Back to Dutch Ridge

Joey Hudek - Nez Perce-Clearwater Moose Creek Trails Liaison

Dutch Ridge Trail #2150

It was going to be an amazing hitch! There had been talk of it all season and the time had finally come. I, along with the FS trail crew and an MCC crew, were going to reestablish part of Rhoda Creek trail #620 that had been lost. This was the last section of the Idaho Centennial Trail that needed to be opened. We were in charge of driving the golden spike in one of the most remote areas in the Selway-Bitterroot Wilderness. I was excited to get deep into the wilderness.

That excitement was short lived as I found out plans had changed because of wildfire. The MCC crew was evacuated and we were all in need of somewhere to go. And there was somewhere else to go, but it was not the amazing wilderness experience I was hoping for. It was actually a trail that I was hoping to not go back to. Dutch Ridge trail #2150. A steep, non-Wilderness trail that accesses Gold Hill trail #247 in the Wilderness. It badly needed to be opened and brushed. So off we went with power tools in hand to work up Dutch Ridge. The trail starts by fording the Lochsa River, which isn’t too bad at this time of the year. With boots and pants off, multiple trips were made to shuttle all of our gear and tools across. Then we spent the next 2 days slowly humping our gear about 5 miles up the very steep trail to an old outfitter camp. Over the rest of the hitch, we completely opened the trail and brushed at least 3 miles of it to spec. Surprisingly, this was done with smiles on all of our faces. I think we all took pride in bringing this trail back to life. I know I did. Dutch ridge hadn’t been opened since 2012, and who knows when it was last brushed.

This hitch was not at all what I was hoping for, but I still really enjoyed it. Getting to work alongside MCC is always great. It takes me back to my trail work roots. Even though, we weren’t working in the Wilderness we were still supporting the Selway-Bitterroot. The Dutch Ridge trail #2150 is just another access point to this amazing place. And I know someone is excited about our work. After we hiked down the steep ridge and forded the Lochsa for the last time we found a thank you note from an outfitter on our rig.

Hitch report:

# of crew members (SBFC, MCC, and FS): 10

Miles of trail opened: 7.6

Years since opened last: 5

Miles of trail brushed: 3+

# of times fording the Lochsa: 3

# of bee/hornet stings: 2

# of happy outfitters: 1

On High Alert!

Connor Adams - Selway Trail Crew Member

Selway River Trail #4.3

Bitterroot National Forest

Despite a canyon full of smoke, several active fires in the area, and dozens of rattlesnake encounters, the SBFC Trail Crew has another hitch worth of solid trail work on the books. The hitch was ended two days early due to changing fire weather, but the trail crew and Will Merritt – the Powell Liaison – were able to swing a few tools for the betterment of the Wilderness.

The work this hitch primarily focused on deferred maintenance on the Selway River Trail north of the Paradise Trailhead. In all, 3.5 miles of trail were maintained between Running Creek and Goat Creek, with over a half a mile of retread done in problem spots. A heavily used trail for hikers, stock users, and hunters alike, the tread was a few years overdue for some love. Trail #4 winds along the steep canyon walls for much of its length, and in spots failed retaining walls and gravel slough have caused dangerously skinny benches and blowouts on the downhill side of the trail. We repaired many of these blowouts, widened the bench along the steep sidehills, and dug the sloughed gravel off the trail. In addition, we cleaned out drains and water bars and performed some spot brushing.

The trail was practically crawling with wildlife during our time on it. The fire activity seemed to confuse the creatures of the dusk. The smoked-out sun encouraged the crickets and night birds to sound off in the middle of the day, and the rattlesnakes were sluggish, though still very prevalent. We saw a minimum of one per day on or beside the trail, and on our last day of work had no fewer than eight encounters. In addition, we spotted a few Western skinks and an adorable pygmy owl. Trail #4 north of Paradise, despite the heavy traffic and private inholdings, is a haven for critters.

The fires are still burning heavily on the Forest, though the smoke had generally cleared out by the last days. The first signs of fall (minus the rain, of course) began with the changing colors and falling needles, as well as much colder temperatures at night. The trail, however, is in much better shape. Once the fires die down, it will be ready for use!

Fires changed our course but not our objective

Trevor Fero – Nez Pierce-Clearwater Trail Crew Member

Hitch #6 – Selway #4

Bitterroot – Frank Church Wilderness

As we say goodbye to the interns, it’s time for the rest of the staff to focus on the remaining 4 hitches of the season. Because there are so many forest fires on the Nez-Pierce-Clear Water National Forest, the trail crew and I (along with Courtney, Will and Betty the dog) have been moved south to the West Fork Ranger District of the Bitterroot National Forest to work in the Frank Church Wilderness. While in the Frank, we were tasked with deferred maintenance on the Selway River Trail #4. The first three nights we worked out of Magruder Cabin and then base camped four and a half miles down from the trail head. All season we have been cutting and running but with new territory comes new responsibilities. Our job on the Bitterroot National Forest was to spot re-tread, brush, remove rock from the trail, and do a bit more rock work. We did spot retreading for three quarters of a mile, brushed three and one quarter miles, and did forty-five feet of rock work bringing us to a total of ten miles worked down the Selway River Trail all the way to Sweat Creek.

It was a pleasure being on hitch with Will and Courtney (and Betty the dog) because they brought new and exciting energy to the trail crew.   It is always great working with new people because there are always new things to learn.   I learned new meal options, specific ways to improve posture while digging tread all day, and how to create a rock retaining wall to improve trail stability. Good company also helps turn negative situations into positive situations… On our last day driving out of the back country our rig, (affectionately named “Deer Hunter”) broke down at the Stevensville Ranger Station causing us to arrive 3 hours later than expected to Missoula. Because we had each other as company, the wait for help from AAA seemed to fly by.  Courtney and Betty were also nice enough to give us all rides back to Missoula from Stevensville.  All in all the beautiful location and wonderful company made for an amazing hitch.