2016 PNW Field Trip Announcement

Dear 2016 PNW FOP participants,

Here we will provide the essential information for the field trip. Please send any questions you may have to pnwfop2016@gmail.com, and we’ll respond as soon as possible.

>>> Some meeting locations and times have changed! Revised morning meeting locations and times are listed below. See the supplemental guide for full itinerary, which you can download from our Dropbox folder here: http://bit.ly/2bapuIM

Costs and payment

Note: We have reached capacity for the field trip, and the sign-up period has now closed. There may be room for you to attend Friday or Sunday, but you will need to make your own camping arrangements. Saturday attendance has reached full capacity.

  • The per-person fee of $30 will cover the campsite and minor logistical costs.  All transportation, food, and Mount Rainier National Park entrance fees will be covered directly by the participants.
  • Pat Pringle has generously allowed us to use his guidebook for this trip:  Roadside Geology of Mt. Rainier National Park and Vicinity.  You can download the FREE digital version by visiting Pat’s website here:  http://www.centralia.edu/academics/earthscience/pringle/rainier_geology_guide_pat_pringle.htm 
    If you would like a hard copy of Pat’s guidebook, we will have extra copies for purchase during the field trip ($13 each).

Camping

  • Thursday night (8/18) and Friday night (8/19)
    • We have reserved 9 total campsites for the FOP group at the The Dalles Campground (8 persons per campsite).  
    • How to get there:  From Enumclaw, Washington, go southeast on Highway 410 towards Mt. Rainier park for approximately 26 miles to campground.  GPS Info. (Latitude, Longitude):  47.07833° N, 121.58306° W.   Google Map:  https://goo.gl/maps/iFcibXZMzYs   See appended map below.
    • Camp only in the following The Dalles Campground campsites: #’s 004, 005, 007, 009, 041, 042, 043, 044, 045
    • If you are planning to drive out to meet us Friday morning instead of Thursday, the first meeting location is in Enumclaw, WA, as described below.
  • Saturday night (8/20)
    • We have reserved 10 total campsites for the FOP group at the Big Creek Campground, Ashford, WA (9 six-person campsites & 1 twelve-person campsite).
    • How to get there:  From Ashford, WA, take Forest Road 52 approximately 5 miles to the campground.  GPS Info.  (Latitude, Longitude):  46.73528° N, 121.97028° W.  Google Map:  https://goo.gl/maps/ybPcrfzu8i32   See appended map below.
    • Camp only in the following Big Creek campsites: #’s 016, 018, 019, 020, 022, 023, 024, 025, 026, 027
  • We have now reached capacity at both campgrounds. This will require sharing of campsites, in classic FOP style.  If you prefer camping in greater solitude, there are good alternate campground options in each of the two areas.

Indoor Lodging

  • For Thursday and Friday nights, indoor lodging can be found nearby at Alta Crystal Resort (http://www.altacrystalresort.com), Crystal Mountain (http://www.crystalhotels.com/), and in the town of Enumclaw, WA (25 miles away from The Dalles Campground).
  • For Saturday night, lodging is available in Ashford, or in the nearby towns of Elbe or Packwood (8 miles and 25 miles from Big Creek Campground, respectively).

Field guide

Car pooling

  • Essential! All of the sites have limited parking, many have complicated access routes, and we need to do all we can to limit our physical and atmospheric impacts.  Please plan to hop in a car with others or take on passengers, or better yet, carpool from wherever you live. The success of the field trip depends on it!
  • Conveniently, our very first meeting spot on Friday morning is at the Safeway parking lot in Enumclaw.  We confirmed with staff that the Safeway parking lot is a safe place to park your vehicle for a few days.  Please park towards the highway (away from the store entrance).
  • There is a ride-share sign up page here:  http://www.fop.cascadiageo.org/?page_id=468.  Tell people if you have extra room or if you are looking for a ride to share.

