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6/3/2015

Update - IMG Sherpa Fund Open House

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To all those who showed up last night for the Open House,
THANK YOU for pitching in and donating to the International Mountain Guides Sherpa Fund.
We raised enough to help 4 families in the town of Phortse repair and rebuild their homes.

If you would still like to support this effort you can send donations to:
International Mountain Guides
Attn: IMG Sherpa Fund
PO BOX 246
Ashford, WA 98304
Make checks payable to IMG and put "Sherpa Fund" on the Memo Line.

Thanks Again!
Adam

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5/14/2015

IMG Sherpa Fund - Open House

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A Benefit for the Sherpas of International Mountain Guides Who Lost Their Homes During the Recent Earthquakes.
Tuesday June 2nd, 2015 at 6:00 PM at the Kalākora Gallery.
Discussion with Eric Simonson, Adam Angel and Steve Caskey at 7:00.

How can you help in Nepal? Many of the sherpa families that we work with need help rebuilding their homes in the Khumbu. Over the years they have provided immeasurable support and friendship to us. In their time of need our friendship and financial support means more than ever. International Mountain Guides has set up the "IMG Sherpa Fund." We will collect donations during the open house or you can send funds directly to the address below.

~Adam Angel

This is charity work on small scale, local and accountable. If you would like to assist, please send a check made payable to IMG and include a note on the memo line indicating that it is for the IMG Sherpa Fund.

We will bundle 100% of the funds we receive, and send them all to Ang Jangbu to distribute to these families.

International Mountain Guides
Attn: IMG Sherpa Fund
PO BOX 246
Ashford, WA 98304

~Eric Simonson

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10/11/2014

Wallace Stegner's "Wilderness Letter" - Prophetic, and after all these years more important than ever.

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The following is the full text of Wallace Stegner's "Wilderness Letter." So many times in my adult life I have revisited this letter, and been in awe of its clarity and depth. Worth an un-hurried and deliberate read!

Los Altos, Calif.
 
December 3, 1960
 
David E. Pesonen
Wildland Research Center
Agricultural Experiment Station
243 Mulford Hall
University of California
Berkeley 4, Calif.
 
Dear Mr. Pesonen:
 
I believe that you are working on the wilderness portion of the Outdoor Recreation Resources Review Commission's report. If I may, I should like to urge some arguments for wilderness preservation that involve recreation, as it is ordinarily conceived, hardly at all. Hunting, fishing, hiking, mountain-climbing, camping, photography, and the enjoyment of natural scenery will all, surely, figure in your report. So will the wilderness as a genetic reserve, a scientific yardstick by which we may measure the world in its natural balance against the world in its man-made imbalance. What I want to speak for is not so much the wilderness uses, valuable as those are, but the wilderness idea, which is a resource in itself. Being an intangible and spiritual resource, it will seem mystical to the practical minded--but then anything that cannot be moved by a  bulldozer is likely to seem mystical to them. I want to speak for the wilderness idea as something that has helped form our character and that has certainly shaped our history as a people. It has no more to do with recreation than churches have to do with recreation, or than the strenuousness and optimism and expansiveness of what the historians call the "American Dream" have to do with recreation. Nevertheless, since it is only in this recreation survey that the values of wilderness are being compiled, I hope you will permit me to insert this idea between the leaves, as it were, of the recreation report. Something will have gone out of us as a people if we ever let the remaining wilderness be destroyed; if we permit the last  virgin forests to be turned into comic books and plastic cigarette cases; If we drive the few remaining members of the wild species into zoos or to extinction; if we pollute the last clear air and dirty the last clean streams and push our paved roads through the last of the silence, so that never again will Americans be free in their own country from the noise, the exhausts, the stinks of human and automotive waste. And so that never again can we have the chance to see ourselves single, separate, vertical and individual in the world, part of the environment of trees and rocks and soil, brother to the other animals, part of the natural world and competent to belong in it. Without any remaining wilderness we are committed wholly, without chance for even momentary reflection and rest, to a headlong drive into our technological termite-life, the Brave New World of a completely man-controlled environment. We need wilderness preserved--as much of it as is still left, and as many kinds--because it was the challenge against which our character as a people was formed. The reminder and the reassurance that it is still there is good for our spiritual health even if we never once in ten years set foot in it. It is good for us when we are young, because of the incomparable sanity it can bring briefly, as vacation and rest, into our insane lives. It is important to us when we are old simply because it is there--important, that is, simply as an idea.
 
