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timberghost
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PostWed Aug 24, 2022 8:13 am 
Why? That's a loaded question!! Maybe because they can. Why does a bird fly? Because it can.

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brewermd
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PostWed Aug 24, 2022 2:18 pm 
the PCT thru hikers have just walked over 2000 miles to get there, they can also walk the thirty miles back down the trail to Hwy 20. That is what I have heard them say they are going to do.

Brushbuffalo, Bronco, rbuzby
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treeswarper
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PostThu Aug 25, 2022 12:56 pm 
Sounds seriouser today. Alert - Hart's Pass Road (5400), Methow Valley Ranger District, Okanogan County - August 25 Forest users are asked to avoid the Hart’s Pass Road until further notice. The road has been made passable for emergency access, but there is still work needed to make the road safe for regular travel. The condition of the road is still very rough, severely outsloped, there is a stream overflowing the road, and the material is still saturated leaving it vulnerable to further slides. Debris has not been fully cleared from the road. Storms forecast over the next several days increase the risk of further slides blocking access on the road. Avoid walking the Hart’s Pass road if equipment is working, unless no other options are viable. Pacific Crest Trail hikers that planned to exit the trail at Hart’s Pass should plan for alternate routes. The Pacific Crest Trail Association has provided suggested alternatives at: https://www.pcta.org/.../harts-pass-road-closed-mudslide/. Forest engineers are assessing the damage and what is needed to fully repair the road for safe vehicle access. The rock and debris slides across Hart's Pass Road occurred near Dead Horse Point on the evening of Monday August 22. On August 23, crews from Okanogan County were able to clear a single lane path through multiple slides across Hart's Pass Road to enable those trapped beyond the slide to exit the area. As crews worked to clear the road the discovered more than ten slides of varying sizes had crossed the road. The most significant slide occurred approximately four miles in. However, damage continued for another two miles further up the road to Cache Creek. The damage to the road consisted mostly of material sloughs that narrowed the roadway, blocked ditches, and plugged culverts. Plugged culverts leave the road vulnerable to further damage if the area receives significant rain.

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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rbuzby
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PostThu Aug 25, 2022 1:04 pm 
Deadhorse point is where the road going Southwest rounds a corner then goes Northwest, away from the Methow and up the Rattlesnake creek drainage. In case anybody was wondering where that is, like I was.

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timberghost
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PostThu Aug 25, 2022 1:07 pm 
Anyone find any crystals up there?

mosey
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cdestroyer
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PostThu Aug 25, 2022 2:04 pm 
if there are any hikers beyond the slide area and cant figure out how to vacate the forest should not have been there in the first place....people with vehicles can wait it out,or hike out for food and return to get their vehicles. it aint but a few miles to hwy 20 any direction...

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slabbyd
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PostFri Aug 26, 2022 8:48 am 
Any PCT hiker who’s made it this far could easily head south and out the Methow River trail (~20 miles total from Harts) in no time.

