Dutch Miller Gap Trail Work

[Dave_Schuldt]

I just returned from a week long trail work vacation. This is a great area with lots of off trail scrambling and exploring possibilities. Get up there before they close the road. Also a great way to find out what’s going on within the forest Service. Also got detailed stories on a few rescues. With us on the trip was Bill S (wont attempt to spell his last name) a really dedicated and cool guy. I forget what his title is but he knows mattp and looks forward to working with the Washington Climbers Coalition. I learned a lot about what it takes to build and maintain trails. It got really hot at the end of the week. There was a swimming hole next to camp so we could cool down every afternoon. All the folks on this trip were super cool and fun to work with. We stayed at Pedro Camp by the steel bridge. No trip would be complete without a few problems to deal with. The horse packers dropped our food, stove ect 2 miles short of camp. When we got to the drop we stuffed what we could into our packs, we then dumped out our packs at camp and went down for more. There was a 24 hour bug that got 2 people. On our day off 3 of us went up to Chain Lakes. Jenn did it in her sandals ‘cause her boots hurt too much, she was out here from back east and was very impressed with the area. Bill S crossed the river and scrambled up the stuff on the south side. Old mines and cool lakes, he took pictures that make me want to check it out.

So get your ass out there and represent the climbing community.

More info at wta.org

 

Lunch Break

 

workin' Hard

 

Name This Peak

 

And This One Too.

 

Saw bear almost every day, like the whole animal, not just it's ass.

[Szyjakowski]

Last pic is bear's breast.

[Fairweather]

Dave,

 

While your intentions are noble, I must remind you that your group just spent a considerable amount of time and effort working on a trail that won't see much traffic once the Middle Fork Road is closed next year. Believe it or not, many people won't want to hike 8 miles of abandoned road to get to their favorite trailhead. (Nor will they want to share The Middle Fork Trail on the opposite side of the river with mountain bikes!)

 

...And one of the biggest proponents of that closure was.... the WTA and your good buddy Bill S.

 

Sounds like a fun trip, regardless. And at least you got your free USFS parking pass good for one year!

[JoshK]

FW does make good points. I must say, hwoever, that it is kind of nice seeing a less used trail get some maintenance. Normally it's just the standard highways that get the attention.

[Dave_Schuldt]

FW you have some good points. The Middle fork trail will be open to MTBs every other day. Still worth going up there with the added 8 miles. You can bike the road. Will be a great area to escape the crowds. Also the trail may see some horse use once the bridge below Lake Ivenho is fixed. I don't know or care about all the details, it's just good to get out and show that climbers and MTBers are willing to help out event hough it doesn't directly help us.

Getting to know people who make decisions is always a good idea.

BTW WTA has worked on some of the trails MTBers ride off of SR 410

[tread_tramp]

My guess for that first mountain pic is Chimney rock from the west. But I gotta hunch it's actually Garfield.

 

When I was a kid (60's) I hiked thru Dutch Miller Gap on my way from Salmon La Sac to Snoqualmie Summit. There was a cabin at lake Ivanho at the time; it was rather misty as we passed the lake. There was a little wooden throne right at Dutch Miller Gap. My Dad wanted me to take a picture of him sittin on it. But I refused. This was the route of the Crest Trail, that continued on to Snow Lake and out to Alpental before the rerouted it further east.

[Fairweather]

Let me know if you're ever interested in a combo ride/hike/climb up there. (Overcoat Peak NE snowfinger is on my list) Who knows, maybe we could talk some sense into each other.

[To_The_Top]

My list too...more like a early season ski/climb/hike tour.

BTW good job on getting out and doing trail work.

Edited August 16, 2004 by To_The_Top

[chucK]

Thanks for working on the trails Dave

 

The first mystery mountain is Little Big Chief.

[Dave_Schuldt]

Chuck is right.

[Dave_Schuldt]

More pictures plus comentary can be found at

http://richard.geckowerx.com/

 

Forgot to mention this story.

I woke up to the sound of thrashing in the bushes, thought it was a bear. Started yelling and pounding the ground. Woke 4 others up. Then we heard barking. WTF? Get out of the tent and stumbled down the trail 50' or so to find 3 guys 2 dogs and a fire. Told the morons if the Forest Service people smelled smoke they would have a fit. They put out the fire and asked us for some bateries. We had plenty so we gave them some.

