Day one was a pre-hitch day, and we kept ourselves busy with preparations for the long drive to Blythe. About six hours of our second day was spent in the car, but we arrived at our campground near Blythe just in time to set up camp and enjoy the fantastic dinners prepared by all the DRC crews. Luckily for us, because we soon found out that we would need all the energy we could muster for the next three days. The Allcorp project was to restore five separate hill climbs and to construct a post and cable fence around the base of the hill. All the DRC crews members were mixed up and reassigned to form six Allcorp ‘pods’, each of which would tackle a different area of the project. The first day of Allcorp, each pod began moving vast amounts of rock and dirt to fill in their respective incursions. On the second day, it began to be apparent that some incursions would need more attention than others. Some pods combined to add more man power, and together we fought the strong winds and nonstop dirt to the face. Fire lines were formed, and bag after heavy bag, all full with rocks and soil, were passed up and down the incursions, filling in eroded areas, and matching color to the surrounding areas. The third day continued much like the previous two, and we all felt the satisfaction when two of the incursions disappeared into the hillside and three others neared completion. The fence was constructed, posts cemented into the ground, and cable threaded from end to end. A riotous ‘Ugly Sweater Extravaganza Competition’ ended Allcorp, and the following day, each crew departed Blythe, feeling sore and still reeking of garlic from our Ajo Fiesta dinner.
After another full day of driving, we arrived in Shoshone for the Sierra Club conference. We listened to a variety of presenters speak on topics such as renewable energy, wilderness areas, and more. It was an interesting and educational two days, and we felt very welcomed and appreciated for our conservation work there. On our last work day of Hitch 7, we went back out to our long neglected Jawbone campsite, and continued work on our hard barrier. We will all be looking forward to next hitch, when this project is finally completed.
