January 21, 2006
Bamberger Ranch Preserve, Texas - by Lynda DeGroot
On a fairly cool and overcast January morning, 15 Trail Tamers from Austin, Round Mountain, Wimberley and as far as Laredo(!) made their way to the beautiful Bamberger Ranch Preserve near Johnson City, Texas. We came for the purpose of modifying the trail to the Chiroptorium (J. David Bamberger's man-made bat cave) and repairing several other nature trails nearby.
We gathered in front of Hes' Store (a unique replica of an old general store) and waited for Steve Fulton to bring the Bluebonnet trailer to transport everyone to our appointed tasks. We were joined by 7 other people who traveled from Blanco, San Antonio and Dallas upon hearing about this project from the Bambergers.
Steve dropped us off at the bat cave and we promptly sized up the situation and then set to work trimming vegetation, widening the trail, and reinforcing it with numerous large rocks. In order to get more tasks done, Steve took about half of the crew to two other sites where they went to work putting in steps near the creek, clearing overgrown vegetation and making other necessary repairs.
When we had completed much of what we had set out to do by that afternoon, we rounded everyone up and hopped back on the Bluebonnet and headed to Hes' store where refreshments were waiting! We were treated to a fine "snack" of tamales, beans, chips and salsa prepared and served by J. David Bamberger with his assistant, Colleen Gardner, helping. As always, we enjoyed the camaraderie and listening to J. David's stories, and are looking forward to the next time!
Monday, January 30, 2006
Saturday, December 10, 2005
BLAZING THE TRAIL FOR BEGINNERS
"Trail Taming Techniques" classes recognized by Austin American-Statesman
Saturday, December 10, 2005
"BLAZING THE TRAIL FOR BEGINNERS"
Group that builds, maintains trails in parks also trains home gardeners to create paths through their landscapes.
Winter is a great time to ponder building a path in the Central Texas landscape. The pondering part is important, especially in an erosion-prone region where a gullywasher can quickly obliterate a poorly planned trail you've worked so hard to build.
Enter Central Texas Trail Tamers, a group that has built and/or maintained trails in state parks and other public places in Texas, Wyoming, California and Mexico. The organization now offers lectures and hands-on workshops for those who would like to move past the pondering process, but aren't sure how.
"This trail-building stuff is not rocket science; it's just sort of a lost art," says trail tamer Dave DeGroot. "To be sustainable, you need to think quite a bit before you start digging up the earth."
True, you might not need that much expertise if your plan involves laying stepping stones in a small backyard. But plenty of people with Hill Country ranchettes, and urban dwellers who want to make their large lots or steep hillsides more inviting, could benefit from the wisdom acquired by these trailblazing experts.
DeGroot recently led about a dozen people through a recent Friday night class and Saturday trail-building excursion at Wild Basin Wilderness Preserve.
The first lesson: Study the land and the creatures that inhabit it; then plot a design that connects the entire habitat instead of chopping it up into disparate pieces, DeGroot said.
While a field that's naturally clear of trees and fairly level might seem like a logical place to build a trail, it can quickly become overgrown, he said. On hillsides, trails that zigzag (switchback) tend to wash out less than those that head straight down.
Pre-existing trees and vegetation will obviously have an impact on where your trail goes. Most people want to preserve as much natural habitat as they can — and if you share living quarters with an endangered species such as the golden-cheeked warbler, it might even be illegal to disturb the tree canopy on your property.
But if you plan to trim trees, DeGroot said it's sometimes better to remove them altogether than to prune haphazardly. He also recommends removing all bushes within one foot of either side of the trail, including small ones that don't seem like they're in the way. Little bushes become big bushes quickly, and their root systems can disturb the trail as it grows, he said.
Directing water where you want it is another important factor in building trails that will hold up over time in all kinds of weather. In general, the idea is to encourage water to flow across the trail, instead of following its path. If building on a hill, it makes sense to preserve the original drainage of the slope, and to make sure there's someplace lower than the trail for water to go.
