As a guidebook author, I occasionally hear from people who use the book and/or want to let me know about something that's changed. This is one I got this week:
I just wrote back to say I am glad he's okay and I hope others who see the "trail closed" sign exercise more common sense and discretion.I wanted to update you on the status of one of the trails listed in the preface of the 6th edition of 60 Hikes within 60 miles of Portland: the Trapper Creek Wilderness hike. I went out this past Sunday, 10/18, and to my disappointment, the trail had been closed with a notice that it would remain as such for the next 12 months, until September 30th, 2021. The notice gave no reason for the closure, so I assumed trail maintenance and went to scout it for myself. I found your description of the hike to be quite accurate, in that the variation was easy to strenuous; however, the particularly strenuous portions are a result of the fires that have burned the area in the middle 5 miles of the hike, to include the area surrounding the peak. I spotted two fallen trees still ablaze, the path obscured in several places and challengingly obstructed in others, and bridges turned impassable in the center of the creek. Furthermore, the fallen pine needles obscured a muddy, washed out track that was, in part, composed of inch cubed wood charcoal, which makes footing unstable at best and downright dangerous at worst.
I apologize for the lengthy message, but if you come into contact with those who would take this trail, please let them know that it is closed, and, for the more incautious, genuinely dangerous.