Fording the E. Branch of the Pemi?

[Jeff List]

Now that the Wilderness Trail bridge over the E. Branch of the Pemi River is gone, linking the Hancocks with the Bonds requires either a 10mile detour to cross the bridge at the Lincoln Woods Visitor's Center, or a ford of the river.

My questions are:
1. Does anyone have an opinion on what flow rate, as measured by the E. Branch gauging station (http://waterdata.usgs.gov/usa/nwis/uv?01074520) would be the highest they would attempt such a ford? I looked at the river from the bridge at Lincoln Woods a few weeks ago when the flow was about 400 CFS, and wasn't sure I'd want to ford it.

2. Does anyone have a favorite/easiest spot for fording the river in the vicinity of where the Cedar Brook Tr. comes down to the East Side Trail? (I found some old threads about fording the river near the bridge over Franconia Brook, but I'm guessing that H. Irene pretty much re-arranged everything.)

3. Would fording the river be more feasible by hiking upstream and crossing the E. Branch on the Thoreau Falls Tr. bridge (is that still there?), and then fording the presumably smaller "North Fork East Branch?" (Of course that would also require a fairly long bushwack to connect to the Bondcliff Tr.)

thanks!

 

[JimC]

Fording the East Branch

Jeff

I have forded several times in order to go to and from the Boncliff Tr. I am the Trail Adopter for the upper half of the Bondcliff Tr. So I would leave LW and travel on the East Side Tr until abeam of the Bondcliff Tr and then ford there.

As long as it had not recently rained heavily, it was not a problem.

Jim

 

[Becca M]

Jeff

I have forded several times in order to go to and from the Boncliff Tr. I am the Trail Adopter for the upper half of the Bondcliff Tr. So I would leave LW and travel on the East Side Tr until abeam of the Bondcliff Tr and then ford there.

As long as it had not recently rained heavily, it was not a problem.

Jim

HI Jim, Whenever I ponder crossing when the water's open, I chicken out - can you possibly give an estimate of how deep the water comes up on you - and are there deep holes between rocks? thanks!!!!

 

[Becca M]

3. Would fording the river be more feasible by hiking upstream and crossing the E. Branch on the Thoreau Falls Tr. bridge (is that still there?), and then fording the presumably smaller "North Fork East Branch?" (Of course that would also require a fairly long bushwack to connect to the Bondcliff Tr.)

The mouth of the North Fork (once you cross over the TF Bridge) is fairly shallow and wide with a lot of small rocks. In low water, you can rock-hop in fairly shallow (like .5-1' deep water) and get your feet wet on the rounded rocks, but, the danger of being swept away seems much lower than further downstream in the East Branch of the Pemi...

 

[Irishskier]

I've crossed from Franconia Brook Tentsite to just past the LW bridge during a few average rainfalls months (usually in July) and water was thigh high on my 5' 8'' frame.

Not fun, doable if you are careful.

Better spots further up stream...

 

[Rainman]

"So I would leave LW and travel on the East Side Tr until abeam of the Bondcliff Tr and then ford there."

Just curious JimC, why would you choose to ford rather than just hike LW and croww Franconia Brook on the bridge?

 

[JimC]

HI Jim, Whenever I ponder crossing when the water's open, I chicken out - can you possibly give an estimate of how deep the water comes up on you - and are there deep holes between rocks? thanks!!!!

Becca

Max was mid thigh with water pressure pushing it to upper thigh. I try to avoid deep holes. I don't think there is any thing dangerous there, but who knows.

I have forded at the FF Campground numerous times. I gave up rock hopping there because of a gap right in the middle. Once, making the big jump, I went for the big dunk. I determined that it was better to just bring the Tevas and just ford it! Get in. Get out. Move on! I would stash the Tevas and pick them on the return.

I went further upstream looking for a better place to ford. About the same. I have not tried further upstream than abeam of the Bondcliff Tr.

Clearly, if it has rained heavily recently, caution and common sense rules! Yeah, I know you know that.

Jim

 

[JimC]

Just curious JimC, why would you choose to ford rather than just hike LW and croww Franconia Brook on the bridge?

Rainman

When doing trail work, I would ride a bike to the FF Campground, stash it there and ford there or further upstream. Saves about 5 + miles and is legal. I'm too old to be punching out that kind of mileage just to clear a few water bars etc.

It is permissible to ride on the West side but the East side is a ROAD. Much easier and more secure for the bike.

Editorial follows! Be warned.

It is NOT permissible to bike beyond FF on either side. That is Wilderness Area and biking is not allowed. I have seen violations of this and it has resulted in conflict between me and the dumb *****.