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treeswarper
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PostFri Aug 26, 2022 4:06 pm 
The story by Marcy Stamper. HEAVY RAINS CAUSE MASSIVE ROCKSLIDES ON HARTS PASS Road open only to emergency travel By Marcy Stamper Four employees of the Methow Valley Ranger District safely navigated the rocky, narrow Harts Pass Road in treacherous conditions as torrential rains sent rocks cascading onto the road and seriously limited visibility on Monday (Aug. 22). The rockslides completely blocked the road until Okanogan County Public Works heavy-equipment crews were able to move enough 4-foot boulders to build a temporary road around the edge of the slide on Tuesday. The road has been made passable for emergency access, but work is still needed to make the road safe for regular travel, and forest users are asked to avoid the road until further notice. Saturated material and plugged culverts make the road vulnerable to further slides, according to the ranger district. The ranger district work crew was coming down the mountain in three pick-up trucks when they hit a blinding rainstorm near Deadhorse Point, Methow Valley District Ranger Chris Furr said. The first two vehicles made it through the showering debris despite very poor visibility, but their colleague was trapped behind a massive slide that rendered the road impassable, he said. “Rocks were falling down as they were passing through. There was nothing to do but try to continue through it,” Furr said. There were 10 rockslides in all. The largest, about 1 mile downhill from Deadhorse Point, was 80 to 100 feet long and 25 feet deep, according to Okanogan County Emergency Manager Maurice Goodall. The ranger district contacted Goodall on Monday night because the slides had stranded campers and hikers at Harts Pass. Because of the emergency situation, Okanogan County Public Works sent a high-track cat and an excavator early Tuesday morning, Okanogan County Engineer Josh Thomson said. “It was a weird mix of large rock and mud. It was so saturated that it was hard to walk across,” he said. This wasn’t full-scale road repair, but an emergency fix so people could get out, Goodall said. “It’s rough, but people can get in and out,” he said. There were five small slides on Deadhorse Point, but they involved smaller rock, shale and mud that the crew was able to clear. Another slide occurred higher up at Cache Creek. Some 50 campers and hikers were stranded in the Harts Pass area at 6,200 feet, half a dozen miles above Deadhorse Point. This is an especially busy time of year, as through-hikers who’ve trekked the entire Pacific Crest Trail from Mexico reach the Canadian border and backtrack to head out at Harts Pass, Furr said. Thomson and ranger district employees made it past the slides on Tuesday to notify campers and hikers about the situation. The district also sent out social media posts through the PCT Association and Okanogan-Wenatchee National Forest, which many through-hikers monitor, Furr said. About 20 people walked down and were shuttled out by Goodall and ranger district employees, and others drove out or were picked up after the county crews finished the emergency repairs. Everyone who wanted to leave on Tuesday was able to get out, but there were more than a dozen cars still parked at trailheads, since people were doing multi-day trips, Furr said. “We’re very fortunate everyone made it out OK.” he said. U.S. Forest Service engineers are assessing the damage to determine what’s needed to fully repair the road for safe vehicle access. The slides were caused by four storms that moved through the area on Monday afternoon and evening, dropping heavy rain in a short period, National Weather Service meteorologist Laurie Nisbet said. The weather service sent out flash-flood warnings before the storm. Radar estimates showed 2.53 inches of rain on Thompson Ridge Road above Sun Mountain Lodge, 1.78 inches on Sandy Butte near Mazama, and 2.1 inches at Thirtymile in the Chewuch drainage. Little or no rain was recorded in Winthrop and Twisp, according to the weather service. Some of the downpour pelted the burn scar from last summer’s Cedar Creek Fire, sending mud, rocks, trees and debris onto a primitive stretch of Wolf Creek Road outside Winthrop, closing 3 miles of it, Goodall said. The slide gouged a deep ravine on U.S. Forest Service Road 800, which intersects with Wolf Creek Road and is also closed. County road crews picked up huge boulders and were moving debris and repairing Wolf Creek Road and hope to reopen it next week. There are a few vacation homes on the road, but no one living there full time, Goodall said. Pacific Crest Trail hikers who planned to leave the trail at Harts Pass are advised to plan for alternate routes. The Pacific Crest Trail Association has provided alternatives at https://www.pcta.org/.../harts-pass-road-closed-mudslide.

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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neek
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neek
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PostTue Sep 06, 2022 7:40 am 
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HikingBex
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PostTue Sep 06, 2022 10:32 am 
the Forest Service is still asking people to avoid it:
Quote:
Alert - Hart's Pass Road (5400), Methow Valley Ranger District, Okanogan County – September 2, 2022 Forest users are asked to avoid the Hart’s Pass Road until further notice, the road will not be available for regular use until late September, pending road repair and a trailhead development project at Hart’s Pass that has been in the works. The Methow Valley Ranger District is utilizing the same contractor for both efforts. The road repair work will take place first and is targeted to begin September 8th. Construction is expected to last for a week, and access will be extremely limited during that time. Details on that limited access will be available next week by calling the district office at (509) 996-4000.
https://www.facebook.com/OkaWenNF/posts/pfbid0381Ny3HJ7vJ36RjAXVpwkRSTpzdXj6PbmEfSRYRr2UrweiaYpDc54GWGtGPmmy1sil

