Owens Peak Wilderness 2011-2012

Owens Peak. The southernmost emblem peak of the Sierra Nevada. Everyday it has loomed majestic above us, our benevolent overlord in the unforgiving wilderness that bears its name. We too are becoming wild like the mountains. We have grown accustomed to windy nights. We are bright eyed and keen when we walk through the canyons. The stars or the full moon illuminate our faces as we lay looking heavenward at night, the darkness surrounding them lulling us into peaceful sleep after the land has worked us weary. Our time out here has come to an end, yet these impressions are etched deeply into our skulls. We will see them when our eyes close.

We have worked to protect the wilderness from ourselves. We have left indelible marks on the land and in turn the land has left its marks on us. Some of these are visible, tangible. Others, seen only by a different set of eyes.

-Clayton Buffer

After a few days well spent in the OPW we finished our work early. As a reward for our hard work we went to visit the one and only Keith Axelson, bird man of Kelso Valley.

The crew, to say the least, was enchanted.

Then we went to All Corps. We vanquished looming hill climbs and we dodged the bullets of a cartel-related shoot out on 178. In actuality, we were nowhere near the non-fatal shooting of an unmarked policeman on that winding highway. Yet my imagination ran rampant with theories on how to escape the beautiful canyon in which we labored to disguise a cluster of unsightly hill climbs bordering the Kiawah Wilderness and the Jawbone ACEC.

All Corps provided us with fun filled entertainment: Game night, a dance party, an iron chef cook off involving sweet potatoes, pears, onions, and tofu, and unforgettably the UNIVERSAL HEARTBEAT.

And so we bid farewell to our fellow delusional comrades, stewards of the desert, in search of divergent futures.

So long, it has been a blast.

-Dawn

This hitch went by smoothly and was filled to the brim with fences for us to both scout and build. We first started off with a little change of scenery compared to our past hitches, because this is the first time we camped in the beautiful Indian Wells Canyon. We started off the work schedule by splitting into two groups and having one work in Short Canyon to complete the first half of a fence line there, while the other group went to finish the infamous No Name Canyon fence. After we got the two half braces ( which are the end pieces ) for No Name done, the rest of the work, like pounding t-posts and stringing wire, was relatively easy and we were able to finish the fence in just over two days. With those two projects finished, we were able to give all our attention to the other half of the Short Canyon fence, where we all worked on preparing it to have some varied work for the upcoming volunteer event with Kate and Nate!
We packed up camp a little early this hitch due to inclement weather and also due to the fact that we had to spend a couple nights at the house anyway to help the Rands with their outreach, so we thought it was best to not leave camp unattended with the possibility of property damage from people who might be feeling a little reckless during their Easter break. We had Outreach on day 7 with our Rands brethren, and it consisted of all of us breaking into groups of 3 and 2, plus one BLM worker, and going off to different areas around the Rands Mountains and handing out permits to OHV'ers, who were coming from everywhere to go riding in the great Mojave desert during their Easter break. It was a pretty uneventful day for everybody, as we spent most of the time reading and chatting with each other and the dirt bike/ATV riders.
We spent the rest of hitch at the house and drove out into the field for work for the next 2 days, which consisted of a lot of time trafficking supplies up to the back of Indian Wells Canyon, where we will be working for a lot of next hitch and probably the one after. With our last 2 days of work finished, we were able to relax and get a head start on post-hitch, which allowed us to finish very early on actual post-hitch day. This was a very productive hitch and left us off at a good starting point for the next one. And once again, we are going to be able to work with KATE & NATE! Something we are all super pumped about. Well, that's all I got, thanks for reading and stay tuned for the next Owen's Peak blog report.This hitch went by smoothly and was filled to the brim with fences for us to both scout and build. We first started off with a little change of scenery compared to our past hitches, because this is the first time we camped in the beautiful Indian Wells Canyon. We started off the work schedule by splitting into two groups and having one work in Short Canyon to complete the first half of a fence line there, while the other group went to finish the infamous No Name Canyon fence. After we got the two half braces ( which are the end pieces ) for No Name done, the rest of the work, like pounding t-posts and stringing wire, was relatively easy and we were able to finish the fence in just over two days. With those two projects finished, we were able to give all our attention to the other half of the Short Canyon fence, where we all worked on preparing it to have some varied work for the upcoming volunteer event with Kate and Nate!
We packed up camp a little early this hitch due to inclement weather and also due to the fact that we had to spend a couple nights at the house anyway to help the Rands with their outreach, so we thought it was best to not leave camp unattended with the possibility of property damage from people who might be feeling a little reckless during their Easter break. We had Outreach on day 7 with our Rands brethren, and it consisted of all of us breaking into groups of 3 and 2, plus one BLM worker, and going off to different areas around the Rands Mountains and handing out permits to OHV'ers, who were coming from everywhere to go riding in the great Mojave desert during their Easter break. It was a pretty uneventful day for everybody, as we spent most of the time reading and chatting with each other and the dirt bike/ATV riders.
We spent the rest of hitch at the house and drove out into the field for work for the next 2 days, which consisted of a lot of time trafficking supplies up to the back of Indian Wells Canyon, where we will be working for a lot of next hitch and probably the one after. With our last 2 days of work finished, we were able to relax and get a head start on post-hitch, which allowed us to finish very early on actual post-hitch day. This was a very productive hitch and left us off at a good starting point for the next one. And once again, we are going to be able to work with KATE & NATE! Something we are all super pumped about. Well, that's all I got, thanks for reading and stay tuned for the next Owen's Peak blog report.

