FYI

[AllYouCanEat]

10 miles or so from the parking lot to Cascade Pass is a big log. If you head up there bring a big chainsaw and if you cut it out let me know. Not cool to come upon that sucker at 5 in the morning.

[klenke]

Where in relation to the Hidden Lake Peaks or Middle Fork Cascade River Road turn-offs is this log? Before or after?

[skykilo]

It's after Hidden Lake Peaks. It seems like there might have been another road, too, but I'm not sure. It was at mile 15.

[klenke]

According to my red Beckey Schmeckey, the Middle Fork Cascade River Road (actually, it's called the South Fork Cascade River Road) is at 16.2 miles just beyond Mineral Park. Ergo, the big log might affect access to this road and make a hike in to Formidable or the south side of J-berg about 3 miles longer...unless the F.S. comes out of hibernation and does something about the windfall.

[klenke]

Catbirdseat and I were on the Cascade River Road yesterday. The windfall has been removed. The road is open all the way to the Eldorado Trailhead, whereupon it is gated (as usual at this time of year). No snow anywhere around the Eldorado T.H. Crews have been re-graveling and modestly regrading from about mile 10 to Eldo T.H. We came upon a major three-foot wide, eight-foot deep sinkhole right in the middle of the road right around a bend about halfway between mileposts 17 and 18. If they don't fix it, with another good rain that 100-ft stretch of road may erode away even more. CBS put a large branch in the hole to warn drivers of it. It is nearly invisible when coming from the west (in fact, I straddled it with my car when we saw it at the last second). I stuck my 24-ounce Foster's beer can on the branch as a bright reflector to warn of the danger. "Foster's: Australian for Danger."

 

South Fork Cascade River Road is drivable (but a tight squeeze) at least until a stream ford at 6/10ths of a mile. A high clearance vehicle could easily cross this ford.

 

Incidentally, on the Lookout Mountain Trail we did not run into permanent snowcover until 3,400 ft. About a foot of new at the 5,700-ft top. First party this year to sign the lookout register. Avalanche conditions were considerable (saw some areas where avys had occurred quite recently). Caused a few small slides ourselves, but we were never endangering ourselves.

 

Oh, and I seem to have lost my driver's license at the Lookout Mountain trailhead. Bugger! Oh well, it expires in May anyway.

 

[Billygoat]

Any one want to go up to Spider/Formidable next week to hike/ski/climb/look around? I have a high clearance 4WD, a tank of gas, and I found a place to get Olympia in the grenade bottles.

[AlpineK]

AllYouCanEat said:

10 miles or so from the parking lot to Cascade Pass is a big log. If you head up there bring a big chainsaw and if you cut it out let me know. Not cool to come upon that sucker at 5 in the morning.

 

I saw that log in the road as well. You would have needed a chain saw with a 3' bar and a peevee to clear the road. I left mine at home.

[klenke]

Lest there be some confusion for those not reading through all posts: As I said, the big log has been removed as of 4/10/03. You can drive all the way to the Eldorado trailhead no problem.

[To_The_Top]

But the can and sinkhole are still there?

"I stuck my 24-ounce Foster's beer can on the branch as a bright reflector to warn of the danger. "Foster's: Australian for Danger."

Sounds like a club-serg trip.

 

[AllYouCanEat]

Ha, I agree AlpineK. I left mine at home too. I guess I need to bring my "...weapons of mass destruction," next time I head up there (just in case).

Edited April 10, 2003 by AllYouCanEat