We are a wild species, as Darwin pointed out. Nobody ever tamed or domesticated or scientifically bred us. But for at least three millennia we have been engaged in a cumulative and ambitious race to modify and gain control of our environment, and in the process we have come close to domesticating ourselves. Not many people are likely, any more, to look upon what we call "progress" as an unmixed blessing. Just as surely as it has brought us increased comfort and more material goods, it has brought us spiritual losses, and it threatens now to become the Frankenstein that will destroy us. One means of sanity is to retain a hold on the natural world, to remain, insofar as we can, good animals. Americans still have that chance, more than many peoples; for while we were demonstrating ourselves the  most efficient and ruthless environment-busters in history, and slashing and burning and cutting our way through a  wilderness continent, the wilderness was working on us. It remains in us as surely as Indian names remain on the land.  If the abstract dream of human liberty and human dignity became, in America, something more than an abstract dream, mark it down at least partially to the fact that we were in subdued ways subdued by what we conquered. The Connecticut Yankee, sending likely candidates from King Arthur's unjust kingdom to his Man Factory for rehabilitation,was over optimistic, as he later admitted. These things cannot be forced, they have to grow. To make such a man, such a democrat, such a believer in human individual dignity, as Mark Twain himself, the frontier was necessary,  Hannibal and the Mississippi and Virginia City, and reaching out from those the wilderness; the wilderness as opportunity and idea, the thing that has helped to make an American different from and, until we forget it in the roar of our industrial cities, more fortunate than other men. For an American, insofar as he is new and different at all, is a civilized man who has renewed himself in the wild. The American experience has been the confrontation by old peoples and cultures of a world as new as if it had just risen from the sea. That gave us our hope and our excitement, and the hope and excitement can be passed on to newer Americans, Americans who never saw any phase of the frontier. But only so long as we keep the remainder of our wild as a reserve and a promise--a sort of wilderness bank. As a novelist, I may perhaps be forgiven for  taking literature as a reflection, indirect but profoundly true, of our national consciousness. And our literature, as perhaps you are aware, is sick, embittered, losing its mind, losing its faith. Our novelists are the declared enemies of their society. There has hardly been a serious or important novel in this century that did not repudiate in part or in whole American technological culture for its commercialism, its vulgarity, and the way in which it has dirtied a clean continent and a clean dream. I do not expect that the preservation of our remaining wilderness is going to cure this condition. But the mere example that we can as a nation apply some other criteria than commercial and exploitative considerations would be heartening to many Americans, novelists or otherwise. We need to demonstrate our acceptance of the natural world, including ourselves; we need the spiritual refreshment that being natural can produce. And one of the best places for us to get that is in the wilderness where the fun houses, the bulldozers, and the pavement of our civilization are shut out.
 
Sherwood Anderson, in a letter to Waldo Frank in the 1920s, said it better than I can. "Is it not likely that when the country was new and men were often alone in the fields and the forest they got a sense of bigness outside themselves that has now in some way been lost.... Mystery whispered in the grass, played in the branches of trees overhead, was caught up and blown across the American line in clouds of dust at evening on the prairies.... I am old enough to remember tales that strengthen my belief in a deep semi-religious influence that was formerly at work among our people. The flavor of it hangs over the best work of Mark Twain.... I can remember old fellows in my home town speaking feelingly of an evening spent on the big empty plains. It had taken the shrillness out of them. They had learned the trick of quiet...."
 
We could learn it too, even yet; even our children and grandchildren could learn it. But only if we save, for just such absolutely non-recreational, impractical, and mystical uses as this, all the wild that still remains to us. It seems to me significant that the distinct downturn in our literature from hope to bitterness took place almost at the precise time when the frontier officially came to an end, in 1890, and when the American way of life had begun to turn strongly urban and industrial. The more urban it has become, and the more frantic with technological change, the sicker and more embittered our literature, and I believe our people, have become. For myself, I grew up on the empty plains of Saskatchewan and Montana and in the mountains of Utah, and I put a very high valuation on what those places gave me. And if I had not been able to periodically to renew myself in the mountains and deserts of western America I would be very nearly bughouse. Even when I can't get to the back country, the thought of the colored deserts of southern Utah, or the reassurance that there are still stretches of prairies where the world can be instantaneously perceived as disk and bowl, and where the little but intensely important human being is exposed to the five directions of the thirty-six winds, is a positive consolation. The idea alone can sustain me. But as the wilderness areas  are progressively exploited or "improve", as the jeeps and bulldozers of uranium prospectors scar up the deserts and the roads are cut into the alpine timberlands, and as the remnants of the unspoiled and natural world are progressively eroded, every such loss is a little death in me. In us.
 