Jim

 

[Becca M]

Becca

Max was mid thigh with water pressure pushing it to upper thigh. I try to avoid deep holes. I don't think there is any thing dangerous there, but who knows.

I have forded at the FF Campground numerous times. I gave up rock hopping there because of a gap right in the middle. Once, making the big jump, I went for the big dunk. I determined that it was better to just bring the Tevas and just ford it! Get in. Get out. Move on! I would stash the Tevas and pick them on the return.

I went further upstream looking for a better place to ford. About the same. I have not tried further upstream than abeam of the Bondcliff Tr.

Clearly, if it has rained heavily recently, caution and common sense rules! Yeah, I know you know that.

Jim

YIKES!!!!!! That sounds quite challenging!!!! Anything above ankle-deep scares the living crap out of me!!!!! I am terrified of anything thigh-high tho I know people do that. I can just picture losing my balance, falling in (which happens to me in ankle-deep frequently), and plunging head-first.....

 

[Becca M]

Rainman

When doing trail work, I would ride a bike to the FF Campground, stash it there and ford there or further upstream. Saves about 5 + miles and is legal. I'm too old to be punching out that kind of mileage just to clear a few water bars etc.

It is permissible to ride on the West side but the East side is a ROAD. Much easier and more secure for the bike.

Editorial follows! Be warned.

It is NOT permissible to bike beyond FF on either side. That is Wilderness Area and biking is not allowed. I have seen violations of this and it has resulted in conflict between me and the dumb *****.

Jim

Lincoln Woods Trail is definitely harder to mountain bike, and East Side Trail isn't all that much easier with Irene damage. FWIW, even if it were legal to mountainbike past the Wilderness boundary (which it isn't), past about .1 mi, trail conditions are not MTB bike-friendly anyway.... now, I've seen some snow bike/fat tire tracks in winter when the snow is deeper/firmer and the higher blowdowns are covered....

 

[MichaelJ]

East Side Trail isn't all that much easier with Irene damage.

Restoration of the East Side trail/road is in the works according to the current Schedule of Proposed Actions. Decision due 6/2012, implementation 8/2012.

Description: Repair damage from T.S. Irene including replacing a culvert, 0.43 mile reroute out of floodplain, replacing large culvert with a bridge, and other maintenance on ES Road/Trail; reestablish 0.25 miles of Pine Island Trail & drainage/tread maintenance.

 

[JimC]

The worst that can happen is ...

YIKES!!!!!! That sounds quite challenging!!!! Anything above ankle-deep scares the living crap out of me!!!!! I am terrified of anything thigh-high tho I know people do that. I can just picture losing my balance, falling in (which happens to me in ankle-deep frequently), and plunging head-first.....

If you fall, make it a hot day and enjoy.

I think you'll be fine!

Jim

 

[Jeff List]

Thanks for all the tips.

From the USGS gauging station:
http://waterdata.usgs.gov/usa/nwis/uv?01074520
I see that from June through Sept the E. Branch of the Pemi runs, on average, between 200-300 cfs. It sounds like when the river is running like that it's not too hard to ford.
However as of right now the river is running 566 cfs. As I mentioned, I glanced at the river a few weeks ago when it was running about 400 cfs and it looked a bit intimidating. So I doubt I'd be fording it at 566 cfs.

If I get there this weekend I'll let you you know how it goes. I may end up trying it at the N. Fork location that Becca M. mentions unless the river drops a lot more this week.

 

[Will]

I may end up trying it at the N. Fork location that Becca M. mentions

Just a bit upstream on the North Fork the river widens out and there is a nice shallow, slow moving crossing. There's pretty much a trail to it, starting just before the Thoreau Falls Trail bridge. It goes out to and follows the bank, cuts into the woods, crosses a clear area then follows a sandy bed back to the river at the crossing, I think just to the right.

 

[RoySwkr]

YIKES!!!!!! That sounds quite challenging!!!! Anything above ankle-deep scares the living crap out of me!!!!! I am terrified of anything thigh-high tho I know people do that. I can just picture losing my balance, falling in (which happens to me in ankle-deep frequently), and plunging head-first.....

From the summer hiking outfits you wear in photos, maybe you should just swim

There is a nice area with some deep pools along the East Side Trail near Cedar Brook, even Michael Jordan couldn't wade there but there's hardly any current so easy to swim

 

[Becca M]

From the summer hiking outfits you wear in photos, maybe you should just swim

There is a nice area with some deep pools along the Cedar Brook Trail, even Michael Jordan couldn't wade there but there's hardly any current so easy to swim

HAH - I don't like to "overdress"!!!! Cedar Brook is very scenic - looks pretty cool for swimming!!!!