[pct-l] Trail north from Belden

[Tom Bache]

David,

I hiked Belden to Burney Falls in mid-October last year, so might be one of
the most recent hikers on this stretch (notes on this list say that the
first part is closed now due to fires).

I didn't have any trouble following the trail.  I did have difficulty
reconciling what was in the guidebook and what was on the ground -- I recall
thinking that the guidebook was mostly correct, but lacking its usual
clarity in that section (but landmarks aren't easy to describe clearly in
that area).  Oh yes, be sure to look at the notes in the back of the most
recent version and you will see some changes. They can cause some confusion
about where you are on the trail, but shouldn't cause problems following it
until you do see something you recognize (like the top!).  For example,
Williams Cabin is mentioned as a major landmark, but it burned down some
years ago, and it is hard to find a trace of it now.

I really liked this section -- I had the trail to myself in the rain and
light snow of October -- glorious experience!  Hard to sit at my desk with
this memory made fresh.

Tom Bache
San Diego 

Message: 5
Date: Tue, 1 Jul 2008 16:56:27 -0700
From: David Plotnikoff <david at emeraldlake.com>
Subject: [pct-l] trail routing north of Belden
To: pct-l at backcountry.net
Message-ID: <f06230902c490739118d4@[192.168.1.100]>
Content-Type: text/plain; charset="us-ascii" ; format="flowed"

Hello from a longtime list-lurker.

 From what I can gather from assorted Web references, the trail route
north from Belden, up the Chips Creek drainage, to Poison Spring is
significantly divergent from what's in the guidebook.

Can someone who's been up that stretch recently shed some light on
exactly what the situation is? Is there one confusing creek crossing
around Myrtle Flat? Several? Does the current route drop all the way
down to Chips Creek proper, or remain high up the slope? Did people
end up going XC between Myrtle Flat and Poison Spring? Cairns?

Thanks. I suspect JoAnn Michael and the Backcountry Horsemen are the
right people to address this. But I can't seem to find her e-mail at
the moment.

DP