Odd trail maintenance

imported
#1

There is an incredible amount of effort put forth by the Oregon Mule Skinners, a group maintaining the PCT north of Olalie Resort on the Warm Spring Indian Reservation and Forest Service land. Unfortunately the maintenance they are performing is completely destructive to the trail, a waste of energy of volunteers, and just plain ugly.

They are creating a 12 foot corridor around the trail completely void of vegetation. They are cutting standing healthy trees several FEET off the trail, weed whacking huckleberry bushes and beargrass, cutting standing stags, and actually raking the forest duff of the trail itself. Instead of walking on soft pine needles and forest debris, the trail surface has been scraped down to dust. Four foot high stumps are left standing well off the trail. They also have a mini bull dozer as wide as a person that was parked at the outlet of Jude Lake. There was a bull-dozer corridor connecting to the PCT that was made just for the bull dozer.

There “work” starts at Olalie Lake Resort and extends for about 10 miles. They really need someone from the Forest Service or the PCTA to help teach them what work is necessary. They are spending a lot of time and effort and actually destructing the PCT.

I am looking for a PCTA or Forest Service contact for this section of trail.

Hydro Heidi

#2

Heidi,
You may want to post this message on the PCT-L if you can. I know that there is a PCTA Maintenance coordinator that frequently posts to that forum.

Elevator

#3

Here are a couple of contacts:

Mt. Hood National Forest, Clackamas Ranger District: http://www.fs.fed.us/r6/mthood/contact/

Mt. Hood Chapter of the PCTA: http://www.longtrails.com/mthood/

I’m not too sure you’ll get anywhere. There is so little USFS budget for trail maintenance–they almost completely depend on volunteers. I’ve seen similar butchery done by an official Forest Service trail crew in the Columbia River Gorge Scenic Area, especially along the Devil’s Rest and Angel’s Rest-Wahkeena Spring traisl, so I’m not sure you’ll get anywhere. Those trails have been cleared to at least 12 feet wide with gas-powered weed whackers. This is twice the width standard for a hiker-only trail, which those two are.

I suspect that part of the reason for this butchery is to avoid having to brush out the trails every year, if not twice yearly. Here in western Oregon, the brush grows back very, very fast! By butchering it back a lot farther than the standard, they can stretch the necessity for brushing out the trails to every two years.

grannyhiker

#4

I imagine what you’ve run into is the “five year cut”. We ran into the same thing in southern California. Because of the length of the trail and the difficulty of accessing the backcountry with tools as well as the lack of volunteers, there is no hope of annual maintenance. At best a section of trail will get a crew every five years, if that. So they cut it very wide. The first year it may be ugly, but give it two or three and you’ll see how quickly the trail grows in.

Ginny

#5

I don’t think they were doing any five year plan. They were just doing an extremely bad job. One of these crackers was actually using a rake on the trail and I had to tell him to stop that Sh@t so I could walk by. These fools had a mini bull dozer you could sit in tearing up the place. You need a permit to cut standing wood, and these guys were doing it like they just didn’t care. I think they should be fined and held criminally negligent for the damage they did to the forest. Who in their right mind would cut standing trees several feet off the trail any way. THese fools also were cutting the large roots from trees that grew across the trail, so they’re gonna fall because of them, and rip out the tread. They have a freakishly large wooden sign proclaiming thier maintaining it too which just shows that they do this to please their egos. No one needs to trim the six inch tall grass anyway. I enjoy walking on a trail that doesnt look like its maintained by a bunch of @ssholes and this area definetly wasn’t enjoyable. If people think they have to cut huge areas back once every 5 years, they should get a different hobby like picking up dog poop in the park or something that would actually benefit people. Maybe these silly fools could invest their time into building a shelter, or maybe fixing the water that’s been shut down at Ollalie Resort. That would really benefit us. Not digging a three foot trench in a low lying area that was the trail for half a mile like I also saw which will greatly benefit the ducks in the Rainy season, and the mosquitos. Personally the Oregon Mule Skinners get the title of “Trail Scum” granted by me to the biggest scumbags I meet on the trail. Ok maybe the Minuteman Militia is worse, but luckily they were all passed out when I started.

Guino

#6

Hey Guano, put your money where your mouth is and come join us as we endeavor to maintain the trail. We could use some of you expertise with trail maintenance. It is easy to stand by and make sh@tty remarks about the work that others are doing. C’mon and grab a tool and help us out. We “crackers”, “scumbags”, “@ssholes”, welcome your physical input.

Muleskinner

#7

A few friends and I were on this part of the trail last month. We thought the muleskinners did a great job, each day we ran into “Mat” who had his golden retreiver out there and was doing a great job. Go bitch somewhere else, these guys are doing a great service.

Rick

#8

I agree, Matt was one of the hardest working people I have seen in my 51 years. He was no doubt doing the job the way he was told to do it and taking pride in his workmanship. I applaud him and his crew. He is totally undeserving of the hate filled virulence as put forth by Guino and his ilk. Chris

Chris

#9

This debate reminds me of war. It doesn’t make sense to blame troops for carrying out orders, yet if you think the orders are immoral, you can’t exactly endorse what the troops are doing either. So, you say the action is immoral, and of course then all the pro-troops people get upset that you’re not supporting them.

