A Suiattle Sooner can't wait to hike the Suiattle any sooner!

Count me to be one of the Suiattle Sooners. That is, I plan to rush the magical Suiattle Valley as soon as the road is reopened which should be sometime late this summer. Finally! Access to the much of the Suiattle Valley and Whitechuck River Valleys was lost in 2003 when devastating floods claimed the Forest Service Roads leading through them. Lost was access to miles of some of the most magnificent hiking trails in the Northwest. And with loss of access, came loss of maintenance and a threat of permanent loss. Which was the case for the Whitechuck, the road washed out in so many places that not even the most stimulus happy Congress could ever justify or provide the funds to rebuilt it--not to mention new environmental concerns as well.

The Whitechuck Trail was a favorite for many and I will always cherish my Halloween 1999 hike on It to Kennedy Hot springs. They're gone too-reclaimed by the earth they once bubbled up from. Lake Byrne will still be accessible via Lost Ridge and the upper Whitechuck still accessible by the Pacific Crest Trail-now fixed and fortified as well. These destinations will be within the backpacking domain-and that's okay, leaving them for the more adventurous intent on a bigger payoff of solitude and true wilderness. But day hikers have plenty to rejoice about too, for Green Mountain, Sulphur Mountain, and Huckleberry Mountain will once again be within their sights.

Thank God-my Day Hiking North Cascades Books has been pitching them for years. And the most glorious spot of all in the Suiattle Valley, Image Lake and Miners Ridge will once again be hikeable from the west. I hiked this area from the east this past summer for my upcoming Backpacking Washington book and can conclude that Image Lake is truly one of the most spectacular places in all of Washington-make that the nation! Yeah, sure there will be a few more people there in 2012-but it's still a 16 mile slog from the west-one that only the hardiest and most determined backcountry trekkers will attain-and they deserve it! Bring on the Suiattle-I can hardly wait-hope to see you on the trail-I'll be there first thing on opening day, pack on and boots ready to kick up some tread!

(photo-Glacier Peak rising above the Suiattle River Valley from the Miners Ridge Lookout 08.10)

Roads to Trails

Can you bank on them?

One of the last projects that the late great Ira Spring worked on was a Roads to Trails Book in cooperation with the Washington Trails Association. Published in 2002, Ira saw that the glory days of trail building and funding for the US Forest Service was over-and that they were probably not ever going to come back. Since 1990, the Forest Service has been rapidly diminished in its scope and work force. Timber production has been greatly curtailed resulting in very little money being allocated by Congress (under both parties) for road construction (to reach trails) and for trail construction and maintenance itself. The result in the last 20 years is that we are losing trails. Ira saw that perhaps as the Forest Service abandoned many of its roads (roads that were built primarily to access timber) that they would be good candidates to be converted into trails. A great concept indeed-except for a couple of problems-

Many roads simply don't access areas that are of interest to most hiking enthusiasts.
Roads can be a drag to walk-especially when they wash out and their beds become strewn with rocks.
Roads need to be maintained too-even as trails-and in just 10 short years after abandonment a road can be cloaked in alders and other greenery rendering it pretty darn difficult to hike

Recently I blew some dust off of that old Roads to Trails book to see if there were any gems in there worth exploring. Many of the highlighted roads held no interest to me-and many others have already been either fully obliterated or cloaked in greenery. Point is that even a great concept as roads to trails still requires budgets in the form of hacking back encroaching plants.

I did however zone in on one particular walk. Jumpoff Ridge seemed like an interesting candidate-and in fact it turned out to be-except that the views that Ira's crew railed about back in 2002 are going fast. Now it wouldn't take much to get them back-just a crew of two or three people with some loppers and saws. We have to assess as a hiking community, do we want to keep any of these routes open-and if we do, we need to incorporate them into our hiking agendas and maintain them. A hike like Jumpoff Ridge just outside of Index can certainly draw hikers and be a nice alternative to very busy nearby Lake Serene. I encourage you to check it out and and decide whether road-trails like Jumpoff Ridge should be part of or trail inventory. Stay tuned for this week's Hikeoftheweek.com for the full scoop on hiking Jumpoff Ridge.

What's next?

Beware of water on the Trail!

