[pct-l] timberline trail

[chelin at teleport.com (Sharon & Chuck Chelin)]

Good evening, Judson,

Welcome back to civilization, for whatever that's worth.  Timberline Trail
has long been one of my favorites in spite of its familiarity.  I live
slightly less than 20 miles west of it, which is close enough for day-hikes
if I want.  I recommend this trail often to experienced hikers and I am
always concerned that they will return and say, "Boy, that was dumb."   Many
hiking treasures are panoramas.  We arrive at the summit and turn 360
degrees to absorb the infinite splendors from one viewpoint.  What is the
opposite of a panorama, a situation where we move 360 degrees around, and
observe infinite views of one splendor?  Would that be an endorama?

You seem to have the crossings indexed. Some crossings, like White River,
change from year to year but they always seem to look the same:  Big and
wide.  Lots of rocks, sand, and gravel.  Hop-hop or splash-splash and you're
done.  Part of the reason seems to be what is above.  At White River, Eliot,
and Newton we are just staring up the barrel of a glacier, and there is not
much else up there except rock.  The Sandy and Coe crossings have more
timber upstream, and different soil types, so interesting things seem to
happen with periodic flooding.  Muddy Fork is well named.  It is Ms. Hood's
grubby little urchin.

Steel-Eye

----- Original Message ----- 
From: "Judson Brown" <judson@jeffnet.org>
To: "pctl (E-mail)" <pct-l@mailman.backcountry.net>
Sent: Monday, September 06, 2004 4:37 PM
Subject: [pct-l] timberline trail


> Just got back from a 3-day trip on the Timberline Trail over Labor Day
> Weekend. Never before have I hiked a trail that was so consistenly
> beautiful! Considering the recent discussions on this forum, I was very
> mindful of the stream crossings. Almost every one showed evidence of
recent
> flooding. The trail approach to most of these crossings looked as if they
> had been lopped off with a knife, often requiring steep, awkward scrambles
> down crumbly banks of flood deposits. The crossings themselves were easy
if
> you were willing to get your feet wet, occasionally tricky if you weren't.
I
> wish I had brought my Chacos!  Here's a run down of what I found:
>
> Zigzag River: easy approach, easy rock hop
> Sandy River: easy approach, very difficult rock hop, easy wade about 150'
> upstream
> Muddy Fork: Holy crap, what happened here?? I hadn't heard about the
massive
> mudflow that has obliterated the entire north half of the canyon bottom.
> (Anyone know when this happened?) Now I understand why the PCT was
rerouted.
> The approach was difficult, following cairns and pink ribbons across
terrain
> that looked like something from Mt. St. Helens. Sometimes it took some
> searching to find the next pink ribbon. Crossing the two major branches
was
> only a tricky rock hop, even during late afternoon runoff. Found a viewful
> campsite below the trail just before it re-entered the forest. A bit
> unnerving camping on the debris of a recent mudflow, but I've never camped
> in spot with more awe-inspiring scenery.
> Coe Branch: moderate approach, tough and scary looking rock hop, easy wade
> Eliot Branch: the trail had been extensively re-routed here- the new
> crossing is about 1/4 mile upstream from the old one, and has a steep
trail
> accessing it on both sides- the creek is crossed via a narrow, sloping
> 1-railing bridge
> Newton and Clark Creeks, and White River: all these had tough, bouldery,
> roundabout approaches with easy to moderate rock hop crossings.
>
> When it comes to pack weight, I don't suppose it's much of an issue if
> you're wading- it may well help anchor you. But with all the rock hop
> crossings I was doing, I was very glad I had a 20-lb. pack.
>
> Judson
> Ashland
>
>
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