Newsletter of the lssaquah Alps Trails Clu ALP INER - April • May • June 2006
DANGER ON COUGAR MOUNTAIN By Doug Simpson
Steam rising from the ground... trees falling over various areas of the park," warns Ginger with charred roots. . . holes opening up without Kaldenbach, senior project manager of OSM. Not warnmg. Is Mt. St Helens acting up again? No, only can temperatures exceed 110 degrees this activity is right in our backyard at the Cougar Fahrenheit in such areas, but "existing holes and Mountain Regional Wildland Park. new cave-ins may also contain deadly mine gases that can be fatal within moments of exposure." Though Cougar's last coal mines were shut down continued on page 3 in 1963, underground fires—the cause of all this mischief—have been burning for years, perhaps caused by spontaneous combustion. The recent COUGAR CITED NATIONALLY steam rising from the ground and fallen trees may be the result of air reaching old mine shafts from It's always nice to receive national recognition. newly opened steam vents due to ground shift or At the same time warnings are being issued for collapse. underground mining dangers, the Cougar Mountain Regional Wildiand park has been named The upshot of all this is that park officials and as number 19 among the nation's Top 100 Trails those of the U.S. Interior Department's Office of byTrails.com. Surface Mining (OSM) are sealing off ahuge area the size of three fOotball fields and warning hik- According to the website, the Cougar Mountain ers and other recreationists to stay on existing area "covers a variety of habitats, from wetlands trails. to streams to meadows and forests, and was saved from development by strong citizen support." Cave-ins are known to exist in the park. Two And, of course, the Issaquah Alps Trails Club had former mine entrances were discovered and sealed a great deal to do with the development salvation. off last year as part of the Abandoned Mine and Reclamation Program of OSM. Two additional Also listed in the top 100 in Washington State are holes have recently been discovered and will be Big Creek Falls on the Taylor River Trail (#24), sealed later this year. the Central Alpine Lakes Loop near Cle Elum (#42), and Mount. Rainier National Park's "Recreational users of the Cougar Park are at risk Wonderland Trail (#88). Check out the website of falling into deep, steep-sided holes or shafts in at www.trails.com/toptrails-2005.asp. The Apparatus Whenever possible, please Club Founder use e-mail to contact any Harvey Manning member listed below. President Doug Simpson 392-6660. [email protected] Vice Presidents, Advocacy Ken Konigsmark • 228-4839 '[email protected] Treasurer Jackie Hughes ' 641-3815 • [email protected] The Alpiner is published in Secretary January, April, July, and October. Sally Pedowitz • 206-323-2714 sjopedl @msn.com Board of Directors lssaquah Alps Trails Club Jackie Hughes • 641-3815 • [email protected] P0 Box 351, lssaquah, WA 9027 Melinda Livingstone 392-7455 • [email protected] Website: www.issaquahalps.org Rich Johnson • 392-0288. [email protected] Harry Morgan 432-3249 . [email protected] IATC subsists on member donations Bill Longwell • 222-6775 • [email protected] only. Please send your tax-deductible contributions to the address above to Richard Mann • 391-0410 • [email protected] help sustain our efforts to preserve, Scott Semans • 369-1725 • [email protected] protect, and promote the lssaquah Karen Tom • 391-7585 • [email protected] Alps and local environment. Steve Williams • 453-8997 • [email protected] net Hikes Coordination Articles are welcome, preferably Melinda Livingstone . 392-7455' [email protected] via e-mail to: [email protected] Jackie Hughes 641-3815 '[email protected] Send diskette or hard copy to post Joe Toynbee' 206-723-6716' [email protected] office box number above. Book Sales/Distribution Scott Semans • 369-1725 • [email protected]