SFT North – Beetle Kill Project: July 7, 2009

Writing from the northern part of Colorado: The air is crisp, the skies a deeper shade of blue, and the terrain is incredible. SFT North, our saw crew, began our first hitch near Walden, Colorado – about 20 miles from the state line of Wyoming – a little over a month ago, and we have just finished our second hitch with hardly a scratch to speak of. In the beginning, we started at a campground in the Routt National Forest in an area called Big Creek Lake. A remarkable hitch, we were surrounded by dead and dying lodge pole pines, it felt a bit overwhelming. The only trees we were falling were within the campground boundaries, but looking up at the hills and all around us, we saw what we were up against. Still, two crews – ours, and the six-month saw crew – worked tirelessly falling, bucking, and limbing the dead trees still standing, and chipping and splitting our end products. We have been working with our sponsors, the Forest Service in Routt National Forest, and I feel that we have both learned an equal amount from each other. They taught us how to use the chipper and splitter, and about the forest itself, while we taught them what it means to be on a conservation corps, and how the spirit of service is growing rapidly amongst the youth of our nation. During the days we had off, we explored the area around Walden and Steamboat Springs, and discovered a variety of treasures: from the luxurious hot springs in Steamboat Springs to the rustic and homey downtown buildings in Walden, we were never left disappointed.

Now coming back from our second hitch, with an entirely new terrain and two new members, I can still say that the overall experience we have had as SFT North is nothing short of amazing. The nine hour car ride, although sometimes tiring and tedious, brings us closer, and prepares us for the work ahead of us. We worked with the Rocky Mountain Youth Corps this hitch, and met some diverse individuals among their members. Many of them were from faraway states, and from various backgrounds. Together we worked at trailheads and campgrounds, mostly bucking and limbing the trees that had already been cut down by the Hot Shots that came through a few weeks earlier. The two new members spent the first week getting certified, and learned just as quickly as we did about the benefits and dangers of chainsaws. We never forgot how dangerous these tools can be, but when news came about a young Hot Shot who was killed by a hazard aspen tree during our hitch, every one of us hiked up our precautions and reviewed safety procedures until it turned our heads raw. We were taken off chainsaws for a day and spent that time helping out the Forest Service with their “bone yard” as they called it. We also spent some time building fences to block off social paths carved out by careless dirt bikes and fourwheelers. Finally at the end of the hitch, we were moved up to Michigan Creek where we were delighted to find a deserted Forest Service cabin that we took shelter in during lightning storms. We spent the last four days cleaning up the vast amount of trees cut down by the Hot Shots, and cleared out a pretty good area around the cabin. There was still a lot of work to be done, which is why we were glad to see the Rocky Mountain Youth Corps pull up on the fourth day of our hitch, while we were preparing to leave back to Durango.

The first two hitches up north have proven worthwhile. We have met some incredible people, and built a strong and lasting bond among our own crew. We even got to see a few moose while we were working! Durango is a much warmer place, and I’m sure we will enjoy the time we have off – and yet be inwardly looking forward to our journey back up north next Monday.