Trail Work Continues In the Heart of Smoke and Fire Season
Here in the Inland Northwest and around the Methow District, it has been a heavy smoke and fire season so far. Busy fire seasons like this one have a way of disrupting even the best laid trail work plans, with flexibility and having the ability to pivot vital to keep progress going steady.
Anyone who has lived and worked around the Methow Valley in the recent past is no stranger to smoke and fire season, though with several large fires burning on multiple fronts around the District, persistent lightning busts, along with strong wind events and stubborn local and regional smoke this is shaping up to be a fairly intense fire season.
Over the last several weeks, MVTC has been able to accomplish an impressive array of trail work in the face of these tough conditions. Our crew has been flexible and has been able to pivot around local fire closures to keep trail work progress going steady.
Backcountry Work:
MVTC’s crew recently got back in town from a week spent in the backcountry working on the Devil’s Dome/Jackita Ridge loop trail in the western part of our District. We got the loop logged out, along with significant tread and brushing work; in particular from Devil’s Dome down to Ross Lake. We had to bite the bullet and suck heavy smoke for most of the days up there from local fires burning, proud of our crew’s tenacity to endure that and push through to accomplish the loop.
Heavy smoke settles in the Ross Lake valley on MVTC’s recent backcountry hitch.
Looking west, smoke from the Luna Fire in the North Cascades National Park on hitch.
Frontcountry Work:
MVTC and volunteers have continued to focus on several trails in the Highway 20 corridor this month.
Persistent effort continues to be made improving the trail tread up the Copper Creek trail heading towards Copper Pass. In addition, we are aiming to put in a footlog bridge spanning 40 feet over State Creek on that trail this season. We currently have the tree on the ground, and are working on peeling the log, sills and rigging into position.
Effort has been made on logging out and repairing tread the first 4 miles up the East Creek trail to the Gold Hill Mine site. Future work is planned to work up towards Mebee Pass from the Mine site.
Over on the Maple Pass loop, MVTC continues to focus on improving and stabilizing the switchbacks going clockwise up towards Maple Pass. Several rock retaining step features have been installed the last several weeks.
MVTC setting a large rock for a step feature to help stabilize an eroded switchback on the Maple Pass loop.
MVTC rigging a looming rootwad specimen off the East Creek trail, utilizing a griphoist.
Looking ahead, MVTC will stay in close communication with our partners over at the US Forest Service on the District, and keep doing trail work where we can safely amidst smoke and fire season.