feet of snow, and there it sits until melt-out which often does not occur in earnest until late June or early July. The snow usually starts melting in high volumes, causing more damage to trails and camps. The Trail Crew may have to clear hundreds of trees from the trails each year. Replacing footlogs and bridges is also a major project. Footlogs are also prone to being washed out anytime there is a prolonged period of rain regardless of the season.

Wilderness Rangers and Trail Crew members are out and about early in the season trying to assess the damage. Given the vastness of the trail system and the volumes of snow, this is a large task. As we get reliable information on the status of a trail, a section of trail or a backcountry camp, that information will be posted here on the website.

trail signs

Trail signs like these will be a common sight around the park this summer (2007) because of flood damage.

TRAVEL HERE FOR A MAP OF KNOWN TRAIL DAMAGE (Large PDF, 1600 KB)

TRAIL ADVISORY:Throughout the summer, park trail crews will be working to repair and rebuild sections of trail that were damaged by the November floods. This effort may take several years. Rangers have established temporary reroutes around damaged trail sections until the trail has been rebuilt or repaired to trail standards. The temporary reroutes are identified by following Yellow, 3 inch wide “Caution Caution” flagging. Reroutes identified are generally the easiest and shortest path around existing trail obstructions. However, these reroutes are often very rough, involve steep side hills, and may require extensive climbing over logs and river banks. Travel on reroutes is not trail hiking and is identical to crosscountry travel. These temporary routes are not for everyone. Please visit a Wilderness Information Center for specific trail information or assistance with planning your hike.

When hiking, be especially careful at river crossings. Many bridges are damaged or missing. Until all bridges can be repaired, hikers will face the additional challenge of unassisted river crossings. Some temporary reroutes will lead hikers to existing downed logs across rivers. These log crossings which are often used in crosscountry travel may be hazardous and are not to be confused with footlog trail bridges with a flattened tread and handrails. If no log or bridge crossing exists, hikers must decide for themselves if they are able to ford the river. Many people have underestimated the power of moving water. If you must make a crossing, go in the early morning when river levels are generally at their lowest. Look for a straight wide area with slow moving water below knee height and a smooth bottom. Scout downstream for strainer or waterfall hazards and potential exit points. Wear good foot-ware, expect slippery rocks, utilize a stout stick to maintain two points of contact at all times, and unbuckle your backpack waistbelt in order to quickly shed your pack should you fall in. Most importantly visit a Wilderness Information Center or park website for updated trail conditions so you know what to expect before you go hiking.

BACKCOUNTRY TRAILS AND CAMP REPORTS

A wilderness camping permit is required year around for camping or climbing in the park. Car camping does not require a wilderness permit.

GENERAL CONDITIONS UPDATE: August 26, 2007

Wildflowers are passed peak. Bugs are still biting.

Smuggler’s Cove outside of Skagway Alaska

Downtown Skagway

Take a look at some pictures of my hike around Mt. Adams

I will post a trip report soon

We arrived at Timberline Lodge about 8:30, which gave us until 9:00 to meet the rest of the group. Tori, Drew, and I walked up to the lodge and admired the displays about Timberline Lodge and its construction. I guess Heidi the St. Bernard is on vacation during the summer.
We met up with Mike and Marleese a little after 9 and we got ready to hit the trail. Drew wanted to hike the trail counter-clockwise, which was fine with all of us. We left about 9:30 after having our pictures taken in front of the Daylodge and then again with Mt. Hood in the background. The weather for the weekend promised to be clear with highs of about 75 degrees.
Drew led the way and the four of us followed. I stopped to take a few picture and dropped to the rear. While composing one of my pictures I stepped on my trekking poles and bent one of them. You would think I would know better! I got my camera put away, put pack back on, and headed down the trail along a ridge that dropped down to our first stream crossing at White River. We had to scout around for a way across the river. The streambed was a miniature canyon with steep sides and poor approaches. We found a way across, clambered up the sloughing bank, then spent a couple of minutes reacquiring the trail.

The trail follows the river downstream for about 500 feet then switchbacks up a ravine. From there the trail climbs until you come to the chairlifts of Mt. Hood Meadows. We followed the trail under several chairlifts and a couple of nice wildflower meadows with streams flowing through them. The group was hiking pretty fast and I was in the rear most of the morning. After several ups and downs, the trail brought us to Newton Creek, where we stopped for lunch. There was a spring-fed stream just before Newton Creek and I filled up my hydration pack and water bottle from the spring. Everyone else filtered water from the spring. Marleese, Mike, and Drew tended to their hot spots then we had lunch and prepared for the next ascent.

