[pct-l] pct around mt. hood?

[chelin at teleport.com (Sharon & Chuck Chelin)]

Good afternoon, Judson,

A few years ago a bad windstorm left a terrible snarl of down timber from
Ramona, around Yocum towards Muddy Fork.  At that time the PCT was rerouted
to continue following the Sandy River rather than passing Ramona Falls.
There is a trail fork near the old Upper Sandy Guard station, and instead of
turning east toward Ramona, the PCT continues NW along what is known locally
as the Sandy River Trail.  This trail is close to the Sandy on its east
bank.  About 1.5 miles from the Ramona fork, there is another trail fork.
The PCT turns right along the old Portage Trail and eventually joins the
original PCT route near Bald Mtn. Shelter.

If you turn west at that Portage Trail intersection you will immediately
cross the Sandy River and go a couple of miles towards a trailhead parking
area.  The bridge outage is at that crossing rather than on the PCT or
Timberline Trail.  The location of that non-bridge is approximately:
N45.39059  W121.80837.

The Yocum/Muddy Fork tread is now open, or was about a year ago when I last
hiked the Timberline Trail, but the upper Muddy Creek fords are always a
pain.  I say "fords" because, depending upon the season, there are three to
five branches to cross in the 400-500 yards of canyon bottom.  The lower
crossing of the Muddy on the Portage Trail, I believe, has a bridge.

There is an option if you want to cool-off at Ramona.  Immediately past the
falls there is a fork in the trail.  Go right uphill for Yocum Ridge/Muddy
Fork, or continue left on the east bank of Ramona Creek.  This is the other
part of the Ramona Loop Trail.  It parallels the Sandy River Trail (PCT) and
joins the Portage Trail very near the lower Muddy Creek bridge.  At one time
this section was part of the PCT as well.

The recently-reported hiker fatality was about 0.5 miles upstream from the
Ramona junction where the PCT and Timberline Trails cross the Sandy where it
is joined by Rushing Water Creek.  The flooding that took the Sandy bridge
also took the rustic logs that hikers often use to cross.  Apparently she
fell during crossing and was carried downstream to drown.

This is a beautiful trail.  Enjoy...

Steel-Eye

----- Original Message ----- 
From: "Judson Brown" <judson@jeffnet.org>
To: "pctl (E-mail)" <pct-l@mailman.backcountry.net>
Sent: Sunday, August 29, 2004 3:15 PM
Subject: [pct-l] pct around mt. hood?


> I checked recently via the Mt. Hood NF website on trail conditions for the
> Timberline Trail. It says that the bridge across the Sandy River accessing
> Ramona Falls had been washed out, but will soon be replaced. In a
confusing
> note, however, it also says that this will not affect either the
Timberline
> Trail or the PCT.
>
> Isn't the trail that goes past Ramona Falls, around Yocum Ridge, and
across
> the Muddy Fork the PCT? The website makes it seems that it is not. So
what's
> the actual route?
>
> Judson
> Ashland
>
>
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