miah66 wrote:miah66 wrote: I hope to do the lower section of the ELC Trail sometime in the future, creek crossings and all.
The lower ELC TH was closed most of last year for logging operations but hopefully it's back open by now.
I forgot to mention that the road to that lower trailhead will be closed most of the summer after July 15 for road work. I'll post the link tomorrow.[/quote]
I could be wrong but I don't think the road was closed for logging operations but to fix the road. It was noticeably better (the road to the lower ELC trailhead that is) than it was in years previous, as they filled in all of the car-swallowing potholes and gravel / pavement transitions until the last couple of miles. Hopefully it's open in a couple weeks when I lead a Mazama group there for a 3-day backpack.
Your report speaks to me - I love that area and this is one of the best I've seen on this loop, and the Elk Lake area in general. Because of the road and trail conditions only the hardy tend to go deep into Bull of the Woods, so you don't hear about it as much. My car cannot handle the road to Elk Lake so I backpack into the area from elsewhere, usually from Elk Lake Creek. You did a great job of showing some of why this area is amazing.
Here's another thing: downstream of the crossing of Elk Lake Creek is a pool I shall call Emerald Pool (as it will be named in my forthcoming book, and I hope the name sticks). The name is a deliberate reference to Opal Pool, as this place is similar but in my opinion even more amazing:
When traveling in this area I usually don't need to use maps but I haven't done the Mother Lode Trail since before the fire, so when I go back here the weekend after next I'm going to use the track on Trail Advocates:
http://www.trailadvocate.org/trails/558-2/
Their tracks (thanks Rob!) are usually dead on, and I think at least some of them pre-date the two fires in this area so they'll still have the proper alignments. Trail Advocates is an amazing resource for Clackamas lovers such as myself.
At least you tagged the actual crossing so we can all find it in the future! I had to look at a map to refresh my memory on where the wrong trail goes. It does head up to welcome lakes but I think it's the abandoned geronimo trail courtesy of Bobcats motherlode loop track. http://www.oregonhikers.org/field_guide ... _Loop_Hike I tried that loop over the winter but there was a bit too much snow and blow down on the northern section of the loop just past the tower turnoff. The welcome lakes trail intersection is quite a bit farther down ELC trail.
