I'm a little ashamed to admit this but I only got two days of skiing in this April.

I spent a day at Crystal Mountain and another at White Pass. Below is a picture from what's left of one of my ski poles. Wish I had a good story to go with the snapped pole, but I just accidentally busted it while goofing off with some friends. Didn't even fall.

So just two days in April. Well, La Nina has made May the new April for skiers and boarders this year so maybe I'll do better in May. Alpental and Summit Central are open Saturday, Sunday and Monday then close for the season. Lift tickets are $5 on Monday.

Believe it or not, the snow is still dumping. Eight inches at Alpental last night.

This is the fourth of at least 12 installments from Craig's attempt to ski at least once each month this year. He's done this before but this is his first time writing about it. He'll write more in the summer months when the skiing is a little more difficult to find.

From the Bureay of Lane Management:

The Bureau of Land Management (BLM) Oregon State Office announced today that it has decided to move forward with the “No Action” alternative in the March 2007 Environmental Assessment (EA), and reject the hardrock lease application.

=> Read more!

Somebody placed what appears to be a snowboard-toting lawn gnome in front of the Johnston Ridge Observatory Web cam at Mount St. Helens.

The sign to the gnome's right says "I will get the snow." The sign is getting attention from media outlets around the Northwest. This morning a second sign was added to the gnome.
It reads "No headway on the snow, but could use some hot chocolate."

The National Weather Service recently told The News Tribune that snow levels in the Cascades are 150 percent of normal this season.

Holly Lippert of the Summit at Snoqualmie says the ski area received eight inches of new snow overnight. The ski area, the only one in the area still operating, will reopen Saturday. It plans to close for the season on May 5. Lift tickets will be $5 on Monday.

One of the primary concerns for athletes as they train for this summer’s Olympics in Beijing is the air quality.

The International Olympic Committee has even warned that endurance events could be postponed if air pollution is at a dangerous level.

Pat McDonough, director of athletics for USA Cycling, says preparing for Beijing is a bit tricky.

“We have air purifiers for the rooms,” McDonough said. “But there is not a lot we can do on the course.”

McDonough says athletes can’t really acclimatize to pollution.

“Some athletes have tried and the only thing that really happens is that their level of performance has gone down,” McDonough said.

In the USA Cycling’s previous experience in polluted areas all days have been equally as nasty,” McDonough said.

“In a 10-day period maybe two days are pretty good and two days are really bad and the rest is someplace in between,” McDonough said. “We will plan for the worst and hope for the best.”

A local mountaineering company is facing more than the usual challenges as it tries to get 24 climbers to the summit of 29,035-foot Mount Everest.
Nepal has imposed a near-blackout on communication on the south side of Mount Everest, Eric Simonson of Ashford-based International Mountain Guides said Tuesday.
The communication limitations come as Nepal, not wanting to hurt relations with Beijing, tries to enforce a strict ban on protests during China’s upcoming Olympic torch relay to the summit of the world’s highest mountain. Dozens of armed Nepalese soldiers have been posted at Mount Everest’s base camp and at Camp 2, a lower stop for mountaineers.
Simonson says climbers are not allowed to climb any higher than Camp 2 at 21,000 feet until the torch climb is complete.
The Chinese climbers plan to have the Olympic torch on the summit in early May if weather permits.
Simonson says climbers on the Nepalese side will then have the rest of the month for their summit attempt.
“This has been a big deal,” Simonson said of the Olympic-related climbing restrictions. “We have definitely been impeded. Normally we would be pushing to Camp 3 by now.”
Simonson says the communication blackout on Everest is primarily related to e-mail communication. He says he has been able to communicate with his guides daily by satellite phone.
“I think the primary concern is that they don’t want people e-mail pictures of climbers holding ‘Free Tibet’ banners,” Simonson said.
However, the Associated Press reports soldiers and officials have also banned the use of satellite phones and radios on the mountain, and have forbidden photography at higher elevations, according to the BBC and trekking company employees in Katmandu. The trekking company employees spoke on condition of anonymity because they didn’t want to alienate government officials.
Climbers are allowed occasional use of e-mail, but only under the supervision of authorities, the employees said. Government officials declined to comment on communications restrictions.
On Tuesday, the Nepalese government acknowledged it deported Virginia mountaineer William Brant Holland after he was caught at base camp with a “Free Tibet” banner. He also has been banned from all mountaineering activities in Nepal for the next two years.
The government has also ordered a BBC news crew from the Everest base camp, the broadcaster reported.
Simonson says he expects his climbers will still have a good chance of summiting this year.
The relay, expected to start soon, will take place on the Chinese side of the mountain. But Nepal¹s government, under pressure from Beijing, has posted soldiers on its side and banned climbing near the summit from May 1-10.
Police and soldiers have been ordered to stop protests on the mountain using whatever means necessary, including weapons, although the use of deadly force is authorized only as a last resort.
(The Associated Press contributed to this report)

I got e-mail from reader M. Mullins recently asking the whereabouts of the new trail in Milton. The paved 2.5-mile multipurpose trail was dedicated Tuesday.

