Quick, head for the mountain. The road to Paradise is open this afternoon and tomorrow.

Thanks to near perfect weather conditions at Mount Rainier National Park — alhtough it’s hard to tell from fog-bound Tacoma — the road to the popular winter play area is temporarily open on weekdays.

Park officials announced last week that the road to Paradise would be open only on weekends and holidays because of a slide that took out one lane of the road on Glacier Hill.

But sunny skies and warm temperatures are allowing the park to open the road at

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A citizen’s tip resulted in a Thurston County man with previous felony convictions and a history of big-game poaching being arraigned Tuesday on multiple charges of illegal firearms possession and unlawfully possessing big game.

Here is the rest of the news release, sent out Tuesday afternoon:

William Wilder, 65, was arraigned in Thurston County Superior Court on 11 counts of unlawful possession of a firearm in the second degree, which is a class C felony. The additional charge for unlawful possession of big game is a gross misdemeanor. He pleaded not guilty to the charges.

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The 22nd edition of the Washington Sportsmen’s Show opens at noon today and will run through Sunday at the Puyallup Fairgrounds.

This year’s show features the "Steelhead River," an Army marksmanship trainer and the Gore Extreme Weather Chamber. Attendees will also be hear to from several members of the U.S. Olympic shooting team.

In Thursday’s Adventure section, I list my top 10 reasons for attending this year’s show.

Hours: Noon to 8 p.m. Wednesday-Friday, 10 a.m. to 8 p.m. Saturday and 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Sunday.

Admission: adults, $10 or $7 with a coupon;

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The Carbon River has been reopened, effective immediately, by the state Department of Fish and Wildlife. The department just announced the reopening.

Anglers will need to follow the rules and seasons listed in the 2008-09 Sport Fishing Rules pamphlet.

The reopening allows anglers to keep surplus hatchery steelhead on the river. This will help reduce the genetic and ecological competition between hatchery and wild fish.

Fishing had been closed since Dec. 15 because of poor returns to the Voights Creek Hatchery of hatchery steelhead earlier in the season.

From the Mount St. Helens Institute:

The Mount St. Helens Institute, a non-profit organization, has opened online registration for its 2009 Field Seminars and Guided Climbs. A wide variety of field classes are being offered to explore the Northwest’s volcanic landscapes and to gain a greater understanding of Mount St. Helens’ natural and cultural history.

“We are excited to be offering a wide array of subjects this year and especially pleased with the quality of our instructors” said Jeanne Bennett, Mount St. Helens Institute Executive Director. “In addition to several guided geology climbs that anchor the series, we are also offering astronomy, history, photography and unique opportunities to explore Mount St. Helens with extremely knowledgeable instructors. Complete information and instructor biographies and registration are available through the Institute’s website at www.mshinstitute.org.

· January 31 & March 7/8 Two Part Class: Snow Camping in the Cascades with Henry Panter

· April 4 — Winter Climb of Mount St. Helens with Henry Panter

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In recognition of Martin Luther King Jr. Day, Olympic National Park

will present "A New Time, A New Voice", a 30-minute video program about King this holiday weekend.

The program will be shown at the Olympic National Park Visitor Center at 11 a.m. and 2 p.m. on Saturday, Sunday and Monday. Additional viewings will be available on request.

The visitor center is located at 3002 Mount Angeles Road, Port Angeles. It is open from 9:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. daily.

"This is an excellent film and a great way to remember and learn more about Dr.

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The road to Paradise at Mount Rainier National Park will reopen for the upcoming three-day holiday weekend. But the road to the park’s most popular winter play area will be open just weekends and holidays likely until spring.

A park official late Wednesday announced plans for getting vehicles and park visitors around the 100-foot slide on Glacier Hill, above the bridge over the Nisqually River. The slide was discovered a week ago as park staff tried to reopen the road following a week of heavy snow then rain. Half of the uphill lane slid 30 to 40 down the

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You can be assured of two things if you teach your kids how to ski and snowboard at Hurricane Ridge in Olympic National Park.

First, you are going to save a small fortune.

Second, your kids are going to be a little tougher than they would be if they’d learned someplace with extravagancies like chairlifts.

At Hurricane Ridge a family can ski all year for $375, but they’ll have to ride rope tows and be content with never seeing the best runs groomed.

"Kids who learn to ski here, can ski anywhere," said Lori Lynn Gray, head of the Hurricane Ridge ski and snowboard school. "You have to hike to get to the good stuff.
"Hurricane Ridge is not for wussies."

In fact, Gray isn’t opposed to poking some good-natured fun at those who flock to the big mountains in the Cascades to cruise groomed runs.

"You go to a place like Crystal and ride up the hill on those soft, couch-like chairlifts and then ski down a trail that’s been groomed for you," Gray said. "That’s not skiing."

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