And back to the fence we go! This hitch we strove toward near completion of the “Buck Meadows” fenceline that we had been focusing on for the past couple of hitches. We continued to clear all trees and brush from more sections of the fence using chainsaws and hand tools, and then replaced and repaired that fence line, as we saw fit. We spent more time working together as a whole crew, as opposed to breaking up into two teams. That was a nice change for everyone, as we were able to enjoy each other’s company, and effectively repair much larger sections of wire.
We had some highlights that made our hitch more enjoyable. We found limitless numbers of untouched, delicious blackberries nestled in various spots near our work sites, and incorporated them into many a lunch. We had a couple visitors as well! Our Crew Leader Stephanie joined us in the field for a couple days, to check in with us renegades, and provide some helping hands on the fence. Our dear and wonderful program coordinator Amelyne also graced us with her presence for the last few days of hitch. It was great to work and have fun with her, and we also really appreciated the extra hands.
The terrain that we worked on seemed extra tricky at times, with the fence running along an eroded downhill slope in spots. We added a few rips to our carhartts, and slipped on the traction-less terrain more than a few times. However, we accomplished a lot of fence rebuilding this hitch, clearing approximately ¾ mile of fence line, and rebuilding 1 mile of fence. It was a great success, and will lead to our big season goal of completing the Buck Meadow fence line, which was listed as our priority fence by the Forest Service.
Numbers:
Miles of fence line cleared: ¾ mile
Miles of fence rebuilt: 1 mile
Blackberries consumed: A lot
Carhartts retired: 1 pair
