Upper Gray Wolf River to Gray Wolf Pass, Three Forks — Saturday, Jun. 25, 2022

I led a terrific all-volunteer (including me, the leader) WTA crew on the Graywolf trail over the past week. Here are the current conditions:

1. We cleared all logs from Deer Park down to Three Forks, on to Graywolf Camp and then in both directions - down to the ONP boundary and up to the junction with Cedar Lake way trail (Falls Shelter). That's about 11.7 miles of trail we cleared of many, many logs. 

2. We cleared a huge (4' diameter) tree with a detached rootball (on the switchback section right above Three Forks), the rootball is down the hill by Grand Creek. The tread at the tree and on the switchback above (where the tree had pulled out the trail) has been repaired (which was no small job on the tread above, as the tree had ripped the trail out entirely). All repairs done to stock standards. I know this for a fact because the Backcountry Horsemen - Peninsula Chapter came in to haul out our tools and had zero problems with this section. 

3. 2 washout sections on the Graywolf (one was 7/10 mile above the second GW crossing, one was 3/10 mile above Camp Ellis) have been fixed. One was a 115 foot reroute, with new tread built behind the washout, one was repaired by removing many boulders and benching the tread back into the hillside. Both are to stock standards and professionally done. 

4. The 2 logs that landed on the footlog (second crossing of the Graywolf, one mile upriver of Graywolf camp) are cleared.

5. This footlog handrail was not able to be *repaired* with what we had on site, but my crew remediated it. Which is to say they managed to fasten some of the handrail back up so that people have something to TOUCH (***not rely on!***) because many folks feel safer just having something to help them with their proprioception as they cross the footlog. THIS FOOTLOG NEEDS TO BE REPLACED. IT IS ROTTEN AND SAGGING. I WOULD ADVISE ONE PERSON AT A TIME TO CROSS ON THIS LOG. Fortunately only a short section is actually above the raging water, most of the rest of it is right above or even touching big boulders. 

6. Major brushing and raking / clean up was done from Camp Ellis towards Falls Shelter. The brushing crew got to within 6/10 (ish) miles from the junction when we ran out of time and had to focus on the washouts. However, there really isn't overhanging brush from there to the junction anyway. When you combine that with the work my last year's crew did, this trail is extremely brush-free from the ONP boundary to Falls Shelter. It's a joy to hike. Noteworthy are the immense hillsides of moss-covered boulders that are mesmerizing. I just love, love, love the Graywolf ...

7. All the incredible drainage work that my last year's crew did is still holding! We cleared out some more drainages just as routine maintenance, but thanks to the work of last year's crew - this trail is mostly dry and a joy to hike! 

Other than the rotting, sagging footlog, this trail is in such good condition that for the most part, people can walk along and admire the jaw-dropping, majestic power of the Graywolf River, without having to wonder how they are going to navigate the next obstacle. 

One evening, when I was walking from GW camp back to Three Forks to go talk to the WCC crew, I startled a deer. This was right where Grand and Cameron join together in one powerful swoosh of an amazing amount of water. The deer leapt into the river! Before my wide eyes, she successfully fought the raging current and managed to swim diagonally across the river to the shore, where she was able to scramble up on the slippery, wet rocks. A remarkable show of strength! 

Note: I checked "snow free" but that does NOT apply to the pass or the section to the north of the pass. It applies to the section we worked, which was as far as Falls Shelter (junction with the Cedar Lake way trail). There definitely WAS SNOW at and below the pass. A pair of hikers turned around because of it, just FYI. 

Enjoy this lovely trail and the immensely positive power and energy of three major bodies of moving water coming together so harmoniously and peacefully. I wish humans could always behave like rivers. 

-Rebecca Wanagel