YOSEMITE 1 BACKCOUNTRY TRAIL CREW
JULY 2007 MONTHLY OVERVIEW
KEVIN LIVINGSTON, BACKCOUNTRY TRAILS SUPERVISOR

Overview
As the season progresses so do the temperatures, tasks, and trials. The 4th of July weekend gave the crew a chance to take a backpack trip to Benson Lake. During this weekend they encountered 100 degree+ temps, hard to navigate cross country routes and a long walk up and down switchbacks to get home. The high temperatures and long uphill walks continued with maintenance runs in similar heat up to Tiltill Valley and Rancheria Mountain. The trail heading along the top of Rancheria Mountain was overgrown with an impenetrable stand of whitethorn brush, forcing us to devote an extra week cutting through the thicket until we were able to reopen the trail. Once we finished our projects, we moved camped across Rancheria Mountain to Crapmore Lakes above Pleasant Valley on July 30th. The crew is standing strong and ready to work out of our new home.

Curriculum
Ryan Mason taught us a knot class, or rather a hitch class and the difference between all kinds of the two. We’ve been practicing our Frisbee skills in anticipation of a game or two between crews at Debriefing. With T-shirt and newspaper deadlines approaching we hammered out a t-shirt design and order forms in two days. Community Meetings have been fun and sometimes hair-raising.

Personnel Changes
We said goodbye to Dustin Avramovitz who volunteered with us for most of July. Dustin had gone to high school in Montana with crew member Clara Ludwig, and decided he wanted to check out of the mountains of California. He stayed to help with work and in the kitchen and felt like one of the crew.

Production
8.5 miles Maintenance
8 Retainers
10 Waterbars
4 linear yards causeway
5 linear yards rip-rap

Quotes
“What kind of dealt are these?” – Al Goches upon receiving a bad Euchre hand

“Have you been to Weinerville? Ever been to that ville?” – Al Goches