I am not moved by the argument that those wilderness areas which have already been exposed to grazing or mining  are already deflowered, and so might as well be "harvested".  For mining I cannot say much good except that its operations are generally short-lived. The extractable wealth is taken and the shafts, the tailings, and the ruins left, and in a dry country such as the American West the wounds men make in the earth do not quickly heal. Still, they are only  wounds; they aren't absolutely mortal. Better a wounded wilderness than none at all. And as for grazing, if it is strictly  controlled so that it does not destroy the ground cover, damage the ecology, or compete with the wildlife it is in itself nothing that need conflict with the wilderness feeling or the validity of the wilderness experience. I have known enough range cattle to recognize them as wild animals; and the people who herd them have, in the wilderness context, the dignity of rareness; they belong on the frontier, moreover, and have a look of rightness. The invasion they  make on the virgin country is a sort of invasion that is as old as Neolithic man, and they can, in moderation, even emphasize a man's feeling of belonging to the natural world. Under surveillance, they can belong; under control, they need not deface or mar. I do not believe that in wilderness areas where grazing has never been permitted, it should be permitted; but I do not believe either that an otherwise untouched wilderness should be eliminated from the preservation plan because of limited existing uses such as grazing which are in consonance with the frontier condition and image.
 
Let me say something on the subject of the kinds of wilderness worth preserving. Most of those areas contemplated are in the national forests and in high mountain country. For all the usual recreational purposes, the alpine and the forest wildernesses are obviously the most important, both as genetic banks and as beauty spots. But for the spiritual renewal, the recognition of identity, the birth of awe, other kinds will serve every bit as well. Perhaps, because they are less friendly to life, more abstractly nonhuman, they will serve even better. On our Saskatchewan prairie, the nearest neighbor was four miles away, and at night we saw only two lights on all the dark  rounding earth. The earth was full of animals--field mice, ground squirrels, weasels, ferrets, badgers, coyotes, burrowing owls, snakes. I knew them as my little brothers,  as fellow creatures, and I have never been able to look upon animals in any other way since. The sky in that country came clear down to the ground on every side, and it was full of great weathers, and clouds, and winds, and hawks. I hope I learned something from looking a long way, from looking up, from being much alone. A prairie like that, one big  enough to carry the eye clear to the sinking, rounding horizon, can be as lonely and grand and simple in its forms as the sea. It is as good a place as any for the wilderness experience to happen; the vanishing prairie is as worth preserving for the wilderness idea as the alpine forest. So are great reaches of our western deserts, scarred somewhat by prospectors but otherwise open, beautiful, waiting, close to whatever God you want to see in them. Just as a sample, let me suggest the Robbers' Roost country in Wayne County, Utah, near the Capitol Reef National Monument. In that desert climate the dozer and jeep tracks will not soon melt back into the earth, but the country has a way of making the scars insignificant. It is a lovely and terrible wilderness, such as wilderness as Christ and the prophets went out into; harshly and beautifully colored, broken and worn until its bones are exposed, its great sky without a smudge of taint from Technocracy, and in hidden corners and pockets under its cliffs the sudden poetry of springs. Save a piece of country like that intact, and it does not matter in the slightest that only a few people every year will go into it. That is precisely its value. Roads would be a desecration, crowds would ruin it. But those who haven't the strength or youth to go into it and live can simply sit and  look. They can look two hundred miles, clear into Colorado: and looking down over the cliffs and canyons of the San  Rafael Swell and the Robbers' Roost they can also look as deeply into themselves as anywhere I know. And if they can't even get to the places on the Aquarius Plateau where the present roads will carry them, they can simply contemplate the idea, take pleasure in the fact that such a timeless and uncontrolled part of earth is still there.
 
These are some of the things wilderness can do for us. That is the reason we need to put into effect, for its preservation,  some other principle that the principles of exploitation or "usefulness" or even recreation. We simply need that wild  country available to us, even if we never do more than drive to its edge and look in. For it can be a means of reassuring ourselves of our sanity as creatures, a part of the geography of hope.
 
Very sincerely yours,
 
Wallace Stegner

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9/13/2014

A flourish of inspiration.

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©Adam Angel. Rainier Night Sky
©Adam Angel. Rainier Night Sky
With an opportunity to see the Aurora Borealis from Mount Rainier I headed to one of my favorite locations for a nighttime shoot. I knew that the moon was going to be bright, but hey, you've got to show up, right? We didn't get to see the Aurora, but we did have a splendid evening at one of the most beautiful places on the planet. I bumped into Ben Canales, a photographer and filmmaker who specializes in night photography. Great Evening! Ben's Website is www.TheStarTrail.com. Check it out!