We were unable to run a map of the trail because the City of Milton could not provide us one. Making matters more confusing we accidently left out a box with additional info the trail from Thursday's section.

This prompted many phone calls from readers like M. Mullins. Thanks for pointing it out.

My bad. Here's what we meant to say:

Milton Interurban Trail
Miles: 2.5
South terminus: 70th Avenue East
North terminus: South 380th Place
Surface: Asphalt
Parking: A community baseball park at 700 Kent Street offers ample parking along the trail.
The future: Trail planners hope to connect the Milton trail to future sections in Edgewood and Fife.
What’s next? Edgewood Trail Community Meeting, May 1, 6:30 p.m., Mountain View Lutheran Church.

Diane Kerlin doesn’t live in Milton, but she was as happy as anybody Tuesday morning when the city dedicated a new 2.5-mile multiuse trail.

“This is a great day,” said Kerlin, an Edgewood resident who helped plan the trail. “… A lot of hard work went into this.”

=> Read more!

Just got back from a quick trip to the ocean. Considering the unrelenting snow dumps in the mountains I expected the weather to be nasty. In fact, I’d heard it was snowing on the coast in Oregon earlier this week so I was hoping to see some white beaches.

However, with the exception of a stiff wind, the weather in Westport was quite pleasant. At least for the hour I spent there. Surprisingly I saw only one surfer at the jetty riding some fairly sweet waves.

While I didn’t see any snow on the beach, by dinner time I was teaching my son how to start a fire in the rain. Good enough.

A windy but lovely day at Westport …

… and on the beach south of Grayland.

Westport’s famous dummy cop keeping speeders honest.

Volunteers are heading to the coast this weekend to clean the beaches of trash like this. If you want to participate just show up at your favorite beach Saturday morning.

A deer prancing across the trail at the Westport Lighthouse.

I got back a while ago from Paradise Inn, a beehive of activity as the May 16 reopening of the inn fast approaches.

Contractors and subcontractors were racing to finish the final work of the two-season renovation. In the meantime, crews from Guest Services Inc. and Olympic Moving were busy bringing in room furnishings and setting up the tables and chairs in the dining room. Finally, a group from Mount Rainier National Park were checking out the lobby to see where they could hang art work.

Some of the changes are remarkable. The Douglas fir woodwork and floor in the gift shop glowed. The expanded cafe will quickly become a popular nightspot for park visitors.

But the historic and rustic feel of the inn is intact.

While there, I interviewed Melinda Simpson, operations manager for Guest Services. She was literally bouncing with excitement as we talked about the reopening of the inn.

"It's like coming home," she said.

The recognition of the volunteer effort to repair flood damage at Mount Rainier National Park continus to garner awards.

Park staff learned today that on May 8, Mount Rainier's volunteer program will receive the George B. Hartzog Jr. Award for Outstanding Volunteer Service, the National Park Service's highest honor.

The Hartzog Award recognizes the efforts of the individual volunteers, the 1,724 people who turned out to build trails, plant trees, scan historic images and work in the park's visitor centers.

“You are the ones who've been keeping our greenhouse running and helping to rescue people lost on the mountain. You're the ones who've invested weekends to patrol trails at Carbon River and summers to serve as Campground Hosts at Cougar Rock and Ohanapecosh. You're the ones who've been coming out faithfully for 20 years, or who chose to spend four months living in a platform tent last summer, or who took a long weekend to camp out and serve as Meadow Rovers, or who spent a day of your vacation volunteering with the Washington Trails Association, or who squeezed in few hours to help restore the Longmire Campground with your kids on National Public Lands Day,” wrote Kevin Bacher, who heads the park’s volunteer program.

On Monday, the park and the coalition of organizations that led the volunteer effort received the Cooperative Conservation Award.

Here's a story from Jeff that will run in tomorrow's Adventure section:

By Jeffrey P. Mayor
jeff.mayor@thenewstribune.com
REI has opted to remove all polycarbonate water bottles containing bisphenol A from its inventory as consumers debate whether the chemical poses a health risk.
The Kent-based outdoors retailer made the decision Friday, the same day the maker of the popular Nalgene water bottle said it will remove the hard-plastic product containing the chemical from stores and replace its Nalgene Outdoor line of containers with BPA-free alternatives.
“Increasingly, we’ve had customer demand for BPA-free water bottles. There also has been increasing customer confusion on how to identify a water bottle made without BPA,” said REI spokeswoman Megan Behrbaum.
Joe Hyer, co-owner of Alpine Experience in Oympia, cautions consumers to not overreact. “If there was something harmful in a Nalgene bottle, not only would we be pulling them off the shelves, but also recalling the millions of the ones that have already been sold,” he said.
Andrea Wagner, manager of Backpackers Supply on South Tacoma Way in Tacoma, has noticed a shift in consumer preference. “We’ve been selling more of the aluminum bottles. In the last couple of months, we’ve seen sales definitely drop off on those (Nalgene) types of bottles.”

=> Read more!

As a mountain biker, I don't think of myself as evil. However, a reader in San Ramon, Calif., says otherwise.

