Snow-going work

Snow is the prime attraction and bane for visitors and employees alike during the winter at Mount Rainier National Park.

Paradise, the park’s prime winter playground, typically gets 630 inches of snow a year. On a sunny winter weekend, visitors fill the parking lots to go inner-tubing, snowshoeing, cross-country skiing, snowboarding or backcountry skiing. By evening, most folks have headed home to the snowless lowlands.

For park employees, however, snow is a large part of their daily lives. It dictates when they leave home in the morning. It is the deciding factor if it’s going to be an easy or busy day, and it makes daily life move slower and at times more dangerous.

As they talked about working at Mount Rainier in the winter, a quartet of employees touched on a common theme, the beauty of the mountain under a mantle of fresh snow. “I never get tired of the park. Even when you can’t see the mountain, there is a mystique about it,” said Vicki Brand. “I like being able to look out the window every day to see what is happening outside.”

VICKI BRAND

Waitress, National Park Inn

The work pace during breakfast time is governed by when the gate on the road to Paradise opens each morning.

If the gate opens early, Brand has a handful of customers to serve. But if the opening is delayed, the dining room – and the hallways, steps and deck outside – fill faster than a fresh pot of coffee.

“We just put our heads down and go when there are people milling everywhere,” Brand said.

She recalled the time she was waiting on 60 customers by herself. It was a blur of making toast, pouring coffee and carrying trays of food.

“Once that gate opens, however, it’s like opening the floodgates; people are headed up the mountain.”

Brand has worked for Guest Services Inc., the company that runs the park concessions, for 10 years. She has worked in accounting, the front desk, housekeeping and in reservations. These days, she serves scones, buffalo meatloaf and Camp Muir French toast.

Working during the winter has its challenges, Brand admits. After driving on snow chains for two consecutive weeks last winter, Brand opted to buy a four-wheel drive vehicle this year.

Despite the challenges, Brand said she prefers the park in the winter. “The atmosphere is different. The people who come up are just happy to be here. It’s more a relaxed atmosphere,” she said. “They’ve been out cross-country skiing or snowshoeing, and they’re ready to come to the inn and have a good meal and relax.

“In the summer, it seems to me that everyone is in such a hurry. There’s so many people to compete with, they want to get their food so they can get out on the trails or wherever they’re going.”

Along with serving meals, Brand is quick to point out destinations or animals to visitors. “I recommend the Trail of the Shadows, right there in Longmire, to everyone. They always come back and thank me,” she said.

“That’s the origin of the park right there. There’s old buildings, old-growth forest, the bubbling water is related to the volcanic activity. And the view of the mountain is amazing. I’ve had people tell me it was a spiritual experience after seeing the mountain from there.”

MARNE MCARDLE

Interpretive ranger, Longmire/Paradise

Living in Chicago, McArdle learned all about snow. “But winter in a mountain setting is totally different,” she said.

Life moves much slower because of the snow, such as the hour it takes to dig out her car after a heavy snowfall or when running an errand in Puyallup becomes a three-hour adventure.

“It’s been interesting and challenging all at the same time. The weather is so much more of a player in the wintertime than in the summer,” McArdle said. “I live in Longmire, and every day presents a new challenge. I like to say the weather outlook at Longmire is cloudy with a chance of power outages.”

On weekdays, McArdle works at the Longmire museum. On weekends, her duties take her to the Henry M. Jackson Memorial Visitor Center, where she often leads the guided snowshoe walk along the Nisqually Vista Loop Trail.

“I like doing the snowshoe walks. For one, I get to be outside. But I get to talk with the public,” McArdle said. “It’s fun when I get a group that’s raring to go and wants to hear what you have to say.”

And even though winter can be a burden, it has its rewards. McArdle talked about the temperature inversion last month that pushed temperatures at Paradise to the upper 60s. “There are definitely days I can’t believe I’m getting paid to do this.”

JOE PALMER

Rotary snow blower operator

Few people know the road from Longmire to Paradise as intimately as Palmer. When the snow piles up, he guides the park’s 45,000-pound rotary snow blower up and down the 12 miles of turning and twisting roadway to clear the route for park visitors.

