After taking a quick look at the winter beauty of the Gorge the day after Christmas, I was anxious to get back and take more time to check it out further. Alas, a great deal of snow had melted in the new years day deluge but plenty remained on the trail above the main Multnomah Falls to entertain and delight us on our trek Saturday.
Daughter Susan and I parked about 9:45 at Multnomah Falls lodge and headed up the trail carrying our snowshoes as well as ice axes - just in case. We donned the snowshoes at the stone bridge and proceeded up the well-buried trail. As it turned out, knee pads might have been a useful addition as we found many large trees down across the trail between the stone bridge and the metal bridge that had us down on all fours in three or four spots! The above is a pic of the worst of it - 8 or nine large trees down in a short section.
The condition of the trail quickly deteriorated above the stone bridge:
Here's the only one we saw coming back down. We met a few more folks as we came back down ourselves and they all thanked us for the nice snowshoe tracks we left on the route:
Once at the first of the upper falls, the switchbacks were completely covered so going directly up the hill seemed to be the best option. Suz tackled this with her customary aplomb. (Her later descent - well, you will have to ask her about that!):
The section of trail near the top of the upper of the two upper falls was worthy of very careful negotiation:
Above the junction of the Wahkeenah Trail, many trees down and lots of crawling under and over was the rule:
Past the worse of it, we had the metal bridge in our sites:
The view of the carnage downstream from the metal bridge:
Above the bridge, no tracks at all were visible. We called it a day and headed back:
One last look at the winter wonderland as we arrived at the freeway entrance near Dodson:
dn & Suz
Larch Mountain Trail - major storm damage (Jan 3, 2009)
- Don Nelsen
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Larch Mountain Trail - major storm damage (Jan 3, 2009)
"Everything works in the planning stage" - Kelly
"If you don't do it this year, you will be one year older when you do" - Warren Miller
"If you don't do it this year, you will be one year older when you do" - Warren Miller
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Re: Larch Mountain Trail Sat, Jan 3rd - significant storm damage
Wow - that trail is hammered, Don! I had a similar experience last February, when I went up there in snow and found downed trees on two of the three Dutchman falls, plus a fairly gnarly slide just short of the Wahkeena junction. Nature bats last..!
Tom
Tom
Re: Larch Mountain Trail Sat, Jan 3rd - significant storm damage
Impressive damage! Thanks for posting those.
Re: Larch Mountain Trail Sat, Jan 3rd - significant storm damage
Nice hike Don! Good idea bringing an ice axe. I went hiking up Bridal Veil creek today, visiting the two upper falls, etc... and made a few discoveries which I'll post later. I brought my ice axe as well, which was very helpful, even on the muddy slopes - a 70degree slope let me test out a few uses for it...and I think I might even take it on some summer bush-whacks now! You can use the pick and the point in conjunction to create a great hold on steep, muddy slopes by putting pressure straight down on the point! By the way, do you know if there are elk in the Gorge??? If not, I found the largest deer antler I've ever found up there today. Keep up the great trip reports. Hopefully I'll get to go on an adventure with you and your intrepid daughter sometime this winter.
-Zach
-Zach
- Don Nelsen
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Re: Larch Mountain Trail Sat, Jan 3rd - significant storm damage
Hi Zach,
I just got through commenting on your elk antler post and then saw your note here. Nice find! The ice axe was pretty helpful on saturday's hike. Just the confidence factor was worth having it along and it made a very useful anchor when climbing over some of the trees.
-Don
I just got through commenting on your elk antler post and then saw your note here. Nice find! The ice axe was pretty helpful on saturday's hike. Just the confidence factor was worth having it along and it made a very useful anchor when climbing over some of the trees.
-Don
"Everything works in the planning stage" - Kelly
"If you don't do it this year, you will be one year older when you do" - Warren Miller
"If you don't do it this year, you will be one year older when you do" - Warren Miller
Re: Larch Mountain Trail Sat, Jan 3rd - significant storm damage
Don: Interesting that so many trees seem to want to fall across the trails in the winter time. Why can't they fall in the woods, away from the trails?
Your ID photo is a place I recognize, it is by the "Needles" near the summit of Mt. Whitney is it not?
John
Your ID photo is a place I recognize, it is by the "Needles" near the summit of Mt. Whitney is it not?
John
- Don Nelsen
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Re: Larch Mountain Trail Sat, Jan 3rd - significant storm damage
John,hikerMan wrote:Don: Interesting that so many trees seem to want to fall across the trails in the winter time. Why can't they fall in the woods, away from the trails?
Your ID photo is a place I recognize, it is by the "Needles" near the summit of Mt. Whitney is it not?
John
Good question about the trees. Multnomah creek sure gets more than its share of falling trees it seems to me.
It is indeed the Keeler Needles from the trail at about 14,100' near the summit of Mt. Whitney. Summer of '00. Have you been up there?
dn
Last edited by Don Nelsen on January 7th, 2009, 3:38 pm, edited 1 time in total.
"Everything works in the planning stage" - Kelly
"If you don't do it this year, you will be one year older when you do" - Warren Miller
"If you don't do it this year, you will be one year older when you do" - Warren Miller
Re: Larch Mountain Trail Sat, Jan 3rd - significant storm damage
About what elevation did you turn back then? Do I dare ask about the descent? Your picture foretells one possibility in quite a vivid fashion.
Re: Larch Mountain Trail Sat, Jan 3rd - significant storm damage
Why do trees fall across trails preferentially? Trails on slopes are the real issue. The obvious answer is they fall down hill, not parallel to the trail.
The less obvious answer is that the trail cut can destabilize the slope, causing slippage--a mini landslide, The trees counter the lean by returning to vertical, but slippage continues with ongoing trail maintenance. The trees beside trail on slopes often have bends at their bases with trunks offset downhill. I do not know that these trees are more likely to fall than others, but if they do, it will definitely be across the trail. The trees that have not countered the slide yet are leaning and are at great risk of falling, and the greatest slippage is in winter.
Steve
The less obvious answer is that the trail cut can destabilize the slope, causing slippage--a mini landslide, The trees counter the lean by returning to vertical, but slippage continues with ongoing trail maintenance. The trees beside trail on slopes often have bends at their bases with trunks offset downhill. I do not know that these trees are more likely to fall than others, but if they do, it will definitely be across the trail. The trees that have not countered the slide yet are leaning and are at great risk of falling, and the greatest slippage is in winter.
Steve
- Don Nelsen
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Re: Larch Mountain Trail Sat, Jan 3rd - significant storm damage
Turn back! Moi? I was on my way back down from the summit of Whitney (14,496') when I found someone to take my photo. It's really a pretty easy hike/climb - 22 miles RT - the altitude kinda takes your breath away, thoughfettster wrote:About what elevation did you turn back then? Do I dare ask about the descent? Your picture foretells one possibility in quite a vivid fashion.
Don
"Everything works in the planning stage" - Kelly
"If you don't do it this year, you will be one year older when you do" - Warren Miller
"If you don't do it this year, you will be one year older when you do" - Warren Miller