Mike Vandeman, a vocal hater of mountain bikers, has e-mailed after my last two stories about mountain biking insisting that I'm being irresponsible by writing about this sport.

He is, of course, right. Mountain biking does damage. Although the amount of damage is questionable.

Check out his website here. He calls this the science on mountain biking.

Mountain bikers, of course, strongly disagree with Vandeman's opinions. Click here to check out an article by Seattle's Backcountry Bicycle Trails Club that claims Vandeman is a "kook."

I asked some mountain bikers to defend their sport for an article a couple of years ago:

They claimed the sport's impact was similar to that of hiking.

"When people say we are having a negative impact on the trails, that's a surrogate for not wanting to see bikes on the trails," said Gary Sprung, the national policy adviser for the International Mountain Bicycling Association. "When people are honest and just say they don't want bikes on the trails, we have much better conversations."

Before working for IMBA, Sprung was the president of a Colorado group that helped stop logging and mining projects that endangered the environment.

"We care about the environment," Sprung said of mountain bikers. "We could bring a major source of energy to support conservation, but instead we have to spend all our time defending mountain biking."

Sprung and (Justin) Vander Pol (of the BBTC) say opposition to mountain biking comes mostly from older people.

"People in their 20s and 30s have had mountain biking around for as long as they can remember," Sprung, 51, said.

Sprung, also an avid hiker, says there should be some hiking-only trails, but says there is no need for bike-only trails.

"You're not going to find a mountain biker who is opposed to hikers," Sprung said. "This is a one-way social conflict."

Mountain bikers say it's also a myth that they are blazing new trails in forests.

" Mountain biking is all about the trail," Vander Pol said. "If you try to ride a bike off the trail, you probably aren't going to get very far. Mountain bikers stay on trails more than hikers."

Vander Pol and Sprung might be pedaling uphill when it comes to spreading the word that mountain bikers respect the outdoors as much as hikers do.

"It doesn't have to be a competition" between hikers and bikers, Vander Pol said. "We should all be able to use and take care of the trails."

Kevin Bacher, who heads Mount Rainier National Park's volunteer program, has posted some photos from Monday's awards ceremony in Washington, D.C., on his park blog.

Click here to see photos from Kevin.

The park and its volunteer partners received one the highest honors in the National Park Service, the George B. Hartzog Jr. Award for Outstanding Volunteer Service.

Honored along with the park were The Mountaineers, National Parks Conservation Association, Student Conservation Association, Washington Trails Association and Washington’s National Park Fund.

Lousy weather this winter and spring is allowing the state Department of Fish and Wildlife to extend the razor clam season.

The department this afternoon announced it has tentatively scheduled a morning razor clam dig in May at four ocean beaches.

If marine toxin tests show the clams are safe to eat, Long Beach and Twin Harbors will open for morning digs May 3-7, while Copalis and Mocrocks are scheduled to open May 4-5 only.

No digging will be allowed after noon on any beach.

Fewer diggers than expected showed up for last weekend’s dig, kept home by the snow, rain and cold. That has been the case several times late this season, allowing the department to hold additional digs.

We’ll have more details in next week’s Adventure section.

Diane Kerlin doesn’t live in Milton, but she was as happy as anybody this morning when the city dedicated a new 2.5-mile multi-use trail.
“This is a great day,” said Kerlin, an Edgewood resident who helped plan the trail. “… A lot of hard work went into this.”
Kerlin was one of about 75 people who turned out at the trail Tuesday morning for a ribbon cutting ceremony. And like the rest of the crowd, Kerlin hopes communities around Pierce County keep building trails.
Pierce County officials and trail advocates hope the Milton trail will one day link planned trails in Fife and Edgewood. Eventually the trail will link to the Interurban and Foothills trails. The Interurban Trail runs from Renton to Pacific. The Foothills Trail runs from the outskirts of Puyallup to South Prairie.
“We have some wonderful trails in Pierce County, but certainly not enough of them,” said county councilman Shawn Bunney.
The Milton trail took a decade to plan, said Milton mayor Katrina Asay. The trail was funded by $1 million in grants.
“In a community of 6,000 people this probably wouldn’t have happened without the grants,” Asay said.
Construction started in September and final inspection is Wednesday, said Milton public works director Letticia Neal.
While the trail winds right through the community, Asay says it provides a convenient escape.
“There’s a creek and moss on the trees,” Asay said. “You can lose yourself and pretend you are in the wilderness.”
The paved trail is open to non-motorized users.
Bunney says Pierce County expects to unveil more sections of trail by the end of the year. Projects he says could finish this year include expanding Gig Harbor’s Cushman Powerline Trail and linking the Foothills Trail between South Prairie and Buckley.
Now that Milton’s section is complete, Asay says the city will help Edgewood build its section of the trail.
A community planning meeting for the Edgewood Trail will be held May 1 at Mountain View Lutheran Church at 6:30 p.m.
(Staff writer Brent Champaco contributed to this report.)