[Mark_L]

FW,

 

The Washington Cascades are one of the most accessible alpine mountain ranges anywhere in the world for weekenders. Perhaps it is a little pretentious to assume that every scenic spot should be accessible by a 1 day hike from the road. Even with the road closure this area can be accessed quite easily by good trail and/ or easy x-country travel from several directions. I visited this area this summer with Dave and we started from the end of the Cle Elum river road. It was a delightful and quite easy multi-day hike. The Dutch Miller Gap area is one of the most fragile areas in the Washington Cascades and one sure-fire way to keep it from being trashed is to require a several day hike to get into it. (There seems to be a correlation between laziness and thoughtlessness.) The other option that the FS seems to like to use is to put the area on a quota system and then charge up the butt for permits. (Like the Enchantment Lakes area.)

 

Mark

[Fairweather]

I visited this area this summer with Dave and we started from the end of the Cle Elum river road. It was a delightful and quite easy multi-day hike.

There remain plenty of 'multi-day hikes' for your heart's content even if this area were to stay in its current 'easily accessible' state.

The Dutch Miller Gap area is one of the most fragile areas in the Washington Cascades and one sure-fire way to keep it from being trashed is to require a several day hike to get into it. (There seems to be a correlation between laziness and thoughtlessness.)

So anyone who hikes the current 8 miles (16 r.t.!) to get to DMG is likely "lazy and thoughtless"?? The beautiful high country area there is not currently trashed, so what makes you think you have the right to address and enforce a make-believe problem by making weekend access impossible? Perhaps more than a bit of pretentiousness (your words) from your side! Not everyone can take the time off work "for a several day hike" like you and Dave.

 

You're not an "ALPS" or "MIDForc" zealot by any chance are you?

 

Frankly, when the CCC road closes next year and I am forced to mountain bike 8 miles to the trailhead.....I might just keep riding up the DMG trail for a few more miles, or as far as is possible.

[Mark_L]

Well just to prove to you that I am not an ALPS zealot, your idea of riding your mountain bike up the trail sounds fine to me, if you are doing it for the purpose of traveling more efficiently rather than trying to antagonize your percieved enemies. (It would be a good idea to stash your bike in an inconspicuous place when you finally surrender yourself to foot travel in case there are any ALPSketeers around. They'll just start hollering for more enforcement.) You have just disproven your claim that closing the mfr will not make it inaccessable to weekenders. Given the condition of the road and the forest service being unwilling or unable to spend the money to keep it open, the road won't last much longer anyway.

 

In another part of the Cascades, the washing out of the Monte Cristo road was the best thing that could have happened to that area, it is still easily accessible for 1 day trips and it gets very little traffic because your average schmoe doesn't have enough ingenuity to bring a bike along.

 

You're not one of those "wise use" zealots by any chance are you?

 

Cheers,

 

Mark

[Mark_L]

Whoops,

 

Excuse the double negative in that last post, I meant to say "You have just disproven your claim that closing the last 8 miles of the mfr will make it inaccessable to weekenders."

 

Mark

[Off_White]

Fairweather is a lot of things, but I wouldn't say he's a wise use type. He and I are different ends of the political spectrum, but I agree with him on the access issue. Mountain biking is fun, but considerably less fun with a good sized pack on. The road didn't seem like it would make for a fun hike either, it's considerably longer than the Monte Cristo road, and not nearly as flat. I think the whole "make it tougher to keep the average schmoe out" argument is elitest and offensive. Frankly, we all need the average citizen to understand and appreciate wilderness, because that's one way to build political support.

 

How much use has the middle fork been getting anyway? I was only up there once about 8 years ago, but it didn't seem very busy. If DMG isn't trashed now, I don't see the need to create hurdles to diminish use. Cascade Pass, now that gets a lot of use, maybe we need a $50 Cascade Pass parking permit, or to close the road at Marblemount. That'll keep the rifffraff off as surely as placing the first bolt way off the deck.

[gotterdamerung]

Ride my bike all the way to DMG day. Who's with me?

[Dave_Schuldt]

Ride my bike all the way to DMG day. Who's with me?

 

You better be a really good and strong rider! It would be a nice ride but the trail near the gap is in bad shape.

The best thing to do with FW is ignore him.