PROJECT REPORT By Raymond Fore:
We had 13 volunteers and two park employees work Friday, Saturday, Sunday, and part of Monday, (Feb. 17-21, 2011). Got a heck of a lot of work done that would probably not have been done through the usual Forest Service schedule due to staff and budget shortages.
Friday, the 18th, we removed several very large trees from an archeologically sensitive area. This meant cutting the trees into small enough blocks to be hauled by hand to the park road. The pieces were then loaded on a trailer and hauled to a dump site. Saturday, the volunteers were put into two teams. One team went to Walnut Creek camp site on the 4 C trail. That site had been hit by hurricane Ike and needed to be cleared. We also cleared a site for a new privy to be built to replace the previous one that had been destroyed by the hurricane. The second team went to the bridges in the Big Slough Wilderness area which is also on the 4 C trail. There they removed a cable hand rail and replaced it with rails built with 2 x 4x. All the lumber had to be hauled by hand since no mechanical devices could be used in the wilderness area. That meant walking a mile, round trip, to haul two pieces of lumber to the work site. There were over 100 pieces of lumber used. We also built new barriers to two new parking lots and removed many dangerous dead trees from around camp sites at Ratcliff Lake.
These are the Trail Tamers who showed up: Marvin Heller, Terence Donovan, Charlie Grant, Mike Rodgers, Bill Nelson, Wes Morrow. I know the other volunteers are not members.
We all enjoyed the work, the good food, the great camp fires, and the great bull that was spread pretty thick. All want to return to our next work session, so guess it went well. The group was hard working and the Forest Service is pleased with what we did.
Tuesday, March 22, 2011
Wednesday, July 7, 2010
TRAIL TAMERS FIRST GRAND CANYON ADVENTURE! (by Martha Spetseris)
Another successful trip for the Central Texas Trail Tamers!
The Trail Tamers had a great time at the North Rim of the Grand Canyon. It was hard work but our members did a great job. The guys cleared about 2 miles of over-growth and debris from the main park road. Dorothy Lay and I can add road flagging to our resumes.
If you have only visited the South Rim, the North Rim is a revelation. The approach from the South takes you down through a large flood plain to a bridge over the Colorado River. You circle the stark beauty of the Vermillion Cliffs. Then you climb up to mountain passes at around 9000 feet. The passes are beautiful with spruce and aspen. There are pristine, alpine-like meadows. If you are lucky, you even get to see a stray herd of buffalo!
We camped in the heavily wooded North Rim campground. After work we enjoyed dutch oven meals, ranger lectures and trips up to the lodge to watch the sunsets. We all did some hiking. I think David hiked almost every trail on the North Rim! It was a wonderful experience and I hope we get to go back next year.
Here is a link to the photos that I took: http://www.flickr.com/photos/merlin604/sets/72157624421254808/
The Trail Tamers had a great time at the North Rim of the Grand Canyon. It was hard work but our members did a great job. The guys cleared about 2 miles of over-growth and debris from the main park road. Dorothy Lay and I can add road flagging to our resumes.
If you have only visited the South Rim, the North Rim is a revelation. The approach from the South takes you down through a large flood plain to a bridge over the Colorado River. You circle the stark beauty of the Vermillion Cliffs. Then you climb up to mountain passes at around 9000 feet. The passes are beautiful with spruce and aspen. There are pristine, alpine-like meadows. If you are lucky, you even get to see a stray herd of buffalo!
We camped in the heavily wooded North Rim campground. After work we enjoyed dutch oven meals, ranger lectures and trips up to the lodge to watch the sunsets. We all did some hiking. I think David hiked almost every trail on the North Rim! It was a wonderful experience and I hope we get to go back next year.
Here is a link to the photos that I took: http://www.flickr.com/photos/merlin604/sets/72157624421254808/
Wednesday, January 13, 2010
Bastrop State Park Trail Projects
Trail Tamers at Bastrop State Park (report by Vick Hines, Crew Leader)
The Bastrop State Park project was a great success despite the weather and OU Weekend. We had about 25 folks helping out and put in over 180 hours of trail work. It looks as if we now have a good relationship with BSP, and hope to have other working weekends in the Spring and throughout next year. The following gives the details.
