This was part of a four-day WTA BRCT logout in the Salmo Priest Wilderness. We met Thursday morning at Bear Pasture TH. While the road is driveable in almost any car (high clearance and 4WD not necessary) the road is very overgrown in places and there are some down trees requiring a lot of attention. The road is also narrow. Not narrow-like-I-am-going-to-plummet-2000-feet-to-my-death narrow, but if there are cars meeting going in opposite directions, someone is going to have to backup, and maybe quite a ways, until you reach a pullout. But, the reward for this effort is a beautiful ridge where you will probably see more wildlife than other hikers.
After our briefing we gathered our tools and our group started the 3.8 mile hike to our camp in the saddle where the PNT splits Crowell Ridge and Crowell Ridge - Middle Peak. The trail is brushy in places, and rocky all over. It was about 1400 feet of gain and 400 feet of loss between the TH and the camp. The saddle provides (somewhat) flat-ish tent pads, with stunning views to the east and west, making one of the few places where you get sunrise AND sunset views.
From here we hiked down (north) on the PNT 0.5 miles to a spring which is the closest water source this time of year. The spring is small but mighty, providing enough water to filter to keep you from dying of dehydration. We used a cup to gently scoop water from the spring on the uphill side of the trail (I say gently to keep from stirring up too much silt) and pour into our filtration devices. Along with the 0.5 miles is a loss and gain of about 250 feet round trip, which isn’t much but when you’re hauling 10 liters of water, it’s not close.
Over the next few days one crew logged out all the way to the wilderness boundary below Sullivan Mountain. 26 trees were cut and cleared and a dozen water bars restored. This ridge is exposed ( there are few trees) and bone dry, so carry all the water you’ll need. Another crew worked north/west along the PNT clearing more than 40 trees down toward the wilderness boundary. While we did not make it to the boundary, the trail is in much better shape now. This section of the PNT is covered a lot more by trees, and while it is a consistent descent and gain out-and-back, at least there is some shade. About 1.5 miles from our campsite you enter an almost “silver forest”, which is beautiful in its own right.
At the end of our trip we hiked back to Bear Pasture, drove down the road 19 miles to Sullivan Lake, and enjoyed a dip in the lake. The experience was wonderful and I have a completely new appreciation for all the work logout crews put in to make trails safer and more enjoyable. Truly working to makes trails for everyone, forever.
Comments