Work in the Wilderness

Written by Nate Dreyfus, a crew leader with the Los Valles region:

Crew Leaders Survey a Section of trail at about 10,000 feet

This week marks the end of crew leader training for SCC – Los Valles.  As one team finished trail construction for a reroute in the Salida Mountain Trails network just outside of town, my team wrapped up our hitch in the Sangre de Cristo Wilderness completing trail maintenance on the North Crestone Trail.  Though the project was billed as primarily cut-and-run, we were able to clear the length of the trail of downed trees within three days using crosscuts, handsaws and raw ferocity.  We spent the rest of the nine-day hitch cutting corridor to spec and making drainage improvements to the trail where erosion or pooling of water threatened the integrity of the tread.  The alpine air, glorious sunshine, bright moonlight, delicious mountain streamwater, highly erratic weather and occasional hauntings from dead man jones punctuated an enjoyable and productive hitch.  Reunited back in Salida, the 2011 staff and crew leader team all shared the glow of an excellent training period coming to an end, and the excitement of a promising project season.