The tenth hitch of the marvelous Owens Peak Wilderness Crew began with the addition of an important new member, Mr. Steve E. Chuckles, a pug dog with the neck of a linebacker and a heart of gold. Armed with disarmingly good looks and a propensity for napping, Mr. Chuckles' addition to crew life had an undeniably positive effect. When asked why he came to the crew house he replied, "I could see that I was needed here. There's work to be done".

And what wise words these turned out to be. The crew did indeed have quite the workload, and the work was fencing. With the aid of Mr. Chuckles' strong shoulders, the crew strung fence so strong and so straight that even the most determined of trespassers would think twice about trying to breech the formidable defenses of the wilderness. In the face of adversity, once more embodied by strong canyon winds gusting over 50 miles per hour, the once naked and vulnerable areas of Nine Mile Canyon and the Spring Creek Trail were clothed in beautiful shimmering wire, of both barbed and smooth varieties.

Upon completion of their work, and retreating from merciless wind to the safe confines of Crew Headquarters in Ridgecrest, the brave stewards of Owens Peak looked upon all that the had done, smiled and said "It is good". Mr. Steve E. Chuckles smiled with them and then took a nap. Lulled into that magical slumber brought on only by hard work, the crew rested a night, only to wake on post-hitch morning to find their new pug-dog companion gone. He left only a note written in Pugspeak. Fortunately, crew member Brendan Knipfing, a polyglot of immense talent, was able to translate this message; "Press onward, ye fine stewards. Rejoice in thy work and thy friendship. Woof".

-Clayton Buffer

Ed. Note: Mr. Steve E. Chuckles currently resides in the Ridgecrest Animal Shelter, where he was brought on Prehitch 10. If you are a kind and loving soul, please consider adopting our dear friend.

60% through the season, whoa. Less than 100 days left in the season, double whoa.

We finally made it back to the homeland, Owens Peak Wilderness Area. The sun was shining, the frogs were chirping (in the swimming hole), and the fencing was on!

The first two days we spent with our trusted BLM contact, Marty. We learned the ins and outs of a simple rock supported fence, and the ways around doing a standard H brace supported fence. With more thoughts than seconds in the day, Marty filled our brains with every little trick she could think of.