Summary of Trail Tamers work 11/28 - 12/5/09:
Trail Tamer crews worked 179 hours. Social trails located mainly inside PR1A were renaturalized. All other trails were brushed and social trails were renaturalized. Approximately 10 percent of problem slopes on the trail system were graded, side burms removed and drain swales installed. At least 10 creek crossings were cleaned and channelized and crossing aids installed. Two relocations were completed totaling 150 yards of improved trail. Several relocations are recommended for your consideration in addition to currently scheduled relocations.
11/28: 15 volunteers @ 6 hrs ea. = 90 hours
Red, green, white, black trails; renaturalized social trails.
Black Trail; installed drain and burm.
Blue trail E. of power line; Brushing and creek crossings, general trail maintenance, relocation of washed out trail section, renaturalization of old trail,
11/29: 3 volunteers @ 6 hrs ea. = 18 hrs
South Blue trail, Harmon Rd. to power line and Blue north, power line to Harmon, brushing, burm and drains, social trails, campfire debris removal.
11/30: 1 volunteer @ 6 hrs = 6 hrs.
Black trail, burm and drain (removal of concrete pour preventing proper drainage), Grey trail, burm and drains.
12/1: 1 vol @ 5 hrs = 5 hrs
Roosevelt’s Cutoff, brushing; N. Blue trail West to old road, brushing; S. Blue trail W. of Harmon Rd., deadfalls and social trails.
12/2: 1 vol @ 5 hrs = 5 hrs.
N. Blue trail from Harmon Rd. E., brushing and drains.
12/3: 2 vols. @ 5 hrs = 10 hrs.
Blue trail loop E. of power line, 5 creek crossings channelized and rocked, social trails concealed, brushing.
12/4: 2 vols. @ 5 hrs = 10 hr.
N. Blue trail E. of fence line, drains and burms on downslope.
12/5: 7 vols @ 5 hrs = 35 hrs
Green trail, relocated c. 120 yds of trail with dips and drains, relocated trail marker post, renaturalized old trail, channelized and rocked 3 creek crossings, removed debris from creeks.
Suggested Trail Relocations
Blue Loop E. of power line: At the far eastern end, after the southmost creek crossing, the trail is easily confused with a fire break and the approach to the creek crossing is heavily eroded. Recommend a relocation diverging from the existing trail approximately 35 yards west-southwest of current intersection with the fire break and rejoining the existing trail at or near the current creek crossing. This location would permit a lower gradient as it descends to the creek and would avoid confusion with the fire break entirely. Check steps would still be required for the descent.
N. Blue Trail approx. 0.25 to 0.5 miles E. of Gotier Trace Remnant. Several sections of this trail are 0˚ to the slope. Recommend replacing these sections with properly graded side hill segments.
N. Blue Trail, 0.25 mir. W. of Harmon Rd. receives surface and near surface runoff from both Harmon Rd. and an adjacent slope. Recommend relocation up the slope with an undulating side hill trail rejoining the existing trail at the next drainage west.
S. Blue Trail from the power line to 0.25 mi.W. of the power line is 0˚ to the slope and heavily guttered, ending in a poorly drained area that includes the last several yards of the new relocation which diverts the trail from the nearby pond. Recommend constructing a side hill trail from the power line north of the existing trail, intersecting the latest relocation on high ground.
S. Blue Trail from Scout Area to Roosevelt’s Cutoff is heavily guttered due to poor location. Several superior locations are available for each problem segment.
Roosevelt’s Cutoff. The southern 150 yards of the trail are 0˚ to the slope in sugar sand and heavily guttered. Recommend relocation east to rejoin existing trail at next drainage.
Grey Trail, E. of intersection w/ Red Trail is currently down-slope in an old road bed and heavily guttered. Recommend relocation up slope to N. 25 to 50 yards.
