Lake Creek

Staffing Lake Creek Campground

  • 10T 0685471E 5312264N UTM

  • 10T FU 85471 12264 USNG

  • 47.93683, -120.51659

  • 47°56.210', -120°30.995'

  • 47°56'13", -120°31'00"

Directions

Via Forest Service Roads (Shortest - Requires 4x4) - 90 minutes travel time from command

  1. From Plain follow Hwy 209 South to Eagle Creek Road, turn left

  2. Approx 5.9 mi, turn left onto FS Road 7520

  3. Follow uphill 5.8 mi (47 42.24 x 120 38.50) to the intersection of road 5200 and USFS RD 5800 at the top

  4. Turn Left down hill on the 5800

  5. Drive until you reach the intersection of the 5800 and USFS 5700

  6. Turn right onto the Mad River Road, follow until you reach the intersection of the Entiat River Road (USFS Rd 51)

  7. Turn left and follow north until you reach the Lake Creek Campground

Via paved roads (Longer by driving around through Wenatchee) - 120 minutes travel time from command

  1. From Plain follow Hwy 209 South to Leavenworth

  2. Turn Left onto US2 East, drive until you reach the junction of US2 and 97A in Wenatchee

  3. Turn North on 97A, follow until you reach County Rd 19/Entiat River Rd immediately over the Entiat River

  4. Turn Left and follow approximately 27 miles until you reach the Lake Creek Campground

These coordinates and instructions place you at the parking lot off USFS Rd 5100 (Entiat River Rd). Setting up in one of the camping spots might be more appropriate but some signage will be required to direct runners who may drop here.

Staffing - (approx. 1000 - 2200 Saturday)

The runners head down the 5605 road from Tommy and turn onto a small gravel road that leads to a parking lot with a number of trailheads. The race directors generally wait in this parking lot to check on the runners. From there, the runners re-enter the trail system and continue directly to the Lake Creek area where they turn and head up a steep climb to Tyee.

This is not an official checkpoint and runners times are not officially recorded. Times submitted are used as a way to track a missing or lost runner. It is simply a place where runners can return and drop if they can't make the climb to Tyee. It tends to not be staffed if there are too few team members. Staff can leave once all runners have cleared Tyee and approved by Command. Staff on the trail should be located uphill from the trail junction toward Tommy so as to not provide any navigational aid to the runners.

Staff from Tommy will stop by after shutting down to pick up any runners who have dropped by that time. This will allow time for the last runners to make their way down the hill, make any final decisions and continue past Lake Creek. At that time, virtually all the runners will be between Lake Creek and Tyee.

Checkpoint Conditions

There is a wide spot and parking area off the road that is the most visible and accessible area. A trail descends 100 yards from this parking area to a bridge that crosses the river and another 100 yards to the trail intersection where the runners pass. The Forest Service doesn't allow camping in the parking area but should find our presence acceptable if properly handled. Be sure to have a Plain 100 Support Team sign visible and wear your badge.

Communications

The only reliable communications are with North Tommy via simplex which can be done with a handheld. With careful positioning, it is possible to bounce a signal off a rock wall immediately NE and reach the Nanum repeater. A small Yagi with some uptilt makes this a more practical option. It is low in the canyon and surrounded by trees so the satellite phone can work but only when standing in the clear (middle of the road). The ideal solution would be a crossband repeater and a duplexer with a small vertical and low power on UHF simplex and a yagi pointed at the wall on VHF to Nanum. This would allow sitting on the trail (or anywhere in the area) and still communicating with Tommy or back to Command via Nanum.