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Now I Fly
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Now I Fly
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PostTue Sep 06, 2022 4:36 pm 
I must be missing something. Isn't it under eleven miles from Harts Pass to FS5400 via the Robinson Creek Trail? I love that trail. Maybe it was damaged? Brian

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Joey
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PostTue Sep 06, 2022 5:00 pm 
When the map opens, Harts Pass is about at the center. The road up there comes in from the SE.
View larger size in new window

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treeswarper
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treeswarper
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PostWed Sep 07, 2022 9:45 am 
They don't want people driving on that road. The PCT has been closed because of fires in the area. From what I can gather, one of the fires has grown considerably and the smoke column could be seen from the east, in places around Winthrop. Today is supposed to be a red flag day, but so far it is cool and cloudy with no wind.

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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ArcDome
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PostWed Sep 07, 2022 7:26 pm 
Harts Pass Road Article
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Harts Pass road repair starts this week SEPTEMBER 7, 2022 BY METHOW VALLEY NEWS The Methow Valley Ranger District hopes to re-open Harts Pass Road to non-emergency traffic in late September. Harts Pass Road is expected to reopen for regular use in late September, after road repairs and a trailhead development project at Harts Pass are complete, the Methow Valley Ranger District said. The road has been closed to all but emergency traffic after a rockslide deposited large boulders on the road Aug. 22. The slide also diverted creeks from their culverts, saturating the roadbed, according to the ranger district. The road repair is expected to begin Thursday (Sept. 8) and to last about one week. Road access will be very limited during the road work. The trailhead project has been in the works since before the rockslide. The same contractor is working on both projects. The road closure and wildfires have affected the Pacific Crest Trail (PCT). The northernmost section of the PCT from Holman Pass to the Canadian border is closed because of wildfires in the area. Trailhead access is affected by the Harts Pass Road closure. For alternate routes and more information, check the PCT Association website and Facebook page for updates at https://www.facebook.com/PCTAFan. For details about limited access to the Harts Pass Road during road work, call the ranger district at (509) 996-4000.

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treeswarper
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PostThu Sep 08, 2022 9:56 am 
Harts Pass trailhead construction article: Methow Valley Ranger District--Trailhead improvement work is planned for Hart’s Pass Trailhead beginning in mid-September--following the road repair work on the #5400 road from recent debris slides. The public is also advised to avoid the trailhead area during reconstruction in mid-September. People can anticipate delays, no parking availability at this location and potential to encounter heavy equipment working at the trailhead—which will make maneuvering past construction a challenge. “Parking is a chronic issue in this area, with cars often lining the sides of the road, creating unsafe parking and passing conditions,” noted Rosemary Seifried Recreation Manager on the Methow Valley Ranger District. “There are some good things happening up at Hart’s Pass and we need to ask for your continued patience and cooperation while work is taking place throughout September,” Seifried said. During construction, there will be no parking access at the Harts Pass Trailhead, and no parking alongside of the road in the vicinity of the construction. The road is very narrow with limited pullouts; some drivers may not be comfortable driving the road while the potential to encounter heavy equipment exists. If heavy equipment is encountered in a narrow section of the road, drivers may need to drive in reverse on a narrow road with steep drop offs until they reach a safe pull out. Pilot cars will guide the heavy equipment to help minimize this type of encounter. The trailhead project is funded by the Washington State Recreation and Conservation Office and will expand and improve the existing parking lot to ensure safer stock loading and staging areas, including room for stock trucks. Work will also include additional parking spaces and edge barriers for safety; replacement of the old, dilapidated toilet with a new CXT (precast concrete) toilet. A second parking area will be added immediately to the north of the existing lot to provide additional parking capacity and a second toilet. Photos: Hart’s Pass cars parked along the road on a typical fall day and two general area photos of the current trailhead site. The map shows where lower and upper lots will be located, Credit: Forest Service, R. Seifried.

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

brewermd
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