DeGroot said you accomplish that by building trenches (two shovels wide) on either side of the trail, by raising the level of the path or doing both. A common mistake that novices make: building trails and trenches that are too narrow. Another big mistake: failing to remove grass or leaves from the trail before piling on surface materials, such as crushed rock, which has a tendency to slide off the loose debris.
"You can't just cheat," said DeGroot, "or you'll be back there next year again."
The hands-on Saturday morning session has several purposes - to move trailbuilding out of the theoretical and into the more strenuous reality for those with paths in their futures; to give the Trail Tamers a shot at attracting new members who will have trailbuilding skills; and to upgrade trails at Wild Basin.
The two-day workshop costs $10, and Central Texas Trail Tamers plans to offer it on the second weekend of each month. E-mail registration information at planning@trailtamers.org or call 394-9998. The group's Web site is www.trailtamers.org.
Tools for building, maintaining trails
Building a trail is a substantial project, and the tools you've acquired for casual piddling in the yard might not hold up to the task. Most of the tools DeGroot recommends -many of them designed to be used in fighting forest fires - are occasionally available locally at home improvement centers or farm and ranch supply companies. They can also be ordered online, he said.
Among his must-have implements: a Pulaski or fire ax for chopping tree roots, a fire rake for removing leaves and other loose materials from the path, and a rock cradle, which allows heavy boulders to be rolled into a net 'cradle' which can then be moved by several people. Find more information on tools at www.americantrails.org.
By Julie Bonnin, Austin American-Statesman
Saturday, December 10, 2005
"BLAZING THE TRAIL FOR BEGINNERS"
Group that builds, maintains trails in parks also trains home gardeners to create paths through their landscapes.
Winter is a great time to ponder building a path in the Central Texas landscape. The pondering part is important, especially in an erosion-prone region where a gullywasher can quickly obliterate a poorly planned trail you've worked so hard to build.
Enter Central Texas Trail Tamers, a group that has built and/or maintained trails in state parks and other public places in Texas, Wyoming, California and Mexico. The organization now offers lectures and hands-on workshops for those who would like to move past the pondering process, but aren't sure how.
"This trail-building stuff is not rocket science; it's just sort of a lost art," says trail tamer Dave DeGroot. "To be sustainable, you need to think quite a bit before you start digging up the earth."
True, you might not need that much expertise if your plan involves laying stepping stones in a small backyard. But plenty of people with Hill Country ranchettes, and urban dwellers who want to make their large lots or steep hillsides more inviting, could benefit from the wisdom acquired by these trailblazing experts.
DeGroot recently led about a dozen people through a recent Friday night class and Saturday trail-building excursion at Wild Basin Wilderness Preserve.
The first lesson: Study the land and the creatures that inhabit it; then plot a design that connects the entire habitat instead of chopping it up into disparate pieces, DeGroot said.
While a field that's naturally clear of trees and fairly level might seem like a logical place to build a trail, it can quickly become overgrown, he said. On hillsides, trails that zigzag (switchback) tend to wash out less than those that head straight down.
Pre-existing trees and vegetation will obviously have an impact on where your trail goes. Most people want to preserve as much natural habitat as they can — and if you share living quarters with an endangered species such as the golden-cheeked warbler, it might even be illegal to disturb the tree canopy on your property.
But if you plan to trim trees, DeGroot said it's sometimes better to remove them altogether than to prune haphazardly. He also recommends removing all bushes within one foot of either side of the trail, including small ones that don't seem like they're in the way. Little bushes become big bushes quickly, and their root systems can disturb the trail as it grows, he said.
Directing water where you want it is another important factor in building trails that will hold up over time in all kinds of weather. In general, the idea is to encourage water to flow across the trail, instead of following its path. If building on a hill, it makes sense to preserve the original drainage of the slope, and to make sure there's someplace lower than the trail for water to go.
DeGroot said you accomplish that by building trenches (two shovels wide) on either side of the trail, by raising the level of the path or doing both. A common mistake that novices make: building trails and trenches that are too narrow. Another big mistake: failing to remove grass or leaves from the trail before piling on surface materials, such as crushed rock, which has a tendency to slide off the loose debris.
"You can't just cheat," said DeGroot, "or you'll be back there next year again."
