The Munra problem

Use this forum to report and discuss trails in need of maintenance. This will help organizations like TKO and agencies like the Forest Service get the most recent on-the-ground trail conditions.
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Chase
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Re: The Munra problem

Post by Chase » December 2nd, 2015, 6:44 am

I don't really understand the OSM theme on the other thread, so I'm bringing this one back up.

My love for the Gorge and Munra makes it impossible for me to ignore this problem. This is like, hypothetically, you had dying teeth and your jaw was going to start collapsing and you just threw your hands up and said, "well, it was nice when I had a face that didn't look like it was in a jackhammer accident."

Any serious ideas about how to best preserve this slope? Bosterson and only a few others seem concerned enough to bring my it up and I think this needs a signal boost in a bigger way than this thread.

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VanMarmot
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Re: The Munra problem

Post by VanMarmot » December 2nd, 2015, 8:29 am

Pilot Rock down here was a lot like Munra - easy access to the TH from I-5 (2 mi good gravel road), good road/trail (PCT) to the slope below the Rock, and then a use trail up to the actual climbing part of the hike. Since Pilot Rock is in every guidebook for southern Oregon / NorCal, it gets 1000s of users a year and the user trail was a terrible mess. It took a local group - the Siskiyou Mountain Club - working in conjuction with the BLM (this area is administered by them, not the USFS) to finally engineer (with proper grading & rock retaining walls) a good trail from the PCT up to the base of the climb (SMC). I think you'd be looking at having to do something similar if you wanted to fix the braided user trail problem for Munra. The do-it-yourself switchbacks that someone built on Munra a few years ago - and which have since faded - were good in concept but not properly engineered. Building an engineered trail on the slope/loose rock at the base of Munra is likely beyond the capacity of any one individual.

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retired jerry
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Re: The Munra problem

Post by retired jerry » December 2nd, 2015, 8:31 am

Maybe the "build it and they will come" principal?

Build some trail somewhere to funnel people to?

Like at the bottom of Munra to deflect people away?

Or improve the Munra "trail" so the impact is focused on a narrow track?

Or put a sign asking people not to go there because it's causing erosion?

scrambler2
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Re: The Munra problem

Post by scrambler2 » December 23rd, 2015, 8:27 pm

I remember that trail braiding on the lower section from hiking it in the late 80's. Easier to switchback and grab trees than to try and go straight down. We're all part of the problem.

Just saying...
PCT class of 2012

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Chase
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Re: The Munra problem

Post by Chase » December 23rd, 2015, 8:41 pm

And what can we do to be part of the solution?

I think this trail requires some major work in order to minimize the erosion, tree damage, and safety of the lower 1/4 of the trail.
Imagine TKO or the FS wanted to fix it...what would it take? A fence on the uphill side of each switchback? Log-steps or traction on the steeper parts of the switchbacks? Moving soil up to the eroded areas and securing it with chicken wire? Small retaining walls also filled in with soil and blocked by fences?

I don't know the best way to go about this and I think Friends of the Gorge, the Department of Agriculture, CRGNSA, and others need to take a tour up there and make some decisions.

I'm sure most people will balk at it and the word "money" will fall from their lips.

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