Progress Reports from the Field

Progress Report:

Program Name: Pisgah Corps Black Crest Trail Hitch 6
MDA Code: 10_NCAROL1_UFS
Max ID: 10116
Project Leader: Jonathan Kravitz
Dates: 7/26-7/29/10
Corridor Brushing 750 feet
Crushed Rock 20 feet

Hitch 6 was a tough one for the Pisgah Crew. Monday afternoon we all met up at 2 pm to prepare for our approach of the Black Mountain Crest Trail from Bolen’s Creek. The first challenge we met was trying to drive up a steeply graded dirt/rocky road in route to our campsite. The off road excursion proved to be a bigger challenge than we had expected- we had to move boulders and crush rock to prepare the road for proper drivability, which took approximately three hours. We were all very happy when Justin finally made the push to get the truck over what had been a deeply gullied rock outcropping that we filled in with lots of rock and crush. Once the truck made it over this we thought we were in the clear. Next challenge was getting the vehicle up another steeply graded and wet gravel section. We had the unfortunate experience of crunching our tailpipe in the process which meant we needed to stop our forward progress in the vehicle. We huffed it on foot and made camp at a beautiful location between two streams about 20 minutes from where we parked the truck. On Tuesday morning we awoke and headed to our tool cache approximately 5 miles away. The hike took us about 4 hours over steep grade with a 3,000 ft rise in elevation. Once at the tool cache (close to Winter Star Mountain) we immediately began brushing the trail as we had only a few hours to work before needing to turn around and go back to our distant base camp. Jon continued brushing after the members began their journey back and upon his return was notified that two members, Justin and Marion, had left the Pisgah Crew. This unfortunate event left us as a crew of 4 and on Wednesday morning we became a crew of 3 as we lost Patrick too… This experience had left us feeling uneasy at first but we have decided to push on and continue working as planned. On Wednesday Jon got the tailpipe of the truck saw-zawed while Ashley and Josh hiked up to the tool cache to clean and sharpen tools. We met up on the trail and, exhausted from another five mile hike home from work, decided to relocate the next day to a closer camp site. The Black Mountain Crest Trail is beastly and working on it has been a humbling experience. The remaining members are Josh and Ashley. They continue to show perseverance and will power in spite of these unfortunate circumstances. We will continue on the Trail next week and are anticipating less hiking as we have moved our base camp closer to our tool cache.

Any four walls are quick to become a home. Those walls may only be ten feet apart, but it seems almost instantaneous that things are put in order. Within a day the seating chart is understood and hours of silence are not uncommon. The neighbors stop by regularly and make themselves at home. Those neighbors being a pack rat that can be seen leaping in and out of his crawl space above the ceiling and a hummingbird that waltzes through the door and makes himself at home in the middle of a random conversation about K.D. Lang. After awhile it seems like nothing is new, the dangers have disappeared. The snakes are gone, the hornets have thinned. Then, on some idle Wednesday, walking to work just around the next routine turn in the trail, a bear is ravaging a grove of bushes for their fruit oblivious to the presence of others. No doubt, it is a conflict quick to wake both parties from their routine.

Nearly two miles of trail brushed, three pick-mattocks broken , one new bread-maker, 212 thimbleberries eaten, one burnt loaf of spelt bread, ten dips in the creek, one mouse found in mouse trap, two junctions passed, one oblivious black bear, and 417 trips inside cabin by one hummingbird.

For the first hitch Santa Fe 1 partnered with Santa Fe 2 to upgrade drainage and build bridges along the Winsor Trail near Tesuque and Santa Fe. The combined effort of the two crews built two bridges and numerous drainage and water retention structures on this trail.

The winsor trail is a very heavily used trail that runs from the west in Tesuque east up to the ski basin and into the Pecos Wilderness. The new bridges and water retention structures will help maintain the state of Big Tesuque Creek.

What Sisyphus learned long ago is still relevant today. When a rock twice your own weight is merely inches from its balance point, every bit of your strength and desire to succeed is what makes it go over the edge, but it’s difficult to recall Sisyphus dealing with hornets on both elbows and another hornet, who was fairly adventurous, that made it all the way up his pant leg.

250 square foot rock wall, 472 aphids inhaled, 24 hornet stings, 5 boxes Annie’s Mac N’ Cheese, 4 packets of Zatarain’s resulting in 1 upset stomach, and two nights in a new home: all to learn that if a tree falls in the middle of a wilderness, you may not be able to see it, but it certainly makes a sound.

Stats:
250 square feet of wall
2600 feet of trail brushed
50 fingers and 50 toes, all accounted for

On our fourth hitch we finally got a chance to go backpacking and camp in the backcountry! We were all a little too used our frontcountry luxuries and overloaded our packs to the point where the 3.2 mile hike in was brutal, to say the least. But we made it and were able to enjoy lots of fresh fruits and veggies, not to mention roasted marshmallows. We camped along Buck Creek and while weren't able to fully swim each day after work, per se, we could still dunk our heads in and cool off that way.

With the much shortened hike in and out each day, we were able to accomplish a lot more, despite being down a member for the majority of the hitch. Again, the work was mainly tread restoration, but some brushing and rock crushing was called for as well. I'd say that our crew has become tread experts by now, bench-cutting and backsloping our way to glory. Here are the (more easily measureable) figures for the work we accomplished on this hitch:

Total distance brushed: 0.61 miles
Total distance of tread restored: 0.57 miles