Conditions:
Mt Misery trail to Oregon Butte - about 50% snow covered
Smooth Ridge - Tread in good condition to Weller Butte. 34 blowdown from McBain sp. to Lodgepole sp. 16 blowdown from Lodgepole sp. to Weller Butte. The previously horrifying camp near Lodgepole is soooo much cleaner. Many thanks to those who have packed out trash!
Yearling Ridge - 12 blowdown near McBain. Clear, though sometimes faint tread beyond. There is an abandoned site with structures and 2-4 cubic yards of trash about a mile out on the trail.
Road to Teepee TH - Near Godman the road to Teepee was blocked by snow so we walked it Friday afternoon. On the way back Monday it was pretty much melted out and should be completly snow free in a couple days.
<3 the Wenaha-Tucannon Wilderness!
Comments
Holly Weiler on Oregon Butte, Smooth Ridge, Mount Misery
Thanks for the updates for one of my favorite areas! Oh, goodness, I ran out of time to hike all the way to end of Yearling Ridge on my visit last summer & now I need to go back to see what kind of mess this one is. Although I've had good luck reporting GPS coordinates to the FS for the really big messes, if you managed to snag coordinates for this one. The Pomeroy RD has a pack string, so if they have GPS coordinates & are doing work in the area, it can sometimes work out for the mules to carry it, which is so much easier than backpackers trying to carry things out! I reported one at Mud Spring a few years ago that I later learned ended up requiring 9 mule loads! That would have been approximately 1000 trips by shanks' mare. :)
Posted by:
Holly Weiler on Jun 01, 2021 08:40 AM
Froof_D_Poof on Oregon Butte, Smooth Ridge, Mount Misery
Hehe, good to know, I'll give Pomeroy a heads up if they're not already aware. Yearling Ridge was really cool. We ended up spending 2 nights out on it just because it has such good views of the rugged country above Crooked Creek and Third Creek.
Poor Mud Springs... Moore Flat was nearly unnavigable with all the post-burn growth and blowdown when we looped up Packers Trail and down Smooth Ridge to Fairview Bar last spring. I'd love to haul some loppers and small saws up there. :)
Posted by:
Froof_D_Poof on Jun 01, 2021 09:14 AM
Holly Weiler on Oregon Butte, Smooth Ridge, Mount Misery
Oh, very cool. Did you find water on Yearling Ridge or did you have to pack it in from McBain Spring? I hiked it at sunset last year & it was very beautiful; that would make a lovely camp. And that's sad to hear about Moore Flat! I haven't done a big loop down there since before the fire. I'm both curious and also scared to see what it looks like now. There were some gorgeous trees that I fear didn't make it, including the largest junipers I've ever seen. But if I ever win the lottery I'm going to spend the entirety of every June backpacking the W-T with loppers, a Silky, & a crosscut. That would be my kind of vacation. :)
Posted by:
Holly Weiler on Jun 01, 2021 09:24 AM
Froof_D_Poof on Oregon Butte, Smooth Ridge, Mount Misery
If only all lottery winners were so wise! The draw near our camp had enough water moving down it that we didn't need to get water at McBain. I suspect you would need to by the end of June though. Rettkowski and Huckleberry springs also had good flow further down Smooth Ridge.
Posted by:
Froof_D_Poof on Jun 01, 2021 11:00 AM