A section of the new Milton Interurban Trail. (Photo by Craig Hill, The News Tribune)

The Student Conservation Association-Mount Rainier Partnership was one of 21 recipients nationwide of the Department of the Interior’s Cooperative Conservation Award at a ceremony earlier today in Washington, D.C.

The 21 awards recognized the work of more than 700 groups and individuals who achieved excellence in conservation through collaboration and partnerships.

Jay Satz, the association’s regional vice president in Seattle, accepted the award for the partnership. The award recognizes the partnership’s outstanding contributions to restoration of Mount Rainier National Park after floods devastated the park in November 2006.

The Mount Rainier Recovery Initiative was coordinated by the Student Conservation Association, along with the National Park Service and a coalition of nonprofit organizations. They recruited volunteers, raised public awareness, and enlisted the help of the local business community. During the summer of 2007, more than 700 people worked on more than 100 recovery projects. Volunteer contributions reduced costs and helped preserve wilderness values by completing work with traditional hand tools instead of power equipment.

“The Student Conservation Association’s Initiative is largely responsible for the near doubling of Mount Rainier’s volunteer program from 2006 to 2007,” the award noted. “More than half of the trail work at Mount Rainier in 2007 was completed by volunteers.”

I talked with park superintendent Dave Uberuaga this afternoon and he said the award ceremony was a nice way to recognize the efforts of the volunteers and the people who guided the partnership.

“It was great to see all that work be recognized back here,” he said.

Hey there folks, have you dumped your Nalgene water bottle yet?

The company that makes the popular bottles and stores ares pulling them from shelves over concerns that bisphenol A used in the bottles poses a health risk.

If you've switched give me a call, I would like to talk to you. Call me at 253-597-8640 or e-mail me at jeff.mayor@thenewstribune.com.

The Mount St. Helens Institute received a $163,000 grant today for a new seismic exhibit at the Johnston Ridge Observatory.

The exhibit will be called “Taking the Pulse of an Active Volcano at Mount St. Helens” and will show visitors how scientists are learning from recent eruptions. It’s expected to open in May 2010.

The project is a collaboration between the Forest Service, the USGS Cascades Volcano Observatory, the Pacific Northwest Seismograph Network and the Earthscope and Plate Boundary Observatory.

“Multiple elements including a volcano mural, videos about volcanic gas measurements and earth deformation, and a special ‘Make-a-Quake Exhibit’ will make this the most interactive and engaging exhibit at Johnston Ridge Observatory” said John Bishop, chairman of the Mount St. Helens Institute. “This proposal was written specifically to include partners such as the Northwest Film Center and the Vancouver School for Arts and Academics who will assist with the videos and other components.”

The grant comes from the M.J. Murdock Trust – a trust created by the will of former Oregon businessman Melvin Murdock - however, the Mount St. Helens Institute will need to raise a minimum of $60,000 in matching funds to finalize the project.

Karen Gustin will be the new superintendent of Olympic National Park, the National Park Service announced this morning.

Gustin, who currently has the same job at Florida’s Big Cypress National Preserve, is expected to start her new job in July. Gustin replaces Bill Laitner, who retired earlier this year.

“Karen Gustin has shown the ability to collaborate with park users and community groups on controversial issues like off-road vehicle use,” said park service regional director Jonathan Jarvis. “I am impressed with her ability to work with partners to accomplish park goals.”

As superintendent of Big Cypress National Preserve Gustin managed maintenance, interpretation, administration, resource management, and ranger operations. She worked with community groups on issues ranging from off-road vehicle use to panther management. She oversaw the largest prescribed fire program in the national park system. She also led construction planning for a new welcome center and coordinated a lands management program.

Gustin, a graduate of Colorado State University, has served in leadership roles in national park units from Guam to Alaska. She was superintendent of Michigan’s Pictured Rocks National Lakeshore from 2001-2004 and spent three years as superintendent at War in the Pacific National Historical Park on Guam and American Memorial Park on Saipan.

Here's a good story from one of our sister papers, The Bellingham Herald:

By Ben Dobbin
The Bellingham Herald

Hard-plastic Nalgene water bottles made with bisphenol A will be pulled from stores over the next few months because of growing consumer concern over whether the chemical poses a health risk.

Nalge Nunc International, a division of Waltham, Mass.-based Thermo Fisher Scientific Inc., said Friday it will replace its Nalgene Outdoor line of polycarbonate plastic containers with BPAfree alternatives.

“We continue to believe that Nalgene products containing BPA are safe for their intended use,” Steven Silverman, general manager of the Nalgene business, said in a statement. “However, our customers indicated they preferred BPA-free alternatives and we acted in response to those concerns.”

=> Read more!

It's spring and most ski areas have shut down for the season due to a lack of skier visits.

However, not only can you ski at Alpental and White Pass this weekend but you can even rip through some fresh powder.

Check out the White Pass conditions report here. Eight inches of new snow.

The City of Milton will dedicated a nearly 3-mile section of trail Tuesday morning at 11. Activities will start at the West Milton Ball Field parking lot at 700 Kent Street.

When completed the section of the Interurban Trail will stretch from South 380th Place to 70th Avenue East and connect with section of the trail in Fife and Edgewood.

