April 6-14, 2002
Fort Davis National Historic Site, TX - by Dave DeGroot
This year's trip to the Fort Davis area was an aggressive undertaking involving four segments and coordination of local and Austin based volunteers. The trip leader, Dave DeGroot, traveled to Fort Davis on Friday to conduct a training class for representatives from local agencies on Saturday. Meanwhile, CTTT volunteers traveled from Austin. On Sunday, Trail Tamers and local volunteers teamed up to start working on the construction of a rock retaining wall at the Fort Davis National Historic Site. When completed on Tuesday, the 8ft. long by 6 ft. high wall fixed a nasty section of trail that had eroded, leaving a potentially dangerous situation for users. For our efforts, the crew was treated to lunch at Pop's Grill--home of the best burger west of the Pecos.
On Tuesday evening, the group was joined by two more Trail Tamers and relocated to The Nature Conservancy's Davis Mountains Preserve on Wednesday morning. Three Trail Tamers climbed Mount Livermore that afternoon (it's the seventh highest peak in Texas!) while the rest investigated the flora and fauna nearby where many deer and wild turkey were sighted.
Thursday, a trail design training class was held and included Trail Tamers and members from The Nature Conservancy. Construction of a new trail flagged the previous day began on Friday, emanating from the site of the future interpretive center due to be built next year. By Saturday afternoon, the first leg of the trail was complete and the crew was treated to dinner at the new pizza place in Fort Davis (no one lost weight on this trip).
The Davis Mountains Preserve, owned by The Nature Conservancy, is a unique place unlike any other in Texas. Besides having Texas' 7th highest mountain on it, there are three distinct bio-regions that converge on these 20,000 acres. This is why you'll find rolling grasslands toward the front with mixed riparian habitat including Madrone, oaks, elm, several species of pine (and a few pockets of aspen on Mt. Livermore) near the center and Chihuahuan desert toward the back. It's not hard to imagine oneself in the mountains of Arizona or New Mexico. So...if you missed this one, keep your eyes open for future trips. There is much more trail to be built and CTTT has been asked to help with the effort.
Saturday, April 20, 2002
Thursday, February 28, 2002
2/23/02 Pedernales Falls State Park Trip Report
February 23, 2002
Pedernales Falls State Park, TX - by Jae Kim
The weather could not be any better. Although it dipped below the freezing point the night before, it went up to 80 degrees on the work day. A blue sky with no clouds and the cool breeze greeted us while we were taming the badly eroded trail.
Under Mark Henneke's leadership, nineteen volunteers worked on the short trail (about 30 feet long) that leads to the river from the Youth Camping area. The heavy rainwater caused the erosion during the winter.
The crew brought up buckets full of rocks from the river bed and filled up large voids. Then, a mix of dirt and gravel was added on top using wheelbarrows. Due to the large number of volunteers, the work was completed before lunch time.
Generous park rangers cooked delicious cornbread and beef stew for us. Some of the crew camped there Saturday night as well.
Pedernales Falls State Park, TX - by Jae Kim
The weather could not be any better. Although it dipped below the freezing point the night before, it went up to 80 degrees on the work day. A blue sky with no clouds and the cool breeze greeted us while we were taming the badly eroded trail.
Under Mark Henneke's leadership, nineteen volunteers worked on the short trail (about 30 feet long) that leads to the river from the Youth Camping area. The heavy rainwater caused the erosion during the winter.
The crew brought up buckets full of rocks from the river bed and filled up large voids. Then, a mix of dirt and gravel was added on top using wheelbarrows. Due to the large number of volunteers, the work was completed before lunch time.
Generous park rangers cooked delicious cornbread and beef stew for us. Some of the crew camped there Saturday night as well.
2/15-18/02 Davy Crockett National Forest Trip Report
February 15-18, 2002
Davy Crockett National Forest, TX - by George Boemerman
This particular Davy Crockett National Forest trip brought us members from far and wide: Austin, San Marcos, Round Rock, Lufkin, Nacogdoches, and Benton, Louisiana. A total of 15 Trail Tamers plus five E-Corp folks participated in a concentrated three-day series of projects.
Rocky Nelson (the guy from Benton) led a group to the wilderness area to repair flood-damaged sections of an elevated walkway. Ray Fore (our Lufkin guy) led the team building the boardwalk portion of the handicapped access trail. Mike Rodgers (our club president guy) took charge of the group working on the regular portion of the handicapped access trail.
