Forum Index > Public Lands Stewardship > DOSEWALLIPS - Another year is lost
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sailBOI
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sailBOI
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PostWed Jun 23, 2004 7:30 pm 
shakehead.gif The USFS has withdrawn the decision to repair the Dosewallips Road. A revised EA will be released by this Fall. http://www.peninsuladailynews.com/sited/story/html/166841 This work is only able to be done in the Fall, due to environmental constraints, so the road will remain closed this summer and next summer. There is no question that we are losing 4 years of access due to a vocal minority who are utilizing convoluted environmental regulations in ways never intended by Congress, to eliminate an access corridor specifically mandated by Congress. The saddest aspect is that Democracy itself is in jeoprady. As evidenced in these forums, most people want environmental protection, but not at the cost of lost access. The issue is that certain purists want the word "untrammeled" , as used in the Wilderness Act, to mean NO PEOPLE ! Your comments on the unfortunate delay can be addressed to: appeals-pacificnorthwest-regional-office@fs.fed.us Thanks......... www.brinnonprosperity.org bawl.gif PS: another thread is running here : http://www.cascadeclimbers.com/threadz/showflat.php?Cat=0&Number=365729

I am working on reopening the Dosewallips Road for campers and hikers . Join our effort at : www.brinnonprosperity.org
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aestivate
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PostThu Jun 24, 2004 4:56 pm 
Ah, sailBOI, you're getting a little repetitive. You neglected to note that the decision was withdrawn because the NW regional office concluded that the appellants would likely succeed in court. In other words, the appellants were raising valid points. They won. A continuous feature of your posts is lamenting "lost access". Please learn to call this by its proper name, "motorized access". Those of us who still like to walk understand that not being able to drive someplace is not the same as not being able to get there. I might suggest that you and other Brinnon chamber-of-commerce boosters put some energy into promoting the new trailhead, viz, the washout. You might try lobbying for a new trail as well, up pt 4895 on the Mt Jupiter ridge, a superior viewpoint. A river flat short trail on the other side of the river might work as well. If you put half as much energy into promoting the currently drivable-to trailhead and its attractions as you do into getting the road rebuilt to the bitter end, you could probably boost visitor numbers back up to their old levels, and swell the coffers of Brinnon businesses, which is I presume the real point of all your posts. I realize this might take some imagination, and adaptability, but perhaps you can find someone with those qualities to help you out.

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MtnGoat
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PostThu Jun 24, 2004 7:17 pm 
Then let us call it lost motorized access. The central point being the loss of access for those who choose to utilize that manner of access. Like the Middle Fork Snoqualmie issues, this one represents a number of people who decide that their method of access is the only permissible one, and decide to engage in trying to *reduce* the ways in which access occurs to suit their own agenda. Everyone, including myself, has agendas of various sorts. In these cases however, we find that the goal is to make access longer and more difficult. This favors only those with the time and inclination to do the longer routes. The proponents of these ideas can actually do the longer routes *AT ANY TIME* should they choose to do so, wether or not the roads are open. Especially in the case of the MFK, where there is a trail on the opposite shore of the river for it's entire length, a trail which can probably never see or hear the road on the other side. This is not good enough however, and the goal of these tactics is for everyone else to be forced to abide by the exclusions favored by these folks. What we see here is an attempt to make their preferences into the only choice for all users. These legal battles exemplify why we must be extremely careful in legislating new protections, as they are often distorted and used in ways not intended by their authors, to increase costs and schedules for work in order to win their war by attrition. This obstruction by any means accomplishes their goal of reducing access choices to those they approve of, including motorized access on established, not new, roads, at the expense of all other users.

Diplomacy is the art of saying 'Nice doggie' until you can find a rock. - Will Rogers
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jimmymac
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PostThu Jun 24, 2004 9:53 pm 
It only appears that the naysayers want to force everyone to access the campgrounds and trailhead on foot. I believe the unspoken intent is to eliminate visitation by others who might detract from the no-roaders' more legitimate wilderness visits. By keeping the campgrounds empty and eliminating much of the day hike traffic, the selfish "guardians of the wilderness" create an exclusive resort for the professional leisurist. Hourly workers, families, casual hikers, and other human trash can simply remain in Dosewallips State Park where they belong, leaving the upper valley for the more deserving.

