Winter Wilderness Safety with Laura Pilewski
One of Tuolumne’s two Winter Rangers, Laura Pilewski.
In winter, Tioga Pass closes and Tuolmne is no longer accessible by car. Skiing and snowshoeing becomes the mode of transportation and the road itself becomes designated wilderness. Winter weather brings increased risk of snow storms and avalanche, but even when conditions become so treacherous that a rescue helicopter can not be brought in, two trusty Rangers make it their winter home. For 11 winters, Laura and Rob Pilewski have been Tuolumne’s winter rangers— living and working in Tuolumne, providing up-to-date beta on routes/conditions, maintaining buildings and infrastructure, and providing guidance and help to visitors when needed.
FOYOSAR was able to interview Ranger Laura Pilewski from her winter home (via zoom). She agreed to share her incredible wealth of knowledge and experience to discuss life in Tuolumne and how to stay safe in winter wilderness conditions.
Before starting their winter assignment the Pilewskis stock pile 5 months worth of groceries to keep them going throughout the winter. While in Tuolumne they do a wide variety of jobs from shoveling of buildings/roofs/infrastructure (which they do A LOT of) to writing the Tuolumne Winter Conditions Report, and maintaining the snowmobiles. During big Atmospheric River Storm cycles the snowmobiles have to be moved every 4-6 hours around the clock to keep them above snow. Snowmobiles might seem like a great way to travel while on assignment, but the Pilewskis only use them in emergency situations, since motorized vehicles are not allowed in designated wilderness.
The Pilewskis move throughout the region frequently, and cover a lot of ground. “We are not only here to protect the visitor, but we are also here to protect and preserve the park itself along with its inhabitants. We do/have participated in many long/short term water and snow quality studies. And, for the last ten winters, we assisted an awesome team of wildlife biologists who have been collecting data on carnivores, in particular the endangered Sierra Nevada Red Fox (which was just federally listed as endangered, August 2021). That project took us as far north as Bond Pass all the way south to Donohue Pass, along the Sierra Crest and throughout the Cathedral Range. Other patrols have taken us along the south boundary of the park as well (to Ostrander and the Clark Range).” They also dedicate two weeks a month for the State of California Cooperative Snow Survey which covers approximately 75 miles. These studies are conducted late January- early May “no matter the weather.”
The Pilewski’s conducting a snow survey.
As you can imagine, working or recreating in these settings is not something that can be done thoughtlessly. Winter wilderness settings requires a person to be knowledgeable and have appropriate gear. Pilewski explains that people often underestimate the short days and how difficult it can be to travel through snow. One of the most common mistakes people make coming into Tuolumne is thinking they can just hike in. “Most of our incidents in Tuolumne have revolved around people trying to hike across the Sierra during early winter thinking ‘it’s just a road.’ At least a few of these people tried to self-extricate and fashion their own snowshoes out of pine boughs or willows.” Though this is not the recommended method, sometimes your greatest asset is resourcefulness.
But the reality is, nothing is better than being prepared with the appropriate gear and an educated understanding of what you are doing and where you are going. So many people come into the park expecting that they can “just wing it,” but that can be a recipe for disaster. Winter conditions can be unforgiving and the human body is not made to survive and move in these cold, snowy environments. Having the right gear is an absolute must. For gear, Pilewski recommends, all the things you’d have in your summer pack as well as:
Dealing with wind can pose additional challenges.
Avalanche Gear (beacon, shovel, probe, knowledge: take an avalanche course or stay off of or out from under avalanche terrain! Check out Eastern Sierra Avalanche Center » Home (esavalanche.org) & Colorado Avalanche Information Center – (state.co.us))
Snowshoes/Ski/mountaineering gear (gaiters, traction devices for shoes, crampons, ice axe, whippet, ski crampons, ice axe, crampons, etc.)
Emergency bivy sack. A good one; not just those pieces of “foil.”
Garbage bag (for ground cloth)
2 re-usable plastic grocery bags for vapor barrier liners in boots
Foam sit pad (great emergency splint & keeps you warm & dry when taking a break on rock or snow)
Thermos &/or insulated hydration bladder (don’t forget to blow back in the hose!)
Extra pair of gloves and/or socks (can be used as mitts in a pinch).
Extra battery pack to charge devices; keep it warm!
For planned overnight trips:
Again, shovel (great for making camp kitchen or snow shelter, burying human waste but don’t’ get it dirty as you probably use it to gather/melt snow!!).
Collapsible water bucket & p-cord to gather water so you don’t have to sit around/burn fuel melting snow. Creek/lake edges can become rather vertical/difficult to accesses, hence the p-cord.
“Deadman” anchors for tent the lightest of which are small empty stuff sacks that you can stuff with snow & bury. We know many visitors whose tents have blown away winter and summer. The Sierra=wind.
Down booties with traction (you don’t want to slip when & fall when you go out to “look at the stars” at night) and removable liner, my favorite.
Another thing so many people forget to do is to give a responsible party their itinerary and make sure they know who to contact if you need help/don’t return on time. This is something that a lot of people fail to do, but if you find yourself in a bind this one action could be the difference between life and death. Always make sure someone knows where you are going and when you plan to return. Personal Locator Beacons (PLBs) and Satellite messenger can also be an irreplaceable asset in an emergency, but it is important to note that you should only send and SOS call for real emergencies.
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