To PCT Digest:
By Dangerous Dave

This is a month after the fact, but as a regular visitor to Stehekin for the last 15 years, I think the barriers to rerouting the road from where it was (now washed out) to the Old Wagon Trail is unfortunate. While I and my family have no trouble hiking overnight to get to Horseshoe basin and other destinations once accessible by the old river, many visitors cannot, so a road would allow them access to some of the most magnificent areas in the Cascades.

I support environmental causes, and belong to many environmental groups. While I've not seen any environmental impact analysis, it would seem that routing the road further away from the river would have less impact than right next to the river, where erosion and flooding can collapse it, dumping excessive gravel into the pristine river. And I suspect the environmental impact of traffic will be minimal; it was when the road went all the way to Cottonwood (when I traveled it years ago, I'd see a few cars in a day at most, besides the NPS shuttle), even at the height of summer tourist season. If a re-routed road equally rough and primitive were put in, traffic would likely be the same as before.

One other important reason for re-routing: fires. In fact, a fire up the valley located near the top of Tolo Mountain (between Shady and Dolly Varden Campgrounds) started July 13. The fire was in a heavily timbered area on a dangerously steep hillside; with no road, access for firefighters and equipment was limited. Luckily, a good rainfall calmed it down and it claimed only 154 acres. But the upper valley is very vulnerable to fires, so not having road access to the area amounts to rolling dangerously loaded dice.

Hopefully, a reasonable solution addressing all concerns -- environmental, greater access, and fire safety -- will somehow prevail over Washington bureaucracy! -- Dangerous Dave