The Bridges of Gale River Loop Road

[Raymond]

What happened to them?

A week ago, on Veterans Day, I had a real unrest cure.

I climbed the two 3000-footers of Garfield Ridge, and hit Galehead Mountain and Mount Garfield as well. I had a late start, so it was 3:30 p.m. before I headed down the Garfield Trail. The last stretch, pretty much from the confluence of the trail with two or more streams, was in the dark, but I had a head lamp, so no problems there.

I reached the road about six o’clock and turned right to walk the 1.6 miles to my car. I passed another parking lot on the other side of the road, and a little while later reached a blockage. A huge piece of construction equipment and a Road Closed sign behind it. I had to get to my car, so I went that way anyway.

The road was light enough that it stood out against the dark trees, so I walked most of the way with the head lamp turned off. When I saw a couple signs ahead, I turned the light on, expecting to see brown signs with hiker pictograms on them. Instead, I saw two black-and-yellow-striped signs that I recognized as marking the sides of a bridge. I had encountered similar signs the day before in the Ossipee Range, so that was lucky, and it was a lucky thing that I turned the light on, because halfway across the bridge, the bridge just ended. The far half of it was gone. It almost looked like it might be possible to jump across the gap, but I didn’t dare try it, so I went down to the stream bank and rock-hopped across.

Continuing down the road, I soon came upon another bridge. This time, it was the near half that was gone. Actually, it was still there, but in ruins. I could have tried stepping on the debris and hauling myself up onto the good part, but again I went down to make my way across on rocks. This time I wasn’t so successful. The water was really rushing through there, and a large stepping stone was partially underwater, but I tried to use it anyway, slipped, and dunked both feet in the stream. At least it was just those two quick steps in the water, not six as happened to me in September in the Adirondacks.

Still, it was enough to get my feet sopped, so I bushwhacked up through the pine trees and squish-squished on down the road. Checking the odometer on my GPS, I saw that I had reached 1.6 miles from the Garfield Trail head, so I should be just about back to my car.

A third bridge appeared, and darned if it wasn’t collapsed as well. This time I’m afraid I uttered a few expletives. The stream below was so dark and loud, it sounded scary. It didn’t appear to have any rocks across it, it was just black, and there didn’t even seem to be any way to get down to it. Maybe if it hadn’t been so dark it wouldn’t have looked so imposing, but it seemed impossible to me.

I checked the GPS again, trying to see if my car really was just on the other side of the barrier on the far side of the bridge or not, but in the clutter of contour lines and other cartographic symbols, I couldn’t make out my track. Before I flung myself across there, or waded through the water, I wanted to know for sure that the car was there. But I couldn’t figure out if it was or it wasn’t. I had had the thought early in the hike that I should set a waypoint marking my car, but I didn’t think of it in time, and it didn’t really seem necessary anyway. Well, it was necessary, but there was no waypoint, and I couldn’t tell where I was in relation to my beginning track, so I had to give up and go back, recrossing the two streams on the way.

I made it across both without falling in this time, although the first one I came to (the one in the middle), wasn’t easy. This time, I also noticed that the two streams were flowing in opposite directions; one left to right, the other right to left. That seemed very strange, and I couldn’t puzzle out why that would be so.

Back at the construction equipment, I checked out a forest road that might or might not lead to Route 3. It didn’t seem worth the gamble to try following it, however, so I decided that the only thing to do was to take the main road all the way back past the Garfield Trail and out to Route 3, then take Route 3 to the Gale River Trail end of Gale River Loop Road.

I couldn’t even call for help. My mother, worrying about me, had given me her cell phone to take on my trip, and I’d already tried to call Susan with it when I first got to the road to let her know about what time I might be getting to her house for supper, but it’d been unable to get a signal. So I knew I couldn’t even call for help and ask what the heck is going on with Gale River Loop Road and all these bridges out and how the heck do I get back to my car. I couldn’t afford to get charged for a rescue anyway, and as I’d stupidly left my map back in the car, it would be difficult to argue that getting lost was not my fault.

