Date of work: 11/29/13
Time spent : 8 hours includes commute
Number of workers: 1 Jim de Friess
Work accomplished:
Was a little disappointed to see tape across the trail head and in reading the notice discovered entering the area makes one subject to a $5k fine. So I clipped around the paking lot, everything high within the confines then one person wide pass around the outside of the parking boundaries. While clipping I thought to call Ken and ask about trail closures.
He reminded me that they had been rescinded for the hunters sake, and I did remember seeing that. Getting the signs down I guess wasn't as great a priority as putting them up was.
With that information I started down the trail. I wanted to check my waterbars having had this feeling that they had been removed by fire watchers in prep for possibly using Pinch In if the fire jumped the river.
Happily I can report they were all in good shape and required very little maint. I did clean out a few that were near full but and built a couple more, but mostly I just clipped the trail back to proper width. A sling blade may have been a better tool than shears.
Clipped and made a few additional waterbars, repositioned some step over logs as waterbars, That I previously was unable to do from being tired. The logs I chopped were full of moisture and froze, so that helps them break up, and a pulaski chop through them.
Worked to the point a couple hundred yards above the cliff area, intend to put in more water features in that last little bit as I work down the hill on the middle third. Hope to camp sometime to work the lower third.
It was a good day in the woods, saw for people hiking in with backpacks to enjoy the gorge.
