This is the second time that this has happened: It happened during the flood of 1996?, too. At that time, while it took 2 years to re-build the bridge, they constructed a temporary trail that went down/up around the damaged bridge (I am not sure how much water actually drains under this, the first of 2 or 3 small bridges -- the next one is where the falls actually drain)
The general consensus is that a huge boulder (loosened by the water) took out the bridge, rather than the water, itself.
Nice use of the topo! The map accurately depicts the Hetch-Hetchy switchbacks (unlike the trailhead map that just shows them as a brief, straight line up the ridge -- verrrry misleading.
Last edited by Bee; 11/07/10 10:33 AM. Reason: topo map added/commentery