Trails
Gallatin Valley BCH
2012
6/6/12 Spanish Lakes Trail
We went up Spanish Lakes yesterday. Larry and Michael had BAD colds.
The group: Rich, Larry, Michael, Jan, Beth, Margaret, and Bonnie cleaned
water bars on the Pioneer Falls trail while Kay rode to the meadow above the
falls finding only two trees at the meadow and those not blocking the trail.
Then the whole group went up Spanish trail (two classes of 6th graders were
at Pioneer). We cleared trees all the way up, Bonnie & Kay hiked after
lunch at the Mirror Y and cleared 3 trees between the two creek crossings.
After lunch the guys worked their way down cleaning water bars. The
short day gals headed back at 1:30 and did some brushing of aspen near the
trail on the way. Home at 6:30, tired and sore.
6/20/12 Spanish Peaks 401-Sweden Creek:
On Wednesday(6/20) Larry's trail crew consisting of Larry Thomas, Gary
Clutter, Kay Tate, Ron Rassley, Ron Rohletter, Brenda Kessler, Jim
Allbright, and Rich Inman headed up trail 401(Cherry Cr.) out of the Spanish
Creek trail head. It was a beautiful ride all the way to just before the Big
Brother trail junction where we encountered our first blowdowns. Jim and
Larry made short work of the three jack strawed trees and we moved on. When
we arrived at the Big Brother junction, Larry and Gary went up toward Big
Brother Lake and cleared a few trees. The rest of the crew went on around to
Willow Swamp with no more trees to saw. Ate lunch there and enjoyed the
beautiful view looking down on bison grazing in the meadow. We returned to
North Fk of Spanish Cr. crossing where we found Larry and company eating
lunch. After a few great stories by Ron Rassley and Larry about Wally Becker
and his horsecapades we headed back toward Spanish Cr. Along the way out we
cleared brush and trees along several sections of the trail passing through
old clearcuts and aspen stands. When we got to the last 1.5 miles, Jim
Allbright, Ron Rohletter and Rich grabbed their combies and cleaned
waterbars back to the trail head. Back at the trail head, Kay Tate had
fresh, cold watermelon waiting for us. Thank you Kay. All in all it was a
great trip. The weather was cool but the sun was warm and bright..
Everything was a rich awesome green and even got to see bears, elk and
bison on the way in.
Ron & I were late so missed our ride to clear the 401 in Spanish Peaks with Larry. We drove up later and saw where they had split and some gone up Big Brother. We saw one saw cut as far as the North Fork where we had lunch. While eating Larry and Gary Clutter (a retired fire department friend who joined BCH)showed up (they were the ones up Big Brother). Then Rich's group returned from near Sweden Creek with the same results, very little work. We all lunched together at North Fork. On the way out Ron did some lopping and the guys used the chain saw on small trees at a clear cut and again where aspen had intruded on the trail, and of course, Rich cleaned water bars on the way out. I had watermelon for everyone's reward. Riders were: Rich inman, Ron Rolater, Brenda Kessler& Jim Albright, Larry Thomas & Gary Clutter, Kay Tate & Ron Rassley. KT
June 26 Shafthouse
A crew of 8 including Henry Glenn (and pack horse), Steve Thienes (and
pack horse), Rich Inman (plus pack horse), Ron Rassley (with packhorse),
Kay Tate, Bonnie Hammer, Ron and Sherrie White, cleared the Shafthouse trail
on Tuesday, June 26. The group cleared several trees until they got to the
close to the top where they ran into snow across the trailing. It was
decided that one group would attempt to go off trail in order to go up and
over and then return on logging roads. The other group would double back to
work on water bars and clearing some trees to widen the trail where pack
horses were a little too snug on the trail. Ron, Kay and Henry went up and
over and cleared four more trees on their mission. Meanwhile, the rest of
the crew back tracked to tackle some projects. Rich and Steve worked on
water bars all the way down to the bridge; Ron thinned some of the trees
that were scarred from packs banging into them in a few tight squeeze areas.
