[pct-l] Fwd: Mt. Hood Conditions

[Wayne Kraft]

Additional information from Ron Goodwin:

June 23 a PCTA crew of 5 sawyers for a total of trail workers led by  
Jack Konner of the Mt. Hood Chapter cleared out over 40 large trees  
sometimes with 3 to 5 twisted together.  The trail is now open as  
well as the trail north of Lolo Pass cleared the week before by Barb  
Adams and her horse group (she does much of Badger Creek Wilderness  
too).   PCTA Mt. Hood Chapter will be clearing the 51 trees off the  
section between Timberline and Barlow Pass June 30th.  If interested  
in volunteering on the Mt. Hood Chapter that includes the trail from  
Mt. Adams to Jefferson Park, go to the web site www.longtrails.com/ 
mthood/.  The section south of Barlow Pass to Frog Lake is also clear  
thanks to Roberta Cobb of the PCT.

Begin forwarded message:

> From: Wayne Kraft <wayneskraft at comcast.net>
> Date: June 24, 2007 2:21:19 PM PDT
> To: pct-l at backcountry.net
> Subject: Mt. Hood Conditions
>
> A quote from Ron Goodwin, Mt. Hood trail maintainer, left on  
> pdxhikers forum:
>
> "This may be the year to let Ramona Falls rest and try some of the  
> other trails that people usually don't use.  Two weeks ago the FS  
> with some of the PCT people including the Crew Leader for Ameri- 
> corps Team looked the area over and came up with the following  
> conclusion.  There will be a long hike in from Lolo Pass Road over  
> what can be a dangerous crossing in the afternoon when the  
> temperatures rise on 3 crossings.  Then the steep 15 foot banks to  
> the Sandy upstream may take a rope to get back out plus the trail  
> has been washed out.  There are blue flags placed by Kim and Pam  
> Owen so they can find their way to their PCT section from Ramona  
> Falls to Paradise Park.  If you have to go to Ramona Falls, the  
> best way now is via the Top Spur trailhead which has been cleared  
> by both the PCTA and FS.  The Muddy Fork crossing log is still  
> there as is the temporary trail.  It only seems to be the old  
> established trails that are washed out in the Ramona Falls area."
>
> The Sandy River crossing remains a problem apparently but the  
> survival of the Muddy Fork log bridge is a pleasant surprise.  Once  
> across the Sandy, there is an alternate route that bypasses Ramona  
> Falls (and, if I understand him correctly, the "three crossings" of  
> the Muddy Fork made by the official PCT route that Ron refers to)   
> and proceeds up Bald Mtn. I am not sure what the current guidebook  
> says about this.  Last year there was a temporary sign at the  
> junction directing stock users and cautious hikers to the alternate  
> route.  The alternate has a ford for stock users and the  
> aforementioned log bridge for hikers.  Of course, unless there's a  
> miracle repair to the Sandy River crossing, a nobo PCT hiker who's  
> made it across will probably no longer qualify as cautious.  Top  
> Spur Trail is a half mile spur that allows access to the PCT from  
> Lolo Pass Road (via a spur road) about 3 PCT miles south of Lolo Pass.
>
> Wayne Kraft