[pct-l] Timberline Lodge to Cascade Locks

[Wayne Kraft]

Just returned from a three day backpack of this section, using the  
Eagle Creek Trail alternate route.  Camped with Listo (journal:   
http://www.trailjournals.com/entry.cfm?trailname=4132  website:   
http://www.trailjournals.com/entry.cfm?trailname=4132) Thursday night  
at Salvation Springs  Had a good discussion with him while packing up  
in the morning and enjoyed looking over his highly organized pack and  
nano-gear.   I started at Timberline Lodge at 1:30 pm on Wednesday  
and met my wife and daughter for Charburgers in Cascade Locks at 3:15  
pm today (Saturday).  Listo started at Timberline almost exactly a 24  
hours later, caught me at Salvation Springs about nightfall the same  
day and upon parting mentioned his intent to be at Cascade Locks  
before the PO closed that day.  Appears he was going about twice as  
fast as me and doing it with ease.

A brace of trail notes:

The USNF has hung up signs just after the Sandy River crossing (easy  
this year in the early morning:  crossed with dry feet across two  
logs) which encourage PCT hikers to take the Bald Peak Trail rather  
than the actual PCT route as the PCT route across the Big Muddy is  
impossible to maintain.  Having crossed it with considerable  
difficulty in 2003 and assuming that things have probably gotten  
worse since, I think this is probably a good idea, but it is a bit  
confusing.  The Bald Mountain Trail crosses the Big Muddy downstream  
from the PCT on a nice bridge (with a separate stock ford at another  
location) and rejoins the PCT, oddly enough, at the Bald Mountain  
Summit (a three way trail junction that also requires one to pay  
attention  - you can easily be fooled into taking the southbound  
rather than northbound trail).

I had intended to go all the way to Cascade Locks on the PCT, but was  
sucked into the Eagle Creek vortex.  Sitting on the shore of Wahtum  
Lake I contemplated the 13 miles of PCT from there to Cascade Locks  
with only one campsite and little or no reliable water sources,  
thinking about carrying all that water and camping at a rather  
nondescript and inconveniently located campsite and comparing that to  
the Eagle Creek trail with 6 or 8 good campsites and myriad flowing  
streams, I lightened my load (of water) and headed for Eagle Creek.   
I can't think of any good reason not to, unless you are a horse.

There appears to be some guide book and hiker confusion about what to  
do upon reaching the northern terminus of the Eagle Creek Trail. The  
trail ends at one, but not the only parking lot in the area.  To  
access Cascade Locks, the Eagle Creek Trail alternate route hiker  
must simply continue north along the access route to this parking lot  
1/2 mile to another larger parking lot to the right of the access  
road.  There is a large restroom facility on the south side of this  
parking lot if you wish to freshen up before entering the metropolis  
of Cascade Locks.  Adjacent to the rest room facility is a travel  
trailer occupied by Fran and Wayne (no relation), the volunteer park  
hosts.  If you are confused about any little thing, ask them and they  
will help you,  but don't break into any of the cars parked there or  
they will bring the law down on you.  Anyway, to get to Cascade  
Locks, ignore the parking lot and focus your attention due north on a  
paved road leading straight toward busy I-94.  Head that direction  
past the fish hatchery and you will soon see one bicycle, then  
another painted on the roadway.  Follow the bikes as this "trail"  
turns east around the north side of the fish hatchery.  You will soon  
see a sign announcing that you are on Gorge Trail 400 and are 2.4  
miles from Cascade Locks.  Gorge Trail 400 actual runs 35 miles and  
extends both east and west from the Eagle Creek Trail access road.   
By this time you've already noted and wisely passed by the GT400 west  
bound which traverses a suspension bridge back by the parking lot.   
This section of GT400 is not really a trail.  It is an abandoned  
section of the famous Historic Columbia River HIghway, which you can  
read about (http://www.cr.nps.gov/hps/hli/currents/columbia/ 
intro.htm) and discover the origin of the expression "What in Sam  
Hill?!" This section of GT 400 begins right next to the interstate,  
but then curves a bit to the south and winds 2.4 miles from the fish  
hatchery over hill and dale then jogs north through a tunnel under  
the interstate, parallels the interstate on the north side and  
eventually spills out into the parking lot of the Charburger  
Restaurant and Best Western Inn. All told, it is just about 3 miles  
from the trailhead to the Charburger.

So there you have it.

Wayne Kraft