This was a 5 day loop around the Wenatchee Mountains, all of which was straight forward, except for 8 miles along Etienne Creek (formerly Negro Creek), which I want to detail here.
First, I'm using Green Trail map #209 (revised 1997) and #210 (revised 2001), both list the creek name as Negro Creek. The name Negro Creek was changed to Etienne Creek in 2008 or so, after a freed slaved named Antione Etienne.
Second, I hiked down the Etienne Creek, so I'm giving descriptions in that direction, from top to bottom.
From the pass just west of Navaho Peak (saddle between Falls Creek and Etienne Creek) on the County Line Trail, I could not find the trail. I could easily see the Falls Creek Trail on the north side of the pass, but the Etienne Creek trail is not visible. So I simply headed down the slope. After going downhill 200 yards I picked up a very faint trail at tree line, only to loose it again. The route stays up along tree line, traversing along the hillside in open meadows. If you drop into the forest here (as I incorrectly did), you will end up above a steep drop off, overlooking the canyon-like valley. Stay up in the open meadows, traversing along timberline. I found the trail again at a small flat meadow, a very faint trail was barely discernible in the meadow plants. But once the trail leaves the high traverse and begins the decent, dropping down switchbacks, the trail is obvious and easy to follow. After dropping down a few switchbacks the route traverses along the valley slope, and at a tiny stream, filled with brush alder, the trail is again faint and very overgrown. You have to fight through the brush alder. Past the brush alder the trail is again easy to follow, although overgrown in places, downhill in forest. Near the end the trail leaves the forest and arrives at a narrow grass meadow slope, and here the trail is gone again. Go downhill in the grass for 20-30 feet to find the trail, which is cut through more brush alder at a second tiny stream, and here find the old road 400. (If you are going the opposite direction, leaving Rd 400 at a sharp curve in the road, you go into the brush alder over the tiny creek, and once at the grass slope, go uphill 20 feet, and find the trail in the forest).
Now I walked the old road for a couple miles. I was expecting a wide gravel road, but the road is more trail-like, being overgrown on both sides, now an easy wide trail.
After walking Rd 400 for 2 miles (there are two creek crossings, and one left turn), I crossed over the creek the second time, and a bit after I got confused. My map (Green Trails #210, revised 2001), shows, soon after the creek crossing, this old road (dotted black dash line) climbs up the mountain (south side of Three Brothers), while the unmaintained trail #1210 (green dotted dashed line) leaves Rd 400 on the RIGHT side. I hiked a bit too far on the road, never saw the road climbing up the mountain slope to the left, and ended up staying on the road to the road's end at a dilapidated old log cabin and hunter's camp. I found a trail here, but it dead ended. I backtracked, and found an old two track leaving Rd 400 on the LEFT side. This is indeed the trail. It seams my map is wrong and the trail leaves on the LEFT side of the road 200 yards before the fallen apart wood cabin.
This two track leaves the road, and in 400 yards dead ends at a crossing of Etienne Creek. Across the creek the trail is single track, and ancient-looking. This is what I image our trails will look like 50 years after civilizations ends, just these old paths in the woods, overgrown, with lots of dead fallen trees over the trail. I crossed over a set of 5-6 fallen logs, then traversed the steep hillside. The creek forms a canyon briefly here, the hillside is very steep, the trail narrow and overgrown.
Once downhill and near creek-level things go from bad to worse, to hell. I mean, really bad. At the creek bottom area I loose the trail, staring straight ahead I see only brush alder/vine maple, a jungle-like mess. You can't tell by looking at it, but that jungle-like mess of vines is infact the trail. If you bend down and look inside that jungle, you can see a faint orange tape marking the trail, which from here on out you can faintly see used to be some narrow gauge road. You have to either fight through the vine maple, or go around. Next, I came to a steep hillside next to the creek, where the creek created a landslide and washed out the trail. You have to cross the creek briefly, then re-cross it again, by climbing up and around a boulder. Then resume the brush fighting.
Next up, the horseshoe bend. The map shows a horseshoe bend, and another creek crossing. The trail it totally lost here, I dropped steeply down to the creek, the steeply up a sharp volcanic rock spine/ridge, up and over that spine, then down to the creek again for more brush fighting. It's very very hard going, and very very slow going. It's really bad, but don't worry, it doesn't stay this way for the entire 4.0 mile distance. It is really, really bad for part of the way. Once you come to anther creek crossing and see a miner's hut on the other side, things get a bit better.
Beyond the miner's cabin there is an old bus, then more badly overgrown trail for a ways. Next you leave the woods, and scoot beside a talus slope (the path is right along the border of talus rock and forest), then at a crossing of the creek via a row of sticks the trail is finally much, much better. Soon there is a second creek crossing via a row of small logs, then the path becomes more like road-to-trail, further along I passed a backhoe and tracker, and from here on out it's more road than trail.
After 4 bad miles I came to the old Highway 97, where there used to be a high bridge over Etienne Creek. The bridge is now gone, but there is the bridge support tower, a steep gorge down to the creek, and traffic noise of Highway 97.
For the next couple miles you follow this old highway. Part of the way you walk along pavement, down a white painted stripe down the middle. Sometimes there is 1-2 inches of pine needle duff making for soft trail over old paved road. And there is a segment where the old highway was destroyed by a big landslide, and you now follow a bulldozer-made route up, across, and down the rocky landslide. After the landslide there is a nice high view at a cliff-top, looking down at the highway below, and looking out across the valley of Peshastin Creek. In another mile or less you come to the metal bridge over Icicle Creek and the gate.
Comments