The next two days (hitch days 4&5) we spent learning the finer details of fencing from Alex The Laughmatic Thompson. Specifically, we were schooled in the finer points of placing H braces, bollard angles and the ways to keep a fence as straight as possible. Working in 9 mile canyon, across a dirt road from the LA aqueduct, we were able to have contact with other government agencies of LA DWP and a few BLM rangers. With lots of questions, and many more laughs we were able to string and complete our first fencing section. This gave Alex the comfort to take off the training wheels, and all of Owens was ready to cruise.

Days 6-8, still fencing. Still working out the details of our 9 mile canyon fence. Splitting into two teams, we worked faster than jackrabbits. Finishing another 4 sections of fence, we were finally able to put down the barbwire that we all love so much.

Day 9 – We embark to Shoshone! This year we were granted the experience of visiting our Sierra Club friends at the annual spring Shoshone meeting. Being a part of the Desert Restoration Crew, we obviously had to take the desert route to Shoshone, Aka through Death Valley National Park. The drive was long, it was tough, and it made our diesel engines purr like tickled kittens.
Stopping in Stovepipe Wells, we were able to make a lasting impression on the other visitors with our antics, our handstands, and our overall rambunctious moods (in no way enhanced by our 4+ hour drive).

Days 10 & 11 - the Shoshone fun festival. Cramped within the repurposed chicken coop called the flower building, the desert activists gathered and discussed the issues that are threatening the desert wilderness. Large scale solar and wind projects were the main focus of the talks. It was encouraging to see that people outside of the DRC care for desert tortoises. It was also encouraging to see a large spread group of people that enjoy the work that the DRC is doing.
Everything was quite normal, as far as the desert goes, until Richard’s ashes were placed on the head table during the meeting…

We said our good byes, we packed up the trucks and said farewell to the quaint little town of Shoshone. Now we are home, looking forward to taking a trip south and perfecting our LNT skills.

- Luke

We decided to start the New Year off with a little change of scenery this hitch. We had the fortunate opportunity of working with our great friends from the Golden Valley crew at the Grass Valley wilderness area. They welcomed us with open arms and enough work to keep all 14 of us busy the entire hitch. We ended up working on a staggering 975m incursion for most of the hitch that was right on the north east boundary of Grass Valley, which lead to a large denuded area which we filled with some beautiful creosote. But I don’t want to get too ahead of myself, so I’ll start from the beginning.

We first started by splitting into two pods, where one finished up an incursion from one the previous hitches, and the other got to work on our big boy I mentioned before. One especially handsome fellow sadly had some stomach issues and needed to leave the field, but came back the next day ready for work. Due to the size of this incursion, we had 3 trucks out at a time every day collecting mulch from all over Grass Valley. After 6 days of decompacting, mulching, and planting bushes (504 to be exact), we finally finished up our long stretch and now had to focus our work on the denuded area. We started off with some more decompaction and hole digging when we realized we did not have near enough creosote around us to satisfy our holes (Sorry couldn’t think of a more appropriate way to phrase it). So for the first time ever, the Owen’s Peak crew (along with Golden Valley of course) had to take out the trucks to collect some creosote. It was nice at first, but to be completely honest, I wouldn’t mind if I never had to collect creosote again (Just kidding, it wasn’t that bad). We ended up finishing the area on our last day of work and we all agreed that it couldn’t look any better. We then headed back to camp so I could present my Environmental Education (or should I say discussion) on human impact on the environment. After that, we segregated as crews so we could have our post hitch meetings and then relax until we packed up for an early leave in the morning.

Work wasn’t the only thing we did this hitch though, there were plenty of dance parties and games of catch phrase going around as well. We also were lucky enough to be around for Audrey’s EE on constellation mythology which was very informative. There were also some games of Bocce Ball happening which, if you didn’t know, requires you to throw a small ball then throw some big balls at it after. Sometimes the simplest games are the best though. The meals were great, the days were windless, and the sunrises and sunsets could just bring tears to your eyes. So essentially what I’m trying to get at is that this was a hitch that we shall never forget, and we hope that we will be able to work with Golden Valley again some time in the near future. Asta la vista baby.

