Where in the Heck is New Princeton, Oregon?
BUREAU OF LAND MANAGEMENT OR-09-19
Contact: Michael Campbell (503) 808-6031
Portland, OR. – Folding a map may not be the easiest thing for some people, but finding the right map of Federal public lands in the Northwest – and finding New Princeton – has just become a whole lot easier for everyone! Hint: It’s in southeast Oregon.
The Bureau of Land Management (BLM) has recently produced wall-size maps showcasing the vast array of both Oregon and Washington public lands. The Oregon and Washington maps are a significant update to versions that were created in 1994.
Categories: Press Releases Tags: blm, bureau of land management, cascades, columbia river gorge, maps, mount st helens, new princeton, northwest, oregon, oregon coast, pacific northwest, public lands, recreation areas, steens mountain, us forest service, washington, willamette
Experience Winter Adventures on Snowshoes (Washington)
Contacts:
Snoqualmie Pass Kim Larned, 509-852-1062 klarned@fs.fed.us
Stevens Pass Nan Lammers, 360-677-2414 nlammers@fs.fed.us
Children race through the snow, kicking up clouds of snow and playing on their snowshoes. Sometimes they get to meet Smokey the Bear. Guides lead walkers through winding forest trails, teaching safety and winter ecology, while advanced snowshoers muscle through the backcountry, navigating the Commonwealth Basin. In the snow covered Cascades, outdoor enthusiasts enjoy their favorite trails on snowshoes.
Starting the first week of January, the Forest Service offers classes through March at Snoqualmie Pass off I-90 and Stevens Pass on US 2. “Nearly anyone can slap snowshoes on and start walking in the forest,” said Kim Larned, snowshoe guide on the Mt. Baker-Snoqualmie National Forest.
Read more…
Categories: Press Releases Tags: backcountry, cascades, commonwealth basin, forest service, mt baker, mt baker snoqualmie national forest, snoqualmie, snoqualmie pass, snowshoe, snowshoers, snowshoes, stevens pass, washington, winter
Where Were You On May 18, 1980?
What were you doing the day Mt. St. Helens blew it’s top?
I realize that anybody under the age of 28 wasn’t even born so this question does not apply to you.
I was 16 at the time. I was with my dad and cousin Frank at a bass fishing tournament with the Evergreen Bass Club on Silver Lake in Cowlitz County (only about 30 miles West of Mt. St. Helens). It was a beautiful clear sunny morning (much like it is this morning as I’m writing this). All weekend, we were hoping to see a puff of steam or a small ash plume, but all was quiet. I has witnessed several before on my frequent trips to Kelso.
Sometime around 8:30 AM, my dad had to head back to the resort to use the facilities. So he powered up the motor and we were heading back to the resort and he pointed at the mountain and when I looked up, we watched the initial blast and then Mt St Helens disappeared (just like the footage you always see of the initial eruption and landslide).
So we continued heading back to the resort. When we arrived, a lot of people were freaking out that they were going to die. My dad just calmly observed the chaos and decided to wait a little while until all the drama died down. Eventually word got to us about the I-5 bridge over the Toutle River was closed. That’s when my dad made the decision that we were staying for a while longer.
So what did we do, we motored the boat over to a store on the lake where one could dock a boat, he went inside the store and bought a case of beer, and we motored the boat into the middle of the lake and watched the ash plume (obviously this is nothing I would recommend doing today – time were different then).
After a few hours, we eventually got word that the Toutle River bridge was open again, and that’s when we loaded the boat on the trailer and headed home.
We never got any ash on us. I think most of it ended up in eastern Washington. The sky got dark (because it blocked out the morning sun) and the coolest part was all the lightening in the ash cloud. We never heard the explosion from our location. I’m not sure if that was because the motor idling or not.
This experience is something that I’ll never forget. I feel very lucky to be in the right spot at the right time to actually witness history and see the actual initial explosion and landslide occur.
What were you doing that day?
Categories: Northwest History Tags: cacade mountains, cascades, cowlitz county, eruption, history, mt st helens, pacific northwest, silver lake, toutle river, volcano, washington, washington state history
Ellensburg to SR410 – 12 Nov 2007
A great trip report was posted on the forum by Moxta from Auburn, Washington. Their adventure started in Ellensburg and took them up and over Manastash ridge via the Barber Springs Rd and FS-1701 to the Little Naches area off SR-410. The trip included snow and will probably be one of the last wheeled vehicle trips in that area before the snow settles in for the winter.
Read the entire trip report at Ellensburg to 410.
Categories: Forum Discussions Tags: adventure, cascades, little naches, manastash, outdoors, washington
Little Tahoma (Mt Rainier, Washington)
Little Tahoma as viewed from Sunrise, Mt, Rainier National Park, Washington
Categories: Photos Tags: cascades, little tahoma, mountains, mt rainier, washington
Goat Island Mountain
Goat Island Mountain (Mt. Rainier) as viewed from Sunrise, Mt, Rainier National Park, Washington.
You can read about this trip at Sunrise at Mt. Rainier National Park, Washington.
Categories: Photos Tags: cascades, goat island mountain, mountains, mt rainier, washington
Mt. Rainier Fall Sunrise
Mt. Rainier captured during an early fall sunrise just after the first snow near Sunrise.
You can read about this trip at Sunrise at Mt. Rainier National Park, Washington.
Categories: Photos Tags: cascades, mountains, mt rainier, sunrise, washington
