It was, John Muir recounted during the summer of 1888, “awful in bulk and majesty, filling all the view like a separate, newborn world, yet withal so fine and so beautiful it might well fire the dullest observer to desperate enthusiasm.” “It” was Mount Rainier, and it astounded Muir when he saw it for the first time, and his words remain true today.

As beautiful as Mount Rainier National Park is during warm, calm weather, it can be extremely dangerous when a snowstorm rolls in with rangers or researchers on the mountain or in its forests without cell coverage. Thanks to a seven-figure gift from the estate of a Washington woman, it soon will be easier to track those individuals even at the height of a storm.

We all could use a little help these days. National parks need help, and the groups that support them need help, too. That's why we hope you'll support the park friends groups that help us keep the Traveler alive. And today and tomorrow we especially need you to support Friends of Acadia.

National park friends groups are playing an increasingly important role in support their favorite parks these days. Instead of just providing "the icing" on the parks, more groups are being asked to help support operational needs, such as trail improvements. That's why you should plan to attend Washington's National Park Fund's Spring Dinner and Auction in April.