"Profound serenity is the product of unfaltering Trust and heightened vulnerability."
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markv
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PostFri Jun 25, 2004 11:38 am 
trying not to take sides, but failing
I am in the area for a short time each summer. It's not for professional leisure. I have 2 weeks of work near Quilcene, in the middle of which i always have about a day and a half off to hike. At first, i read the stuff about the road being washed out and cursed a little and decided to drive to further away access points to different parts of the park. Obviously, there were lots of nearby options for drive-in casual hiking. This summer, i'm just going to walk in at Dosewallips. It sounds like part of the adventure, and i'm looking forward to it. I guess perspective changes sometimes. So, any words of wisdom on what i can expect and which way to go with my day and a half? Lake Constance looks like more work than i might want to do, especially if i talk a colleague into joining me. Should i just follow the main trail along the river instead for a ways? Where is the best camp? smile.gif

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aestivate
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PostFri Jun 25, 2004 6:47 pm 
markv wrote:
This summer, i'm just going to walk in at Dosewallips. It sounds like part of the adventure, and i'm looking forward to it. I guess perspective changes sometimes. So, any words of wisdom on what i can expect and which way to go with my day and a half? Lake Constance looks like more work than i might want to do, especially if i talk a colleague into joining me. Should i just follow the main trail along the river instead for a ways? Where is the best camp? smile.gif
Well, the old Dose campground, in riverflat big timber, is actually a pretty mellow place to camp now, and it probably won't take you more than 2-1/2 hours from the washout. There will probably be a party or two sharing it, if you stay there. From there, constance pass is a pretty nice day trip. There's also a nice isolated campsite (short road spur visible on the 1:24000 map) about a half mile before the Dose campground. I'm sure there are places to camp upstream of there too before you get to the constance pass turnoff. With a day and a half, I would not recommend lugging camping gear uphill to the subalpine zone on constance, although it's very pretty. I highly recommend the constance pass trail, though. If you have extra energy, there's more mellow summits you can bag along the ridge to the W from the pass. Constance pass is more or less in the rainshadow zone, and the treelines there are quite interesting, subalpine fir, and some endemic plants. The road itself, I personally think is a pleasant walk, getting nicer past elkhorn. It's nice to watch nature slowly reclaiming the road. The gorge section past the lake constance trailhead is particularly pleasant.

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Dave Weyrick
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PostSat Jun 26, 2004 9:30 am 
At the risk of being chastised for repeating myself..... bike the road. Any bike will do since you can, as I do, push it up the steepest sections. The ride back is a five mile thrill...check your brakes first. Wherever your energy takes you, don't miss the new High Dose Bridge, less than a half mile up the West Fork Dose from the trail junction. It's nearly 100 feet above the river and well worth a visit.

If I'd known ya was gonna use bait I wouldn't a brought ya!
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Captain Trips
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PostFri Oct 15, 2004 4:10 pm 
Maybe Dave's idea will be the norm as the park could make the Dose campground a walk-in site like the boulder creek campground at the North end of the park.

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sculpturearts
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PostMon Oct 25, 2004 8:56 pm 
Bicycle is another access option on these closed roads.

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sailBOI
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sailBOI
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PostFri Nov 12, 2004 9:26 pm 
Dealing with higher demand in Olympic National Park. What is wrong with the type of trail/access management used in the Swiss Alps & NZ Southern Alps. The shelters are booked ahead, the administrators have an idea who is where. If we are forced into better management, wouldn't that be preferable to preventing access in popular areas ?? This would still leave the out of the way areas with no restrictions. Also, if roads fail they should be built better. There is no reason that the Carbon or Dose Rds should be abandoned for engineering reasons. The radicals want them abandoned for quasi-religious reasons, but they use potential failure as an excuse. The Quilcene Brinnon Chamber of Commerce and www.brinnonprosperity.org are not only advocating the repair of the Dose Road. We are advocating the restoration of the original Dose Trail along the South side of the river. This trail was abandoned at the time the Dose Rd was completed. This would be the first "new" trail in the ONP in a generation, and would entail a new foot/horse bridge across the Dose in the area of the now unused Ranger Station and Trail head to the back country. People could park at the 10 mile bridge, just above the washout, hiking to the Park without seeing the vehicular traffic on the repaired road. This sort proactive approach to to the increased need for trails deals with the issue raised inIra Spring's Letter. ( click lower right to enlarge ) I submit the the same folks who are suing to prevent shelter replacement in ONP, will act to prevent ANY NEW trails to accomodate the increased number of Hikers in the NW dizzy.gif I think people in this forum should support a moderate number of new trails to avoid overcrowding on the steadily diminished existing facilities winksmile.gif

