With additional snow forecast for the Cascades this weekend, many roads in the Gifford Pinchot National Forest will become increasingly hazardous or impassable, particularly at higher elevations.
Sno-Parks throughout the forest are now operating. Roads leading to the Sno-Parks are maintained during the winter.

For more details

Yes there is an Olympic National Park ornament too. Here's a look at the ornament painted by Jack Galloway, the park's landscape architect. We'll let you know when we get a pick from North Cascade N.P.

Photos courtesy of Olympic National Park.

The theme for this year's White House Christmas tree is "Holiday in the National Parks." Mount Rainier National Park is being recognized with a handmade ornament. The tree is in the White House's blue room.

There are 347 ornaments on the tree. To see one from each state, check out the White House website.

Here are some photos of the ornament courtesy of MRNP.

FRONT:

BACK:

Click below to read the announcement from Mount Rainier National Park and the Park Service.

=> Read more!

As promised in today's Adventure
Section, here are 10 more ways to camp a little greener.

Click here to read the first 10.

11. When nature calls be kind to the environment. Dig a hole to bury your business. (Note: This doesn’t work on snow. The snow melts leaving hiker in deep poop the next summer.) Either wipe with something natural like moss, leaves or snow or pack out your toilet paper.

12. Buy a down sleeping bag and leather hiking boots instead of a bag and boots made of synthetics.

13.Print your maps at home and use one large sealable bag to keep them dry rather than laminating each map.

14.Buy a hybrid car or at least carpool and don’t over pack your ride with gear. Your car isn't as fuel efficient when it's overpacked with gear. Also consider public transportation if you are doing day hike near town.

15. Boil your drinking water instead of chemically treating it.

16. Borrow or rent gear rather then buying new.

17. Ride your bike to the grocery store when shopping for your trip.

18. Stay in a tent rather than a cabin or hotel.

19. Don’t wash your car after your trip.

20. Be creative. I have a buddy that used his vasectomy sperm sample jar (he says he never used it that way) as a reusable mini peanut butter container. You likely have many things around your house that have multiple uses.

Here's a preview of Thursday's Adventure section:
Green camping: We've got tips for reducing your footprint in the woods.
Olympics update: Craig Hill writes about the latest Winter Olympic news, including the announcement of the mascots for the 2010 Games.
Cabela's reaction: Jeffrey P. Mayor talks to competitors about the opening of Cabela's.
Paradise: Construction is causing changes in parking and permits at Paradise this winter.

Just got this notice from Mount Rainier National Park:

The Washington State Department of Transportation advises they have closed State Routes 123 and 410 within Mount Rainier National Park due to hazardous driving conditions and avalanche concerns. This closure will remain in effect until conditions improve.

The Westside Road on the southwest side of Mount Rainier National Park has been closed effective this afternoon. The closure is necessary for park staff to repair flood damage at Milepost 3.1 that occurred during the historic floods last November.
The repair project is expected to take approximately three weeks, depending on weather conditions.
The closure covers all public access, including driving, hiking and cycling.
For previous coverage of the Floods of 2006, go to www.thenewstribune.com/rainier.

The state Department of Fish and Wildlife will begin accepting applications Dec. 1 from individuals and groups seeking financial support for volunteer projects that benefit fish and wildlife.
Aquatic Lands Enhancement Account grants provide cost reimbursement for volunteer projects that support fish, wildlife and their habitats, improve access to the outdoors, collect and disseminate fish and wildlife science and educate the public about resource conservation.
The grants will be awarded for projects undertaken between July 1, 2008 and June 30, 2009.
Applications must be received by Feb. 28. Application materials are available at http://wdfw.wa.gov/volunter/vol-7.htm or by calling the department at 360-902-2700.

Petzl has issued a recall on 8,000 caribiners because of potential fall risk.

According to Petzl: "These carabiners have a green button that acts as a safety mechanism to prevent unlocking. The recalled carabiners can unlock unexpectedly without pressing the green button, posing a fall hazard."

=> Read more!

