Mount Rainier visitors are reminded that weather conditions can change rapidly in the mountains during this time of the year. Paradise has already seen its first snow of the winter. Visitors should be prepared for inclement weather and possible ice and snow on park roads.
Effective Nov. 1, all vehicles (including 4-wheel and all-wheel-drive) are required to carry tire chains that fit the vehicle.
For additional information, check the Mount Rainier web page at nps.gov/mora or call 360-569-2211.
At Olympic National Park, tire chains are required Nov. 20 and April 1 for all vehicles on Hurricane Ridge Road above the Heart O’ the Hills entrance station.
PARK ACCESS
The road at Mount Rainier between White River Campground and state Route 410 will be kept open through Oct. 30, as long as the weather allows. Hikers and bicyclists still have access to the Sunrise Road, which closed to vehicles on Oct. 10.
At North Cascades National Park Complex, the visitor center in Newhalem is open daily 9 a.m.-5 p.m. until Oct. 30. The wilderness information center in Marblemount closes today.
GAUTHIER POST PERMANENT
Mike Gauthier, the former supervisory climbing ranger at Mount Rainier National Park, has been named chief of staff at Yosemite National Park in California.
Gauthier spent the past 11 months in an acting assignment to the park from the Office of Legislative and Congressional Affairs in Washington, where he was a Bevinetto Fellow. As a Bevinetto Fellow, Gauthier worked for the assistant secretary for the fish, wildlife and parks, and also for the Senate Committee on Energy and Natural Resources.
Before going to Washington, Gauthier oversaw the climbing and search-and-rescue programs at Mount Rainier. He began his NPS career in 1985 at Olympic National Park as a backcountry ranger on the coast and along the way has also worked at Denali National Park and Preserve in Alaska, said a Park Service news release.
An avid rock and mountain climber, published photographer and author of “Mount Rainier: A Climbing Guide,” Gauthier brings more than 25 years of experience to Yosemite and the National Park Service.
Jeffrey P. Mayor: 253-597-8640 jeff.mayor@thenewstribune.com Blog.thenewstribune.com/adventure
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