Mt. Rainier News

When it comes to invasive weeds, it's best to pick your battles. At least that's the rationale of Sean MacDougall, who last year embarked on what he envisions as a five-year campaign against one of the most notorious: Japanese knotweed. MacDougall knew a lot about knotweed before he became program coordinator of the Pierce County Noxious Weed Control Board.

A slurry of rocks and mud sounded like a freight train when it ripped through a popular Mount Rainier hiking destination in 2001 and scared some television viewers who believed their homes were in the path. As it turned out, the debris flow at Comet Falls proved less dangerous than initially believed, but it gave scientists insights into a phenomenon that continues to mystify.

I used to know exactly how many switchbacks it took to get to Indian Henry's Hunting Ground from Kautz Creek. I have forgotten the number, but there are many. I did remember most of the trail was in the forest, an advantage on a hot day.

A summer of sun had given way to wispy fog, with a hint of moisture on the wind, when I arrived at 5,400 feet on the south side of Mount Rainier. About 125 years ago, when Martha Longmire visited here, the weather was so balmy she called it Paradise. She and her husband, James, sank roots but were savvy enough to build the first hotel down at 2,700 feet.

ASHFORD, Wash. -- We were on a mountain pilgrimage to Paradise. That's where you will find the flower-strewn meadows at 5,420 feet on the southern flank of Mount Rainier, a big and imposing mountain that is the centerpiece of Mount Rainier National Park. Paradise, at the end of a long, winding road, is the No. 1 tourist destination in the park.

ASHFORD, WASH.: We were on a mountain pilgrimage to Paradise. That's where you will find the flower-strewn meadows at 5,420 feet on the southern flank of Mount Rainier, a big and imposing mountain that is the centerpiece of Mount Rainier National Park. Paradise, at the end of a long, winding road, is the No. 1 tourist destination in the park. Martha Longmire, who helped found the first hotel in the area, had once proclaimed of the mountain meadows: ''This must be what paradise is like.''

PARADISE, Wash. -- Cool ocean temperatures in the southern Pacific Ocean -- a phenomenon known as La Nina -- chilled sunny expectations this summer for thousands of visitors to Mount Rainier National Park. Those who arrived here in July planning to backpack or hike its famous sub-alpine wildflower meadows found snow instead, six feet in places, though sunny daytime temperatures reach into the 70s.

The rustic Paradise Inn in Mount Rainier National Park, a national historic landmark built in 1916, will reopen Friday after a two-year, $22.5 million spruce-up.

The recognition of the volunteer effort to repair flood damage at Mount Rainier National Park continues to earn awards. Park staff learned last week that, on May 8, Mount Rainier’s volunteer program will receive the George B. Hartzog Jr. Award for Outstanding Volunteer Service, the National Park Service’s highest honor. The Hartzog Award recognizes the efforts of the individual volunteers, the 1,724 people who turned out to build trails, plant trees, scan historic images and work in the park’s visitor centers.

Without more Congressional funding, the National Park Service may not be able to compete with developers as private properties within National Park lands go on the market. A report released by the National Parks Conservation Association, “America’s Heritage: For Sale” shows how “critical land inside 55 National Parks could be lost for lack of funding.”