Middle Fork Sno Road

[Al_Pine]

Decision has been made. See link .

 

The "preferred alternative" is going to be adopted. What a surprise.

 

Highlights: road gated at Dingford Creek all the time. road gated at Taylor river Nov-April. Implementation set for Nov 2004.

[catbirdseat]

I didn't know they were going to gate at Taylor River in the winter time. That's news to me. Trips to Goldmyer HS will be quite an adventure in winter.

[Fairweather]

This Fucking pisses me off. Issues like this are the very reason I turned into a bona-fide enviro group hater. I went to two of these "public hearings", and rest assured, the majority of folks at these meetings did not support this decision. No doubt Washington Trails Association, self appointed title-holder to our public lands, got a write-in campaign going. This issue has been kept "under the radar" for the past couple years after initial public outrage. ....So now you see how it works.

 

Fucking WTA! They call themselves a "trails advocacy" organization, but they were key in getting this decision passed. Harvey Manning hiked his trails, took his pics, wrote his guidebooks, and now wants to lock us out. (He too was instrumental in this "project".)

 

Watch out folks.....your favorite area is probably the next target of these groups.

 

 

[mattp]

Fairweather, I don't claim to know Manning's position on all of these issues, but I think I've seen him at public meetings arguing against restrictions on the number of hikers allowed to enter an area, so I am somewhat surprised by your statement that he wants to lock us out. What exactly did he say, and in response to exactly what issue?

[klar404]

Here am I speaking Cartman " Its all a bunch of tree huggin' hippie crap!" Has anyone else read the story of Manning's debacle on Garfield? I believe it was from the publication "Ascent" 'round 90. But, heh, I'm sure that was a reprint from some other time/publication.

 

[Fairweather]

mattp said:

Fairweather, I don't claim to know Manning's position on all of these issues, but I think I've seen him at public meetings arguing against restrictions on the number of hikers allowed to enter an area, so I am somewhat surprised by your statement that he wants to lock us out. What exactly did he say, and in response to exactly what issue?

 

Matt,

 

You may be confusing Manning, who is decidedly anti-access, with the late Ira Spring. Spring, whom I greatly admire, was a true moderate and believed that access ensured continued public interest in wilderness and its preservation. Frankly, I don't know where Ira stood re: MF Road.

 

As for Manning, look at pages 217-219 in "100 Hikes in the Alpine Lakes". If you don't have a copy, I can regurgitate it here, but to summarize: "Permanent closure of The Middle Fork Road is the goal.....eventually trips [up The Middle Fork] can begin at North Bend".

 

Also, look at "MidFORC" and "ALPS" as key players in this farce.

 

I realize criticizing Harvey Manning is blasphemous in present company, but a quick journey through his "Hikes" series, and numerous other publications, reveal him to be completely radicalized IMHO.

[slothrop]

Yikes.

 

Well, at least you can still ride your bike up the last 7.6 miles...

[Crux]

Truely it will be a loss to see pass that lazy option to cruise upon my land yacht so deep into those old woods. But the Middle Fork is not what it was, as much as I'd like it to be. Today, the Middle Fork seems falling to an urban decay while we argue how to manage the circumstance of our own numbers.

 

As I too reluctantly observe the best way to stop the bleeding is to close the cut, I will also remember it was like magic to be able to drive so far and close: To get to within within an easy half-day's walk from Dutch Miller's Gap, we'd rise late in the city and go. Then, two hours later, we'd be hot rodding through the mud and by the SUVs and soobies, puttin' pedal to the medal while floating upon our decrepit beater-car all the way. But hey, what was it really about, back before then, back when?

 

Back when there were no crowds and it was only about a couple-few buddies pressing for a mid-winter camp upon the Crest or a trekking out on a summer's peak-bagging romp, what was it about?

 

Hoo yeah, I do recall! Thus, I say close the gate and lock it! Throw away the key. I'll go ahead and ride a bike and walk; get damn tired, but see it all, see it all the way.

 

As it is and shall ever be.

[catbirdseat]

The Middlefork Valley is rather unique in that it is the only low land forest of its kind that has returned nearly to its original old growth state. It hasn't been logged since the 1940's not counting the lower valley where some recent activity has occurred. Manning was no doubt upset by all the vandalism, littering and hooliganism that has spoilt this otherwise beautiful valley. He figures that if you keep out the vehicles, you keep out the yahoos with their beer cans, shotgun shells, etc.

 

The other extreme is to pave the road to its end and put in ranger stations and camp grounds to manage and control the people who go there. The Forest Service doesn't have the money to do that, so they took a middle stance, which is to close some roads and pave others. I think they did what they had to do. The status quo just wasn't going to cut it.

 

The FS isn't going to sell any timber so they don't want to have to maintain "non-paying" logging roads. They want to be rid of them and I don't blame them.