Sincerely,
Brendan Knipfing and the Flowin’ Owens

If one word could summarize the experience of the Owens Peak Wilderness Crew in this most recent hitch, the word would be "rugged". "Extreme" would be a close second. "Formidable" would get the bronze. Mother Nature put the crew's mettle to the test this hitch, throwing everything their way from wind speeds reaching triple digits to temperatures ranging from pleasant 70 degree sunshine to cold. And by cold I mean teeth chattering, yes your breath is visible and your water is frozen, well into the 20's cold. But the PB&Js perservered, of course, and laughed merrily all along the way (except for one time that wasn't very funny which you'll read about a few paragraphs down).

Camped in the way way back of Short Canyon, a place that is generally agreed upon within the crew as the coolest canyon for miles around, the Owens crew felt rejuvenated by their newfound, blissful solitude. Bounded only by boulders and the great blue sky, Short Canyon is a place of immense natural beauty and an excellent escape from the anxieties of modern living. The bulk of their work took place in this canyon and another lovely canyon, Sand Canyon (which is in fact a bit of a misnomer. There are many sandier places than Sand Canyon within its vicinity). These settings in and of themselves were great contributors to the crew's morale in tough times.

Work, for the crew, varied from place to place. The PBJs finished up some masterful restoration in Sand Canyon, while simultaneously serving justice to a couple of ne'erdowells who had violated the laws of the Land (specifically land belonging to BLM, and as we all know you don't fool with those guys. They're tough on crime). The crew built their muscles by carrying straw bales up a tall and steep hillside, to heights that the average man may call "ridiculous". But the Owens have proved themselves time and time again above average and that hill looked like Cinderella after Fairy Godmother got through with her; straight up beautiful.

Speaking of above average and straight up beautiful, the crew celebrated the birth anniversary of Michigan's pride and joy, Miriam "Slow Robot" Maier, who on the 30th of November reached the divisible by 11 age of 22. At midnight under the full moon Miriam somehow became more awesome than she already was. This was made evident by her luminescent green eyes, which began to shoot lightning bolts that turned whatever they touched into awesome. This was an awesome spectacle.

The smooth joyousness that flowed throughout the first half of the hitch was abruptly disrupted, however, by a thing we have come to know as WIND. We are all familiar with wind. However, WIND (notice the capitalization) is a beast far more cunning, and terrible in its cruelty. WIND will make military surplus tents explode. WIND will take clothing and toss it any which way, not caring if it's a favorite hat, or a last clean pair of underwear. WIND will tear kitchens to pieces and make even the bravest of humans cower in search of shelter from its wrath. Owens experienced WIND, and the examples presented above are not fictitious. Such trials did the crew endure.

After a sleepless night thanks to WIND, and after realizing that their kitchen tent, the Green Monster, had succombed to the pressures of WIND (as so many hardy tents before her had. R.I.P.) the Owens realized they needed to formulate a new plan. They set out to work, while their fearless leader Dawn "Diesel" Scheckman set off to the land outside of the canyon to seek aid. Not long had she been gone before the crew's prayers were answered. The crew packed up the tattered remnants of their camp to escape the wrath of WIND and move into the sweet respite offered in the refuge of in the land of Jawbone.

Joining forces with the Jawboners was exactly what the Owens crew needed. Who needs sleep when companionship is present? Sharing food, laughter, labor, music and a functional kitchen tent, the crews finished off their hitches together in near connubial bliss. Together the crews lasted through bitter cold that came with the night. And in the end they rejoiced together in their triumph, the endurance of another hitch, the celebration of the diverse forces of nature, and the power of friendship!

