Squire Creek Pass via Eight-mile Trail — Tuesday, Aug. 13, 2019

I traded my hikeathon shirt today for a trail crew shirt and went back to work the Eight Mile trail reroute. The road going in, well, there was a Ford something or other sedan up there, so a regular car can make it, slowly. Don't be fooled by the first 2 miles, the rest is almost as rocky as the trail (before the reroute). There are several gravel filled dry stream bed crossings where the FS must have pulled out the culverts. Only one is a bit tricky because of the large dip on one side. Lots of potholes too and no loo at the TH. (Use the one at the Clear Creek campground before you start up) My old Forester did OK. The trailwork was a continuation of the switchback reroute bypassing the rock gully that was previously considered the trail. We ended up completing a crib wall that was started by a previous crew, and beginning some more benching and flattening of the new trail. This will make the lower section a bit easier to hike and more sustainable over the long run. And I hate to say it, cuz I really don't like crowded trails, but this one does need a bit more boots so it doesn't dissappear. Our trail crew hasn't touched the upper part, so I'm sure it's as gnarly as it ever was.  Help my hikeathon wta fundraiser for trailwork like this: give.wta.org/Muledeer100