Pokin' around the Pioneer Bridle Trail - 2013/11/03

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Guy
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Pokin' around the Pioneer Bridle Trail - 2013/11/03

Post by Guy » November 4th, 2013, 5:55 pm

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Opening pic..

Since Bobcat wrote his excellent TR on Enid Lake via Laurel Hill I've wanted to go & check out this area & a cloudy Sunday with no chance of any big views anyway seemed like the day to do it!

We set off from the point where the Pioneer trail crosses highway 26 next to the junction with the Kiwanis Camp Road.

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The trail is in great shape, there is only one recent blow down on the trail.

Our first point of interest to check out was the original route of the Oregon trail over Laurel Hill marked by orange dots on the trees, but for most of this side trip you can still see the route of the road.

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We followed the old route up to a trail marker then made our way back over to the Pioneer Trail.

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The dusting of snow on the ground became more complete as we continued on past the old mine shaft.

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& on to the horse tunnel under the old 1925 highway.

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Here we made the same detour Bobcat had made, hiking a short way down the road to the Little Zigzag Falls trailhead which is at the end of the Kiwanis Camp Road next to this old quarry wall.

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It's then just a third of a mile up to the Falls.

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Due to the snow & the wet foliage we didn't attempt a bushwhack back up to the Pioneer trail but retraced our steps to the tunnel.

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The snow depth increased as we made out way up to Enid Lake.

We took the Enid Lake Loop trail around the Lake.

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Nowhere to sit at the lake so we hiked on the to the Glacier View Snowpark Trailhead & made use of the Picnic Table!

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Hot tomato soup, tea & cheese bagels for lunch!

To see a bit more new territory we dicided to hike down the old highway for a while before rejoining the Pioneer trail.

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About three quarters of a mile down the road we ran into this:

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At first I thought that this was on of those ridiculously expensive road removal projects that the forest service likes to do & obviously so did the person who posted this sign!

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However I could be wrong but I don't think the road has been torn up, they have just used it as a dumping ground for other old road surface from somewhere else!

The weather took a turn for the worse on our return & it started snowing in ernest!

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So we picked up our pace & headed for home!

A good transitional fall hike, 10.6 miles & 1700' of EG. Here are a few more pics from the day here & a map below.

Last edited by Guy on November 5th, 2013, 8:31 am, edited 2 times in total.
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Eric Peterson
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Re: Pokin' around the Pioneer Bridal Trail - 2013/11/03

Post by Eric Peterson » November 4th, 2013, 6:27 pm

You can also thank BARK for some of the road removal nonsense around those parts. I'm actually a member because I believe in some of what BARK does, for example the Nestle bottled water stuff, but the road removal stuff kind of irks me.

Snow looks fun right now! If it would just stay 3'' :D

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Guy
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Re: Pokin' around the Pioneer Bridal Trail - 2013/11/03

Post by Guy » November 4th, 2013, 6:36 pm

Snow looks fun right now! If it would just stay 3'' :D.
Yeah, I've decided I like to visit snow but I don't like snow to visit me!
Last edited by Guy on November 4th, 2013, 8:47 pm, edited 1 time in total.
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Eric Peterson
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Re: Pokin' around the Pioneer Bridal Trail - 2013/11/03

Post by Eric Peterson » November 4th, 2013, 6:42 pm

Guy wrote:
We have been playing around with the variegated Stewartia seedling for a few years now. We keep making cuttings of the most variegated shoots but still don't have it stable enough for release.
Yeah, I've decided I like to visit snow but I don't like snow to visit me!
BTW, how long can a smallish Fir tree go in a smallish sized pot? Have a few that I really need
to plant somewhere, preferably in the Gorge where it's safe from logging? Or is that a no no
to plant stuff you save from your yard out in the wilderness? :D

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Re: Pokin' around the Pioneer Bridal Trail - 2013/11/03

Post by Grannyhiker » November 4th, 2013, 7:47 pm

I'd definitely check with the USFS first!


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Guy
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Re: Pokin' around the Pioneer Bridal Trail - 2013/11/03

Post by Guy » November 4th, 2013, 8:31 pm

adamschneider wrote:"Bridal" Trail? :)
Whoops.
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Re: Pokin' around the Pioneer Bridle Trail - 2013/11/03

Post by Guy » November 5th, 2013, 8:29 am

BTW, how long can a smallish Fir tree go in a smallish sized pot? Have a few that I really need
to plant somewhere, preferably in the Gorge where it's safe from logging?
If you ask they will say no!
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Re: Pokin' around the Pioneer Bridal Trail - 2013/11/03

Post by Banksia » November 5th, 2013, 11:36 am

Eric Peterson wrote:
Guy wrote:
BTW, how long can a smallish Fir tree go in a smallish sized pot?
There's a word for that: bonsai. And some well cared for bonsai are hundreds of years old.

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Re: Pokin' around the Pioneer Bridle Trail - 2013/11/03

Post by retired jerry » November 9th, 2013, 12:35 pm

Yeah, I hate those ridiculously expensive road removal projects

Like the road that goes by Riley Campground and up towards Zigzag Mountain. Nice winter hike. You can still take Horseshoe Ridge trail to the same place, but the road was sort of nice.

I can see removing a few culverts, but they remove every mile.

Then, they don't have enough money to do anything else.

Yeah, I too have a bit of a negative feeling towards Bark

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