Well, after 3 or 4 years of futile attempts to hike the entirety of this trail, my spouse and I finally did it. Initial hike to camp was about 9 miles in (about a quarter mile or so before Hardscrabble Creek). Day 2 we hiked from camp to Stuart Pass and back, and day 3 we hiked out. We encountered a total of 133 logs of varying complexities and configurations. There are a number of larger ones, but most are 12in in diameter or less. I had planned to take pics and make waypoints of each one, only to realize that my phone was out of juice on day 2, and I had forgotten my solar panel charger. So, the best I could do was indicate how many logs are down in each section of the trail. I figure that’s better than nothing, especially since it appears parts of the trail are difficult to access.
For organizational purposes I’ve broken the trail down into 7 sections.
- Trailhead to Falls Creek Trail (5.9 miles) 9 logs total. We took out 3 small ones (6in diameter or less) within the first 3 miles, then decided to curtail our efforts, because we needed to make it to camp. Only so much daylight this time of year. There are 6 logs remaining after the 3 mile mark, one of which is really large.
- Falls Creek Trail to Cascade Creek Trail (2 miles) 8 logs down. Right before the Cascade Creek Trail junction, there is a creek crossing with remnants of an old bridge that can be navigated later in the season. Last time we were here early season we had to use a downed log on the upslope of the trail to cross the creek. It could be kind of sketchy if you aren’t sure footed. A new bridge here could be cool and may even survive several years.
- Cascade Creek Trail to Hardscrabble Creek Trail (1.3 miles) 3 logs down initially, but we took one out since it was small and basically just laying across the trail. There is also a section right before our campsite where the creek is taking over the trail. A few years ago early season it was completely overtaken with rushing water, and we had to turn around. Though the creek was still running over the trail, we could still navigate.
- Hardscrabble Creek Trail to Fourth Creek Trail (1.7 miles) This is where things get kind of dicey. Route finding skills are necessary to get past Hardscrabble creek. It’s one of those areas that is subject to change each season and has forced us to turn back more than once. A bridge would be nice, but I sense it would be totally pointless. This creek has its own agenda. Immediately after the creek crossing the trail disappears into an overgrown washout of tall brush, rock, and sand. It’s easy to get turned around here, as it appears there are several trails, and they all look the same. Once you get past this, there are 30 logs of various sizes and configurations further awaiting your perseverance. Aside from downed logs, there are also several precarious leaners that will either come down this winter or will require some future discussion and problem solving.
- Fourth Creek Trail to Beverly Turnpike Trail (1.7 miles) Ugh. This section was utterly demoralizing. The trail itself should be easy, but with 70 logs of all sorts, shapes, sizes, configurations, and complexities, it was exhausting. Maybe I would have felt better if I could’ve taken some of them out, but there’s only so much daylight, and we were determined to complete the trail! Note there will probably be more logs next season as there are a few leaners in this section as well.
- Beverly Turnpike Trail to Longs Pass Trail (.5 miles) Sweet relief! I think this section is actually receiving regular maintenance, probably because there are a few mountaineering trails leading up to Stuart here. That said, we still encountered 8 logs, but they were much easier to navigate.
- Longs Pass Trail to Stuart Pass (1.2 miles) We actually ran into some people (2 on the way up and 1 on the way down) after going all day seeing no one. The trail itself is alright, lots of loose rock in places, though certainly better maintained than the other sections. And there was actually a small bridge made from milled wood in relatively good condition! I’m still scratching my head about that one. The trail climbs about 1200 feet out of the treeline and up to the pass. We only encountered 5 logs. And we FINALLY made it to Stuart pass!
Comments