Eagle Creek - High Bridge

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.
Rather B Hiking
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Eagle Creek - High Bridge

Post by Rather B Hiking » May 8th, 2015, 1:40 am

Took a mid-week hike up Eagle Creek, and noticed that High Bridge needs some work.
IMG-20150507-00464 med.jpg
West end of High Bridge
Someone has cleared some of the debris off the most damaged area, so possibly a damage assessment has already been done. Would be good to get this repaired before hordes of fully loaded backpackers start coming through. There is also a damaged area at the east end of the bridge, but it does not appear to be as bad as this.
IMG-20150507-00463 med.jpg
Closeup of the damaged area
There were also a couple of mysteries. This one was at the unofficial campside closest to Skoonichuck Falls, and just before Tenas Camp. Some type of primitive bear bag maybe, or just someone's garbage? No one was around, but I didn't want to handle it directly. Next time I go up that way, I will make sure to take a large trash bag, so I can cut this down and haul it out if it is still there.
IMG-20150507-00465 med.jpg
What is in there?
This was in the trail, near the campsites at 4.5 miles. I have seen piles of plastic before, where hikers used a large garbage bag/tarp/sheet of Tyvek to get through a rainstorm and then abandoned it when no longer needed, but the blue and white part here looked like a tent or maybe the rainfly for a tent. Two parties camped in that area already had their tents all set up, so it didn't seem to be theirs, and it was still there when I came back out.
IMG-20150507-00466 med.jpg
Lying in the trail, at the campsite at 4.5 miles.

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Chase
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Re: Eagle Creek - High Bridge

Post by Chase » May 8th, 2015, 5:21 am

Oh, my. Thanks for the attention brought to this and thanks for picking it up. FS should be notified of that bridge. If you'd contact the FS through this link it could help with the bridge situation. If you don't want to do that, send me a PM and I'll talk to them.

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retired jerry
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Re: Eagle Creek - High Bridge

Post by retired jerry » May 8th, 2015, 6:54 am

this is in "trail rx", didn't the forest service say they look at this?

Rather B Hiking
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Eagle Creek - High Bridge

Post by Rather B Hiking » May 11th, 2015, 4:41 pm

Chase wrote: . . . FS should be notified of that bridge. If you'd contact the FS through this link it could help with the bridge situation. . . .
Per your suggestion, I sent the FS a brief note. I believe PCTA is now doing some maintenance on Eagle Creek, but it looks like their efforts so far have been closer to the trailhead.

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RobinB
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Re: Eagle Creek - High Bridge

Post by RobinB » May 11th, 2015, 9:06 pm

Rather B Hiking wrote:I believe PCTA is now doing some maintenance on Eagle Creek, but it looks like their efforts so far have been closer to the trailhead.
The bridge damage is pretty new: it wasn't there when we walked through maybe a month ago. So maybe they just haven't done summer maintenance yet?

Rather B Hiking
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Joined: June 3rd, 2011, 10:17 am

Eagle Creek - High Bridge

Post by Rather B Hiking » May 12th, 2015, 11:08 am

RobinB wrote:The bridge damage is pretty new: it wasn't there when we walked through maybe a month ago. So maybe they just haven't done summer maintenance yet?
I don't think the bridge damage is all that new. I had noticed a couple of spots that were uncomfortably soft. It looked like someone had recently cleared debris off the bridge, exposing the damage which had been hidden before.

In any case, USFS indicated they are planning to send a repair crew in there next week. That's a good thing - High Bridge would not be a good place to fall through!

Rather B Hiking
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Eagle Creek - High Bridge

Post by Rather B Hiking » May 29th, 2015, 12:08 am

Didn't want to start another thread just for this, so thought I should just tack it on here. Eagle Creek is convenient for mid week hikes after work, so I often go there at least once a week in summer, and this time I noticed that the flip floppers have struck again. In addition to the large chunks someone carved away from the petrified stump a few weeks ago, and the ever-increasing area of bark being peeled off one large tree to make room for graffiti, they have now started "decorating" the handrail supports at Punchbowl Falls and High Bridge. The photo should provide a general idea of the maturity level of the comments.

I wish that all these people who like big piles of human waste and TP, off-leash pit bulls, graffiti, and garbage scattered everywhere would just visit one of the many homeless camps in Portland, and leave it there.

Does anyone know of anything that could be applied to the graffiti tree to cover up the mess? Maybe black paint followed by spattered brown paint? Or maybe wait for fall and paint the bare surface with a slurry made from moss? Seems like any tree in that area could easily grow enough moss in one winter to cover almost anything.
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IMG-20150528-00479.jpg
Handrail post at Punchbowl Falls overlook

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Splintercat
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Re: Eagle Creek - High Bridge

Post by Splintercat » June 1st, 2015, 7:39 am

Thanks for posting, Rather B - i think most of the grafitti comes frim the waterfall jumpers and their hordes - until that is enforced, it's probably just an unfortunate reality. At least it's focused on the one tree! There's a similar grafitti tree on the Bagby Trail, same issue.

I've been more distressed by the boot path that has formed between The Punch Bowl overlook and lower Punch Bowl area. That's going to be hard to reverse.

Thanks for sharing this with the Gorge staff. BTW, an aside from a longtime North Portlander on the tagging: you can attribute that to suburban teens, not urban gangs - just another part of the gang fashion statement that goes with the mass marketing of hip hop culture to the middle class.

Tom

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kepPNW
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Re: Eagle Creek - High Bridge

Post by kepPNW » June 1st, 2015, 10:59 am

Splintercat wrote:I've been more distressed by the boot path that has formed between The Punch Bowl overlook and lower Punch Bowl area. That's going to be hard to reverse.
They've really built a little beaver dam there, now...
  • Image
    May 29, 2015
But this sign raised my eyebrows for another reason. It clearly states the possible fine ($300) associated with violation of the associated regulation. Why did I find this interesting? I had looked very closely at all the signs regarding the NW Forest Pass being "required" at the trailhead, and not a single one threatened a fine! Not one. All they did was extol the wonderful improvements that purchasing a pass made possible. So with that, I left my expired NWFP on the dashboard, and began my hike! :twisted:
Karl
Back on the trail, again...

Rather B Hiking
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Re: Eagle Creek - High Bridge

Post by Rather B Hiking » June 1st, 2015, 1:36 pm

kepPNW wrote:They've really built a little beaver dam there, now...
The "beaver dam" was considerably more robust when someone first put it in there. Some of the jumpers have been pulling branches out of the pile, while others built two ugly new user trails just around the corner, after the bridge.

Also, the debris that was piled in the chute near the large rock where you first see the lower part of Loowit is almost entirely gone.

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