Forum Index > Trip Reports > Abandoned Section of Dry Creek Trail Discovered -Olympics
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ranger rock
One of the boys



Joined: 14 Dec 2011
Posts: 2550 | TRs | Pics
ranger rock
One of the boys
PostWed Jun 06, 2018 11:27 am 
Thanks to Meck I finally got a map that shows where the Dry Creek trail went before it was destoryed by logging from the pass to Camp Comfort. I quickly realized that some of the trail was actually in old growth and was not destroyed. The old growth section was just abandoned when roads were built that intersected the trail. This would be kind of like if the lower south fork skok trail had been totally abandoned when the road was built at the current upper South fork skok trail head. We decided to try to find the old trail remnant and that is exactly what we did. The going was pretty easy for old growth brush crashing in the Olympics and we were able to find the old trail in several spots. It would be nice if the abandonded section was reopened, it would save folks a one mile road walk to get to the current trail head from the last passable waterbar in the road and it is in a beautiful old growth forest next to Lebar Creek. Deets and route maps on my blog: http://mosswalks.blogspot.com/2018/06/sluething-out-abandoned-section-of-dry.html Mysterious cut tree not related to the old trail
Dry Creek old road 039 copy
Dry Creek old road 039 copy
Old trail groes through photo from lower left to upper right, there is a cut log on the upper right
Old trail groes through photo from lower left to upper right, there is a cut log on the upper right
Old trail groes through photo from lower left to upper right, there is a cut log on the upper right
. .
Old saw cut from trail work
Old saw cut from trail work
Lebar Creek
Lebar Creek
1992 forest science (?) tags
1992 forest science (?) tags
old growth
old growth

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JVesquire
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Location: Pasco, WA
JVesquire
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PostWed Jun 06, 2018 5:37 pm 
I love abandoned trails. Nice TR.

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meck
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meck
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PostWed Jun 06, 2018 8:25 pm 
Neat TR RR! That does look like a much more pleasant way to get up to the west side TH from the "Road X" below. As you mentioned regarding the "4x4 only" waterbars, that old growth would be a great place to wander up through versus the road walk.

*Just say NO to Rent-Seeking, don't give up the concept of "ownership"*
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RodF
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PostThu Jun 07, 2018 11:44 am 
Neat! The entire Dry Creek Trail from Camp Comfort is depicted on the 1953 USGS Mt. Tebo topo (1955 ed.), which you can select and overlay with variable transparency on the current map showing all the roads built since, at this link https://ngmdb.usgs.gov/topoview/viewer/#14/47.4559/-123.3789 The 1933 and 1941 USFS maps suggest there was a phone line along the trail from Camp Comfort up to the Dry Creek trail shelter, so you might be on the lookout for a white porcelain telephone insulator.

"of all the paths you take in life, make sure a few of them are dirt" - John Muir "the wild is not the opposite of cultivated. It is the opposite of the captivated” - Vandana Shiva
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ranger rock
One of the boys



Joined: 14 Dec 2011
Posts: 2550 | TRs | Pics
ranger rock
One of the boys
PostFri Jun 08, 2018 3:58 pm 
Yes Rod that about what I did and how I was able to figure out where the old trail went in relation to the road. It crossed at the 4 way, but from there down has been logged.. from the 4 way up to the switchbacked road has not been logged and is beautiful. I would love to see it reopened, but it's not a very hard hike even with the brush crashing, most of the forest up there was open. I'll look for the telephone insulators, I see them in the strangest places sometimes.. The oldest map I saw was Mount Tebo 1953, I'll have a look at the older maps now, thanks.

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Pyrites
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PostFri Jun 08, 2018 7:32 pm 
RR I like your next trip proposal to the W of the now abandoned stub road to now trailhead makes some sense to me. The last few feet of trail to stub has a feel of new (1970’s?) trail built to connect to that road. I didn’t see anything leading downhill instead. But trail builders would have likely tried to hide first 30’ of trail anyway. I’ve tried to photograph old tread in the brush. What is blatantly clear to a moderately experienced eye almost disappears on the photo. It’s frustrating. I’ve tried in line, from below, from above. In line seems best of the bad. Best. Pyrites

Keep Calm and Carry On? Heck No. Stay Excited and Get Outside!
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evergreenhiker
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evergreenhiker
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PostWed Jun 13, 2018 8:11 pm 
Love this!!!! Abandoned trails rock!

The alpine world is my church.
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ranger rock
One of the boys



Joined: 14 Dec 2011
Posts: 2550 | TRs | Pics
ranger rock
One of the boys
PostThu Jun 14, 2018 8:48 am 
Pyrites wrote:
The last few feet of trail to stub has a feel of new (1970’s?) trail built to connect to that road. I didn’t see anything leading downhill instead. But trail builders would have likely tried to hide first 30’ of trail anyway.
Yes I felt the same way although the bank is dug out just the same way. I have to wonder if the trail really went down from the shelter and then over.

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