At one point Steve's horses got away from him and they ran down the trail
behind Sherrie and Mocha and Mocha jumped out of the way. Unfortunately,
there was a down slope bank right there so it was a big jump and Sherrie
landed in the dust (ruffled but unhurt). The safety lesson learned: while
doing trailwork, horses should either be securely tied or held by someone
else. The two groups met at the bridge where they trimmed excess brush and
trees to open up the walkway. The winds were howling most of the day, and
smoke filled the air as they returned to the TH. Henry and his bride-to-be,
Molly, hosted a mighty fine BBQ at their home following the work day.
Pulled pork sandwiches, pasta salad, fruit salad, watermelon and homemade
chocolate chip cookies were delicious and much appreciated. Sherrie
June 30 #410 Falls Creek
We had five people show up for our first wekend trail clearing project. We
cleared 12 miles of trail mostly clearing brush with sme water bar work and
downed trees.These pictures are from the Falls Creek trail clearing with Dan Marsh (Trail boss),
Joanne Simons, Dan Porter, Mike Haugan, and John Mutter. I didn't get any good shots
of the workers but there are a few good ones of our Trail buddy the bear. The little varmint wouldn't get off the dog gone trail so Dan Porter
literally chased him off with a stick! I hope this bear doesn't become a
problem in the future because he certainly is not afraid of humans or horses
for that matter.
.JPG)
Monday, July 2 Porcupine to Ramshorn
Fortunately we had a big crew to clear trail #34 from Porcupine TH to
Ramshorn Lake where 50-something trees awaited our attention. On the trail
were Dick Haines (with pack horse), Ron Rassley (with pack
horse), Kay Tate, Bonnie Hammer, Swep and Brenda Davis, Susan O'Neil, Ron
and Sherrie White. It was an "over time" work day, with 20.25
miles logged; we sure were happy to have so many to share the
workload. Back at camp, whose who were staying to clear the next day were
joined by Henry and Molly and we dined on BBQ ribs, chicken,
baked potatoes, salad, corn on the cob and key lime pie.
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Dick Haines cuts one of the 50-plus trees
of the day as Susan O'Neil holds horses |
Kay moves in to clear
branches after Ron White had finished trimming |
Ron
Rassleysections a fallen tree as Ron White stands by to remove
the pieces |
Bonnie Hammer observes as Dick Haines saws and Swep Davis removes logs |
Tuesday, July 3 Hidden Lake
A crew of seven left the trailhead to clear the trail to Hidden Lake on a day that proved to be hot as a pistol. Henry (with pack horse), Molly, Ron Rassley (with pack horse), Kay Tate, Bonnie Hammer and Sherrie and Ron White took the "long cut" to the HIdden Lake trail and tackled over 30 trees on their way to the top (15 mi.
roundtrip). We rolled off the trail, hot, dusty and hungry and were treated to ice cold watermelon and dinner of beef stroganoff, corn bread with honey and salad, courtesy of Bonnie Hammer.
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| Henry Glenn leads out with his pack horse, along with Molly who is hot on his trail on this sizzling day Henry Glenn leads out with his pack horse, along with Molly who is hot on his trail on this sizzling day | Kay looks on intently as trail work continues along the Hidden Lake trail |
Ron Rassley, Ron White and Bonnie Hammer attend to another fine mess on the switchbacks | At the top Ron Rassley takes a break before heading down. His saddle horse lost two shoes at the top and came down the steep, rocky trail without front shoes.without front shoes. |
July 7 Targhee Summit
Monday, July 9 Bridger Bowl
On the trail to clear the poker ride route were Kay Tate (our route finder), Ron Rassley, Henry Glenn (with pack horse), Molly, Steve Thienes (with pack horse), Rich Inman, Ruth Hall, Ron Rohletter, Ron and Sherrie White. The crew removed a few trees from the trail, worked on a water bar and lopped heavy brush to clear the 9.75-mile trail. Flaggers will mark the course on Friday.