The Bastrop State Park project was a great success despite the weather and OU Weekend. We had about 25 folks helping out and put in over 180 hours of trail work. It looks as if we now have a good relationship with BSP, and hope to have other working weekends in the Spring and throughout next year. The following gives the details.
Summary of Trail Tamers work 11/28 - 12/5/09:
Trail Tamer crews worked 179 hours. Social trails located mainly inside PR1A were renaturalized. All other trails were brushed and social trails were renaturalized. Approximately 10 percent of problem slopes on the trail system were graded, side burms removed and drain swales installed. At least 10 creek crossings were cleaned and channelized and crossing aids installed. Two relocations were completed totaling 150 yards of improved trail. Several relocations are recommended for your consideration in addition to currently scheduled relocations.
11/28: 15 volunteers @ 6 hrs ea. = 90 hours
Red, green, white, black trails; renaturalized social trails.
Black Trail; installed drain and burm.
Blue trail E. of power line; Brushing and creek crossings, general trail maintenance, relocation of washed out trail section, renaturalization of old trail,
11/29: 3 volunteers @ 6 hrs ea. = 18 hrs
South Blue trail, Harmon Rd. to power line and Blue north, power line to Harmon, brushing, burm and drains, social trails, campfire debris removal.
11/30: 1 volunteer @ 6 hrs = 6 hrs.
Black trail, burm and drain (removal of concrete pour preventing proper drainage), Grey trail, burm and drains.
12/1: 1 vol @ 5 hrs = 5 hrs
Roosevelt’s Cutoff, brushing; N. Blue trail West to old road, brushing; S. Blue trail W. of Harmon Rd., deadfalls and social trails.
12/2: 1 vol @ 5 hrs = 5 hrs.
N. Blue trail from Harmon Rd. E., brushing and drains.
12/3: 2 vols. @ 5 hrs = 10 hrs.
Blue trail loop E. of power line, 5 creek crossings channelized and rocked, social trails concealed, brushing.
12/4: 2 vols. @ 5 hrs = 10 hr.
N. Blue trail E. of fence line, drains and burms on downslope.
12/5: 7 vols @ 5 hrs = 35 hrs
Green trail, relocated c. 120 yds of trail with dips and drains, relocated trail marker post, renaturalized old trail, channelized and rocked 3 creek crossings, removed debris from creeks.
Suggested Trail Relocations
Blue Loop E. of power line: At the far eastern end, after the southmost creek crossing, the trail is easily confused with a fire break and the approach to the creek crossing is heavily eroded. Recommend a relocation diverging from the existing trail approximately 35 yards west-southwest of current intersection with the fire break and rejoining the existing trail at or near the current creek crossing. This location would permit a lower gradient as it descends to the creek and would avoid confusion with the fire break entirely. Check steps would still be required for the descent.
N. Blue Trail approx. 0.25 to 0.5 miles E. of Gotier Trace Remnant. Several sections of this trail are 0˚ to the slope. Recommend replacing these sections with properly graded side hill segments.
N. Blue Trail, 0.25 mir. W. of Harmon Rd. receives surface and near surface runoff from both Harmon Rd. and an adjacent slope. Recommend relocation up the slope with an undulating side hill trail rejoining the existing trail at the next drainage west.
S. Blue Trail from the power line to 0.25 mi.W. of the power line is 0˚ to the slope and heavily guttered, ending in a poorly drained area that includes the last several yards of the new relocation which diverts the trail from the nearby pond. Recommend constructing a side hill trail from the power line north of the existing trail, intersecting the latest relocation on high ground.
S. Blue Trail from Scout Area to Roosevelt’s Cutoff is heavily guttered due to poor location. Several superior locations are available for each problem segment.
Roosevelt’s Cutoff. The southern 150 yards of the trail are 0˚ to the slope in sugar sand and heavily guttered. Recommend relocation east to rejoin existing trail at next drainage.
Grey Trail, E. of intersection w/ Red Trail is currently down-slope in an old road bed and heavily guttered. Recommend relocation up slope to N. 25 to 50 yards.
Big Bend or Bust!