-Clayton Buffer

Hitch three began in, well, an interesting fashion. Two of our crew members lost in death valley, the rest of us tried to stick to a normal schedule while waiting anxiously for information about them. Finally around dinner time, they arrived back at the house after a helicopter evacuation, safe and sound, with minimal scratching. We headed out the next day bright and early to set up camp back in Sand Canyon and get to work. Our first project was a beastly one, but we put on our game faces and began to think up creative ways of lugging 50 heavy straw bales up a very steep, 700 meter hill climb. For most of us, hay hooks were extremely awkward to use, although Luke took to using them like he was Captain Hook’s long lost brother. We finally decided that we had better cut the bales in half, to make them easier to carry for those of us who lack superhuman strength. Using webbing, we rigged up a system for making handles so that we could heave the bales on our backs, with straps hanging over our shoulders to hold onto. Many of the people driving by on the road stopped and with much confusion, asked us why on earth we were carrying them up that hill. We asked ourselves the same question. Once we got the bales all lined up on the hill, our next step was to dig trenches to bury them halfway into the ground so that they could help prevent erosion by dispersing water when it runs down the hill (oh right, that’s why we did it.) After that, it was time to do restoration in between the bales. Spending days on this incursion, it was very rewarding to finish it off, and leave the straw bales behind for now. On day 5, we had two volunteers from the Sierra Club, Kate and Nate, come stay with us for a couple nights to help on some projects. Oh, we were excited to have some fresh faces and fresh stories. They were a really wonderful couple, very eager to help and learn about our work, and share insights of their own. We spend the day with them finishing up an incursion in Short Canyon that we had started last hitch. It was sad to see them go, but they might come back sometime in the spring to stay with us again (fingers crossed!). Without our lively volunteers, and with a sharp increase in wind speed, the next two days were spent quietly working on a couple of incursions further back in Sand Canyon. We quickly learned how challenging it can be to stay on your feet when you are carrying a large pile of brush and a sudden gust of wind knocks into you. We also learned that sometimes in order to stay sane, it is necessary to spend your morning break inside the truck, the only place in camp that is windproof. On our last day in the field, we were supposed to be spending time helping Sand Canyon Bob (a really charming fellow) take apart the dam in the swimming hole to let it drain and then collecting the trash from the bottom. Alas, some unexpected events came up, and Bob was not able to stay for more than an hour. So, we collected some trash from around the campsite instead, and made him promise to come back in the spring. After he left, we finished up some loose ends on the straw bale incursion, and called it quits. After dinner, we retired for the night at around 7PM (we are going to bed earlier and earlier, and now can hardly stay up till 7:30), and woke up at 5am to pack up our camp and escape back to Ridgecrest, away from the mouse turds, wind, and cold that are constant fixtures in our life in the Owens Peak Wilderness. Until next time...

-Miriam

P.S. As ToCo, Miriam read us creation stories about the moon on some evenings and presented us with interesting facts about that big bright thing.
-Dawn

The first hitch of the Owens Peak Crew; as fantastic a tale as ever was told within the city limits of the pristine metropolis that is Ridgecrest, CA. The self-proclaimed PB&J's assembled and prepared at their headquarters on Hood Ave after having enjoyed a long weekend of travels far and wide around the Golden State. Guided by their fearless leader, Dawn "The Godfather" Scheckman, the crew spent their first day learning the ins and outs of their soon-to-be home, the Owens Peak Wilderness Area, at the Ridgecrest Field office of the Bureau of Land Management, a sort of super hero training school for wouldbe conservationists. Alongside the Owens Crew were their faithful allies, the Golden Valley Crew. Both crews were schooled in the arts of safety, archaelogy, biodiversity, the importance of conservation and many other incredibly helpful subjects integral to living and working in the desert. Already, the Owens Crew was beginning to sense the adventures to come in the next 9 days.

