That bridge near Half Dome almost killed my trip last summer

I was doing the John Muir Trail solo and hit a spot about 3 miles past Cathedral Lakes where a small wooden bridge over a creek was completely washed out. Heavy rain the night before had swollen the water to chest height and the current was moving fast. I had no signal and no way to call for help, so I had to bushwhack upstream for almost an hour to find a fallen log wide enough to cross. Took me another 45 minutes to scramble back to the trail on the other side through thick brush and mud. By the time I got back on route my feet were soaked and I had a gash on my arm from a sharp branch. Anyone else run into random trail damage during monsoon season and have to make a sketchy detour?

2 comments

2 Comments

nancy82428d ago

My buddy had a similar mess on the Rae Lakes Loop a few years back. He came up on a creek crossing where the log bridge was just gone, like someone pulled it out or it floated away. He ended up trying to rock-hop across and slipped into waist-deep water, soaking his whole pack. His phone died, his sleeping bag was a sponge, and he had to hike out two days early because he couldn't dry anything out at night. He still talks about it like it was a near-death experience, which it kind of was for his gear.

derek_brown2827d ago

Carry a lightweight saw or a multi-tool with a decent blade from now on. If that log you found was too high or unstable, you could have cut a few branches to brace it or make a simple handrail. Saved my butt on the Lost Coast when a storm took out a bridge section.