Trail Tamers experience Big Bend (report by Pat Dixon, Crew Leader)
The Central Texas Trail Tamers visited Big Bend national park Oct 17-24, 2009 to help maintain hiking trails and park features, as well as enjoy the beautiful surroundings. The week was well spent.
This was a personal quest for me. After residing in Texas for over a decade I had not been to Big Bend. It seems every year some conflict arose. This year I finally made it.
I arrived at the park on Sunday Oct 18 and hiked the 5 mile Lost Mine trail, which was well worth the effort. We setup camp later at the Remuda bunkhouse that evening, which is in the Chisos Basin lodging area. Our crew of 13 people had all arrived.
Monday morning we had a safety session with trails crew supervisor Eric Walker. The Friends of Big Bend provided us breakfast at the Chisos Basin lodge. We then set out for some brushing work on the Window trail. We had a nice lunch at the Window which is a waterfall with a precipitous drop.
The following day we split into 2 crews lead by park service representatives. Our crew was lead by Laura Hicks and we went to Pine Canyon to build some erosion mitigation structures. We hiked all the way up to the waterfall for lunch which is a beautiful area. On the way out Jerry Levenson got 2 flat tires. We removed the wheels and left the car behind for the night. The park maintenance shop was able to repair both tires that afternoon.
The other crew lead by Collin Carroll went to the Rio Grande village area to clear brush from the old hotel building at Hot Springs. The vegetation had grown thick around the structure and it took a lot of work to thin out the undesired growth.
On Wednesday the crews returned to the same work assignments. The Pine Canyon crew used cedar logs to build water bars. The weather was great, cool and comfortable with low clouds surrounding Casa Grande and surrounding peaks. The other crew continued work at Rio Grande.
On Thursday the crews returned to there respective places but after lunch the Pine Canyon crew went to Rio Grande to meet with the other crew and have a concluding gathering with Eric Walker. We were given volunteer patches and served cold drinks and Eric complimented us on our work.
Friday was our play day. I did a 15 mile hike on the South Rim loop, which was fantastic. Again the weather was perfect. Other TrailTamers found other diversions. We travelled that evening to Terlingua to have dinner at La Kiva.
We broke camp and departed Saturday morning.
Our cook Martha Spetseris did a great job. Experienced TrailTamers know that the cook is the most important member of the crew and we made it through the week happy and healthy.
We saw quite a bit of wildlife. There were several black bear spottings. We had a crew of javelina visit us one evening at the Remuda. A mountain lion walked past our cook tent one evening. We saw 2 mountain lion crossing a road near Chisos Basin lodging area. We saw a fox on the drive to Terlingua.
In conclusion, we got significant work done which was appreciated by the park service hosts and had a very enjoyable time in the great weather and beautiful surroundings.
Trail Tamer participants:
Pat Dixon (crew leader)
Martha Spetseris (cook)
Tina Drake
Richard Drake
Bill Swaim
Charles Grant
Donald Edson
Dorothy Lay
Jerry Levenson
Lin Risner
Loren Ramshur
Lorenzo Perez
Vick Hines
Photos:
From Jerry Levenson:
Go to http://www.flickr.com/photos/pigomatic and look for the folder named "CTTT at BBNP, Oct 2009". When viewing a picture in Flickr, you can hit the "all sizes" button for a larger view.
From Vick Hines:
http://s25.photobucket.com/albums/c70/vickrhines/Big%20Bend%2009/?albumview=slideshow&track=share_email_album_view_click
From Pat Dixon:
Photos and video
http://www.flickr.com/photos/44653950@N00/sets/72157622592627513/show/
Video of Monday morning safety orientation:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/44653950@N00/4079730995/
Video of Thursday concluding meeting:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/44653950@N00/4079756977/
The Central Texas Trail Tamers visited Big Bend national park Oct 17-24, 2009 to help maintain hiking trails and park features, as well as enjoy the beautiful surroundings. The week was well spent.
This was a personal quest for me. After residing in Texas for over a decade I had not been to Big Bend. It seems every year some conflict arose. This year I finally made it.
