Now that I have returned to the material comforts of my home, I find myself craving all those things that I left on the omnipotent Mt. Rainier. Yes, the walk to go #2 in the actual toilets was way too long, my enormous fear of bees kept me on my toes, and cleaning the sump screen was positively disgusting, yet I have an indescribable desire in my stomach to be sitting in Longmire watching Mt. Rainier go in and out of the clouds. My temporary remedy?

SCA member Susan Newman had this conversation with Stacey Long, a Starbucks employee who helped to plan a recent staff volunteer day with SCA at Mount Rainier. Starbucks is one of several corporate citizens that have contributed time, engergy, and resources toward the Mount Rainier Recovery Initiative.
August 12, 2007

SN: Would you like to share a little information on your organization?

SL: I'm one of four leads for the Starbucks Hiking and Mountaineering Club, and I off-handedly, several months ago said, "You know what? We really need to go do something at Mount Rainier." Leslie took it and ran with it, found [SCA], and the next thing you know we're planning this thing! The cool thing about it is, we're doing this as a part of Starbucks' Make Your Mark program. Starbucks is paying ten dollars per hour per person for all Starbucks people and our friends who are working here this weekend.

August 5, 2007

The first Rainier SCA alumni event took place without much fanfare but with much enthusiasm and hard work. Pictured here are Volunteer Carolyn McAlpin, Project Leader Sam Commarto, Program Director Jill Baum, and Corps Member Alex Penny -- all past alumni and current Mount Rainier Recovery participants! Work involved constructing a new Wonderland Trail reroute in Stevens Canyon. Project members cleared a new section of trail corridor, pulled out stumps, dug and graded tread and hauled fill. This work will continue for much of the rest of the season -- look for the pink flagging and come join us!

July 16, 2007
Jean Millan, volunteer

I have been visiting Mount Rainier since I moved to Washington in 1983 and have spent many enjoyable days hiking the wonderful trails throughout the park. I consider Mount Rainier like a second home. Then the floods came and the winds blew. My favorite tent camping site at Sunshine Point was gone! Immediately I decided that it was time for me to give back some of myself to the park which has given me so very much joy, peace, and serenity over the years. I have put in eight volunteer days so far and plan to keep adding to that number throughout the summer.

There are many things that need to be done, and I have learned some new skills too. I quickly discovered a very pleasant side benefit to helping repair and re-route the trails I so often hiked—I get to work with an absolutely wonderful group of young people from the SCA! They make the day's work seem to fly, even though I am almost 60 years old and had never done most of the types of trail work before. Payback time is so rewarding to me in so many ways!

July 13, 2007
Susan Newman, Mount Rainier Recovery Intern

This past week, we embarked on our first multi-day, backcountry trail work project. For five straight days last week there was a group of four corps members and one volunteer fixing up the Huckleberry Creek Trail in the northeast corner of the park, returning after work each evening to their cozy base camp 2 miles away from any trailhead. Program Director Jill Baum and I went out to help them for a day and a half. It was my first experience backcountry camping.

July 8, 2007

Mount Rainier Recovery Corps members recently completed the first of many 5-day, backcountry trail restoration projects planned this season. Living and working deep in the forest along the Huckleberry Creek Trail in the northeast corner of the park, the crew focused on bridge construction to allow passage over mud and water on the trail.

You can join a multi-day wilderness volunteer vacation at Mount Rainier National Park too! Look for the events highlighted in green on our volunteer event calendar.

More on this crew's story coming soon!