Ariel Centeno

Wilderness Ranger Fellow

Frank Church River of No Return Wilderness

Hitch 5- Marble Creek | August 2-9

George Lucas once said that Star Wars is like poetry…it rhymes. I don’t fully know if that applies to trail work, but it’s a quote that kept rolling around in my head on Marble Creek. Being the last hitch of our season, I kept reflecting on our first hitch on the Chamberlain trail. On our first hitch, we hiked up a canyon, on our last, we hiked down a canyon. That’s like poetry, right?

Unlike Chamberlain, this time I felt far more mentally and physically prepared to take on Marble Creek. Maybe a little too prepared. Marble was different than the rest of our hitches for the best reasons. This time around, our 3 man crew of Dylan, Julian, and I were accompanied by an awesome group of volunteers and a cowboy poet and his pack of mules. This group was an eclectic mix of chefs, trail workers, sign makers, rafters, entrepreneurs, firefighters/professors, nutritionists, worm farmers, farmer market ninjas, and everything in between. The one thing we all had in common is that when it was time to work, we WORKED.

Most of Marble was already cleared of trees when we got down there, however, the trail was basically hidden by overgrown grasses, bushes, and rockslides. This time around, we traded our saws for Pulaskis. The first few work days we focused on brushing, lopping, and clearing those rockslides to make the first few miles of Marble a dream to hike through. Flower meadows, beaver dams, and plenty of creek crossings.

*Breakfast, lunch and snacks packed in for Marble Creek*

Actually, too many creek crossings. By the third workday, I think most of us gave up on switching out our boots for sandals. Marble Creek seems to be a little infamous for the number of creek crossings it has. Each crossing just happens to be spaced out so that as soon as your socks begin to dry, there’s another crossing. Wet feet, wet boots, cloudy days, and cold mornings.

*Dylan cooking breakfast for the trail crew*

Food. Lots of food. Thanks to volunteers, we traded instant rice and ramen for Spaghetti Carbonara, chili, mac and cheese that isn’t just noodles and cheese powder. And for dessert? Candy, so much candy. It's not a proper hitch without at least 3 Starbursts a day.

Switching back to the work, we actually ran into an SCA crew that was working from the opposite end of the trail. They let us know that they cleared their end of the trail with the exception of 3 trees. They told us they weren’t able to cut them due to the size and nature of them. So of course, we NEEDED to get to them. Those SCA guys weren’t kidding. Of all the trees Julian, Dylan, and I have cut, these were by far the most tricky ones. The first was a no-brainer but was one of the largest we’ve cut this season. Trees 2 and 3…. Yikes.

*Tree number 2. The steep angle, loose rocks and hanging roots made this a challenging cut (Photo by Michelle Florence)*

Managing to clear the second tree was one of the most rewarding experiences this summer.

Tree three, however, was basically impossible to clear with just our saws. I wouldn’t call it a defeat, more of a strategic retreat. Still, just one downed tree on the entire trail? That’s a win by my standards.

Okay, so maybe it wasn’t anything like Chamberlain other than it also being a canyon. Maybe less like a poem, and more like a victory lap. Good company, good food, good views, mules for ambiance, and one really awesome gift from John, one of the volunteers. Marble Creek really was a great way to end the season.

*The Marble Creek team posing with our Frank Church signs made by volunteer John (Trailhead DesignWorks)*

ARIEL CENTENO

Payette National Forest | Frank Church-RONR Wilderness

Florida International University

Sustainability & the Environment

Ariel grew up in the suburbs of Miami, FL. He became interested in the outdoors after going camping for the first time in early high school. After that trip, he made an effort to go as often as possible, and now has an internship working in south Florida’s wetlands. He is excited to join SBFC and work in wilderness.