This is a timely meeting, following the recent rendezvous with Comet Borrelly by Deep Space 1 and preceding the imminent arrival of Stardust at Comet Wild 2 and return of Genesis samples. Several new missions will launch in the next few years (e.g., Rosetta, MUSES-C). In addition, significant new observational data is provided by the Infrared Space Observatory (ISO), HST NICMOS, along with new data to be added with the SIRTF, SOFIA, ABE, and new groundbased IR capabilities. All these advances are occurring at a time when laboratory analyses of extraterrestrial materials have achieved an unprecedented level of sophistication such that the physical and chemical properties of materials can be determined at nearly the atomic scale. This is a remarkable time for synergy between the fields involved.

The abstracts and preliminary program are now available for viewing. Authors will need to check the program to see where their abstract has been scheduled.

The registration fee does include an arrival reception at 7:00 p.m. on Sunday, August 10, and an informal farewell social on Thursday, August 14. Guest tickets may be purchased for these two events.

To preregister, please return the downloadable preregistration form with your payment before July 18, 2003, or you may use the electronic preregistration form if paying by credit card. Foreign participants who state on the registration form that they have a currency exchange problem may pay in cash at the meeting and avoid the $20 late fee if they return the downloadable form by July 18, 2003.

Requests for cancellation with a fee refund (less a $10.00 processing fee) will be accepted only through July 18, 2003. Those who fail to attend and do not notify the LPI Publications and Program Services Department prior to the July 18 deadline will forfeit their full fee.

Domestic flights:
All national carriers serve Seattle. There is nonstop service from most major U.S. cities on the East Coast. Lowest fares are from Baltimore, Providence, Buffalo, and other cities served by discount carriers. Alaska Air has nonstop service from Tucson, Phoenix, San Diego, LAX, and Burbank.

International flights:
There is daily nonstop service from Amsterdam on KLM/Northwest, from Kobnhavn on SAS, from London on British Air, and from all major Canadian and Asian hubs.

Ground transportation:
Plan to rent a car at (or near) the airport. Those rental companies with off-site counters are cheapest, and they will meet you at the airport. Plan about a 75- to 90-minute drive from SeaTac Airport to the meeting site except during heavy commute times.

Bring a copy of the driving directions with you. Get a map at the airport. Find your way via I-5 and route 18 to Auburn, then follow route 164 to Enumclaw. From Enumclaw drive along route 410 east and south (direction Greenwater, Mount Rainier, Chinook Pass, and Yakima) 33.1 miles (53 kilometers) to the Crystal Mountain Lodge turnoff. Turn east (left) 6 miles (10 kilometers) to the lodge. The turnoff is immediately before the boundary of the National Park (the lodge has a small map available).

Mount Rainier:
Most people will want to extend their stays before or after the meeting and enjoy several days of hiking or climbing on Mount Rainier (highest elevation 14,410 feet or 4400 meters). Mount Rainier National Park is one of the most spectacular in the United States, particularly in July when the wildflowers begin to bloom in profusion. The east side of the mountain (the side facing the meeting venue) is the least used, which is surprising because the weather is far better there than elsewhere.

Within Mount Rainier National Park there are some wonderful hiking trails to the tundra through the giant pine trees from the Fryingpan River Bridge along the Summerland trail. There are many more relatively easy hikes to the tree line at a higher altitude from the parking lot of the Sunrise Visitor Center (6000 feet, or 1800 meters). Be prepared for patches of soft, lingering spring snow en route. Mount Rainier National Park's hiking map is essential. Request a free paper copy of this hiking map as you enter the park. (Note the location of our meeting site in the upper right corner.) An easy, warm, and beautiful hike through The Grove of the Patriarchs (giant old-growth trees at the southeast edge of the park) is recommended for first-time hikers. Cars are needed to get to all trailheads inside the National Park, and entrance fees apply. There are also lovely hikes with spectacular vistas right from the lodge, from the top of the lift run by the lodge, or from Chinook Pass south of the lodge.

Various glaciers descend from the peak of Mount Rainier, and are climbable WITH PROPER GEAR until August when the danger of unsafe crevasses begins. Read this important information. Glacier/high-altitude climbers should contract with guides. Serious hikers can circumnavigate the mountain in 10 days along the Wonderland Trail (see the dashed purple trail that rings the peak on the trail map).

