OVERVIEW:
And so we begin another chapter in the storied history of the Backcountry Trails Program. We are settled into our first camp at Kelsey Creek Station nestled into a flat between the mountains that the Scott River bisects. In Fortuna eyes were wide, curious, and glazed over in the profusion of information presented. Everyone listened to Diane Brown (Backcountry Crew Supervisor, 1983-1988 & 1991), give advise and warnings of the season and some of the potential that can pendulum to either make you famous or infamous as an individual or as a crew.
Everyone was casting sidelong glances in order to size up who they would be spending the next 5 ˝ months with in the small world of the backcountry.
From Fortuna it was loading up the rattle trap rigs battening the tarps and heading up the narrow and winding Klamath River corridor. The most notable event of the drive was stopping in Happy Camp to pose with the giant metal Sasquatch adorning the main street of town.
Klamath National Forest trails sponsors, Phil McNeal (Inyo, 1985 / Backcountry Crew Supervisor, 1997, 1998, 2002), Ellen Andrews, Bill Roberts, Lee Bundy and Nena Creasey, our cook, were here to greet us and give us the lowdown on camp and hence began our stay at Kelsey Creek. It is a peaceful place and a good break-in for the rest of the season. Camp life is already beginning to find its routine. Out in the meadow the stars are bright at night and in the morning dew covers the grass. The rain has been refreshing and at night our tents are dull with the lights of headlamps that gradually die out one by one as minds escape the realities of fatigue.
We’ve been working up the Kelsey Creek Trail and re-treading the sections narrowed by material sloughing from the uphill bank. This means a lot of pick and shovel work. We are hiking well already and trying to learn the nuances of grubbing and moving dirt against the soreness of our unconditioned muscles. Our expectations are high out here and the work, coupled with the fatigue will test the integrity of our community.
We are excited to be working with Phil and Ellen and the rest of the gang and we appreciate Anne who is our temporary cook until Nena completes her prior commitment. All the pieces are in place and we simply need to proceed.
CURRICULUM:
We have hit the safety side trails camp life and weekends hard. As a crew we have set down group goals which include a clean and sober season, 100% program graduation and no time missed to safety related causes. We also want to thank Larry Evans for presenting his trails, soils and erosion lesson.
PERSONNEL CHANGES:
None.
INJURIES:
None.
ODDS AND ENDS:
Some blisters are being taken care of and we rescued a broken down snowmobile on Friday. Our crew is definitely getting a great deal out of hearing each others personal ten minute (and sometimes a bit longer) biographies. The diversity of this program is what makes it great and thus far we have been embracing it.
