INVENTORY OF CROSSCOUNTRY RECREATIONAL IMPACTS

IN THE ROSS LAKE WATERSHED OF NORTH CASCADES NATIONAL PARK

1997

Jeff Miller Wilderness District North Cascades National Park

Funded by a Grant from the

Skagit Environmental Endowment Commission TABLE OF CONTENTS

Introduction 1

Map of Impact Inventory Study Area 2

Management Background 3

How the Project was Conducted 4

Difficulties Encountered 5

How to Use This Report 6

Summary of Findings 7 Table I, Impacts by Crosscountry Zone . . 8 Route Segments 8 Table II, Route Impact Footage by Zone 9 Site Impacts 9 Table III, Number of Sites in Each Class 9 Litter 10 Discussion 10

Patrols Ruby Mountain Jack Mountain - NW Ridge Starvation Ridge Picket Traverse Depot Creek to Whatcom Pass Prophet Range Gabriel, Elijah, Beebe Ragged Ridge Hozomeen/Silver Creek

Appendix A - Forms

Appendix B - Overnight Wilderness Use for Crosscountry II Zones in the Ross Lake Basin

Appendix C - Discussion of Impact Monitoring System

Photograph Log

Photographs

i INVENTORY OF CROSSCOUNTRY RECREATIONAL IMPACTS IN THE ROSS LAKE WATERSHED OF NORTH CASCADES NATIONAL PARK 1997

INTRODUCTION

This project originated from the need of the Wilderness District of North Cascades National Park to continue and accelerate documentation of recreational crosscountry impacts in its area of management. The receipt of grant monies from the Skagit Environmental Endowment Commission (SEEC) facilitated this systematic survey of such impacts in the project area.

The vision of SEEC is to "preserve the natural character of the Skagit River watershed upstream of Ross Dam, an area where humans and wild nature share the landscape." Each year the Commission funds the efforts of agencies and individuals to improve environmental education, scientific research, and opportunities for recreation that will protect the natural environment of this area.

The study area includes much of the Ross Lake National Recreation Area and parts of both the North and South units of North Cascades National Park. These units, together with the Lake Chelan National Recreation Area, are managed as a unit called the North Cascades National Park Service Complex (NCNPSC). The vast majority of the complex was designated the Stephen Mather Wilderness in 1988.

The project goals included:

1. Establish a baseline of the effects of current and past recreational use on park and wilderness values.

2. Identify existing problems that might justify changes in current management actions, so as to prevent the proliferation of recreational impacts.

3. Identify and prioritize impacts needing stabilization or restoration.

The information collected during the survey is of immediate benefit by cataloging areas that do not meet current standards of the Wilderness Management Plan and facilitating the prioritization of impact stabilization and restoration needs. To a lesser extent, the data can be compared to past impact monitoring efforts and can be used as a baseline to compare future impact monitoring efforts with to reveal trends and to measure how management actions affect impacts.

1997 SEEC CROSSCOUNTRY RECREATIONAL IMPACT INVENTORY 1

MANAGEMENT BACKGROUND

Management of the wilderness of the NCNPSC and the bulk of the study area is guided by the Wilderness Act of 1964 and the subsequent North Cascades National Park Wilderness Management Plan approved in 1989. The Wilderness Act defines wilderness as generally appearing "to have been affected primarily by the forces of nature, with the imprint of man's work substantially unnoticeable". The Wilderness Management Plan uses the Limits of Acceptable Change planning system which sets standards for how much an indicator, such as bare ground, will be allowed to change. This is in contrast to systems that base standards on estimates of the carrying capacity of an area. The Wilderness Management Plan divides the wilderness into four opportunity classes offering different recreational opportunities and having different management standards1. The project area is composed of 15 zones2, all of which are defined as the opportunity class known as Crosscountry II. Regarding management standards for this opportunity class, the Wilderness Management Plan states:

"Crosscountry Area II represents about 90% of the wilderness and is the most pristine, with little evidence of human presence. It receives little-to-no day use. Fires, stock use, and camping in meadows are prohibited. Wilderness permits are required for all overnight stays, and parties are encouraged to sign in and out on the climbing register. Visitors must camp at least 14- mile from maintained trails and one mile from established camps. Party size is limited to six party members, and the number of parties may be limited in some regions. Access is more than six hours from a road trailhead, maintained trail or climber's route. Routes are minimally visible or non-existent, and require knowledge of route-finding and/or require skills in mountaineering. Opportunity for solitude is high. Presence of park staff is low with less than a 10% chance of contact. Human impact is not acceptable for camps or routes. Impacted sites will be rehabilitated and/or closed. Signing is not permitted."

While all human impact found was documented in this project, the Wilderness Management Plan identifies specific standards only for routes and camps. Regarding routes, the Wilderness Management Plan states that "Bare ground and established routes are unacceptable, except where terrain dictates only one way of

1 The four opportunity classes are Day Use, Trailed/Established Camps, Crosscountry I, and Crosscountry II.

2The crosscountry areas of the NCNPSC are divided into 66 zones. Backcountry permits are issued to crosscountry travelers for the specific zone or zones in which they plan to camp. Zones were established to disperse camping, facilitate permit writing, and to track use statistics.

1 997 SEEC CROSSCOUNTRY RECREATIONAL IMPACT INVENTORY 3 access. Areas not meeting standards will be revegetated or rehabilitated. To protect areas from impacts, use limits or closures to camping may be imposed." Regarding camps, the Plan states that "Only minimal sign of human presence will be acceptable. All impacts will be revegetated or rehabilitated. Use may be limited or some areas closed to camping."

The Wilderness Act and the Wilderness Management Plan make it clear that human impact in the study area should be "substantially unnoticeable." These mandates guide the selection of an impact monitoring method. While it is important to detect changes over time, the presence of any impact triggers management action. The 1994 Draft Restoration Management Plan states that "obtaining precise measurements and monitoring subtle changes are not goals of this program."

Since establishment of the Park in 1968, crosscountry impacts have been noted and some documentation exists in the form of reports and/or photographs. In 1 993, the Crosscountry Impact Inventory Form used for this project, was created and began to be used by rangers on routine wilderness patrols. The form has utility as an initial documentation tool but is less useful for long term monitoring. A discussion of the limitations of the form is in Appendix C. Prior to this project, rangers had documented 206 site or route impacts in crosscountry zones throughout the NCNPSC. Funding and staffing limitations have not allowed any one ranger to concentrate solely on impact monitoring.

HOW THE PROJECT WAS CONDUCTED

The impact monitoring routes were chosen prior to the commencement of field work. Priority was given to routes that had not been documented since 1993 and to fragile subalpine areas. Past visitation statistics were not used to prioritize routes in the belief that documentation of pristine areas can be as important for management use as that of impacted areas. It isdiff icult to measure changes in impact levels over time. It is easier to tell if an area has changed from pristine to impacted.

The primary impact monitor was Jeff Miller. He made two patrols with other rangers (Rockwood and Bush) early in the season which allowed the other two to do some impact monitoring later in the season without him. Impact monitoring was delayed until the very end of July due to the heavy snowpack and continued through the end of September. Impact monitors traveled 161 miles off of trails during the project. About 36 of these miles involved backtracking, leaving a remainder of 125 'unique' miles. At least some monitoring was done in 13 out of

1 997 SEEC CROSSCOUNTRY RECREATIONAL IMPACT INVENTORY 4 the 1 5 zones in the project area3.

As stated in the 1997 SEEC Grant Proposal, all recreational impacts were documented, quantified, mapped, and photographed per the Draft Restoration Management Plan's guidelines. The Crosscountry Impact Inventory Form (the form) was the primary field documentation and was filled out in accordance with the Crosscountry Impact Inventory Manual. A blank copy of this document is included in Appendix A. Upon return to the Wilderness District Office, each form was assigned an impact inventory number for tracking purposes. This number appears on the form, the maps, the photograph log, and the slides.

The monitoring system is similar to that proposed by Sidney Frissell in 1978 and is usually referred to as Condition Class Estimation. The system involves creating a series of definitions (condition classes) that impacts are then assigned to as they are observed in the field. A discussion of the system is included in Appendix C.

While the form does not have a class definition for pristine routes, an important part of the project was to document pristine areas as well as impacts. Routes that showed no impact are marked in blue on the USGS maps associated with this report.

DIFFICULTIES ENCOUNTERED

The most fundamental difficulty was the heavy snowpack. This limited the efficacy of early patrols and reduced total monitoring time. Patrols were delayed until July 29. Even then, there was still significant snowpack on the Picket Traverse (Sourdough Ridge was 40-70% snow covered). Site impacts were probably buried at a number of locations including Picket Pass and the East Spur of Challenger site (1-214). While sites were documented at these locations, there were other flat spots still buried in snow. Many sections of the route were also covered in snow. For this reason, a blue line on the map should be interpreted as a place where impact was not seen rather than a place where it did not exist. In the narrative for each route, places where a significant amount of snow was encountered are noted.

The heavy snowpack limited the total amount of time that monitors were able to spend in the field. While most of the popular routes and many of the not so popular routes were covered, some areas were omitted. Higher priority was assigned to areas that had not been documented since this impact monitoring regime was created in 1993. The Eastern portion of Wiley-Eiley ridge and the Luna Peak access route to the Pickets are areas that have been covered before that were

3 Perfect Pass and Little Jack were not visited.

1 997 SEEC CROSSCOUNTRY RECREATIONAL IMPACT INVENTORY 5 missed this time. Routes not previously covered that were left out include the Galena Ridge access route to Silver Lake, Perry Creek, Redoubt Creek, and Panther Creek.

The nature of the terrain also reduced the amount of information collected. Much of the monitor's concentration and energy had to be expended on route-finding and moving through the landscape. On the Picket Traverse, most of the daylight was used getting from Point A to Point B and documenting sites and route information on the immediate route. There was little time to thoroughly scout all potential site locations and to take extremely detailed notes on route impacts. The terrain on the Ragged Ridge patrol was also particularly severe. The weather was largely cooperative although it was a factor on the Depot Creek-Whatcom Pass patrol and to a lesser extent on several other patrols. On the Depot-Whatcom trip, the monitors had to fill out the forms in plastic bags and were chased off a ridge by a thunderstorm.

