+Belleterre Posted March 13, 2006 Posted March 13, 2006 I took some friends up to Gold Mountain today, ending near the Gold Mountain Challenge cache. Oops - I just confessed that I disobeyed the posted sign. A week ago, the trail was open. Today, there's a shiny new sign from 'Washington State Natural Resources' stating that 'This is Not a Trail'. Hmm - coulda fooled me - it sure looked like the same trail I hiked last week. It also said that 'Violator's Will be Prosecuted'. Does anyone know what the state's problem with this trail is? Or who to complain to about it? I also wonder if you could go up via the Real Bats in the Bellefry cache and circumvent any signs. Quote
+The Jester Posted March 13, 2006 Posted March 13, 2006 Hmmm... Sounds strange. Are they putting in a new trail? That's the only time I've seen that type of closure. Probably the best way to get answers is as the people who put up the sign. Quote
+Bull Moose Posted March 13, 2006 Posted March 13, 2006 I'm guessing the northern approach is still open. I think they are worried about erosion on that hill. Admittedly it was pretty tore up a few weeks ago, but I think if they banned bikes and horses - which there were many of a few weeks ago - that problem would be solved. Or even if they restricted use to one of the several trails going up the hill it would be solved too. Although, I'm not really sure why they are worried about erosion on that hill. It's not like there's anything around there. It's just a run-of-the-mill hill. Hills erode. Just protecting it so future generations can not use it. Quote
+Pablo Mac Posted March 14, 2006 Posted March 14, 2006 If the sign says... Violator's Will be Prosecuted ...it's got a typo on it! Quote
+the4Grays Posted March 14, 2006 Posted March 14, 2006 I took some friends up to Gold Mountain today, ending near the Gold Mountain Challenge cache. Oops - I just confessed that I disobeyed the posted sign. A week ago, the trail was open. Today, there's a shiny new sign from 'Washington State Natural Resources' stating that 'This is Not a Trail'. Hmm - coulda fooled me - it sure looked like the same trail I hiked last week. It also said that 'Violator's Will be Prosecuted'. Does anyone know what the state's problem with this trail is? Or who to complain to about it? I also wonder if you could go up via the Real Bats in the Bellefry cache and circumvent any signs. Hmmm. We were thinking about going up there last weekend but didn't (kids & sniffles). We want to try the upper trail because we've never taken that route. I guess we'll just have to wait and see. Quote
+klossner Posted March 15, 2006 Posted March 15, 2006 Today, there's a shiny new sign from 'Washington State Natural Resources' stating that 'This is Not a Trail'.Something similar happened to this cache. DNR forbids any human access because it's habitat of an endangered species. Quote
+Renegade Knight Posted March 15, 2006 Posted March 15, 2006 Is the area closed or just the trail? It would seem odd to close a trail but allow general exploration. However if it's not prohibited it's a right reserved unto the people. That's us. Quote
+Douglas_Clan Posted March 16, 2006 Posted March 16, 2006 Is the area closed or just the trail? I'd like to know also. I'm at the radio towers quite often, and like to take a walk at lunch. Quote
+Dgwphotos Posted March 16, 2006 Posted March 16, 2006 My dad works for the Forest Service as a Radio tech. He works for both the Mount Baker Snoqualmie and the Olympic. Be careful around his towers! I belive he has worked on the Gold Mountain repeater. There probably is a road up there. Quote
+shunra Posted March 16, 2006 Posted March 16, 2006 If the sign says... Violator's Will be Prosecuted ...it's got a typo on it! Go gettum, Pablo! The question is of course: the violator's whats will they prosecute? Their butts? Doesn't douns right. What's the idiom? Quote
+shunra Posted March 16, 2006 Posted March 16, 2006 Is the area closed or just the trail? It would seem odd to close a trail but allow general exploration. However if it's not prohibited it's a right reserved unto the people. That's us. Exactly. I was there a few weeks ago, and there were various trails leading up from the Gold Creek Parking lot and TH (an official facility with signs, toilets, etc.) toward Gold Mountain. It doesn't say where the trails go to, but the one I followed connected to a Forest Service Road, which led up to the towers to the cache in question, and to the two Terracaches on that mountain. This road had several branches, and could be accessed from several other directions. I saw no cars, but quite a few motor bikes up there. They certainly were much more of a disturbing factor than me and my two fellow hikers on the narrow trail that connected the parking lot with the forest service road. Anyway, if that trail is closed, there must be numerous other ones, as well as the access points used by the motor bikes and by the people servicing the towers at the summit. Quote
+Dgwphotos Posted March 16, 2006 Posted March 16, 2006 I don't think the towers are all owned by the forest service, though. If you ever see a white Forest service van with a lot of antennas on the roof, that would be my dad. I don't think he would know about the trail being closed, though. Quote
+Belleterre Posted March 17, 2006 Author Posted March 17, 2006 The towers are owned by radio and TV stations and the State Patrol and probably cell phone companies and others. The sign is posted at the treeline where the trail takes off to Gold Mt. As far as I know, all the other trails from the parking lot lead to that one point. The only other options that I know of to go up there are to go past the mine - which adds 3 miles to the trip and may also be posted according to a biker that I talked to. That trail joins the (former) main trail shortly before it breaks out onto a gravel road. The other route is to come in off Minard Rd and walk the gravel road past the gate. I'm not sure if that's what people are calling the north route, I would call it a south/eastern approach and the Gold Creek Trailhead a western approach and I don't know of anything that would be called northern. It's also possible that I'm just directionally challenged. Quote
+Belleterre Posted March 19, 2006 Author Posted March 19, 2006 Today, I talked to a couple dirt bikers on top of Green Mt. and they said there were two reasons for the closure of the Gold Mt. trail. 1) There is going to be logging in that area soon. 2) The run-off from the steep trail has a potential for compromising the recently regained status of ‘salmon stream’ for Gold Creek and the fines that could come about because of that. They indicated that the trail from the mine would probably be closed, if it wasn’t already, but that the gravel road from Minard Rd. should still be open to walking/mountain biking. Quote
+Bull Moose Posted March 19, 2006 Posted March 19, 2006 I should've guessed it had something to do with salmon. At least the road should be open. Quote
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