Smoky, hazy air from the Cascade Creek Fire on Mount Adams made this a good day for a hike in the deep woods rather than on a ridge top.

We could smell the forest fire smoke all morning; a freshening breeze cleared much of the smoke and haze after lunch.

Quartz Creek Trail #5 is the only deep valley hike in the Dark Divide Roadless Area. The trail starts on Forest Road 90 (Lewis River Road), just before the road crosses Quartz Creek.

For many years, the trail has been inaccessible beyond the first two miles due to the large number of huge, fallen trees across the trail. A few hardy hikers, such as Kurt Wieland, have climbed over, under and around these giants and then reported back on the problems.

WTA's BCRT crews have spent several work parties this year logging out the trail between Straight Creek and Snagtooth Creek (at four miles).

In addition, Straight Creek has been a nemesis ("something that a person cannot conquer") for hikers and trail crews for the past 16 years. Prior to the 1996 flood, Straight Creek had a narrow channel spanned by a huge Douglas-fir log with an ax-hewn top. During the flood, the creek blew out, probably due to clear cutting upstream, scoured the channel to bedrock and widened it by several sizes, and washed away the footlog.

We decided that low stream flow at the end of a long dry spell was our best chance to achieve a crossing of Straight Creek and hike the Quartz Creek Trail.

When we arrived at Straight Creek, we found the log that the WTA crews had been using as a crossing. Straight Creek's scoured and iron-oxidized bottom has some sort of algal growth that makes it slippery as ice to try to wade across. Even the dry rocks above the water are slippery unless you can stand on them exactly flat-footed. Without a log, Straight Creek still would be impassable.

I understand that the Forest Service did have a bridge constructed for this trail once, but ended up using it elsewhere. Quartz Creek Trail still needs a bridge at Straight Creek, since the current log will be gone with the next high water.

Beyond Straight Creek, we found the area where the BCRT crews had been working. Only two large logs remained to be scrambled over during the next two miles to Snagtooth Creek. Other logs could be stepped over or gone under.

Along the entire hike, we saw motorcycle tracks on the trail tread. An illegal rider somehow managed to get his motorcycle over the two large logs. Once the word gets out that the trail has been logged out, I expect there will be more trespass riding.

We stopped for lunch and turnaround at Snagtooth Creek. The log bridge is missing at Snagtooth Creek, too, but the boulder stream bottom provides options for rock-hopping.

The hike was 8 miles with about 1,900 feet of elevation gain.

My advice: don't believe the guide book authors who say the elevation gain is only 500 feet. That may be the elevation difference between the trailhead and Snagtooth Creek, but the trail is seldom level. It climbs repeatedly over side ridges and drops just as steeply down the other side, and weaves in and out of side canyons. Those feet add up!

I took a day trip up Quartz Creek to scope out the project site for our next Backcountry Response Team (BCRT). Last weekend a WTA volunteer crew dropped in via the short, steep Quartz Creek Butte Trail #5B and camped there where the trail leads you to a large log to scamper across the creek. They bucked out 30 logs in that vicinity!

Our next crew is scheduled to hike in the 2 miles from the bottom and camp at Straight Creek. Now that the spring run-off has subsided it is safe to ford. I noticed that this year's winter storms dropped a new tree across the creek that is fairly easy to walk across keeping your feet dry.

Between Straight Creek and a bit beyond Snagtooth Creek I counted over 30 trees across the trail, including some that were nearly 4 ft. in diameter. After crossing Snagtooth Creek and scrambling over several trees it was a welcome relief to encounter the trail section cleared by the volunteers!

There are impacted sites to camp at both Snagtooth Crk and the jct of Quartz Creek Butte (5B) and Quartz Creek. But in the lower 5 miles I think Straight Creek is the nicest spot with the most room for tents. My favorite section of old growth is halfway between Straight Creek and Snagtooth, but I've heard it gets even better the deeper you go up the valley.

We've got 2 more BCRT crews on the calendar to continue clearing downed trees and our aim is to open up the entire 9 mile trail by the end of next season. In addition to buck out, there is lots of brushing and tread work to do too.

Stumbled on this water fall by accident with a friend. Drove up Forest rd. 9300 and hiked up toward Snagtooth mt. Then started bushwhacking our way toward Lewis River Horse Camp. It was a really tough hike. We ended up making camp at the upper falls. In the morning, we followed snagtooth creek to where it meets quartz creek and followed the trail to lewis river horse camp. If you just want to get to the falls start at Lewis river horse camp and follow quartz creek upstream until it meets snag tooth creek. Keep going up snagtooth creek and you will eventually find the falls. There is no trail into the falls, you just have to follow the creek. A map and compass are helpful.

I think this is one of the most beautiful places I've been. The old-growth trees are magnificent and the cascades of clear water pouring over orange tinged bedrock, filling cool, blue pools are perfect after a hot day of trail maintenance.

Our BCRT crew camped at Straight Creek and worked the next couple miles up the trail towards Snagtooth Creek brushing out the trail and fixing up the tread. We also bucked out around 10 logs with a cross-cut. It was a really hot weekend so we were so glad to jump into one of the pools along Quartz Creek at the end of the day.

Being late in the season the water is low so crossing Straight Creek wasn't too difficult. It was slippery on the smooth stones and two hiking poles are nice to have. There is also a skinny log for the tight rope walkers, or you can go more upstream to pick you way across a complicated log jam. Pick your poison.

Past Straight Creek the trail is in good shape thanks to the WTA volunteers. There are a few huge trees to go over or under, they were too big for our saws. One of them you can walk across for almost 100 ft. as it parallels the trail. It is really cool.

About 2.5 miles past Straight Creek and you come to Snagtooth Creek. There is a small site to camp there, but it's not as nice as the site at Straight Creek. Beyond there I'm told there are many, many trees across the trail. We'll be back next year for another round of cross-cut and trail maintenance!