MST and wolfpit (east) 9-6-2010

Date of work: 9/6/2010
number of workers: 1 (Jim de Friess)
Time spent: 6.5 hours - includes commute

Work accomplished: cleaning out waterbars, establishing new ones, using loppers on larger trail obstructing growth.

I started out with the idea to hike to the MST and wolfpit trail intersection and then work a little down MST toward the river and end up working back down toward wolfpit.

On the way up I cleaned out waterbars with my feet as I went. I regretted that I had left the shears at home. I knew I was getting close but was also getting tired so I found a good sitting rock and rested. As it turns out I was about 100' from the intersection.

I took three before pics at the intersection- one each way (link at bottom). Then I worked about a 150' section back down toward wolfpit. There were about 5 cars in the parking area when I got there.

Not having shears I wasn't able to get the finished look I like to see after working on the trail, but I de-brushed the big stuff fairly wide with the loppers. I also cut a tree trunk across the trail to wolfpit and removed it, I was trying to make it clear which way the trail goes. The first blaze on MST down the hill was obscure again, so I cut back growth so it can be seen.

I had finished the small section back down and returned to the intersection of MST. I started clipping on the MST heading down hill to the river. Surprise surprise a woman hiker appeared coming up the MST. We spoke briefly she wanted to know what the trails were at the intersection, she seemed to have no clue. A few minutes later a man about her age appeared, followed by a cocker spaniel missing hair on its back. The woman asked the guy where the old man was and sure enough a third hiker appeared, an older fellow. The older fellow said that anyone that does trail maint was his hero. He said he does it too, but didn't say where. They were out scouting, and supposedly in a couple weeks they were going to bring a larger group in. All three of the hikers ascending MST were wearing shorts, and I saw a scratch or two, but not tears. They were going to ascend the old trail to the top (I had to take it years ago to avoid falcon closed areas) intersect the MST on top, and then come back through on MST taking the trail to wolfpit. There was sign that the trail up the old way had been used. So all four ways at that intersection looked about the same.

I worked down the MST, clipping back the larger growth that loppers are needed for, I maybe got around 100+ yards, and then decided to hike back up, get water and rest. I remembered what all had been crowding the trail on the way up, so after my rest I started back down toward wolpit, clipping on that.

The days are cooler now, but not enough. In just a few hundred feet I decided to head back for the truck. I had passed a couple of small kids walking up with their parents, so I tried to make it easier for them in a couple places. I was beat.

There is plenty of shear or slingblade work needed all along the trail.
At the lowest end, and where I worked today - loppers may not be of much use, but the trail between those two areas needs some lopper work.
A grouping of dead trees about knee high - saw might be in order. Cutting downed dry wood off the ground with a pulaski is tough, it tends to get hard.
Water bar cleaning/building with a pulaski can continue to be done as well.

Link to pics is below. The views were better than the pictures show. It was too bright and the sun washed out the photos.

http://picasaweb.google.com/110028009052849072738/WolfpitMst#