The hands-on Saturday morning session has several purposes - to move trailbuilding out of the theoretical and into the more strenuous reality for those with paths in their futures; to give the Trail Tamers a shot at attracting new members who will have trailbuilding skills; and to upgrade trails at Wild Basin.
The two-day workshop costs $10, and Central Texas Trail Tamers plans to offer it on the second weekend of each month. E-mail registration information at planning@trailtamers.org or call 394-9998. The group's Web site is www.trailtamers.org.
Tools for building, maintaining trails
Building a trail is a substantial project, and the tools you've acquired for casual piddling in the yard might not hold up to the task. Most of the tools DeGroot recommends -many of them designed to be used in fighting forest fires - are occasionally available locally at home improvement centers or farm and ranch supply companies. They can also be ordered online, he said.
Among his must-have implements: a Pulaski or fire ax for chopping tree roots, a fire rake for removing leaves and other loose materials from the path, and a rock cradle, which allows heavy boulders to be rolled into a net 'cradle' which can then be moved by several people. Find more information on tools at www.americantrails.org.
By Julie Bonnin, Austin American-Statesman
Thursday, October 20, 2005
10/8-15/05: Ouachita National Forest, Western Arkansas
October 8-15, 2005
Ouachita National Forest, Western Arkansas - by Steve Baker
The theme for this years Trail Tamers trip to the Ouachita National forest must be, "Sometimes life has other things planned for you." Our trip leader, George Boemerman, did the pre-trip planning and communications but on Saturday, October 8, got a call that he was needed in Virginia due to a family medical emergency. That left Chuck Lundstedt, Terence Donovan, Rocky Nelson, and me. I agreed, earlier in the planning, to carry the kitchen tent and cooking gear. We had the necessities to make our camp, but we knew we would miss "Boemer".
Our Forest Service contact, Paul Tankersley, arranged for us to stay in the Queen Wilhelmina State Park that is within the Ouachita National Forest. We were assigned to the "overflow" camping area that turned out to be a large, beautifully manicured lawn across the access road from the RV campsites. We were within twenty yards of the exceptionally clean bathhouse with easy access to electricity and water. The views were excellent and one of the nicest car camping environments one could ask for. The park also has a lodge with a very nice restaurant which we visited our final evening in camp.
We arrived Sunday afternoon and set up camp. Later that day our Forest Service trail crew leader, Tom, stopped by to fill out paperwork and coordinate for the weeks work. We agreed that he would meet us at camp Monday morning at 0700 and we would drive to the first work site that was about 10 miles east of the park.
Tom arrived at 0630 Monday morning and we were on the road by 0645. We parked at the Foran Gap trailhead, gathered our tools and hiked in just over a mile to the first project planned for us; a 200 yard long reroute of the Ouachita Trail. Tom had flagged the route but everything from brushing the line to final tread cutting needed to be done. We soon discovered that the predominant flora in the area is poison ivy so long sleeves were necessary. Rocky knew himself to be prone to ivy reaction; the rest of us would find out later in the week. We worked steadily all day and had the majority of the reroute cut by that evening but would require half a day on Tuesday to haul dirt from the back slopes to fill in tread over rocky areas. On the way back to camp, we went through Mena, AR to stop at the Wal-Mart and buy additional long sleeve shirts and hydrocortisone ointment.
Tuesday we returned to complete the previous days work and had it done by lunch. Tom had to work elsewhere but had flagged out sections of the trail for about a mile further in that needed water bars and re-tread work. We hiked in to the end of the marked area and began work on those sections. Due to the remoteness of the area, we were able to cache our tools and didn’t have to carry them in and out each day.
By Wednesday morning both Rocky and Terence were showing signs of poison ivy contact on their arms, in spite of wearing long sleeves, but neither complained or missed a beat of work. Chuck and I never did have any reaction. Wednesday and the first half of Thursday were similar work in the same area; re-treading sloughed in sections of the trail, building water bars and reinforcing drainage crossing. The final total for that section was 200 yards of new trail, 6 water bars, two reinforced drainage crossings and almost two miles of restored trail.
