Eagle Creek Trail (Gorge) Closed by Fire (July 5)

[Bosterson]

Rock of Ages ridge might be gone for good if the landslides hit hard. The trail to the backbone is already steep and slippery, this is going to really mess up the stability.

Dave, thank you for finding a silver lining in all of this. After the severe winter storm destruction on ROA last year, we needed something to erase all the braiding and user ruts everywhere, and, well, "something" just came along...

[bushwhacker]

Looks like someone just had to get their three minutes and seven seconds of fame: https://youtu.be/yADzmchCsOk

[Bosterson]

This is nonsense - natural restoration will proceed just fine - albiet more slowly and in its own direction - without our help. The Gorge at the end of the 19th Century and the start of the 20th Century was a logged-over mess (think of all those old logging railroads Don Nelsen has found) but it came back - it just takes time, lots of time.

Is it illegal for trail groups or citizens to assist in replanting efforts? Especially around sections of trail where the organic material has been completely burned off?

Is "replanting" something that's necessary? My understanding was that fire will cause the forest to reseed itself. As a "wilderness" (at least part of it), there should be no need for us to step in and try to fix what's happened: whatever burn residue remains will be the new normal. The only work that will need doing is clearing and rebuilding trails. But outside of snags that threaten to fall on hikers, I can't imagine why we would need to do work in any of the rest of the forest.

The premise here is that "restoration" won't occur in a way both favorable to, and fast enough for, humans without the helping hand of the logging industry.

Yeah, that was my expectation, just wanted to make sure I wasn't misunderstanding it. Let all that valuable timber rot where it lies! If the logging industry wants it, let them hump big crosscut saws up there and carry it out by hand...

[Guy]

Is "replanting" something that's necessary? My understanding was that fire will cause the forest to reseed itself. As a "wilderness" (at least part of it), there should be no need for us to step in and try to fix what's happened: whatever burn residue remains will be the new normal. The only work that will need doing is clearing and rebuilding trails. But outside of snags that threaten to fall on hikers, I can't imagine why we would need to do work in any of the rest of the forest.

I cant see much replanting if any being done in the Wilderness area. I can see how replanting burnt areas close to the freeway could help create a buffer and maybe reduce some of the minor landslide / freeway blocking events.

[Guy]

Looks like someone just had to get their three minutes and seven seconds of fame: https://youtu.be/yADzmchCsOk

"Look at me look at me I'm in the fire zone making a movie"..............

[Christminster]

Looks like someone just had to get their three minutes and seven seconds of fame

Well, I'll take a nitwit's close-up view (with bad music) over nothing.

[justpeachy]

Looks like someone just had to get their three minutes and seven seconds of fame: https://youtu.be/yADzmchCsOk

Not anonymous. Doesn't seem like a good idea to post a video of oneself hiking on a closed trail that burned less than a week ago.

[adamschneider]

Looks like someone just had to get their three minutes and seven seconds of fame: https://youtu.be/yADzmchCsOk

Not anonymous. Doesn't seem like a good idea to post a video of oneself hiking on a closed trail that burned less than a week ago.

Well, his username IS "MisguidedIdiot."

[forestkeeper]

Does anyone know how much of the Eagle Creek Trail 440 got burned? I was thinking since the fire originated at Punchbowl Falls that it worked itself northward towards Metlako then onward to Ruckel Creek Falls area. But also if it joined with the Indian Creek Fire, does that mean the area around Loowit Falls plus everything else in between is also destroyed?

[Lurch]

Looks like someone just had to get their three minutes and seven seconds of fame: https://youtu.be/yADzmchCsOk

Not anonymous. Doesn't seem like a good idea to post a video of oneself hiking on a closed trail that burned less than a week ago.

Well, his username IS "MisguidedIdiot."

Well the video is down now.... Any chance someone who saw it could share which trail he was on?

Does anyone know how much of the Eagle Creek Trail 440 got burned? I was thinking since the fire originated at Punchbowl Falls that it worked itself northward towards Metlako then onward to Ruckel Creek Falls area. But also if it joined with the Indian Creek Fire, does that mean the area around Loowit Falls plus everything else in between is also destroyed?

It originated below punchbowl, not at punchbowl. From the sounds of it most of the canyon got toasted, and while the trail bed may survive the slides and trees are going to be coming down (already are, all over the gorge).

Reading through some post-burn trail assessments from other fires, in other parts of the country that are much flatter and friendly, it's a sad outlook, with drainage erosion being one of the worst impacts, I can only imagine how much worse it will be for the gorge. Trees will continue to fall for the next decade or more, although most will come down this winter. There most likely will be a BAER team (Burned Area Emergency Response) that should do an assessment of trail infrastructure once things have calmed a bit.

I can't stress this enough.. Please do not go in there before the trails are open. We all know that there's ways in, and it would be impossible to keep everyone out. But it is a legitimate, and seriously dangerous place to be. We're all curious if X place survived, or did Y place burn, please have patience, it's not going anywhere, and whatever damage is done is done. The hazards to people though is very real, and there isn't really any coming back or 'rescue' from being buried in a landslide while hiking through a restricted zone.

As for re-planting the gorge.. Just, don't... I know it's well intentioned, but there's plenty of cases out there where such efforts cause way more damage than good, people unknowingly transplant invasive species, or inappropriate species for the territory, they put themselves in harms way, etc.. Just take a deep breath and pause.