The handicapped access trail is our main project at Davy Crockett. It is not complete yet and we will continue our efforts until it is completed. The next expedition is tentatively set for early May of this year (pending approval by our board). That time-frame was suggested by the National Forest folks because an area where they want an observation platform, along the boardwalk, will hopefully be dried out enough by then to work on.
The trip was not all work. In the evenings we had great meals prepared by Rocky Nelson, Ray Fore and John Payne. These were followed by a congenial atmosphere around the campfire.
Monday morning was a super breakfast. Allan Weber (our founder) and his buddy, Jim Robinson, prepared venison sausage and gravy. The biscuits were complements of Derly Rivera, George Boemerman and their Dutch ovens.
The weather was great, we accomplished the normal Trail Tamer workload (LOTS), and we all had a good time.
The partipants included Greg Robin, Nora Ahmed and P. Rogeli Esamella who came in one day from Nacogdoches; Jennifer Williamson and Kelly Hinds who came in for one day from Steven F. Austin University; plus Joe and June Villarreal, a one-day couple from Austin along with Pamela Mackenzie.
The five E-Corp members were Sean Bone, Evan Branum, Katheryn Killebrew, Lisa Slate, and Matt Styslinger.
The remainder of the crew were Jim Schmidt, Mike Rogers, David Justice, Allan Weber, Jim Robinson, Mary Lynch, Terence Donovan, Ray Fore, Chuck Lundstedt, Amy Tonai, Derly Rivera, George Boemerman, Rocky Nelson, John Payne and Jim McKinney.
Copyright © 2003 Central Texas Trail Tamers
Davy Crockett National Forest, TX - by George Boemerman
This particular Davy Crockett National Forest trip brought us members from far and wide: Austin, San Marcos, Round Rock, Lufkin, Nacogdoches, and Benton, Louisiana. A total of 15 Trail Tamers plus five E-Corp folks participated in a concentrated three-day series of projects.
Rocky Nelson (the guy from Benton) led a group to the wilderness area to repair flood-damaged sections of an elevated walkway. Ray Fore (our Lufkin guy) led the team building the boardwalk portion of the handicapped access trail. Mike Rodgers (our club president guy) took charge of the group working on the regular portion of the handicapped access trail.
The handicapped access trail is our main project at Davy Crockett. It is not complete yet and we will continue our efforts until it is completed. The next expedition is tentatively set for early May of this year (pending approval by our board). That time-frame was suggested by the National Forest folks because an area where they want an observation platform, along the boardwalk, will hopefully be dried out enough by then to work on.
The trip was not all work. In the evenings we had great meals prepared by Rocky Nelson, Ray Fore and John Payne. These were followed by a congenial atmosphere around the campfire.
Monday morning was a super breakfast. Allan Weber (our founder) and his buddy, Jim Robinson, prepared venison sausage and gravy. The biscuits were complements of Derly Rivera, George Boemerman and their Dutch ovens.
The weather was great, we accomplished the normal Trail Tamer workload (LOTS), and we all had a good time.
The partipants included Greg Robin, Nora Ahmed and P. Rogeli Esamella who came in one day from Nacogdoches; Jennifer Williamson and Kelly Hinds who came in for one day from Steven F. Austin University; plus Joe and June Villarreal, a one-day couple from Austin along with Pamela Mackenzie.
The five E-Corp members were Sean Bone, Evan Branum, Katheryn Killebrew, Lisa Slate, and Matt Styslinger.
The remainder of the crew were Jim Schmidt, Mike Rogers, David Justice, Allan Weber, Jim Robinson, Mary Lynch, Terence Donovan, Ray Fore, Chuck Lundstedt, Amy Tonai, Derly Rivera, George Boemerman, Rocky Nelson, John Payne and Jim McKinney.
Copyright © 2003 Central Texas Trail Tamers
2/15-18/02 Davy Crockett National Forest Trip Report
February 15-18, 2002
Davy Crockett National Forest, TX - by George Boemerman
This particular Davy Crockett National Forest trip brought us members from far and wide: Austin, San Marcos, Round Rock, Lufkin, Nacogdoches, and Benton, Louisiana. A total of 15 Trail Tamers plus five E-Corp folks participated in a concentrated three-day series of projects.
Rocky Nelson (the guy from Benton) led a group to the wilderness area to repair flood-damaged sections of an elevated walkway. Ray Fore (our Lufkin guy) led the team building the boardwalk portion of the handicapped access trail. Mike Rodgers (our club president guy) took charge of the group working on the regular portion of the handicapped access trail.