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| Steve Thienes, Henry Glenn and Ruth Hall stop for the breathtaking views from Pop Stop #2. | Henry removes a nasty metal obstacle along the trail while Smokey enjoys a little snack. | Steve moves a tree into place as a barriade to keep riders on the correct trail | Rich does some preliminary flagging while Ron Rohletter looks on. | Ron Rassley and Rich Inman work on water barriers. | Crew pauses for a view at their scenic lunch stop while clearing on Monday. |
Wednesday crew, July 11, resuming their
weekly schedule after the holiday met at Hellroaring trailhead about 8:30 to
9:00. At the trailhead, two cars and another trailer of horses from
the local Dude ranch joined us. It was still cool as Larry, Rich, Ron
Rohletter, Jim and Brenda started up the trail ahead of the dudes.
About 30 minutes up the trail, we found our first tree down and made three
cuts to get it off the trail. It was at the third downfall that the
dudes caught us and made their way around us. Shortly after finishing
our cut, and starting up the trail, we passed them resting back in the
trees. Taking the North fork trail, we started up the switchbacks which
become rocky and quite steep (making for moment of gratefulness towards your
trusty steed). Crossing the Creek, we found many down falls and stopped
counting after 30 to 35 cuts. About 4:00, a thunderstorm caught us
with lightening, thunder and wind. It had become quite hot so the
storm cooled the air considerably and was a welcomed relief. Larry, at
that point, asked the group if they wanted to continue to Thompson Lake
which was about a mile further up the trail. The consensus of the
group was mixed with Jim wanting to continue. However, the group
turned back as it started to rain and slickers were required. Around
a corner about 6 miles from the trail head, was what looked like a huge
brand new tree down across the trail. We complained: “Now we
have to cut our way out,” as we stopped and took the crosscut saws out of
the panniers (and the area was too steep to get around). It looked
like we were going to be there for hours but the boys cut through within
thirty minutes. Back in the parking lot at about 6:45, we headed
for home.
July 17 Teepee Creek
Tuesday, July 17 Ron Rassley with packhorse heads up the Teepee
trail. Teepee trailhead is 1.6 miles from the Sage Creek TH where we
camped
Bonnie Hammer rides past the Forest Service's Buffalo Horn Cabin; we
returned on Wilson trail.
There was more lopping that cuttingon the trail 6.5 miles in; but
here Ron White cuts one of the three down trees.
Wed., July 18, Ron Rassley with packhorse, Bonnie Hammer and Ron
White pause while clearing the Sage Creek trail. The group ran into
too much deadfall to continue 7.5 miles in.
Bonnie Hammer uses a handsaw in the wilderness area on Sage Creek trail.
The group cut 16 trees, the majority within the first 2 miles. Here
Sherrie White cuts in the wilderness.
Wednesday, July 18,
found the crew of Larry, Rich, Gary Jones, Jim and Brenda starting up the
New World Gulch Trail about 9:00, taking the “Moonshine” segment of this
trail. It was already warm and
was promising to be a hot day.
At 9:30, the first small log across the trail was cut.
It wasn’t until about 10:30 the next cuts were made on another small
downfall. At 11:30 a “serious”
tree was across the trail and required more time.
Soon we could see Mystic Lake but continued past towards the Bear
lakes: Cutting and trimming when necessary.
In a meadow below us, Rich sighted a cow moose and calf grazing.
Then Larry led us off the trail to a small lake in which we could see
the fish swimming around and of course, jumping as the bugs were out in
abundance. On the way back, we
went around Mystic Lake, checking the trail around the lake:
Beautiful ride. Back at
the trail head about 6:00, we recorded another long day but a good ride with
trail maintenance completed.