To maximize coverage, other rangers made several impact monitoring patrols (Depot-Whatcom and Ragged Ridge). This was appropriate because the inventory process is fairly straight-forward and is used by Wilderness Rangers on routine patrols. However, using different people caused complications such as the need to use different cameras. It also increased the likelihood of error because of the translation process from field notes to final report. All original documentation such as rain-soaked impact forms, field notes, and field maps has been retained and is on file at the Wilderness District Office.

HOW TO USE THE REPORT

Following this section is a summary of findings. More detailed information on routes and sites is contained in individual chapters, each of which correspond with an impact monitoring patrol. Each chapter contains a day by day route narrative, copies of the forms, a copy of the patrol report, and a copy of the Baseline Data for Potential LAC Indicators. The route narrative describes the route and contains brief descriptions of some of the impacts found. The form is the primary document for the initial recording of impacts in the North Cascades backcountry and has been discussed previously. The forms combined with the photograph log will allow the condition of sites to be assessed over time. If photographs were taken of the impact, numbers are included on the form to allow reference to the photograph log and slides. Slides are coded to allow reference to the photograph log and are marked with the impact inventory number assigned to the impact. The patrol report and LAC form are documents that rangers complete for every patrol. The patrol report is used to list accomplishments, needs, and recommendations associated with the patrol. The LAC form contains a daily log of various potential Limits of Acceptable Change indicators such as number of pieces of litter and

1 997 SEEC CROSSCOUNTRY RECREATIONAL IMPACT INVENTORY 6 number of fire rings. Both forms contain information that may be useful to readers of this report.

The report also contains copies of the USGS 7.5 minute maps that cover the area. Routes are drawn on the maps in colored pencil with different colors corresponding to different levels of impact (See Appendix C for class definitions).

Blue No Impact Seen

Red Class 1

Light Green Class 2

Purple Class 3

Dark Green Class 4

Site impacts are also documented on these maps. Both sites and route impacts are marked with their impact inventory numbers. The maps only show impacts that were documented during this project. Master maps are maintained in the Wilderness District Office that include all impacts documented since 1993.

The photograph section contains a photograph log which describes each slide. The description includes the impact inventory number, camera settings, an azimuth, and other information to allow the shot to be duplicated in the future. This section also includes copies of the slides. Each slide is marked with the impact inventory number it is associated with, numbers allowing reference to the photograph log, date taken, and brief descriptions.

SUMMARY OF FINDINGS

A total of 71 site and route impacts were documented during this project4. Nearly 300 impacts have been documented in the park's crosscountry zones since 1993. The number of documented impacts conflicts with the standards adopted in the Wilderness Management Plan which state that "only minimal sign of human presence is acceptable".

Table I identifies the impacts by crosscountry zone. Some of the sites and routes had been documented previously and are thus referred to as 'old' sites. 'New'

4 Seven of the impacts were outside the study area and were documented on approaches to routes in the study area. Since they are equally important to management, they are included in the report.

1 997 SEEC CROSSCOUNTRY RECREATIONAL IMPACT INVENTORY 7 sites are those that were documented for the first time this year. The impact may or may not be recent.

Table I IMPACTS BY CROSSCOUNTRY ZONE

Zone New Site Old Site New Route Old Route

Bear 4 2 Challenger 5 1 1 Elephant Butte 1 3 Elijah Ridge 5 2 Hozomeen 3 2 1 Little Jack Luna 4 2 3 Middle Lakes 1 1 Perfect Pass Prophet 4 4 Ragged Ridge 5 1 3 Ruby 1 Sourdough 1 Spickard 1 1 Starvation Ridge 1 1 Depot* 3 2 1 Tapto Lakes * 1

Total = 71 37 7 22 5

* Outside of project boundary except for one old site in Depot X/C. Bear X/C also has one new site outside the project boundary.

The number of impacts per zone is not directly comparable. For instance, four of the five site impacts in the Elijah Ridge crosscountry zone were summit cairns which were dismantled and now gone. The five impacts in the Challenger crosscountry zone were campsites that still exist. The Elijah Ridge crosscountry zone is considerably more pristine than Challenger crosscountry. In addition, the zones were delineated for permit purposes and vary in size.

ROUTE SEGMENTS

Out of about 125 miles of crosscountry patrolling, 165,896 feet (31.4 miles) of impacted route was documented5. 104,176 feet (19.7 miles) of this was newly

21,1 20 feet of route impact was outside the study area and was documented on approaches to routes in the study area.

1997 SEEC CROSSCOUNTRY RECREATIONAL IMPACT INVENTORY 8 documented impact and 61,720 (11.7 miles) had been previously documented. Table II shows impact footage by zone and class. Distances were estimated in the field and the numbers in the table are not precise. The important finding for route impacts, is not the relative amounts of different classes of impact, but that one out of four miles traveled showed signs of impact. See Appendix C for a definition of the classes and a discussion on the reliability of the classifications.

Table II ROUTE IMPACT FOOTAGE BY ZONE

Zone Total Class 1 Class 2 Class 3 Class 4

Bear 6,600 4,752 1,848 Challenger 3,000 600 Elephant Butte 4,440 2,574 942 2,400 Elijah Ridge 7,600 5,884 792 924 Hozomeen 14,200 8,184 1,320 4,696 Little Jack Luna 8,240 6,316 616 1,308 Middle Lakes 13,200 3,300 1,980 7,920 Perfect Pass Prophet 19,440 10,999 4,488 3,953 Ragged Ridge 17,896 16,629 1,267 Ruby 10,560 1,584 1,584 7,392 Sourdough 21,120 10,560 7,392 2,957 211 Spickard 13,200 1,980 1,320 9,900 Starvation 5,280 1,584 1,584 1,320 792 Depot* 21,120 21,120 Tapto Lakes*

Totals 165,896 69,594 28,037 66,662 1,603

* Outside of project boundary.

SITE IMPACTS

Each documented site was assigned to a condition class as explained previously and further discussed in Appendix C. Table III shows the number of sites assigned to each class.

Table III NUMBER OF SITES IN EACH CLASS

Class 1 Class 2 Class 3 Class 4 Class 5 Unranked* Total 4 2 11 20 1 6 44 * Six sites were not ranked by the field monitor including several summit cairn impacts.

1 997 SEEC CROSSCOUNTRY RECREATIONAL IMPACT INVENTORY 9 LITTER

Very little litter was found on the impact monitoring patrols. The most common form of litter was not left by visitors but by children celebrating birthdays. Thirteen balloons, some with ribbons still attached, were found on the patrols. Most of the other litter consisted of pieces of bandage and moleskin found at site impacts. Webbing was found on two occasions that was left by climbers as anchors.

DISCUSSION

71 route and site impacts were documented during this project. Nearly 300 have been documented park wide since 1993. Perhaps most telling, one out of four miles traveled showed sign of route establishment. Clearly, some of the crosscountry zones are receiving more use than they can tolerate without showing signs of human impact. Luna and Challenger were the most heavily used zones from 1991 to 1996 and showed the most impact. Both of these zones had camping areas with multiple sites6. Even infrequently used zones such as Elijah Ridge had summit cairns on most of the major peaks although no campsites were found and route impact was minimal.

While improved monitoring techniques would allow the NPS to gather more information and perhaps measure subtle change over time, the current information is adequate to establish that some of the crosscountry zones in the Ross Lake Watershed do not meet the standards of the Wilderness Management Plan. Regarding camps, the Plan states that only "minimal sign of human presence will be acceptable" and that "all impacts will be revegetated or rehabilitated". The Plan only allows route impacts "where terrain dictates only one way of access". While much of the route impact was along areas where terrain dictated a single route (ridge lines), route impact was documented on open slopes where multiple route options exist.

There are a number of options for resolving the conflict between the Plan and conditions in the backcountry. They include:

• Lower number of groups allowed per night in each zone

6 Luna Pass, Luna Lake, and the saddle between Luna Cirque and Little Beaver had four, three, and two sites respectively.

1 997 SEEC CROSSCOUNTRY RECREATIONAL IMPACT INVENTORY 1 0 • Impose a limit on the number of groups per year in each zone7 • Assign campsites to prevent multiple parties from occupying same place8 • Increase education efforts targeted at crosscountry zone users • Increase presence of enforcement/education staff in backcountry • Change the plan

It would be prudent of the NPS to address the conflict sooner rather than later, particularly if adopting any but the last option. The number of current users who would be adversely affected by use limitations is much smaller than the number who will be affected ten or twenty years from now. Acting now would also reduce future impacts that negatively affect the wilderness experience of the visitor and are costly to revegetate. In much of the Ross Lake Watershed, visitors can explore the mountains as trappers and miners did 150 years ago. This precious experience is already rare and will become increasingly so as time passes. The NPS has the opportunity to act now to preserve that experience for future generations.

7 This project does not provide much guidance for establishing an absolute number. However, zones such as Challenger and Luna show the most impact and had 321 and 233 visitor nights respectively in 1996. Elijah shows relatively little impact and had 14 visitor nights in 1996.

8 The current management paradigm for crosscountry zones at NCNPSC embraces dispersed use. In theory, areas with low visitation can withstand widely dispersed use without showing signs of damage. In practice, terrain and the goal orientation of most visitors conspire against the success of a dispersed use system. Visitors do not wander throughout the Luna crosscountry zone. They follow very distinct routes on their way to climbing objectives and camp at the few flat spots that exist (Luna Pass and Luna Lake).

1 997 SEEC CROSSCOUNTRY RECREATIONAL IMPACT INVENTORY 1 1 THE PATROLS

1 997 SEEC CROSSCOUNTRY RECREATIONAL IMPACT INVENTORY RUBY MOUNTAIN

July 29, 1997 Jeff Miller and Kelly Bush USGS Quads: Ross Dam Crosscountry Zone: Ruby Mountain

This was a one day patrol up the old, unmaintained Ruby Mountain trail. The route starts at the Panther Creek trail near Fourth of July Pass. At the junction, the altimeter was set at 3520'.

The old trail was defined bare ground (Class 3) until 3740' where it disappeared in thick blowdown for approximately 100 vertical feet. However, on the descent we were able to follow the trail through this short section. Beyond the blowdown the trail was predominately Class 3 with six or seven small sections where the trail was obliterated by blowdown.

