Please join us Saturday June 4 at 12:00 noon for our 2022 Annual Meeting.  Due to ongoing COVID concerns and restrictions, the meeting will be virtual using Teams.

We’ll miss our usual pot-luck lunch at Verlot, but we will have plenty of information to share and bring everyone up to speed on all things Monte Cristo.

Agenda items will include introduction of our 2022 Board of Directors, MCPA Financial report, update on road and trail access, news on progress being made on our interpretive site, and plans for our 2022 work parties.  We’ll also have a trivia Q&A session, with the person who answers the most questions winning an all-expenses paid 2022 MCPA membership.  

Also, because this is our first meeting and communication of the season, a friendly reminder that MCPA memberships are due; recall our annual membership now runs from January to December.  Membership payments can be made to the MCPA PO Box or also through paypal as found on the MCPA website  www.mcpa.us “Membership” page.  Mailing address for payments is also available on the Membership page.

Thanks for your support and we hope to see you (virtually) on June 4.

– The MCPA Board of Directors

Please check your email for Teams meeting link, or contact us as seen on the “Contact” page if you need the link.

We will be holding our annual winter social event, but due to the ongoing restrictions and gathering concerns, it will be virtual this year.

We have arranged for a presentation by the WA Dept of Fish and Wildlife (WDFW) on the topic of the Grey Wolf population in Washington. Two specialists from the WFDW will tell us about their ongoing efforts to track and study this endangered (yet recovering) population.

The meeting will be 6:30PM on Saturday February 12th. A Teams link to join the meeting will be provided here (and in an email to members) the week of the event.

Hope to have everyone join and happy new year!

Friday night update

Yes we will meet saturday 10/16

Meet us at Barlow Pass Saturday October 16 for the next MCPA volunteer work party. We will drive the first 3/4 mile of the county road then hike towards town, clearing brush and tending to trailwork along the way.

Due to uncertain fall weather – this work party is weather dependent. We will reschedule if the forecast for Saturday is less than desirous. Please check back here at mcpa.us for a final update Friday afternoon. If there is a need to postpone, it will be noted here, otherwise plan for Saturday the 16th as noted.

Meet at Barlow Pass green gate by 9:00AM. Barlow Pass is 30 miles east of Granite Falls on the Mountain Loop Highway. We will be waiting as a group at the Barlow Pass Gate up until 9:00AM, at which point we will drive upriver on the old county road. Stay as long as you like, but we typically work until 3:00ish. Those hiking into town may choose to stay longer, in order to make better use of the trip.

Fall weather is upon us, so dress accordingly and/or bring a change of clothes.

Due to stormy weather forecast for the 9/18 weekend, we have chosen to reschedule the September work party one week out for the 25th instead. As of today the forecast looks decent for that weekend. No sense working in the rain.

Please see prior post for work party details, which will remain the same except for 9/25 instead of 9/18.

Meet us at Barlow Pass Saturday September 18 for the next MCPA volunteer work party. We will drive the first 3/4 mile of the county road then hike towards town, clearing brush and tending to trailwork along the way.

The plan will be to walk all the way into town carrying string and brush trimmers so we can tackle new growth around the cabins, turntable and trails. Others may stay behind and work on brushing the county road if desired. Bring any trailwork tools you have that might be helpful. The MCPA has several gas trimmers to use.

Meet at Barlow Pass green gate by 9:00AM. Barlow Pass is 30 miles east of Granite Falls on the Mountain Loop Highway. We will be waiting as a group at the Barlow Pass Gate up until 9:00AM, at which point we will drive upriver on the old county road. Stay as long as you like, but we typically work until 3:00ish. Those hiking into town may choose to stay longer, in order to make better use of the trip.

Fall weather is upon us, so dress accordingly and/or bring a change of clothes.

Meet us at Barlow Pass Saturday August 21 for the next MCPA volunteer work party. We will drive the first 3/4 mile of the county road then hike towards town, clearing brush and tending to trailwork along the way.

The plan will be to walk all the way into town carrying string and brush trimmers so we can tackle new growth around the cabins, turntable and trails. Others may stay behind and work on brushing the county road if desired. Bring any trailwork tools you have that might be helpful. The MCPA has several gas trimmers to use.

