Dog Mt. - Fantastic! Augspurger Mt. Tr - Terrible! 2-19-2012

[Jack]

Went up with a plan to do Dog Mt. and then check out the the Augspurger Mt. Tr. northwest from the Augie - Doggie Jct. As most know, the eastside scenic Dog Mt. Tr. is not recommended with lots of damage, but the middle trail is in good shape. The Augie Tr. from the parking lot to the Jct. is also said to be in good shape. Going up the middle, there was some definite labor put in there. Thanks to all involved!

Dog had just a thin layer of snow on it. On the traverse above Puppy Dog Pt. in route to Dog Mt. summit, Clark, Spitfire and I were walking into a pretty heavy west wind. No surprise there!

Leaving the top.

Finding tree cover down below the Dog - Aug. traverse.

We made it through the short switchbacks just below the jct. tossing a few limbs to this point around 2000’. Then it was a total debris field…

…with downed trees. The snow and debris mixture was seldom less than 1’ deep. Just below here (1900’) the trail was blocked and we bushwhacked direct across the gully.

We found the trail, again, with our gps tracks and came upon this newly downed tree lying down the middle of it.

Nearing the road, just above.

Thinking the road would be a skate, we were disappointed.

Going further up the road, Spitfire labored on.

Had we not coaxed her onward, I think she may have cleared the entire trail without stopping. Hmmm! Maybe not!

Jumping back on the trail, it appeared there was less debris, but more snow at only 2200’.

Postholing and near our turnaround time, we gladly turned around.

We didn’t bring snowshoes, thankfully, or we’d been sinking deeper carrying the extra weight through the debris.

[Jack]

Heading back down.

Looking back.

Getting down near the cutoff.

Jumping on the trail back down to the gulley

The new log, again, running down the trail.

Finding the trail again, going back up.

We boogeyed on out of there and went back up to Dog Top. The wind had let up and we enjoyed some fantastic sights.

Calling it a day.

[[email protected]]

Jack - thanks again for the very detailed report and the photos to prove it. Must have been rather an adventure (understatement) getting that far along the Augspurger Mnt Trail. A couple of weeks ago, I went up the Augspurger Mnt Trail from the Dog Parking Lot and that was OK as was the trail over to the Dog summit. But we could see, from the junction with the Augspurger Mnt Trail tons of tree tops snapped off as your drop-down heading over to Augspurger and reckoned there would be debris. Didn't expect the level that you found, however, tons of it and impassable it looks like. This will take a lot of work to get that cleared.
Luckily the middle trail up Dog and the west (Augspurger Trail) on Dog are both good. I've heard that some work has been done on Dog's east trail (the scenic one) but I would suspect that they only made a dent in the debris since it was very similar to what you found today.
Keep the great reports coming.

[Spitfire]

Jack,

Thanks for another great trip report! Love those photos! What an adventure! The lost and then found again glasses, the head bonking, and the careful step by step negotiation through all that ice storm debris made for another exciting day!

Our beloved Augspurger Mtn trail is really a mess. The three of us cleared as many loose branches as we could but it will take a huge effort to return that trail to its former condition. There is so much snow covering up the the branches and downed trees right now that it is really hard to tell the true extent of the damage. Yet another Gorge trail maintenance project!

[Jack]

What an adventure! The lost and then found again glasses, the head bonking, and the careful step by step negotiation through all that ice storm debris made for another exciting day!
Our beloved Augspurger Mtn trail is really a mess.

Yes, I’ll never use those croakies again. Talk about luck finding those glasses down near Puppy Dog, in that strong wind, after reaching the top!

It will be quite an exploratory hike down and up the Augie Mt. tr., once the snow's gone. Cringe!

[Christminster]

Hey, a couple of those shots are art-quality. That sepia-colored fog really
helped. In particular DSCO1457 and 1480

[Jack]

Hey, a couple of those shots are art-quality. That sepia-colored fog really
helped. In particular DSCO1457 and 1480

It was nearly surreal how fast the clouds changed in about .4 mile along the Aug - Dog traverse. In DSCO1480 we could actually see the river through the dark cover. Looking up was fairly light, on the level was mixed, and down towards the river was dark. The traverse was the highlight of the day!

[mayhem]

Great TR once again my Trail Friends . I'm living through TR's from others of late.

[Jack]

Great TR once again my Trail Friends . I'm living through TR's from others of late.

Ah, Mayhem, even the best athletes slow down a little in the offseason! Having experienced herniated discs, myself, all I can say is stretch those hamstrings good. When the snow is gone you’ll be knocking out that Quad Defiance!

[beag]

One thing I find about clearing limbs and brush from trails, it's usually best to wait untill there is a complete thaw. It's really hard work to remove snowy or frozen brush.