PORTLAND, Ore. (KOIN) — For the first time since the Eagle Creek Fire erupted in September, KOIN 6 News got a close look of the damage Wahkeena Falls Trail suffered — and the cleanup effort still underway.
Crews have been working on Wahkeena Falls since late February.
KOIN 6 News was able to hike the trail with a U.S. Service Forest crew Thursday morning and quickly saw the damage done by the fire including charred trees and falling rocks.
“Believe it or not this trail was covered in about 5 feet of rock,” USFS crew supervisors Dawn Stender said. “We’ve come through, cleared the rock. We’ve also had a crew with chainsaws, and do a log out and that’s just removing all the downed trees and brush — that sort of stuff that’s fallen across the trails.”
The fire erupted Sept. 2 and by Sept. 5, the Eagle Creek Fire had grown to over 20,000 acres. A few days later it had grown to nearly 50,000 acres.
The fire was 100% contained on Nov .30, however, many areas were closed off to the public due to potential hazards like falling trees, landslides, rockfall and debris fall.
The U.S. Forest Service firefighters and crews have been working effortlessly all over the Columbia River Gorge National Scenic Area in order to get the entire area back open to the public as soon as possible.
Firefighters have been engaging in time consuming, difficult — and at times, dangerous work — to repair the many trails burned by the fire.
“It’s a labor of love,” senior firefighter with USFS Lauren Clark said. “Clearing out rocks is the big one.”
While Stender has worked on multiple trails affected by the fire, she said she was the “most scared” when hiking Wahkeena Falls.
“Of all the assessments and trails that I’ve hiked the past few months, this actually was the most scared that I’ve been,” Stender said. “This lower portion here that’s paved, covered in rocks, creating really hazardous condition. Further up the trail — nasty trees that have blown up the switchbacks, stuff that I’ve never seen before.”
The Forest Service said they don’t know when they’re going to reopen trails like Wahkeena Falls, however, crews will continue to repair the affected areas.