Meet at Barlow Pass green gate by 9:00AM. Barlow Pass is 30 miles east of Granite Falls on the Mountain Loop Highway. We will be waiting as a group at the Barlow Pass Gate up until 9:00AM, at which point we will drive upriver on the old county road. Stay as long as you like, but we typically work until 3:00ish. Those hiking into town may choose to stay longer, in order to make better use of the trip.

Meet us at Barlow Pass July 17 for the next MCPA volunteer work party. We will drive the first 3/4 mile of the county road then hike towards town, clearing brush and tending to trailwork along the way.

The plan will be to walk all the way into town carrying string and brush trimmers so we can tackle new growth around the cabins, turntable and trails. Others may stay behind and work on brushing the county road if desired. Bring any trailwork tools you have that might be helpful. The MCPA has several gas trimmers to use.

Meet at Barlow Pass green gate by 9:00AM. Barlow Pass is 30 miles east of Granite Falls on the Mountain Loop Highway. We will be waiting as a group at the Barlow Pass Gate up until 9:00AM, at which point we will drive upriver on the old county road. Stay as long as you like, but we typically work until 3:00ish. Those hiking into town may choose to stay longer, in order to make better use of the trip.

Meet us at Barlow Pass for the first MCPA volunteer work party of 2021. There are a lot of wind fallen trees on the old county route and trail that we will be working to clear. Weather outlook is good mid-70’s with little chance of rain. Dress for work and bring adequate food and drink for yourself. Activities may include hiking upriver along the old county road and carrying tools and supplies.

Meet at Barlow Pass green gate by 9:00AM. Barlow Pass is 30 miles east of Granite Falls on the Mountain Loop Highway. We will be waiting as a group at the Barlow Pass Gate up until 9:00AM, at which point we will begin working, going further upriver as the day progresses. Stay as long as you like, but we typically work until 3:00ish.

It’s almost June and the Mountain Loop is nearly thawed out. The Mountain Loop highway has reopened from Deer Creek to Barlow Pass, providing road access to the Monte Cristo trail and townsite. The remainder of the mountain loop (from Barlow to Bedal) will likely be re-opened by Memorial Day Weekend.

We will hold our annual meeting on June 5th, 2021 11:00AM PDT. Due to COVID restrictions and a lack of public gathering places, the meeting will be virtual using Zoom. You may connect to the meeting (details below) either from your computer or phone. Please plan to join early to ensure your connectivity and audio setup.

Our first work party of the year will be held on June 19, and each 3rd Saturday thereafter. Meet us at Barlow Pass gate by 9:00AM. On June 19th we will be walking the county road clearing windfalls and brushing the trails. Dress for the weather. Because we’ll have direct access to the county road, there will be no specific end time, although most volunteers stay until around 3:00PM.

Lastly, annual membership dues (Still $25) are due as of January. Please see the membership information at the “Membership” link above.

New this year we have added an option to join the MCPA, pay membership and make online donations to MCPA using PayPal. See the new PayPal links on the Membership and Contact Pages. If you do use the online payment option, please include in the note the purpose of the payment (New Member, Renewal, Gate Key, Donation, etc). For new members, please also fill out the membership form and email to mcpa.us@yahoo.com. Also for donations, include in the note if you want the donation specific to the Interpretive Site fund. Lastly, if donating via PayPal and you are not a current member, please include your mailing address in the PayPal note section.

Zoom meeting details:
Time: June 5, 2021 11:00 AM Pacific Time (US and Canada)
Meeting ID: 160 055 7720
Passcode: Call in Number: +1 669 254 5252
Join online: https://www.zoomgov.com/join

Join us October 17th (3rd Saturday) 9:00 AM for our volunteer work party. Meet at the Barlow Pass gate; we’ll be wearing the neon yellow safety vests. Feel free to let us know to expect you so we can wait for your arrival. Realize there is zero phone reception once outside Granite Falls, so no means to make contact the morning of the work party.

We will mainly be doing brushing and maintenance work on the county roadway, and weather permitting, working on the roofing project on FS resort cabin #4.

Please plan to arrive prior to 9:00 so we can tag up and disperse at 9:00.