Changes at Mt Rainier -- road closed Tues, Weds

I was one of those unfortunate souls that were turned away at the Longmire gate today. They said it was because of avy danger. Even though I don't agree with that, I can live with the fact that their assessment is different than mine. But what chaps my hide, is the fact that at 7 am this morning, they twittered the following:

"Due to heavy snowfall overnight, the opening of the gate at Longmire will be delayed. All vehicles are required to carry tire chains. -tks"

The word "delayed" implies that the road would be open today. It wasn't until 10 am, and at the Nisqually gate, that they changed their mind to an all day closure. The twitter post, coupled with the Paradise parking lot cam showing the lot being plowed, convinced me to forgo the masses at Crystal and try for the Tatoosh. I guess I'll be joining the masses at Crystal next time.

I was one of those unfortunate souls that were turned away at the Longmire gate today. They said it was because of avy danger. Even though I don't agree with that, I can live with the fact that their assessment is different than mine. But what chaps my hide, is the fact that at 7 am this morning, they twittered the following:

"Due to heavy snowfall overnight, the opening of the gate at Longmire will be delayed. All vehicles are required to carry tire chains. -tks"

The word "delayed" implies that the road would be open today. It wasn't until 10 am, and at the Nisqually gate, that they changed their mind to an all day closure. The twitter post, coupled with the Paradise parking lot cam showing the lot being plowed, convinced me to forgo the masses at Crystal and try for the Tatoosh. I guess I'll be joining the masses at Crystal next time.

NPS mission accomplished !

free MRNP entrance weekend coming up.  heavy snow forecast.  bets?

So I only go up there about once every two years and have not noticed whether this is a new trend, or merely a consistently annoying bureaucratic "feature" that MRNP offers.

I have read some of this discussion and it suggests that this is not actually related to the sequester?

I have read some of this discussion and it suggests that this is not actually related to the sequester?

My experience is that the explanation/story/narrative provided by MORA management changes depending on the audience. Last fall some people were directly told the mid-week closures were due to budget issues while I personally talked to park staff who insisted it was a staffing issue.

When I directly inquired with the superintendent, he said it was a staffing issue that was caused by a budget issue. Something to the effect of, 'due to anticipated budget issues I decided to not fill positions, which resulted in a staffing shortage.' Clever.

These inconsistencies are the reason I've declined all their invitations to "come down and talk"; I want the conversation in a reproducible form.

2013 saw NPS scores drop sharply to the lowest in the ten years this survey of federal employees' job satisfaction has been published.  The National Park Service now ranks 200th overall among the 300 federal agencies surveyed.  All scores in 'Leadership' categories are in about the bottom sixth, and 'Work-Life Balance' is a stunning 293rd out of 300.

www.bestplacestowork.org/BPTW/rankings/detail/IN10

No doubt their plummeting scores on these surveys are because bad management often has no consequences in the NPS:

www.nationalparkstraveler.com/2013/03/ma...ence-boys-death22957