[pct-l] Etna Summit Roadwalk details --- please?

[jeff.singewald at comcast.net]

It is about 8 miles down the Etna Summit road to the town of Etna.  It is all downhill on a steep winding paved road.  This is typically the road that people hitch to go into Etna for re-supply, however, if you are walking around the fire, I suppose you are planning to walk down this road.  Not much of a shoulder to speak of, but fortunately there is not that much traffic on this road.  Therer are several creek crossings along this road, however, it would be difficult for me to estimate mileage.

>From Etna you can walk along Highway 3 to Ft. Jones to catch the road down to the Indian Scotty turnoff.  This is a mostly flat road walk and follows the river much of the way.  The turnoff at the Kelsy Creek bridge towards Indian Scotty and the Lovers Camp trailhead must be a good 10-12 miles.

The road walk up to Lovers Camp is all up-hill paved road but it will be a tough pull.  You won't find much more than a few roadside run-offs to speak of here.  The road up must be about 5-6 miles.

Staying along the PCT it is approximately 28 miles from Etna Summit to the trail that comes up to Marble Station.  Your road walk will be about the same.  The scenery will not even be close to the same though.  I would suggest giving this another week and see if the trail opens.

In 2006 the trail was closed in this area due to nearby fires and was opened within a week or so of the closure.  You may have similar luck.

-------------- Original message -------------- 
From: "Brian Lewis" <brianle8 at gmail.com> 

> Deems, I think it was, kindly alerted us to this new fire closure, and 
> then today Matt sent the text below: 
> 
> "So possible reroute road walks are NOBO walk to Etna, then about 12 
> miles north to Scott river Rd via Mugginsville, then west via rd to 
> Indian Scotty Campground and to Lovers camp FS 44N45 and FS43N45 to 
> the Canyon Creek trail." 
> 
> Very much appreciated. I and some other thru's are in Castella, about 
> 100 miles or just a few days south of the fire closure. We assume it 
> will still be closed when we get there, but would really appreciate 
> any more details on road walk alternatives to allow us to decide (when 
> I check via internet on my cellphone) at the Etna turn off whether we 
> should walk to Etna as part of a roadwalk, or just hitch in and take 
> the bus to Seiad Valley as is suggested in text posted here. 
> 
> In particular, it would be great to get details on the types of roads 
> involved --- how much is forest service road, how much secondary road, 
> i.e. how much the road walk will suck (they all suck to some degree 
> ...). And the total mileage of the road walk. And either informed 
> speculation or specific knowledge of where we might find water along 
> the way on such a road walk, and where a person might camp along the 
> way. 
> 
> Thanks in advance if anyone can add to our knowledge here over the 
> next 4 days or so. FWIW, I'm sure that more details on a roadwalk 
> alternative would help more than just the few that I've been hiking 
> with. 
> 
> 
> Gadget 
> postholer.com/brianle 
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