On the way out of town last Friday, I corrected the sign problem on 502 & 504 trails at the 4614 road trailhead. I was too late for the Zigzag trail crew who mistakenly took the wrong trail initially, and went on the 502 towards Tumala (Squaw) Mtn before seeing the error of their ways and backtracked back to the trailhead and down the correct trail, the 504 Eagle Creek Cutoff Trail.
As I was swapping the signs out at around 5 pm the trail crew was coming up from Eagle Creek. I think I saw 3 horses and one mule carrying the crosscuts and other gear needed to clear the trail. I only wished I had brought my camera with me, instead of only the tools needed to remove the signs, a 1/2 inch rachet and set of sockets. So no pictures of the trail crew or the signage problem. Most of the crew I had seen in previous years taking our annual chainsaw/crosscut saw certification class from the FS in the spring of the year.
I didn't ask them if they cleared any logs on the 502. I guess I will find out in the next week or two when I take the 502 over to Plaza, clearing trail.
I had heard that a "forest service volunteer" had fixed the signs, and I wondered if it was you, since I knew you were in the area. Thanks for fixing them.
It would have been interesting to see a photo of the trail crew with the horses and mule.
Rob Williams said:
I had heard that a "forest service volunteer" had fixed the signs, and I wondered if it was you, since I knew you were in the area. Thanks for fixing them.
It would have been interesting to see a photo of the trail crew with the horses and mule.
There were other signs that were new. New wilderness boundary ones that were 20 feet up a tree. Who puts signs up a tree that far? It was on the 502 heading towards Tumala Mtn which isn't in a wilderness area, but if you turned around and headed towards Old Baldy, you would enter into the new wilderness addition to the Salmon-Huckleberry Wilderness maybe an 1/8 mile to the west.
I didn't bring my spikes or a 20 foot ladder, so I left those other signs there. Who is putting up these new trail and wilderness boundary signs? Obviously not those who clear the trails out year after year, or someone who actually hikes these trails. Probably some subcontractor who was given a map and some signs to install and doesn't have a clue where any of these trails go.
I guess I am not used to looking for signs when locating a trail in our district, for most of them seem to disapear within short order after the placement thereof. That is why the trail info on this website maybe more important then that map you have or that GPS in your hand.