Jake and I cleared some trail Sat but went up again Monday to do up two other trails. Was a hell of a work day... Jake and I cleared 30 on Saturday. Monday we went up to do 18 and 2. 18 was littered with trees. We cut out about 30 trees or so. Was a hard but very rewarding work day. We got a lot done. There were areas where there were 4-5 tress down in a bunch. We were tree clearing maniacs. The snow line means were not very close to getting to boundary yet from the south side of 90. will be back up in a few weeks to see what else we have to clear. Great work day Jake, thanks. Heading out... Here we come (and stop every 30 yards!!!) right around the first corner... and around the next corner... next... next... and next... went on and on like this. We spent 3 plus hours on 4 miles of trail. Some good sized stuff... some random stuff... Some hanging stuff (hate those but lots of them) Some thick messes... We got bored and signed some... more... eventually got turned back by snow near where 18 flattens out on top... 80 was a butt kicker
then we hit another parallel trail... Trail 2 was not as bad. Only about 5 or so real logs before we got snow about 2 miles up past the gravel road crossing. Snow stopped us 4-5 miles up 2. Lots of snow. Was a great day, got tons of work done. thanks for the help Jake.
Wow, have done a bit of logging, but never in trail gear - must be hot and hard work. Good job you guys are doing there. Just out of interest, what's the rough elevation when you hit the snowline?
Isn't it considered blasphemy to ride a Husky into the woods to clear trails and then use a STIHL chain saw!!!???
Was a lot of work but rewarding and I love riding this area so love giving back. Snow was about 4200 feet here. Lots of deep valleys and huge trees keep snow pack here for a log time. Gets 10-15 feet of snow here. This area is smack between Mt Adams and Mt St.Helens in Washington state.
It must have been a little cooler there at elevatation, working with helmets on. Here (Alabama) will just get you heat stroke.......Where are all the hikers at when you need them???? Once again I know that I've got to make plans to get out West before I get too old. It is truly motorcycle country isn't it? No trail maintenance in Bama this time of year, the briar's, limbs and saplings just get trimmed by handlebars & shirt sleeves. Too hot, humid, too many ticks & chiggers. Last time I went out during the hot summer months & walked in the woods, I must have had 10 ticks on me and somehow some chiggers got inside my pants leg (itch, itch...scratch, scratch). Someone I know got Lyme disease about 8 years ago & I don't want any. Long process to get back to normal, if you ever get back to normal. What is normal???
We love log hopping. I was scaring Jake with some of my wild log crossings yesterday. But there are huge piles of trees you are not crossing... And ones high off the ground where the down side is steep, not cross those without several people and lifting bikes... not sure anyone would have fun crossing 35 trees like this...
It was a perfect 65 degrees up there yesterday. Usually we are doing this in the 80's and 90's. I got a few pictures of Kelly in action, his post makes it look like I did all the work but that was not the case. There were just that many trees. The new used saw... This thing RIPPED compared to my old one. I even put my old bar an chain setup on it. Smaller and much lighter too. Later,
Can't believe you guys still got snow at 4200 feet in the middle of Summer. Good job though guys and the 250 looks sweet.
Stihl makes quality stuff. Will run forever and always well. I have litterally thousands of hours using stihl saws of all sizes over the last ~40 years. Husky saws were also top notch if you buy the swedish saws-pro models. We cleared a 15 mile stretch of trail through an old burn area that the FS didn't allow to be logged. 4 saws, 8 guys, and 6 hours to clear the hundreds of downfall. This was after several trips with just 2 saws and an extra guy. Our wood is smaller on average compared to yours but sure makes up for it in quantity. Good work Kelly and Jake, it does feel rewarding to finish a long section of trail that you like to use alot. Walt
For about another month. BIG trees, lots of deep valleys and 40-50 at night mean the 8 feet of snow is now packed into a rock hard pack that takes forever to melt off. Were supposed to get plus 90 days here for a week or so so we should be good to go soon.
wowo that looks like a ton of work ... the usa forestry service should reward U guys with some free parking passes or something ... Those trails look very fast!
It was a lot of work but the very rewarding kind. As for compensation we get to turn our hours in and they collect grant money for it, we get nothing... but killer trails to ride as far as very fast, not really as in person they are loaded with root wads and down tree ends to look for. Pick 720 HD on this and then full screen and you get some idea of the nicer sections of trail here. Very good stuff... http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-baI8z-Tj1A that section is smooth and faster.
They collect grant money? lol ... What a rip ... That dirt looks really good In any event you get to ride them instead of waiting around for the state to clear them which looks like is very slow ...
How is that? Basically they get credit for the work and are allocated funds from the general fund for this stuff. It is a good thing. Basically we are fighting for a share of a predetermined amount of money. We get it or someone else does. Not exactly sure how it all works but it is a good thing. We get our time noted that motorized rec cleared the trail (good viability / rep). Forest service gets the funds to do more trail work and keep people on. Win / win in my book. One guy, Tom S, forestry service dude, educated us on this process, showed us how to clear trail right and restore tred, and has been a great mentor / fighter for our cause. He retired this year and is counting on several of us to pick up the slack or loose this area. Jake and I love riding this area and jumped on the opportunity to help. It is all good and I like doing some trail work. If we all dedicated just one full day the trails would be amazing. Unfortunately no one seems to want to do a work party as they might have to burn a ride day. Unfortunate short sidedness. I would guess maybe 2% help. I don't want "thanks" for clearing the trail. I want "thanks, i want to help next time" or "what trail can I do?" Tom S mentioned above started a post on TT to get us adopting trail. that seems to work better but still few takers. Sad.
