Hitch #5

Work Totals:
61 problem areas monitored along trails
26 miles hiked
2 water sources monitored
5 incursions monitored
3 miles of boundary monitored
1 area of tamarisk monitored-47 plants

Aaaaand…we’re back. Where to begin? I guess the beginning works. After getting back from a relaxing winter break, we were ready to get back out into the wilderness. So, we did just that. This hitch we were in the Carrizo Gorge and Sawtooth Mountains wildernesses. Our mission? Get some awesome hiking in and maybe do some wilderness boundary monitoring and trail monitoring done in the meantime. Well, we did just that. We arrived at our wonderfully maintained campsite (complete with outhouses!) on the 4th day of the new year, and spent the afternoon setting up camp and exploring the beautiful area that surrounded us. It was a little chilly that night (about 30 degrees), so tenting was necessary, my first time not sleeping under the stars on hitch. The next day, we monitored the western boundary of the Carrizo Gorge wilderness, marveling at the vast expanse of land that spread out before us, seeing all the way to the Salton Sea and beyond! Our fearless leader, Emily, joined us in the field that evening after a successful day taking care of her admin duties. She was not alone, however. With her was none other than Darren, our program coordinator. The next day, Darren was the focus of our attention as he gave us a talk on the values of community living and compassionate confrontation. The next morning, however, it was back to work. We readied ourselves for what was to be a two-night overnight backpacking trip into the Sawtooth Mountain wilderness. Our first day did not go exactly to plan, however, as we ended up on the trail for Sombrero Peak instead of Canebrake wash, our intended destination. All was not lost, though, because we were able to obtain some very useful data on the condition of the trail to Sombrero Peak and the actual access route itself. We camped out for the night nestled in a cozy wash, surrounded by huge boulders. We were off to the wash in the morning, cutting cross country, up and down some crazy terrain as we made the steep descent into the enormous canebrake wash. After walking along the wash, we found the trailhead for Pepperwood trail, our original target the day before. We hiked the incline out of the wash and set up camp at the top of a ridge, surrounded by majestic mountains. In the morning, we hiked all the way back to the campground, along one of the most beautiful trails I have ever had the pleasure of hiking on. We made it back to the campground just in time for lunch and then took off back to Yucca. I think I speak for the whole crew when I say that I would have loved to have more time to explore the area and see what else it had to offer, because, after the small taste I got of it, I was hungry for more.