Jordan Hanssen, one of four UPS graduates who rowed across the North Atlantic in 2006, has finished his latest adventure.

Hanssen arrived in Sydney today completing his trans-Australia bike trip more than three months after it started. Hanssen notified friends at 7:15 a.m. of his arrival in Sydney.

Hanssen, 25, pedaled 3,000 miles through 100-degree heat, snow and long stretches of lonely outback. He started Jan. 15.

He’s spent a day tasting wine on the Margaret River. He’s dropped his bike bags for easier day trips along the white beaches of Esperance and through the mountains near Victoria. He camped on the side of the road most nights but occasionally stayed at hostels.

“I like the freedom of just riding,” Hanssen said midway through his ride. “Depending on who I talk to I can change plans or make detours as I see fit.”

Read much more about Hanssen on his blog, bikeperthtosydney.blogspot.com

For his next adventure, he plans to team up with fellow Atlantic and UPS teammates Greg Spooner to row from New York to Nome, Alaska in 2011.

After weeks of exceptional salmon fishing, fishery managers for Washington and Oregon this afternoon announced they will close the spring chinook fishery on the lower Columbia River beginning Monday, when anglers are expected to reach their pre-season catch target.

By then, the sport catch from the west Hayden powerlines upriver to Bonneville Dam is expected to reach a total of 22,300 fish -- about 2,000 more fish than anglers had been expected to catch through the end of April.

Spring chinook fishing will close from the Hayden Island west powerlines upstream to Bonneville Dam at 12:01 a.m. April 21. Fishing for steelhead and shad will also close at the same time in that area.

Fishery managers will continue to monitor the status of the spring chinook run on a daily basis and will consider re-opening those fisheries if returns are larger than expected. That determination will be made later this month or early May, after a greater portion of the run has arrived.

Meanwhile, fisheries will remain open for hatchery spring chinook salmon on Columbia River tributaries, including the Cowlitz, Kalama, Lewis, Wind and Klickitat rivers, as well as Drano Lake. The Columbia River above Bonneville Dam also will remain open to salmon fishing.

About 269,300 upriver spring chinook were forecast to return this year, one of the largest runs in recent years.

Reader "RickB" has pointed out that the Mount Tahoma Trails Association has updated its website with information about the Snow Bowl Hut fire. Included is information on how you can help the association recover.

Click here to check out the website.

A seven-month overhaul of Hurricane Ridge Road in Olympic National Park starts Monday, the park’s acting superintendent Sue McGill said this morning.

The $12 million project will resurface the road, the main parking lot and the pullouts along the road. The road, built in the 1950s, was last resurfaced in 1979. Three sections of the road severely damaged during a December storm will also be repaired.

The project is a partnership between the park service, the Federal Highway Administration and Lakeside Industries, a Washington contractor.

Motorists should expect delays of up to 20 minutes during the summer months, with delays of up to 30 minutes in the spring and fall. Flaggers and pilot cars will guide motorists through the active construction areas and temporary traffic signs and signals will be installed for weekend and evening travel.

Cyclists will not be allowed on the road until construction is complete. “The combination of heavy construction equipment, unpaved roadway and the need to employ pilot cars poses too many risks to allow bicycles this summer,” McGill said.

While the project starts Monday, driving delays won't start until May.

“Over 350,000 people visit Hurricane Ridge each year and while we recognize the inconvenience that road construction can pose, we are eager to get this project underway and to provide a safer, more enjoyable roadway for visitors,” McGill said in a statement released by the park. “And we’re very pleased to announce that the construction will occur during only one summer season, rather than two as originally planned.”

Click below for a tenative work schedule.

=> Read more!

There aren’t many views more spectacular than a look inside Mount St. Helens from the crater rim.
So climbing all the way to the summit this spring can be frustrating.
Thanks to a deeper than normal snowpack, there will be cornices on the rim blocking the view into the crater well into the spring.
Should you climb St. Helens in the next few months the temptation will be to scurry out on to one of these cornices for a peak at the smoldering lava dome.
The Gifford Pinchot National Forest officials issued a reminder to not do this earlier this week.
Why not? Just ask John Slemp, a snowmobiler from Oregon. He climbed out on a cornice to look in the crater on Saturday. When the cornice collapsed he fell into the crater. Slemp, still wearing his helmet, survived.
Slemp has not returned calls from The News Tribune this week.
So how do you get a view of the crater if the cornices are in the way?
When you get to the crater rim make sure you are standing on solid ground then work your way around the rim.
I climbed St. Helens last June only to have my view blocked by cornices. I only had to walk about 200 yards along the rim before I found a place where I could see inside the crater.
When I climbed to the rim in 2004, I saw men taking turns crawling out onto a cornice for a view. Check out the picture below taken by News Tribune photographer Drew Perine. As you can see these men had the foresight to rope up for safety, but climbing rangers don’t even encourage this approach.
Stories like Slemp’s rarely have a happy ending.
In 2003 a climber’s dog ventured out on to a cornice. The dog fell more than a 1,000 feet to its death.

