A Trail Crew for 2023

[Paul Wagner]

I’m just back from a week working on a volunteer trail crew in the Mokelumne Wilderness. The trip into Moraine Lake was organized by the American Hiking Society, and led by staff from the US Forest Service. And it was full of fun, adventure, and damn hard work.

We had a mighty hailstorm (and a corresponding tent failure) health issues, lost hikers, buck saws, axes, Pulaskis and McLeods.  We did rock work, lopping, sawyering, hoeing, tamping and scraping.  We got bug bites, sun burns, tummy cramps, and sore, sore muscles.

Looking foward to the next one.  Here’s the whole story:

https://www.backpackthesierra.com/post/high-ho-high-ho

[Mark Verber]

This is great… thanks for your service, sharing this most recent experience, and your list of orgs that welcome people to work on their crews. I was hoping to join in this year but despite being disciplined to do my PT, my shoulder is still frozen.  Hoping it will be functional again next year and I will be able to join in, and re-live those teenage years filled with Boy Scout service projects :)

[Paul Wagner]

Thanks. Mark.  All of those organizations are still active.  Hope someone here gets out with one of them and gets a few things done!

[Paul Wagner]

Just did another four days in the mountains as a wilderness volunteer–this time in Desolation Wilderness. What fun! Met lots of good people, answered a few questions, did a little hiking, and got to know the hikers and neighbors in a really lovely part of the Sierra.

The full blog post about it, with a few photos, is here: https://www.backpackthesierra.com/post/meet-and-greet-at-the-trailhead

[David Thomas]

Why do you have two chainsaws to cut one tree?

For when the first chainsaw gets stuck!

For those really tricky cuts, I’ll do lots of notches from all sides.  It’s a lot more cutting, but less “Aw, crap!” moments.

 

When coming down from Half Dome last week, we passed Eastern Sierra Conservation Corps workers and I thanked each of them for all the work they do.  Most people don’t think about how that 300-pound rock got there to anchor the base of a trail section, but I know someone spent a long hot day to accomplish that.

[Paul Wagner]

Thanks, David.  We do hear some kind words as we work…

But chain saws? We’re working in designated wilderness areas, so no motors allowed.  We even rub dirt on the end cuts of the logs to make them look more weathered.  A new version of LNT!

[David Thomas]

An Elbonian goes to the chainsaw store to get a saw that can cut 6 cords of wood a day.  He returns it, frustrated that working very hard, all day long, he could only cut one cord.  The tech takes it out back to test it, pulls the starting cord, and the Elbonian exclaims, “What’s that noise?!?”

[Paul Wagner]

Thank you, David!  That’s going on the bulletin board!

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