Monday, July 23: Ramshorn Lake Trail #1 and Elkhorn Trail #199
We had a report that there were LOTS of trees down on the Ramshorn Lake trail so we were glad to know we'd have a pretty big
crew today. However, when we arrived Sunday afternoon to camp at the
trailhead, we got the word that the trail had recently been cleared and was
completely open. It was decided that we'd split the crew of nine into two
groups and cover both scheduled trails in one day. Five riders (Larry Thomas
with pack horse, Billie Thomas, Sandy McManus, Marsha and Nolan Powell)
rode the trail to the lake; and four of us (Ron Rassley with pack horse,
Kay Tate and Sherrie and Ron White) tackled the Elkhorn trail (#199) toward
Porcupine.
Both groups discovered that while you could get around or step over fallen trees, the trails really weren't completley open. The Elkhorn trail group cut 19 trees; the Ramshorn Lake crew cut a bunch as well. Both groups cleared about the same distance (14.5 miles).
Ron White observes while Ron Rassley cuts a fallen tree on the Elkhorn Trail #199
Above photos (by Marsha Nolan): Larry Thomas cuts a big one (left); Billie watches as Nolan, Larry and Sandy move logs (center); Larry and Nolan move sections while Billie directs (right)
Tuesday, July 24: Teepee to Trail #100 to Buffalo
Horn Lakes Trail #57
Since both of the scheduled trails had been completed
on Monday, we added another route not on our schedule. Tuesday morning we
rode past the Buffalo Horn cabin and took a left to clear the trail that
skirts Yellowstone National Park and eventually hooks up with Dailey Pass,
the Skyline Trail and Buffalo Horn Lakes trail. Our crew of five dwindled
to three when Kay Tate and Marsha and Nolan Powell had to return to camp for
various reasons). Soon after, the skeleton crew of three including Ron
Rassley with pack horse and Ron and Sherrie White came upon the first of 34
trees cleared that day. At the junction of Dailey/Skyline/Buffalo Horn
Lakes, we took a left onto Buffalo Horn Lakes trail; that trail is seldom
used so there was a lot of downfall. As it got later in the day and after
spending an hour repairing the chainsaw, we realized we'd have to chop our
cutting short or we'd be returning in the dark. So we stepped over or rode
around at least 20 trees at the end of the 14.25 mile trail. Our tired trio
rolled into camp at 7 p.m. and vowed to return to cut out the rest of the
trail in the near future. To be continued . . . .
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| Ron Rassley on Jesse with packhorse, Sport, on a scenic overlook on the Trail #100 off Teepee going toward the Buffalo Horn Lakes Trail #57 | The first of 34 trees removed from the trail that day with Ron White sawing and Ron Rassley waiting to remove sections of logs | Another fine mess encountered by the crew of three; we didn't get back to camp until 7 p.m. |
July 25, another Wednesday and the crew
of Larry, Rich and Gary, Jim and Brenda met in Hyalite Canyon, at the bridge
on the road above the Langohr campground. Driving together up
this road until a nice pullover was found; Mandy was packed with the saws,
shovels, pulaski’s, etc. We then, rode the horses up the road until the
trailhead to the trail, which went over the ridge to South Cottonwood, was
found. Once on the trail, several small trees were found across the
trail and were quickly dispatched. Then, the wide meadow on the ridge
included building several cairns (a pile of stones set on a hill or mountain
to mark a spot for walkers or climbers). Then, it was a hunt for the
tree blazes for the rest of the trail. By lunch time, we had made it
down to Cottonwood Creek. Starting back, the job became marking
prominent trees to designate the trail. This work went quickly with Larry
and Rich handling the axes. Soon, the group was back on the road where
Rich found an old cow watering trough still working with water from a
spring. The horses investigated and drank. Back at the trailers,
the day was discussed and the crew loaded up. It was another beautiful
ride and plenty of work completed.
