If you’re wondering what’s going on at Mount Rainier - especially if you’re a climber – you should already be aware of Mike Gauthier’s blog. But even non-climbers (or once-in-a-lifetime climbers like me) want to know what the status of the park is these days, now that the snow is falling and high winds and heavy rain have rearranged much of the park’s road system.

Gauthier, also known as “Gator,” is the lead climbing ranger at Rainier and something of a living legend, according to TNT adventure scribe Craig Hill. Gauthier lives inside the park and knows it inside and out. Authority is what makes a blog great, and apparently there is no better authority than “Gator.”

In 2004, Gauthier made Men’s Journal’s list of 25 Toughest Guys in America (at No. 4). The perception of blogs keeps changing and now, we can safely say, tough guys have blogs, too.