December Storm Ravages Clear Creek Trail

                              “Our sweet little creek was a raging river, said Task Force member Randy Peterson"                                 

Monday December 10th update:

On Saturday, over 45 inidividuals showed up to help repair the ravaged trail.  They helped relocate and repair damaged boardwalk, many of which 'floated away'!.  They repaired washed out gravel trails and put three observation decks back on their foundations.  The trails are useable again.  The Schold Rd. damage is still in need of repair, but gravel is needed and the ttask force needs donations to purchase the gravel.  Watch this website and/or the newspapers for more information about work parties.

The following flood repairs are still needed:
 
1. North gravel repairs: 
     a. Fill the erosion at Schold Road. 
     b. Replace eroded good gravel on the dike trail 

2. Pinning down four decks and the South end of Leaming boardwalk We'll need  four adults . The hardest part is hauling the generator and rented jack hammer around (rental costs about $75). 

3. Pinning down remaining boadwalks.
 
4. Minor gravel repairs here and there.

Monday’s torrential rains tore up the Clear CreekTrail, leaving the “Best Hidden Hiking Trail” in
Western Washington nearly impassable in portions. The Clear Creek Task Force asks trail walkers to exercise caution, and if possible contribute time or money to repair the damage.
 
“Our sweet little creek was a raging river,” said task force member Randy Peterson.
 
Clear Creek rose about 5 feet, flooding so far up the banks salmon were swimming on the trail itself, said Peterson, who ventured into the storm Monday to check on the creek. He estimates it’s the most water he’s seen in the creek since a similar storm in 1999.
 
When the waters receded it left salmon carcasses in the bushes and about $5,000 of damage to
the trail. Footbridges were up to 15 feet from their foundations.  Boardwalks buckled. The fast flowing
runoff eroded gullies three feet deep at the Schold Rd. trailhead and left many bare patches in the gravel trail.
 
“We have some significant damage, there’s no question about that, but it actually could have been a whole lot worse,” said Peterson, who is in charge of trail maintenance. He had cleaned out the storm diversions a few weeks ago, so the water had a clear path. Peterson marked some of the worst areas with pink warning tape while surveying the damage Wednesday.
 
Clear Creek Trail was voted "Best hidden Hiking Trail" in Western Washington by viewers of King 5’s Evening Magazines this October.
 
“A lot of people use it and if you leave it unfixed they’re going to get hurt,” said Randy Hunt, another task force member, who is organizing volunteers to come out and fix the trail.
 
Anyone interested in volunteering or donating money or materials can contact Mary Zabinski, Clear Creek Task Force Administrator at (360) 692-0929. Trail walkers can also help out just by tossing sticks off the trail into the bushes as they walk along, walking with a rake to move leaves out of the path, or carrying a bag to pick up trash washed into the creek during the rains.
 
“It will be all back by the end of the summer,” predicts Tex Lewis, task force co-chair who will be
overseeing a work party on Saturday. Eagle Scouts, middle school classes, youths fulfilling community
service sentences and other volunteers built the 5mile trail over the past 14 years.
 
“This is the third 100-year flood we’ve had in 30 years,” Randy Hunt said. Task force member Phil Best, who grew up on the property which was later donated for the trail, said the flooding is the worst he’s ever seen. Wetlands which used to absorb heavy rains have been paved for parking lots and roads, adding to therunoff problems.

These areas of the trail were significantly damaged but have now been fixed and are useable.

  • The west side of the creek across from the barn along the estuary
  • The boardwalk section behind Chuck E. Cheese, just south of Myhre Rd.
  • The boardwalk north of the interpretive center along Land Title/Smith Barney building
  • Erosion at the Schold Road trail head in north valley trail system.

Contact Clear Creek TRail Project at 360-613-5500 or clearcreektrail@yahoo.com

to Help restore damaged trail AND to donate funds to restore damaged trail

More photos damaged trail from storm