Jeff Ursino of Seattle wears a safety harness tethered to a fellow climber so he can peer over a snow cornice into the crater below. (Photo by Drew Perine, The News Tribune)

Got this picture via e-mail today from avid cyclist Bob Myrick. This is a family that found an innovative way to get everybody out to enjoy the sunshine on the Foothills Trail. Looks like the photo was originally taken by Earl and Glory Mikkelson.

From Mount Rainier National Park:

Mount Rainier National Park Superintendent Dave Uberuaga has announced a planning effort to address needed repairs to a damaged section of the
historic Wonderland Trail in the Carbon River Valley. The damaged section is currently being bypassed via an existing spur trail to the Northern Loop Trail. The spur trail includes a foot log crossing over the Carbon River which is prone to washing out during the spring and fall.

=> Read more!

This story will run in tomorrow's TNT:

Volunteers who maintained a popular hut for cross country skiers south of Ashford say they are baffled over what caused a fire that destroyed the structure sometime in the last month.

“We are fairly certain that there was no human cause to the fire because it is so extremely inaccessible,” said Judy Scavine, a board member of the Mount Tahoma Trails Association. Members of the volunteer organization maintain 50 miles of trails and four huts in the area.

=> Read more!

From the Associated Press:

OCEAN SHORES – A woman wading near Ocean Shores was apparently pulled off the beach by a riptide and drowned in deeper water.

Grays Harbor Undersheriff Rick Scott says 50-year-old Carol Davidson of Bremerton was apparently enjoying Saturday’s warm weather when she was swept away.

People on the beach recovered her body, but she could not be revived. She was declared dead at Grays Harbor Community Hospital in Aberdeen.

Snowmobiler John Slemp's fall into the crater of Mt. St. Helens on Saturday prompted Gifford Pinchot National Forest to issue this statement a few minutes ago.

VANCOUVER, WA – Last Saturday’s snowmobile incident has prompted Forest Officials to reiterate the importance of personal safety, caution, and preparedness for winter recreationists on the national forest. Visitors to Pacific Northwest forests are asked to take extra caution due to record-deep spring snow pack and an increased potential for unstable cornices (overhanging snow on steep ridges) and avalanche conditions.
Additionally, winter recreationists are advised to follow all closure orders associated with Mount St. Helens.

“We are thankful that the snowmobile rider was rescued, and based on media reports, is recovering,” said Tom Mulder, Monument Manager, Mount St.
Helens National Volcanic Monument. “This unfortunate incident provides an opportunity to highlight the importance of backcountry hazards awareness and safety,” Mulder added.

=> Read more!

Pictures courtesy of the MTTA.

BEFORE

AFTER

Washington team captain Chris Lambert of Olympia, Wash., won The Bass Federation 2008 Western Divisional Championship on Lake Havasu Friday. His winning three-day total of 15 bass weighed 41 pounds, 15 ounces. For his victory, Lambert earned a $500 Wal-Mart gift card.

Lambert said he caught most of the bigger fish drop-shotting a 4-inch Roboworm in a staging area and caught a few key fish on the new Berkley Hollow Belly swimbaits, but had to change his plan for the final day of competition.

“I was mainly fishing prespawn fish, and there was a new wave of fish that had just moved up,” Lambert said. “They were going really close to one of the off-limits bays, so I wouldn’t have been able to follow them in if they moved. I think the weather was a factor and, finally, on Day 3, they made the move back to spawn, so I ended up having to go up river and threw swimbaits and drop-shots to catch smallmouth.”
           
Lambert had a dead fish, but still opened the tournament in second place Wednesday with five bass weighing 15 pounds, 4 ounces. He added another five bass weighing 16 pounds, 6 ounces Thursday to capture his lead. He then caught five bass weighing 10 pounds, 5 ounces Friday to seal the win.

The top-finishing angler from each 12-person state team will advance to the 2009 TBF National Championship.

Advancing as a co-angler is David Kromm of Kennewick, with a 15 bass limit weighing 39 pound, 10 ounces.

Washington was the top-finishing team in this week’s divisional, taking home the traveling cup and $3,600 cash award for bringing in 156 bass, weighing 353 pounds, 5 ounces over the three-day competition.

The popular ski hut south of Ashford that burned to the ground recently was not insured, according to a board member of the Mount Tahoma Trails Association.

Judy Scavone said the MTTA could not get the hut insured because it's "just too far from the nearest fire hydrant."

The fire that destroyed the hut likely took place late last month and is being investigated by the Department of Natural Resources, which owns the land the hut was built on.

Snow Bowl Hut was built by volunteers in 1991 at a cost of $20,000.

Check out this story from the Associated Press.

The thing about climbing to the top of St. Helens when there is a lot of snow is that you sometimes can't even see into the crater without walking out on a cornice. This is why you shouldn't take that risk. Instead, if you work your way along the crater rim you can often find a view of the lava dome from a safe place.

On a side note, Anybody else think it's a shame snowmobilers are allowed to drive to the crater rim? Might as well let them ride their ATVs up there in the summer.

