Forum Index > Pacific NW History > Squire Cr: Walt Bailey reminisces from 1934
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Kim Brown
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Kim Brown
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PostMon Apr 06, 2020 9:05 pm 
Perusing old Pack & Paddle magazines for an article I promised to find on another thread and ran across this one, written by Walt Bailey when he was on the CCC crew that built Squire Creek, that interested me, too. Kitya's recent trip report prompted me to post about the article. I recall seeing the rock that Walt Bailey depicts and discusses, and probably others do, too. It's practically on the trail. Mike Collier, once a wilderness ranger for Darrington District, now a trail contractor (I think he's based in Idaho now) did extensive work on the Squire Cr trail about a decade ago ( or more? I think it was after the slide. God I'm getting old) and mentioned to me that the old trail crew slept under that rock, and now I see the story! Published in the July, 1995 issue of Pack & Paddle Magazine.
read the entire article here
read the entire article here
Walt and the collapsed lean-to
Walt and the collapsed lean-to
remains sill log
remains sill log
Cedar stumps
Cedar stumps
Big  rock
Big rock

"..living on the east side of the Sierra world be ideal - except for harsher winters and the chance of apocalyptic fires burning the whole area." Bosterson, NWHiker's marketing expert
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Kim Brown
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Kim Brown
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PostMon Apr 06, 2020 9:11 pm 
Here's the text for those who may not be able to read from the photo. Written by Walt Bailey for Pack & Paddle Magazine, July 1995 issue. Back in 1939 when I was an enrollee in the Civilian conservation Corps, I, along with three other enrollees and a forest Service foreman, was working on the Squire Creek trail near Darrington. We built a beautiful lean-to from Alaska cedar trees that we felled. We also felled a 5-foot red cedar tree to make hand-split shakes for the roof. And we also split 7-food cedar boards for two double deck bunks inside the lean-to. We moved the green cedar logs with ropes and pulleys to the lean-to site. Using a horse, the Forest Service packer brought cement mix and the metal top and pipe for the stove that was built in front of the lean-to. The Forest Service foreman and one of the enrollees slept in a tent which was also used for eating our meals and storing our food. We had a garbage pit a short distance from the tent, and every morning we would find food scraps put back on a shelf inside the tent by the pack rats. Two of the other enrollees and I slept under a huge rock. In July 1993, after 54 years, I went back to the Squire Creek trail on a Volunteers for Outdoor Washington work party and Randy Patterson and I slept under the same rock for one night. All that is left of the lean-to are some shakes and two logs. The mice were there that night, but I saw no sign of the pack rats. Only two of us who worked on this project are still living. The is probably the last lean-to built by the 3Cs in the Mount Baker National Forest.

"..living on the east side of the Sierra world be ideal - except for harsher winters and the chance of apocalyptic fires burning the whole area." Bosterson, NWHiker's marketing expert
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kitya
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kitya
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PostMon Apr 06, 2020 9:42 pm 
thanks for posting this and i finally learned what a lean-to is!

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Kim Brown
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Kim Brown
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PostTue Apr 07, 2020 1:47 pm 
This is extra incentive to get back to that trail. But lord, it will be such a pain in the ass. Can't wait!

"..living on the east side of the Sierra world be ideal - except for harsher winters and the chance of apocalyptic fires burning the whole area." Bosterson, NWHiker's marketing expert
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Schenk
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Schenk
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PostThu Apr 09, 2020 1:41 pm 
Back when I used to live in the Seattle area we climbed on Squire Creek Wall on occasion. The trail was fairly decent then. the late 80s. My memory is hazy but the the picture of the Big Rock looks familiar.

Nature exists with a stark indifference to humans' situation.
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