Carly Stinson
Wilderness Steward
June 23-July 1
Salmon-Challis NF
We worked up from the Beaver Creek trailhead through a large burn from 2012. We primarily focused on logout although we also cleared many drains along the way. Over the first three unseasonably warm days of our hitch we cleared trail #21 to the junction with trail #22. There were still large patches of snow on the North side of the saddle. We then cleared trail #22 along the ridge and down to the junction with trail #14. The trail is very out sloped here with long sections of side hilling.
Along trail #14 we encountered two jackstraws left by avalanches. We were able to clear these and down the trail to within a mile of the junction with the Fall Creek trail #20. Despite a couple days of late June snow we cleared many logs including 799 small trees.
Ruffneck View -At
9407’ the Lookout on Ruffneck Peak provides views of Ruffneck Lake and Island Lake, with the Sawtooths and Whitecouds in the distance.
Avalanche_Debris: Large avalanches deposited piles of trees in the trail slowing our progress towards Fall Creek.
Avalanche_Cleared: Wilderness Steward Justine Bright stands in the freshly cleared trail.