YACOLT, Wash. (AP) — A snowmobiler from Oregon suffered an injured leg but survived a fall of up to 200 feet into the crater of Mount St. Helens on Saturday.

Skamania County Undersheriff Dave Cox says 52-year-old John Slemp, from Damascus, Ore., was on one of three snowmobiles that climbed to the west crater rim.

Cox says Slemp got off his snowmobile and walked out onto a cornice overhanging the crater when it gave way.

He reportedly fell 100 to 200 feet before landing on the inside slope of the crater. He then slid on his hands and knees to the bottom of the crater.

He was wearing his snowmobile helmet, and Cox said there is a heavy snowpack in the area, so snow may have broken his fall.

Officials were notified at 5:20 p.m., and a private helicopter flew two paramedics to the crater and located Slemp about 7 p.m.

He had an injured leg, but was able with assistance to get to the helicopter and be flown out to Yacolt.

His exact condition and whether he required transport to a hospital weren’t immediately known.

Cox says the U.S. Forest Service will investigate the incident.

A popular hut for cross country skiers near Ashford has burned to the ground, the Mount Tahoma Trails Association announced today.

At meeting in Ashford this morning the group unanimously voted to rebuild the Snow Bowl Hut, one of four huts in a trail system that gets 1,300 overnight visitors each winter.

The organization is seeking funding and volunteers to help rebuild the hut. Visit skimtta.org for more information.

“Our volunteer force can use a lot of support right now, moral and financial,” MTTA board member Judy Scavine said via e-mail Saturday.

MTTA officials believe the hut burned down on March 21. The cause of the fire has not been determined as in under investigation.

Visitors to the MTTA’s Copper Creek Hut on March 21 reported seeing a large fire. However, because the Snow Bowl Hut has been inaccessible the last two years because of flood damage it wasn’t until April 3 that the organization could arrange for a flyover to check the hut.

“The sight was devastating,” said MTTA board member Mike Dunn. “The hut was completely gone. To think of all the work that went into that Hut, the camaraderie of the volunteers, the enjoyment of the visitors. … It’s just so sad.”

The two-story hut on Department of National Resources land accommodated 10 overnight guests and came equipped with a kitchen, sleeping pads and large sundeck.

The MTTA recently celebrated the purchase of a new $165,000 Pisten Bulley Snowcat to groom its 50 miles of trail. They’d hope to start raising money for a second groomer.

If you aren't reading UPS grad Jordan Hanssen's blog as he cycles across Australia. You are missing out. Here's a recent post. Read much more at bikeperthtoaustralia.blogspot.com

By Jordan Hanssen from bikeperthtoaustralia.blogspot.com

Several things happened today which I did not imagine could have happened on this trip. Frank took me to the local ABC (Australian Broadcasting Corporation) affiliate to be interviewed. I had just found out about it last night, and it seemed as good an idea as any to shoot from the hip. What exactly we were going to discuss I was not sure, although I assumed it was something to do with biking or rowing. The man who interviewed me was jarred; he was no slouch having cycled from Europe to part of the Middle East before tapping out when the road got too hot – from bullets, I assume, not heat. Thus I was surprised when he implied I was crazy in, of course, a good-natured way. However, the question I enjoyed most was this:
“What is the responsibility of Adventuring?” I.e., what happens when someone has to risk themselves to rescue you?

=> Read more!

From the Associated Press:

GIRDWOOD, Alaska -- A Colorado man was killed Friday in a skiing accident at the U.S. World Free Skiing Championships at the Alyeska Resort.

The man was identified by Alaska State Troopers as John Nicoletta of Aspen.

The 26-year-old Nicoletta went off a steep embankment and fell about 100 feet onto rocks, apparently dying instantly, Alaska State Troopers told the Anchorage Daily News.

Troopers Sgt. Bryan Barlow said witnesses reported Nicoletta fell off the outcrop. He said Nicoletta was "head over heels, essentially tomahawking all the way down the hill."

Barlow said resuscitation efforts went on for about 45 minutes before he was declared dead.

The competition at the resort about 30 miles south of Anchorage was scheduled to continue Saturday.

From the Associated Press:

ANACORTES, Wash. (AP) — Work is going well on a new boat for BMW Oracle Racing, the U.S. challenger for the 33rd America’s Cup, team officials said.
The boat is the third yacht in the history of the sailing race to be built in this town about 100 miles north of Seattle.
The multihull yacht is being built for the team from San Francisco’s Golden Gate Yacht Club to race for the trophy this year. Janicki Industries in nearby Sedro-Woolley is providing high-technology precision tooling.
“We are proud to be in Anacortes, where we can draw on world-class expertise and where the team has enjoyed so much local support,” Mark Turner, the team’s construction manager, said in a news release Wednesday.
The yachts USA 87 and USA 98 were built in Anacortes for the 32nd America’s Cup competition in 2007 in Valencia, Spain.

There's enough snow on the slopes for another month of skiing, but due to declining skier visits Crystal Mountain, Stevens Pass and Summit Central will call it a season Sunday afternoon.

