Trail Maintenance on the Crest Trail

We hiked almost eight miles r/t to the Crest Trail from Carr Peak Trail on Saturday. There wasn't much work to do this time since the Forest Service has groups of the AmericaCorps out in the forest rebuilding trails this year, all funded in part with Obama's Stimulus package.

I was late meeting the rest of the clubmembers and drove straight up to the Reef Vista campsite and hiked from there to the Crest Trail. But even here there were no vehicles I had recognized. Where was everyone? Had I once again missed the time and place for the meet-up? Not wanting to waste any time, I went up to the Crest with Sadie. Even at the Crest Trail there was no one, so I made the Bath tub springs my turn-around.

I cleaned out the tub first using Sadie's water bowl. This old tub was carried up via pack mules by an old homesteader, Max Baumkirschner, whose cabin once stood in the area back in 1908. Only the tub remains and has been converted into a very usuable (albeit strange) catch basin for the spring. There were a lot of pine needles and algae floating around in this watering hole that much of the wildlife (and illegal border crossers) use. Next time I'm bringing along a scrub brush and some bleach to remove the algae stains in the tub! The water was cold and the cleanup was quite a challenge, but it gave me something to do while I idled time.

I didn't even see anyone until we were on the return stretch. I recognized the Forest Ranger Zachary who was up front coming down the Carr Peak Trail. The others, Little Steve, Brenda and Gordon, Paul and Big Steve, were behind them. I had missed them earlier because Zach took the entire group in his government van up into a campsite first to drop off supplies before stopping at the upper parking lot.

The work this time was minimal: replace some of the Arizona Trail (AZT)signs and reenforce a few others. We reenforced a few cairns and strengthened part of the trail. At the Crest Trail here the AZT goes back downhill toward Parker Canyon lake for another 12 miles, which is all part of the hiking club's responsibility to maintain.

I personally did not do much else as the guys had the big equipment. Gordon and Little Steve did most of the labor of digging and pounding. I only had my camera and my one contribution this time was taking photographs for the local newspaper.