[Trevor]

It was green.

[jenjen]

Yep, that sounds like the Boulder river trail I know and love. The wonderful thing about that hike is that its just as rewarding in the rain as it is in the sun. There aren't any views to be had, so you don't feel cheated if the clouds don't lift.

[radninjaskills]

I went up there a few weeks ago. It was wet snowing like crazy! I brought my toy poodle and girlfriend... forgot to bring a change of pants though. My poodle was shivering, my girlfriend was crying, and I had wet pants with no hope of drying them. We ended up staying at the settler's inn in darrington. lol

[Trevor]

That hike can definitely impose its fair share of damage.

[ridgewalker]

Went up there today. pretty good with the sun out. there were some blow downs. Not as many as I have seen on the South Side of Tiger Mountain. Will bring up a saw next week and start working on the trail. There is one that is an old growth. Still can squeek through under niether. It was still a wonder land of green wilderness. It may have just been me, but I stop at the sign for the wilderness. Looked up at the ridge line, and noticed the LINE of CUTTING evidence. I am not sure how old this is, but as far as I could tell, I would say that it was a few years ago. But It seems to me, the forest service cut this one right up to the line! Pitty that the Boulder River trail does not go all the way to Three Fingers. Would be a heck of a journey on trail. Well, I will try and hit this one (busing it on the CT 230) next weekend and start cutting and brushing out if any are interested at throwing there blood, sweat and tears to a just cause... - Ridgewalker

Boulder River

[jenjen]

I know I've read about a route from Boulder River to Three Fingers. And the trail did continue on the other side of the river at one time. Its probably still there in some form. I'll have to poke through my books.

[ridgewalker]

I think I remember there was, but maybe it is time to push one through (summer project wise). To all reading this thread. If you care about this trail, lets take care of it. I have worked out a small group to head up there and work on it. I will bring extra beer for the evening. But lets log this one out for the spring season. Feb 21-22 -- ridgewalker

[jenjen]

I'm not free on the weekends at all, but I'd be happy to team up with someone during the week.

[Trevor]

While I was there I saw a sign on the other side of the river. I felt inclined to go over there in hopes of getting an open view of three fingers,but the crossing was too swift and deep at the time.

[radninjaskills]

From what I've heard, the main issue with the old trail is that the river crossing is too dangerous... If you guys built like a bridge or a slide for life or something....

[Quark]

There's an old trail to Tupso Pass on the other side. It is no longer maintained but easy to follow. Boulder River will be logged out this spring. It was scheduled to be logged out December 31st, but the work was canceled due to snow. Boulder River trail is logged about 2 times per year, so if you're going to do some vigilante work, do it on a trail that doesn't ever receive attention. BR gets plenty. The FS and WTA also uses BR logs to train their crew for cross cutting. Logging it out on your own will likely create a hassle for the official logout crew. That trail will take a skilled crew only one day (the large cedar is a separate situation and will need to be blasted). Some of those logs have bind in them, and require a larger saw with wedges. A typical handsaw or bowsaw would just bind.

[McPilchuck]

The Boulder River beyond Gerkman Creek... http://www.alpinequest.com/threetonic.htm McPil

[ridgewalker]

Quark, you are correct! I called the Darrington Ranger District, and they said that they had planned to hit that trail within the next few weeks. But before I got off the phone the nice man on the other end, jumped on the opportunity of a bunch of "young macho's" (As Cynical Harvey Manning would call us) to go out and hit some pre brushing out on a trail of choice. i am to call back on Tuesday and will gain a better idea of where the trails need to be maintained. I looked through WTA's site, but did not really see anything in the Darrington Ranger District. This is my second home after the summer on the side of Glacier Peak, so will head up on the 20-21 to hack out some deed falls. It should be fun, nice campout on Friday night, with some hard work the next day. I will send out an e-mail on where when I get that info on Tuesday. Thanks for the information about Boulder River Trail extention. Something keeps calling to me to do the complete river to Three Finders. Looking at the way the map shows the Wilderness Area, it seems somehow appropriate. These small wilderness areas have a unique appeal to them. Some how I imagine some great journey into this pocket as being some old man or women's view of perfect heaven. The Noisy-Diobsud Wilderness has that sort of appeal. You come over the ridge to the two lakes, and you coudl be anywhere. The clearcuts are long distant memories, and even the view from the toilet is memorising. Finally, with all my hot steam of earlier I have been doing some research on Cross-cut Saws (or as supernaut puts it, mysory whips). I was wondering if any of you out there have a good source for Tempered Steel Crosscut Saws? -- Ridgewalker YIT (Yamabushi-in-training)

[McPilchuck]

"These small wilderness areas have a unique appeal to them. Some how I imagine some great journey into this pocket as being some old man or women's view of perfect heaven." seek and you shall find... http://www.alpinequest.com/ode3fingers.htm McPil

[Quark]

Saws are cheap, it's the handles that cost. I bought a 7 foot saw for 30 bones, freshly sharpened. The handles were $90. 7 is too long, I find it gets left behind in favor of the lighter and less unwieldy easier to carry 5 foot saws. If you do find a good saw, the problem is finding someone to sharpen it. It's an art, and there aren't many that do it. You can find old guys in areas like Enumclaw to do it. A saw can take around 8 hours to sharpen. More, if you're just learning. The new saws on the market are useless in the PNW. You need to find a cache of old ones. Some are in antique shops, but watch for pitted saws and bad teeth. Some are laying in garages and barns. I have a freind who recently hooked up with a big inventory of old never-been-used saws, circa 1890-1900 - most still in their original transport casings. But....I kinda think the FS definition of "brushing" is the classic definition of lopping woody plants and simple handsaw projects, not logging out with a cross cut saw, which is not in the FS definition of "brushing." Even FS personnel don't cross-cut without first receiving certification. The only thing more dangerous than an untrained person with a gun is an untrained person with a cross cut saw. If you've done trailwork before, you know what I'm talking about.