The AZT through the Four Peaks area was brushed out last week!
Garlic
Four Peaks now open
system
#2
that is awesome ! maybe have to go back and hike that area again… reallllly pretty !
yappy
system
#4
We lived in Fountain Hills AZ when Four Peaks was on fire for days, apparently set off by a car’s exhaust system. Ashes and smoke rained down on the town. Has it pretty well recovered from that? It was in 1995 I think, maybe early 1996, so it’s been quite a few years. We always heard that you could find raw amethysts on the ground up there.
mrs baggins
system
#6
I met the crew leader (Laddie Cox), on another crew on the Oracle Ridge Trail last Saturday (National Trails Day). I forgot which organization sent the crew–I believe it was a state conservation agency, and I don’t know if it was paid or volunteer. It was not the ATA, or I would have been there, for sure. I remember crawling, punching and cussing my way through there.
Laddie said it still needs some work south of Black Bear Saddle and the huge blowdowns are still there, but it’s definitely hikeable. He also said Shake Spring was flowing very well.
Garlic
system
#7
Too bad they didn’t let the ATA know or we would have been there too. We hiked from Roosevelt Lake to Mormon Lake last month, and vowed to be there for any work days. We (like She-ra) crawled through some places 
MikeJanAZ
system
#8
Regarding “has it recovered since the fire?” - this is what recovery typically looks like in them thar hills, for better or worse. Brush, brush, and more brush… at least until it’s brushed. 
The ponderosa pine forest, what burned of it, won’t be back for a generation or two (or more, up high among the cliffs).
blisterfree
system
#10
Good idea. Here they are: http://www.aztrail.org/calendar.html
I’ll be at the “Close the Gap” event at the end of June near Flagstaff. Maybe see you there.
Garlic
system
#11
Hey Garlic - Since you do trail work, could you possibly recommend some model of small hand saw that would be sufficiently light weight and compact for backpacking purposes? I’m thinking of something with a small blade width (sufficiently long but narrow) and possibly a rubberized handle.
I’ve carried loppers on long hikes in the past, but a lightweight yet effective saw would be more versatile.
Anyone feel free to chime in.
blisterfree
system
#12
I used a Corona brand curved hand pruning saw (I think 13in.) for trail work on the AZT section of the Highline Trail this Spring and it worked really well. It was perfect for small saplings, brush, and even some larger logs that fell over the trail. You could use the included cardboard sheath to pack it away while hiking. I highly recommend it for trail work.
jamil
system
#13
I see it:
Looks pretty ideal. Apparently you can buy a plastic scabbard for it, as well.
I’ll bet these pruning saws are also a fair bit lighter than loppers.
blisterfree
system
#14
Yeh, that’s it. The saws are great for the larger branches, and probably manzanita in the higher areas like Four Peaks. I don’t think they’re very effective for the stuff in the lower desert, like cats claw and white thorn acacias.
Garlic
system
#15
Assuming price is a distant second consideration, what saw, lopper or pruner would you haul into a backpack-accessible only trail maintenance project? I’m thinking of the Mazatzals this fall.
Shawn
system
#16
I wonder what sort of branch thickness a typical gas-powered hedge-type trimmer could be expected to eat through? (For vehicle-supported trips to scrub oak and wait-a-minute thickets, etc.)
Operating a chain saw as a one-person blowdown removal crew is above my pay grade (and health coverage), unfortunately. Not to mention that most of the problem areas along the GET are in Wilderness areas.
OK - so there’s my not-so-veiled solicitation for anyone who’d like to “try” a new trail…
blisterfree
system
#17
I’ve only been on a couple of brushing crews so far. But I’d look for anvil (vs bypass, just my preference) loppers with telescoping handles, like this: http://www.cspoutdoors.com/trblteraanlo.html but with smaller capacity (1") and lighter weight. And I’d carry the hand saw mentioned above.
I haven’t been on a mechanized crew. I trained a little as a sawyer for a wildland crew, enough to know that I’m not going to do that, either.
I’m attempting the PNT this summer (talk about bushwhacking), then staying the rest of the year in Portland, OR, or I’d be in the Mazatzals or on the GET later this year, too. Maybe next Spring.
Garlic
system
#18
Telescoping-handled loppers - thanks for the tip. I wasn’t aware such a design existed.
Home Depot now offers an “SUL” lopper - probably 18" or less in length, 1.5"D cutting capacity, and likely under 1 lb. The caveat is that the “bypass gears” as well as one face of the cutting surface are plastic. So likely not a work horse item, but quite possibly ok for pruning catclaw-type brush and the occasional sturdy branch.
blisterfree
system
#19
My concern is that a big chunk of the effort involved in these backpack-accessible projects is getting there. So you don’t want something that is going to give out because it’s a long way back to the truck. I’d pay more in price and weight for the increased dependability.
Shawn
system
#20
Folks, the best way to get linked in to work on any given segment is to contact the steward for that segment and get on thier mail list. That’s really the only way you can reliably know in advance of work events.
I packed 1,000 Lbs. of water food and tools in for the contract crew that spent 5 days up there with Laddie in November, there’s another pro-crew event being planned.
I don’t think that any outsiders can get in the work with the pro-crews, but you might be able to work the same segment at the same time, in a slightly different spot. Probably the best strategy would be to plan to do a volunteer event right after the pro crew, and pick up where they leave off.
There’s ALWAYS some work that needs to be done.
Happy trail,
Zay H
Zay Hartigan Segment 2 steward