[Ice Girl]

They should rename this hike the most devestating trail in the Robe Valley. i have hike this trail, probably too many times. What i thought was going to be a short stroll, turned out to be a nightmare. The trail starts out with the boardwalk which is ok. Then you start into the trees the further you go the worse it gets, no one is on the trail, because there is so many blowdowns you are constantly climbing over, under, on, ect... if you had giant pickupsticks, this is where they are. The trees are uprooted, (not rotten) healthly trees, i think the ground was to wet, they there was a heavy snow, and maybe a wind storm. They are all blown down in the same direction. Almost like a huge avalanche came down through there. But, this was not the case. 2 hours of climbing later we make it to the basin. Sit down on the new rock bridge they built last year that has already half washed away. Snow was almost as tall as me at the creek. Climbed up on the snow field, at the base of the large glacier. walked over and around the beaver ponds, then followed the creek down trying to stay out of the major blow down. The blow down runs most of the way across the whole valley, there is just no way totally around it. They are going to have to do some major work up there. Ice Girl

[MCaver]

I was up there late last year and they were doing some major construction on the trail, mostly putting in what seemed to be a large boardwalk system. Did they get this finished, and if so, how much damage did it take? That trail stays pretty muddy all year long, so the boardwalk was needed for the amount of traffic it gets. There's a really photogenic tree about 3/4 of the way up that trail. I hope it survived the storm.

[Ice Girl]

i believe they were almost finished with the new trail stuff before winter hit, as far as i could tell there isn't much damage on the boardwalk, but you really can't see much of it. There is a lot of trees and limbs, across what was the trail. There is about 40 new trails, made by people trying to make their way throught the down tree mess. The new bridge, is ok, the old one has some boards missing in a few places. About 3/4 of the way up is where it starts to get bad. We are talking major blow down, it actually looks like someone logged it, but just broke everything off, very few trees are still up. The hardest hit is right after the little bridge, just before you go into the basin. Ice Girl You know what they say about pic, do them when you are there. i have done the same thing so many times. Not taken a pic, saying or thinking i would do it later and then it never happens.

[MCaver]

I follow that philosophy usually. I have photographed that specific tree twice now, but I still hoped to get a better photo than what I've managed so far. Sounds like it may be gone now. It's right where you said the worst spot is.

[C Dog]

[Ice Girl]

That tree is still lying where it, was lying last year, and probably many other years... Ice Girl

[Sundance Kid]

I've been up the trail twice and have never noticed it...maybe I'm just not as observant as I should have been. Whereabouts on the trail is it?

[Ice Girl]

It's on the first part of the trail, boardwalk, pavement then a little gravel, that is where the tree is and there is two of them. if you go past the bridge you went to far. Ice Girl