Spring snowmelt poses hiking risks

Added hazards at damaged Rainier

By Chester Allen | • Published March 22, 2007

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Spring hiking always carries the danger of once-tranquil streams turning deadly with torrents of snowmelt.

Two hikers died Monday while trying to cross a makeshift log bridge over the runoff-swollen Ipsut Creek in Mount Rainier National Park.

Experts say hiking will remain hazardous through summer, as giant storms and floods that hammered the Cascade and Olympic mountain ranges last fall and winter washed out hundreds of trail bridges, felled thousands of trees and washed away huge sections of trails.

"We're urging people to be really flexible with their trip planning," said Barb Maynes, Olympic National Park spokeswoman. "If their favorite trail isn't accessible, we want them to choose somewhere else.

"If they get out there and a bridge is out, they should turn around and go someplace else."

The storms wreaked an estimated $36 million in damage to Mount Rainier National Park roads, campgrounds and trails. Much of the trail damage is still under snow, but officials estimate that many trails, such as the popular Wonderland Trail, lost most of their bridges and even sections of the trail.

The popular road from the Nisqually entrance to Paradise is scheduled to open May 1, said Lee Taylor, Mount Rainier National Park spokeswoman.

Lauren Braden, Washington Trails Association spokeswoman, said because most trails are under snow, it's hard to predict the damage.

"From what we've seen in the lowlands, there's a lot of damage," Braden said. "A lot of hikers will be in new territory when they set out for the first time on many trails."

Hikers should contact rangers before heading to the hills - and be prepared for surprises, Maynes said.

It's important to realize that spring travels up slopes. The snow might be gone at lower elevations, but there can be several feet of it melting higher up.

The popular Paradise area of Mount Rainier National Park doesn't lose its snow until June, so streams in the low country around there can suddenly rise even in late spring.

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