I headed back toward the Garfield Trail head. It had been 0.9 mile from that third out bridge back to the construction equipment, so it should be only 0.7 mile back to the Garfield Trail. I passed that other lot, the one on the other side of the road, quickly enough, then trudged on, and on, and on. No sign of the Garfield Trail parking lot. And now I noticed that the mountains in that direction were not there. I could see the sky was coming way down low to the ground, and there were definitely no mountains there. Something weird was happening, but I couldn’t figure it out.

I checked the GPS odometer again, and saw that I had come nearly two miles from the construction equipment, and still not come upon the Garfield Trail parking lot. It had just completely disappeared. I was really getting worried now, thinking there must have been some fork in the road I had missed in the dark. Where was I?

I could make out an intersection ahead. I turned on the head lamp and saw a National Forest sign.

Gale River Trail parking.

What? How could that be? Was my car here? I didn’t see it at first, but as I stepped into the lot, it appeared there, coated in frost.

I couldn’t understand it at all, but somehow I’d been saved a long walk out to Route 3, a who-knows-how-long walk along Route 3, and another long walk along the eastern end of Gale River Loop Road. It made no sense, but here was my car.

It wasn’t until about five hours later, when I got my GPS track transferred into the computer and onto the map, that I could see what had happened.

When I first came onto the road off the Garfield Trail, I had started in the correct direction, then somehow, I have no idea how, I turned a 180 and went back the way I’d just come. So that other parking lot I passed a couple times was actually the Garfield Trail parking lot,and I just hadn’t recognized it. I had noticed that there was just one car in both lots, and each car had a Massachusetts tag, but that didn’t seem unusual to me. By the time I got back to my car, it was the only one in that lot, and it too had Massachusetts plates.

The only thing I could think of was that when I first got onto the road and tried to call Susan on the cell phone, I had walked off the road into the brush. I’d turned on the head lamp and gotten myself back onto the road, but I must have walked off the left side of the road, not the right, as I had thought, and thus reversed direction.

But my GPS track doesn’t show anything like that. The track and turnaround point are clean, like a dagger point, not a mess as you would expect walking off the road and flailing about in the brush would look. But I can’t see what else could have happened to make me go back the wrong way.

That explains what happened to the mountains, too. They were to my right, not my left, as I walked back, because I was heading east, not west.

I guess it all demonstrates once again that even on foot a cell phone is a dangerous thing to operate. And I have to learn to set a waypoint for my car each and every time, without fail, not matter how unnecessary it seems.

So what happened to cause those three (the Forest Service Web site says four) bridges to collapse like that? The Web site doesn’t explain what happened. I never even noticed the Garfield Trail end of Gale River Loop Road as I was driving up in the morning, I only saw the Gale River Trail end (where I entered), but I suppose the western end was blocked off.

Oh yeah. Also, I lost my Gorillapod. Most likely on the Garfield Trail as I was descending. If anyone has found it or finds it and wants to return it, let me know. By the time I noticed it was gone, it was too dark to consider going back up to look for it.

 

[RoySwkr]

The bridges were damaged by flooding last year, and apparently are finally being repaired. I saw the large backhoe parked there a couple weeks ago.

I'm surprised you didn't use the ME Cutoff coming down from Garfield which would save you a mile in normal circumstances and perhaps even more on your trip.

Another solution to your problem would be to get a real GPS with a map screen, it would show which way you were heading and presumably that you were nearly to Rte. 3.

 

[TDawg]

These were taken late August 08. I think they washed out July of that year in a freak storm.

I made the amateur move this trip of parking at the closed gate near route 3 and walking to the Garfield trailhead instead of making the loop past Gale River Tr. and parking at the trailhead. Oh well, I got to see the carnage firsthand at least. These are in order coming from Rt. 3, opposite the OP's direction of travel.

First Bridge washout



Nearing bridge #2. Road washed out.



Bridge 2 washout. Taken after crossing.



Bridge 3 washout

 

[Raymond]

Thanks for those pictures, T. I don’t think I would have gotten much trying to take flash photos. I felt the washed-out section of road under my feet and saw a little of it, but wasn’t sure what was going on. I thought there was even more debris at Bridge No. 2 than there is in your picture. Shows how different things can look in the daylight. At Bridge No. 3, there are now a lot of white stones that lead down to the stream.

