[pct-l] some section J trail and water conditions

[gary at hbfun.org]

Thanks for the report.

On 2022-08-23 17:58, David Hough reading PCT-L wrote:
> I finished my rehike of section J this weekend starting from Highland 
> Lakes
> to join the PCT at Wolf Creek Pass and heading south to the Boulder 
> Lake Trail
> junction, then returning.    Flower season is about over, except a few
> stragglers along the creeks.   The mules ears are beginning to dry out 
> and
> rattle in the wind, a sure sign that autumn is approaching.    There 
> were 12
> hikers encountered on Saturday and Monday, and three on Sunday.
> 
> Cattle more than made up for lack of hikers.
> 
> In the following, mileposts are Halfmile 2019.
> 
> Trail conditions were excellent, except for one place: WACS1038, the 
> easternmost
> branch of Wolf Creek.    The canyon here tends to vertical banks.
> The trail is washed out on the west side
> and and requires a bit of scrambling with hands to ascend or descend to 
> the
> creek.    No problem for through hikers, but daunting for the elderly 
> with
> heavy packs.    And I think impassible for stock.   Hikers have 
> invented
> various workarounds, but I think the one that works best for them and 
> the
> only one possible for stock is -
> 
> Northbound, follow the trail to the water, then walk downstream in or 
> near
> the water around a small narrow bend to where the streak bed widens 
> again,
> the look for a ramp on the west side that leads up to a path on the 
> bank
> back upstream to the trail.
> Southbound, when you reach the bank, follow the faint
> path downstream to a ramp down to the water, then walk in or near the 
> water
> upstream until you see the trail up the east bank.
> 
> I don't know if a permanent fix is possible.     High water in this 
> stream
> looks like it might be very high indeed, washing away improvements.
> 
> I hiked from the PCT down to Boulder Lake from the trail junction 
> mostly in
> the dark some years ago.    The Boulder Lake Trail looks somewhat 
> unmaintained
> now at the PCT.
> 
> Water conditions - all the water sources mentioned by Halfmile looked
> perennial, from WACS1034 to WACS1039.
> 
> In addition, CS 1034 near the Golden Canyon/Paradise Valley trail 
> junction
> looks to have perennial water, so could be WACS1034.   And Boulder 
> Creek,
> at about 1030.7, looks perennial and has several campsites nearby.
> 
> Cattle are constant companions from GT1033 to WACS1039.   WACS1035 has 
> the
> most large flat campsites, but the most cowpie carpeting, and its 
> stream
> is small.    The drift fence and gate at GT1033 are now repaired and 
> functional
> and may help contain the cattle from going further east to the "lake" 
> on
> the map which is actually a meadow.