[pct-l] Bear Creek and Bridge Considerations

[Edward Anderson]

If you did put a rope across, to protect the trees, you could use TREE PROTECTORS.  Whenever I highline a horse, I use them. All BCH use them. I think if you used a large diameter hemp rope (one inch or even more) or possibly a cable like they have on Half Dome, a safe crossing could be created. Use the Tree Protectors for the cable. This could save someones life. I will send you my slide show and you will see Primo highlined in that way.
 
MendoRider-Hiker
 

________________________________
 From: Barry Teschlog <tokencivilian at yahoo.com>
To: PCTL <pct-l at backcountry.net> 
Sent: Friday, March 16, 2012 10:33 AM
Subject: [pct-l] Bear Creek and Bridge Considerations
  
I know its "wild and scenic" but would it hurt for the park service
>to stretch a large rope between two trees (if not a bridge) for a
>hand hold across some of the larger creeks?
> 
>I wonder how many people have lost there life or almost lost there
>life on some of these fords.   A rope would be cheap, easy and
>effective.In regards to installing ropes, etc at Bear Creek

TL, DR version:  A bridge or rope crossing would be extremely expensive and a maintenance pain in the back side.

Longer version follows:


First off, my experience at Bear Creek from my 2006 thru hike:  I was knocked down and washed down stream
about 30 yards on the first try.  2nd try I was spun around and retreated.  3rd try I went upstream a bit and was a little over half way across when I was knocked
down so swam for it.  Partner was knocked down on his try.  We were both bloodied.  Another thru came by as we were drying off on the far bank.  She'd been knocked down and dragged for ~100 yards when she had tried further down.  Lost her flip flops in that attempt.  She was knocked down crossing where we did, but made it.  She was bloodied as well.

 
From a trail maintainers perspective:
Bridges are expensive to install and maintain.  Full NEPA review is required, possibly an EIS.  Then add the significant actual cost of installation on top of the paper churn in the planning stages.  If a bridge is installed, it must be
inspected on a regular basis to insure it’s not in an immanent state of collapse.  Bridges, if installed, must be high
enough to have a reasonable chance of long term survival of peak flood flows.  In the Wilderness, they are not the preferred
solution (see the extract below on stream crossings from the maintainers “Bible”).  
 
A rope crossing, here are some considerations that I could
see coming up in the NEPA / EIS review:  Where would it be anchored?  How would it be maintained?  How would it be insured that it was safe and
functional each year?  Nylon rope
degrades in UV light, a fact know to all climbers when they come to a rappel
station covered in faded, stiff “tat” webbing.  What about the anchors?  Will the
trees be scarred or killed?  Is this
acceptable?  If there are no suitable tree anchors, what kind of constructed anchors would there be?  What about the rope catching
material during the spring flood and breaking?  Will having a rope crossing there encourage people to cross when the consequences of
slipping are higher versus being deterred from trying (better safe than sorry)?  How natural is a rope in the Wilderness?

 
See the latest PCTA Communicator article on NEPA – it talks about
a creek between White Pass and Chinook Pass here in Washington as one of the
cases.  The stringer bridges failed
repeatedly under snow loads.  After a
complete analysis, it was determined that the bulk of the users of the trail
were at a time of year when the stream flow was fairly low.  As such, the lowest cost and lowest impact
LONG TERM solution that met the management goals was a constructed ford.  In the specific case of Bear Creek, I have to
imagine that the thru hikers are a very small minority of all users of that
section of the trail.  As such, the
crossing is going to be constructed to serve the bulk of the users, likely JMT
types who aren’t there in mid to late June, but rather in August and September
when the flow is probably quite tame.  Thru hikers, by definition are a tougher bunch, the "Green Berets" (or at least Rangers / Force Recon) of the hikers, and expect to face greater challenges than a typical hiker.

 
An excerpt on bridges from the “Trail Construction and Maintenance”
handbook is included below.
 
“Stream and river crossings present a challenge to trail
managers who need to balance difficulty levels, safety, convenience, cost,
environmental consequences, and esthetics. At one end of the use spectrum, a
bridge can allow people with disabilities, toddlers, and users who are new to
the outdoors to experience the trail with little risk. But bridges are
expensive. Wilderness visitors who expect a challenge may prefer a shallow
stream ford. During high water, these folks may opt for a tightrope walk across
a fallen log.  Each kind of water
crossing has consequences for the recreation experience and the lands being
accessed. Choose wisely from the spectrum of options before committing present
and future resources to any given crossing.
 
The Minimum Tool Philosophy
The minimum tool philosophy suggests that we get the job
done with the least long-term impact while still meeting management objectives.
A few minimum tool questions for crossings are:
 
• Do we really need a bridge here? Do we really need to
cross here early in the spring? Will someone be killed or injured if we don’t provide
an easier crossing?
• Is this really the best place to cross this stream?
• What alternatives do we have to cross this stream,
including not crossing it at all?
• Can we afford this crossing?
• What are the environmental and social consequences of a
given type of crossing here?
• Can we commit to long-term inspections and maintenance?
• Who will really care if we don’t build (or replace) a
bridge?
 
It’s a wonderful thing to keep one’s feet dry, but keeping
those feet dry in the backcountry is expensive.”
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