I arrived at the park on Sunday Oct 18 and hiked the 5 mile Lost Mine trail, which was well worth the effort. We setup camp later at the Remuda bunkhouse that evening, which is in the Chisos Basin lodging area. Our crew of 13 people had all arrived.
Monday morning we had a safety session with trails crew supervisor Eric Walker. The Friends of Big Bend provided us breakfast at the Chisos Basin lodge. We then set out for some brushing work on the Window trail. We had a nice lunch at the Window which is a waterfall with a precipitous drop.
The following day we split into 2 crews lead by park service representatives. Our crew was lead by Laura Hicks and we went to Pine Canyon to build some erosion mitigation structures. We hiked all the way up to the waterfall for lunch which is a beautiful area. On the way out Jerry Levenson got 2 flat tires. We removed the wheels and left the car behind for the night. The park maintenance shop was able to repair both tires that afternoon.
The other crew lead by Collin Carroll went to the Rio Grande village area to clear brush from the old hotel building at Hot Springs. The vegetation had grown thick around the structure and it took a lot of work to thin out the undesired growth.
On Wednesday the crews returned to the same work assignments. The Pine Canyon crew used cedar logs to build water bars. The weather was great, cool and comfortable with low clouds surrounding Casa Grande and surrounding peaks. The other crew continued work at Rio Grande.
On Thursday the crews returned to there respective places but after lunch the Pine Canyon crew went to Rio Grande to meet with the other crew and have a concluding gathering with Eric Walker. We were given volunteer patches and served cold drinks and Eric complimented us on our work.
Friday was our play day. I did a 15 mile hike on the South Rim loop, which was fantastic. Again the weather was perfect. Other TrailTamers found other diversions. We travelled that evening to Terlingua to have dinner at La Kiva.
We broke camp and departed Saturday morning.
Our cook Martha Spetseris did a great job. Experienced TrailTamers know that the cook is the most important member of the crew and we made it through the week happy and healthy.
We saw quite a bit of wildlife. There were several black bear spottings. We had a crew of javelina visit us one evening at the Remuda. A mountain lion walked past our cook tent one evening. We saw 2 mountain lion crossing a road near Chisos Basin lodging area. We saw a fox on the drive to Terlingua.
In conclusion, we got significant work done which was appreciated by the park service hosts and had a very enjoyable time in the great weather and beautiful surroundings.
Trail Tamer participants:
Pat Dixon (crew leader)
Martha Spetseris (cook)
Tina Drake
Richard Drake
Bill Swaim
Charles Grant
Donald Edson
Dorothy Lay
Jerry Levenson
Lin Risner
Loren Ramshur
Lorenzo Perez
Vick Hines
Photos:
From Jerry Levenson:
Go to http://www.flickr.com/photos/pigomatic and look for the folder named "CTTT at BBNP, Oct 2009". When viewing a picture in Flickr, you can hit the "all sizes" button for a larger view.
From Vick Hines:
http://s25.photobucket.com/albums/c70/vickrhines/Big%20Bend%2009/?albumview=slideshow&track=share_email_album_view_click
From Pat Dixon:
Photos and video
http://www.flickr.com/photos/44653950@N00/sets/72157622592627513/show/
Video of Monday morning safety orientation:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/44653950@N00/4079730995/
Video of Thursday concluding meeting:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/44653950@N00/4079756977/
Saturday, July 18, 2009
Awesome Apache-Sitgreaves
The first week of July was PERFECT for heading to the pristine forests of eastern Arizona. With the number of 100+ degree days setting records in Texas, we were eager for cooler temps! And cooler they were! Upper 70s to low 80s during the day, and lows in the 50s at night. Imagine sitting around a campfire with a light jacket on while everyone is sweltering in Texas!!
Here is how things turned out:
Before leaving Texas, our host said they'd been having an early "monsoon" season, so we anticipated daily rainfall. However, we only had a brief bit of rain during our first night in the woods. After that...nothing!
