On Mountain Loop, crew of 5 rangers covers a mountain range of work
VERLOT — “Rookie mistake,” Justin Sundstrom chuckled to himself as he piloted his work pickup through the woods, dipping up and down in 6-foot-wide potholes.
The U.S. Forest Service ranger left the lid of his Yeti tumbler open when he drove up the road off Mountain Loop Highway that leads to the trailheads for Heather Lake and Mount Pilchuck. Coffee splashed onto his olive-green pants. The bumpy backroad, notorious for potholes and puddles, serves as one of the many gateways to beloved hikes and views in Snohomish County.
“On some of our roads, it’s not uncommon to see pieces of a car, like a bumper or something,” Sundstrom said. “Because they’ve just bottomed out. So I like people to do a little bit of trip planning and just give us a call to see what the conditions are before heading out.”
To get a look at a day in the life of one of the five full-time forest rangers who oversee the Verlot corridor of Mountain Loop Highway, a reporter from The Daily Herald rode shotgun with Sundstrom for a day.
https://www.heraldnet.com/news/on-mountain-loop-crew-of-5-rangers-covers-a-mountain-range-of-work/