Mount Rainier National Park remains closed as park officials continue to assess damage caused by 8 1/2 inches of rain that fell in a 24-hour period Tuesday and Wednesday.

Park superintendent Dave Uberuaga said this afternoon it will likely be Saturday morning before the road to Longmire is reopened. He said that decision will be made late Friday afternoon.

Kautz Creek continues to vex park officials. The creek has jumped the channel created by the November 2006 flood. As a result, water was flowing over the main park road in two places even Thursday afternoon.

During the historic 2006 flood, the creek created a new channel about a mile upstream from the bridge. As a result, the creek was flowing over the road 1/4 mile east of the bridge.

This time a small logjam about 450 feet upstream from the road caused the creek to jump out of its new streambed and flow even further east.

“The whole stream is coming out about 100 feet from the culverts and hitting the road,” Uberuaga said.

“Right now we’re in there trying to realign the creek to get the water to come back through those large culverts. They’re using an excavator to cut a channel back to the new Kautz Creek so the water goes back into the culverts and not hit the road,” he added.

Elsewhere, access via Highway 410 is cut by a massive landslide near Greenwater. The road leading to the Carbon River entrance has a 200-foot washout near Milepost 6.

Highway 123 on the park's east side remains closed as state transportation crews delay with a small washout near Milepost 10.5 and some minor rock slides.

Uberuaga also said a helicopter was to be used Friday to check the Wonderland Trail system and check key bridges.

I just heard from Lee Taylor, a spokeswoman at Mount Rainier National Park.

She said staffers are to meet at 1 p.m. with the teams that were out assessing possible damage to the road to Longmire.

An announcement on the possibility of reopening the road, the main route into the park, should come after that meeting.

As soon as we hear, we'll pass the news along.

Here's a photo of the road near Kautz Creek courtesy of the park:

Mount Rainier National Park officials are hoping to have an update on the status of the road to Longmire late this morning. Park teams were out this morning assessing damage done to the road and were expected to report by 11 a.m. today.

Highway 123 on the east side of the park also is closed today until state crews can check for damage. Several culverts were flooded along that roaway.

The road has been closed since Wednesday morning after Kautz Creek jumped its banks and crossed the road in two places, said park spokeswoman Lee Taylor.

Flooding was caused by heavy rains that fell Tuesday and Wednesday. Paradise received more than 8 inches of rain in the 24-hour period ending at 6 p.m. Wednesday, Taylor said.

The Nisqually River reached 12 feet above flood stage by Wednesday afternnon, below the record 13.1 feet reached during the November 2006 flood that closed the entire park for six months.

Non-essential parl emloyees were given an administrative day off today.

Hope you got a chance to read about rising free skiing star Andy Mahre in today's Adventure section. (yes, he's related to Olympic skiing legends Steve (his dad) and Phil (his uncle) Mahre.) Mahre is featured in the Warren Miller movie "Children of Winter" which shows in Olympia tonight and Friday and Tacoma over the weekend.

Here's one of my favorite Andy Mahre videos. It's him skiing with a helmet cam at White Pass. Also, click here to check out short films from his company Nimbus Independent. Last year's project was "Hunting Yeti."

Long Beach and Twin Harbors open today for razor clam digging, joining Copalis and Mocrocks for a dig that will run through Sunday, according to the state Department of Fish and Wildlife. Digging is allowed from noon and midnight.

Dan Ayres, coastal shellfish manager, recommends diggers take lights or lanterns with them due to the times of the low tides. He also recommends checking weather and surf forecasts before heading out.

The forecast Wednesday afternoon called for swells to be 9 to 11 feet today and through the weekend. That is close to the level at which swells could pose a danger to people on the beach, especially after dark.

The times for the low tides are: today, 7:15 p.m.; Saturday, 8:04 p.m.; and Sunday, 8:54 p.m.

Harvesters are allowed to keep no more than 15 razor clams and must keep the first 15 they dig, regardless of size or condition. Each digger's clams must be kept in a separate container.

A license is required for anyone age 15 or older. Any 2008 annual shellfish/seaweed license or combination fishing license is valid. Another option is a razor-clam only license available in annual or three-day only versions.

The next dig is tentatively set for Dec. 11-14 at Copalis and Mocrocks and Dec. 12-14 at Long Beach, Twin Harbors, Copalis and Mocrocks.