The crowds have diminished in the mountains and now is one of the best times of year to experience the great wilderness that surrounds us. Check out the brand-new experimental collection from the lowland forest on Mount Rainier titled FLOURISH.
©Adam Angel. Flourish #7.
©Adam Angel. Flourish #7.

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8/19/2014

Eat Your Vegetables and Collect Art

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For those who don’t collect art, collecting seems very obscure and out of reach. Like my daughter who won’t taste her perfectly prepared summer squash, art collecting is something that you have to try before you realize how much it enriches your life. And it doesn’t stop there. Appreciation evolves and deepens over time. When you take that first taste you begin a life long process that defines your perceptions, opinions, and moods. Sure, a picture can be just furniture for your walls, but you don’t want to sit in an uncomfortable chair, do you?

When someone walks into my house or office, they immediately form a perception of who I am. There is no doubt that I am well traveled, adventurous, interested in broadening my mind, and free. My collection reflects this in a way that only it can. My collection is bigger than me, yet is me. Your collection is bigger than you, and it is an intimate reflection of you and your deep and interesting life. All of our lives are one-of-kind, and worthy of sharing. Are your walls blank?

I want my child to be surrounded by beauty. You are what you eat. I want her to think creatively, hell I want everyone who enters my life to think creatively! Family, community, co-workers, and clients will benefit from experiencing your collection. When they are inspired, society benefits.

So where do you begin? At the beginning of course. Find the first piece that you simply must have and acquire it. Don’t judge yourself for the decision you make or the price you pay (high OR low) as you might surprise yourself. Go with the flow and let it take you. Now you are rolling.
-Adam

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8/18/2014

The Ultimate Metaphor

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I often say that the ultimate metaphor for life is climbing a mountain. Do I have this completely backwards? Maybe there is no adequate metaphor for life other than itself. If you can push your goals to the limits of your resources and ambition, life's long long lessons will more than adequately prepare you for any challenge you will find on the side of a mountain. Having just finished a project that took 10 hard years to finish, I look at the ongoing projects within which I am still engulfed with no end in sight until surely my hair is gray. Climbs last a few days, a few weeks, even months. How can a mountain possibly be a large enough measuring stick with which to measure the realities of life?
~Adam
Peter Brosseau

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6/27/2014

Sunrise Road Opens

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-Authored by the NPS-

The Sunrise area, in the northeast corner of Mount Rainier National Park is now open full time for the 2014 summer season. The Sunrise Day Lodge will begin its summer operation starting tomorrow, June 28. Operated by Rainier Guest Services, the day lodge provides a snack bar and gift shop for visitors. The Sunrise Visitor Center is scheduled to open full time on July 3. Sunrise, at an elevation of 6,400’, is the highest point on Mount Rainier accessible by automobile. Snow does remain on the ground, but has been melting rapidly.

The White River Campground, also in the park’s northeast section, opened today for summer camping. All campsites are filled on a first-come, first-served basis at White River.

Also opening today is the Paradise Valley Road.

-NPS-

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6/5/2014

Mike Hamill's 16th Denali Expedition.

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Denali Summit Ridge
Mike leaves for his 16th Denali expedition this Sunday and we are really excited to release another print from the archives.

This image was captured just after summiting for the 8th time. Mike was part of a small, self-sufficient expedition that was 100% successful that year. The weather was beautiful throughout the climb which is rare for this mighty peak. Mt. Foraker looms in the distance above a sea of clouds. The precipitous summit ridge of Denali is the culmination of weeks or difficult climbing in one of the coldest, most brutal environments on Earth. This year Mike is going for his 13th summit!

This print is available with an image size of 12x24 on 100% Cold Press Cotton Paper.
More Details...

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5/15/2014

Sunset Amphitheater, Full Moon Rise at Sunset, enough said....

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Picture(Matting/framing not available)
New for the summer of 2014.
Up until now all framed prints in the gallery have been Artist Proofs. When you made a purchase, your print was then made, matted, and framed for you, taking up to 6 weeks. This will remain the same for our regular Open and Limited Edition Prints. However, beginning today, we will gradually introduce smaller, un-matted and un-framed prints for an attractive price. These smaller ready-to-go prints are made to the same exacting specifications as larger prints and use the same high quality materials.


The first print available is a panoramic image of Mount Rainier's Sunset Amphitheater. The image captures the full moonrise at sunset. The image is approximately 5 x 24 on 10 x 30 Luster Paper and includes an archival thin profile foam core backing.

