| Ranger's Logbook |
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| Rangers Log, Monday the 12th of May, 2008 Hi everyone, this is Mikki reporting on Monday the 12th, ten days before the long Memorial Weekend starts. We drove up Reecer and the Manastash roads yesterday (35 and 31, respectively). You could make it 6 miles up both (starting at the end of the county roads). There is serious talk about the Manastash not being snow free for the big weekend. Even with good weather predicted, it will most likely be too little, too late. We just have a lot of snow out there. Remember that the upper Table Mountain trails, as well as some roads, have a seasonal closure until June 15th. This might be a moot point because they may not be accessible until then anyway. The Liberty area is melting out a bit faster. You can access the 4W319 trail, but only the lower loop is snow free. Our long time 4x4 Volunteer group from the PNW4x4A has postponed their annual upper trail work party until mid-June. As far as I know, this is the first time their scheduled has had to be shuffled due to snow! Taneum Junction is snow free and Taneum Ridge and the North Fork Taneum are being logged out. However, it is almost certain that we will not have any loops open for Memorial Day Weekend! We are about three weeks behind our normal logout progression due to the snow. Please, please, please DO NOT punch through the snow or ride around blowdown. The trail crew is working diligently during the week to get trails logged out. Riding through the snow or around blowdown just promotes seasonal trail closures. |
I was able to drive to the Salmon la Sac bridge today w/ minimal difficulty. Cars will be able to get there by this weekend. Will be a while to get to Sac trailhead. Fish Lake rd is still a no go. Lake bed access at both Morgan and Dry Cr wide open, no mud even. Can only get about a 1/4 mi up Cooper. Wish Poosh, Cle River, and Red Mtn CGs should be open by the 16th w/o much problem PENDING satisfactory water samples and hazard tree removal. I don't anticipate any problems though. Same goes for Taneum, Icewater, Min Spgs, and Swauk. We'll keep you posted. Can't get up East Kachess rd past the dam. I will decide early next week whether or not to cancel East Kachess group site reservations for the holiday weekend. Right now looks pretty iffy. I have recommended Thousand Trails cancel reservations at Kachess CG. I estimate it will be at least a week before we can get in there and what we find will determine how long it'll take to get it ready for opening. Looking awfully grim for the holiday. Same for Crystal Spings. |
| From left to right. Far Left, Wes Willette on May 4th, Fish Lake Road, Boulder Avalanche debris field. Middle, May 4th, Hawkins Mountain, still a heck of a lot of snow to melt! Right, John McHaffie on the South Fork Manastash bridge, May 11th. Still three miles shy of the campgrounds. |
| Above, May 11, Reecer Elk. Below, Nicole on the South Fork Manastash bridge. |
May, 2008