At about 4750' and 203 degrees to Primus, the trail became undefined/intermittent (Class 1) for approximately 200 vertical feet. At 5380' the vegetation became more subalpine with huckleberry and paintbrush dominating and up to 30% of the trail surface consisting of impacted/recovering vegetation. At around 5600' the trail flattened out and became predominately Class 2 until the end of the patrol at 5740'. We turned around at this point due to time restraints.

37 pieces of flagging were removed from this route and several cairns were dismantled. Site impacts were not found and photos were not taken.

1997 SEEC CROSSCOUNTRY RECREATIONAL IMPACT INVENTORY JACK MOUNTAIN - NW RIDGE

July 30, 1997 Jeff Miller and Janet Gould (VIP) USGS Quads: Pumpkin Mountain.

This was a one day patrol of the NW ridge of Jack Mountain. The ascent began just South of the Devil's Creek bridge and followed the broad NW ridge up to 4050'. The altimeter was set at 1620' at the East Bank trail.

From 1620' to 1780' there was a continuous bare ground trail (Class 3). From 1780' to 1920' there were intermittent Class 3 trail segments. No impact was observed from 1920' to 2320'. From 2320' to 2640' there were intermittent trail segments of varying classes. At 2640' the route passed through open, cliffy meadows where a bearing of 16 degrees to Ten-Mile Island was obtained. From there to 4050' was mostly pristine with only occasional sign of trail impact. At 3600' a bearing of 9 degrees to Desolation was obtained and at 4050' we recorded a bearing of 287 degrees to Point 6532' above Skymo Lake.

We found no site impacts (no water) or litter. It was our impression that the trail segments we observed were probably game trails. They often went under overhanging limbs that a human would walk around and the 'trail' starting at 1620' continued on the West side of the East Bank trail down to Ross Lake. It seems most likely that animals come down the ridge to visit Ross Lake for water. Hunters may also contribute to impacts in the area. Climbers may occasionally use this route to access Jack Mountain but this approach is long and indirect and probably infrequently used. No photos were taken on this patrol.

1 997 SEEC CROSSCOUNTRY RECREATIONAL IMPACT INVENTORY STARVATION RIDGE

July 31, 1997 Jeff Miller and Janet Gould (VIP) USGS Quads: Hozomeen Mountain. Crosscountry Zone: Starvation Ridge

We began at Hozomeen Campground, accessed Starvation Ridge above Hozomeen Lake, and followed the ridge up to Desolation Lookout and the Desolation Trail.

We left the Hozomeen Lake trail just before the Hozomeen Lake turnoff and headed South up to Starvation Ridge. We attained the ridge at the low spot (3340') and then headed SE towards Point 5967'. At 5260' a bearing of 11 ° to the North Peak of Hozomeen was obtained. From the trail to Point 5967' there was little sign of impact with only very occasional short segments of game trail.

The first sign of human impact was an impacted site (I-252) at 5710' on the ridge between Point 5967' and Point 5925'. Huckleberry and lupine were reclaiming the impacted area, indicating that the site had not been used in some time. We found one piece of litter at the site and took one photo.

South of the site there was Class One impact for several hundred feet that became Class 2 and 3 as the route began ascending the North side of Point 5925'. At 5725' and at a bearing of 15° to the S. Pk. of Hozomeen, we encountered another impacted site (not documented). The site appeared to be a resting/view area rather than a camp because it was too sloped for a tent. The last few hundred feet up Point 5925' was undefined/intermittent with a few sections of Class 2.

We descended the South side of Point 5925' and then headed West across the bowl on the North side of Desolation Peak to access a Class 4 trail that climbed up the N/NW ridge to the lookout. The area from Point 5925' to the lookout was more impacted than the rest of the ridge. There is another route up the N/NE ridge which the current fire monitor favors.

The trip was too lengthy to adequately document in one day. We were curable to make more than cursory observations as we traversed Desolation Ridge. I recommend that future impact monitors take the trail to the lookout and then spend the following day mapping and documenting impacts from the lookout to Point 5967'. The ridge crest most certainly attracts more visitors than the forested slopes leading up from the saddle at 3340'. The route from the Hozomeen Lake trail to Point 5967' was heavily vegetated and covered with extensive blowdown. It is not a recommended route for those seeking an elegant ridge walk.

1 997 SEEC CROSSCOUNTRY RECREATIONAL IMPACT INVENTORY PICKET TRAVERSE

August 2-11, 1997 Jeff Miller and Joshua Rockwood USGS Quads: Ross Dam Mt. Prophet Mt. Challenger Crosscountry Zones: Sourdough Elephant Butte Luna Challenger

This was a ten day patrol of the Eastern slope of the Picket Range. We accessed the South end of the Range from the Sourdough Mountain. Trail and exited the North end at Whatcom Pass.

As noted in the summary of the report, the impacts described should not be considered a comprehensive list of all impacts. This is particularly true of this route. This was the first major route of the season and significant portions of the route and potential camping areas were under snow. This includes likely camping spots such as Picket Pass, Luna Pass, Sourdough Ridge and the East Challenger Spur site. The route is also extremely challenging and there was little time or extra energy to explore all potential sites along the route.

AUGUST 2: We started the route by ascending the Sourdough Mountain. Trail to the ridge crest. We took the trail all the way to the ridge and did not take the shortcut up Sourdough Creek.

The ridge was 40-50% snow-covered making impact monitoring difficult. Where the ridge was exposed, a Class 3 trail was evident (I-255). We found a rock cairn along the route and a short section of Class 4 trail just SE of Pt. 6107' on the NE corner of the Ross Dam Quad. We camped on the ridge near the 'd' in Sourdough on the SE corner of the Mt. Prophet Quad.

AUGUST 3: Descending the small knoll from camp, the trail sidehills on the SW. The trail has several switchbacks here and appears to have been constructed for several hundred yards although the tread has recovering vegetation on it (Class 2). Beyond camp the snow cover increased to 60-70%. The trail (I-255), where visible, was mostly Class 2 as we continued towards Pt. 6495'. From Pt. 6495' we sidehilled on the SW to the next low spot along Class 1 impacts with some Class 2. We followed the crest to the low spot below Pt. 6728' and up to 6600' on same. From the low spot to 6600' was a mix of intermittent segments to Class 2 trail. We observed no impact as we traversed along the SW side of Pt. 6728' at

1997 SEEC CROSSCOUNTRY RECREATIONAL IMPACT INVENTORY Picket Traverse, Page 1 6600' except for a few short, intermittent segments. We continued along the crest to the low spot between Pt. 6154' and Pt. 5972' where we began a descending traverse to the Torrent Creek divide. During the day we dismantled several cairns.

In the Torrent Creek divide we observed a very short section of Class 2 trail which soon disappeared in a snowbank. We then traversed to the SW (brushy) to a creek and then up the right bank (steep) to attain the lake at 5120'. The route continued S/SW to a bench at 5520' and then N up a narrow, wet ledge which had Class 1 impacts on it (I-256). This pattern of impacts became typical as the trip progressed: little or no impact in areas where there is room to spread out and higher levels of impact where use is tunneled through tight areas. We camped on the S ridge of Elephant Butte (the trunk) at 6120'.

AUGUST 4: We traversed the Southern slopes of Elephant Butte and other peaks at 6200' in snow and talus to attain Azure Pass (low spot just W of Pt. 6455'). No impact was observed along this section.

We dropped N to the ridge extending North below Azure Pass, headed W for a short distance, and then regained the ridge to follow it to the end at 5024'. At the end of the ridge there was some Class 1 impact in heather. We then dropped SW through forest (Class 1 for a short distance) and brush to attain large permanent snowfields at 4020'. The rest of the route to Terror Tarn (4300', N of Mt. Terror) was on snow, talus, and through thick brush which showed no impact.

AUGUST 5: The route from the tarn up to Picket Pass involved ascending a ramp from S to N at the head of McMillan Cirque. There was a 100' section of Class 1 impact (I-258) at 5450' in the "lowest meadow peninsula" as described by Beckey. From 5700' to 5800' there was a Class 2 trail. During this ascent, there were intermittent impacts in heather meadow areas and in areas where travel was restricted to a narrow corridor. Once out of the ramp system and on broader benches which lead to the pass, the impacts disappeared. At the pass we documented our first site impact (I-207). We camped at the pass.

AUGUST 6: From the pass up to 7120' on the SE Peak of Fury, impacts were intermittent and discontinuous (I-259). Impacts were in the narrow sectiqns of the ridge and in fragile vegetation. The segments that did exist were a mix of Class 2 and 3. The rest of the route and the descent to Fury Col (7300', first gap N of Pk. 7757') were on rocky ground which showed little impact with the exception of one route cairn and a site with two bivy pads located about 100 vertical feet above and to the South of the Col (I-208). We weathered a thunderstorm and spent the night at the col.

AUGUST 7: We scrambled N on the ridge crest (Class 1 impacts) to attain the next notch and access to the Fury Glacier which we descended and exited at

1997 SEEC CROSSCOUNTRY RECREATIONAL IMPACT INVENTORY Picket Traverse, Page 2 around 6500'. We then descended along the West side of the first snowfield where we observed various classes of intermittent impact (1-260). We then traversed under a buttress and traversed open slopes of snow and talus (no impact) to the low spot on the Luna/McMillan divide (6960'). For several hundred vertical feet below the low spot there were numerous route impacts (1-260) in heather meadow vegetation. While there was no single route because the slope is broad and low angle, this was one of the most impacted route areas that we observed on the trip. There is little impact along the ridge heading towards Luna Pass because the ridge is fairly wide and rocky. There are a few short sections of impact (1-261) where use is channeled such as around the West side of the second high point (7320' + ) where the route follows a narrow ledge. There was also intermittent impact in heather on the E side of the first knob W of Luna Pass.

There were a number of site impacts at Luna Pass which were photographed and documented on the attached Crosscountry Impact Inventory Forms (I-209 and I- 210). Two other potential sites were photographed but not documented because they were occupied. They are both further uphill towards Luna Peak from I-209 and 1-210. We spent the night at the pass.

AUGUST 8: The descent from Luna Pass to Luna Lake was marked by much evidence of human impact although there was not one distinct route (I-262). The descent is down a moderate slope covered with heather and rocky slabs. Since it is wide open, people take different routes down but are leaving their imprint on the fragile heather communities. There are numerous small cliffs which require the traveler to scout numerous route options before choosing a route. This causes one person to create as much impact as a group traveling in a more direct manner. The slope has numerous short segments that lead to dead-ends. Luna Lake had three camping sites which are documented on the attached forms (1-21 1, 1-21 2, 1-21 3).

The route continued up to the head of Luna Cirque and then traversed at about 5800' to the bench area at 5900' about one mile E of Mt. Challenger. We did not see much impact along this rocky and snowy section with the exception of some intermittent impact near Pt. 6246' where we (and others before us) got cliffed out as we attempted to skirt underneath. The bench area is described by Beckey as being a good spot to camp. We found one site there (1-214) and camped in snow which we expect was covering additional site impacts.

AUGUST 9: We ascended the E arm of the Challenger Glacier to establish a camp on moraine debris at the saddle between Luna Cirque and Little Beaver Valley just W of Peak 7374'. There were two sites in this moraine debris that we documented (1-21 5, 1-21 6). We day tripped up to Peak 7374' where we found wire and wood debris on the summit from a survey crew. On the SE side of the Peak and about 100' below the summit we found an old campsite (1-217). We then descended part way down the N ridge of Peak 7374' to access the NE Glacier and traversed

1997 SEEC CROSSCOUNTRY RECREATIONAL IMPACT INVENTORY Picket Traverse, Page 3 over to the 'Bear Paw' site (1-218) previously documented by Bassler, Clark, and Roesler in 1987. While we were able to locate the wood stakes that the previous crew had left as transect markers, they were rotting and will not be discernible for much longer. The site was an attractive camping area but was only lightly impacted. Route impacts were not apparent on this day trip with the exception of several slings and a carabiner that a party had left as a rappel anchor.

AUGUST 10: We traversed the Challenger Glacier and then skirted the East flank of Whatcom Peak. There are Class 3 and 4 impacts (1-263) beginning shortly after leaving the snow of the East Whatcom Glacier and continuing to Whatcom Pass. Some sections closer to the pass are heavily eroded and channeled which is causing people to create new trails to avoid steep, slippery tread. There was one heavily impacted site on Whatcom Arm that we documented (1-21 9). We spent the night at U.S. Cabin Stock Camp.

AUGUST 11: Hiked trail out via Hannegan Pass.

1997 SEEC CROSSCOUNTRY RECREATIONAL IMPACT INVENTORY Picket Traverse, Page 4 DEPOT CREEK TO WHATCOM PASS

August 22-28, 1997 Joshua Rockwood and Eric Siehl USGS Quads: Mt. Redoubt Crosscountry Zones: Depot Bear Middle Lakes Tapto Lakes

Much of this patrol was outside the boundary of the Ross Lake drainage. This occurred because the primary purpose of the trip was to help with Resource Management's glacier study. After helping with the study on the Silver Glacier, the impact monitors traveled South along the boundary of the watershed to collect information for this project.

AUGUST 22: A Class 3 route (1-271) ascended the N side of Depot Creek from the Boundary, passing a site at 3160' (I-224) and another at 4920 (I-225). Camp was established at I-225.

AUGUST 23: The Class 3 route continued for another % mile to about 5000' where it disappeared in moraine debris. The rangers continued up to Ouzel Lake at 5680' and then over the Depot/Silver divide for the glacier study. Two sites (I- 226, I-228) were documented at Ouzel Lake which serves as a base camp for climbing Mt. Redoubt and Mt. Spickard.

AUGUST 24: From Ouzel Lake, the route continued up the Redoubt Glacier to the low spot between Pts. 7481' and 8090'. The monitors looked for a previously documented site (1-18) which they could not find at the specified location. They found and documented a site further to the East (I-227) which is probably the same as 1-18. They then traversed along the SE side of Pt. 8090' to attain the Bear/Redoubt divide at around 7200'. There was a trail (I-276) along the divide from 7100' to 6700'. At the low spot before Pt. 6789' the monitors descended W to Bear Lake where they documented a campsite (I-229) and found Class 3 route impacts along the S and W shores of the Lake.

AUGUST 25: The monitors regained the ridge to look for a previously documented site (1-19) which they were not able to locate. The route continued on the W side of the ridge, crossing the Indian/Bear divide at about 6760' where they found an old fire scar and ring but no visible camping impacts. Continuing on West facing slopes, the monitors crossed the Pass/Indian divide at 6960' and descended along the N and E side of Pass Lake to a campsite (I-230) 200' below the Lake and near Pass Creek.

1997 SEEC CROSSCOUNTRY RECREATIONAL IMPACT INVENTORY Depot tO WhatCOm, Page 1 AUGUST 26: On the E side of the ridge, the monitors traversed South to attain the Pass/Indian divide at about 6200' where they followed a Class 2 route segment (I- 272; 70% Class 2 (recovering vegetation)/30% Class 3) to a site (1-231). The Class 2 route continued past 1-231 to the Southernmost knoll ( = 6400') to the N/NE of Pt. 6874'. They then traversed the N side of the ridge to attain the N ridge of Pt. 7087' which they climbed over on their way to Tiny Lake. There they documented a site (I-232) that had been previously recorded as 1-12.

AUGUST 27: There was a defined trail (I-273; 60% compacted, recovering vegetation/ 40% bare ground) from Tiny Lake to lower East Lake. The trail passed through talus fields which were marked with cairns. Route impact continued around the Lake (Class 3 on the South; Class 2 on the East) with a spur heading to the upper Lake along the E side of the connecting stream. At lower East Lake, the monitors documented one site (I-233) and found an old fire ring at the NW end near the connecting stream.

While no site impacts were found at Middle Lakes, intermittent sections of route circled the Lake. These intermittent sections led to Class 3 trails (I-273) heading SW towards Tapto Lakes and the old ranger camp. In heather benches West of the old ranger camp, the Class 3 trail split into two forks. The left fork dropped down to Whatcom Pass and the right fork climbed over a ridge to access Tapto Lakes basin. In the basin itself there were various intermittent trail segments circling the basin (60% bare ground/ 40% compacted vegetation). One site (I-234) was logged at Tapto Lakes.

AUGUST 28: Hiked out.

1997 SEEC CROSSCOUNTRY RECREATIONAL IMPACT INVENTORY Depot tO WhatCOm, Page 2 PROPHET RANGE

August 18-25, 1997 Jeff Miller and Janet Gould USGS Quads: Hozomeen Mountain. Pumpkin Mountain. Mt. Prophet Crosscountry Zone: Prophet

AUGUST 18: We began the patrol just to the South of No Name Creek on the shore of Ross Lake. We followed old switchbacks up to about 3100' and then attained the S ridge to continue past Pts. 3207' and 5273'. The old trail up to 3100' is a mix of Class 2 and Class 3 (I-264). The trail appears to continue sidehilling through dense brush up the No Name drainage. At about 5300' just above Pt. 5273' we dropped to the SW into a meadowy basin to camp. We saw no route impacts above 3100' except an old knife in a burned over area near Pt. 5273'.

AUGUST 19: We ascended S up to the broad low spot between Pts. 5798' and 6582'. This is a pristine saddle which would be a magnet for camping except for the lack of water. There were no snow patches and only one 3' tarn in this area (the tarn was dry 8/23). The ridge up to Pt. 6582' was pristine. On the SW side, a route appeared in the steep section from 6400' down to 6240'. This section is Class 2 and 3 and could be from animals or humans. Once again, impact appeared where only one route exists through an area. The route continued along the ridge showing no sign of impacts. The saddle to the NE of Pt. 5951' is a beautiful grassy meadow with no water.

We then found a prominent route segment (I-265) skirting the W side of Pt. 5707' for 1200' feet at the 5600' level. It starts in the saddle N of Pt. 5707', traverses on the W slope, and then descends to the low spot between Pt. 5707' and Pt. 6076'. This is a Class 3 trail with a few short sections of Class 2. The trail was anomalous since there was not much impact up to that point. We thought that it might be connected somehow with the trail heading up the No Name valley but the segment did not drop down towards No Name Lake. We then descended S to Skymo Lake. The descent route appeared to be impacted but there was no distinct route because it is a broad slope on which many routes can be taken. At Skymo Lake we documented three campsites (1-220,221,222). We set up camp at a site (I-220) on a small rock peninsula near the outlet of Skymo Lake.

AUGUST 20: From 1-221 (ST-3) we followed a trail around the buttress on the E side of Skymo Lake through heather covered ledges and then SE down to the tarns in the basin (4549') to the SE of Skymo Lake. The trail (I-266) is Class 2 with a few patches of Class 3 and continues for about 1/4 mile where it fades in forest at

1997 SEEC CROSSCOUNTRY RECREATIONAL IMPACT INVENTORY Prophet Range, Page 1 about the 5000' level. We walked all around the tarn-filled basin and the only impacts we found were a balloon and paths around the tarn to the far NW. The path around this lake begins on the NE side of the tarn and is Class 2 and 3. It fades on the N side of the tarn and then picks up again on the W side where it is Class 2. it fades to non-existent as it climbs to the S. We returned to camp the same way we came.

AUGUST 21: We ascended N to the low spot between Pts. 5707' and 6076' and then descended NW to No Name Lake. We followed an open talus slope down to a meadowy area at the creek and then cut N through thick brush to attain forest where we descended W/NW to the lake. We hit the creek drainage again at about 4000' where we struggled through a jungle of slide alder to the lake. It is better to stay more N and drop directly down to the lake. The lake shore is densely vegetated and it is difficult to travel around or to even get to the water. We documented an older site (I-223) between the outlet and the drainage coming from the E. We had initially planned to ascend the slope to the W of the lake to attain meadows on the Arctic/No Name divide and then continue down the spine of the Prophet Range. Due to a failing shoulder strap, time of day, weather forecast, and physical ability we decided to exit the way we had come and to examine the S climbing route on Mt. Prophet from 39-Mile Camp.

AUGUST 22: We ascended the ridge on the E side of Skymo Lake up to the Skymo/Big Beaver divide at 6280'. We saw no impact. We headed back to the lake and then retraced our original route to camp in the same basin as the night of August 18.

AUGUST 23: We descended to Ross Lake, got a boat ride to Big Beaver, and then hiked to 39-Mile Camp.

AUGUST 24: I ascended up the S ridge of Mt. Prophet per Beckey to 5800'. My goal was to traverse over to Firn Lake but was stopped by steep, wet slopes in deteriorating weather. There were Class 1 impacts (I-257) from 4400' to 5800'.

AUGUST 25: We hiked out via Big Beaver.

1997 SEEC CROSSCOUNTRY RECREATIONAL IMPACT INVENTORY Prophet Range, Page 2 GABRIEL, ELIJAH, BEEBE

September 2-6, 1997 Jeff Miller and Anaka Mines USGS Quads: Mt. Azurite Crater Mountain. Logan Crosscountry Zone: Elijah

SEPTEMBER 2: We began the patrol where Cabinet Creek crosses SR-20. We ascended slopes on the S side of the Creek and then crossed it at about 4100'. We then climbed straight uphill W/NW to attain the NE ridge of Mebee. We climbed over Mebee and down the NW ridge to the low spot on the Cabinet/County Line Creek divide. A descending Westward traverse led to Gabriel Pass (Gabriel/Cabinet divide). We then ascended S to about 5980' in Gabriel Basin where we set up camp. The entire day was outside the boundary of the Park.

SEPTEMBER 3: We climbed S/SE to the ridge line separating Gabriel Basin and Panther Creek and then ascended the SE ridge of Gabriel Peak. There were a few short sections of route impact on the ascent, particularly a short segment at about 7200' at the beginning of the final steep section. Weather prevented us from traversing over to the higher summit (7920') to the W. However, I was able to make the ascent the following day and found and dismantled a summit cairn (I- 238). We descended a steep gully starting from the second low spot on the way down from the summit (not recommended, gravel on slabs and rockfall) to return to camp.

SEPTEMBER 4: From the same low spot on the ridge line S/SE of camp, I traversed the ridge line leading E/SE from Gabriel. I followed the crest (Park Boundary) on the way out until I was forced to stop when the ridge became knife-like at 6720' about 1/4 mile NW of Pt. 6865'. There were intermittent trails all along this ridge (I-268). The most prominent trail was a Class 2 and 3 segment in the low area between Pts. 6635' and 6450'. I am convinced that these paths are primarily animal paths. They are very narrow and often sidehill above dangerous steep areas when more reasonable (for humans) options exist just meters away. They also go under overhanging limbs and slanting trees that humans would tend to walk around. It is hard to imagine that enough people have visited to leave these paths. On the return I skirted the S slopes of Pts. 6450', 7120', and 7200' and saw no trails.

SEPTEMBER 5: We descended to Gabriel Pass and then climbed NW to the Stillwell/Gabriel divide. At the divide we found intermittent paths (I-267; Class 1) dispersed along the low angle area. We followed the crest of Elijah Ridge to both

1997 SEEC CROSSCOUNTRY RECREATIONAL IMPACT INVENTORY Gabriel-Elijah-Beebe, Page 1 the summit and the W Summit. We found a possible site impact at 6950' (1-235) between the lowest spot on the divide and Pt. 7521'. We documented the site but it is most likely a goat wallow. It seemed too small for a bivy and there were goat tracks and hair in the vicinity. We dismantled summit cairns (1-236,237) on both summits of Elijah and removed a summit register (nine entries since 1974) from the named summit. The named summit was littered with wire, wood, and a heavy sheeting material left by a survey crew. On the return trip we skirted Pt. 7521' at around 7100' and found no trail impact. We returned to camp by following our morning route.

SEPTEMBER 6: We descended to Gabriel Pass and made an ascending leftward traverse almost due N to the low spot E of Pt 7026'. We then climbed over Pt. 7026' and followed the beautiful ridge line to the summit of Beebe. The ridge was pristine with the exception of one prominent 10' section near the low spot on the ridge. We dismantled a cairn (I-239) on the summit of Beebe and then descended E/NE to Pt. 5639' and then NE to the road. The first 1000' of the descent is in very steep heather which would not be advisable when wet.

1997 SEEC CROSSCOUNTRY RECREATIONAL IMPACT INVENTORY Gabriel-Elijah-Beebe, Page 2 RAGGED RIDGE

September 3-7, 1997; September 24-26, 1997 Craig Brouwer and Joshua Rockwood; Kelly Bush USGS Quads: Mt. Arriva Mt. Logan Forbidden Peak Ross Dam Crosscountry Zone: Ragged Ridge

This area was covered in two patrols. Brouwer and Rockwood covered Ragged Ridge and part of Red Mountain in early September. Kelly Bush covered most of the rest of Red Mountain later in the month.

SEPTEMBER 3: From Easy Pass, the route ascended NW to the ridge top where sites 1-241 and I-242 were documented. The route continued on the S side of the ridge at the 7000' level to Mesahchie Col (low spot between Pts. 7985' and 8003'). Site I-240 and an associated trail segment were documented at the Col. The entire route from Easy Pass to the Col had intermittent segments of defined trail (I-274) with a Class 3 trail for about 540' on the ridge near I-242. The low spot between Pts. 8003' and 7690' was visited and human impact was not visible. Camp was established at another impact (I-243) at about 7040' on slabs at the base of the Mesahchie Glacier.

SEPTEMBER 4: The route continued W on the Mesahchie Glacier to cross a rock ramp on the N side of Mesahchie Peak. The crossing began at around 6700' and finished with a climb up to 6840' between the ramp and a small knob (6920'). The crossing contained segments of defined trail (I-275). The route continued W on the glacier and then on rock below steep cliffs to attain the Katsuk Glacier. The low spot just E of Pt. 7655' was visited and no impact was seen. Camp was established on the glacier just W of Pt. 7675'.

SEPTEMBER 5: The route continued W across the W end of the Katsuk Glacier, over the NE ridge of Kimtah at about 8100', and across the Kimtah Glacier to Cosho Peak. The route then skirted around the S side of Cosho at 8100' to gain the W ridge which was followed to 7600'. As the ridge narrowed, the route dropped off the crest to the S and traversed westward to regain it at the next low spot (7100'). The route then descended N down to lower 'Sweat Pea' Lake where site and route impacts were documented (I-244). There was a 600' defined continuous trail crossing the outlet at the N end of the Lake. Intermittent segments of trail were found on benches NE of the Lake. A 5" x 10" metal sign that was found nailed to a tree near the site (I-244) was removed and packed out. It was placed there in 1968 by a club called the "Trailblazers" that introduces non-native

1997 SEEC CROSSCOUNTRY RECREATIONAL IMPACT INVENTORY Ragged Ridge, Page 1 species to otherwise pristine aquatic ecosystems. In addition to the documented site, another old fire ring was found at the S end of the lake near the E side of the inlet stream. Camp was established at the upper lake where no site or route impacts were seen.

SEPTEMBER 6: From the upper lake, the route went W/SW up to the N ridge of Pt. 7533' and then followed the crest W to Pt. 7658'. Along the ridge, occasional route segments (1-277) were seen where travel was restricted to very narrow areas. The route then descended SW to Junction Camp.

RAGGED RIDGE - NORTH SECTION

September 24-26, 1997 Kelly Bush and Russ Dalton (VIP) USGS Quads: Ross Dam Forbidden Peak Mt. Logan Crosscountry Zone: Ragged Ridge

SEPTEMBER 24: The patrol began by traveling the Thunder Creek and Fourth of July trails to Fourth of July Pass. We entered the Red Mountain Crosscountry Zone by leaving the trail east of the Panther Potholes, then skirting above and south of the Potholes to begin the ascent of the long ridge leading to Red Mountain. We ascended in a SE direction through forest from 3800' to 5200' where the first intermittent meadow openings were encountered. No route impacts or signs of human presence were found in this section. As the grade lessens above 5200' and the terrain changes to alternating (mostly) uphill with slight downhill sections, there are short meadows along the ridge crest. In this section we found (and removed) one small piece of flagging at the edge of a meadow, where no route is discernable. We crossed several short (30-50 ft) sections of Class 1 route which we were certain to be animal paths. We camped near 6400'.

SEPTEMBER 25: From the camp we continued on the ridge crest as much as possible, went to the summit of Ragged Peak (7598') and returned to the same camp. At several points we covered different ground on the return than we had covered going south to check for impacts. Deviation from the actually ridge crest was done to avoid steep rock bluffs and to check for impacts on sidehills which were vegetated. Again, a couple of less than 100 ft. sections of Class 1 segment were observed, particularly where the route we took went crossed from the Ross Dam quad map to the Forbidden quad map (sidehilling at 6400' on the west side of the cliffs at 6600'). This was only 100 ft. of what we believe to be animal path. No other impacts found until the summit of Ragged Peak where two USGS bench

1997 SEEC CROSSCOUNTRY RECREATIONAL IMPACT INVENTORY Ragged Ridge, Page 2 marks exist. There is also a small site impact (bivy size cleared spot) in the rocks within 100 ft. vicinity of these two bench marks (1-251; Class 4).

On the return no impacts were found, except one expelled balloon. Our route included surveying the lake basin at 6300' at bottom of the Ross Dam quad, east of the cliffs.

SEPTEMBER 26: We traveled a similar route as on September 24, until the steep descent from 5200 - 3800'. We took a more direct line to the Pass in a more northerly direction, which is steeper terrain. No impacts found.

1997 SEEC CROSSCOUNTRY RECREATIONAL IMPACT INVENTORY Ragged Ridge, Page 3 HOZOMEEN/SILVER CREEK

September 17-20, 1997 Jeff Miller USGS Quads: Hozomeen Mountain. Mt. Spickard Crosscountry Zones: Hozomeen Spickard

SEPTEMBER 17: From just beyond the Ridley Lake outlet on the Willow Lake trail, I ascended N to a low spot on the ridge and then descended to Ridley Lake. I walked around the lake and then descended to Hozomeen Lake and returned to trail via the S shore. I documented two sites (1-245,246) on the W side of Ridley Lake and a route (1-247) from the W side of Ridley outlet, along the W shore, and down to Hozomeen Lake. The route is 50% Class 1 and 50% Class 2 and was not discernible in the flat area immediately N of Ridley Lake. I removed about 20 flags between the flat area and Hozomeen Lake. The flags were quite old and in poor condition. Most were on the ground or on branches that had fallen to the ground.

SEPTEMBER 18: I walked around Hozomeen Lake where I documented a route around the Lake (I-248) and a large site (I-249) on the W shore. Starting at the legal camp, the route is Class 1 along the E shore (heavily wooded, much blowdown), around the N side, and along the NW side below steep slopes. As the slopes become less steep, the route transitions to Class 3, passes the illegal camp, and continues to Hozomeen Camp. Old maps show the now illegal site and an established trail from Hozomeen Camp to the site.

SEPTEMBER 19: Keeping to the U.S. side, I followed the border swath up to 4350'. There, a Class 3 segment (I-250) emerged from the swath and continued SW for 100 vertical feet. The segment disappeared in steep, forest slopes as I continued SW. At 5100', in a particularly steep forest section with a rocky buttress to the left, I found another Class 3 segment that continued up to 5450'. Bearing more and more E, I entered the meadowy basin at about 5800' and headed SE and up through a beautiful meadow basin with no visible impact. The low spot on the ridge between Pts. 6496' and 7068' is listed as a camp by Beckey but showed no sign of human presence. I photographed the pass for future reference.

I descended roughly the same route except I stayed on the Canadian side from 4350' down to about 2300'. Impact was more apparent on the Canadian side and the travel was easier. It appeared that the swath has altered the forest landscape on the Canadian side by allowing more light and heat to reach the forest floor. It would be a useful place to study the role of the canopy on forest composition.

1997 SEEC CROSSCOUNTRY RECREATIONAL IMPACT INVENTORY Hozomeen-Silver, Page 1 SEPTEMBER 20: From the Silver Creek Camp dock I headed NW to Silver Creek which I crossed on a log. I followed the shore for about 1/4 mile and 100 vertical feet where I found the old Silver Creek Trail (I-269; Class 3). The trail continued for about two miles to an old cabin site (I-270). At this point the trail changes first to Class 2 and soon to Class 1 and then completely disappears within H mile of the cabin. This is the route to Silver Lake that Beckey used to recommend. He now recommends an alternate route and discourages this one because of the intense bushwhacking necessary to reach Silver Lake. The cabin has several associated structures including a root cellar, all of which I photographed. I followed the same route back except that at about 100 yards from the end of the old trail I found another trail section heading to the left. I followed it down slope to the end near where I originally crossed Silver Creek.

1997 SEEC CROSSCOUNTRY RECREATIONAL IMPACT INVENTORY Hozomeen-Silver, Page 2 APPENDIX B

Overnight Wilderness Use for Crosscountry II Zones in the Ross Lake Basin

The following table contains use statistics for the years 1991 through 1996. The data is broken down by zone and includes number of parties, number of people, and number of visitor nights. One column shows totals for the six year period. Two other columns show percentage increases for two time periods. Two time periods were included because of the extremely low visitation figures for 1991 and 1992. In the 1994 Statistical Summary (Page 25-2), the low numbers were attributed to software glitches in the then new BCRES computer system. In addition to the artificially low numbers for 1991 and 1992, use in all years is understated to a certain extent because parties without permits are not included. The source of the information is permit data from the BCRES computer program managed by the Wilderness District Information Center.

1997 SEEC CROSSCOUNTRY RECREATIONAL IMPACT INVENTORY Appendix B, Page 1 APPENDIX C

Condition Class Estimation - Theory

Monitoring systems are often ranked based on their accuracy, sensitivity, and precision. Accuracy refers to how close an estimate is to the true value. Sensitivity refers to the ability of the system to recognize change. Precision refers to how close several estimates are to one another. In addition to these ranking factors, cost is an important consideration. The more accurate, sensitive, and precise a system is, the more expensive it is to implement.

In a comprehensive review of different monitoring systems, Cole (1986) ranked Frissell's system moderate for accuracy, high for precision, and moderately low for sensitivity. He also ranked it low for amount of information collected and low for cost. Overall he termed it a "good choice for areas with little funding per site".

The strengths of the system are that it is quickly and inexpensively implemented with little time spent at each impacted site. It also provides relatively accurate indications of site conditions. In a 1982 study, Cole found high correlations between condition class rankings and more detailed measurements of impacts. This indicates that condition class rankings give a relatively accurate portrayal of actual impact level. Condition class systems were rated high for precision. High precision means that different people are likely to come to similar conclusions about which category an impact should be assigned to. This is particularly important when more than one person is collecting impact data and when different people will repeat the study in future years.

One limitation of the system is that the amount of information collected is small. Impacts are assigned to fairly broad categories with a limited amount of information on specific impacts such as species composition, density of vegetation, tree mutilations, etc. A related limitation is the low ranking for sensitivity. This is not a good system to measure subtle changes over the years. An impact must undergo fairly substantial change to be moved from one category to another. In one study in the Eagle Cap Wilderness, only one site out of 22 changed an entire condition class over a five year period. Sensitivity may be improved by creating additional condition classes. However, this reduces precision by increasing the likelihood that monitors will disagree on the category that an impact should be assigned to. Another limitation of the system is that the data is ordinal rather than interval. We know that a class 4 site is in worse shape than a class 3 site but we do not have a quantitative measurement of how much worse it is. Finally, condition classes are not easily transferable between vegetation types. Definitions created for a sub- alpine environment may not be suitable for impacts in deep forest cover.

1997 SEEC CROSSCOUNTRY RECREATIONAL IMPACT INVENTORY Appendix C, Page 1 While recognizing the limitations of this method, the system is a good choice for this project and for NCNPSC. The moderate to high accuracy, high precision, and low cost combined with the guidelines imposed by the Wilderness Act and the Wilderness Management Plan outweigh the benefits of a more sensitive and expensive monitoring program. As the Wilderness Act makes clear and the Wilderness Plan defines, "human impact is not acceptable for camps or routes" in crosscountry II zones. The NCNPSC needs to know whether impact exists at all. Discerning between levels of impact and change over time is important, but the trigger point for administrative action is any impact. Overall, this system is quick and inexpensive to implement. It allows different people to reach similar conclusions about conditions of sites and routes and it will detect substantial changes over time.

Condition Class Estimation at North Cascades National Park

In 1993, the Wilderness District created and implemented use of the Crosscountry Impact Inventory Form (the Form). Directions for using the form are included in the Crosscountry Impact Inventory Manual (the Manual). Blank copies of these documents are included in Appendix A of this report.

Rangers take the form on patrols and fill it out upon encountering a human impact. The form and manual define five condition classes for sites and four for routes. Rangers are also asked to evaluate whether the impact is recovering, stable, or deteriorating and to assign a restoration priority.

Upon return to the Wilderness District Office, the form is turned into the Wilderness District Ranger and assigned an impact inventory number, the impact is entered in the impact inventory log, and master maps are updated. The master maps show locations of impacts documented since 1993. The information can then be used for a variety of purposes including revegetation planning and policy analysis.

Limitations of the Form and Manual

The Crosscountry Impact Inventory Form is a useful tool for initial identification of an impact and provides a starting point for prioritization of potential revegetation efforts and long term monitoring. It is particularly useful in Crosscountry II zones because the Wilderness Management Plan does not allow any impact in those areas. However, the form has serious limitations that prevent it from being useful for long term monitoring or to document different levels of impact.

Rangers are asked to select a site condition for each documented site but are given little guidance for making a choice. The definitions are very brief and do not readily apply to all vegetation types. A 'mineral soil' site near the alpine zone is not

1997 SEEC CROSSCOUNTRY RECREATIONAL IMPACT INVENTORY Appendix C, Page 2 comparable to a site in the forest with the same ranking. In addition, sites usually consist of a whole range of impacts rather than simply 'mineral soil' or 'trampled vegetation'. Sites with recovering vegetation are likely to be ranked in the 'trampled vegetation' category. Rangers can address these issues in notes but rankings tend to be written down and used for making policy because they are easy to work with.

The ranking system for routes has the same shortcomings as that for sites and some additional ones as well. The problem of different people.choosing different classes is heightened for routes. Not only does the ranger have to choose a class, but they must choose when a segment begins and ends, when the segment changes class, and estimate how long the segment is. There is little guidance on these issues and different rangers make different decisions.

How long should a route segment be? The Form used for Sourdough Ridge covers four miles. Other Forms cover route segments that are only a few hundred feet long. The Sourdough Ridge Form includes all classes of impact while shorter segments may only consist of one class. Perhaps route segments should be of a standard length or decision criteria composed to improve consistency.

One of the most serious problems with the ranking system for routes is that an undefined/intermittent route (Level One) is actually composed of Level Two, Three, and Four impacts intermingled with sections with no sign of impact. Therefore, it does not make sense to divide a route into Level One and Level Two. The Level One portion is likely to contain Level Two segments. It would be more accurate to replace the intermittent category with a pristine one. A ranking of 50% 'no- impact', 25% Level 2, and 25% Level 3 would be more accurate and useful than a ranking of 50% intermittent (Level 1), 25% Level 2, and 25% Level 3. In the first instance, we know the route is intermittent and contains 50% pristine segments. In the second we have no idea what the intermittent section consists of. Alternatively, the intermittent category could have sub-categories which would allow the ranger to identify what the segment is actually composed of.

The impact trend section is also problematic and has the most potential to cause poor allocation of resources because management is likely to target sites that are ranked 'deteriorating'. There is little guidance on how to determine whether a site is improving, static, or deteriorating. Without decision criteria, people will have different opinions. A person who has visited the site before may be able to make a more accurate judgment about a trend. However, the Form does not provide the information needed to make that decision. This type of question should be on a form for long-term impact monitoring which is designed to detect change. The Form is good for alerting management that an impact exists but should not be used to assess whether they are changing or not.

1997 SEEC CROSSCOUNTRY RECREATIONAL IMPACT INVENTORY Appendix C, Page 3 Restoration priority should not be established by the field staff. Recommendations from field staff are appropriate but not in this rigid format. Rangers all have differing opinions on the efficacy and efficiency of revegetation versus the use of regulation or ranger presence to alter impact patterns. These opinions affect judgments about priorities. One ranger ranked seven out of 43 sites as moderate or high priority. Another ranked five out of 11 sites as moderate or high. Were the sites documented by the second ranger deserving of the rankings or did that ranger have a different opinion about revegetation? These rankings would not cause problems if they are simply used as part of the prioritization process. However, it seems likely that with almost 300 documented impacts, management could use these rankings to make a first cut when establishing revegetation priorities. Indeed, the impact log at the Wilderness District Office records some basic information to identify the site, the impact trend, and the restoration priority.

Recommendations

The Park needs to decide if it wants to continue the use of condition class estimation. Under current wilderness standards, it is not necessary to classify impacts. It is adequate to know that they exist. If credible comparisons are to be made between sites and over time, the system needs to be improved or another one adopted. The option of selecting several representative sites and segments for rigorous long-term monitoring should be examined. If condition class estimation is to be used, there are various ways it can be improved. The definitions of the various classes could all be expanded to give more guidance to field staff. Different definitions may need to be created for different vegetation types. The intermittent class for routes needs to be replaced with a pristine class or sub­ divided. A policy needs to be established for determining how long a route segment should be. Information will be more consistent if fewer people do impact monitoring. If management wants rangers to make judgments about impact trends and restoration priority, detailed guidance needs to be provided. Consistent training should be provided to all who will do impact monitoring. The training should include field trials.

1997 SEEC CROSSCOUNTRY RECREATIONAL IMPACT INVENTORY Appendix C, Page 4 PHOTOGRAPH LOG

1997 INVENTORY OF CROSSCOUNTRY RECREATIONAL IMPACTS IN THE ROSS LAKE DRAINAGE

1. All photos taken from a standing position unless noted otherwise. 2. White tape measure is 60 inches. 3. Yellow tape measure is 96 inches. 4. Rolls one, two, and three taken with an Olympus OM-2S with a 28 mm. lens. 5. Rolls four and five taken with a Minolta Freedom 50N QD. 6. Roll six was taken with a Konica TC-X. 7. An azimuth was taken in the direction that each photo was shot. 8. I-230 refers to 'Impact Log Number 230'.

1997 SEEC CROSSCOUNTRY RECREATIONAL IMPACT INVENTORY Photograph Log, Page 1 ROLL NUMBER ONE

1. I-252, Desolation, 15 degrees to S. Pk. Hozomeen; 5.6/500; 7/31/97

2. Looking up to Azure Pass from bottom of McMillan Valley, 8/4/97

3. Southern Pickets, 8/5/97

4. I-207, Picket Pass, 120 degrees; from rocky knoll behind site; 11/60; 1700, 8/5/97; clear and sunny

5. I-207, Picket Pass, same as #4 except 8/125, 8/5/97

6. I-207, Picket Pass, 1 95 degrees; 8+1/3/1 25, 8/5/97

7. I-207, Picket Pass, 29 degrees; from rock bench just South of pass proper; 8/125, 8/5/97

8. I-207, Picket Pass, same as #6 except 8/125, 8/5/97

9. I-208, Fury Col, bench just South and above col; 342 degrees; 1 1/125; 1445,8/6/97; some high clouds, bright

10. Luna Pass, from rocks to left and above upper site (can see next lower (3rd highest) site in shot); 157 degrees; 16/125; 1817, 8/7/97; sunny; no impact forms done or this site and 3rd highest because they were occupied

1 1. Luna Pass, from just above second highest site; 1 95 degrees; 11 /1 25; 1618, 8/7/97; sunny; no impact form for this site

12 and 13. I-209, Luna Pass, standing against big rock North of third highest site; 180 degrees; 5.6/125; 1640, 8/7/97

14. 1-210, Luna Pass, lowest site of four, taken from about five feet towards the pass at back of rock bench level with site; 51 degrees; 4/125; 1650, 8/7/97

15. 1-211, Luna Lake, from gravel mound to West; 85 degrees; 11 /250; 1 435, 8/8/97; sunny

16. 1-211, Luna Lake, from large boulder to NE; 210 degrees; 11 /250

17. 1-212, Luna Lake, from large striated, whitish boulder behind camp; 204

1997 SEEC CROSSCOUNTRY RECREATIONAL IMPACT INVENTORY Photograph Log, Page 2 degrees; 5.6/500; 8/8/97

18. 1-212, Luna Lake, East tent pad, from large boulder within site; 70 degrees; 5.6/500; 8/8/97

19. 1-212, Luna Lake, West tent pad, from large boulder within site; 255 degrees; 5.6/500; 8/8/97

20. 1-213, Luna Lake, from large serrated boulder East of site (straddling on top); 296 degrees; 16/125; 1522, 8/8/97

21. 1-213, Luna Lake, from rounded boulder in the site with prominent dark striations; 60 degrees; 8/250; 8/8/97

1997 SEEC CROSSCOUNTRY RECREATIONAL IMPACT INVENTORY Photograph Log, Page 3 ROLL NUMBER TWO

1. 1-214, 5900' tarn camp SE of Challenger, from large, flattish outcrop to NW of site; 147 degrees; 8/60; 0850, 8/9/97; sun behind clouds

2. 1-214, 5900' tarn camp SE of Challenger, from boulder to North of site; 190 degrees; 8/60; 8/9/97

3. 1-217, Wiley-Eiley Ridge, Bear Paw West, bivouac site; taken from behind 3"x 3" boulder at SE end of site; 308 degrees; 16/125; 1300, 8/9/97; sunny

4. 1-217, Wiley-Eiley Ridge, Bear Paw West, larger site; from behind 1" high pointy rock 5" from SE edge of site; 284 degrees; 16/60; 1310, 8/9/97; sunny

5. 1-217, Wiley-Eiley Ridge, Bear Paw West, larger site; from top of boulder 1 1" from SW edge of site (5" x 4", broken on South side); 45 degrees; 16/60; 1315, 8/9/97; sunny

6. 1-218, Wiley-Eiley Ridge, Bear Paw East, overview of site, from rock pile with broken crest above site; 192 degrees; 16/60; 1445, 8/9/97; sunny with 20% clouds

7. 1-218, Wiley-Eiley Ridge, Bear Paw East, prominent bivouac site, from flat, chipped 2" x 2.5" rock with heather on East side to NW of site; 135 degrees; 16/125; 1500, 8/9/97; sunny

8. 1-218, Wiley-Eiley Ridge, Bear Paw East, lower bench, from 4" x 5" rock with heather on East corner located West of site; 126 degrees; 16/60; 1505, 8/9/97; sunny with 20% clouds

9. 1-218, Wiley-Eiley Ridge, Bear Paw East, lower bench, from same place as #8; 55 degrees; 16/60; 1510, 8/9/97; sunny with 20% clouds

10. 1-215, East Challenger Glacier Pass, tent pad, from about 8" North (uphill) of site; 180 degrees; 8/125; 1740, 8/9/97; sunny

1 1. 1-21 5, East Challenger Glacier Pass, bivy #1, from large flat rock between bivy #1 and tent pad; 42 degrees; 8/125; 1745, 8/9/97

12. 1-215, East Challenger Glacier Pass, bivy #2 and #3, from pyramidal rock with flat top between bivies #2 and #3 and tent pad; 20 degrees; 1 1/125; 8/9/97

1997 SEEC CROSSCOUNTRY RECREATIONAL IMPACT INVENTORY Photograph Log, Page 4 13. 1-216, East Challenger Glacier Pass, from large boulder South of site that has angied slopes towards camp and drops off to the South; 7 degrees; 11/125; 1756, 8/9/97; sunny

14. 1-215, Same as #13 with tape measure

15. 1-219, Whatcom Arm, from near two small rocks in social trail to East of site; 232 degrees; 8/250; 1345, 8/10/97; sunny

16. Whatcom Camp, near intersection of camp access trail and main trail, from access trail at point closest to fire pit

17. I-220, Skymo Lake, peninsula site (Site #1), from between site and lake as close to lake as possible; 360 degrees; 8/250; 1700, 8/19/97; sunny

18. I-220, Skymo Lake, peninsula site (Site #1); 108 degrees; 8/250; 1705, 8/19/97; sunny

19. 1-221, Skymo Lake, lower site (Site #2); 255 degrees; 5.6/125; 1000, 8/20/97; sunny

20. 1-221, Skymo Lake, lower site (Site #2), from rock outcrop to West of site by outlet stream; 86 degrees; 5.6/125; 8/20/97

21. I-222, Skymo Lake, Site #3, from about 10' from site towards lake; 50 degrees; 4/125; 0920, 8/21/97; overcast

22. I-223, No-Name Lake; 249 degrees; 4/125; 1430, 8/21/97; partly sunny

1997 SEEC CROSSCOUNTRY RECREATIONAL IMPACT INVENTORY Photograph Log, Page 5 ROLL NUMBER THREE

1. 1-220,221,222, Skymo Lake, from ridge East of Lake, shows all three Skymo Lake sites from above; 8/125; 1030, 8/22/97

2. Skymo/No-Name Divide, 4900', garbage pile; 8/23/97

3. I-235, East Ridge of Elijah, 6950' on way up from low spot of 6300', 161 degrees to the named summit of Gabriel; 5.6/1 25; 1115, 9/5/97

4. I-239, Beebe, summit cairn

5. I-245, Ridley Lake (Site #1); 338°; 2.8 -1/3/60; 1435, 9/17/97; overcast

6. I-245, Ridley Lake (Site #1); 24°; 5.6/60; 1440, 9/17/97

7. I-246, Ridley Lake (Site #2), taken from near lake shore; 207°; 2.8/60; 1500, 9/17/97

8. I-249, Hozomeen Lake, taken from in front of 12' tree with odd scar; 170°; 2.8/60; 1350, 9/18/97; half sun/half clouds

9 & 10. I-249, Hozomeen Lake (Fire pit #1 with three cairns); 200°; 2.8/60; 1355, 9/18/97

11. I-249, Hozomeen Lake, overview of site looking towards firepit #1, taken from mound of dirt at South end of site; 5°; 9/18/97

12. I-249, Hozomeen Lake (Firepit #2- at North end of site); 150°; 2.8/30; 9/18/97

13. North Face of South Peak of Hozomeen; 2.8/250; 9/19/97

14. Hozomeen Pass (6350' low spot on North route of North Peak; between Pts. 6496' and 7068'), taken from just North of the pass, 228° from shot location to big, rounded, knobby boulder in photo; 5.6/250; 9/19/97; sunny; no impact in this area