Thursday afternoon we relocated to another section of the O.T. closer to Queen Wilhelmina. This section was steep and rocky with some badly eroded areas. Tom marked the location of many needed water bars and areas that needed to be repaired. We completed several water bars but decided to knock off an hour early; we came out about 3:30 PM.
Traditionally on these trips, Friday has been an off day but Chuck, Terence and I decided to work at least part of the day. Rocky said it was "time to see his bride" and left Friday morning. The remainder of us worked until about 1:30 PM having completed an additional 10 water bars, one drainage crossing and more retread bringing the trip total up to almost 3 miles of trail worked in 140.5 man hours. We returned to camp to load up the kitchen tent and gear. We treated ourselves to a restaurant meal at the lodge that evening, a nice buffet.
Paul and Tom came by the camp Friday evening to thank us for the work and indicated we would be welcome to return.
This is an excellent venue for those wanting to do some badly needed, serious trail work but still like a shower in the evening. Try to include it in your plans for next year.
Ouachita National Forest, Western Arkansas - by Steve Baker
The theme for this years Trail Tamers trip to the Ouachita National forest must be, "Sometimes life has other things planned for you." Our trip leader, George Boemerman, did the pre-trip planning and communications but on Saturday, October 8, got a call that he was needed in Virginia due to a family medical emergency. That left Chuck Lundstedt, Terence Donovan, Rocky Nelson, and me. I agreed, earlier in the planning, to carry the kitchen tent and cooking gear. We had the necessities to make our camp, but we knew we would miss "Boemer".
Our Forest Service contact, Paul Tankersley, arranged for us to stay in the Queen Wilhelmina State Park that is within the Ouachita National Forest. We were assigned to the "overflow" camping area that turned out to be a large, beautifully manicured lawn across the access road from the RV campsites. We were within twenty yards of the exceptionally clean bathhouse with easy access to electricity and water. The views were excellent and one of the nicest car camping environments one could ask for. The park also has a lodge with a very nice restaurant which we visited our final evening in camp.
We arrived Sunday afternoon and set up camp. Later that day our Forest Service trail crew leader, Tom, stopped by to fill out paperwork and coordinate for the weeks work. We agreed that he would meet us at camp Monday morning at 0700 and we would drive to the first work site that was about 10 miles east of the park.
Tom arrived at 0630 Monday morning and we were on the road by 0645. We parked at the Foran Gap trailhead, gathered our tools and hiked in just over a mile to the first project planned for us; a 200 yard long reroute of the Ouachita Trail. Tom had flagged the route but everything from brushing the line to final tread cutting needed to be done. We soon discovered that the predominant flora in the area is poison ivy so long sleeves were necessary. Rocky knew himself to be prone to ivy reaction; the rest of us would find out later in the week. We worked steadily all day and had the majority of the reroute cut by that evening but would require half a day on Tuesday to haul dirt from the back slopes to fill in tread over rocky areas. On the way back to camp, we went through Mena, AR to stop at the Wal-Mart and buy additional long sleeve shirts and hydrocortisone ointment.
Tuesday we returned to complete the previous days work and had it done by lunch. Tom had to work elsewhere but had flagged out sections of the trail for about a mile further in that needed water bars and re-tread work. We hiked in to the end of the marked area and began work on those sections. Due to the remoteness of the area, we were able to cache our tools and didn’t have to carry them in and out each day.
By Wednesday morning both Rocky and Terence were showing signs of poison ivy contact on their arms, in spite of wearing long sleeves, but neither complained or missed a beat of work. Chuck and I never did have any reaction. Wednesday and the first half of Thursday were similar work in the same area; re-treading sloughed in sections of the trail, building water bars and reinforcing drainage crossing. The final total for that section was 200 yards of new trail, 6 water bars, two reinforced drainage crossings and almost two miles of restored trail.
Thursday afternoon we relocated to another section of the O.T. closer to Queen Wilhelmina. This section was steep and rocky with some badly eroded areas. Tom marked the location of many needed water bars and areas that needed to be repaired. We completed several water bars but decided to knock off an hour early; we came out about 3:30 PM.
