Hitch #4 Blog Post by AJ Baeseman - 2016 Wilderness Ranger Intern
On a hot, sunny day in July, volunteers and SBFC members met up in Yellow Pine to take on the most famous section of the Idaho Centennial Trail, Marble Creek. Everyone had different motives for giving their time off to do work improving our trails; some were avid ICT hikers trying to make the trail more accessible, others to enjoy the beautiful scenery of the RIver of No Return, and others still who just love to roll up their sleeves and move some logs.
Lida Wise, Payette Lead Steward (above), lining out the plans for the week with the crew.
During the week, our fantastic packers, Bill and Joe, shuttled our kitchen and extra gear to our camp. A few volunteers even got to work on their horsemanship skills.
Bill shows Hannah some riding skills.
The most technical and strenuous work, however, started about 6 miles in when the crew collided with the renowned marble creek log jam. A combination of beaver architecture and avalanche behavior, the log jam was a formidable obstacle for both hikers and trail dogs alike.
Lida and Dave assessing the situation on the far side of the jam
The very real challenge when dealing with log jams is that everything is connected. Moving one log has consequences that can be far reaching and interfere with the disposal of other logs, or even create more danger for the crews working there. Every cut made has to be carefully thought through, and even when you have the perfect plan, proper execution can be challenging. Trees can be very heavy and unpredictable.
A hard earned lunch time
Everyone put a huge amount of effort into making Marble Creek a better trail, and for that we thank you! However, there still is a lot more work to be done and Lida will be returning with another group of volunteers in late August to try and finish what we have started (some brave souls are returning for the second trip!)
