The genesis of this project began in November 2006, when heavy
rainfall caused damaging floods throughout the park. In September
2007, Team Misguided organized the first annual
Mount Rainier Recovery CITO Event, which received positive
feedback from park staff as well as local press coverage. The crew
built trails, removed debris, and did some replanting. In June
2008, hydnsek organized a great sequel, another
Mount Rainier CITO, this time helping to shovel out the Cougar
Rock Campground, which was buried by a record spring snowpack.
Their amazing work allowed the campground to open two weeks earlier
than it would have otherwise. Last year, another heavy snow year,
geocachers at the "CITO
The Mountain" event dug out campsites at the Longmire Volunteer
Campground and set up platform tents for volunteers to use through
the summer.
This year's event, like last year's, is organized by K2D2, a
local geocacher who also happens to be the Volunteer Program
Manager at Mount Rainier National Park; and this year we'll be back
in the historic Longmire Campground, tucked away in the forest on
the south side of the Nisqually River at Longmire. This site served
as a public campground for more than 30 years before closing in the
late 1960s when the more modern and more easily accessible Cougar
Rock Campground opened. Last year, thanks to the help of geocachers
and other volunteers, the campground reopened for use by volunteers
and other special groups. Its 31 individual sites, two group sites,
and 9 platform tents were used throughout the summer by community
groups, educational field trips, and volunteers as a base of
operations while working in the park. It even has a bath house with
showers--the only public showers in the park, but only available to
volunteers!
Like last year, your hosts will be Jean and Harry Milan and
Volunteer Coordinators Kevin Bacher (K2D2) and Evan Escamilla, who
will welcome you to the campground and lead four projects:
- Building Platform Tents: Over the wet, stormy winter,
the park's nine wall tents are taken down and stored, and the
platforms on which they are built are propped up against trees and
covered with tarps. Rebuilding the tents in the spring is not
especially difficult, but takes a group effort!
- Picnic Table Distribution: The campground has a supply
of temporary picnic tables, many of which have been moved or leaned
against trees for the winter. These need to be strategically
redistributed throughout the campground in preparation for
summer.
(The long-range goal for the campground is to build historic-style
log picnic tables. Those of you who participated in the CITO last
year will be pleased to hear that we are making progress toward
this goal, albeit slowly. A design has been approved, and as soon
as we can obtain materials, we'll be putting out a call for
carpenters to help build them. We've also been approved to
appropriate the stranded picnic tables at Sunshine Point, but are
wrestling with the logistics of getting them safely out of that
location.)
- Campground Cleanup: A fair amount of debris has fallen
out of the trees over the winter, and needs to be picked up from
campsites and trails. The winter's accumulation of pine needles
need to be swept off the roads and paths, in preparation for their
use by guests.
- Historic Restoration: And finally, the restoration of
the campground continues. Some of our campsites are still poorly
defined, and parking areas and camping spots need to be delineated
and marked with rocks.
Weather Alternatives: The CITO will proceed rain or
shine, though poor weather may abbreviate our efforts. Fortunately,
we shouldn't have as much snow to deal with as last year, as the
campground is already snow-free and has been for most of the
winter. Here's a
link to a current weather forecast for the Mountain.
Time and place: Meet at the Longmire Community Building
(the posted coordinates), at the entrance to the Longmire
Campground, at 9:30 am on Saturday, June 5. To find the Community
Building, turn at the Longmire Museum and drive across the historic
suspension bridge. Note that this time of year Longmire is only
accessible from the west, off State Route 706. With any luck, we'll
get all of our projects done before lunch, with plenty of time for
caching afterward.
Camping: The Longmire Campground is a perfect location
for spending the night (no charge for volunteers), and if we get
the platform tents built, you'll even be able to rest off the cold
ground! Tents and RVs are also welcome, though RVs larger than 26
feet may need to enter through the super-secret back entrance gate.
There are no hookups, but we'll have access to hot showers in the
bath house. Please RSVP if you plan to camp, and let us know
what kind of site you need.
Food and Clothing: Long pants, boots, and work gloves are
recommended. Bring rain gear and layers depending on weather. We'll
provide hard hats and tools. Bring water, a sack lunch, and snacks.
Temperatures can drop into the 30s at night, so bring hats, gloves,
and warm clothes if you plan to camp.
Entrance Fee: June 5 will be a "fee-free" day for the
public. The park entrance fee is otherwise $15 for a one-week pass,
though this is always waived for working volunteers.
Socializing and goodies: We'll have a small geo-raffle
after lunch. Geo-goodies are being collected for the raffle, so
e-mail me if you have anything to donate.
To learn more about Mount Rainier, visit the park website or the Rainier Volunteers
Blog, where you'll find many other opportunities to volunteer
throughout the summer. Many great geocaches are available locally,
including several virtuals and earth caches in the park and
traditionals, multis, and puzzle caches just outside the park
boundary.
Thanks for helping out! Join us to get some good work done, meet
new geofriends, and CITO The Mountain!