Traditionally on these trips, Friday has been an off day but Chuck, Terence and I decided to work at least part of the day. Rocky said it was "time to see his bride" and left Friday morning. The remainder of us worked until about 1:30 PM having completed an additional 10 water bars, one drainage crossing and more retread bringing the trip total up to almost 3 miles of trail worked in 140.5 man hours. We returned to camp to load up the kitchen tent and gear. We treated ourselves to a restaurant meal at the lodge that evening, a nice buffet.
Paul and Tom came by the camp Friday evening to thank us for the work and indicated we would be welcome to return.
This is an excellent venue for those wanting to do some badly needed, serious trail work but still like a shower in the evening. Try to include it in your plans for next year.
Friday, September 30, 2005
9/17-25/05: Pacific Crest Trail, Inyo National Forest, CA
September 17-25, 2005
Pacific Crest Trail, Inyo National Forest, California - by Pat Dixon
While folks back in Austin, Texas were cooking at 108 degrees, the Trail Tamers volunteer crew camped at 9,000 ft elevation with highs in the mid 80s in the beautiful Ansel Adams Wilderness on the Pacific Crest Trail near Mammoth Mountain, California. We had a great crew and everyone had a great time enjoying each other’s company.
The work consisted of some re-routing of the trail, improved water crossings, building structures to protect against water erosion, and some brush removal along the trail. The work went quickly and results were noticed. Steve Baker gets the award for moving the biggest rock of the week. The forest service personnel were very impressed with our expertise and ability to do quality work. We really enjoyed working with them, as their approach to trail work was complimentary to our techniques. We had many requests to return again next year.
The Pacific Crest Trail Association (PCTA) volunteers were led by Campy Campenhausen, who was an excellent cook. PCTA provided all the food and cooking for the week. We were very well fed and looked forward to second helpings at each meal. The PCTA volunteers were a great bunch and we really enjoyed working with them and sharing a few laughs around the campfire.
The setting was wonderful. Beautiful sights surrounded us. We had time to do our own excursions to further explore the area, which we took advantage of.
Some of our crew travelled on their own by car, while others flew in Reno, NV and we car-pooled with a rental car. The drive from Reno into Mammoth Mountain, CA is very pleasant. The town of Mammoth Mountain is very nice and there is a lot to choose from for restaurants and shopping.
It was a great trip, and we all are looking forward to another go next year!
Pacific Crest Trail, Inyo National Forest, California - by Pat Dixon
While folks back in Austin, Texas were cooking at 108 degrees, the Trail Tamers volunteer crew camped at 9,000 ft elevation with highs in the mid 80s in the beautiful Ansel Adams Wilderness on the Pacific Crest Trail near Mammoth Mountain, California. We had a great crew and everyone had a great time enjoying each other’s company.
The work consisted of some re-routing of the trail, improved water crossings, building structures to protect against water erosion, and some brush removal along the trail. The work went quickly and results were noticed. Steve Baker gets the award for moving the biggest rock of the week. The forest service personnel were very impressed with our expertise and ability to do quality work. We really enjoyed working with them, as their approach to trail work was complimentary to our techniques. We had many requests to return again next year.
The Pacific Crest Trail Association (PCTA) volunteers were led by Campy Campenhausen, who was an excellent cook. PCTA provided all the food and cooking for the week. We were very well fed and looked forward to second helpings at each meal. The PCTA volunteers were a great bunch and we really enjoyed working with them and sharing a few laughs around the campfire.
The setting was wonderful. Beautiful sights surrounded us. We had time to do our own excursions to further explore the area, which we took advantage of.
Some of our crew travelled on their own by car, while others flew in Reno, NV and we car-pooled with a rental car. The drive from Reno into Mammoth Mountain, CA is very pleasant. The town of Mammoth Mountain is very nice and there is a lot to choose from for restaurants and shopping.
It was a great trip, and we all are looking forward to another go next year!
Sunday, September 11, 2005
8/27-9/5/05: Rocky Mountain National Park
August 27-September 5, 2005
Rocky Mountain National Park, Co - by Philip Russell
Thirty log checks, two log drains, 88 square feet of rock wall trail foundation and 107 linear feet of trail four feet wide completed in 226 work hours. Not bad for a small group of Trail Tamers working on the Ypsilon Lake trail in Rocky Mountain National Park (RMNP).
