GLENWOOD CANYON, Colo. (KRDO) -- Just a few weeks after mudslides filled Hanging Lake with sediment, forest officials say the waters are beginning to turn back to blue. The trails, however, are a different story.
The White River National Forest was forced to close Hanging Lake Trail through the rest of 2021 and into 2022 after debris and mudslides caused severe damage to many of the trail's seven bridges.
Wednesday, an ecologist from the U.S. Forest Service led media, including our Denver news affiliate, through the closed trail.
According to 9News, the first bridge along the trail looked as though someone twisted it like a pipe cleaner. Mud and debris forced the second bridge hundreds of feet away from where it should be.
Still, forest officials were preparing for much worse and were impressed with Hanging Lake's water clarity.
“Mother nature is its own force and we just have to adapt and similar to her be resilient," said Bebe Suepukdee, a forestry technician with the USFS who also made the hike for the first time Wednesday.
"I am pretty amazed,” she told 9News when she reached the boardwalk that surrounds the small lake. “The lake is pretty much preserved how it looked before."
While there is still some cloudiness, hydrologists say for some reason the lake's clear blue waters are returning naturally.
For now, the USFS is working to get a "primitive" version of the current trail to the lake open soon. However, it would likely only be suitable for experienced hikers. A permanent trail for visitors should be built within the next few years.
"filled" - Google News
August 27, 2021 at 10:35AM
https://ift.tt/3zoB370
Water at Hanging Lake turning back to blue after mudslides filled it with sediment - KRDO
"filled" - Google News
https://ift.tt/2ynNS75
https://ift.tt/3feNbO7
Bagikan Berita Ini
0 Response to "Water at Hanging Lake turning back to blue after mudslides filled it with sediment - KRDO"
Post a Comment