[pct-l] Mt. Hood Conditions

[Wayne Kraft]

A quote from Ron Goodwin, Mt. Hood trail maintainer, left on  
pdxhikers forum:

"This may be the year to let Ramona Falls rest and try some of the  
other trails that people usually don't use.  Two weeks ago the FS  
with some of the PCT people including the Crew Leader for Ameri-corps  
Team looked the area over and came up with the following conclusion.   
There will be a long hike in from Lolo Pass Road over what can be a  
dangerous crossing in the afternoon when the temperatures rise on 3  
crossings.  Then the steep 15 foot banks to the Sandy upstream may  
take a rope to get back out plus the trail has been washed out.   
There are blue flags placed by Kim and Pam Owen so they can find  
their way to their PCT section from Ramona Falls to Paradise Park.   
If you have to go to Ramona Falls, the best way now is via the Top  
Spur trailhead which has been cleared by both the PCTA and FS.  The  
Muddy Fork crossing log is still there as is the temporary trail.  It  
only seems to be the old established trails that are washed out in  
the Ramona Falls area."

The Sandy River crossing remains a problem apparently but the  
survival of the Muddy Fork log bridge is a pleasant surprise.  Once  
across the Sandy, there is an alternate route that bypasses Ramona  
Falls (and, if I understand him correctly, the "three crossings" of  
the Muddy Fork made by the official PCT route that Ron refers to)   
and proceeds up Bald Mtn. I am not sure what the current guidebook  
says about this.  Last year there was a temporary sign at the  
junction directing stock users and cautious hikers to the alternate  
route.  The alternate has a ford for stock users and the  
aforementioned log bridge for hikers.  Of course, unless there's a  
miracle repair to the Sandy River crossing, a nobo PCT hiker who's  
made it across will probably no longer qualify as cautious.  Top Spur  
Trail is a half mile spur that allows access to the PCT from Lolo  
Pass Road (via a spur road) about 3 PCT miles south of Lolo Pass.

Wayne Kraft