recreational crab fishing will reopen Thursday in several parts of Puget Sound. Starting at sunrise, Marine Areas 6 (eastern Strait of Juan de Fuca), 9 (Admiralty Inlet), 10 (Seattle/Bremerton), 11 (Tacoma/Vashon) and 12 (Hood Canal) will reopen for sport crabbing seven days a week through Jan. 2.

Crab fishing also will remain open seven days a week through Jan. 2 in areas 4 (Neah Bay), 5 (Sekiu), and 13 (south Puget Sound).

Two other marine areas, 8-1 and 8-2 east of Whidbey Island, will reopen for crab fishing on a daily basis Nov. 22-25 during the Thanksgiving holiday.

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Of the dozens of people I talked to for this year’s Snow Ride Guide, I think I was most impressed with Christine Barnhart, a 44-year-old single mother from Enumclaw. She showed extraordinary initiative to get her daughter into snowboarding.

While I was able to tell you a little bit about her and her daughter in today’s paper, they are worth a few more words. Here’s a little passage that didn’t make it into the section. (The picture is by Peter Haley)

CHRISTINE AND NATASHA BARNHART

Ski shop saleswoman and lodge cafeteria worker

Ages: 44

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Adam Stewart, a 19-year-old angler from Arlington, now holds the state record for the largest pink salmon caught in state waters. The state Department of Fish and Wildlife made the announcement Tuesday.

Adam Stewart holds the 15.4-pound pink salmon he caught Oct. 11 on the lower Stillaguamish River. The fish is the new state record for largest pink salmon caught in freshwater.

Stewart caught the 15.4-pound salmon Oct. 11 on the lower Stillaguamish River in Snohomish County, and immediately had its weight certified at a grocery store in Arlington.

The fish

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Olympic National Forest officials this afternoon announced that Forest Service Road 24 will be closed to all public access, including foot traffic, beginning Nov. 1. The road is the main access point for the popular Staircase area of the Olympic National Park.

The gated closure, located just beyond the Mount Rose subdivision, is necessary because of the 2006 Bear Gulch II fire. The blaze burned about 1,200 acres directly above the road. The closure is necessary to prevent accidents from rock and debris slides expected throughout the winter rainy season.

Due to the steep topography, this section

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Clam diggers this afternoon got the go-ahead to proceed with the first razor clam dig of the fall season that kicks off Thursday.

Four evening digs are scheduled at Twin Harbors Thursday through Sunday, while Long Beach, Copalis and Mocrocks are scheduled for two evening digs Friday and Saturday.

The state Department of Fish and Wildlife approved the digs at the four beaches after a series of marine toxin tests confirmed the clams were safe to eat.

Kalaloch Beach in Olympic National Park will remain closed throughout the 2007-08 season because of low clam population

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The historic Ipsut Creek Cabin is currently in storage in Ashford.

Mount Rainier National Park Superintendent Dave Uberuaga says the cabin was dismantled log by log after flooding devasted the ground the cabin stands on.

Uberuaga says the park is still trying to decide what to do with the cabin. It could return to the campground at a higher location or it could be reassembled at the Carbon River entrance.

(Photo courtesy of Mount Rainier National Park)

The National Park Service has launched a new Spanish language Web site.

The site contains suggested activities, maps, information, videos and interviews. It was developed in partnership with the Arthur Carhart National Wilderness Training Center and the University of Montana’s Wilderness Institute.

The site provides details about the country’s 702 designated wilderness areas and their significance. Part of the "Views of National Parks" program, it allows visitors to take virtual tours of magnificent public lands including rain forests, swamps, glaciers, caves, deserts and tundra.

The website was commissioned by the Interagency Wilderness Policy Council, consisting of

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The suspension bridge leading to the Grove of the Patriarchs in Mount Rainier National Park has been repaired. The bridge was washed out in the floods that devastated the park nearly a year ago. The grove is a popular destination in the park’s southeast corner.

The Grove of the Patriarchs trail bridge over the Ohanapecosh River has been repaired.

If you’re coming from the South Sound, you’ll need to go through Packwood to reach this corner of the park. Crews continue to work on Stevens Canyon Road, and it is unlikely the

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