Saturday, Feb. 19, 2000
   Early morning dedicated to preparing a mock avalanche site near the Green Rock 
parking area, for use with Wyoming Outdoor Program Avalanche Awareness class.
Parking at the "end of the road" on WYO 130 was complicated by large numbers
of trailered vehicles as well as support equipment for an on-going backcountry
search and rescue.  Parking at 8:30am was already pushed back to the lower
parking lot below the Barber Lake road outlet.  Class of 22 students arrived
at 8:30 to begin avalanche rescue exercise.
   Mock avalanche/rescue proceeded to completion by 10:30 am, followed by
lunch and afternoon practice with avalanche transceivers and snowpit
interpretation.  Snowpack on the site, a sheltered northeast facing slope,
~9820ft elevation, was generally stable with two potentially weak layers
(at the bottom of the main snowpack as well as approximately 1/3 height
up from bottom).  Snow stake at top of Libby/Barber trail was at 47".
   NOTE:  snowpits examined on south and southeast aspects of the
Libby Creek north rim on Friday yielded results which require some
caution from backcountry travelers.  Two shovel-shear test columns failed
while the columns were being isolated from surrounding snowpack.  Travel
on similar slopes above 30 degrees incline should be discouraged.  Continued
wind loading of slopes is expected for the next several days.

   Following the completion of the avalanche field day, Behounek and Hamann
volunteered their services to the Albany County Sheriff's SAR effort.  A report
of the siting of an abandoned snowmachine was received soon after.  MBNSP
personnel proceeded to the location via snowmachine and assisted in GPS
locating, radio communications with incident command and Civil Air Patrol
resources.  Search continued with tracking of missing individual into the
North Fork Little Laramie drainage.  Chamberlain and Smith joined the effort
with mobilization of the rescue machine and toboggan from the alpine ski area.
MBNSP personnel travelled with tracking group to provide ski and snowshoe
modes of travel in the difficult terrain.  Rescuers from above and below
converged on individual, in good health, approximately midway between
abandoned machine and Sand Lake Road.