It has been a busy summer for me leading a trail crew on the Salmon-Challis National Forest, but it has been one of the best in my life. We have done a bunch of cool projects and recently built a 50 ft turnpike with a 5 ft bridge over a stream. That project took the crew about 4 days to finish and by the end, we were pros at making saddle notches with the limited tools we carried (we didnt even have a chisel). Its quite amazing when looking at the pictures of our trail work.







For our last two work hitches, we will be building some rustic stringer bridges. It’s a lot of work, but it is extremely rewarding to see the finished project on something so complex. One of the bridges we will be building is on Kane Creek Trail, where a bike rider broke his leg trying to cross an old, blown out bridge. The other will be on Summit Creek Trail over a large see in a hillside; although, there is still a chance we might just build a log retaining wall instead.

When we havent been working the crew is often out climbing some spectacular mountains in the area. I have spent much of my off-time enjoying the peace and quiet of living an hour from any type of town. We did go to Yellowstone and Grand Teton National Parks for one break; however, I much prefer the solitude of Idaho mountains.

Only one more month before I head south to do trail work on the Florida Trail for the fall and winter!

I just accepted a fall/winter position with the SCA as a project leader for two back-to-back crews on the Florida National Scenic Trail. The first crew will be in the fall and have a variety of projects ranging from reroutes to boardwalk while the second crew in winter will be constructing a suspension bridge for almost the entire three months.

I've been in the Mount Rainier area for two days now in preparation for the arrival of my crew and an eleven day training. It has been great but it will take a little time to adjust to the humidity and rain; hopefully Mt. Rainier will peak out of the clouds during the next couple weeks. I am definitely excited and anxious to finally meet my crew on June 3rd!

Update with Photos:

I just went through seven of the most physically challenging days of my life in the most remote place in the lower 48, the Frank Church Wilderness in Idaho. Ben, a forest service employee, and I were dropped off by plane on a short dirt landing strip at the confluence of Lower Loon Creek and the Middle Fork of the Salmon River.

Our mission was to clear rock slides, cut trees that had fallen over the trail, and make the trail passable by human and horse. We had a rough twenty-five miles of trail to cover in just seven days; it should have been eight days, but our flight was canceled the day earlier due to a snowstorm and whiteouts. If successful, we would find a forest service rig waiting for us at Meyer's Cove, the trailhead to Camas Creek. The first ten miles of work would be on the Middle Fork trail and the last half would be on the Camas Creek trail, this is excluding a steep jaunt up Dry Gulch for a few miles.

The Frank Church River of No Return Wilderness is one of the most rugged places I have ever been. The trail is often hanging on the edge of a cliff or on a fire-burnt slope that is ready to slide into the river. At some of these points the trail has sections missing that required Ben and I to try to cut a solid tread into the hillside that would still hold the weight of a horse. I definitely had the thought, "don't look down," going through my head as I was putting my weight into the swing of a pulaski.

Beyond the ruggedness, the pure physical challenge of carrying seven days worth of food and gear including the multiple tools is nearly overwhelming. At one point I had all of my normal backpacking gear for an extended trip, but also had a rock bar and pulaski attached to my pack in addition to the crosscut saw in my hands.

But at the end of the day, I would wash some of the black off from the burnt areas and the plain old dirt from everywhere else and look up at my surroundings. I would see a herd of elk moving across the hillside, a group of deer coming out of the cover to feed or an amazing mix of colors as the sun set over the mountains. No matter how exhausted I was or how difficult it was to pump water, it was all worth it to me. Although I may have captured some of these scenes with photographs, I will always remember moments such as these.

I will be spending my off time out of the backcountry at Wildhorse Guard Station between Ketchum and Mackay, ID. It's a remote location and over 30 minutes from services of any kind, including cell service. It will be interesting to see how the crew handles the isolation on off time. Here is a picture, the road was still snowed over when I checked it out last...

I recently spent an eight day work hitch clearing brush and cutting blowdowns with crosscuts on the Horse Creek Trail in the Frank Church - River of No Return Wilderness. Horse Creek empties into the Salmon River about five miles down river from the confluence of the North and Middle Forks of the Salmon River. We cleared brush for a little over 6 miles and my arms haven't been so sore for quite awhile. It was still a great time and we saw a ton of wildlife; elk herds daily, black bears, mountain goats within a couple hundred yards, and a wolf.

On Wednesday, April 29th, I will be flying into Lower Loon Creek in the Frank Church River of No Return Wilderness. I will be working with one of the backcountry patrols clearing a trail that was covered by an avalanche slide. I will be in the middle of the largest wilderness area in the lower 48 for 8 days. It should be a great plane flight!

On Wednesday I will be flying with two Salmon-Challis National Forest trail crew employees into the middle of the largest wilderness area in the lower 48, the Frank Church River of No Return Wilderness. I will be spending seven days clearing trails and doing basic trail maintenance along the middle fork of the Salmon River.

I'm excited to head into the wilderness and I hope I will handle it alright for my first backpacking trip of the year. At the very least, I should have some great photos to share when I get back!

I have spent much of this week in Boise, ID for the Student Conservation Association's project leader training. We have been covering topics ranging from conflict resolution to defensive driving and the 26 project leaders have had the opportunity to share experiences, challenges, and concerns about the upcoming season. I am always amazed by the growth and leadership that can be fostered in the SCA experience.

I am one of the trail project leaders(trail crews rock), but there are many other crews working in the SCA Native Plant Corps, Wildland Fire Corps and Desert Restoration Corps. Next Tuesday I will be heading off to the Salmon - Challis National Forest to meet with the forest staff and plan for the summer. Hopefully I will have the crew hired by May and ready to begin crew member training in June at Mt. Rainier. I'm excited!

I have also been given some cool toys to play with. Who would have guessed a trail crew leader would be getting a Blackberry with an unlimited data plan and a laptop? It makes sense though since internet access will be difficult at times and it does not make sense to drive somewhere to get internet access.

Anyway, this must be one of the best jobs working outdoors. The pay is great, the people are great, and the experience cannot be beat.

When showing pictures from my many backpacking trips, one of the parts I like to point out is my campsite location and what I wake up to in the morning. Here are some of my backpacking photos featuring a tent:



Thanks to TwoHeelDrive and Backpacker.com for the ideas.