RVs

  • RVs are NOT suitable for navigating the roads and bridges to some of the field stops.
  • Vehicles longer than 22 feet are NOT permitted at Big Creek Campground (Saturday night).  Your vehicle will get stuck in the turns.
  • If driving an RV, we request that you carpool with others once you arrive in Enumclaw.  The Safeway parking lot in Enumclaw is a safe place to park your vehicle for a few days.  Please park towards the highway (away from the store entrance) if you plan on leaving your vehicle there.

Dogs

  • Well behaved dogs are welcome as always, but there are potential complications.  Please note that we will be on National Park Service land.  NPS rules regarding dogs are, of course, rather strict.  Please check the Mount Rainier National Park rules on dog access to trails.
  • Dogs are allowed at both of the designated campgrounds.

Morning gathering locations for each day

  • Some of our meeting locations and times have changed!   If possible, we encourage you to join the group at the start of each morning.  This will be simple if you are camping with the group, and the information below will help you find the group at the start of each day if you are staying on your own.
    • Friday, August 19.  Meet in the Enumclaw Safeway parking lot at 8:45 am.  Address:  152 Roosevelt Ave E, Enumclaw, WA (at the junction of Hwy. 164 and Hwy. 410).  Please park near the north end of the lot (away from the store entrance).  Google Map:  https://goo.gl/maps/rXSAd4XaE672   See also the embedded map below.  This is very close to our first science stop of the day at the nearby gravel pit.  We will be introducing the trip and checking for the Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) required for the first stop.  See PPE details below.
    • Saturday, August 20 *revised*.  Meet at Sunrise Point, Mt. Rainier National Park at 9:00 am, at the hairpin pullout on the ridge-crest switchback leading up to Sunrise. Google Maps directions:  https://goo.gl/maps/TiegsmHkCeJ2. Give yourself 1 hour, 15 minutes driving time from The Dalles Campground to Sunrise Point. You will need to queue up to pay at the White River Ranger Station entrance.
    • Sunday, August 21 *revised*.  Meet at 9:00 am at the junction of Westside Road and Paradise Road (Hwy 706). Look for Stephen Newman and Amelia Oates in orange safety vests; we will direct you where to park. Google Maps directions:  https://goo.gl/maps/ULEP4TMGXuG2. Please note that you will need to queue up to pay at the Nisqually park entrance, so plan accordingly.

Personal Protective Equipment (PPE)

  • VERY IMPORTANT!  The first stop of the trip will be at an active gravel pit in Enumclaw.  This pit requires that all visitors wear the following Personal Protective Equipment while on site:
    • Hard Hat
    • Safety Glasses
    • Sturdy boots (hiking boots are fine; you don’t need steel toes).  Sandals and tennis shoes are not adequate.
    • High-Visibility Safety Vest
  • If you have your own PPE, please bring it.
  • If you (or your employer) can provide extra PPE (hard hats, safety glasses, high-visibility vests), please bring them and please email us at pnwfop2016@gmail.com to let us know. This is a good visibility opportunity for your company logo ;-)
  • If you do not have the required PPE, please let us know so we can keep a running tally of items needed.
  • Worst-case scenario – if some participants don’t have PPE and we can’t find enough extras, we will congregate back at the Safeway parking lot immediately after our (~1 hour) site visit to the gravel pit.

Maps

Friday morning meeting place: 8:45 am, Safeway parking lot, Enumclaw, WA

Address: 152 Roosevelt Ave. E., Enumclaw, WA 98022



Saturday morning meeting place: 9:00 am, Sunrise Point at hairpin turn leading up to Sunrise, Mt. Rainier National Park

Park in the gravel strip on the northeast corner of the parking lot


Sunday morning meeting place: 9:00 am, junction of Westside Road and Paradise Road (Hwy 706).

Look for trip leaders in orange safety vests to direct you where to park.


The Dalles Campground – Thursday night (8/18) and Friday night (8/19)

Camp only in the following campsites at The Dalles Campground: #’s 004, 005, 007, 009, 041, 042, 043, 044, 045


Big Creek Campground – Saturday night (8/20)

Camp only in the following Big Creek campsites: #’s 016, 018, 019, 020, 022, 023, 024, 025, 026, 027

Stephen Newman
Shannon & Wilson, Inc.