Forest Road 99, which provides access to the popular Windy
Ridge and Spirit Lake viewpoints on the east side of the Mount St. Helens National Volcanic Monument, will open in time for the July 4th holiday weekend.

Monument staff just sent out the release. Here is the rest:

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A climbing ranger was airlifted from the northern slopes of Mount Rainier on Wednesday afternoon after he fell about 40 feet into a crevasse, park spokeswoman Lee Taylor said.

Sam Wick, 27, broke through a snow bridge at about 10,000 feet while skiing down from Rainier’s 14,411-foot summit. Fellow ranger Cooper Self, also a member of the Crystal Mountain Ski Patrol, was skiing with Wick and was the first to respond. Both men were on their scheduled patrol.

An off-duty climbing ranger and a guide from Ashford-based International Mountain Guides also assisted in removing wick from the crevasse, Taylor said. Guides from Seattle-based Alpine Ascents International also helped with the rescue.

Anne Keller, a former Crystal ski patroller, was the lead guide for the IMG party that helped with the rescue, IMG co-director George Dunn said.

An Aerostar helicopter landed on the Emmons Glacier and lifted Wick off the mountain at about 3:50 p.m. Wick was taken to Seattle’s Harborview Medical Center.

Wick may have a broken leg, but his injuries did not appear to be life threatening, Taylor said.

Wick is in his fourth season as a climbing ranger on Mount Rainier and is stationed with Self, 28, at Camp Schurman, located at 9,510 feet on the north side of mountain. Wick was honored by the park in 2007 for giving more than 1,000 hours of volunteer service.

Mount Rainier rescue rangers are reportedly working to rescue a skier who fell in a crevasse.

Our news partner, KIRO-TV, is broadcasting live footage from its chopper.

Click here to check it out:

http://www.kirotv.com/video/19919667/index.html

The 2009 Summer Speaker Series at Mount Rainier National Park kicks off Saturday and includes programs at Ohanapecosh for the first time.

The series feastures preentations from speakers with a connection to the park.

Among the scheduled spearkers are Rex Derr, now director of Washington State Parks, but a former Mount Rainier ranger; Loren Lane and Jim Ross, who worked as interpretive rangers at Ohanapecosh for years; and. Gerry Tays, a former assistant superintendent.

The talks will be held in the Paradise Inn main lobby at 9 p.m. on Saturday nights in July and August, as well as Sept. 5. The Ohanapecosh Campground amphitheater programs will be given in August at 8:30 p.m. on Saturdays, as well as Sept. 6.

Here is the schedule of events:

Paradise Inn

Saturday: Todd Smith, Olympia City Parks, will discuss his research on the history of the National Park Service.

July 11: Joe Kane, Nisqually Land Trust, will discuss the trust’s cooperative efforts to protect the entire Nisqually watershed

July 18: Pat Pringle, author of the new “Roadside Geology of Mount Rainier National Park and Vicinity” will talk about the park’s geology.

July 25: Keith Dunbar, National Park Service-Seattle, will talk about the Ice Age Floods National Geologic Trail, newly established by Congress.

Aug. 1: Brian Luther, Puget Sound Mycological Society, will discuss mushrooms.

Aug. 8: Alton Byers and Jon Riedel will discuss climate change as seen through glaciers worldwide and regionally.

Aug. 15: Todd Cullings, Mount St. Helens National Volcanic Monument, will talk about Pacific Northwest volcanoes.

Aug. 22: Derr and his wife Anne will reminisce about their time on the mountain.

Aug. 29: Joyce McCloud and family members will share their Nisqually tribal culture and connection to Mount Rainier.

Sept. 5: Carolyn Driedger, USGS, will talk about the geologic story of the mountain.

Ohanapecosh

Aug. 1: Heidi Walker, will talk about the “Adventurous Women of Washington” including Fay Fuller, the first woman to summit Mount Rainier.

Aug. 8: Lane will share stories from his many years as a ranger at Ohanapecosh.

Aug. 15: Tays will talk about his experiences on the mountain.

Aug. 22: Ross will look back at his time at Ohanapecosh.

Aug. 29: Cleve Pinnix, a former Mount Rainier ranger and now volunteer, will share tales of his time at the park.

Sept. 6: Smith, Olympia City Parks, will present his Park Service research.

I rode the Tour de Pierce on Sunday morning with my brother and some buddies. The ride has a reputation for being super easy, but this year the course was altered to make it more challenging.

That, of course, means hills.

The new course climbed up to Lake Tapps, the Tubbs Road hill in South Prairie and a third hill at Prairie Ridge.

While the relatively short distance (the longest ride is 50 miles) still makes it doable for those who haven't trained it was enough work the legs of those who push themselves.

The course is definitely worth checking out. The Dan Henry's (directional indicators) are still painted on the streets and course maps are available on the ride website.

And if you don't like hills the map shows several shortcuts for avoiding the climbs