Morgan Kussy Blog

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Find a way.

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Sorry. Traffic was horrible at starbucks. 😂 #worklife #lateemployees #thatoneemployee #fypシ #9to5 #pettyemployee #miyalynn #niyapapaya #rela

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Journey to the IBEW. The video features two people gathering paperwork and submitting the IBEW application to become an electrician.

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The Cascade Loop is a 440-mile trip going through the Salish Sea and two national forests. It is a great road trip to find outdoor activities and gorgeous nature scenes.

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The Cascade Loop National Scenic Highway

The Cascade Loop is one of 29 scenic byways in Washington. The 440-mile loop stretches 9 regions each with unique tourist attractions and recreational opportunities. Adventures don’t stop at the end of summer. Winter activities are just as wonderful to experience. Variety through the North Cascades from ocean to mountain makes a splendid and truly delivered experience.

Link to sneak peek video for Instagram. https://youtube.com/shorts/ICMoLYbDKoE?feature=share

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History and Recreation on the Mountain Loop Highway:

Assignment one rewrite

Snohomish County, February 6, 2023 – Located in the foothills of the North Cascades the Mountain Loop Scenic byway is a 52-mile Washington state highway in Snohomish County. 

It’s a popular weekend getaway for people from across the state. Spread out next to the Sauk or Stillaguamish Rivers and breath in fresh fragrances of pine sap and maple tree bark.

Checking in with visitor information receptionist Erika Morris at the Darrington information center, the Mountain Loop Highway is a great highway/byway to begin venturing outdoors. Its history rests in lumber harvesting, old mining camps and railroads.

“The Mountain Loop Highway is just that; a Highway” she said. Most outdoor hiking, biking, camping trails are owned and maintained by the National Forestry Service. We maintain the nature area and public trails for recreation, hiking and camping. The actual name comes from the state-owned highway.

The Mountain Loop starts in Granite Falls, connects to Arlington and Darrington and wraps around back to Granite Falls. Stationed at the Verlot ranger station just outside Granite Falls is ranger Jonathan Sutherland. He looks after trails and campgrounds from Verlot to about Bedal Campground halfway between Granite Falls and Darrington.

He talked about his prior work in the peace core. “After Covid started it was hard for Peace Corps to do work. So, I came home to Snohomish and was out of work”. He applied to the National forestry service and became a park ranger in the south most part of the Mountain Loop Highway. Part of the mount Baker-Snoqualmie National Forest. “It’s work with peace of mind”. 

When gold was discovered in the Cascade mountains, it came with the lofty dream of mineral wealth. The elusive rich vein of gold was never discovered. A silver deposit was found just below Boston Glacier near the headquarters of Thunder Creek in 1892. But the cost of getting the ore out was too expensive. By 1913 most mining companies had folded. “Mining didn’t resume until WWII increased the demand for metal and then again during the 1940s and 50s for the last time. Short working seasons, unpredictable weather conditions, difficult transportation and lack of working capital hampered large scale development” (National Park Service, 2020). The mining didn’t last long but the rails were in place to carry out the real treasure of the PNW – timber. Roads were built to replace rails and trucks replace the trains.

Granite Falls is known as the gateway to the Mountain Loop. Growth is strong as more people flock to rural areas in search of homes. A big part of Snohomish County history is founded in the search for natural resources and timber harvesting. Many trails along the Mountain Loop are linked to the development of nearby towns like Arlington and Darrington. A day off the Mountain Loop provides insight to the development of the area. It has a host of outdoor activities in environment education and a beautiful landscape. 

References

Purdue Online Writing Lab. (n.d.). General Writing FAQs. Purdue Online Writing Lab.https://owl.purdue.edu/owl/general_writing/general_writing_faqs.html

National Park Service. (2020, January 10). Miners. https://www.nps.gov/noca/learn/historyculture/miners.htm

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Listen to Clubs at WSU North Puget Sound at Everett by Morgan Kussy #np on #SoundCloud

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Northwest Ambulance Critical Care Transport has shortage of EMT’s

Snohomish County, February 23 – Northwest Ambulance Critical Care Transport serving the area from Pierce County to Whatcom County is currently looking for fast track candidates to join their team and start work immediately. All costs are covered, and no experience is required to start EMT training.

Northwest Ambulance located at 8115 Broadway in Everett serves up to Burlington and down to Puyallup. EMS in this area is busy and the job market for EMT’s is good. Starting in private ambulance service delivers entry-level on-the-job training and opportunities to advance into paramedic and RN. Still, with on-the-job training and room for advancement, private companies often have high turnover because of high customer focus and entry-level workers moving in EMS.

Northwest Ambulance House located on 8115 Broadway, Everett, WA 98203.

Snohomish County Assessor. (2023). [Northwest Ambulance Building Photo]. [Image]. https://scopi.snoco.org/Html5Viewer/Index.html?configBase=https://scopi.snoco.org/Geocortex/Essentials/REST/sites/SCOPI/viewers/SCOPI/virtualdirectory/Resources/Config/Default

“Our decade of experience has shown us that systems placing too much emphasis on financial gain do so at the expense of employees and customers. Organizations that put the major focus on customers often experience high employee turnover, creating a shortage of critical talent. Providers that yield to employee demands often are unable to sustain the cost of their practices,”. “The healthcare world is experiencing staffing challenges. We are working to get on top of this and are actively expanding our operations as others are unable,” (Northwest Ambulance, 2023).

Figure 1

Total Population and Percent Change in Washington.