The handicapped access trail is our main project at Davy Crockett. It is not complete yet and we will continue our efforts until it is completed. The next expedition is tentatively set for early May of this year (pending approval by our board). That time-frame was suggested by the National Forest folks because an area where they want an observation platform, along the boardwalk, will hopefully be dried out enough by then to work on.
The trip was not all work. In the evenings we had great meals prepared by Rocky Nelson, Ray Fore and John Payne. These were followed by a congenial atmosphere around the campfire.
Monday morning was a super breakfast. Allan Weber (our founder) and his buddy, Jim Robinson, prepared venison sausage and gravy. The biscuits were complements of Derly Rivera, George Boemerman and their Dutch ovens.
The weather was great, we accomplished the normal Trail Tamer workload (LOTS), and we all had a good time.
The partipants included Greg Robin, Nora Ahmed and P. Rogeli Esamella who came in one day from Nacogdoches; Jennifer Williamson and Kelly Hinds who came in for one day from Steven F. Austin University; plus Joe and June Villarreal, a one-day couple from Austin along with Pamela Mackenzie.
The five E-Corp members were Sean Bone, Evan Branum, Katheryn Killebrew, Lisa Slate, and Matt Styslinger.
The remainder of the crew were Jim Schmidt, Mike Rogers, David Justice, Allan Weber, Jim Robinson, Mary Lynch, Terence Donovan, Ray Fore, Chuck Lundstedt, Amy Tonai, Derly Rivera, George Boemerman, Rocky Nelson, John Payne and Jim McKinney.
Copyright © 2003 Central Texas Trail Tamers
Davy Crockett National Forest, TX - by George Boemerman
This particular Davy Crockett National Forest trip brought us members from far and wide: Austin, San Marcos, Round Rock, Lufkin, Nacogdoches, and Benton, Louisiana. A total of 15 Trail Tamers plus five E-Corp folks participated in a concentrated three-day series of projects.
Rocky Nelson (the guy from Benton) led a group to the wilderness area to repair flood-damaged sections of an elevated walkway. Ray Fore (our Lufkin guy) led the team building the boardwalk portion of the handicapped access trail. Mike Rodgers (our club president guy) took charge of the group working on the regular portion of the handicapped access trail.
The handicapped access trail is our main project at Davy Crockett. It is not complete yet and we will continue our efforts until it is completed. The next expedition is tentatively set for early May of this year (pending approval by our board). That time-frame was suggested by the National Forest folks because an area where they want an observation platform, along the boardwalk, will hopefully be dried out enough by then to work on.
The trip was not all work. In the evenings we had great meals prepared by Rocky Nelson, Ray Fore and John Payne. These were followed by a congenial atmosphere around the campfire.
Monday morning was a super breakfast. Allan Weber (our founder) and his buddy, Jim Robinson, prepared venison sausage and gravy. The biscuits were complements of Derly Rivera, George Boemerman and their Dutch ovens.
The weather was great, we accomplished the normal Trail Tamer workload (LOTS), and we all had a good time.
The partipants included Greg Robin, Nora Ahmed and P. Rogeli Esamella who came in one day from Nacogdoches; Jennifer Williamson and Kelly Hinds who came in for one day from Steven F. Austin University; plus Joe and June Villarreal, a one-day couple from Austin along with Pamela Mackenzie.
The five E-Corp members were Sean Bone, Evan Branum, Katheryn Killebrew, Lisa Slate, and Matt Styslinger.
The remainder of the crew were Jim Schmidt, Mike Rogers, David Justice, Allan Weber, Jim Robinson, Mary Lynch, Terence Donovan, Ray Fore, Chuck Lundstedt, Amy Tonai, Derly Rivera, George Boemerman, Rocky Nelson, John Payne and Jim McKinney.
Copyright © 2003 Central Texas Trail Tamers
Wednesday, January 30, 2002
1/19-21/02 Davy Crockett National Forest Trip Report
January 19-21, 2002
Davy Crockett National Forest, TX - by Mike Rodgers
Most of the participants for this special January trip to Davy Crockett National Forest arrived on Friday and set up camp at the Lakeside Loop Campsite. Arriving early were George Boemerman, John Payne, Janette Barlow, and Rocky Nelson. Due to the inclement weather, this group used the covered pavilion for their evening meal. Trip leader Mike Rodgers arrived after the feast. After a rainy night, the group arose to a cloudy and cold morning. Other local participants, Ray Fore and Chuck Lundstedt, arrived Saturday morning before the Forest Service "darlings" (Pearlie and Merlinda) arrived.