The bridge across Newton Creek is only two skimpy trees. Each of us wondered if we would make it across the muddy creek safely. We all made a dry crossing and started uphill on Gnarl Ridge. What a slog it turned out to be getting to the top of Lamberson Butte. The trail goes up for miles. At first you’re in the trees but they thin out as you gain elevation. By the time you reach the high point of the trail at 7300 feet, the trees are dwarf and you’re pretty well spent. Along the way you get great views of Mt. Hood, Mt. Adams, and Mt. Jefferson. We also saw the smoke from the Log Springs fire on the Warm Springs Indian Reservation. Near the high point in the trail we passed a break in the last big snowfield and Tori found a stream to filter water from. The stream only appeared for 150 feet. Hikers who walk straight to the cairn instead of following the trail will probably miss this place to filter water from.

We thankfully headed down the trail to the Cooper Spur Shelter. We had our choice of campsites because we were the only campers there Friday night. It is a fantastic campsite. After dinner, Drew and I walked over to see Elliot Glacier with all its crevasses. Earlier in the day we had talked about hiking up to the 8400-foot level at Tie-in Rock but we agreed we were too tired. We set up our tents in a light wind and made dinner. The wind blew harder and a big gust pulled out a tent stake from the dusty soil and collapsed my tent. The wind sent the rest of the group scurrying to find rocks to anchor tents and make windbreaks.

We took refuge inside the stone shelter, talked for a while, then headed to bed. A fine layer of volcanic dust covered all the inside of our tents. You could even crunch it with your teeth sometimes. Each time a big gust blew my flashlight lit up a little cloud of dust floating into my tent. I put my earplugs in and slept as best I could. I think the wind quieted down around 3 a.m.

We got up around 5:30 a.m. and watched Mt. Adams and Mt. Rainier appear with beautiful sunrise. The sunrise was a beautiful as the sunset the night before. Everyone had interesting experiences to share. We all had dust. Mike had felt the tent pushing against him with every gust. Drew felt his feet get lifted with every big gust. Tori wondered if her tent stakes would hold down her tent. I found the stake that holds my tent up had almost pulled out again.

I had breakfast at camp and the rest of the group decided to pack up and make breakfast down at Tilly Jane Campground, near Cloud Cap Inn. It was nice to use the outhouse and talk to some of the campers. One group had also hiked from Timberline yesterday. They were planning to hike to Paradise Park tonight.

The rest of the group made breakfast and we washed some of the dust off of us. We hit the trail again about 8:30. The next crossing is the Elliot River. This is an easy crossing because a nice bridge has been airlifted in. We continued to have great views of Mt. Hood and the other distant volcanoes.

When we got to Coe Creek, we had a much harder time finding a dry crossing. We had met several people who had waded across. We looked around and were able to find a spot to rock-hop across the river.

The trail continues near the timberline and great views abounded. Elk Cove had expansive meadows and great views. Cairn Basin, where we had lunch, has a nice wildflower meadow with a view of Mt. Hood. I don’t understand why Cairn Basin is so popular. Other than the one small meadow, there are many other places on Mt. Hood that seem much more scenic.

We skipped going to McNeil Point but we talked to so many day hikers that we want to go back and see it sometime. From here the trail went along the top of a ridge, which gives outstanding views of Mt. Hood and McNeil Point.

On the trail towards Bald Mountain, Drew tripped on a root and fell down, banging up his knee and twisting his ankle. We waited for a while then I walked with him slowly. When we got to Bald Mountain we decided to take the PCT to Ramona Falls because it was shorter and should be a better trail than the Timberline. Most of the trail was switchbacks going down to the Muddy Fork of the Sandy River. It turns out the PCT has a detour to a new bridge. It is definitely a detour trail and not easy for someone with a tender ankle to negotiate. The new log bridge is sturdy and should last a long time. The trail hooks into the trail to Ramona Falls shortly after the log crossing. From there it is about 2 miles up to Ramona Falls. We got to the falls and found a group of students from Springwater High School in Gresham that had hiked over the past week from Timberline Lodge. They were nice enough to show us the group camping area. It is located about 500 feet Southeast of the falls. There was plenty of room at the campsites for all of us and we soon had our tents set up. We rested, filtered water for the next day, then made dinner. I accidentally left a granola bar out and by the time I found it, only the wrapper remained. I had lain down to eat some trail mix and some nuts spilled out. I looked at the bag and saw chew marks. The ground squirrel had sampled that too!

After dinner we talked more and then headed off to bed once again. When I got up during the night the full moon made stark shadows through the trees. The night was still pretty warm and the bugs had gone to bed for the night too. I went back to sleep but was awoken by some animal that sounded like a fire alarm klaxon over and over again. I had to dig out my earplugs again before I could get back to sleep. The next morning Drew said he thought a bat flying over our camp had made the noise. Tori slept right through the night and hadn’t heard a thing.