One of the more oddly signed trails in our state's trail system is Little Si. Managed by the Washington Department of Natural Resources, the trailhead, trail and junctions are all well signed. I don't have a problem with that-in fact I commend the agency-for far too often trails managed by the US Forest Service lack any signs. What I find rather odd however is the large road like "Caution Falling Rock" sign on the trail. Now, its okay to warn about natural hazards at the trailhead kiosk-but seriously, isn't there always a risk of falling rock when you're heading up a mountain? This large highway sign looks so out of place on the trail. And-really now, does it do any good? What's a hiker to do-head up the trail neck-cocked upward at the slopes above? What then? A watch out for twisting ankles and falling sign!? Hikers assume risk when they enter the backcountry-a big sign stating the obvious probably doesn't alleviate the risk. All it does probably is let the land agency off the hook from being sued from a misguided hiker who thinks that the agency can control nature from acting up. Heck, if DNR can make nature heed its wishes-then it certainly would be able to get a much more destructive force from coming down on it-mainly Governor Gregoire's budget cuts for DNR! Hm-how much are you axing again from DNR Christine?And how much of a raise are state union workers getting again? My tax dollars pay for both and you have your axing and propping up in the wrong order. Maybe you can find a few more dollars in the coffers to put up a new sign "Caution, State Budget Cuts Coming-Kiss Your Favorite Trails Goodbye!"

(Photo-Christian Carver prepares for falling rock and Gregoire's falling DNR budget)

Trying to understand the Forest Service

Okay, let's get someting straight. I am a big supporter of the Northwest Forest Pass, but as long as:

A. The pass is kept at a fair and equitable price
B. The money collected remains in the national forest and is not siphoned to pay for wars, bail out Wall Street or go to corrupt agencies like ACORN
C. The Forest Service doesn't waste money trying to collect the fees in the first place
D. The money actually goes to trail maintenance and development and less so for quarter million dollar privies-
E. Fees are charged at only developed trailheads

Okay, D seems to be an issue, but I'll bring that one up later. Right now I want to address E. The majority of trails that require a Northwest Forest Pass tend to be developed. That is they have ample parking, a privy, perhaps a picnic table or two and some other amenities like a reader board. Then why does the Marten Creek Trail off of the Mountain Loop Highway require a Forest Pass when this trail doesn't even have a place to park! Yep, you need to squeeze on the side of the road. Privy? Nope! Reader Board- yep, but only this year thanks to an Eagle Scout, but there is no information on it!

But here's the real point what I can't understand why the Forest Service requires a Trail Pass on this trail. It hasn't been maintained since the Eisenhower administration. Okay I exaggerated-probably the last time a trail crew came down here was during the Bush administration-and no not W's , it was during his old man's tenure. Yep, we are looking at least 20 years, probably longer since this trail has had any work on it. So, why then require a pass? Again, I have no problem displaying my pass (I buy an annual America the Beautiful Pass, so I guess it doesn't really matter to me if a pass is required or not)-but it does seem kind of silly to require one here when we the fee-paying public aren't getting anything in return. Yep-we need a citizen action trail crew here ASAP. Which is fine because I don't want to depend too much on government anyway. I think its great that we have volunteer trail crews. But if the government is going to require a fee for this trail, then the government needs to at the very least deliver something in exchange. Instead, we continue to get a growing backlog of trail maintenance and a growing debt that is going to ruin this nation. Sigh.

Wheels of misfortune

I don't know about you-but lately I have been seeing more and more evidence of illegal intrusions by the wheeled set. And I'm not just talking renegade ATV and dirt bike riders here-I'm talking about scofflaw mountain bikers that in many ways are turning out to be worst than the dirt bikers. For the most part, folks who engage in these activities are law abiding and decent folks. But there are some rabble rousers out there who like to ride their machines where they aren't allowed. Get over it- life has rules and we can't just do what we want to do. I recently came upon fresh ATV tracks in Vanson Meadows in the Mount Saint Helens National Volcanic Monument (pictured on right) and mountain bike tracks on the Pacific Crest Trail near the Norse Peak Wilderness. With public land agencies operating on bare bone budgets that leave them with severely understaffed (if any) law enforcement departments-it is no surprise that SOB throttle-brains and girdle wearers are encroaching into areas that prohibit their activity. So where does that lead us the law abiders who cringe at this encroachment? Have you encountered one of these renegades in your hikes? How have you dealt with them? What can we do about these brazen law breakers? I for one welcome stiff penalties for these law breakers and a budget that allows for law enforcement to be on the trails catching these bastards. They'll continue to do this if there is virtually no way they will be caught and or held accountable for their actions. Like I said earlier-I am seeing more and more of this activity and I have been hiking for a long time. It's time to derail these scofflaw mountain bikers and dirt bikers before this problem becomes even worse!

