Heads up for hikers (Washington state)

Wednesday, June 29, 2011 at 3:41 PM
Hikers face hazards from lingering snow
By Jack Broom
STEVE RINGMAN / THE SEATTLE TIMES
This year's staggering mountain snowpack, lingering well into summer, is creating not just inconvenience and disappointment — but also danger, for hikers and backpackers, park and forest officials say.

The caution comes as a long holiday weekend and anticipated good weather are certain to have many state residents heading for outdoor recreation.

Crews at Mount Rainier National Park are bracing for an increase in search-and-rescue calls that often accompany a late snowpack, as hikers lose their way along sections of trail covered by snow or downed trees.

Many higher-elevation trails are covered by snow, including virtually every trail from Mount Rainier's Paradise area, at 5,400 feet. Other trails, starting at lower elevations, may entice hikers by being snow-free at the trailhead, only to disappear under a cover of snow after gaining elevation.

Throughout the mountains, a particular danger is posed by "snow bridges," where snow that typically might have melted by now covers a stream running underneath, making it "invisible," said Gary Paull, wilderness and trails coordinator for the Mount Baker-Snoqualmie National Forest.

"You could easily drop 10 to 15 feet into an icy torrent," Paull said.


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