[pct-l] Oregon (Eagle Creek)

[CHUCK CHELIN]

Good evening,

Several years ago on New Year’s Day I hiked up Eagle Creek over the kind of
ice and slush that Kelesy mentioned.  It wasn’t too bad until I got to the
curved piece of trail that circles the pool immediately north of Tunnel
Falls.  The trail there is a mostly southern exposure and it was drifted
solid with snowpack at an approximate 75% side slope.  I managed to
kick-step my way across, and go through the tunnel, but from there it was
impassable with the gear I had.  At the south end of the tunnel there is
much more water spray from the falls, and the trail was covered with solid,
smooth wet,  ice from above the “chicken wire” on the cliff side – about 4’
high – down at a straight 100% slope to the edge of the cliff; covering
about 15’ of trail towards the south.  Since I can’t jump that far I turned
around and headed back.

All that slush and ice -- and cold, wet sneakers -- was good training for
the trail slop in the Sierras.

Steel-Eye

-Hiking the Pct since before it was the PCT – 1965

http://www.trailjournals.com/steel-eye
http://www.trailjournals.com/SteelEye09/

On Fri, Jan 25, 2013 at 7:08 PM, Kelsey Bowen
<kelsey.anne.bowen at gmail.com>wrote:

> Slightly off the 'Section B' subject but just in case anyone is planning to
> hike in northern oregon - I just hiked Eagle Creek the other day.  It is
> the first time I have hiked it in the dead of winter (even though I have
> lived in Portland for years) and it is beautiful! And somewhat treacherous.
>  There are the most beautiful icicles everywhere.
>
> I say this because if the weather was much worse, or if it had recently
> snowed, I think it would have been very unsafe to attempt to hike.  The
> trail was covered in 3 inch thick sheets of ice in many places and anyone
> who has hiked that trail knows the seriousness of that.  In many places the
> cables where iced in.
>
> Just a thought!
> Kelsey
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