Sunset Amphitheater, Full Moon Rise at Sunset, enough said....

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5/14/2014

Friends in Tingue, Upper Dolpo, Nepal.

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Continuing to add images to the Dolpo Page, and producing Artist's Proofs for the gallery. Remember, even if we don't have what you want hanging on the wall, we have a print archive upstairs. Let us know ahead of time what you are looking for so we can have the prints ready to view.
Friends in Tingue, Upper Dolpo, Nepal.

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5/6/2014

Upcoming Events and Open House.

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Sunday was our last day of regular season skiing, and Spring is in full bloom here at the gallery. Next Wednesday, May 14 at 7:00 PM, Steve Caskey will present "Trekking with the Snow Leopard" at the Roxy Theater in Historic Downtown Morton. His presentation is an hour long account of our journey through Dolpo Nepal last fall. I can't wait to see it! The event is free to the public. The Kalākora Gallery will be open after the presentation, and you can join Steve and I for the after-party. We hope to see you there.
Steve Caskey will share an evening of images and stories from his three-week journey through the Dolpo region of Nepal. His trek took him close to the Tibetan border, across the Himalayan crest to the Tibetan plateau. The trek involved the physical and mental challenges associated with hiking across nine passes over 15,000 feet elevation and two over 18,000 feet. In addition to the breathtaking scenery, Steve will share his insights into the Tibetan culture through the people he encountered.  Caskey’s talk, “Trekking with the Snow Leopard”, speaks of his initial interest in this journey which was sparked by reading The Snow Leopard by Peter Matthiessen. The book describes an unforgettable spiritual journey through the Himalayas. Now 21 years after reading the book, Caskey shares his own journey. Donations will be accepted for the CCEast Scholarship Awards and Fire Mountain Arts Council.

On Saturday, June 21, Eric Taylor will perform at our sister creative venue, the "Mineral School." Eric performed at our studio opening a decade ago and performed last year at the gallery's grand opening. We are glad to see him back in the area! You can find more information about tickets, free camping, and other good stuff by clicking here.
The Mineral School is transforming a beautiful 1947 elementary school in a small town near Mt. Rainier into a multi-disciplinary artists residency and event space. Mineral, Washington, is a bucolic lake town known for trout fishing and a rich history of logging and mining, yet less than two hours from Seattle and Portland and just a few minutes from Mt. Rainier National Park.

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4/9/2014

LONGMIRE/PARADISE GATE OPENING FULL TIME

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-Authored by the NPS-

Visitors to Mount Rainier National Park are advised that effective Thursday, April 10, the gate between Longmire and Paradise will remain open 24 hours. Some overnight closures may still occur during inclement weather periods. All vehicles entering the park are required to carry tire chains in their vehicle through May 1. Road and weather conditions can deteriorate quickly during Spring storms and traction tires may be advised or chains may be required at any time. Please obey the posted traction requirements to avoid accidents.

The Paradise snow play area and guided snow shoe walks have ended for the season.

Road rehabilitation work is currently underway between the Nisqually Entrance and Longmire. Visitors can expect to encounter large equipment, truck hauling and rough road conditions, with delays up to 30 minutes. Drive with caution.

The Henry M. Jackson Memorial Visitor Center is open weekends only, 10 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. The Paradise Camp Deli, located within the visitor center, is open from 11:00 a.m. to 4:45 p.m.

The historic Paradise Inn is scheduled to open for the 2014 season on Wednesday, May 21. Reservations for Paradise Inn and the National Park Inn at Longmire can be made by phone – 360-569-2275, or online at www.mtrainierguestservices.com. The National Park Inn at Longmire is open daily and Spring is a great time to enjoy the peace and tranquility of the mountain during an overnight stay. The National Park Inn will be offering an Easter Brunch to the public on Sunday, April 20. For reservations, call 360-569-2411.

-Authored by the NPS-

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3/4/2014

Weekend hours to be extended on Longmire-Paradise Road

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-Authored by the NPS-
Park Superintendent Randy King advises that the park will be extending the evening weekend hours on the Longmire to Paradise road beginning Saturday, March 8. Those hours will be:                  
6:00 p.m.   Uphill gate closes
7:00 p.m.   Downhill gate closes, road closed

Weekdays, Monday-Friday hours will remain the same as present through March:
4:00 p.m.   Uphill gate closes
5:00 p.m.   Downhill gate closes, road closed

Opening of the gate at Longmire in the morning will remain at 9:00 a.m. Actual open and close times will be dependent on current conditions (weather, avalanche conditions, safety factors, staffing).

