Hitch Leader: Emily Gelanto
Hitch 8: Inyo Mountains, Bishop, CA
Day 1: Today was the first day of our second hitch in Bishop. We got up early, packed up our camp and trailer at Horton Campground, and set off to do some food shopping and other preparatory errands in town. We then met up with Scott Justham, our BLM contact, packed up the rigs, and began our 3 hour drive to the Inyo Mountains where we’d be camping. The roads up to our campsite are pretty rough. One point of the journey is called “The Gauntlet,” which appropriately conveys how ridiculous this road is. We made it up safetly, set up base camp, and got to know Dave Kirk, a Mt. Whitney ranger/local famous artist, that would be working with us for the next few days.
Day 2: We started the day by working on a site that amounts nearly half a mile! We did some vertical mulching and decompaction of soil to erase the traces of an old road. We were having lunch at the old, abandoned Burgess Mine when we saw a NAVY rescue helicopter drop something in the distance, and then proceed to circle us in the air! So we spent the greater part of an afternoon searching for what the helicopter dropped, while also exploring the N.Y. Butte trail. After we searched to no avail, we continued working and finished off the site for the day!
Day 3: We finished 6 restoration sites today, and after such great work we went back to our campsite for some native Mormon Tea, which we picked ourselves.
Day 4: We worked through 8 more sites today, and unfortunately had to say goodbye to Dave Kirk. However, Scott Justham came to help us out for the next few days and brought us 2 dozen donuts, which were gone in about 5 minutes.
Day 5: Since we were working so outstandingly, Scott took us on a hike through the N.Y. Butte trail. We signed the register (representing SCA!) and then continued to hike around the area. We spontaneously decided to hike an interesting peak we saw in the distance which turned out to be called Survivor Peak. The last person to sign the register signed it 5 years ago! The hike was amazing and rewarding and we got to see a lot more of the Inyo Mountains!
Day 6: We moved 2 signs around our campsite to better convey the wilderness boundary, and then finished a site that ended up being over 2000 feet long!
Day 7: We finished 2 sites today, and also got the chance to meet up with Scott again, as well as Bernadette, the Bishop BLM Manager. Again, they brought us 2 dozen donuts which were quickly demolished leaving us all not wanting donuts for a day or so. Bernadette wanted our feedback, which we greatly appreciated, and we tossed around some great ideas for the future of the program.
Day 8: We drove up to the historic Salt Tram Transfer Station and did some clean up work around there. Then Scott met up with us and we drove back to our campsite to do some more wilderness boundary work.
Day 9: We got up early, packed up our belongings, tools and group gear and started the drive out. We did some work along the way, finishing up all the sites we had been working so hard on these past 2 hitches. We then visited the Lone Pine Film Museum, and the Manzanaar Internment Camp Museum so we could learn more about the area we’ve been working in all month. Lastly, we came back to the BLM office for some much needed showers.
