Forum Index > Trip Reports > The Explorer Falls mess. (part 2 added)
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Hulksmash
Cleaning up.



Joined: 20 Apr 2008
Posts: 7113 | TRs | Pics
Location: Arlington
Hulksmash
Cleaning up.
PostSun Jan 24, 2010 12:06 am 
Part 2
Today, Geohiker and daughter, Baddog, Dogpatch, Jimk and I returned to the mess at Explorer Falls. Something interesting happened since my trip last Sunday. Some one else picked up some trash along the road. It also looks like some one picked up a little above the falls. This was a pleasant surprise, would have been even better if whom ever finished the job. hockeygrin.gif Peer pressure is a powerful tool. tongue.gif I don't know who said it first but Attitudes are contagious. Are yours worth catching? I really believe that even if i cant finish cleaning up, but the effort is noticeable, others will follow the example. If it gets ignored, so will others as well. I posted this photo of the fire ring twenty feet from the creek.
Creek side fire pit
Creek side fire pit
I did not get a chance to pick the trash out of the fire ring last week. What i found in it i hope reminds people why they should always filter water out of any creek before drinking.
Used diaper, 20feet from the creek.
Used diaper, 20feet from the creek.
Yep! A used diaper in the fire ring located twenty feet from a creek. mad.gif We continued on, bagging the trash as we went to be hauled out on the return trip. With six people it went quickly, and did not seem like a chore at all. It really only took a couple of minutes. This brings me back to all the fire wood that got packed in. Why, just why would some one or some group pack in so much fire wood, not use it all, and leave there trash. shakehead.gif Here's another fine confused.gif example. Some of the fire wood ended up in the creek just below the falls. Presumably it got washed over the falls. I would guess it's a whole bundle.
Unburned fire wood in the creek
Unburned fire wood in the creek
Enough for that rant. I made a few trips into the area a few years ago. Never made it to Echo lake. But i had a chance to explore some of the old rail road grades before recent logging erased them. Today paying a visit to Echo lake was on the agenda. Again, beyond the camp sites above the falls the trail is in phenomenal shape. I only wish all more trails near the Mt loop area were in this kind of shape.
Fog on the trail
Fog on the trail
Fog
Fog
The Shelter
The Shelter
rolleyes.gif Up in the clear cut found this.
Used Oil Filters on a stump
Used Oil Filters on a stump
shakehead.gif Beyond the shelter we explored some to the roads in the clear cut, trying to find the old trail. We did find some of the old rail road grade/trail. But did not find the lake. Overlaying the GPS track on Google earth reveals something interesting.
View larger size in new window You got to click on the satellite image on the drop down menu to see it. The balloon is my way point of the location of the Railroad grade. It looks like it pretty much parallels the logging road on the right that we did not explore. I think it explains why it appears there is more boot traffic in that direction. That road probably does connect with the trail. Oh yea i took a picture of the falls.

"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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Magellan
Brutally Handsome



Joined: 26 Jul 2006
Posts: 13116 | TRs | Pics
Location: Inexorable descent
Magellan
Brutally Handsome
PostSun Jan 24, 2010 12:17 am 
Nice collaboration y'all! up.gif

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JimK
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Joined: 07 Feb 2002
Posts: 5606 | TRs | Pics
Location: Ballard
JimK
Member
PostSun Jan 24, 2010 6:14 pm 
I have a much longer trip report with more photos. It is here: Explorer Falls Trail Report & Photos Here are a few of my photos:
Explorer Falls
Explorer Falls
Pile Of Garbage
Pile Of Garbage
Group In Shelter
Group In Shelter
Dogs In Road Trench
Dogs In Road Trench
On The "New Trail"
On The "New Trail"
The Biggest Trench
The Biggest Trench

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Dogpatch
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Joined: 17 Aug 2003
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Location: the dryside
Dogpatch
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PostSun Jan 24, 2010 8:39 pm 
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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GeoHiker
Rocky Walker



Joined: 26 Feb 2005
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Location: Off the Deep End
GeoHiker
Rocky Walker
PostSun Jan 24, 2010 11:55 pm 
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. up.gif 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.
Rocky and Jessica hanging out.
Old RR grade to Echo Lake
Old RR grade to Echo Lake
Explorer Falls Shelter
Explorer Falls Shelter
Explorer Falls Shelter
Explorer Falls Shelter
Brian loading up on garbage, Jim, Jessica and Joanna looking on.
Brian loading up on garbage, Jim, Jessica and Joanna looking on.
Heading down the Explorer Falls trail.
Heading down the Explorer Falls trail.
Hulk, the can Whisperer.
Hulk, the can Whisperer.
Our garbage haul from Explorer Falls.
Our garbage haul from Explorer Falls.
Group shot, Hulksmash, JimK, DogPatch, BadDog, and GeoHiker with a ball Rocky found.
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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treeswarper
Alleged Sockpuppet!



Joined: 25 Dec 2006
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Location: Don't move here
treeswarper
Alleged Sockpuppet!
PostMon Jan 25, 2010 6:52 am 
GeoHiker wrote:
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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Dogpatch
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Dogpatch
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PostMon Jan 25, 2010 7:46 am 
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
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Hulksmash
Cleaning up.



Joined: 20 Apr 2008
Posts: 7113 | TRs | Pics
Location: Arlington
Hulksmash
Cleaning up.
PostMon Jan 25, 2010 10:15 am 
ditto.gif 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. frown.gif

"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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Arksearcher
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Joined: 28 Jun 2012
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Arksearcher
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PostThu Jun 28, 2012 6:18 pm 
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.
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Arksearcher
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Arksearcher
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PostFri Jun 29, 2012 12:48 am 
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.
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