Well heck. We didn't find Echo Lake, but Jim spotted the old railroad grade that leads to it. So that's for another day. It was fun to go wandering around in the fog with six NWHikers and six dogs. My hound Magpie was in heaven. She played tug of war with Rocky, and joined BadDog's bad dog gang. (They're actually really well behaved, not bad at all.)
I still want to find Echo Lake. I saw the picture on Google Earth--it's just a little mud hole/swamp. But I still wanna.
"Outside of a dog, a book is man's best friend.
Inside of a dog, it's too dark to read." – Groucho Marx
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"Outside of a dog, a book is man's best friend.
Inside of a dog, it's too dark to read." – Groucho Marx
It was great getting out with old and new friends doing some thing worth while. The fog and mist added to the mystery of the hidden trail. I think Jim has it nailed and it won't be too hard finding the old trail on the far side of the logging area. Give me a good reason to go back in the next few weeks.
Here are some of my pics. Curses to DNR once again for making another road way more difficult than it has to be.
Rocky and Jessica hanging out.
Old RR grade to Echo Lake
Explorer Falls Shelter
Explorer Falls Shelter
Brian loading up on garbage, Jim, Jessica and Joanna looking on.
Heading down the Explorer Falls trail.
Hulk, the can Whisperer.
Our garbage haul from Explorer Falls.
Group shot, Hulksmash, JimK, DogPatch, BadDog, and GeoHiker with a ball Rocky found.
You call some place paradise, kiss it goodbye......Eagles
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You call some place paradise, kiss it goodbye......Eagles
Here are some of my pics. Curses to DNR once again for making another road way more difficult than it has to be.
Don't just curse. If it bothers you, write letters. Write to the people who can do something, your representatives.
The environmental groups demand road decommissioning. While it might be a good thing, it sure displaces people who like to camp and recreate on little used roads. I have my doubts about the benefits. Probably as much sediment goes into water systems via decommissioning as does if a pipe washes out. You need to see a fill removal and the aftermath to understand, and also view the area before the decommission job.
Sorry for the thread hijack but people need to stop complaining to people who can't do anything about it, and start writing to those who can.
What's especially fun about sock puppets is that you can make each one unique and individual, so that they each have special characters. And they don't have to be human––animals and aliens are great possibilities
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What's especially fun about sock puppets is that you can make each one unique and individual, so that they each have special characters. And they don't have to be human––animals and aliens are great possibilities
Treeswarper, ya got it wrong. I understand your sentiment, but you're barking up the wrong tree. You're talking to people who ARE active, write letters, make phone calls, go to meetings, etc. GeoHiker and Hulksmash have both been engaged in the Sultan Basin and Reiter Road controversies. Me too. (And GeoHiker has had so much contact with DNR, he's practically on a first-name basis with those guys.)
As a group, we've earned the right to complain. I think the next course of action is the I-voted-for-you letter to Peter Goldmark. For all the good that will do--would be interesting to see what he says, though.
"Outside of a dog, a book is man's best friend.
Inside of a dog, it's too dark to read." – Groucho Marx
0
"Outside of a dog, a book is man's best friend.
Inside of a dog, it's too dark to read." – Groucho Marx
For the record i have butted heads with DNR land managers, not just with letters, but in person.
The only thing i can add....is that if any letter to the Mr Goldmark or future lands commissioner to be effective, it needs to be backed up with an environmental study that counters all culverts as bad. Even if people volunteered labor it still costs money to produce such a study.
Edit: How about a nice relaxing water fall.
Would have posted it earlier...but i have been having trouble playing it. Something with firefox.