 

Right now we have a situation in which the bad state of the road discriminates against those who don't have high clearance vehicles. If they can get that Federal money to pave it to Taylor River, then anyone with a car can go there. They plan to have a new camp ground at the same time to meet the new demand. The paved road will make it much easier for the Sheriff to enforce the laws. This will spell the end of lawlessness in the Middlefork Valley.

[chucK]

Crux,

Your reply is quite eloquent, but it doesn't sway me in the least. In fact, it makes me more upset about what the FS is taking away, from me. What you glorify in your prose is still there for me, easy access to uncrowded mountains. Your implication that it is now crowded and needs to be locked up is contrary to my experience.

 

Yes, you will enjoy it and "get damn tired". But no longer will my seventy-five year old father, who I took up there a few years back. Not my kids, not until they can hike 7 miles and not hate me for it. I see this as you being happy that something is being taken away, from others.

 

Sorry. As much as I hate to say it, I see this as Fairweather does. Elitist hikers want the area closed off for their personal gratification and the FS is happy as hell to remove large tracts of land that they are responsible for policing.

[erik]

i've always liked that road. but i see it as a plus for the area. i do not know the details, but keeping the cretins out of the area, will and can only improve it. i like the mtns to be wild and free and this option can help improve that!

 

 

[mattp]

Fairweather, you may right that I am thinking of Spring rather than Manning.

 

I generally do not support closing logging roads such as this, and I share your disappointment over this particular decision but I should say that the I know plenty of environmental extremists (folks who have worked for the Sierra Club or who have organized Green Peace campaigns, or etc.) who do NOT favor closing wilderness areas or access to wilderness areas in this manner. The different stance with regard these issues stems from the fact that these that I know are recreational users, but not because they are any less ardent in their environmental politics. Consider, too, those who advocated establishing national parks were almost certainly viewed as "environmental extremists" in their day, and much of the wild National Forest recreational land that you enjoy were largely protected from logging, mining and grazing through the efforts of "environmental extremists" of the '70's.

 

Environmentalism is not necessarily your enemy as a wilderness recreational user. Indeed, you only rant as you do because you are currently able to enjoy the successess of past environmentalists -- I bet you would be singing a different tune had they not been successful and all of your favorite hikes were now devoid of any big timber, as it would in fact be if the timber industry had their way.

[LeatherBob]

Thanks WTA. Why close access to trails? Now from reading the article by Kevin G. it seems like the WTA might like to see grizley bears in the midfork. get real.

[catbirdseat]

Middle Fork Snoqualmie Update

 

Acting Forest Supervisor Rob Iwamoto has withdrawn the Sept. 26 decision for future management of recreation activities and travel access in the Middle Fork Snoqualmie River drainage in Eastern King County

MBSNF Site

 

Under the decision as it once stood FS plans to gate the road at two places, Dingford Creek (about five miles from Goldmyer) and at Taylor River (about 12 miles from Goldmyer). The Dingford Creek gate will be a permanent closure and the Taylor River gate will be closed from Nov. 1 to April 15 of each year. The Taylor River gate will be closed by a combination lock and Goldmyer patrons can be given the combination. The details of how this is going to be done is unclear and not resolved in the decision document. In holders such as Goldmyer Hot Springs, have been invited to enter into a road maintenance agreement with the Forest Service and there has been some preliminary negotiation about such an agreement. Goldmyer has to pay part of the maintenance and repair of the road and will be able to use the road for resupply and various other access. However, for most users of Goldmyer it will mean a minimum 5 mile hike or bike ride in to the springs and another 5 mile hike or bike ride out.

Goldmyer hopes to have a bridge adjacent to the Hot Springs to make it easier.

[ken4ord]

There is a natural bridge in place right now, it's called a tree. It probably won't make through the spring though.

[catbirdseat]

There will be an Open House of the FHWA (Federal Highway Admin.) for the development EIS; i.e. widening and Paving the Middle Fork Road (F.S. # 29) for 10 miles.

 

The Open House is being held Thursday, March 4th at the Mount Si Senior Center in North Bend (411 S. Main Street North Bend, WA 98045) from 4 'til 8 PM.

[richard_noggin]

Trash dumpers, car thieves burning cars, Yahoos shooting up the country side and generally seattle punks have phuked it up for those of us that act responsiably.

Cali has come to Washington, and with it has come it's politics and punks

[catbirdseat]

If you haven't been up there lately, it is a lot better than it was, thanks to the efforts of people like Wade Holden and Friends of the Trail.

[Trundle]

When I drove up there the other day, it was pretty clean. When I drove back out a few hours later, there was a huge pile of freshly dumped trash about 2 miles from the main road. Idiots.

[ken4ord]

I know whenever I see someone carrying crap in the back of their truck I don't hesitate to call it in. Those fockers really make me .

[chirp]

I say fuck the red necks and fuck auto-access, if peeps cant keep from dumping/mething/jacking up, let it be closed off. Why are you people whining about having to hike in or have road access restricted? Its much more sporting to have to hike/bike in. Call me an ass but Ill return the favor.