After an eventful few hours of preparation and packing, the Owens Crew headed out to begin their work. Waking up in the mornings each day at 6:00 AM (give or take 30 minutes) the crew was greeted by the sunrise as they ate warm breakfast and sipped hot coffee. Arriving at the worksite, they took time to stretch their muscles, do yoga in the dirt road, and prepare themselves for a long, hot day of difficult work. Work this hitch meant covering up incursions, illegal routes branching off of established roads within the wilderness area. The crew required heavily on its super ability to work as a team, establishing tasks, jobs to be done, and most importantly communicating so efficiently the untrained eye might suspect telepathy between them. At lunch they huddled together in what little shade was offered by their trucks, ate, laughed and were content.

Some days were easier than others for the crew. One road was particularly tricky. It's soil was hard and tightly compacted, and it's length meant it would require both a tremendous amount of holes be dug and an equally daunting amount of vertical mulch be collected to fill these holes. It proved to be tough work as the crew picked, dug, and planted away for several days. It's difficulty, however, proved to be its charm for the crew, who quickly grew fond of the challenges it presented. Seeing it transformed at the completion of their work, the Owens Peak Crew felt both happy with their work but also at home in the wilderness. They were also ready for dinner.

This was true of everyday after work for the crew. Dinner is the most sacred of all rituals in the Owens Peak Wilderness Area. The crew feasted each night on delicious vegetarian meals, from hearty Pasta Primavera, to tangy Brooklyn Pad Thai. The menu at the Green Monster was a veritable masterpiece of cuisine which most visitors to the desert are hard-pressed to find. Watching the sunset and filling their bellies, the crew talked, played music, danced and joked each night waiting for the moon to rise, or until they fell asleep under the stars.

The crew is looking forward to continuing to work and explore the wilderness. Many more challenges await and they are ready and rearing to get back in the field. Stay tuned.

-Clayton

The second season of restoration work in the Owens Peak Wilderness is under way. The crew, gathered from every corner of the country and mildly favoring the mid-west, has pushed through new experiences, taken on unanticipated but rewarding challenges, and has thought deeply about what it means to live within an intentional community.

Each member has put a remarkable amount of dedication and interest into preparing locally sourced meals from "scratch." Homemade peanut butter and almond butter have been enjoyed by all. Quinoa is the new food of choice for some and fruits and veggies from our CSA have inspired amazing impromptu meal improvisations.

The same dedication and interest brought to food preparation has been applied to all of the work. Each crew member is eager to take on new challenges as well as bring their experiences and knowledge to the fore. I have never witnessed such fierce and defined spotting skills. I have never encountered so many individuals who are bursting to learn how to ratchet a truck's cargo.

And greater still is the interest the crew has taken in our wilderness area and desert life. Owens Peak Wilderness is a striking landscape of jagged mountain peaks. Our campground on LA 1 affords expansive views of the valley floor below and at dusk it gives the observer the feeling of being on Mars. The wilderness area is teeming with rich anthropological and natural history. A hike up the mule trail in Short Canyon, coupled with some time for quiet reflection, gave the crew some time to unwind and to think about the way humans use desert space. The mule trail is a vestige of LA Aqueduct history. Pack animals carved this path while carrying the cast iron materials for its construction at the turn of the 20th century. As we climbed we encountered a fractured adult desert tortoise shell. This sad occurrence brought home the importance of habitat preservation for this endangered species.

As the crew adapts to a new way of life, it is clear that the forming stage is well underway. Laughter resounds from every corner of the house and inside jokes abound.

Over their rest days, the crew is running errands and will be bringing peanut butter cookies to their neighbors as a way to introduce themselves to the community at large. Around these parts we are known as "tortoise lovers" and many folks are confused by what it is that we are doing around here. Perhaps it is time we began bridging the gap between the wilderness boundary and the Ridgecrest city limits.

Soon the crew will be heading out to Great Falls Basin near Trona, CA, for a seventeen day training covering everything from restoration theory to wilderness medicine.

And so another season in the OPW begins, filled with great promise and potential.