Gettin' It Done!

Tools of the Trade~

National Trails Day!  A super sunshine morning to meet up at the Pilchuck Glass School parking for our work party!  A combination of Trailduster's & Cascade Horse Club members, along with neighbors & a couple representatives from a local bike club.

Where do we go from here?

As Linda has mentioned often, the hardest part of the job is organizing all the volunteers & sending then out to the various trails!  We ended up with a good group - probably close to 20 people & several that knew the trails well enough to head out & attack the trail of their choice!

Discussing the sign-in sheets~

We had to sign hold-harmless releases for the tree farm, then sign in to our respective BCH Chapters.  Paperwork out of the way - it wasn't long before we'd dispersed!  Butch & I had planned to work on one of the trails that leaves the Monument.  Heavily overgrown & tree branches in your face when you're riding.

Butch on the trail~

 With Butch using the weed-whacker ahead, I took my pruners & started in on the trees.  What a job!  I cut each & every one way back to the truck of the tree!  I'd get one done, turn back to look - & see everything I'd missed!  With the branches removed - it gives the blackberry vines one less thing to climb.  Where I could I walked back in & cut the blackberry at it's base - which might slow it down for a week or two :-)

Looking back at my work~

I don't know how far I got - not far enough - not out of the trees, but to where I stopped - this trail will not have to have limbs cut for a long while!  We headed back to the parking area after noon. 

There were a few horse trailers in the parking lot, several riders I knew rode back in.  I know all too many people who ride here frequently - who have never - to my knowledge attended a work party...  I personally would have a hard time justifying my use of this private land - without volunteering at least one day a year to maintain the trails - but that's just me.

On the door of the BCH Trailer~

Lunch was set out & boy did it look good!  Another big thank you - to the ladies who provided the wonderful food.  Homemade potato salad, baked beans, hot dogs, chips, mellons etc.  The ice cream treats - really hit the spot!

I loved the bandana on the inside of the door to the BCH Tool Trailer :-)  Really a Super day's work for a super crew of people, none too busy to volunteer their time to keep our trails open!

National Trails Day!

Butch weed whacking up the trail~

We were up early, on the road & to the parking area by 9 a.m. meeting up with a group that consisted mostly - actually entirely of the Trailduster Chapter of BCH.  What a great bunch of people!  There was a trailer full of equipment - pick your poison!  I took my loppers, Butch took the weed whacker & away we went!  It was actually a perfect day to work outside, enough cloud cover to keep the temperature down, but we were all sweating in no time flat!

Cleared trail!

Linda wanted a new trail put in where the logging had taken one out, so we got that done.  Butch & I worked on the upper trail & cleaned it up too.  Then we all got into trucks & headed to more trail that needed work.  There we found two prints in the mud!

My foot by the print!

The group consensus was Black Bear!  No claws showing, they have them retracted unlike Grizzly's - who's prints do show claw marks.  We didn't see the Bear, or smell him, but with so many people making so much noise, I'm sure he left the area!

After all our work, we had Pizza!  Yum!  It felt good to get out & work.  It felt good to do something for the trails that I use so often.  The BCH do over 60,000 hours of trail clearing a year on public lands, private too.  So, if you didn't do your share today - then be sure you find a day that you can & get out there!  Linda would be more than happy to point you in a direction & to a trail that needs work!  This time of year the greenery takes over & that includes stinging nettles!