Steve Baker was chief executive officer and logistics sergeant before, during and after the trip. He attended to all details and was a highly effective ramrod for the operation. Jerome Collins distinguished himself by recruiting John Shanks, a retired chef, restaurateur and caterer, as a camp cook. Bo Bosarge was the only veteran of previous Central Texas Trail Tamers (CTTT) trips to RMNP, having gone twice before. Martha Davies, rock wall expert; June Griffith, attorney and Texas Outdoors Woman Network (TOWN) member from McKinney; Jane Moss, digital photographer from Wimberley and also a TOWN member, and John Yarber of Austin made up the crew.
We left promptly at 7am on Saturday and drove to Raton, NM the first day. Steve and John Shanks left early the next morning for RMNP to set up the camp ahead of the van crew who did some sightseeing, including black bear, big horn sheep and Garden of the Gods. We arrived mid afternoon to a spaghetti supper and met Jane Moss who had arrived earlier. Shawn Wigley, RMNP trail crew chief, met us with a load of firewood and laid out plans for the Ypsilon Trail project.
Monday morning, Steve, Bo, Jerome, Martha, and John Yarber met the trail crew at the Lawn Lake trailhead and toted tools up to the worksite. Our cook stayed behind to buy groceries and organize the cook tent and bear boxes. June and Jane used the day to acclimate to the 8500 ft. altitude. The Trail Tamers huffed and puffed behind four RMNP trail crew (Shawn, Kevin, Tate, and Aggie) going up the switchbacks to the Roaring River gorge where the temperature dropped and the trail grade became gentler. We crossed the river on a wood footbridge and arrived at the base of the trail project. The hardest part of the day was over. We were at about 9,300 ft. on the west side of Roaring River at the foot of the Ypsilon Lake Trail.
The first day was used to talk safety and gather materials. “Gathering materials” meant Rocky Mountain bowling...rolling boulders down a 45 degree slope toward a log barrier just uphill from the trail. Prying large rocks out of deep duff and powdery dirt, yelling “Rock!” and rolling them downhill was fun. We posted lookouts to warn us when hikers came along. We tore out the old rotten check logs, measured and calculated runs and rises in four sections starting from the bottom, designing for both hikers and horses. Two lunch breaks and a nap later, we were headed back down the trail to a supper of grilled chicken, green beans, salad and garlic bread. The day was colored by a lost hiker up the way from us.
Tuesday, we had a full crew of Trail Tamers, but the four park service crew members left us for search and rescue duty. We listened to helicopters overhead all day as they flew up and down the Roaring River. We built rock foundations for the downhill side of the trail, measured and placed treated 4x8 log risers. We secured the logs with large rocks locked into place with some gravity.
Wednesday, Shawn and his trail crew were back. With more hands, the work went faster despite some re-design setbacks. That afternoon, we heard on the rangers’ radio that the lost hiker was found, safe and sound.
Thursday, work went well with all hands on board, until a smashed finger pulled Jerome and Steve off the project in the afternoon. By Friday, we had completed all but 10 feet of trail, crushing rock into the pads and filling with saved dirt (No borrow pits!). The park crew and their families came for dinner of leftovers and brought brownies, ice cream, children and dogs. Dave Larsen, Trail Maintenance Supervisor for RMNP gave us a certificate of appreciation.
Saturday was a free day, with most of us letting Steve and John Shanks break the camp while we went up over the continental divide in the van, took pictures of marmots, ate lunch by a beautiful alpine lake, and hiked. That evening we all enjoyed a sumptuous Szechuan and Mandarin style dinner in Estes Park. We filled the van with $3.199 gasoline.
We left Sunday morning at 7:40 a.m. and arrived about 7:40 p.m. in Lubbock. Eager to get back to Austin, we left about 6 a.m. Monday, Labor Day, to arrive in Austin about 1:30 p.m.
