Kevin – Tuesday. Denny and I elected to go back to the Lewiston Lakes and hike and bike west to Rock Creek. There were a number of reasons but mostly to see sections we didn’t see last week with Mark and Becky. We had stopped hiking at the lakes so we would have time to drive with them to Rock Creek for the experience there. It was a good time for all of us. Now it’s time to fill in the blanks.
We knew the trail was in rough shape and we weren’t sure how much of it we could access, especially with the truck. The truck is our sag wagon for injury, supplies on the trail (water, food, port-a-potty, bike transport, etc.) and a refuge from the mosquitos or deer flies. You think I’m joking?
So – we decided to ‘backtrack’ the 8-1/2 miles we skipped last week. We pop into the missionary RV and tell the Goates our plan – just in case. Then we start backtracking driving east. The intent is to drive all the way to the lakes. If we can’t then we’ll have to find ‘drive arounds’ so we can support each other as we hike. There are only a few alternate road options, so if we can push through on the actual trail, that’s a big success to start.
When we get to Radium Springs, there’s a deep, marshy hole we will not attempt. Same for Deep Creek. We have to do short work-arounds. Nothing too distant.
Eventually we make it all the way back to the Lewiston Lakes. We take a short break, water up and start hiking west back to Rock Creek. We’re scouting as we go because people have told us the road was almost impassable. Not true, but it does have wash outs, the marshes and pretty rugged deep tire ruts in places. In short, BLM isn’t putting too much effort into making the trail through this section easily accessible. BLM has a hard job, limited resources (and getting more limited) and they have tough priorities to set.
One almost wonders if the long-term goal is to let this trail section get so bad that BLM can deem it ‘impassable’ and ban any motor traffic. A BLM employee recently stated to a group that the passage of one truck in wet weather would do more trail damage than 8,000 handcarts passing over the same terrain. Well, maybe, maybe an exaggeration, but either way the trail needs to be maintained. Maybe even improved to prevent future damage. Can we have a national referendum on what our taxes should be used for?
On our way back west, we again passed the wet spots. The old homestead buildings at Radium Spring are propped up to keep them from falling in. But, the stop-gap repair will only work for a few more years, then the building will collapse. Is preserving and restoring this site worthy of your tax dollars? Which old buildings (if any) should we pay to preserve? Tough questions. Do we REALLY love our history and foundations?
When we’re done at 3:30 we check in again with the Goates to let them know we’re leaving the area and won’t be back. We thank them – and the other missionaries at Martin’s Cove, Ranch 66 Camp, Sweetwater Crossing and Rock Creek for their hospitality these past two weeks.