For the past 3 years a team of volunteers has been working on replacing a 40' bridge on the Pacific Crest Trail in the North Cascades. In 2017 we had to remove the remnants of the old bridge which rotted in the center and collapsed under the heavy winter snow load. (10-12' of heavy snow is not uncommon). The theory is that it rotted because the bridge stringers were placed tightly together which prevented drainage. We saved as much of the bridge decking as possible. The Bridge Creek bridge is about a mile south on the Pacific Crest trail from Hwy 20 and is heavily used by hikers and horse riders. We created a temporary trail upstream and made a one log bridge in an area where people and horses could ford Bridge Creek. Then we packed out for the season.
Old bridge and the first log staged for milling
This was a big scale project about 17 miles away from the nearest grid power and compounded by forest fires nearby which meant absolutely no power equipment allowed the first year. After rigging slings and pulley systems to remove the old bridge we cut up the pieces with 2 man saws. The forest service was delighted to have us volunteers managing the project. They cut down 5 large (~24") alpine spruce trees for new 40' stringers. We hauled them to the staging site and set up a cradle for milling the trees the next summer.
Milling the logs and hauling them into position
In 2018 we created new metal mesh gabions to support the bridge ends and hauled tons of river gravel and sand up to create the ramps leading to the bridge. Another crew worked on stripping the bark off of the long trees and yet another on starting to mill each one (we could use chain saws that season). Milling those big logs was no trivial task. There were over 500 ft of milling to be done with a trusty Stihl 460 and an Alaskan Mill. After teach log was milled on 3 sides it was dragged down near the bridge and then transported via a long "highline" across the chasm and into place. Once all the logs were properly set and spaced on the new gabions they were covered with a protective barrier and then we installed the heavy decking planks and new outriggers planks which would support the braces for the posts to be installed the next year. We installed temporary bull rails, swept the deck and opened the bridge to our first hiker, a lovely young lady from Germany. The bridge was then tested with a team of pack mules and verified to be ready for winter.
2 stringers in place and 2018 crew driving the last decking spike
This year we started in winter by cutting down some nice cedars and stripped them of their bark. Then this spring we set up some planks to simulate the bridge deck so that we could pre-construct the post and railing system for the bridge. We built the complete system, labeled every part, then took it down for reassembly up in the wilderness. Last week with the help of some pack horses and a lot of human labor, we transported the railing assembly to the site and put it back together on the bridge. It is now officially open for business and hopefully will serve its purpose for many decades to come. It was a huge project but with the help of some very skilled people, we handled it one task at a time. I was the oldest on crew and it was a privilege to work with such talented and gregarious bunch. I'm not sure how many more projects like this I can do, but it was a hoot to be on this one.
Completed bridge and 2019 crew
Old bridge and the first log staged for milling
This was a big scale project about 17 miles away from the nearest grid power and compounded by forest fires nearby which meant absolutely no power equipment allowed the first year. After rigging slings and pulley systems to remove the old bridge we cut up the pieces with 2 man saws. The forest service was delighted to have us volunteers managing the project. They cut down 5 large (~24") alpine spruce trees for new 40' stringers. We hauled them to the staging site and set up a cradle for milling the trees the next summer.
Milling the logs and hauling them into position
In 2018 we created new metal mesh gabions to support the bridge ends and hauled tons of river gravel and sand up to create the ramps leading to the bridge. Another crew worked on stripping the bark off of the long trees and yet another on starting to mill each one (we could use chain saws that season). Milling those big logs was no trivial task. There were over 500 ft of milling to be done with a trusty Stihl 460 and an Alaskan Mill. After teach log was milled on 3 sides it was dragged down near the bridge and then transported via a long "highline" across the chasm and into place. Once all the logs were properly set and spaced on the new gabions they were covered with a protective barrier and then we installed the heavy decking planks and new outriggers planks which would support the braces for the posts to be installed the next year. We installed temporary bull rails, swept the deck and opened the bridge to our first hiker, a lovely young lady from Germany. The bridge was then tested with a team of pack mules and verified to be ready for winter.
2 stringers in place and 2018 crew driving the last decking spike
This year we started in winter by cutting down some nice cedars and stripped them of their bark. Then this spring we set up some planks to simulate the bridge deck so that we could pre-construct the post and railing system for the bridge. We built the complete system, labeled every part, then took it down for reassembly up in the wilderness. Last week with the help of some pack horses and a lot of human labor, we transported the railing assembly to the site and put it back together on the bridge. It is now officially open for business and hopefully will serve its purpose for many decades to come. It was a huge project but with the help of some very skilled people, we handled it one task at a time. I was the oldest on crew and it was a privilege to work with such talented and gregarious bunch. I'm not sure how many more projects like this I can do, but it was a hoot to be on this one.
Completed bridge and 2019 crew
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