Had a brief talk with the trails director for MRNP on Friday night, and he said that from what they could see of the Wonderland trail during a helicopter flyover, just about every footbridge is gone.
Had a brief talk with the trails director for MRNP on Friday night, and he said that from what they could see of the Wonderland trail during a helicopter flyover, just about every footbridge is gone.
I am literally on the verge of tears here. This is so bad I can't believe it. Maybe the best thing I can do is write a letter every week to my congresspeople urging them to throttle DC for some $cabbage$. If I do it every week for the next three years, maybe the $cheetos$ and the EIS will intersect.
WOW, glad I hit that area before this all happened. Yep drove to the slide, wanted to cry but had the family with.. Killed me fishing to and it was getting great..
-------------- Guns only have two enemies; rust and politicians
Joined: 29 Jul 2006 Posts: 1384 | TRs | Pics Location: Gateway to the Columbia Gorge
Sun Nov 12, 2006 9:10 pm
Good idea, Magellan, if enough of us keep writing those congresspersons, something just might happen! But all of us (there are a lot of people on this forum, it appears) need to do it to have any effect!
Volunteer efforts will help, but it looks as though the damage is way beyond what can be coped with without major funding!
Joined: 05 Jun 2006 Posts: 1989 | TRs | Pics Location: Lacey WA
Sun Nov 12, 2006 9:10 pm
I'm with you, Magellan. The damage to MRNP is sad. It is not surprising that the footbridges are mostly all gone - I'd be really surprised if they were still there. What was most amazing was the suspension bridge on Grove of the Patriarchs... the link to the photo didn't work for me, but the description said it was twisted. ?!?!?!! (Edit: went back to see where I saw that, but can't open the link. Hopefully I read that wrong?)
But think of this on the bright side... once the trails are open, how much fun will it be to go exploring, and see what the trails look like now?
Joined: 05 Jun 2006 Posts: 1989 | TRs | Pics Location: Lacey WA
Sun Nov 12, 2006 9:42 pm
I'm not sure I want to hear the news about Staircase, once that road is opened & people can see what the river did there, if the campground is still there. I'm sure it is... at least I'm hoping. I haven't seen Schafer State Park yet --- it's on the Satsop River, and is my favorite place to car camp. It had been closed for years because the river washed out the campground awhile ago, and it just opened for camping this year. I went there a few weeks ago for the day to play, and was so excited to camp there this spring. I fear that campground is gone as well. *sigh*
The North Fork road is mostly potholed until the 4 way intersection. After the intersection the road is in mostly good shape with some running water over it. I only made it to the bridge over the North Fork before time became an issue. I was suprised that there wasn't more damage after last weeks monsoon.
Joined: 03 Mar 2004 Posts: 588 | TRs | Pics Location: University of Washington
Sun Nov 12, 2006 11:08 pm
Deadhorse (FS 37) accessing Skyline Divide up by Baker is washed out somewhere around mile 7 or 8. The creek has rerouted itself right down the center of the road and carved a 3' deep channel for a few hundred yards. That's going to take a while to fix.
I saw on the Baker-Snoqualmie site that the bridge on Tenas Creek road is now washed out. That's one that's not likely to ever get fixed and adds four miles to the approach to Boulder Lake.
Someone earlier had asked about the lower parking lot on the middle fork, at the Goldmyer ford. My understanding is the park service contractor had just started to move supplies in there before the rains started - on or around Nov-3rd. given the damage done at burntboot, I wouldn't be surprised if the entire lower lot was washed out. I also suspect the middle fork likely carved away a bit at the road at the two spots where it's running right below the road (around 18 miles in). So, even if the slides are cleared, there may still be big problems beyond. and with the additional rains yesterday through tomorrow, it can't be good news.
Someone earlier had asked about the lower parking lot on the middle fork, at the Goldmyer ford. My understanding is the park service contractor had just started to move supplies in there before the rains started - on or around Nov-3rd.
It was me, and as of 10/29 they hadn't started yet. I know they had some serious funding issues with the bridge across to Goldmyer, largely due to massive increases in the cost of steel. One wonders if what's happening right now in the upper MfK valley might ultimately change the outcome of the EIS ruling.
Things just got a lot more expensive in terms of even getting the bridge built, let alone restoring the road to FS standard before locking the gate.
On an aside, I'm not attempting to open the door on whether or not it should happen, or if the FS got it wrong with the EIS, that's all water under the bridge, so to speak. They just may not be able to come up with the money to implement any of it.
Joined: 26 Feb 2005 Posts: 3515 | TRs | Pics Location: Off the grid
Mon Nov 13, 2006 3:29 am
I was up by Baker Lake yesterday and it doesn't look too bad. The road is washed over by a large creek near Grandy Lake, but has been cleared by a trac hoe. No road damage, but the Road Closed sign is still up.
Everyone was going by the sign and there is a Motorcycles Use Extreme Caution sign coming back the other way, so I assumed the road is open. I went around the sign as did everyone else.
The Baker Lake area looked well with just a bit of wet snow. I drove up the Watson Lake road and it's in fine shape. Snow cover started at 2,000 ft. and was about 14 inches where I turned around at 3,000 ft.
I drove through Hamilton along the Skagit River and what a depressing place that is. All through there the water was 3-4 ft. deep and many homes were flooded. Garbage everywhere with stacks of appliances piled up.
That area floods regularly, so it's amazing how many homes are built so low. Guess they just shovel out the mess and start over.
-------------- If you don't do it this year, you'll be one year older when you do. Warren Miller
Three handsome washouts; Huckleberry trailhead didn't wash out again, thank goodness.
There are many things in this world that can be properly described as handsome. George Clooney would be one. Katherine Hepburn would be another. Woodpeckers cannot be described this way, nor Stefan's ass, nor can a goddamn road washout.
Some other ways to express your apparent sentiment might include: admirable, athletic, beautiful, becoming, comely, dapper, elegant, fashionable, fine, good-looking, hunk, lovely, majestic, muscular, personable, pulchritudinous, sharp, slick, smart, stately, strong, stylish, tuna, or virile.
Let me conclude my post by saying simply, nice tuna.
-------------- ...it's a topographical nightmare!
-Slugman
I stopped by Deception Falls on Sunday to see if it survived for myself, and I'm happy to say it did. There's some light debris on the bridge, and some pretty hefty logs piled against it on the upstream side, but it looked fine.
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