Hitch 3 North Zone Trails, Hitch Co-Lead: Jeff and Dan

North Zone Trails
Hitch #3
On hitch #3, the North Zone Trails crew (Dan & Jeff) worked on Sheep Creek Trail, an access to the Continental Divide Trail. We spent the first few days brushing extensively and focusing on the reestablishment of a section of trail that had become a small stream. Later, we moved camp to a higher elevation, where we worked on widening a long portion of trail (~1/2 mile). The trail traversed a steep, open hillside, and its narrowness imposed a significant danger on pack animals. While we worked on this section, our Forest Service partner went ahead to clear the trail of downed trees to Bradley Gulch. In addition to widening that section, we constructed two retaining walls in order to eliminate sharp dips. Towards the end of the hitch, we did a bit more brushing and spot tread work where the need was greatest. In several locations, we re-established the trail route where downed trees had led to user “re-routes”. For such a small crew, we got quite a lot of work done during our 8 day hitch; though the weather was quite hot and the work strenuous, the results and the views we encountered along the way made the experience rewarding.