Visitors are reminded that the road between the Nisqually Entrance and Longmire is open year round, unless closed by extreme conditions.

All vehicles are required to carry tire chains when driving in the park from November 1 through May 1. Traction tires or chains may be required on any type of vehicle, at any time.

-NPS-

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2/18/2014

Nisqually to Paradise Road Rehabilitation to Begin March 3

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-Authored by the NPS, Ashford, WA-

Rehabilitation of 17.6 miles of road between the Nisqually Entrance and the developed area at Paradise in Mount Rainier National Park is scheduled to begin on Monday, March 3, 2014. Visitors traveling to the park via SR706 and the Nisqually Entrance, Monday-Friday, should allow an extra hour round-trip, due to construction delays into early fall. Please drive cautiously in the construction corridor.

The weather window for working on park roads is very narrow, limiting work to the milder weather months to avoid extreme weather conditions, such as excessive snow and freezing temperatures. While the construction and associated traffic delays present an inconvenience, the rehabilitation work will ensure the longevity of the only road accessing Paradise year-round.

The Nisqually to Paradise Road Rehabilitation Project will be completed in two phases, each taking up to two years. Phase 1 includes the installation of in-road buried conduits and junction vaults, as well as improvements to the road's substructure and drainage between the Nisqually Entrance and Longmire. This year's work will also include paving and substructure work on Ricksecker Point Loop Road and Paradise Valley Road. Phase 2 should begin in 2016 at Longmire and end at Paradise in 2017.

The project is needed to address deteriorating road conditions that are due to many factors including abundant precipitation, structural and design deficiencies, large traffic volumes, and normal wear. The road work is designed to protect adjacent natural and cultural resources, will replace culverts to improve aquatic conditions and will preserve the character of the National Historic Landmark District.

Information on this project, as well as general park information, will be available on Mount Rainier National Park’s website: http://www.nps.gov/mora/index.htm

-NPS-

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2/18/2014

Still Adding Photos to the Dolpo Trip Report!

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Another photo for the 2013 Dolpo Trip Report. During the evening kora around one of the largest ancient stupas in the world (Boudhanath in Kathmandu), monks, nuns, pilgrims, Tibetan refugees, locals, and visitors circumambulate this ancient spiritual and cultural anchor in a timeless act of conciousness.
Check back periodically to see what's new!
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Boudhanath

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2/13/2014

Time to start thinking about Dolpo.

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Last fall I had the privilege of scoping out a new area in Nepal for IMG. We had a small well selected group, and an ambitious plan. Dolpo is a PHENOMENAL place to take pictures, and a true journey. IMG has announced another Dolpo Trek for 2014. You can check out my 2013 trip report here at Kalakora.com, and sign up at MountainGuides.com. Make this the year!
"You won't see the highest peaks in the world, or dangle from your fingertips, but you will have one of the most genuine experiences I can imagine. Lush valleys and wild rivers mark the first part of our journey and are culturally Nepalese. When we cross our first of nine passes, we enter another region altogether, geographically, geologically, and culturally Tibetan. Over the course of the trip we will bob back and forth between these two worlds, meeting new people, taking in some of the most beautiful scenery you will ever lay eyes on, and settling into a new reality for 25 days."
~Adam

Trekking into Tsharka Bot
Trekking into Tsharka Bot.

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11/13/2013

Collecting Photography Primer ( Reminder ! )

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November 14th.  6 PM
An evening discussion about collecting photography. We'll discuss how the images in the gallery are made, printed, displayed, archived, and all the things to look for when collecting photography. It is very informative, and yes, there will be wine...
~Adam

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11/9/2013

MOUNT RAINIER WINTER ACCESS SCHEDULE 2013-14 (NPS)

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- Authored by the NPS-
With snow beginning to accumulate and winter recreation demand starting to increase, Mount Rainier National Park staff are preparing for winter operations and visitors. Superintendent Randy King notes that “Mount Rainier provides outstanding winter recreation opportunities and has been doing so for over 100 years. It’s a wonderful time to visit the park and area, provided visitors come well-prepared for the snow and road conditions. Safe backcountry travel in winter requires an especially high level of preparation, caution, and knowledge.”

The park will transition to winter hours of operation and service on Tuesday, November 12. As in past years, the road gate immediately above Longmire is closed nightly to ensure visitor safety and the safety of park staff, including rangers and the road crew. Rangers and snow plow operators evaluate road, weather, avalanche and staffing conditions every morning in making a decision on whether it is safe to open the Paradise road above Longmire. All times stated in this release are subject to change based on weather and road conditions. Visitors planning a trip to Paradise should check for current road status and weather on the park’s website or Twitter feed.

