2/12-16/04: Davy Crockett National Forest

February 12-16, 2004
Davy Crockett National Forest, Texas - by George Boemerman
The weather forecast was not good for the forest area--wet and cold with possible snow. However, a group of stout-hearted Trail Tamers decided to withstand the elements and get some work done. Ray Fore, Rocky Nelson, Terence Donovan, David Justice, Chuck Lundstedt and George Boemerman arrived early Thursday, set up camp and on Friday pre-positioned the materials needed to repair two bridges and build a third from scratch. Forest Service personnel, Merlinda Schory and a new member, Chris Bishop, led us to the work sites at the far north end of the Four C Trail and worked right along with us. That evening Bob Weglarz arrived and, at 2:30 in the morning, in the rain, Kyle Herzog and Jennifer arrived from Austin (real tigers) and set up camp.
Saturday morning was wet so we all congregated at the covered pavilion for breakfast and watched one of the most picturesque snowfalls on Ratcliff Lake. By 10:30am the weather dried up a bit and we went to work. We completed a good day of bridge building and repairing, then returned to the pavilion. The campground hosts, Ralph and Ruth Neilson, were there with extra firewood and had a good fire in the fireplace waiting for us. We enjoyed a great Saturday nite feast. Rocky Nelson fried up a good sized turkey, Merlinda provided a Mississippi Mud cake and sweet potato pie, Ray Fore and Bob Weglarz made big salads, and George Boemerman baked a peach cobbler in a dutch oven. Considering the cold, wet environment, the roaring campfire and rich food were most welcome! Great discussions around the campfire added to our evening.
Sunday was bright and clear. We finished our projects about 4pm and returned to the pavilion to fry up a second turkey and eat the leftovers, and we continued our fireside discussion. As agreed by the Forest Service personnel, that concluded our work project and on Monday we packed up and headed home. It was another fine Trail Tamers expedition to Davy Crockett National Forest. However, it was missing a key element. Pearlie Green is still on active duty with the Army Reserves. We miss her and wish her God Speed!

1/31/04 Acacia Preserve Trip Report

January 31, 2004
Acacia Preserve, Texas - by Lynda DeGroot

After postponing this project due to heavy rains, everything was great just one week later! Ten Trail Tamers met at the Side Saddle Cafe in Dripping Springs and convoyed to the preserve where we were met by the owner, Nancy Moore. After a brief discussion about what she wanted us to do, we grabbed our tools and set about clearing as much cedar as we possibly could, but we sure could have used a chain saw or two! At any rate, with nothing more than bow saws, folding handsaws and loppers, we managed to cut, drag and stack cedar limbs in dozens of huge piles. (Nancy is in the process of trying to remove much of the cedar in order to allow native grasses to re-establish themselves. She's helping this along by scattering as much seed by hand as possible.)
After taking a quick lunch break, we finished up, rounded up the tools and at about 2:30 pm we headed out with Nancy in the lead. She took us to a place where we were able to access Dead Man's Hole without having to hike all the way. This new access point brought us to the top of the grotto where the waterfall goes over into the pool below. It was beautiful! If you know what Hamilton Pool looks like, this is almost a twin but much more pristine! What a great treat and wonderful way to end a hard day's work.