Forum Index > Trip Reports > Mt Crag Snotel site, ONF, 24 May 2020
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meck
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meck
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PostMon May 25, 2020 2:50 pm 
Mt Crag Snow Telemetry Site, ONF, 24 May 2020 Nothing beats a good late afternoon/evening slide alder brush-bash to go visit a site that you've been interested in for a while! I've heard the various snow-pack numbers on the evening weather reports, and became curious to see what a SNOTEL instrumentation site looked like. I decided to check the Mt Crag site since I was already familiar with the roads around it and thought I could make it there and back in an afternoon-evening. The site is at the end of an abandoned and "re-wilded" forest service road spur. While I understand the intent of "re-wilding" to limit further erosion, it sure does make hiking the old road later near impossible with the road bed intentionally torn up in places and the inevitable growth of slide alder in addition to the various pines, doug firs, hemlocks and sword ferns that also slowly grow (I think those last ones are intentionally planted... the slide alder I'm not sure of). If you don't enjoy getting whipped in the face by brush, contorting your body at odd angles while standing on loose soil trying to maneuver over branches with your pack, and getting your trekking poles caught at odd angles, this hike is probably not for you. I found mechanix gloves and a long sleeved shirt to be useful!
some parts of the spur road are easy to travel like this...
some parts of the spur road are easy to travel like this...
still manageable but getting denser...
still manageable but getting denser...
Indian Paintbrush
Indian Paintbrush
Looking back, this is the "nice slide alder"
Looking back, this is the "nice slide alder"
The old spur road is roughly 2.5 miles long with a few washouts that may make it challenging to traverse in the future. The slide alder is taking over in many places. I was lucky that it had not leafed out yet so I could still see what I was pushing through. The route to Mt Crag leaves this road roughly 2/5 of the way up it.
Mt Crag above in the distance
Mt Crag above in the distance
the meltwater & drainages from above are still supplying some small water sources along the road
the meltwater & drainages from above are still supplying some small water sources along the road
I don't care for this stuff... but at least it was ok to push through.
I don't care for this stuff... but at least it was ok to push through.
one of several slides along the road, this one is fairly easy to pass below
one of several slides along the road, this one is fairly easy to pass below
this stuff started getting bad and slowing me down a lot more.
this stuff started getting bad and slowing me down a lot more.
The upper reaches of the road had a little bit of lingering snow that held down the alder and made travel a little faster, though this stuff was also thicker so I found myself ducking and weaving more.
no snow anywhere else, but this lingering snow on the road bed did a nice job of pinning down the larger slide alder limbs
no snow anywhere else, but this lingering snow on the road bed did a nice job of pinning down the larger slide alder limbs
The final turn of the old road is a nice wide gravel patch with sub-alpine vegetation growing all around (grasses, some rhodies, hardier evergreens). Aside from the road bed, I saw no other snow. The snotel site is tucked in the woods near a seasonal pond/wetland that seemed pretty full at this point. The site is in a bit of a bowl, and aside from here and the upper road bed, I had not seen any other snow at all. I steered clear of the sensors since I did not know how they measured snow depth & water amounts. Apparently, a snow pillow is used to weigh the snow to get its water equivalent, and there is another instrument that automatically measures the snow depth (I'd assume some sort of reflected light or radio, maybe sonic? aimed downward). I don't know why the precip gage has the ring of dangly metal bits... maybe someone else can explain.
last clear gravel patch of the road before diving into more "mature" (read as "frustrating") slide alder patch before the site.
last clear gravel patch of the road before diving into more "mature" (read as "frustrating") slide alder patch before the site.
the snow depth gage
the snow depth gage
radio shelter
radio shelter
the precip gage structure
the precip gage structure
the nearby seasonal pond/wetland
the nearby seasonal pond/wetland
I had a snack from the viewpoint on the upper end of the old road and then headed back down, making to my vehicle just about 2120 in the evening before quite needing a headlamp. A fine and relaxing evening in the Olys! (aside from the slide alder face whippings!)
bootshot from my snack location along the road
bootshot from my snack location along the road
Another slide along the road, deer tracks around this indicated how they traversed it
Another slide along the road, deer tracks around this indicated how they traversed it
Quilcene range/ridge in the distance
Quilcene range/ridge in the distance
the Notch Pass trail passes through the low spot in the ridge
the Notch Pass trail passes through the low spot in the ridge

*Just say NO to Rent-Seeking, don't give up the concept of "ownership"*
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Brushbuffalo
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Location: there earlier, here now, somewhere later... Bellingham in between
Brushbuffalo
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PostMon May 25, 2020 3:22 pm 
meck wrote:
I don't know why the precip gage has the ring of dangly metal bits... maybe someone else can explain.
The 'dangly bits' are positioned to offset wind deflection to allow precipitation to fall more or less vertically into the collecting receptical in order to get an accurate measurement.....at least as accurate as possible. I never have learned if they are actually effective, but better than nothing, I suppose, in windy mountain environments.

Passing rocks and trees like they were standing still
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cascadetraverser
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PostMon May 25, 2020 3:58 pm 
Pretty cool. Thanks for posting that! I always wanted to know too. Now I do!

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RodF
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PostTue May 26, 2020 6:19 am 
What a perfect "social distancing" hiking destination! up.gif By the way, the "Wild Olympics" bill would place Mt. Crag (and Upper Dungeness) SNOTELs within Buckhorn Wilderness additions. Unlike prior wilderness bills, it thoughtlessly includes no provision "grandfathering" them in. Each year, three 55-gallon barrels of propylene glycol antifreeze needs to be replaced in their precipitation gauges to keep them functional. And batteries for their sensors and telemetry radio. At Mt. Crag, this is done by helicopter, and at Upper Dungeness, by Polaris ATV. Every decade or two, the SWE pillow and its 800 gallons also have to be replaced. Use of motorized transport and permanent structures are not allowed within wilderness. Maintenance of these SNOTELs will be illegal, unless the "Wild Olympics" bill is amended or a full Environmental Assessment (EA) is done. Those who care about the valuable information these SNOTELs provide, including the ability to forecast river flows for salmon and for the cities of Port Townsend and Sequim, should be aware the "Wild Olympics" bill may render them inoperable. It may also may affect the new Mt. Tebo SNOTEL, sited in the watershed of the Skokomish River, the most perennially flood-prone on the Olympic peninsula (but alas also in the edge of the proposed Wonder Mountain Wilderness addition). Yes, I wrote to the bill's sponsor, Rep. Derek Kilmer, a year ago, but got no response. So perhaps the bill is dead? If not, it's a serious oversight in the bill.

"of all the paths you take in life, make sure a few of them are dirt" - John Muir "the wild is not the opposite of cultivated. It is the opposite of the captivated” - Vandana Shiva
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meck
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meck
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PostSat May 30, 2020 10:00 am 
Thanks for reading this! BB: that makes some more sense but I thought it was kind of odd that the ring and the dangly parts were at the level of the top of the hollow post, rather than slightly above it, but maybe it enough to mess with the airflow like you suggest to prevent snow buildup. RodF: hmmm I agree that it would be pretty stupid to not grandfather these instruments in (especially since the Buckinghorse SNOTEL site is smack dab in the middle of ONP). Thank you for linking the text, it was interesting to peruse through the bill. It looks like nothing has been done on this since Feb.

*Just say NO to Rent-Seeking, don't give up the concept of "ownership"*
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