Dave and I left Austin on Thursday morning with the group's food & cooking gear in our vehicle and Martha Spetseris from College Station as our passenger. Pat Dixon & his passenger, Zack Slachter from Fort Worth, met us in Junction, TX and we caravanned from there.
After an overnight stop in Deming, NM and a quick visit on Friday morning to the unique Catwalk of Whitewater Canyon outside Glenwood, NM, we arrived a couple of hours later at Don & Janie Hoffman's place that's tucked in a remote part of the forest at the end of a dead-end dirt road near the Blue River.
Don was retired from the Forest Service in Alpine, AZ & recently contracted with them to be our volunteer crew leader. He & his wife recommended that we rendezvous at their place where we camped in their meadow, used their bathroom & kitchen, played horseshoes and explored the area.
Since we arrived fairly early, Dave & Pat took off to go fishing and Martha, Zack & I hiked up the creek behind the Hoffman's place to look for a small Indian ruin they told us about but dark clouds began forming overhead and thunder became noticeably louder, so we headed back.
Andy Waters & Robert Gross left Austin on Friday & joined the rest of us at the Hoffman homestead early Saturday afternoon, and had plenty of time to climb the mountain overlooking the Hoffman home. Robert recommends NOT doing that in sandals!
On Sunday we fixed a big breakfast for everyone, including our hosts, then loaded the vehicles & headed out. We stopped in Alpine to pick up some items & met Myron Burnett, the Forest Service guy who would be hauling our gear on his pack animals. Then, off we went!
On the way, Don showed us a scenic overlook of the Black River from a high bluff & graciously agreed to take group photos with everyone's camera. Afterward, we piled back in our vehicles for the soon-to-be bumpy ride to the Fish Creek trailhead.
When we arrived, we unloaded the gear & had to cram all the food & cooking equipment into 4 hard panniers so they weighed about the same. Other items were put into soft panniers and, when everything was as balanced as possible, they were strapped onto the two mules & one donkey. We put on our backpacks & started down the trail.
At one point, Black Jack (the donkey) decided to head back up the trail but Pat, who has no experience with animals, caught him & after talking with him a bit, was able to lead him back down the trail. What a great photo that would have made!
After hiking a mile or so, we arrived at base camp. Don told us we were in the exact same spot as our previous Trail Tamer trip in 1999, & he was right on! There were lots of "fond" memories of that trip. For me, especially, it was a really big adventure!
Myron & the mules arrived ahead of us so, after setting up our own tents, we helped unload the gear & set up the kitchen & cook tent. Don carefully dug a campfire pit, following leave-no-trace ethics, & we started the evening meal & talked about the work he wanted us to do in the coming days.
On day one, we headed down the trail brushing out & clearing a HUGE amount of overgrown vegetation, especially at creek crossings. The trail hadn't been maintained for at least 5 years. The whole area is fairly moist with moss, ferns & wildflowers everywhere. Oh, did I mention lots of POISON IVY?! We also noticed a lot of diversity in the size & types of trees. Don said this whole area had somehow escaped the ax & had never been logged. Amazing!
Don had brought a 2-man crosscut saw but ended up wielding a chainsaw because of the sheer number & size of the dead-fall across the trail. A couple of crew members followed him to move the freshly cut sections off the trail.
Each day, the distance & number of creek crossings from base camp to our last trail-clearing location increased until, finally, some of the crew reached the Black River where Fish Creek joins it & forms a nice swimming hole that they enjoyed!
Once the lower trail was completed to Don's satisfaction, we turned our attention to the part that we hiked in on, & spent the last work day on that section. We actually worked our way back up to the trailhead & left our tools there, then hiked back down to our basecamp for the last time.
Don was truly happy that we completed the whole trail (5 miles from the trailhead to the river), & was impressed with the "outstanding" work we did. Even though the Black River was about 4 miles from our basecamp, no one complained too much about the daily hike back & forth. However, on the last day of work on the lower trail, one of the crew jokingly referred to the hike as the "BaDon" death march.