“Due to the reduced and uncertain budget picture, we are strategically deploying available park staff and resources to provide as much access as possible”, said King. Between November 12 and December 21, the gate at Longmire will open Thursdays through Mondays, at 9:00 a.m. The road will close nightly at 5:00 p.m., with the uphill gate closing at 4:00 p.m. to allow time for visitors and staff to exit safely. The gate will not open on Tuesdays and Wednesdays during this period.

Between December 21 and the end of March, the goal will be to provide seven day a week access to Paradise. The target open hours for the road above Longmire during this period will continue as 9:00 a.m.-5:00 p.m., with the uphill gate closing at 4:00 p.m. Maintaining fixed hours through the winter use season is intended to maximize public access to Paradise, while managing costs for snow plows and ranger staffs. To sustain seven day a week access to Paradise it will be important for visitors to heed gate closure times. Each instance of overtime required for handling after-closure issues will impact services available in summer. If set daily hours prove ineffective, or the park’s budget and staffing picture is worse than anticipated, mid-week closures or other management actions may be necessary at Paradise.  

The entire park is open for visitor use throughout the winter season, including overnight winter camping with a valid permit seven days a week. Overnight campers should plan their travels with an understanding of nightly or scheduled gate closures. Visitors camping at Paradise between now and December 21 should not plan on driving out on Tuesday and Wednesday when the road is closed. 

The Longmire area will remain open seven days a week, barring major storm events. This includes the historic National Park Inn (where lodging, food, gifts, snowshoes and skis rentals are available). For reservations at the National Park Inn, call 360-569-2275 or visit www.mtrainierguestservices.com. With the exception of the Thanksgiving and December holiday periods noted below, General park information, including winter activity guidance, backcountry permits, and sales of park books and maps from Discover Your Northwest will be available.

The Henry M. Jackson Visitor Center at Paradise is open on weekends from 10 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. The visitor center will also be open on Thanksgiving and the Friday that follows, as well as December 21 – January 1. During weekdays, Park Rangers will be available from 9:00 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. in the Longmire Visitor Information Center (historic Longmire Administration Building). 

“Conservative management decisions are required in the current funding environment,” King said. “This year’s winter operation – with fixed hours of access to Paradise - is an experiment. It seeks to balance winter services against summer needs when most people visit the park. It will require cooperation from the public to work, particularly as the days get longer. If it doesn’t work, we’ll make adjustments as needed.” 

Visitors are reminded that all vehicles are required to carry tire chains when traveling in the park, including 4WD.  Tire chains are available at the Summit House in Ashford. Road conditions can deteriorate quickly at any time and mandatory chain use may be required even for 4WD vehicles.

At this time, State Routes 123 and 410 remain open, but dependent on changing weather conditions. The Stevens Canyon Road east of Paradise, the White River, Sunrise and Mowich Lake Roads are now closed to vehicle access for the winter, but remain open to winter recreation. 

There’s always plenty to do in and around Mount Rainier, any day of the week! Visitors are encouraged to obtain up-to-the-minute updates on road conditions and restrictions by calling the park at 360-569-2211 for recorded information.

Backcountry travelers are advised to get updates on current and projected snow, avalanche and weather conditions before coming to the park, and come prepared to survive winter conditions. 

- NPS -

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11/2/2013

Back from Dolpo, More To Come. First Taste!

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Picture
Saldang, Upper Dolpo, Nepal 2013

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9/9/2013

How to follow our progress in the Dolpo Region of Nepal.

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River Crossing in the Dolpo Region of Nepal.River Crossing on the Dolpo Trek. Photo by Lobsang Sherpa.
We'll be heading to the Dolpo Region in Nepal soon, and want to let you know how to follow our progress. There is far less connectivity on this trip than usual. Updates will be given via satellite phone to International Mountain Guides HQ, which will post updates on their blog. The IMG blog is linked to their Facebook page, so if you follow them you will see links to the blog. The Facebook page for the Kalākora Gallery will also link to their posts from time to time.

During many trips to Nepal and Tibet, I've ardently kept my eyes and ears open for new regions to explore and photograph. For me the cultural and aesthetic experience of travel is equally important to the cleansing experience of an ambitious journey, and Dolpo fits the bill perfectly. Our good friend Lobsang Sherpa who was the sirdar for Dr. Rodney Jackson's Snow Leopard collaring project during 1981-85 (See National Geographic June 1986) is trekking in ahead of us to get things ready for the group. I am especially enthusiastic about the opportunity to create images for the Kalakora Gallery in such an extraordinary area. This trek is as much a cultural journey as it is an adventure.
~Adam

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8/26/2013

Experience the White Pass Scenic Byway

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The Kalākora Gallery is very happy to be part of the White Pass Scenic Byway. If you haven't had a chance to visit the exhibition space, check out this video. See you soon!