Rocky Mountain National Park, Co - by Philip Russell
Thirty log checks, two log drains, 88 square feet of rock wall trail foundation and 107 linear feet of trail four feet wide completed in 226 work hours. Not bad for a small group of Trail Tamers working on the Ypsilon Lake trail in Rocky Mountain National Park (RMNP).
Steve Baker was chief executive officer and logistics sergeant before, during and after the trip. He attended to all details and was a highly effective ramrod for the operation. Jerome Collins distinguished himself by recruiting John Shanks, a retired chef, restaurateur and caterer, as a camp cook. Bo Bosarge was the only veteran of previous Central Texas Trail Tamers (CTTT) trips to RMNP, having gone twice before. Martha Davies, rock wall expert; June Griffith, attorney and Texas Outdoors Woman Network (TOWN) member from McKinney; Jane Moss, digital photographer from Wimberley and also a TOWN member, and John Yarber of Austin made up the crew.
We left promptly at 7am on Saturday and drove to Raton, NM the first day. Steve and John Shanks left early the next morning for RMNP to set up the camp ahead of the van crew who did some sightseeing, including black bear, big horn sheep and Garden of the Gods. We arrived mid afternoon to a spaghetti supper and met Jane Moss who had arrived earlier. Shawn Wigley, RMNP trail crew chief, met us with a load of firewood and laid out plans for the Ypsilon Trail project.
Monday morning, Steve, Bo, Jerome, Martha, and John Yarber met the trail crew at the Lawn Lake trailhead and toted tools up to the worksite. Our cook stayed behind to buy groceries and organize the cook tent and bear boxes. June and Jane used the day to acclimate to the 8500 ft. altitude. The Trail Tamers huffed and puffed behind four RMNP trail crew (Shawn, Kevin, Tate, and Aggie) going up the switchbacks to the Roaring River gorge where the temperature dropped and the trail grade became gentler. We crossed the river on a wood footbridge and arrived at the base of the trail project. The hardest part of the day was over. We were at about 9,300 ft. on the west side of Roaring River at the foot of the Ypsilon Lake Trail.
The first day was used to talk safety and gather materials. “Gathering materials” meant Rocky Mountain bowling...rolling boulders down a 45 degree slope toward a log barrier just uphill from the trail. Prying large rocks out of deep duff and powdery dirt, yelling “Rock!” and rolling them downhill was fun. We posted lookouts to warn us when hikers came along. We tore out the old rotten check logs, measured and calculated runs and rises in four sections starting from the bottom, designing for both hikers and horses. Two lunch breaks and a nap later, we were headed back down the trail to a supper of grilled chicken, green beans, salad and garlic bread. The day was colored by a lost hiker up the way from us.
Tuesday, we had a full crew of Trail Tamers, but the four park service crew members left us for search and rescue duty. We listened to helicopters overhead all day as they flew up and down the Roaring River. We built rock foundations for the downhill side of the trail, measured and placed treated 4x8 log risers. We secured the logs with large rocks locked into place with some gravity.
Wednesday, Shawn and his trail crew were back. With more hands, the work went faster despite some re-design setbacks. That afternoon, we heard on the rangers’ radio that the lost hiker was found, safe and sound.
Thursday, work went well with all hands on board, until a smashed finger pulled Jerome and Steve off the project in the afternoon. By Friday, we had completed all but 10 feet of trail, crushing rock into the pads and filling with saved dirt (No borrow pits!). The park crew and their families came for dinner of leftovers and brought brownies, ice cream, children and dogs. Dave Larsen, Trail Maintenance Supervisor for RMNP gave us a certificate of appreciation.
Saturday was a free day, with most of us letting Steve and John Shanks break the camp while we went up over the continental divide in the van, took pictures of marmots, ate lunch by a beautiful alpine lake, and hiked. That evening we all enjoyed a sumptuous Szechuan and Mandarin style dinner in Estes Park. We filled the van with $3.199 gasoline.
We left Sunday morning at 7:40 a.m. and arrived about 7:40 p.m. in Lubbock. Eager to get back to Austin, we left about 6 a.m. Monday, Labor Day, to arrive in Austin about 1:30 p.m.
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