Note. From Total Population and Percent Change, by Washington Office of Financial Management, 2023,

(https://ofm.wa.gov/washington-data-research/statewide-data/washington-trends/population-changes/total-population-and-percent-change).

Papken O’Farrell, Public Safety Department Director at Everett Community College and former Program Manager of Public Policy and Governance – Daniel J. Evans School – Executive Master of Public Administration at UW, Seattle talks about public safety in the area. There are three reasons that should be noted. First, Covid delayed and pushed out retirement. Now there is surge of retirement. Probably the largest retirement in 50 years. Second, increased population has put higher demand on the fire system. A few years ago, Washington was ranked about fifth in population growth. Third, people in emergency services were required to get the Covid vaccine. A lot have left during the vaccine requirement in fire service from November 2021 to about December of 2022. Lots of people, especially entry-level, just didn’t want to get the vaccine.

88% of fire response in the emergency medical system is medical. Only the remaining 12% is responding to a building on fire. A primary requirement to becoming a qualified firefighter is passing EMT certification.

There is no one path to becoming a firefighter/paramedic. Every fire department uses a different process for recruiting, training, and hiring. For example, on-the-job training with a fire department, regional authority or private emergency transport service like Northwest Ambulance. Other career training is available through professional certifications, college-level academic studies and volunteering, particularly in rural communities.

Basic certifications for firefighter build skills in preparation to respond in medical and fire hazard emergencies. One of the first ways to prepare is EMT certification through the Washington State Fire Marshal Office and National Testing Network. It isn’t always a requirement upon initial employment but usually is within the first year of employment. The cost of certifications can be high with several thousand dollars out-of-pocket through training, testing and certification.

Zach Hanson from North County Regional Fire in Arlington talks about starting as an entry-level EMT, “One piece of advice I can give you is keep testing. Some people test once for their first time, pass, and become a fire EMT. Some, for others, it takes longer, up to 10 years to get all the qualifications. Just keep testing, stay in school and you’ll eventually get it. One last thing is check out EvCC’s fire program. They have a really good one,”. 

Zach Hanson describes his experience as an EMT and gives advice for an entry-level EMT.

References

Northwest Ambulance. (n.d.). About Northwest Ambulance. https://www.nwamb.us/about-us

Office of Financial Management. (2023). Total population and Percent Change. [Bar graph]. Retrieved February 18, 2023, from https://ofm.wa.gov/washington-data-research/statewide-data/washington-trends/population-changes/total-population-and-percent-change

Snohomish County Assessor. (2023). [Northwest Ambulance Building Photo]. [Image]. https://scopi.snoco.org/Html5Viewer/Index.html?configBase=https://scopi.snoco.org/Geocortex/Essentials/REST/sites/SCOPI/viewers/SCOPI/virtualdirectory/Resources/Config/Default

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Outdoor Recreation in Snohomish County

Checking in with visitor information receptionist Erika Morris at the Darrington information center, the Mountain Loop Highway is a great highway/byway to begin venturing outdoors. Its history rests in lumber harvesting, old mining camps and railroads in the eerie boonies. Like Monte Cristo and Gothic Basin Trails. 

Also called the Mountain Loop, the Mountain Loop Highway follows the South Fork Stillaguamish and Sauk Rivers. For weekend getaway campgrounds nestled on the rivers, bring innertubes and kayaks for a calming float out west from the Cascade watershed. A substitute from the gym, a trek in the mountain loop is a breath of fresh air. Getting up close to the wilderness sets piece of mind and space to think.

Youth-on-age is a quarter mile paved interpretive trail to introduce the rich history of Snohomish County for young families. The Mountain Loop is the beginning stage to experience the outdoors. Fish Ladder and Old Robe Trail are short, relatively flat trails. A bite of fresh air and stunning evergreen brings about cravings to venture into natural beauty.

Familiar to Snohomish County residents is the 30-mile Centennial Trail. Near flat and paved, the trail is built on the old Burlington-Northern railroad line. Matt Tabor, President/CEO of Greater Lake Stevens Chamber of Commerce, reveals the trail is a popular location for bikes and family walks. Its popular during the warm summer months and autumn as the weather begins to cool.

Officially starting at Nakashima Heritage Barn North Trailhead, the trail winds through downtown Arlington, Industrial Lake Stevens and ends in the city of Snohomish City Center. Matt comments the 6-foot wide natural surface is popular for bike rides available to all with ADA accessibility and picnic areas and rest stops.

Mastering the Centennial and level mountain loop trails can prepare the venturous spirit for more advanced hiking and overnight camping. Ascending in difficulty from Mt. Pilchuck and Mt. Dickerman, Perry Creek is the most difficult terrain in the Mountain Loop. The trail ascends 3950 feet in five and a quarter miles for a 10.5 mile round trip. The trail sits in the eaves of Snohomish County. Unrecognizable from its uninhabited surroundings inspires victory of Snohomish County terrain.

Take a change of pace from city life. Explore the outdoors. Set your own pace and enjoy the journey. A trip outdoors resets stress levels for a fresh start. Don’t forget to stop in a visitor or ranger station. Find out what trails meet your skill level and outdoor experience. Prepare the 10 outdoor essentials. Be sure to stay up-to-date on wilderness alerts for wildlife migration and natural hazards like wildfires and mudslides. 

Time away from work and vacation expenses can add up to rough expenses. Stay close to home without the expense. Visit the Mountain Loop for a carefree weekend.