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johncla
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Joined: 24 Jul 2004
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johncla
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 Mon Jun 27, 2005 12:44 pm |
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Some people know this road as the Doctor Creek road, some know it as the Dr. Bob Road. It's officially USFS Road 7605, which departs from the Icicle Creek road (USFS #7600) around milepost twelve and heads up toward Trout Lake and Ruth Lake.
Plans are to replace the two temporary acro bridges, one across Icicle Creek, the other across Doctor Creek, with permanent Federal-grade concrete bridges. Construction should start any time after the July 4 holiday, and might last through to October. The contractor plans on closing the road for the duration.
So if there's stuff you want to do up there, do it this weekend or wait until Fall.
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Jeff R
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Joined: 10 Apr 2005
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Jeff R
Closet hiker.
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Mon Jun 27, 2005 4:25 pm |
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Thanks for this tip,  it will be nice to see some burly bridges there in the future. 
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Allison
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Allison
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Mon Jun 27, 2005 4:35 pm |
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Shoot! Isn't that the road you take to get near Victrola?
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www.allisonoutside.com
follow me on Twitter! @AllisonLWoods
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johncla
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johncla
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Mon Jun 27, 2005 5:45 pm |
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| marylou wrote: | | Shoot! Isn't that the road you take to get near Victrola? |
Sure, but all you're losing is the distance up to the gate on Victoria Creek Road - 150 yards?
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Get Out and Go
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Joined: 13 Nov 2004
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Location: Leavenworth |
Two years ago, the FS had planned to permanently close that road about 2 miles up for "wildlife" reasons. In effect, due to the brushing in, it is just about gone for 4 wheeled traffic, unless they have done some maintenance. If they are planning to replace bridges, maybe there is hope for the rest of the road, at least up to the big washout in the upper clearcut. There's some good off-trail/ancient trail hiking to be done up there. I know even the backcountry skiers go up there in winter.
"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)
"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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Tom
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Tom
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Thu Jul 07, 2005 8:01 am |
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Just curious, has that road been open in past years? Topo maps show a gate and label the roads "restricted".
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Get Out and Go
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Joined: 13 Nov 2004
Posts: 2129 | TRs | Pics
Location: Leavenworth |
After crossing the Icicle there is a gate straight ahead...That's the route for Lake Victoria. However, the road to the right that has always been open. Higher up the condition deteriorates and it finally ends in a huge washout above Trout Creek Valley. It's the backdoor way up toward Windy Pass and Mt. Cashmere if you are good at off-trail.
"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)
"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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johncla
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johncla
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Fri Jul 08, 2005 12:47 pm |
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| Get Out and Go wrote: | | After crossing the Icicle there is a gate straight ahead...That's the route for Lake Victoria. However, the road to the right that has always been open. Higher up the condition deteriorates and it finally ends in a huge washout above Trout Creek Valley. It's the backdoor way up toward Windy Pass and Mt. Cashmere if you are good at off-trail. |
I think the big washout is a logging clearcut. The "old" Trout Lake trail used to follow the road up to the clearcut there, and then followed a now-decommissioned logging road right up to the edge of the widerness area, where it became trail again the last mile or so into Trout Lake. It should be pretty easy to walk the missing bit between the end of the de-commissioned logging road and the "new" Trout Lake trail, near the junction with the Windy Pass trail.
If you look at the USGS quads, for example in TOPO, it's pretty easy to see because they show the "old" Trout Lake trail.
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johncla
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johncla
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Fri Jul 08, 2005 12:52 pm |
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Don't know what the plans are on the road closure there. The sign advertising this is still posted, at the switchback about three miles from the start of the road. They may put a gate in at that spot after the bridge work is done. Maybe not, the District Ranger has changed in the meantime.
Last I heard actual bridge work may not start until the week of 7/18.
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Get Out and Go
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Joined: 13 Nov 2004
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Location: Leavenworth |
There's a logging road that branches off eastward from the FS road that descends to the old Trout Creek trail. That logging road goes farther east and south toward Mt. Cashmere to the big clearcut you referred to. It will get you up to about 4000 ft. in a vehicle. Even if the road is closed, it is still possible to walk in (probably a blessing to anyone's car). The route we've followed aims for the upper right hand corner of the highest clearcut. From that corner head straight up to the ridge and you come across an ancient tread of a trail constructed in the 1930s that provided access to Lake Ruth. I'm entering into the realm of to TRIP REPORT OR NOT TRIP REPORT. The basin of the headwaters of the branch of Trout Creek is an awesome spot.......Sounds like you may have been there, Justus
"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)
"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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Get Out and Go
Member
Joined: 13 Nov 2004
Posts: 2129 | TRs | Pics
Location: Leavenworth |
OOps, I meant, Johncla, not Justus.
"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)
"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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johncla
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Joined: 24 Jul 2004
Posts: 84 | TRs | Pics
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johncla
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Mon Jul 11, 2005 7:46 am |
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| Get Out and Go wrote: | | There's a logging road that branches off eastward from the FS road that descends to the old Trout Creek trail. That logging road goes farther east and south toward Mt. Cashmere to the big clearcut you referred to. |
The "clearcut" I was talking about is right down along Trout Creek, and is actually more of a big parking lot than a clear cut - dead flat and no stumps. I bet the washout you're talking about is up more to the east. I've walked up there but stopped when I came to a big washout across the road - which I think is the one you meant in your 7/7 7:59 post. My bad.
There's a fork in the road about 3 miles in from Icicle Creek, just above the switchback where USFS says the new gate will go. It looks like it's a right turn to my "parking lot" and the old Trout Lake trail - turn left and then right further up to get to your washout.
I've been down the fork to the right several times, and out along the de-commissioned logging road up to the Wilderness line, but yet to jump the gap across to pick up the new trail to Trout Lake. That's a goal for this year.
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