White Pass will keep the lifts going on weekends for the rest of the month. Alpental will run on weekends until May 4.

I drove over Snoqualmie Pass yesterday and it sure didn't feel like the end of the season. My daughter and I hung out on the pass for about two hours while I-90 was closed for avalanche control. While the snow was a little slushy, there's clearly plenty of good skiing left.

Here's a picture I snapped outside the Family Pancake House across the street from Summit West.

Crews from American Construction of Tacoma were busy today installing the floats for the new docks at the Point Defiance boat ramp. The work to expand the ramp to eight lanes should be done by the end of the month. The $2.2 million project has been four years in the making.

The last big piece to be brought in is an 80-foot breakwater that will protect the facility. That is due to be completed and installed in the next few weeks.

TNT photographr Liu Kit Wong was on hand this morning and will have a photo in tomorrow's South Sound section.

In tomorrow's Adventure section, we have a number of items touting volunteer opportinities for Earth Day. Local and state parks, as well as area organizations, are planning events.

Our lead story is about a six-day trip spent sea kayaking the Southern California coast. The package comes from a sister McClatchy newspaper and has some great photos.

Joe Johnston/San Luis Obispo Tribune
Brian Milne snaps a photo of a humpback whale in the waters off of Pismo Beach along the coast of Southern California.

The folks at the Mount St. Helens Institute have released their list of summer programs, including a number of guided climbs to the rim. We've got the dates and the basic information.

For hikers, the Hike of the Week is a two-for-one deal -- consider it an early Earth Day present. This week's offerings are the Twin Firs Loop and the Trail of the Shadows at Mount Rainier National Park. Both are simple treks that are great for young kids. Right now, however, you'll need snow shoes for Trail of the Shadows.

The National Park Conservation Association released a report today called "America's Heritage: For Sale"

In the report the association reports that a lack of federal funds threatens the loss of park land.

Of the 84.3 million acres of park land, 4.3 million acres are privately owned, according to the report. It would cost $1.9 billion to purchase this land, however the park service has only requested $100 million for the 2009 fiscal year, according to the report.

Among the land listed in the report are 800 acres targeted by Mount Rainier Park for expansion near the Carbon River entrance. Of this land, 440 acres are owned by a timber company, the report says.

Click here to read the 32-page report.

Winners of the lottery for a spot in the 2008 RAMROD were announced today. I was one of 450 who didn't get there name drawn.

RAMROD is the Ride Around Mount Rainier in One Day. It's about 160 miles and 10,000 vertical feet. Maybe I should be glad I didn't "win."

My buddy I was planning to ride with - Scott Wagar from last year's STP Project - also missed the cut.

We're on the waiting list and will wait for a call until July 1. The ride is July 31.

If you signed up, click here to check your status.

According to the e-mail I got from the Redmond Cycling Club several tickets will be auctioned off on eBay starting April 15. All proceeds go to Mount Rainier National Park to help with flood repair
For more info on the auction click here.

We know there has been plenty of snow at Mount Rainier, but here are some numbers to back up the assumptions.

The historic average snow depth at Longmire for April 4 is 9 inches. This year, there were 47 inches, 522 percent of normal

At Paradise, the historic average snow depth is 178 inches on April 4. This year’s depth was 124 percent of normal at 220 inches.

And the snow keeps falling. On Monday morning, the snow depth at Paradise was 226 inches.
So far this snow season, which runs from July 1 to June 30, Paradise has received 775 inches of snow. That is the most snow that has fallen since 2001-02 when 837 inches of snow fell at Paradise. The annual average is 691 inches.

The road to Paradise was closed Monday due to avalanche danger, the third time that has happened this year.

Click here to track weather conditions at Paradise.

To view conditions just below Paradise, check out this Webcam.

Help us determine the best ski area in the Northwest by voting for your favorite resort, lodge food, ski run and more.

Click below to take the quick survey. Your favorites will be featured in 2008-09 Ski preview sections in newspapers across the Northwest. Voters from around the region - Alaska, Idaho, Washington, Oregon and B.C. - are participating so make sure your favorites are well represented.

2008-09 Snow Ride Guide Survey

From Mount St. Helens National Monument:

Volunteers are needed this summer to help provide visitor information at the Johnston Ridge Observatory, assist with climbing and backcountry management, and help maintain trails around Mount St. Helens. Volunteers will have an opportunity to experience one of America’s most amazing places and receive in-depth training from scientists and other volcano experts.

=> Read more!

Here's a good story fellow TNT reporter Scott Fontaine beat us to.

By Scott Fontaine
The News Tribune

In a flash, the world turned white.

Snow covered Nick Gleim’s eyes, blinding him. It filled his ears, deafening him. And it forced its way down his throat and into his lungs, choking him.

Death, he knew, was a few seconds away.

“So I prayed,” he said last week, “and I fought like hell.”

Click here to read more.

From the WDFW:

Clam diggers today received the go-ahead to proceed with a morning razor clam dig starting April 6 at two ocean beaches after marine toxin tests showed the clams at those beaches are safe to eat.

=> Read more!