Monday, July 29 Teepee Creek to Buffalo Horn Lakes
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| Sandy McManus moves logs as Ron White cuts one of the 68 trees on the trail that day. | Ron Rassley cuts another big one while Bonnie catches the saw dust that is thrown her way | This was one of the biggest boys cut that day; Ron Rassley and Ron WWhite took turns getting through. | Ron Rassley gives his Jonsered a rest and waits his turn while Ron WWhite slices through a big bugger on the trail. | Between work, it was a beautiful ride; Ron White and Sandy McManus enjoy a section of the trail that doesn't need clearing. | On the way home from work, it's a pleasant commute for Ron Rassley, his pack horse and the rest of the crew |
Tuesday, July 30
Buffalo Horn Cabin
After clearing 68 trees (many of them BIG trees) the day before, we
needed a shorter day. It was decided that we'd ride past the Buffalo
Horn Cabin and replace a size that was down at the junction of Teepee
and Wilson Creek. We noticed it a couple of weeks before when
clearing Teepee; Ron and Kay brought a replacement post from home. On
the trail (total 8.5 mi.) to help were Bonnie Hammer, Ron Rassley
with pack horse, Kay Tate and Ron and Sherrie White.
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| Bonnie leads and Ron Rassley follows with his pack horse loaded with posts; Kay keeps her eye on the load from behind. | Ron White digs a hole for the new post to replace the broken sign lying in the grass. | Bonnie and Kay put their foot down to help Ron as he cuts notches in the post | Ron and Bonnie put the sign in place as Kay watches | With sign work complete, Ron and Kay work on a water bar |
August 1st, Wednesday: Rich,
Jim and Brenda met at the ElkHorn Trailhead behind the Red Cliff
Campground. As we were unloading the horses, one of the campers with camera
in hand was upon us, asking if pictures could be taken. Asking who we
were and what we were doing, generated the explanation and purpose of the
Back Country Horsemen. And, of course, the camper being from Florida, a
discussion about the Florida Back Country Horsemen ensued. Being a retired
pathologist and now a professional photographer, a most interesting
conversation followed. This occurred while one trailer and truck was being
ferried back to the campground behind the Rainbow Ranch (and of course,
while the packing and saddling). The plan was to ride a loop up the Elk
Ridge Trail, to Trail 199 and then catch the Twin Cabin Creek Trail to the
Rainbow Ranch. Another noteworthy comment was the fact that this was
Molly’s (Jim’s mule) first endeavor with Jim and the Back Country Horsemen
(see pictures taken by Elizabeth Coachman below) About 150 feet up the trail was our first
downfall. Chainsaw running made short work of this but about 200 feet
was another, then the third obstacle was a huge root ball. This took
some work with breaking up the dirt and shoveling and then sawing. At
one point, Jim had to fly (like a flying squirrel) backward to miss getting
hit but fortunately, he landed safely without going over the cliff.
This was not Jim’s only adventures as later Molly, the new mule and Koda,
Jim’s horse were not on the same wave length when going across a boggy water
situation. Koda jumped the whole mess. and Jim chose to hang on to Molly,
despite the fact that she was still standing in place. The cinch ring
broke on the saddle and Jim ended up on his back, muddy, but unhurt in the
bog. So much for that day’s adventures.
Jim and Rich continue to work on downfall after
downfall, too many to count, hoping to eat lunch in the meadow by the creek.
But by 1:00, still working on a side hill above the creek, the crew finally
ate their lunch. Working until about 4:00 and still not even halfway,
it was decided to turn back and finish sometime in the future. (Rich had
walked ahead and discovered tree after tree down across the trail.)
Very tired, back in the campground, Jim and Rich transported back to get the
other truck and trailer. Despite not accomplishing what had been hoped
for, it was a full, hard, work day, a great ride, great weather, beautiful
country and eventful, with the crew leaving the campground about 6:00.
August 2 Buffalo Horn Cabin
Wednesday, August 8th
found Rich, Larry, Ron Rohletter, Ron Rassley, Bonnie Hammer, Jim and Brenda
meeting at the Tamphery Creek trailhead (This trail head is several miles up
the road across from Moose Flats on Highway 191. Again the pack animals were
mules, Molly and Mandy, both, seeming to enjoy their assignments. Starting
up this trail about 9:00, downfalls were encountered almost immediately.
