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Maple Ridge, BC
Canada
772 Posts |
Posted - 11/08/2006 : 3:06 PM
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I’m not sure how many of you make it south of the border for hiking, but we usually make several trips a year including an annual trip to Mt Rainier so this is not good news. Washington and Oregon got hit pretty hard by the recent rain storms and the flooding and damage has been record breaking.
In Mt Rainier National Park a quarter mile of the Nisqually Road was wiped out and the Sunshine Point campground is completely gone! Right now the whole park is closed down and will remain so until further notice. They have said any trail repairs will have to wait until spring and hikers should assume all footbridges have blown out. They don’t even know of the road can be repaired in time to provide winter access to Paradise. The Carbon River Road (Spray Park) is also damaged.
It is still too early to know the full extent of destruction, but it would appear the Olympics, Rainier and the Alpine Lakes Wilderness were the hardest hit. Not sure how Baker fared, but SR542 was closed yesterday cutting off access to Glacier. Highways 20 & 2 are both closed due to slides. The road into the Hoh Rainforest is closed and the Suiattle River Road is out too.
Areas like Rainier will have roads and major trails rebuilt, but it’s the little trails that we worry about like Skyline Divide where it may take years to get fixed (Skyline Divide just reopened this year after having a bridge washed out). I’m glad we got a chance to do Indian Henry’s Hunting Ground in MRNP when we did last year, that area was absolutely pummelled by this storm.
Here’s a link to some photos and video of Snoqualmie Falls…
http://www.nwhikers.net/forums/viewtopic.php?t=17435
And check these pictures out from a WTA trip report…
http://www.wta.org/~wta/cgi-bin/wtaweb.pl?7+reports+displayM+2006110602
Anyone know of any major damage or road/trail closures up here in SW BC?
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 Simpson quoting tree hunter and canyon rapping rockhound who longs for the return of his trapped Toyota
Salt Lake City, UT
USA
2268 Posts |
Posted - 11/08/2006 : 3:30 PM
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What have you heard about the Olympics, aside from the Hoh, D&K? I usually make a trip or two down there every winter. Maybe the Queets back door project will have to wait.
I'm presently fending off an impulse to head out to the Carmanah/Walbran area this weekend. If anywhere got hit, it would be those trailheads. Might have an update in the next few weeks. |
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double-double seeking, snow-chasing, short-cutting, vertical feet collector
4522 Posts |
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Maple Ridge, BC
Canada
772 Posts |
Posted - 11/08/2006 : 6:38 PM
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quote:
In Olympic National Park, both the North and South Shore Quinault Roads are closed, and "The east abutments of the Finley Creek were compromised by floodwaters. The bridge is closed to all traffic and the road remains closed east of the bridge."
The WTA (Washington Trails Association) has a blog with updates
http://www.wta.org/~wta/cgi-bin/wtaweb.pl?4+blog+thread+ed+204
With more rain in the forecast I don't think we will get a full assessment of the damage until next week. |
Edited by - David and Karen on 11/08/2006 6:41 PM |
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Richmond, B.C
Canada
288 Posts |
Posted - 11/09/2006 : 10:02 PM
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| Thats such a shame to hear whats happened to the trails. |
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Maple Ridge, BC
Canada
772 Posts |
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Maple Ridge, BC
Canada
772 Posts |
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Calgary, Alberta
Andorra
3787 Posts |
Posted - 11/16/2006 : 9:32 PM
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| That's an awesome pdf document. That's ubelievable. and I thought we took a beating... |
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Terrace, BC
957 Posts |
Posted - 11/17/2006 : 10:01 PM
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Amazing PDF is right!
This is what changes the landscape forever. When I was a forestry worker we used to fly over rivers and you could see many different channels of various ages cut out by these events. I was working by one and we had a major flood and the river course moved over 200m when it was all over.
Those forces of nature, wow. |
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Washington State trails take a beating