If you plan to spend time hiking — and you should!! — then be sure to bring a backpack, extra water, some trail food/fruit, sunscreen (important!), and proper attire (including a windbreaker, sweater, etc.). The weather can change abruptly from sunny and warm to windy, cold, and foggy or snowy.

You can buy many supplies in Enumclaw on your way to the lodge. (There's a shopping mall east of town.) Rent serious gear at Feathered Friends or REI in Seattle or Summit Haus in Ashford (on the west side of Mount Rainier National Park).

If you wish to extend your stay at the Crystal Mountain Suites, contact the sales office and pay for the extra nights separately. You may wish to bring your own food for those days and prepare meals in the room's kitchen. The last town in which to obtain food is Enumclaw, about 45 minutes from Crystal Mountain. The nearest restaurant is in Greenwater, about 30 minutes by car.

Additional information about the Mount Rainier area can be found at the following Web sites:

www.nps.gov/mora/home.htm
www.areaparks.com/mountrainier/
www.gorp.com/gorp/resource/US_National_Park/wa_mount.htm

Crystal Mountain Weather:
The east side of Mount Rainier is lovely from mid-July through mid-September. Daytime temperatures at the lodge are about 25°C (68°F), and 5°C (40°F) just before sunrise on a clear night. The sun is quite hot and the air is very dry, so hiking requires a supply of water plus light food. Light rain is possible. Note that the region on the east side of Mount Rainier is called the "cloud shadow" since winds are descending and heating. It's quite common to have sunshine on the east side of the mountain and drizzle on the west!

Hotel Reservations:
Crystal Mountain Lodging Suites is located next to a ski lodge just east of Mount Rainier (4400 meters), a dormant volcano in the Washington Cascades. Mount Rainier National Park is a short (20-kilometer) drive southwest of the lodge. Summer outdoor activities at the lodge include hiking, riding the chair lifts*, canoeing*, horseback riding*, mountain biking*, swimming at the pool, and enjoying the scenery (* = weekends only).

Each suite is actually a privately owned furnished condominium used by winter skiers. These are rented by their owners through the lodge administration. Single-bedroom suites with living area and bathroom range from $90.00 to $100.00 per night. Two-bedroom suites range from $140.00 to $150.00 per night. Each condominium suite has a fully equipped kitchen and at least three beds. These condo suites are ideal for families with two children. Attendees without families are welcome to share a condo to reduce their expenses. Smoking and pets are not permitted inside the condos.

Meals:
The lodge charges a flat rate of $295.00 per adult for a package of fifteen meals (starting with dinner on Sunday, August 10, and ending at lunch Friday, August 15). A meal package for a child under age 12 is $165.00. The charge applies to all adults whether or not they are attending the meeting. Meals are generally served cafeteria style with several choices of entrees, including vegetarian.

The meals are provided by a different vendor from that of the rooms. The charges are separate. However, to make life easier, the lodge will accept reservations and payment for both room and meals. If you want a room but no meals be sure to say so.

Attendees are encouraged to request a meal package as part of their room reservation. The only alternative to the meal package offered by the lodge is individual in-room meal preparation by attendees. The last town in which to obtain food is Enumclaw, about 45 minutes from Crystal Mountain. The nearest restaurant is in Greenwater, about 30 minutes by car.

You may bring your own alcoholic beverages for consumption in your suite. However, state law requires that alcoholic beverages in the public dining areas must be owned and served by the operators of the lodge. (We have not yet been able to contract with the lodge for wine or beer.)

For lodging reservations, meal package reservations, and inquiries, please contact:

Crystal Mountain Lodging Suites
Phone: 360-663-2558 or 888-668-4368
Fax: 360-663-0145
http://www.crystalmtlodging-wa.com/suites.htm

Don E. Brownlee
Phone: 206-543-8575
E-mail: [email protected]

Lindsay P. Keller
Phone: 281-483-6090
E-mail: [email protected]

Scott R. Messenger
Phone: 281-244-2786
E-mail: [email protected]

Sue McCown
Phone: 281-486-2144
E-mail: mccown@lpi.usra.edu