Sunday morning dawned clear and about 50 degrees. Mike and Marleese wanted to get an early start and had soon packed up and finished their breakfast. The rest of us had breakfast and broke camp. From Ramona Falls the trail joins into the PCT and goes from 3400 feet to 5900 feet at Paradise Park. On the way up we had great views of Slide Mountain and some waterfalls. We stopped at the ruins of the Paradise Park Shelter, which is on the South end of Paradise Park. I took a side trail while Drew rested his ankle and Tori headed down the trail.

Drew and I started down the trail to Zigzag River. After dropping about 1000 feet, we came to an old avalanche that had made a snow bridge across Zigzag River. We crossed, staying away from the edge and the holes in the snow. We speculated how long it would be before someone fell through because we had heard the snow bridge was only a couple of feet thick in some places. We stood by the creek and let the cool air wash over us. It was like standing in front of a giant freezer with the door open. You could actually see and feel a cool fog coming out where the stream came out from underneath the snow. From the river, the trail steeply switchbacks to cross the next ridge at 5700-feet. The terrain becomes drier and sandier as you go more up than down and cross a couple of small creeks. Pretty soon a communications tower, chairlift, and service road come into view. In less than a ½ mile further, we were back at Timberline Lodge.

We met back up with Tori and congratulated ourselves at the completion of a hike around another volcano. We packed up and headed towards Sandy where we met Mike and Marleese for Pizza.

What great weather we had on this hike. There are certainly some locations we intend to visit again. Including Paola’s Pizza in Sandy.

Switchback Steve

Directions:
The road to this trailhead is generally closed from November to May. Check the Mt. Rainier National Park website for the Stevens Canyon Road opening and closing dates.

From Portland, take I-5 north for about 70 miles. Take exit 68 from I-5 to Hwy 12. Drive about 59 miles from I-5 to Packwood. Drive about 13 more miles to the junction with Hwy 123. Turn left onto Hwy 123 and travel about 5 1/2 miles. Turn left onto Stevens Canyon Road and go through the park entrance. Continue several more miles to the Box Canyon parking lot on your left. The total drive is about 150 miles and takes about 3 1/4 hours.

From Seattle, take Hwy 410 to Hwy 123. From Hwy 123, drive 12 miles and turn right onto Stevens Canyon Road and go through the park entrance. Continue several more miles to the Box Canyon parking lot on your left. The total drive is about 100 miles.

National Park entrance fee must be paid to enter Mt. Rainier National Park.

Flush toilets available at the Box Canyon parking lot

Length and Elevation:
15 Miles roundtrip, Elevation gain and loss total 8,000 Feet

Trail:
Wonderland Trail

Review: September 25, 2003
I called Longmire Friday afternoon to find out about reserving a campsite and Indian Bar. I would be going in at Ohanapecosh. The Ranger I spoke to thought I could self-register at the Ohanapecosh Ranger Station.

I arrived Saturday morning at the Ranger Station but there was nowhere to drop off my form. I was just about to jamb it into the door when a Ranger drove by. He was kind enough to take my form and I headed for Box Canyon.

I was the only car in the parking lot when I hit the trail at 9:30am. The trail to Nickel Creek is easy as it is relatively flat and wide. The recent flooding had not affected the bridge over Nickel Creek or the campsites. I headed up the switchbacks and was relieved to find the yellowjacket nest that was beside the trail in August is now gone. Climbing into the alpine meadows I had clear views of Mt. Rainier, Mt. Adams, and other mountains to the south and east. There was plenty of places to get water along the trail because of the recent snow melt. On the descent to Indian bar were places where a lot of water had run down the trail . The trail was a little washed out in one spot so I threw some rocks around so it wouldn’t wash out further. The Ohanapecosh river at Indian Bar had seriously flooded the meadow north of the creek. The trail held up well but some new gullies were apparent.

I picked a campsite with a great view looking up the valley. I set up camp at 2:30 and hiked on up to Panhandle Gap with a much lighter pack. Beautiful views abounded as the trail quickly gains elevation and leaves the trees behind. There were excellent fall colors in some areas and the leaves had already fallen in others. About two miles from Indian Bar the trail crosses a couple of small but permanent ice fields. I had to look carefully for the trail in this area because of the flooding.

The trail through Panhandle Gap was excellent and there was only a small patch of snow on the trail. I returned back to Indian Bar camp at dark. The sky was perfectly clear and there was a light frost on the ground in the morning. I took some pictures at Indian Bar and headed back up the trail about 9am. The views on the way back were just as spectacular as Saturday. I met a group of four people who got a late start and had to camp along the trail. They were just about out of water but I assured them they would find water soon. I saw two other men hiking towards Indian Bar. You hear the noisy rush of water from many streams and waterfalls all along the trail. I had lunch along a seasonal stream in the switchbacks down to Nickel Creek. It was a great hike with not biting or stinging bugs. I got back to the parking lot at about 1:30pm. I think the section from Nickel Creek to Panhandle Gap and on to Summerland is one of the most scenic stretches of the Wonderland Trail because it is right at the treeline for much of the hike.

Switchback Steve