The group headed for the work site at exactly 8:00am or 8:15am, maybe 8:30am…but they got there. After some discussion, the transit (level) was set up to determine the grade of the proposed trail. We determined the trail route and started digging holes. After the first few posts were set, the group fell into a routine and the next 128 posts went pretty smoothly.
Different teams worked the auger ("digging machine"). This machine required a two-person team. What a blast I had with Pearlie, Janette and George sharing the machine with me. Everyone enjoyed a session on it. Supplemented with real post-hole diggers, the holes were widened to accommodate and align the posts. The posts were set approximately 2 ft. deep with "QuikCrete". The group returned to the campsite around noon for Saturday lunch.
New arrivals, Matthew Yang, Nora Ahmed, and Greg Robin, found their way to the campground to join in the fun. After they set up camp, the group returned to work on the posts. Hauling posts and cement, digging holes, setting posts and lots of supervision and advice filled the afternoon and Sunday morning until the last post was set around 1:00pm Sunday.
The new arrivals did have a strange experience Saturday afternoon. Breaking shortly after 2:00pm, they planned a short fifteen minute hike which lasted until quitting time or thereafter. They took a wrong turn and wandered through the woods for two hours, finally finding the park headquarters office. They then got directions back to the campground. Our new Trail Tamers had to leave early Sunday to return to Austin but their efforts were appreciated by all.
Several other members had to leave Sunday afternoon. The remaining crew cross-braced the posts on Monday. With the posts in place, we expect to complete the wooden trail portion during the February trip.
Altogether, CTTT can be credited with 137 hours of work (George, Rocky, Ray, John, Chuck--20 hrs. each; Mike and Janette--14 hrs. each; Matthew, Nora and Greg--3 hrs. each) for the January, 2002 trip to Davy Crockett National Forest.
Copyright © 2003 Central Texas Trail Tamers
Davy Crockett National Forest, TX - by Mike Rodgers
Most of the participants for this special January trip to Davy Crockett National Forest arrived on Friday and set up camp at the Lakeside Loop Campsite. Arriving early were George Boemerman, John Payne, Janette Barlow, and Rocky Nelson. Due to the inclement weather, this group used the covered pavilion for their evening meal. Trip leader Mike Rodgers arrived after the feast. After a rainy night, the group arose to a cloudy and cold morning. Other local participants, Ray Fore and Chuck Lundstedt, arrived Saturday morning before the Forest Service "darlings" (Pearlie and Merlinda) arrived.
The group headed for the work site at exactly 8:00am or 8:15am, maybe 8:30am…but they got there. After some discussion, the transit (level) was set up to determine the grade of the proposed trail. We determined the trail route and started digging holes. After the first few posts were set, the group fell into a routine and the next 128 posts went pretty smoothly.
Different teams worked the auger ("digging machine"). This machine required a two-person team. What a blast I had with Pearlie, Janette and George sharing the machine with me. Everyone enjoyed a session on it. Supplemented with real post-hole diggers, the holes were widened to accommodate and align the posts. The posts were set approximately 2 ft. deep with "QuikCrete". The group returned to the campsite around noon for Saturday lunch.
New arrivals, Matthew Yang, Nora Ahmed, and Greg Robin, found their way to the campground to join in the fun. After they set up camp, the group returned to work on the posts. Hauling posts and cement, digging holes, setting posts and lots of supervision and advice filled the afternoon and Sunday morning until the last post was set around 1:00pm Sunday.
The new arrivals did have a strange experience Saturday afternoon. Breaking shortly after 2:00pm, they planned a short fifteen minute hike which lasted until quitting time or thereafter. They took a wrong turn and wandered through the woods for two hours, finally finding the park headquarters office. They then got directions back to the campground. Our new Trail Tamers had to leave early Sunday to return to Austin but their efforts were appreciated by all.
Several other members had to leave Sunday afternoon. The remaining crew cross-braced the posts on Monday. With the posts in place, we expect to complete the wooden trail portion during the February trip.
Altogether, CTTT can be credited with 137 hours of work (George, Rocky, Ray, John, Chuck--20 hrs. each; Mike and Janette--14 hrs. each; Matthew, Nora and Greg--3 hrs. each) for the January, 2002 trip to Davy Crockett National Forest.
Copyright © 2003 Central Texas Trail Tamers
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