High Sierra Topix

There's a post on PCT reddit saying the bridge over the South Fork San Joaquin south of Muir Trail Ranch is gone.

https://www.reddit.com/r/PacificCrestTr ... th_of_mtr/

Can anyone corroborate this information?

And what do people think the workaround will be?

Looking at the topo, my first instinct was to stay north of Evolution Creek instead of crossing at the ford/meadow, but I suspect that is not feasible on the steep downhill from 9200 to 8500 feet.

Would be the bridge at 8.4k above in Google Earth.

Without serious long rope rapel work, both the topo and Google Earth tend to show there will be no hike-arounds even after snows melt as there is a continual too steep cliff-like slope from Piute Creek across Pavilion Dome all the way to beyond the hanging valley EV 8.5k+ cascades. I do have a high detail 2019 photo of the cascades that is better than Google Earth for that cascade section and nope no north side cheater route beside the cascades. Even with gear Alpine Col giant-talus-orama in snow would be ugly. And escaping over Lamarck Col this year would be a nightmare. So back-a-to to Bishop Pass or escape west via Hell For Sure Pass. Well I doubt any would find it until snow melts. And even if thru-hikers could reach MTR, what were they going to do at super huge Bear Creek at 9.5k? ...walk the road to Edison.

This will be the first of many.... Might not be a bad idea to start a thread for all the washed out bridges because there's going to be a ton of them.

here's something official for you:

https://www.pcta.org/discover-the-trail ... e-damaged/

Lamarck Col - Piute Pass is the best option. I went over Lamarck from west to east in late May of 2011 and it was easy except for very high winds that day. That was a ski trip but we took skis off at the upper lake since there were patches of bare scree and the snow was firm. We did not put our skis back on for the descent as the snow on the east side was mighty funky and the winds were still pretty strong. So we walked over just like a PCT hiker would have to do. We did not use our crampons, but that was in plastic ski boots which are much better for kicking steps in firm snow. In hiking footwear I would want crampons for those conditions. This year there will be more snow at that same time, but that would not make that pass harder in my opinion.
Piute pass is easy regardless of how much snow is on it; I have been over it on skis a number of times in high and low snow years. Hutchinson meadow area could be the biggest challenge, getting across the creek coming down French Canyon. I have crossed that in early May once, but that was a low snow year.
You could turn thr corner brfore Hutchinson, go up French Canyon on the east side of the creek, and over Pine creek Pass and Italy pass and down the Hilgard Branch, which solves the Bear creek problem, but I'm not sure waht trouble you get into between Pine Creek Pass and Italy Pass.

So which bridge is it? The one at the junction to Piute Canyon or the one you cross at the junction to Evolution Valley?

Another issue with all the road, trail and bridge damage is what about permit quotas? Are permit quotas going to be adjusted to account for limited access? Sure, Piute Pass is a good access but will there still be the same quotas? Or since Glacier Point will be closed until early July at best, will those unusable permits be distributed among other trailheads until the road is open? I see this as a real mess.

I'm planning to do a NOBO JMT hike next year (August 2024). Given that the Upper Paradise Valley bridge in Kings Canyon is still unrepaired since 2017, I think I should assume that this bridge will also be MIA. Because of the damaged bridge, I'm wondering if Inyo NF would allow JMT hikers to head over Bishop Pass toward South Lake, divert over Table Mountain, reconnect at Lake Sabrina, and then head to North Lake/Piute Pass trail for re-entry. I certainly see the Lamarck Col/Piute Pass route as an option, but my unfamiliarity with that route and my relative limited experience with such a route has me uneasy. Thoughts?

If indeed that bridge is not replaced by next year, you could apply for your permit using that itinerary and I do not think you would have a problem; worst case is you would need three separate permits, one to enter at your southern start point and exit at south lake, one to enter at south lake and exit at Sabrina, and one to enter at North Lake and exit at Yosemite. If you had a normal JMT NOBO permit and you took that detour, a ranger could get on your case, since technically you have left the wilderness and re-entered - twice - but if that bridge is still out I'd be very surprised if a ranger actually walked you out based on that.
In August of a normal year, Lamarck col is very nearly a trail walk - it's a well used route, and only the part around the lakes in Darwin Canyon is talus hopping. From the lakes to the pass is a sandy slope mostly, and from the pass down to Lamarck Lakes is a well-worn use trail.

Wandering Daisy wrote: ↑Thu Apr 20, 2023 9:30 am So which bridge is it? The one at the junction to Piute Canyon or the one you cross at the junction to Evolution Valley?

It's the big steel bridge just under a mile west of the junction with Goddard Canyon - Here's the location: https://pcta.maps.arcgis.com/apps/insta ... _2022_9334

There is another bridge not far from the one that is damaged--the trail crosses back and forth. Would it be possible to cross-x the mile or two from the damaged bridge to the second bridge at the bottom of Evolution valley? It would mean going down the eastern shore of the river.