So it is possible to get across at Bridge No. 1. It had to be, of course, but it looked way too dense on either side in the dark.

Roy, I do have a 60CSx but, zoomed in on the map, I couldn’t see Route 3, and if I pulled back enough to see it, I couldn’t see my track. I wondered if maybe I should delete the map, so that my track would stand out against a blank background, but I thought I might need the detail and wasn’t sure anyway how to go about deleting maps.

I knew that the trail came near the road someplace, but in the dark, I didn’t see any connector trail.

This was my first time on those trails in nine years. Even the crossing on the Gale River Trail, where the bridge fell down in 2005 according to the White Mountain Guide, looked completely different to me from how I remember it. It seemed a lot wider back in 2000.

 

[MichaelJ]

With the GPS, keep in mind that you can zoom out, use the arrows to pan over to Rte 3, zoom in to find an exact point, press enter to set a waypoint there, then use that waypoint for heading/bearing or straight-line tracking. Once you zoom back in on your track at your current location, you should see a straight line constantly updated pointing towards that waypoint.

 

[Dr. Dasypodidae]

Great story, Raymond; thanks for posting. Just shows how easy it is to go 180 degrees in the wrong direction under the cover of darkness. And, another reason that I prefer a compass to a GPS, even with a forgotten map.

But, I am surprised that the USFS is replacing those bridges, as they will be perpetually doomed to destruction from similar flood events in the future, in my opinion.

 

[DougPaul]

Roy, I do have a 60CSx but, zoomed in on the map, I couldn’t see Route 3, and if I pulled back enough to see it, I couldn’t see my track. I wondered if maybe I should delete the map, so that my track would stand out against a blank background, but I thought I might need the detail and wasn’t sure anyway how to go about deleting maps.

You can turn off any of the map displays or reduce the level of detail to make the track more visible. (I thought one could set the track-line color and width, but maybe not--I can't find a menu to set them.) And the arrow indicating your current location points in the direction that you are moving.

I also keep my display set to "North Up" to prevent such directional confusions.


A friend and I doing some trail maintenance on the MA AT when a hiker walked past us going N, then going S, and finally going N. We had to assure him that he was finally going N. And this was in the daylight...

Doug

 

[DougPaul]

another reason that I prefer a compass to a GPS, even with a forgotten map.

People have confused N and S on a compass too. And the magnetism of the compass needle can also become reversed.

Doug

 

[Kevin Rooney]

But, I am surprised that the USFS is replacing those bridges, as they will be perpetually doomed to destruction from similar flood events in the future, in my opinion.

That's may be true Thom, but - that whole area gets a bit of use from "non-hikers", like the snowmobilers, loggers, hunters, and I think it's the watershed for at least one town, maybe more. I expect the USFS is under a bit more pressure to get those bridges fixed than if it was mostly hiker traffic.

 

[MichaelJ]

(I thought one could set the track-line color and width, but maybe not--I can't find a menu to set them.) And the arrow indicating your current location points in the direction that you are moving

Menu-Menu-Tracks-Setup-Color

If you're not moving fast enough, that arrow will waver or even be wrong. Especially when you stop moving. Calibrate the electronic compass properly, then enable it and the map direction display will be reasonably correct as long as you hold the GPS flat out in front of you.

 

[DougPaul]

Menu-Menu-Tracks-Setup-Color

Thanks--a few of the memory cells are still working...

If you're not moving fast enough, that arrow will waver or even be wrong. Especially when you stop moving. Calibrate the electronic compass properly, then enable it and the map direction display will be reasonably correct as long as you hold the GPS flat out in front of you.

And if the compass isn't properly calibrated (has to be done every time you change or disturb the batteries) it could be oriented in any direction. I would rather risk a mis-oriented arrow than a mis-oriented map (remember that his mental map was already turned around). The track should also disambiguate the arrow.

If you look at the arrow while moving or promptly after stopping, you will have little difficulty seeing the difference between forward and backward on a half-way straight trail.

