Rainier National Park closure effective tomorrow

[TobiasT]

I was hoping to ski out of Paradise this weekend but it sounds from talking to the ranger at NCNP that Mount Rainier National Park will be gated effective tomorrow as a result of the government shutdown. Maybe I'm wrong - I wasn't able to get through to anyone at the Rainier park office to be sure. The NCNP will be open, but their offices will be closed. I'd love to know if MRNP will actually be open.

[pcg]

NCNP has no gates for rangers to lock and unlock. MRNP does. If the gubmint shuts down at nidnight then the gates at MRNP will be locked.

[AlpineK]

From Paradise weather reports the big snow dump will be behind locked gates

 

Spotty snow cover you'll walk miles to find skiing in the NCNP. Maybe there is something worth doing on Baker??

Edited September 30, 2013 by Feck

[Ben Beckerich]

Pretty funny that they can close a mountain. I get the "shutdown," but actually barring access to a mountain most of us would surely prefer unserviced to begin with is absolutely nothing other than spite.

 

Walk away from the mountain... No service, no rescue, no guiding... And leave the gate open.

[rob]

What if I decide to go do some backpacking in the rain tonight at MRNP? Are they just going to lock me in?

[DPS]

Won't affect you Rob, because you'll be riding your bike.

[Pete_H]

Pretty funny that they can close a mountain. I get the "shutdown," but actually barring access to a mountain most of us would surely prefer unserviced to begin with is absolutely nothing other than spite.

 

Walk away from the mountain... No service, no rescue, no guiding... And leave the gate open.

 

But then what's to stop someone from dirtbike raging through spray park alpine meadows or toothless Joe and his tweaker crack buddies from bringing their caravan of double wide meth labs and set up shop and maybe fell an old growth Hemlock or two to sell for some extra cash.

 

 

[DPS]

No service = no road plowing = no winter access.

[pcg]

So... if NCNP offices are closed and I can't obtain a backcountry permit, and there are no rangers on the trail to issue tickets for camping without a permit...

[JasonG]

I know, if only Indian Summer was in full effect. Boston Basin rave!

[KirkW]

Pretty funny that they can close a mountain. I get the "shutdown," but actually barring access to a mountain most of us would surely prefer unserviced to begin with is absolutely nothing other than spite.

 

Walk away from the mountain... No service, no rescue, no guiding... And leave the gate open.

 

But then what's to stop someone from dirtbike raging through spray park alpine meadows or toothless Joe and his tweaker crack buddies from bringing their caravan of double wide meth labs and set up shop and maybe fell an old growth Hemlock or two to sell for some extra cash.

 

 

Umm, yeah. I'm sure it's real easy to get a dirt bike into spray park right now and most tweakers don't own chainsaws. They pawned 'em a loooong time ago.

 

And yes, the very concept of "closing" a mountain is one that boggles my mind. Close the roads so I can't drive? Sure. But telling me I can't walk (or ski) in the woods is idiotic.

[Ben Beckerich]

 

But then what's to stop someone from dirtbike raging through spray park alpine meadows or toothless Joe and his tweaker crack buddies from bringing their caravan of double wide meth labs and set up shop and maybe fell an old growth Hemlock or two to sell for some extra cash.

 

 

While these things happen on a super small scale, they just don't really happen in wilderness areas. There're still laws, and you can still have Forest Service patrols... they're enough to keep our wilderness areas wild, I'm sure they'd be plenty enough to keep Rainier wild too.

[mountainsandsound]

I'd like some reimbursement for the shutdown days on my 2013 climbing pass. $44/365= just over 12 cents per day.

 

Maybe I wasn't planning on climbing soon anyway. But maybe bad weather, avy conditions, and unconsolidated snow over a late-season glacier are just what I wanted.

[Pete_H]

 

But then what's to stop someone from dirtbike raging through spray park alpine meadows or toothless Joe and his tweaker crack buddies from bringing their caravan of double wide meth labs and set up shop and maybe fell an old growth Hemlock or two to sell for some extra cash.

 

 

While these things happen on a super small scale, they just don't really happen in wilderness areas. There're still laws, and you can still have Forest Service patrols... they're enough to keep our wilderness areas wild, I'm sure they'd be plenty enough to keep Rainier wild too.

 

Obviously a bit of a hyperbole, but that is actually the sort of thing that goes on on Forest Service land. My point was leaving the Park open without any form of regulation probably isn't a good idea.

 

I think we can agree that while dealing with the bureaucracy and permit process on Mt. Rainier is annoying at best, National Parks provide areas that climbers can take full advantage of while remaining free from concerns over resource extraction and small-scale environmental degradation.

 

For example, I'm sure you seen the vast clear cut tracks just outside Rainier National Parks. On the way up to Forest Service trailheads I'm sure you've seen places where people have dumped garbage; and how about all the blue tarp trailers and abandoned cars, etc. up the Middle Fork Snoqualmie. You don't really see that stuff in National Parks.

[JasonG]

 

While these things happen on a super small scale, they just don't really happen in wilderness areas. There're still laws, and you can still have Forest Service patrols... they're enough to keep our wilderness areas wild, I'm sure they'd be plenty enough to keep Rainier wild too.

 

Super small scale?? I'm going with Pete on this one. Say what you want about the NPS ranger corps., but parks like Rainier are WAY cleaner/less messed with than nearby FS land. As someone who spends a lot of time on FS land outside of Granite Falls/Concrete/Darrington, Pete is not off the mark. If you can get near it in a truck or dirtbike, the methheads/rednecks aren't to be underestimated.

[rob]

Imagine all the illegal pooing would go on if they let climbers into the park during the shut down

[JasonG]

[Ben Beckerich]

 

While these things happen on a super small scale, they just don't really happen in wilderness areas. There're still laws, and you can still have Forest Service patrols... they're enough to keep our wilderness areas wild, I'm sure they'd be plenty enough to keep Rainier wild too.

 

Super small scale?? I'm going with Pete on this one. Say what you want about the NPS ranger corps., but parks like Rainier are WAY cleaner/less messed with than nearby FS land. As someone who spends a lot of time on FS land outside of Granite Falls/Concrete/Darrington, Pete is not off the mark. If you can get near it in a truck or dirtbike, the methheads/rednecks aren't to be underestimated.

 

I don't know, man. I just don't see it. I haven't yet spent much time in WA wilderness areas, but I've spent a LOT of time in Waldo, Jefferson, Sisters, wilderness areas, as well as Hood Natl Forest, and all up and down the Willamette Natl.

 

You occasionally find trash and trashy people on the roads, but step 10 feet off and you're in unmolested, pristine wild. Tweekers and rednecks do their mething and dumping and shooting on the road.

[JasonG]

Well, I won't argue that the tweakers stay close to a road or dirtbike compatible trail, but for somewhere like Rainier, that is a lot of real estate to lay waste to. As much as I think it is stupid that the NPS has to tell its employees to go home, if they didn't lock the gate on the way out it would pretty much be idiotic.

[Ben Beckerich]

Nevermind. Off topic.

Edited October 1, 2013 by Ben Beckerich

[rob]

the thousands of people getting ratcheted up the dog-routes,

 

How many more do you think there would be without a permit system? Hard to imagine that MRNP would be a better place if left completely alone by "The Man," but whatev -- you sound like you've got a good head of steam going so why bother arguing?

 

THE MAN!!! He's trying to keep us down. OMG!

[Ben Beckerich]

Pah.. Too quick for me, Rob.