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8/23/2013

National Park Service Celebrates Its 97th Birthday - Mount Rainier NP

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-Authored by the NPS-
Mount Rainier National Park Superintendent Randy King advises that in honor of the 97th birthday of the National Park Service on August 25, all entrance fees to Mount Rainier National Park will be waived for that day. Entrance fees will also be waived at National Park Service areas throughout the country.

Park visitors are invited to celebrate the beauty of the park on this fee-free day by enjoying a nature walk, naturalist programs, or earn a Junior Ranger badge while visiting the park.

Wildflowers are still in bloom throughout the park, so visitors should bring their cameras to capture the beauty.  Please be sure to stay on the identified trails to avoid damaging the wildflower meadows.

With Labor Day approaching park visitation numbers begin to decrease as families end their vacations and children return to school.  Some park areas will begin scaling back their seasonal operations after the Labor Day holiday on September 2.  This is still a great time to plan a park visit, when crowds are smaller and fall colors begin their show.

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8/2/2013

Star/Meteor Party & Natural Lightscapes Program at Paradise: 8:00 PM, Saturday August 10, 2013

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-Authored by the NPS-
Families and individuals of all ages are invited to the Paradise area of Mount Rainier National Park for a special program on Saturday August 10.  The event coincides with the Perseid meteor shower which will peak during the second week of August. The program starts at 8:00 PM in the lobby of the Paradise Inn with a short presentation about the National Park Service “Natural Lightscapes” program.  The National Park Service has come to embrace night skies as one of the many scenic vistas the agency is a steward of. It is essential to keeping a park whole and touches on almost every aspect that is important to us - from sustainability to stargazers, and animals to ancient ruins. At 8:45 PM there will be outdoor star and meteor gazing next to the Paradise Visitor Center with Tacoma Astronomical Society (TAS) volunteers and their telescopes. Volunteers will also assist visitors to make astronomy devices called star finders. 

If weather makes star gazing difficult, the party will move inside the Paradise Inn lobby for star finder making and a question and answer session with the astronomers. 

Entry to the park is $15 per private vehicle.  There is no fee for the Star Party and Natural Lightscapes program.

If you have questions please contact Park Ranger Curt Jacquot at (360) 569-6577. 

Information about the Tacoma Astronomy Society is found online at: http://www.tas-online.org/

General park information is available at www.nps.gov/mora  or by calling 360-569-2211. 

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7/30/2013

Lighting Your Collection of Photographs

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Picture
I'm a bit of a lighting fanatic, and use Solux Bulbs at the gallery and at home to light artwork. Solux provides an unparalleled replication of natural daylight and is used in many of the world's top museums including the Musee d'Orsay, Van Gogh, and Guggenheim Museum. Solux also has eight times the life and twice the efficiency of standard incandescent sources and does not contain the mercury found in fluorescent lights sources.

SoLux bulbs are available in following color temperatures – 3500K, 4100K, 4700K  in both 35 and 50 watt bulbs. All of those color temperatures and wattages are offered in four different beam spreads (narrow spot, spot, narrow flood and flood).

The 3500K SoLux is primarily a light for color, art, homes and stores when you want to improve their presentation. The 4100K is popular with diamond stores and is just a tiny bit better than the 3500K SoLux for illuminating black and white photos as it increases contrast. The 4700K is used by those that want a very accurate simulation of D50 for doing color matching. Many photographers use the 4700K for color proofing/color management although some use the 3500K SoLux for that since that is the light source they will use for displaying the (color) photo on the wall.

The SPD of all SoLux bulbs is smooth and has no spikes or large gaps. The 3500K and 4100K SoLux bulbs have ultra-low UV and greatly reduced IR output and are therefore very art-friendly.

SoLux is also available in line voltage PAR format. You can find those bulbs here: www.solux.net

You've taken the time to select and present your collection, make sure to finish the process in the best possible light. Once you do this for one piece in your collection and see the results, you will do it for all.

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7/25/2013

Filming at the Kalākora Gallery

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A few weeks ago Nils Cowan stopped by to shoot some footage for a promotional video featuring the area around Mount Rainier. Thanks Nils, Visit Rainier, and White Pass Scenic Byway for putting this together! We can't wait to see the video.

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