July 4-15, 2003
Bridger-Teton National Forest - by Lynda De Groot
During the first part of July, 17 adventurous Trail Tamers made their separate ways to Bridger-Teton National Forest in beautiful Wyoming where we put in a brand new section of the Continental Divide Trail. From our rendezvous at Turpin Meadows Campground, we hiked in about 10 miles and camped in a meadow next to the South Fork of the Buffalo River in a scenic area east of the Grand Tetons and south of Yellowstone NP. This was the first time the Trail Tamers had ever ventured that far from home, and the trip was well worth it!
Such a widespread and diverse group! Our founder, Allan Weber (now in Rockport, TX), arrived with co-founder Larry Krenek, now in Sandy, Utah. Mikel Schoelen drove in from Boulder, CO; Raylene Welch & Bob Weglarz came from Smithville; Janette Barlow drove from Wimberley, and the rest (Bart, Debbie, Stephen & Lee Bratcher, Susan Kleinman, Hilary Dyer, Jerry Levenson, Jim Reed, Jerry Smolinsky, & Richard Viktorin) all came from Austin.
It was a very scenic but LONG hike to base camp, and I discovered the hard way that I'm not in the best condition. I ended up riding the ranger's horse part of the way with the wranglers and pack mules, but it gave me an opportunity to see a grizzly bear! I was intrigued when the lead wrangler stopped the pack train and talked to the bear in a loud voice, followed by whooping and hollering. The bear puzzled over us briefly then went on its way. When we arrived at base camp, fresh bear tracks were on the riverbank near the camp kitchen but it never returned to bother us, or our supplies. After unloading our gear and the bear-proof panniers containing our food, the wranglers left. The kitchen equipment was already in place so when the rest of our crew arrived, we located our packs, set up our tents and enjoyed a great dinner prepared by Raylene and her helpers.
We started work Monday afternoon to give some folks a chance to acclimate to the altitude or rest from the long hike in. As a special treat, Mike Wolcott, our Forest Service crew leader, told us about a great waterfall nearby, so we checked it out. What an awesome waterfall it was! Fast, furious waters plunging 75-100 ft., if not more, down a deep, narrow gorge with ferns and moss growing everywhere and springs trickling from the sides. After much picture taking and relaxing under the trees overlooking the falls, we finished our lunches and hiked to the work site. Mike led us carefully across the proposed trail that was on a very steep slope. After he gave us our starting point, we went to work and accomplished quite a bit before calling it a day. The incredibly beautiful scenery surrounding us as we worked made it all worthwhile! After returning to camp, some brave souls took a dip in that cold river and others played games by the campfire. The mosquitoes loved some of us.
After 3 days of cutting new tread and removing small boulders, we accomplished what they wanted us to do...create nearly 1000 feet of new trail. On Friday we packed our stuff, leaving the heavy gear for the mules, and headed down the trail to our vehicles. When the pack animals arrived, we grabbed our stuff and said our good-byes. Some planned to go straight home, but several of us decided to go sightseeing in nearby Yellowstone National Park. It’s a LONG drive out there but we sure hope they'll have more projects for us in the future!
Saturday, July 19, 2003
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