Slides halt traffic in the canyon
<p>Visitors look down from the U.S. 2 bridge at the slide path of a big avalanche that ran down Running Rabbit Mountain, near the Goat Lick in Glacier National Park, all the way down to the Middle Fork of the Flathead River.</p>
Glacier National Park officials granted a special-use permit to BNSF Railway on March 6 for the use of explosives to control avalanches after the main line was closed for the second time in a week.
“We are working with BNSF Railway to create safe conditions for their employees and passengers along the southern boundary of the Park, and will continue to work with them to find long-term solutions,” Park superintendent Jeff Mow said in a press release.
The permit only allows use of hand charges, an “avalauncher” that launches explosives by air-power, or explosive charges delivered by a helicopter — and only during daylight hours.
BNSF used a Daisy Bell device to trigger slides and reduce future threats. A Daisy Bell is a cylindrical device that can be hung below a helicopter over a dangerous snow slope. The sudden combustion of hydrogen in the cylinder creates a controlled pressure wave aimed at the snow slope.
Recent weather has contributed to snow slides throughout Glacier Park, including a massive one near the Goat Lick. A large slide near Essex on March 2 closed the railway line for about 12 hours after the tracks were blocked with seven feet of snow.
Slides reported at 5:45 a.m. on March 6, blocked the main track and disrupted traffic over a four-mile section between Java East and Marias Pass. No trains struck the slide debris.
As a safety precaution, U.S. 2 was closed March 6 from 2 to 6 p.m. in the area while the avalanche control was taking place. The Montana Department of Transportation had earlier advised motorists not to stop along U.S. 2 between Essex and Marias Pass.
Amtrak had been running empty trains over Marias Pass and through the canyon, and busing passengers around the area between Whitefish and Shelby. Amtrak spokesman Marc Magliari said BNSF rules don’t allow loaded passenger trains to run if there has been a recent slide.
One avalanche that didn’t cause any problems but put on a spectacular display of nature’s fury occurred at the Goat Lick. The massive slide started on Running Rabbit Mountain, ran beneath the U.S. 2 bridge and flowed over the Middle Fork of the Flathead River with of 50 to 100 feet of snow.
By March 7, the river had begun to flow around and under the resulting snow dam, and no significant flooding took place. The river runs through a deep canyon at that location. It will likely take weeks for snow and ice covering the river to melt away. Motorists stopped along the highway to photograph the slide.
For more information about avalanche conditions in the region, visit online at www.flatheadavalanche.org.