Explore the Entiat this Weekend at Trailsfest

I hope to see many of you this Saturday at Washington Trails Association's annual Trailsfest at Rattlesnake Lake near North Bend. At noon I will be giving a powerpoint presentation on the Entiat Country. Let me show you the amazing array of trails found in this fairly unknown (to west siders at least) part of the Central Cascades. I will also be talking about threats and conservation issues pertaining to this region, in particular the motorized incursions of de facto wilderness. Hope to see you Saturday!

(photo-View north from Duncan Hill)

Anatomy of an abandoned Trail

Using Karen Sykes' Hidden Hikes in Western Washington, I ventured over to Barlow Pass this past week. The Barlow Pass Trail is in excellent shape and in no danger of disappearing. However, the connecting Old Government Trail is fading into history. Yep-death of another trail. I lament yet another trail being loss to either lack of maintenance, lack of access, and/or lack of government funding and interest in keeping it alive. It is amazing how much our trail inventory has shrunk just in the past 20 years.

I only hope that the Obama administration with its propensity to pull money out of thin air and liberally sprinkle it across the land-will see that next to auto companies, banking firms, fraudulent vote getting machines, and corrupt loan offices-that maybe some of my hard earned tax dollars can make its way to our trails! Please! FDR who also spent quite a bit of public money spent quite a bit of it on our natural resources. And 70 years later we have quite a legacy for it. I'll take trails over GM any day for an Obama legacy.

Meanwhile-the Old Government trail isn't completely unhikable. The tread is still in pretty decent shape-and while there are lots of blowdowns across it-almost all of them are quite easy to negotiate. You can easily amble 1.5 miles down this trail. Bring along a saw and help clean it up. I'll do my part by publicising it and trying to get you to hike it. Save our trails!

Sauntering along the Skagit

Heather and I took advantage of the "first weekend of spring" and went for a nice hike along the Skagit River on Sunday. Starting from Rockport's Howard Miller Steelhead Park we followed the Skagit-Sauk Reach Trail for about 3.5 miles. Fairly new and relatively unknown, this trail which follows along the mighty Skagit River on an old rail bed is a real gem. Unfortunately there is a small washout at 1.5 miles which requires some difficult and potentially hazardous dancing around. Most experienced hikers will be able to negotiate it. But this section will definitely require a reroute which requires two difficult to come by things right now- funding for trail work-and funding for an easement on private property. I hope that perhaps some of that stimulus money that President Obama is throwing around will land on the banks of the Skagit. And perhaps Congressman Rick Larsen, no shunner of earmarks can perhaps divert some of this money for trails and away from pavement. How about it Rick? Are you up for a hike this weekend? Let me show you a trail in need and a Skagit County asset worth fixing up.

Spotlight on Endangered Trails

There's a good article in today's Everald Herald by Sharon Wootten spotlighting Washington's endangered trails. Specifically, the article addresses the four trails (out of the 10 that the Washington Trails Association chose for their annual report) included in the Mount Baker-Snoqualmie National Forest. All four of these trails are also highlighted in my recent release, Day Hiking North Cascades (Mountaineers Books). Read the article-read my book-go for a hike-write your member of congress-join WTA-and help save our trails!

(photo-Alan gives the thumbs up to saving the Miners Ridge trail from extinction!)

Endangered Trails 2008

The Washington Trails Association has just recently released its annual Endangered Trails Report. Focusing on 10 trails within the state, the report highlight the greater threats that many of our trails are facing. Threats such as lack of maintenance and access due to dwindling funds from overseeing land managing agencies-most notably, the US Forest Service. Other threats include motorized recreation and incompatible developments. But by far the biggest and most pervasive threat Washington's trails face is an indifference from government officials to adequately fund them. A complacent and apathetic public only insures that the situation will get worse. Get involved with the WTA and other like-minded groups and let your voice be heard on why our trails should be properly funded. Hundreds of miles of prime recreational gems are at stake.

(Endangered Trail- Miners Ridge in the Wenatchee National Forest-excellent views but a near impossible approach due to abandonment)

On the Mountain Loop Highway

The View is Good-

but the Outlook is bleak!

This weekend over in Granite Falls and Darrington, Washington folks from the Forest Service, the local communities, local dignitaries and recreationists will be out celebrating the Grand reopening of the Mountain Loop Highway. It is about time this road which leads to so many fine trails and campgrounds is once again open and in full swing.

Unfortunately, what is not in full swing are that the trails radiating from this road. Nearly three-quarters of them are inaccessible! You heard me correctly- inaccessible! And no, I'm not talking about snow covered- I'm talking about washouts on spur roads leading to these trails that render them off limits to only the hardiest of hikers. Never in the history of local hiking are we in such danger of losing so much access to our backcountry. They are going fast! With no money to maintain roads and trails they are quickly being reclaimed to nature.

