Monday, August 30, 2010

Walls, walls and more walls...

Jim and Angela on a back wall.

August 18th marked the first day of the Rocky Mountain Youth Corps' fall session. After not having heard from our lonely returner prior to the beginning of the hitch Jeff and I were pleasantly surprised to find the crew, tools in hand, up at our work site.  Most of the crew spent a good part of the summer with a saw in hand but all seem to have quickly acclimated to their new working conditions. 


Jake up at the work site.


It's almost time to officially open the re-routed portion of the trail, so a few members of the crew built a solid eleven step stair case leading into the new section.  The rest of us continued with the never ending pattern that is back walls, mono walls and switchbacks. 


Jake and Rob setting the key stone for a switch back.
After nine days of work Jeff and I were able to become fairly well acquainted with the ins and outs, literally, of the new crew and are excited to work with them for the next few weeks. 

The crew constructing an entirely new, short section, of trail meant to detour around a piece of eroded trail.

Friday, August 13, 2010

Mount Rainy Weather and RMYC's Last Days

Despite the predictable afternoon and evening rain showers of the last month or so on Mount Yale  HUGE amounts of progress have been made.  We are now working at around 13,500 feet or so, only twenty minutes from the summit!  Every morning we wake up and hit the trail for two hours before we reach the work site, usually greeting the first hikers of the day an hour or so later.  Building walls has become our specialty as we attempt to reinforce the existing trail well enough that it ceases to slide out from under future hikers feet. 
We were also able to complete our first piece of restoration after constructing one of several massive switchbacks.  This switchback in particular now diverts hikers around a nasty erosion gully that used to be the trail. 
The whole crew grabbin a bite before work.
With less than 1,000 feet of trail left to reconstruct before the saddle, Jeff and I said see ya later to our first RMYC Crew. Before their departure we were able to witness a slightly ruthless prank week and an epic last dessert.  Hopefully, the next crew will also refer to Yale as Mount Doom as endearingly as the last.
Double rainbow bringing in a morning thunderstorm.
Creation of the last dessert.
More dessert makin.
Ariel carrying a rock across some sketchy slope.
Spencer and Ben working on a switchback.

Monday, August 2, 2010

Sanborn Outdoor Leadership Experiencers

Volunteers from Sanborn Western Camps
This past week Jeff and I worked with another great group of volunteers.  This time, Sanborn Western Camps out of Florissant, Colorado sent out nine campers and three of their counselors.  The campers, all around the age of 13 or 14 were on a mission to, not only, learn about trail work, but also gain a little leadership experience.  The counselors gave these guys free rein over everything from planning out meals to framing up each day.  Though they were only able to spend two days working on the trail, it was very clear that they were all gaining valuable trip planning experience.  As far as trail work goes, building a much needed retaining wall seemed to be the favorite project of the trip.  However, the group also laid down some serious pick mattock action helping to make the trail a little easier on the feet.  After nearly summiting Mount Yale two days in a row the group ended the week by waking up at 1 a.m. in order to hit the summit of Mount Huron!

Followers