The beautiful terrain along with daily, refreshing dips in pristine Fish Creek, & nearly perfect weather was more than a person could ask for. For the most part, wildlife avoided us but Robert & I saw a couple of elk cows, & Pat caught a trout. The most excitement came when Martha & Andy saw a BEAR on the trail ahead of them!
There were no real problems except for a couple of leaky tents on the first night, Robert's encounter with a hornet that caused his hand to swell up, and the pesky BUGS that seemed to prefer my flesh & blood to the others! But, amazingly, no one ended up with a case of poison ivy!
Upon returning to the Hoffman's place on Friday afternoon...we showered & changed into clean clothes, then were treated to some mighty fine BBQ chicken with all the trimmings & plenty of liquid refreshment. It was so nice sitting on the Hoffman's front porch, taking in the surroundings & watching the guys playing a game of horseshoes. Robert & Andy decided to head home, but the rest of us camped in the meadow once again. In the morning, after a breakfast of pancakes & coffee, we said our good-byes and hit the road.
My sincerest appreciation goes out to my dear husband, "Chef Dave", for preparing those delicious meals; and to our talented friend, Pat Dixon for sharing his campfire rendition of "Oh, Danny Boy", among other things. I also appreciate "Super Woman" Martha Spetseris for being such an enjoyable & energetic go-getter; and Zack Shlachter (the "young-un" in the group) who is such a delightful young man & knowledgable in an amazing range of subjects.
Then there's Andy Waters & his buddy Robert Gross who were the source of much laughter mixed with interesting stories told around the campfire. We all worked hard but we also had a doggone good time! And, of course, our thanks goes out to Don Hoffman who was an excellent host and crew leader, and his wife, Janie, who was so gracious for once again allowing a crowd of people to "take over" her home for a few days.
We captured a bunch of photos and placed them on FlickR.com. We also added captions that can be seen if you select the "Show Info" menu item at the top of the screen. Select the link below to check them out:
Click here for FlickR photos of the trip
Here is how things turned out:
Before leaving Texas, our host said they'd been having an early "monsoon" season, so we anticipated daily rainfall. However, we only had a brief bit of rain during our first night in the woods. After that...nothing!
Dave and I left Austin on Thursday morning with the group's food & cooking gear in our vehicle and Martha Spetseris from College Station as our passenger. Pat Dixon & his passenger, Zack Slachter from Fort Worth, met us in Junction, TX and we caravanned from there.
After an overnight stop in Deming, NM and a quick visit on Friday morning to the unique Catwalk of Whitewater Canyon outside Glenwood, NM, we arrived a couple of hours later at Don & Janie Hoffman's place that's tucked in a remote part of the forest at the end of a dead-end dirt road near the Blue River.
Don was retired from the Forest Service in Alpine, AZ & recently contracted with them to be our volunteer crew leader. He & his wife recommended that we rendezvous at their place where we camped in their meadow, used their bathroom & kitchen, played horseshoes and explored the area.
Since we arrived fairly early, Dave & Pat took off to go fishing and Martha, Zack & I hiked up the creek behind the Hoffman's place to look for a small Indian ruin they told us about but dark clouds began forming overhead and thunder became noticeably louder, so we headed back.
Andy Waters & Robert Gross left Austin on Friday & joined the rest of us at the Hoffman homestead early Saturday afternoon, and had plenty of time to climb the mountain overlooking the Hoffman home. Robert recommends NOT doing that in sandals!
On Sunday we fixed a big breakfast for everyone, including our hosts, then loaded the vehicles & headed out. We stopped in Alpine to pick up some items & met Myron Burnett, the Forest Service guy who would be hauling our gear on his pack animals. Then, off we went!
On the way, Don showed us a scenic overlook of the Black River from a high bluff & graciously agreed to take group photos with everyone's camera. Afterward, we piled back in our vehicles for the soon-to-be bumpy ride to the Fish Creek trailhead.
When we arrived, we unloaded the gear & had to cram all the food & cooking equipment into 4 hard panniers so they weighed about the same. Other items were put into soft panniers and, when everything was as balanced as possible, they were strapped onto the two mules & one donkey. We put on our backpacks & started down the trail.