It’s a job he’s done for 20 of his 25 years working at the park. “I can tell you the entire road by memory. I know every bump and crack,” Palmer said. “Saying I made that trip thousands of times would not be exaggerating.”

On most winter days, Palmer awakes at 3 a.m. so he can be in his plow by 5:30 a.m. “Sometimes we have to make our way up (the unplowed road) to Longmire just so we can get the plow down there to let the people in,” he said with a laugh.

Under good conditions, Palmer drives his plow with its 5-foot by 8-foot rotary blade at 10 mph. When the snow is wet and heavy – what plow drivers and skiers call Cascade cement – his cuts the speed in half.

For Palmer, his daily job has him on the edge of danger, literally. He recalled the time an avalanche came down and pushed the plow across the road. “I’ve been off the road, and it was uncomfortable. The snow usually catches you. But I never felt like ‘Oh my God, I’m going to die.’

“In whiteout conditions, sometimes I can’t see 5 feet in front of me,” he said. “There have been times I’ve had to open the window to look down to make sure I’m moving. Sometimes you’re not sure if the machine is moving or if it’s just the vibrations that make you think your moving.”

In his 20 years behind the wheel, Palmer said he has never gotten bored. In fact, there is a deep sense of pride when he punches the final berm of snow. “We’re on a mission to get the road open. It’s rewarding when you get the road open and can say ‘OK folks, come and enjoy your park.’”

That doesn’t mean he hasn’t had his fill of snow. Palmer is retiring in August. “I wouldn’t mind sitting in my house next winter, saying ‘Gee I don’t have to be out there sitting in my plow.’”

JOHN PIASTUCK

Eastside wilderness subdistrict ranger

Previous stops in his National Park Service career – Grand Canyon, Grand Teton and Yellowstone – have taught Piastuck all about working in the snow. He’ll add to that his eight years of experience at Mount Rainier when he begins a new assignment at another snowy location, Glacier National Park, in March.

One thing he understands is the vagaries of winter. “A few weeks ago, we had 60-degree days, people were sitting in their shirt sleeves having their lunch,” Piastuck said. “The next week we had zero degrees and tons of snow.

Spending much of the winter at Paradise, Piastuck supervises the volunteer nordic ski patrol, as well as patrols the road to Paradise and the parking lot. He most enjoys the time chatting with park visitors.

“This is very much a weekend park in the winter. People come up when they can see the mountain from their house, ‘Let’s grab the kids, and our friends, and come up,’” he said.

“It’s a different clientele in the winter. It’s the skiers and the snow-play families. It’s the locals, they come up for the day to ski or with the family to do some inner-tubing.”

Whether he is patrolling the Alta Vista trail on snowshoes or driving in his SUV, safety is the priority for Piastuck and his co-workers. “A big part of working here in the winter is monitoring conditions. The biggest thing is avalanche danger,” he said. “Then there are times you have to creep down the road at 5 mph because you can’t see.

“Of course, blue sky days make it fabulous. You would be hard-pressed to beat the scenery (at Mount Rainier) on a blue-sky day in the winter.”

Jeffrey P. Mayor: 253-597-8640

blogs.thenewstribune.com/adventure

Volunteering in the winter

If you want to try your hand at working at Mount Rainier National Park in the winter, there are several volunteer opportunities, according to Kevin Bacher, the park’s volunteer coordinator. Here is a quick summary:

Nordic patrol: Volunteers work with the Washington Ski Touring Club to provide ski patrol services at Paradise, including marking trails. People interested in this opportunity should contact the ski club at www.wstc.org.

Visitor centers: During busy times, like holidays, volunteers are needed to staff the desk or lead a snowshoe walk. It’s too late for this year, but if you’re interested, park staffers hold a winter seasonal training in early December.

Greenhouse assistance: Volunteers are needed to come out on a regular basis to help weed, pot and care for plants, most of which will be used in summer revegetation projects.

Curatorial library: Brooke Childrey, the park’s museum curator, works with many volunteers to sort and store archives, photos and historic artifacts collections. There are still possibilities to help with special projects on an intermittent basis.

Education program: The park’s education program has a number of curriculum-development projects under way. They are always looking for individuals who have educational background and experience to help out.

To learn more, go to www.nps.gov/mora/supportyourpark/vip-positions.htm.