The 3am idea actually isn't bad with something a little extra reflective and bright lights to flash and make yourself obvious as far to the side as you can get, when a car is coming.... not that the ATC will recommend middle of the night road walks only but that's probably what I'd do.
NoDoz
nobo 2018 March 10th - October 19th
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I'm just one too many mornings and 1,000 miles behind
So the trail has never had a closure before where a walkaround was impractical? Like a fire?
People are taking umbrage because there's no "official walking reroute"? Do people feel that the ATC saying to take a shuttle is not the official reroute?
If you were in Harpers Ferry thruhiking just 10 minutes before this happened, wouldn't you just have gone around it and called it good? Or would you have gone home?
I'm sure there's a way to walk around it safely, just might take a few days or weeks. Walk around it they'll give you the patch.
When a bridge washes out are you going to split hairs about which rocks you cross? Downstream or upstream? You just figure out how to cross safely and keep going.
"Sleepy alligator in the noonday sun
Sleepin by the river just like he usually done
Call for his whisky
He can call for his tea
Call all he wanta but he can't call me..."
Robert Hunter & Ron McKernan
Whiteblaze.net User Agreement.
Just need to duplicate Kennebec River Crossing system. Not like they dont have it down to an art after all these years.
As has been pointed out earlier, the Army of Northern Virginia waded across and back twice, a little upstream from there.
"It goes to show you never can tell." - Charles Edward Anderson Berry
The continuity of the AT matters — a great deal.
Hikers have the ability to walk around the obstacle now.
Issue is that this option is not all that safe.
The ATC cannot say is that a shuttle is the official trail — that is not in their purview.
They can offer that as an option, for those who wish to miss some of the AT and not travel in an unbroken path. Good for some, perhaps most.
Regardless, the ATC needs to put maximum effort into helping find the safest possible option for those intent on walking/paddling all the way with out a yellow blaze.
A shuttle is not sufficient.
Last edited by rickb; 02-03-2020 at 19:21.
Yep, yep and yep, suck it up butter cups and go with the flow. But I have to add I can kinda understand the frustration, as a walk around really isn't or shouldn't be a option because of the dangerous road conditions and a shuttle really is the only option.is anyone at this time offering shuttles around to sandy hook rd right across the bridge where the AT meets the c&o ? Or is there only shuttles available to weaverton?
Last edited by JNI64; 02-03-2020 at 19:49.
Not sufficient? I guess a flip flop is not sufficient either? There's a shuttle smack-dab in the middle of that one. Continuity broken. Take a shuttle into town, forget to cross the road. Continuity broken.
The ATC saysIf a hiker takes a shuttle and eventually walks back to the other side of the bridge and continues their hike, that's not good enough? Because a train derailed on a bridge?? You're calling it a yellow blaze, you going to call the hiker a yellow blazer for taking the safest route under the circumstances of a train derailing?In the event of an emergency, such as a flood, a forest fire, or an impending storm, blue-blazed trails or officially required roadwalks are viable substitutes for the white-blazed route.
Hikers have been shuttled around closures before, forest fires, prescribed burns, hurricanes. It's just a temporary reroute, folks need to learn to cope with it. The trail is over 2000 miles long. There will be some disturbances at times.
"Sleepy alligator in the noonday sun
Sleepin by the river just like he usually done
Call for his whisky
He can call for his tea
Call all he wanta but he can't call me..."
Robert Hunter & Ron McKernan
Whiteblaze.net User Agreement.
Just a little way up river, you could probably walk right across.
Many of us who hiked the AT back in the "good old days" of private land and road walks before the corridor was protected are having a bit of a chuckle at some of the outrage this 2 -3 mile closure/detour has generated. The trail is still 99.9% intact. It's not that big a deal. Thru-hikers are supposed to be resourceful right? Honestly, just figure out a way around it until the situation is resolved.
Sent from my SM-G930V using Tapatalk
"That's the thing about possum innards - they's just as good the second day." - Jed Clampett
The Kennebec in Maine is also a fickle beast especially when they open up the dams up river to supply Boston in the AM. Folks have started walking across and got caught by the change in flow. There have been drownings and near drownings. Nothing can cross it in the spring during breakup.
That's easy to misjudge to, the river looks pretty wide...
Me and my buddy tried crossing a much smaller river that looked like we could just walk across. It was the Westfield River on the Metacomet-Monadnock Trail in MA, we got to it and decided it didn't look close to over our heads and should be able to walk right across. Long story short we're up to our necks approaching mid river holding our heavy packs over our heads and ended up having to turn around. It was probably only a few steps that was over our head but we both agreed it wasn't worth going for it trying to hold your pack with one hand. The flow of the river seemed super mellow, even when we were in it, until you try taking your feet off the ground (holding a pack)
I'm sure the people fishing on the other side right up stream had a good laugh at that one...
NoDoz
nobo 2018 March 10th - October 19th
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I'm just one too many mornings and 1,000 miles behind
If the 'powers that be' were willing, I looks like it would be possible to setup a system that would allow the use of the undamaged section of the bridge.
Looking at the bridge in Google Earth, there is a secondary spur track between the trestle and the shore. The pedestrian bridge appears undamaged between the 1st support pier beyond the trestle, and the spur looks to be just an occasional offload point.
I would be "possible" to safely walk that spur track between the shore and the 1st pier beyond the trestle, then cross the tracks to the pedestrian bridge.
But at the same time, I know the railroad isn't going to allow that... for starters, even if the bridge is 4' wide, they are not going to allow pedestrians until a guard rail of some sort were installed. Nor do I see the railroad being too happy with pedestrians crossing a set of tracks that are not at a "crossing". I also don't know how much (if at all) this old off-load point is ever still used for anything (like railway maintenance).
I hear you. Forty-five years ago trail closures and temporary relocations were common occurrences. I think some are making a mountain out of a molehlll. I am sure the ATC is doing everything in their power to remedy this situation, especially since it is in the backyard of their headquarters.
More walking, less talking.