Fire Season Rumbles Into the Pacific Northwest, MVTC and Partner Groups Continue to Open Up Wilderness Trail Miles
Usually around this point in the summer season, the Pacific Northwest gets a piece of the monsoon instability and thunderstorm action bubbling up from Desert Southwest, and this year is no different. Over the last few days, thousands of lightning strikes occurred over the region, with numerous wildfires being reported.
For trail crews, it is a variable we have to manage every season to safely dance around any fires burning, while continuing to open up trail miles. Having good communication between MVTC and our partners over at the US Forest Service is vital to keep up to date and keep our crews safe.
Over the last few weeks, lots of wilderness trail miles got opened up in the Pasayten and Sawtooth wilderness areas on the Methow District.
In the eastern Pasayten, the USFS trail crew along with the Pacific Northwest Trail Association crew worked on logging out the arteries of Andrews Creek trail, the Boundary trail and the Chewuch trail. In addition the Tungsten Mine trail got cleared.
On the Larch Creek trail, a hearty group of equestrian volunteers with the Backcountry Horsemen of Washington logged out northward to the Peeve Pass area, and made some progress on the Boundary trail to the west and east from the pass.
In the western Pasayten, our MVTC backcountry crew followed on the heels of a Washington Trails Association crew on the Robinson Creek trail and made a good logout push northward towards the Pasayten Airstrip. In addition they were able to log out up to Fred’s lake from the Middle Fork Pasayten trail junction.
Over in the Sawtooth Wilderness up the Twisp River drainage our MVTC crew recently logged out the Twisp Pass trail up to the pass, the North Lake trail up to the lake, the Abernathy Pass connector trail and cleared 3 miles up the Oval Lakes trail. MVTC’s crew also repaired a blown out switchback on the Abernathy Pass connector trail.
Logout conditions on the Chewuch trail the USFS trail crew was working on in early July.
USFS trail crew logout progress on the Chewuch trail.
Logout progress by the USFS trail crew on the Chewuch trail in the eastern Pasayten.
MVTC’s crew cutting out an egregious Spruce specimen on the Twisp Pass trail.
MVTC crew member cutting another big Spruce snag out of the North Lake trail.
As fire season becomes established across the region and District, MVTC and our partner groups will continue to open up trail miles and do good work where we can safely. MVTC leadership and our partners over at the USFS have many seasons under our belts working in fire country on the Methow District. It is a natural and woven in part of the trail season around here. We will work hard to keep doing trail work where it makes sense, and keep our crews safe.