On Wednesday, August 21st, our North Cascades Trail Crew completed their 40th work day on the Pacific Northwest Trail. Since the snow melted out in June, PNT-6 has been working to maintain and repair the PNT within the closed area in North Cascades National Park.
Making a daily commute across the Chilliwack River into the area burned by the Brush Creek Fire of 2022, PNT-6 has spent the summer repairing extensive fire damage to the trail’s subsurface one foot at a time.
“The …tread of the Brush Creek Trail was badly damaged by wildfire,” said crew leader Spencer Yaude. “The soil was burned to ash, supporting tree roots are missing or fragile, and many sections of the tread have collapsed or have been washed out. On our last hitch, we built a 40-foot-long rock structure to complete a trail realignment around an area destroyed by the fire. To create the structure, we built a 6-foot-long retaining wall, a second 10-foot-long retaining wall, and filled several pits with crushed rock in pits to raise and stabilize the tread.”
Until these repairs are completed by PNTA and NPS trail crews, it will not be safe for hikers or horseback riders to enter the area. Hidden hazards include “widow makers” or standing dead trees as well as exposed roots and holes as well as unstable tread that could collapse under the weight of a visitor.
We appreciate the patience that our trail community has shown while restoration efforts continue. Thank you so much for your service, Spencer Yaude, Isabel Rifenberg, Gavyn Brayman, Peter Simmeth, Emma Gleckman and Raylee Phillips!
