Day 6 - 7/21/2004 - Strike 1!!!

Picture it - we pack up, get up at 3:45 am, and drive through the woods to the trail head so we can be assured of a parking space (we are second in line).  The ranger shows up at 5am, opens the gate, and tells everyone that the mountain is CLOSED.  Now by this time there is a backlog of cars and the weather is beautiful.  The ranger says that she had a note that the mountain is  a CLASS 4 for the day.  This usually means there is a condition that makes the mountain hazardous - such as ice, snow, strong winds, etc.  However, she guesses that it is because the ranger staff is too exhusted from medivac-ing bozos off of the mountain over the past three days.  It seems one of them was an 80-year-old guy who felt spry enough to climb.  Another was a guy with one leg and crutches who wanted to prove something.  I guess they both proved something - it is possible for really stupid people to close a mountain!!!!

Once the visitor centter opened at 8am, we wandered in (now up for 3 1/2 hours) and asked what was going on.  They were un aware that the mountain was closed.  It later turned out that there had been REALLY BAD communication, and that the mountain had OPENED about 45 minutes after all of us early risers had been turned away.  We verified that it will eb open tomorrow (weather looks goood), and we will try it again.