"Bears couldn't care less about us....we smell bad and don't taste too good. Bugs on the other hand see us as vending machines." - WetDog
Albuterol! it's the 11th essential
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"Bears couldn't care less about us....we smell bad and don't taste too good. Bugs on the other hand see us as vending machines." - WetDog
Albuterol! it's the 11th essential
first,,, I would like to remind everyone here that the reason this trail is so nice is SIMPLY BECAUSE IT IS UNOFFICIAL... most all of the up keep and re-build of trail and shelters had been done by myself and a few dedicated friends, and yes we do this because it is unofficial and because it is unofficial nobody is going to FINE US, JAIL US, or take away our bicycles for 'riding the trail'. we (the hooter scouts) have been cleaning up garbage, getting shovels and chainsaws stolen, dealing with disrespecting and drunken loggers and offspring & their dirty cop friends, splitting shakes and stringers ETC ETC ETC for well over 20 years.... recently (in the last couple of months) there has been a rash of foul play at the 'shelter site', I personally and most recently have invested over 40 hours into the pond/dam rebuild and some jackass filled in all my work before it was completed, now the dam looks like sh## and I have to do a shitload of work to get it drained to finish it properly.... this is very saddening to me and my group of friends. however we do not intend to be pushed away for any reason. I try to make it up there several times a week and just yesterday was informed that i could google and find pics of the cabin online, now I am here on nwhikers.net and hopefully that changes everything....
if anyone wants to be apart of dismantling cabin to relocate deeper into the woods, please contact me ASAP, I would appreciate all the help I can get.
on a side note; it pays for you all to pay attention to the notations in this thread indicating things like 'this trail is unofficial yet in nicer shape than the official trails' AND BE IT KNOWN- making any trail suitable for biking is tough work., no bike rider wants to ride a sh##ty trail- but most every hardcore bike rider I know would love to be able to work ON ALL THE HIKING TRAILS TO MAKE THEM BETTER RIDERS>,,, Share The Trail!
F.A.C.T.
Frequently Abused Control Tactic.
I am not a number. I am a free man.
FOR EVERY MOMENT WE CHOOSE ANEW ETERNITY
I am a Sexual Anarchist, interested in more humane forms of development for Mankind.
0
F.A.C.T.
Frequently Abused Control Tactic.
I am not a number. I am a free man.
FOR EVERY MOMENT WE CHOOSE ANEW ETERNITY
I am a Sexual Anarchist, interested in more humane forms of development for Mankind.
I once found a 17 foot python dumped there at the first gate, and the spur road with the chair, that goes back to the very same 'first gate' ,,, it was less than ten years ago and all these roads used to be open to ORV. , the first few switch backs of the trail (waterfall section) have been dealt with in a way over the last 20 years to discourage any further use by equestrian and ORV's alike. ,,, the three or four random fire rings just above the top of the falls is to try and keep the drunken litter bugs from wanting to advance their party further up the hill....
there are now 50 switch backs to the 'shelter site'. in the site of the boys scouts lean-to, built in the 60's and destoryed by a rouge logger in 04 or 05, the shelter that now stands was built by me 06-07 to commemorate the CABIN that used to be another mile up the hill, its original construction being in the teens. when we found it in the late seventies we were BMX punks looking for a rad trail in the woods, heard about the cabin and the railroad grades (steam donkey drag lines) and several trestles from old man sheriff taylor himself. until the 90's the cabin and trail was primarily used by myself and my extreme group of biking buddies, we decimated most of the steeper sections of trail with many switch-cuts and bomber runs, ,,, now we all ride mountain bikes (not bmx) and like to work to restore as many of the original switch backs as possible while also working to render ALL SWITCH-CUTS UNSAFE.
for the last four or five years the trail has been in its prime and now the trail is getting decimated again- but not by any bikers. I still frequently work on the trail and have not seen any signs of anyone else working on it- only signs of disrespect.
in the last couple of weeks my burried cache (tool locker) near the 'shelter site' was discovered and my Stihl 054 chainsaw with brand new chain and bar, machete, several grams of bud, several shovels, and I was to pissed to see what else was stolen.
You dont want to meet me in the woods when I am a unhappy camper.
{just saying}
F.A.C.T.
Frequently Abused Control Tactic.
I am not a number. I am a free man.
FOR EVERY MOMENT WE CHOOSE ANEW ETERNITY
I am a Sexual Anarchist, interested in more humane forms of development for Mankind.
0
F.A.C.T.
Frequently Abused Control Tactic.
I am not a number. I am a free man.
FOR EVERY MOMENT WE CHOOSE ANEW ETERNITY
I am a Sexual Anarchist, interested in more humane forms of development for Mankind.
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