Make war, not trails. No, i mean love the leaves or leave it. The rake is mightier th…oh never mind.

markv

#10

I never said anyone wasnt a hard worker, that’s not the problem, it’s the quality of work done thats the problem. Personally I wish all the trail work would be done by actual paid trail crews, that all are trained to make it the same standard. Check out areas where trained crews do it like Yosemite, Kings, Sequoia, and the Hoover Wilderness and compare it to your area and see the difference in the tread please. Hydro maintains all the trails in the Hoover by herself, and her boss. NO mini bulldozers or weed wackers, Just a shovel and a cross cut saw. They definetly don’t leave fuel caches lieing around on the trail either as the skinners did, and don’t need a sign that must have taken alot of effort to make then set in concrete to proclaim their work either. Also there is no need to fell trees near the trail that are standing. That is a huge no no, Lots of stuff lives in them, and they could be up for years without falling. Thanks for removing the poop though, I did notice it was the only area on the trail that didn’t have any horse evidence.

Guino

#11

It looked as though they were building a bridge for stock. As I approached the area i told another hiker, “it looks like a tank went through here.” 35 yards later, a bulldozer/loader. It was raining at the time and I caught strong waffs of gasoline. I didnt see any slicks at the time but I was thirsty and relying on the source/pond they had parked the dozer right next to. I decided to go on to the next source fearing gasoline poisioning. I wonder what the fish and wildlife think about that? The next several miles of that section was like walking in a horse/stock sewage river. It was raining hard though. I also questioned the huge sign put up by that group at the begining of that section…a huge eyesore and a waste of resources and time if you ask me. I do appreciate the effort, don’t get me wrong. Humble Mrs. Braaten maintains a section of trail decending into Belden all by herself I think that deserves a huge sign since it is alot honorable than polluting,impacting and wasting resources and money like this this group appears to be doing.

Spigot

#12

The person we were refering to was a paid worker. He was out there everyday of the week we spent riding in the area. I agree the loader/tractor machine was a eyesore but it was far from the trailhead and I am not sure why it was parked there. I thought the tree cutting was a bit odd but figure there was a reason for it. They were just 4" diameter trees and not like they were raping virgin timber. In any case we thought the trail from Ollalie Lake north for 4 miles was excellent, the bridge was a work in progress. The area to the north of the machine a couple miles was low, swampy area and there was quicksand on the side. In any case, they were trying to keep the trail maintained so lets not judge their whole job by one work in progress area.

Rick

#13

The person we were refering to was a paid worker. He was out there everyday of the week we spent riding in the area. I agree the loader/tractor machine was a eyesore but it was far from the trailhead and I am not sure why it was parked there. I thought the tree cutting was a bit odd but figure there was a reason for it. They were just 4" diameter trees and not like they were raping virgin timber. In any case we thought the trail from Ollalie Lake north for 4 miles was excellent, the bridge was a work in progress. The area to the north of the machine a couple miles was low, swampy area and there was quicksand on the side. In any case, they were trying to keep the trail maintained so lets not judge their whole job by one work in progress area.

Rick

#14

if what has been described is even half true it sounds like the worst kind of over enthusiasm with trail work. both pro crews and volunteers can become so engaged with thier work, and the accomplishment of it, and it surely is an envigorating experience, that they lose thier engagement with wilderness. trails simply need not be maintained to such a high standard, and those who overmaintain are guilty of either ignorance or vanity, however well meaning thier intentions. hazard trees are simply not likely to fall on a hiker, leave them, and when maintaining a corridor, some irregularity and restraint can go a long way towards having a trail that fully protects the resource and also protects a sense of wilderness which can not survive in 12 foot corridors with four foot stumps. the concrete foundation for the sign is to me a heinous offense, brash vain and counterproductive. self promotion has no place on our trails. trail workers should strive to leave no trace. work lightly, and check the enthusiasm, and leave the ego. this comes from 6 seasons trail work experience.

milo

#15

Can anyone say FIREBREAK!!! The swath of so called destruction, “poor maintainance” could actually save the trail. Should, GOD FORBID, a fire break out this narrow strip of ground free of all debris could save 1000s of acres, property, and lives of both humans and wildlife.

treznbones

#16

Why didn’t I think of that before? The stretch that is being talked about is parallel to a gravel road for a few miles and a fire could easily be started by a cigarette or whatever from the road, with the firebreak, it wouldn’t burn the whole mountain down. Good job muleskinners

Rick

#17

Geez…Glad i hike in the North East,sounds like a bunch of cowboys let loose in the wilderness

old&in the way

#18

Yes, it’s probably better you hike in the North East.

Rick

#19

It’s supposed to be a trail not a fire break. Come on get real. Why the heck would we want to hike on a fire break? It’s just a real ugly job at trail work, not a really poorly made fire break anyway remember. And who are you to decide if that’s even the proper direction to put that. I hope this is sarcazm. Oh yeah why dont you guys clean up the garbage (posts and boards and such) in the campsite that was labled just south of the marsh on the rez where you dug out that huge causeway that looks like a models runway. Good place for fun though we were strutting on it. Anyway fires aren’t that bad and I doubt that the poor maintenance would suffice as one anymore then a well maintained section would. Maybe call up your local forest service and ask them for ideas if you want to go rambo with the chainsaws, they usually need areas to be thinned where controlled burns aren’t practical. In Cali we use prisoners, but volunteers are cool too.:cheers

guino

#20

One of my favorite alpine trails was recently “maintained” - by some god durn fool with a machete. Whoever this moron was went through and hacked the tops off four foot tall, hundred year old (?) trees that were five or six feet from the trail!
I suppose they were doing the “five year trim”, even though none of those trees would have ever even come close to encroaching on the trails in my life time.

Kbatku