Forum Index > Trail Talk > Now both the French Cr. and main Icicle River bridges are down
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HitTheTrail
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PostTue Aug 31, 2021 4:19 pm 
This may have been reported already but ... Steve and I were on our way up the Icicle river to do Frosty Pass and the Lady Lakes this morning when about 5 miles up the Icicle we came to the Icicle river bridge. As you may well know, the French Creek bridge is also out. This will be a problem in high water.

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Kat
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PostTue Aug 31, 2021 6:49 pm 
I'd heard about French Creek bridge - but forgot embarassedlaugh.gif thanks for the heads up on both!

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Ski
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PostTue Aug 31, 2021 7:45 pm 
HitTheTrail wrote:
"This will be a problem in high water."
only if you don't like swimming in icy cold high water. dizzy.gif

"I shall wear white flannel trousers, and walk upon the beach. I have heard the mermaids singing, each to each."
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Jack's Mom
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PostWed Sep 01, 2021 11:58 am 
I'm surprised, thought this bridge was a pretty substantial one!

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Get Out and Go
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PostWed Sep 01, 2021 12:40 pm 
From the perspective of your photos, looks like you got across. How was the rest of the hike?

"These are the places you will find me hiding'...These are the places I will always go." (Down in the Valley by The Head and The Heart) "Sometimes you're happy. Sometimes you cry. Half of me is ocean. Half of me is sky." (Thanks, Tom Petty)
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HitTheTrail
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PostWed Sep 01, 2021 3:30 pm 
Get Out and Go wrote:
From the perspective of your photos, looks like you got across. How was the rest of the hike?
Right, I crossed no problem in both directions, just had to kneel down a bit on the log. Steve doesn't like walking logs, and did easy river fords with boots off. We started up Frosty pass and hit thick wet brush just as it started raining again. Steve assumed it was going to be a sunny 3 days (as per the previous night's weather report) and only had light rain gear. We bailed back down to the original Frosty pass trail near the TH and did a recon of the old camp, old cabin and old trail going up the hill. I actually crossed the river on a log and went up the trail a ways. It has signs of being used. My wife and I had camped in that spot several times back in the 1970's/1980's so I spread some of her ashes I had intended to place in the Lady Lakes area. We both considered it to be a successful dayhike and are going to leave our packs loaded up and ready for the next trip (after uncompressing down items).
campsite at original crossing
campsite at original crossing
log crossing to original Frosty creek trail
log crossing to original Frosty creek trail

Downhill, Get Out and Go, Mountainfisherman, rbuzby
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yorknl
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PostWed Sep 01, 2021 7:52 pm 
I'm with Jack's Mom. (Figuratively!) I spent a couple nights camping at the spot just across the bridge in HTT's first photo, off to the left, sometime in September or maybe early October of last year. To entertain myself after sundown I spent a few hours laying on the bridge stargazing, and I don't remember any hint of bounciness or softness beyond that of any other bridge in good shape. I would never have guessed it only had a year left to live. I'm glad to hear that both French and Icicle can be forded this time of year - I've got no agility at all and would far rather wade than walk a log. At least, I think HTT's comment about his friend doing "easy river fords" applies to both. Seems like the horse ford of French should be manageable this late in the season, in any event.

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HitTheTrail
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PostWed Sep 01, 2021 8:28 pm 
yorknl wrote:
I'm with Jack's Mom. (Figuratively!)
You are right on a couple of counts. The bridge had new decking on it and looked very sound from the top. I guess it was just the aging timbers that gave up the ghost. They did not look good at close inspection. Also, both French Creek and the Icicle have "horse ford" shallow sections of the river and can be easily crossed now. We closely inspected both and could almost cross with dry boots, except maybe for one long leap. Anyway I would bet that next spring's high water will take out the Icicle bridge so we need to anticipate that.

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Jack's Mom
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PostThu Sep 02, 2021 5:40 am 
I remember camping at the original crossing many years ago -- fond memories!

HitTheTrail
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jeffcpa
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PostSun Sep 05, 2021 10:42 am 
Do you know how long the Icicle bridge has been down......My daughter and I were looking over the French creek bridge and the way it "broke" in half, seems strange...

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HitTheTrail
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PostMon Sep 06, 2021 3:06 pm 
Sorry for the slow response, I left early Sunday morning for a quick overnight trip up the Chiwawa. I don't know long the icicle bridge had been down before I posted it. But that is a popular trail and it had not been reported on any of the hiking blogs or on FS recreation sites, so I assume it was a recent event. I think the French creek bridge got hit by a tree or was the result of a snow collapse. In other words, it had a known cause.

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