TRADITIONAL MOUNTAINEERING
www.TraditionalMountaineering.org and also www.AlpineMountaineering.org

TraditionalMountaineering Logo - representing the shared 
companionship of the Climb

FREE BASIC TO ADVANCED ALPINE MOUNTAIN CLIMBING INSTRUCTION
Home | Information | Photos | Calendar | News | Seminars | Experiences | Questions | Updates | Books | Conditions | Links | Search

  Search this site!
Read more:

Bend-Ft. Rock Forest Service trail crews build a log bridge across Spring Creek
Click on an image you like to see the full version; broadband folks can click here to see the full sized page.


Copyright© 2003-2006 by USFS. All Rights Reserved.

Bridge Creek Foot Bridge Design 
The Bend/Fort Rock Trails program proposes to construct a 28’ single-log “Standard Foot Log Trail Bridge” across Bridge Creek on the Swampy Lakes Trail, approximately one mile upstream from the Tumalo Falls trailhead. This proposed design was developed for a variety of applications by Dave Nordenson, Willamette National Forest bridge engineer and has been signed by the Willamette Forest Engineer, per his authority to approve bridge designs for structures under 50’. This design has long been in use for bridges on the heavily-used McKenzie River Trail and is currently being utilized for new bridges in appropriate circumstances on the Willamette. It is similar to bridges found throughout the Deschutes. We believe that such a rustic design is most compatible with the Bridge Creek bridge setting for a variety of reasons.

The proposed bridge site is located in the City of Bend Watershed, approximately one mile above the drinking water intake. This area is closed to all stock, bicycles, and dogs, allowing hikers only, to protect water quality. The city and Forest Service discourage use through minimal trail maintenance, requiring self-issue permits, and prohibition of camping. This crossing is on a segment of trail that is the least used in a little used area. The more commonly used segment between Bridge Creek and Happy Valley has never had a bridge across the upper Middle Fork of Tumalo Creek. When the previous log bridge at this Bridge Creek crossing failed several years ago, it was decided not to replace the bridge and allow hikers to use a fallen log. However, because of the greater depth and velocity of Bridge Creek, it was decided to propose construction of a new bridge. Threaten mollusks may be protected by a bridge as well.

The watershed area is designated “Semi-Primitive, Non-Motorized” (SPNM) in the Deschutes Forest Plan. On the USFS “Recreation Opportunity Spectrum” poster, SPNM calls for “Rustic and rudimentary facilities primarily for site protection. No evidence of synthetic materials. Use undimensioned native materials.” The closest foot bridges on the South Fork and lower Middle Fork of Tumalo Creek are such simple structures.

In summary, for the following reasons we propose a “Standard Foot Log Trail Bridge” 
1) To provide a design consistent with “Semi-Primitive Non-Motorized”.
2) To prevent potential contamination of Bend drinking water from leaching chemically treated material.
3) To insure a consistent design with surrounding bridges. 
4) Bend/Fort Rock trails staff believe it is just the right thing to do in this location for such a small bridge in a little-used hiker-only setting. Anything more is over-kill in time, design, and cost.
 

 

 

Read more . . .
USFS Trail Crew builds a log bridge over Fall Creek near the Green Lakes Trail Head
Map of the Bend Ft. Rock trail system west of Bend
Map of the Cascades Range and Central Oregon
Trail Crews improve a trail to South Sister
IMBA helps COTA build trails west of Bend

  ENVIRONMENTAL
Photos of Central Oregon from an ultralight aircraft
Weather Spotting during an Oklahoma spring
ONDA's Wilderness inventory of BLM area near Juntura in eastern Oregon
USFS Five Buttes Healthy Forest fire reduction program in Central Oregon
Bob McGown, AAC Section Chair, builds a telescope pad at Pine Mountain Observatory
Becoming an Outdoors Woman classes in LaPine, Oregon with the ODFW
Pulling barbed wire fence at the Hart Mountain Antelope Refuge with ONDA
A tour of the aftermath of the B & B forest fire with the Sierra Club
Adopt-a-Road with TraditionalMountaineering
The Bend Bicycle Festival 2004
Wolves introduced to the High Desert Museum
Twenty old growth Juniper stolen from The Badlands WSA   More information
A sustainable way to use feathers to adorn my lady
ODFW clinic - Becoming an Outdoors Woman
Dutch Oven cooking at GI Joes parking lot in Bend Oregon
President Bush holds photo opportunities
Trail Crew builds a log bridge over Spring Creek
Sierra Club holds a Christmas party
Tour fire ravaged Davis Lake
IMBA helps COTA build trails
South Sister climbers trail relocated
President Bush hopes no child will be left behind
Adopt-A-Highway with TraditionalMountaineering
Department of Inferior dumps wilderness protection
An ODFW juvenile steelhead sampling project near John Day, Oregon
The ODFW juvenile steelhead survey in the stream
Owyhee Canyon wilderness study area in south east Oregon
ONDA's Owyhee wilderness inventory camp near Rome, Oregon
Touring The Badlands with ONDA
Riverfest river cleanup in Bend Oregon
USFS Mud Bog poster
A Pay to Play bust
President Bush reassures us that SUVs do not damage the environment!
President Bush overlooking the environment
Al Gore and his young son summit Mt. Rainier
Fee Demo demonstration in Central Oregon

  CASCADES SUMMITS
Photos of a South Sister snow-climb in June 2006
Photos of Central Oregon from an ultralight aircraft
Views of the Oregon Cascades in the summer and fall
Views of the Cascades from the ridge above Three Creek Lake
Summits of the Oregon Cascades from Tumalo Mountain in February 2005
A snowshoe summit of Vista Butte off Cascades Lakes Highway near Bend, OR
Mt. Bachelor, the Three Sisters and Broken Top
Photos of the Three Sisters Wilderness Summits form Sparks Lake
Geocaching the Top of Black Crater
Overlooking the Three Sisters from Mt. Bachelor   
Three Sisters summits  
Scott shares his summits of Middle Sister and Mt. Thielsen


  Search this site!
Copy and paste these search suggestions for more views of the Cascades

North Sister
Middle Sister
South Sister
Broken Top