I used to love wandering around the Bridal Veil Plateau, so I went on my first visit since the fire.
I took the "stairway trail" up the ridge west of Coopey Creek. This trail seems have a lot less traffic. I saw only three flags, all near the top of the ridge. Below 1500 feet elevation, it was hard to find the trail at all, and whacking through vines and bushes slowed me down. Above 1500, the trail became clear until it was obliterated by an apparent mudslide near the top of the ridge. I needed my GPSr to find the "throne" and get onto the old road heading east.
The road was overgrown but easily passable until it connected to the larger road that was "decommissioned" after the fire. It looks the way it was described in this report from last year but with a lot more brush growing through those logs. I'm no athlete and found the going very slow with a high risk of spraining an ankle. For much of the route, it was easier to bushwhack through the adjacent forest.
I followed these roads toward Devils Rest, despairing of returning to my car before sunset. But then I was delighted to reach the south end of the Foxglove Way trail which is apparently getting a lot of love. From there back to the Angels Rest parking lot was a delightful trek in late afternoon sunshine, and I got to my car exactly when my GPSr announced sunset.
I was struck by the irony that one department of the federal government is discouraging use of popular hiking trails while another is disabling the rarely-used ones. For me, the fun is gone. I won't be back to the plateau anytime soon.
Bridal Veil Plateau 11/23/2019
Re: Bridal Veil Plateau 11/23/2019
I was heading up the Angel's Rest trail on Saturday and got to the top for the view right at sunset, then continued on up to Devil's Rest and back around the loop in the dark. Probably passed you on the way up!
#pnw #bestlife #bitingflies #favoriteyellowcap #neverdispleased