Thursday, August 3, 2017

August 3 - Old Robe Canyon (AKA Lindsay rants about poor trail behavior)

Old Robe Canyon Trail:

Total Miles: 3*
Elevation Gain: 460 feet*
Highlights: Views of and access to the Stillaguamish River, historical artifacts
More Information: http://www.wta.org/go-hiking/hikes/old-robe-canyon   ← written by yours truly

* Trail stats are higher than noted on the WTA website because I continued beyond the point where the official trail is closed.



Less than 12 hours after finishing the REI Search for Sasquatch 5k, I was on the road again for an early morning hike before the heat set in.  I made a quick trip to the Old Robe Canyon Trail just a few miles outside of Granite Falls.  I was pleased (though not very surprised) to discover that I was the first person at the trailhead and was looking forward to a peaceful walk down the cool, shaded trail to the river.  



Within one minute of hiking, that calm feeling was replaced by internal ranting over other people's poor choices on trail.  

1. Garbage: Pack it in, pack it out!  It's such a simple concept, yet it seems to elude so many.  It's a short trail; there's no reason you can't carry out what you carried in.  I spent more time picking up trash than enjoying the scenery.  A gallon water jug, multiple pop cans, juice boxes, cigarette butts, bottle caps, a sock, etc. were all found on the trail.  I packed out what I could, but I didn't bring a plastic bag so I was limited to what would fit in the pockets of my pack and what I could hold in my hands.  Luckily someone ditched their empty plastic baggie along the trail (because I'm sure it was too heavy to carry even one step further), so I used that to collect a bunch of the micro-trash along the trail.  



2. Fire:  If the park doesn't allow fires, don't have a fire.  I dismantled and covered up two illegal fire pits along the trail and scattered the nice pile of firewood that had been collected. 

3. Graffiti:  Carving in trees is bad enough, but someone actually brought bright pink spray paint on the trail and painted inspirational messages on trees and rocks.  I'm sure his or her intentions were good, but come on!  Most of us are out here to enjoy nature, and your hot pink messages are a little distracting.



I've hiked this trail before, but it's been several years.  I don't remember there being any of these issues in the past, though.  

Anyway, once I got down into Robe Canyon itself things got a little better.  For one, the scenery is much better as the river gets funneled into the narrow, rocky canyon.  The trail also gets more historical with remnants of the old railroad that once carried ore from the mountains to the smelters in Everett.  



The trail officially ends at 1.2 miles from the trailhead due to rock slides over the trail, but people who don't pay attention to signs (like me and the people who build fires along the trail) can continue on with caution.  I climbed over the rock slide fairly easily to get to the first of several railroad tunnels along the trail.  At the the far end of that tunnel is a maze of fallen trees that have slid from the hillside above.  Based on past WTA trip reports, I know that hikers more intrepid than me have continued past that point, but I wasn't interested in navigating those trees, so I made the tunnel my turn-around point.  





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