The bridge over the Opalescent River on the trail to Allen Mt, 3.8 miles from the Upper Works trailhead, was taken down by spring flooding and ice. DEC has posted a strongly worded statement at the trailhead to discourage hikers from trying to cross on foot. But of course, it all depends on the water conditions on a particular day, whether wading is safe or not. I am just providing information from one day, and conditions can change quickly. So be prepared to turn back, but in any case you should assess conditions thoroughly and know your own ability, before you try to cross on foot. The bridge is badly damaged and may need to be replaced. I posted some more information on the bridge/crossing on this thread:
http://www.vftt.org/forums/showthread.php?t=22950
On the way to Allen, I changed my hiking boots for Teva sandals for crossing the river, and everything went according to plan. I chose a route across some submerged rocks, and crossed uneventfully with water level below my knees, about 20” (50 cm) max.
The worst part was dealing with the swarming black flies and mosquitoes as I changed from boots to/from sandals.
On the return trip, I confidently stepped out on the second submerged rock in swifter current, lost my balance, and my hiking boots (which were tied together and slung over my shoulder) flew off into the water as I pitched forward. As I got my balance back, avoiding a full dunking, I watched as my boots started to fill with water and move downstream. I had one chance to snag them with my hiking pole, hoping to catch the laces with the basket of the pole, before the current took them away--and of course, I had to do this in a split second, and without overreaching or falling in. The first snag was unsuccessful but slowed them down. I tried again and pinned the boots down and was able to grab them just in the nick of time! On the other side, again swarmed by bugs, I poured the water out and got them back on, though a bit squishy, for the 3.8 miles up the road to the trailhead.
Thinking about what happened, I realized I failed to follow my own rule: face upstream which provides the best balance against the current. Had I fallen in, I don’t think there was any real danger, but I sure would have lost those boots sailing down the Opalescent.
http://www.vftt.org/forums/showthread.php?t=22950
On the way to Allen, I changed my hiking boots for Teva sandals for crossing the river, and everything went according to plan. I chose a route across some submerged rocks, and crossed uneventfully with water level below my knees, about 20” (50 cm) max.
The worst part was dealing with the swarming black flies and mosquitoes as I changed from boots to/from sandals. On the return trip, I confidently stepped out on the second submerged rock in swifter current, lost my balance, and my hiking boots (which were tied together and slung over my shoulder) flew off into the water as I pitched forward. As I got my balance back, avoiding a full dunking, I watched as my boots started to fill with water and move downstream. I had one chance to snag them with my hiking pole, hoping to catch the laces with the basket of the pole, before the current took them away--and of course, I had to do this in a split second, and without overreaching or falling in. The first snag was unsuccessful but slowed them down. I tried again and pinned the boots down and was able to grab them just in the nick of time! On the other side, again swarmed by bugs, I poured the water out and got them back on, though a bit squishy, for the 3.8 miles up the road to the trailhead.
Thinking about what happened, I realized I failed to follow my own rule: face upstream which provides the best balance against the current. Had I fallen in, I don’t think there was any real danger, but I sure would have lost those boots sailing down the Opalescent.