A section of Highway 123 within Mount Rainier National Park will reopen at noon Wednesday, in time for the holiday weekend.
The highway has been closed from the junction of Highways 410 and 123 to Stevens Canyon Road since Tuesday, after several large rocks fell onto the highway from the hillside above the northbound lane.
“Federal geotechnical experts carefully examined the hillside above the
highway and determined that two large rocks we were concerned about are
stable and the road is safe for travel,” said superintendent Dave Uberuaga.
Washington State Department of Transportation maintenance crews will place warning signs and traffic cones around the ditch where the rocks fell last week. The rocks will be broken up and removed once Highway 123 closes for the season.

UPDATE

Since this post appeared on our cycling blog (which is now this blog) in
June, REI has added the WSU jersey to its online inventory.
Who says we can't change the world?

I got a cool gift for father’s day from my wife and kids. A
Washington State University cycling jersey. Just one catch, my wife
said, “you’re going to have to find it
yourself.”
While the Seattle-based Adrenaline Promotions manufacturers the
jerseys, she couldn’t find them in any local stores. I called
John Ambrose, the company’s owner, who said Rainier Cycle Sports
is the only shop in Tacoma that carries the jersey. I picked it up the
next day.
But as I chatted with Ambrose, he let me in on an interesting bit of
information regarding his business.
While REI carries his product, the Seattle store placed an interesting
request this year. They ordered Huskies jerseys but declined to place
an order for Coug jerseys.

This was surprising to me considering the Coug fan base seems more
interested in displaying it’s school pride. For example:

1. The Space Needle was painted Crimson and Gray a few years back when
the Cougs our performed UW in a charity fundraiser.

2. More WSU license plates sell than any other specialty plate.

3. Earlier this year the Cougs hijacked a UW Alumni Association online
survey asking which school had more pride.

So, what’s the deal? Do Cougs not
cycle? Does REI have a warped sense of reality being located
just a few miles from the UW?
By the way, the folks at REI say if you want to request they carry a
new item call their corporate headquarters at 253-395-3780 and ask for
the merchandising department.
Here's what REI carries: UW,
Cal, Texas A&M, Oregon, Wisconsin, Michigan, Notre Dame and
Texas.

As for school spirit, here are the top three selling jerseys.


        
       
     

1. Texas	2. Wisconsin	3. Iowa

Starting Friday, anglers fishing parts of the Cispus and Tilton rivers will be able to keep up to six adult hatchery-reared coho salmon per day. The new limit was announced this afternoon by the state Department of Fish and Wildlife
Only hatchery coho measuring at least 12 inches that are marked with a clipped adipose fin may be kept. All wild coho with an intact adipose fin must be released.
The new daily limit for adult hatchery coho will be in effect on the Cispus River from the mouth upstream to the north fork, and on the Tilton River from the mouth to the west fork.

Click here to read more about the limit change

Tacoma's Jerry Lynch was a pioneer at Mount Rainier. It was Lynch who teamed with Lou Whittaker to incorporate the first climbing guide company on the mountain in 1969. He spent nearly 30 years working for Rainier Mountain Inc., which is still the largest guide service in the United States.
Lynch died Oct. 29 at the age of 76.

Click here to read more about Jerry Lynch.

And here are a few photos of Lynch courtesy of his oldest son, Chris.

Pages: 1 2 3 4 5

Highway 123 has been closed to the public until further notice due to a small rockslide event on the east side of Mount Rainier National Park. Park officials said this morning that the closure is in effect from the junction of Stevens Canyon Road to Cayuse Pass at the junction of Highway 410.
Park road crews are working with Washington State Department of Transportation and Federal Highway Administration officials to clear the debris and to determine the stability of the embankment above the slide.

Early in "Playground," Warren Miller's new movie, a skier jumps over a highway. It's one of the sweetest stunts in the movie, but it has nothing on a jump pulled off by a local boarding legend.

Temple Cummins, who works at the University Place Northwest Snowboards (owned by his dad), pulled off one of the sickest jumps you'll ever see a few years back. Cummins cleared a moving train. Check out the video below

DON'T TRY THIS AT HOME.

Photographer Russ Carmack hiked the Mount Pete trail in Enumclaw to illustrate our winter hiking guide and he came back with a ton of good photos.

Click here to check out his slide show from the 2-mile hike.

