Middle Fork road out to Hardscrabble creek

[mikeadam]

Drove this out to about the Goldmeyer Hotsprings (mile 21) where I found deadfall blocking further access. Bring a mountain bike for the last part of the road or wait for the FS to clear access.

 

Mt. Garfield is not in good condition.

[Fairweather]

Better enjoy this area while you can. You'll soon be locked out at Dingford Creek by the wilderness elite. Dutch Miller Gap area will become a mini expedition instead of a family-friendly weekend place where a dad can introduce his kid to climbing on a mountain like Hinman.

 

Who knows! Maybe if we lock up enough areas that are "too easy" for kids/families to get in to, those same kids will grow up not giving a shit about the outdoors at all! Maybe then, as adults, they will look at wilderness strictly as an exploitable resource and not consider any other value therein, their only youthful outdoor experience having been asphalt trails at Paradise or "virtual mountain climber" X-Box.

[mikeadam]

I've talked with FS folks about this and so far the area seems safe for a bit longer. There will be some keys available for certain climbing organizations and guided parties so maybe you can get on an access list? I'll ask the next time I stop by in North Bend and let you know what the status is.

[chucK]

quote:

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Originally posted by mikeadam:

I've talked with FS folks about this and so far the area seems safe for a bit longer. There will be some keys available for certain climbing organizations and guided parties so maybe you can get on an access list?

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Is this for real or are you just trolling? I suppose they will give the keys to those orgs like the Mounties and the Sierra Club who are in favor of shutting it down (Is the WTA in favor of gates too?). Then they get to have their cake and eat it too. That really sucks

[chucK]

Here's who to talk to about the Middle Fork Road closure:

Doug Schrenk

425-888-1421 ext 233,

email dschrenk@fs.fed.us

 

[ 05-02-2002, 09:29 AM: Message edited by: chucK ]

[chucK]

Peter,

There are already MANY places as nice as the Taylor River where one can drive and take the family. There are also MANY remote and wild places in the Cascades. There are NOT that many places as nice as the Hardscrabble Creek area where one can drive.

 

Many folks are smug about gating the road because they feel superior in their fitness and ability to take lots of time away from home. They see this as an opportunity to get another place where they can be the elite. Many of the same are really burned by the fact that others (with less athletic prowess) can drive up there while they are not up to the task themselves.

 

I don't think it's "fair" to take away a RARE and valuable resource, and turn it into something that is already available. Why not improve the road to Taylor River (which is already funded thanks to Slade), pick up the garbage, etc. AND NOT gate the road at Dingford. I don't see why improvement of the lower road necessitates removal of the upper road.

 

Wilderness elite can still find plenty of solitude in the Pasayten, the Pickets, Glacier Peak area, the Olympics, or anywhere 1/2 mile from the Dutch Miller Trail.

[Peter_Baer]

The FS plan for the Middle Fork has two parts; a) allowing the upper road to revert to a trail (past Dingford creek permanently, past Taylor river seasonally), and b) developing the lower road (North Bend to Taylor river) as a "family-friendly weekend place," to use Fairweather's term. I.e. cleaning up the garbage dumps and putting in more campgrounds and trails. This is a good thing if it relieves crowding on the I-90 corridor trails and gets people to appreciate and preserve the MF valley.

 

Seems like a fair solution. The upper MF road stabs deeply into the Alpine Lakes wilderness; the idea of the central Cascades becoming just a litte more wild and remote sounds pretty appealing to me.