I am working on reopening the Dosewallips Road for campers and hikers . Join our effort at : www.brinnonprosperity.org
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sailBOI
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sailBOI
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PostFri Nov 19, 2004 5:46 pm 
These are the sort of emails I get frequently from strangers, folks whose age has kept them from hiking in to Olympic Park now that the road is closed: I'VE SPENT ALOT OF TIME UP IN ELKHORN CAMPGROUND IN THE PAST FEW YEARS HUNTING, EXPLORING AND JUST RELAXING AND ENJOYING IT ALL. IN THE LAST FEW YEARS MY BODY TOOK A TURN FOR THE WORST AND NOW I CAN'T EXPLORE ON FOOT ANY MORE BUT, I STILL CAN DRIVE MY JEEP. I WOULD LIKE NOTHING MORE THAN TO GO UP TO ELKHORN AND SPEND SOME QUALITY TIME WITH MY GRANDSON AND SHOW HIM WHERE GRANDPA SPENT ALOT OF TIME ENJOYING LIFE AND HELPING SUPPORT THE GOOD PEOPLE OF BRINNON. SAY, IS THE GEODUCK TAVERN STILL OPEN? frown.gif These folks are paying taxes like everyone else. Many of them are veterans that have sacrificed for their Country huh.gif

I am working on reopening the Dosewallips Road for campers and hikers . Join our effort at : www.brinnonprosperity.org
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phillyjon
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PostSat Nov 20, 2004 8:45 pm 
Does the portion of road that is washed-out go thru virgin timber? If so, make it Park. If it goes thru old burn and clearcut, I think it should be repaired, BUT ONLY AT THE POINTS OF WASHOUT< AND NO WIDER THEN THE ORIGINAL. I don't know enough about it. Particularly, if the motives in the above post are solely for access for the handicapped and elderly. Allot also depends on the size of the budget for the forest service. I don't think they'll be getting a whole lot this year, or the next four. In that case we'll have to decide priorities.

"No matter how high one sits upon a pedestal, one still sits upon his arse." Ben Franklin
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sailBOI
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sailBOI
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PostSat Nov 20, 2004 9:45 pm 
PhillyJon wrote:
Does the portion of road that is washed-out go thru virgin timber? If so, make it Park. If it goes thru old burn and clearcut, I think it should be repaired, BUT ONLY AT THE POINTS OF WASHOUT< AND NO WIDER THEN THE ORIGINAL. I don't know enough about it. Particularly, if the motives in the above post are solely for access for the handicapped and elderly. Allot also depends on the size of the budget for the forest service. I don't think they'll be getting a whole lot this year, or the next four. In that case we'll have to decide priorities.
The terrain in the washout area is not suitable for a campground. Although the repair needs to be done on NFS land, the road is actually an access road to ONP and the handicapped campground located by the Dosewallips Ranger station. This is a key access point to the back country, and for whitewater kayaking. The NFS Ranger came to our Chamber of Commerce meeting in October at Brinnon, he has said that funding is available for this priority project. The Geotech work went well and a decision to rebuild is expected in Spring, with work targeted for Fall 05. Repair comparisons wink.gif

I am working on reopening the Dosewallips Road for campers and hikers . Join our effort at : www.brinnonprosperity.org
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Dayhike Mike
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Dayhike Mike
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PostSat Nov 20, 2004 10:11 pm 
sailBOI wrote:
These are the sort of emails I get frequently from strangers...
Man...sucks to be you. Anything that shows up in my inbox with all caps would be deleted faster than a speeding bullet.

"There is only one basic human right, the right to do as you damn well please. And with it comes the only basic human duty, the duty to take the consequences." -P.J. O'Rourke "Ignorance is natural. Stupidity takes commitment." -Solomon Short
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phillyjon
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PostSun Nov 21, 2004 10:37 am 
What about my question if the washed out portion of the road goes thru virgin timber or old burn and clearcut.

"No matter how high one sits upon a pedestal, one still sits upon his arse." Ben Franklin
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