Icy Footbridges: What Would You Do?

On Friday I met up with a good friend to for a short hike to Barclay Lake before the winter storm advisory went into affect for the Stevens Pass area. I read the latest trip reports on Washington Trails Association so I figured the road was clear enough.

There was snow at the parking lot but otherwise it was just a pot hole filled trip to the trailhead.

My friend usually hikes more urban adventures so I thought Barclay would be a great way to get out in the mountains but not get stuck in rain and snow before we got back to the car. There was snow on clearings along the trail but nothing shoes with a good sole couldn’t handle.

And of course a few downed trees to maneuver. No problem.

However, the crux of the trip was when we reached the foot bridge that goes over Barclay Creek. The previous trip report had said it was a little icy.

Um, yeah. It was all ice now. Even those tiny patches of snow could easily slip off the wet wood along its length.

I carry microspikes in my pack all winter but I knew my friend did not have them. I paused for a minute to decide what to do. I knew she would go if I did but was it fair to wear spikes and she didn’t? I have PTSD from falling off a bridge similar to this one and landing in the water. I knew how quick it can happen!

But did I really want to turn around to prevent an accident that would ruin the trip?

I ended up sharing my spikes with her, one each. It was still pretty sketchy but we made it across both ways without incident and were able to continue to the lake.

What would you do? Do icy wooden structures like this deter you or are you unfazed? Would it depend on how far you had already hiked in? If you didn’t have traction devices for your shoes, would you crawl or slither across? Was I just being a fraidy cat? Let me know!

You can read more about Barclay Lake here.

Thank you so much for stopping by Must Hike Must Eat!

If you need some healthy eating inspiration start here:..

Recipe Index

Need some eating out suggestions when friends want to stop after a hike? I have a Pacific Northwest Eating Guide here.

Find out what’s been happening outside the blog:

If you have a question you don’t want to post in the comments, you can ask them here:

Contact Me