At one point, Black Jack (the donkey) decided to head back up the trail but Pat, who has no experience with animals, caught him & after talking with him a bit, was able to lead him back down the trail. What a great photo that would have made!
After hiking a mile or so, we arrived at base camp. Don told us we were in the exact same spot as our previous Trail Tamer trip in 1999, & he was right on! There were lots of "fond" memories of that trip. For me, especially, it was a really big adventure!
Myron & the mules arrived ahead of us so, after setting up our own tents, we helped unload the gear & set up the kitchen & cook tent. Don carefully dug a campfire pit, following leave-no-trace ethics, & we started the evening meal & talked about the work he wanted us to do in the coming days.
On day one, we headed down the trail brushing out & clearing a HUGE amount of overgrown vegetation, especially at creek crossings. The trail hadn't been maintained for at least 5 years. The whole area is fairly moist with moss, ferns & wildflowers everywhere. Oh, did I mention lots of POISON IVY?! We also noticed a lot of diversity in the size & types of trees. Don said this whole area had somehow escaped the ax & had never been logged. Amazing!
Don had brought a 2-man crosscut saw but ended up wielding a chainsaw because of the sheer number & size of the dead-fall across the trail. A couple of crew members followed him to move the freshly cut sections off the trail.
Each day, the distance & number of creek crossings from base camp to our last trail-clearing location increased until, finally, some of the crew reached the Black River where Fish Creek joins it & forms a nice swimming hole that they enjoyed!
Once the lower trail was completed to Don's satisfaction, we turned our attention to the part that we hiked in on, & spent the last work day on that section. We actually worked our way back up to the trailhead & left our tools there, then hiked back down to our basecamp for the last time.
Don was truly happy that we completed the whole trail (5 miles from the trailhead to the river), & was impressed with the "outstanding" work we did. Even though the Black River was about 4 miles from our basecamp, no one complained too much about the daily hike back & forth. However, on the last day of work on the lower trail, one of the crew jokingly referred to the hike as the "BaDon" death march.
The beautiful terrain along with daily, refreshing dips in pristine Fish Creek, & nearly perfect weather was more than a person could ask for. For the most part, wildlife avoided us but Robert & I saw a couple of elk cows, & Pat caught a trout. The most excitement came when Martha & Andy saw a BEAR on the trail ahead of them!
There were no real problems except for a couple of leaky tents on the first night, Robert's encounter with a hornet that caused his hand to swell up, and the pesky BUGS that seemed to prefer my flesh & blood to the others! But, amazingly, no one ended up with a case of poison ivy!
Upon returning to the Hoffman's place on Friday afternoon...we showered & changed into clean clothes, then were treated to some mighty fine BBQ chicken with all the trimmings & plenty of liquid refreshment. It was so nice sitting on the Hoffman's front porch, taking in the surroundings & watching the guys playing a game of horseshoes. Robert & Andy decided to head home, but the rest of us camped in the meadow once again. In the morning, after a breakfast of pancakes & coffee, we said our good-byes and hit the road.
My sincerest appreciation goes out to my dear husband, "Chef Dave", for preparing those delicious meals; and to our talented friend, Pat Dixon for sharing his campfire rendition of "Oh, Danny Boy", among other things. I also appreciate "Super Woman" Martha Spetseris for being such an enjoyable & energetic go-getter; and Zack Shlachter (the "young-un" in the group) who is such a delightful young man & knowledgable in an amazing range of subjects.
Then there's Andy Waters & his buddy Robert Gross who were the source of much laughter mixed with interesting stories told around the campfire. We all worked hard but we also had a doggone good time! And, of course, our thanks goes out to Don Hoffman who was an excellent host and crew leader, and his wife, Janie, who was so gracious for once again allowing a crowd of people to "take over" her home for a few days.
We captured a bunch of photos and placed them on FlickR.com. We also added captions that can be seen if you select the "Show Info" menu item at the top of the screen. Select the link below to check them out:
Click here for FlickR photos of the trip
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