Just look at this partial list of incredible hikes off of the Mountain Loop Highway that are off limits right now due to washouts-

Bald Eagle Mountain
Bear lake
Big Four Ice Caves
Independence lake
Lost Creek Ridge
Walt Bailey Trail
North lake
Monte Cristo
Pass lake
Pinnacle lake
Squire Creek
Silver Lake
Crystal lake
Meadow Mountain
North Fork Sauk River
Red Mountain
White Chuck Bench
White Chuck River

So, head over to the celebration this weekend and corner a few government officials and demand that they support funding our trails. The cost of abandonment is high. It includes contributing to a nation of inactive beings and to a public land abandoned by legitimate users making it rife for neglect, crime and other nefarious uses. The current inaction of Congress when it comes to funding our trails represents a complete failure of our government to provide adequate avenues for recreation through our public lands that have been supported by an overwhelming majority of Americans from all walks of life throughout the ages.

(photo-the summit of Mount Pugh, one of the few trails off of the Mountain Loop Highway that is still acessible)

Stand Watch before its Gone

Just when you thought those crazy bureaucrats at the US Forest Service (with thanks and support from an uncaring president and congress) couldn't possibly let our public lands fall farther into disrepair-comes the Olympic National Forest Plan which purports to not only let scores of our trails fade into oblivion-but also-are you ready for this one-decommission the Kloshe Nanitch restored replica fire lookout. What the.. ?! Can you overseers of our public natural and cultural heritage possibly show any more neglect? Not since the liquidation of our old-growth forests has the Forest Service been so inept at managing our public lands. I am sick of this wanton disregard and mismanagement of our-my-your- public lands! Congress wake up! Fund our land! The heck with bridges to nowhere, welfare for people who don't even belong here, tax breaks for agri-business- Start funding our national forests! And Mr. President? Just how much have we spent on Iraq so far? What about our own lands? Dismal! Senator McCain or Obama whenever which one of you two takes office in January, do this country a favor and start reading Theodore Roosevelt's biography if you haven't done so already. After 16 years under the Clinton and Bush administrations, the Forest Service has to be revived. I'm counting on you guys. Actually the an entire country of public lands loving people are!

Kloshe Nanitch is Chinook for "stand guard" or "stand watch." We all need to stand guard and protect our lands! For a description of the great hike leading to this excellent site, click here.

Get out there and hike it-then demand that it be protected!

Romano's Endangered Trails

Gee Point

As a guidebook writer I've hiked my fair share of trails over the years. Here in Washington State- well over 1,000 of them. The fate of many of these backwoods byways is grim. While 20 years ago logging and logging roads were obliterating many of them off of the face of the Cascades, Olympics, and Selkirks, now they are fading because we aren't logging anymore! Say what? You heard me correctly. Because we are no longer logging in many of our national forests (thank the global market place and a few environmental zealots, but mostly the global market place) funding for trails and other recreation programs on our national forests has all but disappeared.

Now you can blame Bush and the Republicans, they certainly are responsible for much of the fund gutting-but it was happening under Clinton, too-and the current Democratic Congress hasn't amounted to too much either when it comes to funding our forests. (I miss Scoop Jackson!) The situation looks dire in the future even under a president Clinton, Obama, or McCain. Unless Americans start demanding that we fund our national forests better and perhaps stop wasting so much of our public dollars on wars, social welfare programs and entitlements.Our national Forests benefit all Americans-and wildlife-and provide a break from the rapidly urbanizing landscapes that we just can't seem to stop (think no population policy-think uncontrolled immigration-think unsustainable development).

Anyhow, I've digressed enough. I wish to share with you from time to time some of my favorite endangered trails in Washington State. One is Gee Point in the Finney Block of the Mount Baker-Snoqualmie National Forest located between the Stilliguamish and Skagit Rivers. Pockets of gorgeous old-growth still exist on this former lookout point with spectacular views of Mount Baker and the Skagit Valley. One of my favorite highlights on this trail is its "Mini Grand Park." The first .25 mile of this trail is brushy hell-but beyond, some good tread still exists. All this trail needs to bring it back to life is a handful of trail lovers one weekend brushing it out and doing a little tread work-perhaps adding a trailhead sign would be nice too. I've highlighted it in my new book, Day Hiking North Cascades. It is a peaceful trail and I want more people to discover it before we lose it forever. Will you heed my call and go hike it this year?

(photo- Gee Point's "Mini Grand Park" and thanks to WTA for the Endangered Trails inspiration)