FWIW, I prefer to use my mechanical compass and almost never use the GPS magnetic compass. (On many GPSes (but not the 60CSx), the electronic compass also draws a significant amount of current.)

Doug

 

[MichaelJ]

The track should also disambiguate the arrow.

Yup. Take it even from my own personal experience, calibration can be incorrect and so always double-check against the track or the map to make sure it makes sense.

(On many GPSes (but not the 60CSx), the electronic compass also draws a significant amount of current.)

Even on the 60CSx I turn off the compass when not using it. If you look closely, you'll see that the button "Page" also has a small compass rose icon on it. Holding that button down turns the electronic compass on or off.

 

[RoySwkr]

It helps to have a general knowledge of the direction you are going. A look at the paper map (gasp!) would show that the Galehead Trailhead is mostly E so heading N for a long time is wrong.

I expect the USFS is under a bit more pressure to get those bridges fixed than if it was mostly hiker traffic.

This is the Pemi district, remember, no need to fix the bridge if you can get to the other side another way

But the photos (thanks!) show me that with a little more flooding the abutments might collapse leading to the deck falling into the river and a major cleanup needed, I'm surprised they were left that way through a second spring season without temporary repair at least.

 

[DougPaul]

On many GPSes (but not the 60CSx), the electronic compass also draws a significant amount of current.

Even on the 60CSx I turn off the compass when not using it. If you look closely, you'll see that the button "Page" also has a small compass rose icon on it. Holding that button down turns the electronic compass on or off.

I have measured the current draw of my GPSes:

                                     ma
                -------------------------------------------
                   60CSx           60CS            Vista
                -----------     -----------     -----------
GPS off                  40              50              55
GPS norm                100              70             120
light 100%      +170    270     +180    250     +30     150
compass           +0    100      +50    120     +35     155
ext ant           +0    100      +15     85

As you can see, the compass makes no difference on the 60CSx but the light (at 100%) can draw 1.7 times as much as the basic GPS. Given so much variation across models, one should measure one's own GPS to see how much current is drawn by which functions.

Doug

 

[MichaelJ]

Interesting, because the 60CSx manual itself says to turn off the compass when not in use, so as to conserve your batteries. Also, it notes that if you are moving, the compass data source is your movement direction as determined by GPS data. So if you did your battery test while moving, it's exactly what I would expect for results.

In any case, kids, you can see that your mileage may vary, and make your own judgement call on how to use your GPS.

 

[DougPaul]

Interesting, because the 60CSx manual itself says to turn off the compass when not in use, so as to conserve your batteries. Also, it notes that if you are moving, the compass data source is your movement direction as determined by GPS data. So if you did your battery test while moving, it's exactly what I would expect for results.

The tests were stationary and the displays tell you if the compass is active. I just repeated the measurement--I get the same current with the magnetic compass on and off.

It is possible (likely?) that the instructions were left over from the 60CS.

You can set the threshold for the transition from GPS movement based direction to magnetic compass direction. main_menu-setup-heading


I use north-up and my mechanical compass is more accurate than the GPS magnetic compass. Thus I rarely use the GPS magnetic compass even though it doesn't draw any additional current.

Doug

 

[Waumbek]

The bridges were damaged by flooding last year, and apparently are finally being repaired. I saw the large backhoe parked there a couple weeks ago.

But, I am surprised that the USFS is replacing those bridges, as they will be perpetually doomed to destruction from similar flood events in the future, in my opinion.

Right, Dr. D. I'm not so sure that the USFS is replacing those bridges. The backhoe may be working on constructing a private road that the FS proposed in 2/2009 to allow a "private in-holder" (Seely) to access its property within that part of the WMNF. See the map on page 10:

http://www.fs.fed.us/r9/forests/whi...lding/inholding_gale-river-rd_scoping_web.pdf

 

[Raymond]

Very interesting, Waumbek.

It appears that the section of road with the washed-out bridges is part of the access plan, though, so maybe they will have to rebuild the bridges.

I see now why the two streams I crossed were flowing in opposite directions.