Service in Magnificent Mt. Rainier National Park, Washington

The Trip

Spend a week camping and giving back to the trail system in Mt. Rainier National Park, one of the earliest and most popular in our national park system. Standing at 14,140 feet, Mt. Rainier is an active volcano (it last erupted in 1894) and the most glaciated peak in the lower 48 states. Our campsite will be located in the northwest corner of the park from where we will hike to our work sites each day.

From our base, we will have access to many spectacular subalpine trails, vistas, and lakes. Other magical places nearby include Eunice Lake, the Carbon River, and the North and South Mowich glaciers. Each workday starts with a hearty breakfast and assembly of our sack lunches. After a fruitful day restoring forest and meadow trails, we will return to camp to relax, chat, and eat.

We will be camping and working on lands traditionally used by Native peoples for thousands of years, including the Nisqually, Puyallup (S’Puyalupubsh), Muckleshoot (SkoPamish), Yakama, Cowlitz (Stl’Pulmsh) and Squaxin Island tribe. Occupation of these lands, but not fishing rights, was ceded under duress by treaties in the 1850s. The Park consults with these six tribal governments on major projects and plans.

The Project

This is primarily a trail restoration service project to provide some tender loving care to the Wonderland Trail or lakeshore trails near Mowich Lake. The work is both rewarding and physically demanding!

Our job may include:

• Grading or rerouting trails
• Building retaining walls
• Trail brushing
• Revegetation

We will be trained to safely complete our tasks, so previous trail restoration experience is not necessary; just general good health, good conditioning, and a positive attitude. The daily one-to-three-mile hike each way to the work site will be over moderate to steep terrain. Participants will need to carry their own supplies for the day, including at least two liters of water. The project work schedule will generally run from 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.

We timed this trip to avoid the busiest visitor season at Mt. Rainier National Park while still expecting pleasant weather. Of course, mountain climates, especially in a warming world, can be unpredictable! If conditions do require a change of plans, we will move to a similar project in a suitable location.

Getting There

Participants are responsible for securing transportation to and from our campground. Carpooling is highly recommended and the trip leader will help facilitate contacts for ride-sharing among participants. Drivers will need to traverse approximately 15 miles of a rutted gravel road to reach the camping area.

Distance from nearest major airports:

• Seattle/Tacoma International (SEA): 57 miles; two-hour drive time

• Portland Airport (PDX): 185 miles; four-hour drive time

Please do not make travel arrangements until the leader has confirmed you as a trip member.

Accommodations and Food

All meals and plenty of snacks will be provided from dinner the first night to breakfast the last day. Come with the attitude that food is part of the adventure. Trip menu planning considers that there will be no refrigeration other than coolers with ice, and that food must be protected from animals. We provide healthy, nutritious, vegetarian-friendly meals. We’ll have a group commissary with everyone taking turns assisting the cook and cleaning up afterwards. Before applying for the trip, people with food allergies, and/or strong food preferences must contact the cook and leader to see if accommodations are possible.

Our primitive, tents-only campsite at Mowich Lake will have vault toilets and no running water or showers -- though a daily swim in the lake is a definite possibility, and folks are welcome to bring along sun showers. We will filter or treat water for personal and camp use. All food, and any items with a strong scent, must be secured in bear-proof containers or in vehicles. Bear boxes will be provided at the campground for our group food. Yep, we’ll be “roughing it” a bit, but the incredible setting will make it all completely worthwhile!

Trip Difficulty

This trip will be moderately strenuous and participants should be in very good shape. Trail restoration work is physically demanding and you can expect to be quite tired at times. There will be jobs that are appropriate for everyone’s energy level, and we'll each work at our own pace, but it will be significantly more physical activity than is usual for most of us.

Along with the demands of the work, there will be the hiking required to reach the project. We can have days where the combined distance could be 6 to 8 miles with significant elevation gain and loss. Elevation is also a moderate consideration for those who live and exercise at sea level. Mowich Lake is just under 5,000 feet elevation.

Health and safety is a very high priority. Arriving at the trip in good physical condition will help assure that this will be the fun and rewarding adventure that it’s designed to be.

Equipment and Clothing

Participants will need to prepare for a variety of weather conditions -- from mild, to cold, to wet -- all possibly in the same day. A detailed equipment list will be provided by the leader after registration is complete, but will include a large day pack, tent with rain fly, extra warm sleeping bag, sturdy boots that have been broken in, layered clothing to accommodate weather conditions and tested rain gear. Tools and equipment will be provided, but participants will be responsible for their own work gloves.

References

Conservation

Threatened and endangered species

Fishers, a house-cat sized member of the weasel family, have been absent from the Cascade mountain range for more than 70 years -- largely through over-trapping and habitat loss. They have been listed as a state-endangered species since 1998. The Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife (WDFW) is working with the National Park Service (NPS), Conservation Northwest (CNW), and other key partners to reestablish a self-sustaining population of fishers to the species’ historical range.

Beginning in November 2015, approximately 80 fishers from British Columbia have been released in the south Cascades on federal lands, including Mount Rainier National Park and the Gifford Pinchot National Forest. Each fisher will be equipped with a radio-transmitter so its movements and survival status can be tracked. The Cascade reintroduction project provides a valuable opportunity to learn a great deal about how fishers respond, adjust to and become established in a new environment.

Climate Change

With 25 named glaciers, Mt. Rainier is the largest glacial system on a single mountain in the contiguous United States. Glaciers act as natural water storage and delivery systems. Glacier melt provides freshwater for drinking and agriculture and supports habitat for keystone species like salmon. Glaciers are currently receding at an unprecedented rate, reducing available freshwater. This results in an increase in sediment dumped into rivers and streams, increasing the risk of debris flows that can damage trails. At Mt. Rainier, park scientists have found glaciers are melting six times faster than the historic rate. Over the last 100 years, Mt. Rainier has lost 22 percent of its glacier cover.

Advances in climate science reveal the unequivocal role that human activities are playing in the observable changes of the global climate. Increases in greenhouse gases from burning fossil fuels are believed by most scientists to be a major contributor to this warming trend, and the subsequent loss of glacier mass.

The speed and degree in which climate changes occur in the future depends on our success in implementing solutions to reduce human caused greenhouse gas emissions. Action is required now! As individuals we often feel powerless to implement change, but in reality, personal action is as important as business and government efforts.

Sierra Club’s Mission

The Sierra Club is an environmentally focused entity. We are concerned about conservation and sustainability of resources, both locally and globally. Our work is accomplished by volunteers and aided by a salaried staff, and encourages grassroots involvement. Our outings seek to empower participants toward greater understanding, advocacy and participation in the goals of the Club. We look forward to lively evening discussions with the group on these and other positive issues.

Since its founding in 1892, The Sierra Club has worked to preserve and restore the natural environment we all share on this planet. Thousands of grassroots-level volunteers spearhead our efforts to conserve and sustain resources, both in our own backyards and on a global scale. Through direct experience in the outdoors, Sierra Club outings enable participants to better understand, advocate, and participate in the environmental conservation goals of the Club.

Service outings, in particular, stand out as one of the Sierra Club’s most important “boots on the ground” conservation efforts. The work done by service trip participants in our nation’s public lands is a way of practicing conservation in the most direct way possible, whether it’s improving access while preserving wilderness values, restoring wildlife habitat, or repairing human-caused damage to a natural area. Service trips are a great way to pitch in and do something tangible to make the world a better place; they’re a way to go beyond just talking about conservation; a way to get out there and experience conservation with your whole being.

Sierra Club National Outings is an equal-opportunity provider and when applicable will operate under permits obtained from U.S. federal land agencies.