Olympic National Park superintendent Bill Laitner this afternoon announced his plans to retire Jan. 3, ending a 37-year career in federal service.
In a 34 years with the National Park Service, Laitner has worked at 10 parks, serving as superintdent in three. He has been superintendent at Olympic National Park since May 2003.
He also served three-and-a-half years in the U.S. Army.
He began his career as a seasonal employee at the age of 21, working in Rocky Mountain, Yellowstone and Death Valley national parks. As a permanent employee, he worked at Cape Hatteras National Seashore in North Carolina and again at Yellowstone. Laitner served as chief of education in at Guadalupe Mountains National Park in Texas, Everglades
National Park in Florida and North Cascades National Park. He was superintendent at Amistad National Recreation along the Texas-Mexico border, Delaware Water Gap National Recreation Area in New Jersey and Pennsylvania and at Olympic.

Think of it as 185,000 square feet of outdoor shopping heaven.
The new Cabela's in Lacey is sure to be a hit with local outdoor enthusiasts, especially the hunting and fishing crowd. They have a whole section, and a very large section, devoted just to camo clothing.
The media got a sneak preview today and it is an impressive store.
Employees of the new store, with help from Cabela's employee elsewhere and contractors, were busy stocking shelves, checking in rifles, doing final work on the store itself and learning how to run cash registers and such.
The store is set to open Nov. 16. Store officials are expecting 10,000 to 15,000 people at the store that day.
We'll have more in our Nov. 15 Adventure section.

The latest Warren Miller film roles kicks off in Olympia on Thursday and Tacoma on Saturday.
Here are the details for checking out "Playground."
Read TNT Adventure on Thursday for more details on the movie.
Watch the trailer here.

Warrren Miller’s Playground

When: Saturday at 6 and 9 p.m. Sunday at 5 p.m.
Where: Pantages Theater
Tickets: $20.
Where to buy tickets: Puyallup’s Sturtevant’s, REI, Joe’s Sports, Ticketmaster and the Pantages box office. Buy online at broadwaycenter.org and ticketmaster.com
Swag: Free lift tickets to Crystal Mountain, White Pass, Sun Peaks, Big White, Silver Star and Apex. A two-for-one lift ticket at Whistler Blackcomb. Each ticket has limitations on when they can be used. Check warrenmiller.com for details. Other special offers include a subscription to Skiing magazine, and coupons for REI and Joe’s Sports.
More shows: Olympia’s Washington Center for the Performing Arts, tonight 8 p.m. and Friday 6:30 and 9:30 p.m. Bremerton’s Admiral Theatre, Nov. 14-15 at 8 p.m.

CHECK OUT THE TRAILER BELOW:

The towers for the Northway Chairlift were flown into place yesterday and News Tribune photographer Peter Haley was at Crystal Mountain to document the work.
When the lift opens it will be the first new lift-serviced ski terrain in Western Washington in 20 years.

Check out Peter Haley's photo gallery documenting work on the lift here.

Read more about the lift here.

Read our extensive 2007-08 Snow Ride Guide here.

Lift tickets will be $58 this season.

The future of Mount Rainier National Park's Carbon River Road, washed out a year ago, will be determined over the next few months.
As the park decides the fate of the road that offers access to popular trails, it must work within the framework of the General Management Plan.

Click below to download excerpts from the GMP about the future of Carbon River Road.

GMP: Carbon River Road Excerpts

Members of the Tacoma Astronomical Society are turning their telescopes toward Comet Holmes for three nights starting Friday, weather permitting.
The comet has caused a stir among astronomers since it exploded on Oct. 23.
Discovered on Nov. 6, 1892 by British astronomer Edwin Holmes, the comet can be seen in the northeast sky after sunset.
“Most people can recognize the constellation Cassiopeia (the big “W”) so use the second and third star in the “W” to point towards the horizon into the heart of Perseus. The comet is the fuzzy looking star to the left of the center of Perseus,” said TAS member Alice Few.
The comet is moving roughly parallel with the Earth and it’s tail is pointing away which is why it just looks like a fuzzy ball and not a typical comet with a tail, Few said.
Club members will be located behind the Sunrise Building at Pierce College, Fort Steilacoom campus, 7-9 p.m. Friday, 7:30-11 p.m. Saturday and 7-9 p.m. Sunday.
As part of the club’s public night event Saturday member Dave Armstrong will give a presentation on “Telescopes, Binoculars, & Great Gifts for Astronomers.”
For more information: