The subsection begins at a gravel road crossing and immediately passes by a wildlife pond (which might be a good camping spot).  For the next mile or so, the trail follows just below and out of sight of the gravel ridge road.  It is a contouring trail, keeping a near-constant elevation as it contours the ridge side.  The trail crosses through two areas of proposed timber sales as outlined in the salvage plan amendment to the 1986 Forest Plan.  We will address 'no harvest', 'buffer zone' or other timbering options once the trail is constructed and when/if the salvage plan is approved. 

For the next three-quarters of a mile, the trail descends to Strother Creek.  We make a quick gully cut, cross the ridge, and follow the ridge side to the edge of USFS-owned land.  The trail then proceeds along an easement from the Doe Run company to a gravel road and then to Strother Creek.  This creek has a steady and swift flow at the crossing point, and will need some construction (bridge, stepping rocks) to avoid a wet-water crossing.

NOTE:  DOE RUN EASEMENT ISSUE  

Work on the easement through Doe Run land was completed a couple of years ago.  At that time, trail routing had no specific guidelines regarding grade.  For a few hundred yards, the current grade is at 15%, and at one point the grade exceeds 20% through a difficult rock-laden area.

Current trail routing is following a maximum 10% grade guideline.  Portions of the original route will have to be moved to accommodate this restriction, however it is not clear if the easement will allow for re-routing.  We are investigating this issue.  If there is "wiggle room" in the easement, we will come back and re-flag a few hundred yards.  If not, we will build the trail on the existing route and press for a new easement in the future.  UPDATE 8/2002: This easement was just logged.  We have yet to examine the area to see if any flags remain.

- John Roth & Paul Nazarenko