The crew worked consistently (using two chainsaws) encountering downfalls
after downfalls until the lake. By then it was lunchtime, and lunch was
enjoyed along with a needed rest. Bonnie and Ron went ahead to check
the trail on, up to Windy Pass. The crew met them coming back about
4:00 to find out that only one more downfall was ahead with the meadow
opening up behind this. The crew found this downfall and made short
work of this, deciding not to continue to the cabin. Again back at the
trailhead about 6:30, the three trailers were jockeyed around in the only
spot available and headed for home.
August 17 Building corrals at Windy Pass
There were 15 loads of materials, supplies, tools
and previsions that came into Windy Pass for the building project on August
17th and 18th. A small group (Larry and Billie Thomas, Henry and Molly
Glenn and Steve Thienes) packed in on Thursday noon and then Larry, Henry
and Steve went back out and packed in 5 more loads, picking up Mike Haugan
on that trip to the cabin. That was enough work for Thursday!
Friday the work began... digging 15 post holes...
without an auger! Steve did a great job... digging holes as soon as
they were marked out. Early Friday afternoon another group arrived:
Clark Kinney, Rich Inman, Michael Harney and Dan Marsh...and Dan Porter and
Wally Becker came in from Tamphery Creek trailhead. During the
afternoon all the post hole were dug and posts placed. In addition,
the spring was cleaned out and "headed up" so fresh water was easily
accessable. Two hitching posts were marked off in addition to the
corrals.
Saturday, after a hearty breakfast of sourdough
pancakes, the rails went up with the help of a small generator. It ran
one drill and recharged batteries for a cordless impact wrench. Since
there are only two corrals being built, this was plenty of power and the
rails went up quickly. Many thanks to the forest service for flying in
the posts, rails, and gates. Since we had 12 crew and 23 horses along,
including pack stock, the corrals were instantly useful to us! The
work finished up in the early afternoon. Larry and Billie decided to
pack out and we were able to talk Mike Haugan and Steve Thienes to take a
load of tools out. Since Wally and Dan P. had come a different
direction and we had the time, a group saddled up to go up to the ridge
along Tamphery Creek trail and put up a few more trail markers. There
was time for a short ride to the ridge for a peek at the view into Paridise
Valley. The rest of the group packed out on Sunday after breakfast.
Work Crew: Larry Thomas Billie Thomas Steve
Thienes
Wednesday, August 22, found the Wednesday Crew of Rich, Larry, Ron, Jim and Brenda at Elk Horn Trailhead to finish what the earlier crew (August 1st) had not finished. This was now Molly’s third trip out and everything seemed to be going more smoothly. Larry mentioned that he thought people had been exaggerating about the number of downfalls cleared but changed his mind after riding the trail in for several miles. Jim also, remembering the boggy mud bath, walked his horse very tentatively across each boggy stream. It wasn’t long before we were at the spot where the crew had ceased working on downfalls Wednesday August 1st. Then, it again, became work as expected until lunch at the meadow along the creek. The downfalls became less frequent and upon top, no overt work noted. In fact, at this point it became a pleasure ride with beautiful panorama of mountains and valleys. Soon it was the challenge of going steeply down the rocky trail (Twin cabin Creek) to the valley below. Once at the trailhead behind the Rainbow Ranch, the dilemma of getting back to our trailers at the Elk Ridge Trailhead addressed us. Jim was excited about riding back to the other trailhead but other members of the group nixed that idea. And, fortunately, finding two hikers with a car, we convinced them to give Jim and Rich a ride up the road to the other trailhead. Soon we were on our way, home, again with the satisfied feeling of another trail cleared and a 18 mile ride.
Trail reports for 2007 and earlier.
Trail reports for 2008.
Trail reports for 2009.
Trail reports for 2010.
Trail reports for 2011.