HaBaSa loop some sights seen

[Hear the Footsteps]

Climbed HaBaSa counter clockwise out of the Garden today.

Most obvious.
The bridge over Johns Brook between jct with the trail to the Garden and the JBL is GONE!!. This is the bridge that had been washed out during Hurricane Irene then rebuilt. Looked in DEC Backcountry and saw no news of this. Not a big deal right now as water is low and the crossing can be rock-hopped.
Took a quick check and didn't find any mention on the ADK site either.

Noticed some new crushed gravel approaching Slant Rock. And some gravel probably moved from the brook covering the route between Slant Rock and Shorey Shortcut.

Possibly some new Rock Steps early on the section of trail between Slant Rock and jct with the Range Trail. Steps looked clean. Later ones covered on the vertical with moss.

Coming down Basin False Shoulder toward col to Saddleback. The wide steep part I think is about 4400' that you used to go high around the perimiter contouring then descending is getting very wide. It's out of control now. Pretty sure DEC will do absolutely nothing about this. Looking up from below it appears to me that next time I'll try descending on hugging the left side as it looks doable and avoids the contouring altogether. To start it might take a leap of faith.

Don

[tcd]

Thanks for the report!

Which bridge is it that is gone? I cannot quite figure it out from your description. Somewhere between the Garden and JBL? Not the suspension bridge; I don't think you went that way...

[Hear the Footsteps]

It’s the long bridge first one you’d pass that crosses Johns Brook after walking toward the JBL from trail to/from the Garden.
The other is the new fancy one to cross Johns Brook in front of the JBL.
Didn’t use the Suspension Bridge today.

[Hear the Footsteps]

More important.

If your coming from Orebed Brook Trail turning toward ADK property from the 5-Corners and crossing ADK property returning to the Garden you should cross at the new bridge that goes direct to JBL. The way out passing Lean-2s, the Peggy OBrien and Grace camps leads to a rock hop, right now, possibly deeper more difficult corssing with higher water.

Don

[ADKJack]

Don’t know anything about the bridge but I know the trail crew from the mountain club has been working over by slant rock.

[Hear the Footsteps]

The gravel fill before getting to Slant Rock did remind me of what I’d seen in Avalanche Pass. Looked good. Not rounded like creek gravel, angular.

[Laurie Rankin]

The 46ers just paid the Pro Crew for 3 weeks of work on the Slant Rock Trail. They also paid for the work at Av Pass as well. Glad it looks good - hope it improves the trail for all as well as the surrounding area.

[Learning The Trails]

They paid them to do it this year or last?

Noticed the work last year. It looked the same this year.

[Laurie Rankin]

Many of the projects are multi year projects allowing crews to work on more than one project in a season. In the last 20 years the 46ers have given the ADK Pro Crew over $400,000 to complete their work. Info on the website: https://adk46er.org/financial/

[Hear the Footsteps]

I e-mailed the person at ADK thats responsible for press releases and got this reply.

"The bridge to Grace Camp was removed in 2020 due to structural integrity concerns and will not be rebuilt. Instead, hikers and guests can cross Johns Brook using the new high-water bridge between JBL and Peggy O'Brien. It is not listed on the DEC's website because the bridge is on ADK's property."

I guess I've not been by that way in quite some time. I hadn't noticed it on the walk in. That's because a young guy from Montreal tagged along with me and we were just talking and I wasn't paying attention. We took that way by Grace Camp on the return. At the crossing - I found a rock hop across that worked. He took a little differnt route and found an unstable rock and fell in the water and thank goodness he didn't get hurt and that his smart phone is waterpoof because that went in the water too.

Had to be quite a job to remove that bridge it was big and had big support colums.

Don

[Rmxfiles]

Thanks for the info I am doing Basin the second week of August, hopefully the water won’t be to hard to cross