15 and 16. I-270, Silver Creek Cabin Site, structure in tree with ladder; 9/20/97

17. I-270, Silver Creek Cabin overview; 9/20/97

18. I-270, Silver Creek Cabin, Root Cellar; 9/20/97

1997 SEEC CROSSCOUNTRY RECREATIONAL IMPACT INVENTORY Photograph Log, Page 6 19. I-270, Silver Creek Cabin, small structure (toilet?) to West of cabin, newer outhouse beyond (collapsed and may not show in photo); 9/20/97

20. I-270, Silver Creek Cabin, overview from South; 9/20/97

21. I-270, Silver Creek Cabin, West end of cabin with wheelbarrow and old wood bucket of nails; 9/20/97

1997 SEEC CROSSCOUNTRY RECREATIONAL IMPACT INVENTORY Photograph Log, Page 7 ROLL NUMBER FOUR

1. I-224, Depot Creek, lower valley, from West edge of site next to SW side of Hemlock; 72°;1642, 8/22/97; mostly sunny (not included; photo is entirely dark)

2. I-224, Depot Creek, lower valley, from NW corner of site at N side of 48"d.b.h. Spruce where trail enters site; 158°; 1644, 8/22/97; mostly sunny

3. I-225, Depot Creek, upper basin, from SE corner of site at the beginning of trail to creek just left of 6"dbh Subalpine Fir; 18°; 1950, 8/22/97; mostly cloudy

4. I-225, Depot Creek, upper basin, from N corner where trail enters site (marsh edge?); 200°; 1955, 8/22/97; mostly cloudy

5. I-225, Depot Creek, upper basin, from SE corner of site at the beginning of trail to creek; 18°; 1958, 8/22/97; cloudy

6. I-226, Ouzel Lake, East site (tent pad A), from top of 5' x 6' boulder three feet N/NE of Easternmost site; 137°; 0825, 8/24/97; overcast

7. I-226, Ouzel Lake, East site (tent pad B), from same spot as #6; 200°; 0826, 8/24/97; overcast

8. I-226, Ouzel Lake, East site (tent pad C), from same spot as #6; 240°; 0827, 8/24/97; overcast

9. I-226, Ouzel Lake, East site (tent pads B and C), from 2' x 2' rock 7' E of E corner of tent pad B (middle site); 283°; 0836, 8/24/97; overcast

10. I-228, Ouzel Lake, West site, from 3' x 3' rock 8' from NE corner of site; 199°; 0840, 8/24/97; overcast

11. I-227, Redoubt Pass (Redoubt/Depot divide), from 36' S of SW corner of site near slabby rock buttress; 1345, 8/24/97; raining

12. I-227, Redoubt Pass, from 24' N of W side of site from a 2' x 2' rock; 1346, 8/24/97; raining

13. I-229, Bear Lake (Northwest), from 20' E of site on 1' x 1' rock among Subalpine Fir saplings; 299°; 1055, 8/25/97; overcast

14. I-229, Bear Lake (Northwest), from 12' S of site by 6" x 8" orange rock; 68°;

1997 SEEC CROSSCOUNTRY RECREATIONAL IMPACT INVENTORY Photograph Log, Page 8 1100, 8/25/97; overcast 15. I-230, Pass Creek (Upper Basin), from 4' x 4' x 4' boulder 20' N of site, (black axe on right marks fire ring); 202°; 1700, 8/25/97; overcast

16. I-230, Pass Creek (Upper Basin), firering-from slab 10' N of site; 316°; 1705, 8/25/97; overcast

17. 1-231, Pass Creek/Indian Creek divide, from SW edge of site shooting NW; 1100, 8/26/97; cloudy

18. Blown

19. I-232, Tiny Lake, primary site, from 4' x 4' flat rock 8' from NE side of site; 234°; 1100, 8/27/97; foggy

20. I-232, Tiny Lake, primary site, from 4' x 4' flat rock 8' from NE side of site; 234°; 1100, 8/27/97; foggy

21. I-232, Tiny Lake, secondary site, from same spot as #1 9; 20°; 1105, 8/27/97; foggy

22. I-233, East Lake; 8/27/97

1997 SEEC CROSSCOUNTRY RECREATIONAL IMPACT INVENTORY Photograph Log, Page 9 ROLL NUMBER FIVE

1. I-234, Tapto Lake, from 20' NW of largest rock in middle of site; 116°; 1 625, 8/27/97; drizzle

2 & 3. Other potential sites at Tapto Lakes which show examples of sedgy benches

1997 SEEC CROSSCOUNTRY RECREATIONAL IMPACT INVENTORY Photograph Log, Page 10 ROLL NUMBER SIX

1. I-242, Easy Pass, 10' away on rock slab; 92°; 4; 1403, 9/3/97; rain

2. I-242, Easy Pass (Firepit #1), 10' away on rock slab; 92°; 4; 1405, 9/3/97; rain

3. I-242, Easy Pass (Firepit #2), 10' away on rock slab; 92°; 4; 1407, 9/3/97; rain

4. 1-241, Easy Pass (Site #2), 10' away on rock slab; 92°; 4; 1422, 9/3/97; rain

5. I-240, Mesahchie Col, 4' away near Subalpine Fir; 44°; 4; 1643, 9/3/97; rain

6. I-243, Mesahchie Moraine (Site A), 10' away on large boulder; 270°; 5.6; 1750, 9/3/97; overcast

7. I-243, Mesahchie Moraine (Site B), 12' away on large boulder; 350°; 5.6; 1757, 9/3/97; overcast

8. I-243, Mesahchie Moraine (Site C), 15' away on large boulder; 270°; 5.6; 1800, 9/3/97; overcast

9. North Sweet Pea Lake, South end (firepit), 8' away on lake edge on rock; 172°; 8; 0913, 9/6/97; clear

10. North Sweet Pea Lake, South end (firepit), same spot as #9; 172°; 8; 0915, 9/6/97; clear

11. I-244, South Sweet Pea Lake, North end, 1 5' away from fire ring near Subalpine Fir; 120°; 8; 0942, 9/6/97; clear

12. I-244, South Sweet Pea Lake, North end, duplicate of #11

13. I-244, South Sweet Pea Lake, North end, metal "Trailblazer" sign on tree; 120° ; 8; 0945, 9/6/97; clear

1997 SEEC CROSSCOUNTRY RECREATIONAL IMPACT INVENTORY Photograph Log, Page 11 1991-1996 ROSS LAKE BASIN CROSSCOUNTRY USE STATISTICS

ZONE 1991 1992 1993 1994 1995 Visitor Visitor Visitor Visitor Visitor Parties People Nights Parties People Nights Parties People Nights Parties People Nights Parties People Nights

Bear 3 7 11 5 16 36 11 26 61 22 63 113 17 44 101 Challenger 11 27 43 16 42 98 17 49 118 28 80 148 28 62 112 Elephant Butte 4 12 54 6 11 18 9 21 57 17 38 113 20 54 127 Elija Ridge 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 2 4 1 3 6 1 4 8 Hozomeen 0 0 0 1 2 2 1 1 1 0 0 0 4 8 8 Little Jack 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 15 33 46 8 16 24 Luna 10 27 69 11 25 79 16 48 114 27 66 174 23 50 101 Middle Lakes 0 0 0 3 8 14 5 11 22 4 7 9 3 5 7 Perfect Pass 0 0 0 5 11 15 9 26 53 11 31 42 16 37 49 Prophet 0 0 0 0 0 0 4 10 33 11 26 65 4 12 69 Ragged Ridge 2 3 3 6 11 14 9 19 34 4 10 23 7 16 24 Ruby 1 2 4 1 1 1 5 10 10 0 0 0 2 6 6 Sourdough 6 10 16 7 12 22 15 29 51 24 47 63 35 64 74 Spickard 2 7 26 3 11 23 3 8 23 7 34 76 9 32 54 Starvation Ridge 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 3 3 0 0 0

Totals 39 95 226 64 150 322 105 260 581 172 441 881 177 410 764

(c:\msoffice\excel\seec97.dat) Page 1 1991-1996 ROSS LAKE BASIN CROSSCOUNTRY USE STATISTICS

ZONE 1996 1991-96 Totals % Increase 1991-96 % Increase 1993-96 Visitor Visitor Visitor Visitor Parties People Nights Parties People Nights Parties People Nights Parties People Nights

Bear 9 22 32 67 178 354 200.00 214.29 190.91 -18.18 -15.38 -47.54 Challenger 45 121 321 145 381 840 309.09 348.15 646.51 164.71 146.94 172.03 Elephant Butte 19 49 101 75 185 470 375.00 308.33 87.04 111.11 133.33 77.19 Elija Ridge 2 4 14 5 13 32 #DIV/0! #DIV/0! #DIV/0! 100.00 100.00 250.00 Hozomeen 2 3 3 8 14 14 #DIV/0! #DIV/0! #DIV/0! 100.00 200.00 200.00 Little Jack 9 24 43 32 73 113 #DIV/0! #DIV/0! #DIV/0! #DIV/0! #DIV/0! #DIV/0! Luna 31 86 233 118 302 770 210.00 218.52 237.68 93.75 79.17 104.39 Middle Lakes 1 2 2 16 33 54 #DIV/0! #DIV/0! #DIV/0! -80.00 -81.82 -90.91 Perfect Pass 19 58 92 60 163 251 #DIV/0! #DIV/0! #DIV/0! 111.11 123.08 73.58 Prophet 2 4 4 21 52 171 #DIV/0! #DIV/0! #DIV/0! -50.00 -60.00 -87.88 Ragged Ridge 8 14 20 36 73 118 300.00 366.67 566.67 -11.11 -26.32 -41.18 Ruby 0 0 0 9 19 21 -100.00 -100.00 -100.00 -100.00 -100.00 -100.00 Sourdough 14 28 33 101 190 259 133.33 180.00 106.25 -6.67 -3.45 -35.29 Spickard 6 16 29 30 108 231 200.00 128.57 11.54 100.00 100.00 26.09 Starvation Ridge 0 0 0 1 3 3 #DIV/0! #DIV/0! #DIV/0! #DIV/0! #DIV/0! #DIV/0!

Totals 167 431 927 724 1787 3701 328.21 353.68 310.18 59.05 65.77 59.55

(c:\msoffice\excel\seec97.dat) Page 2