Infrastructure or Life on the Trail Crew - The Common Ground Tour Continues

Breaking rocks in the hot sun!

Never again will I blithly hike along a trail watching the scenery, looking for birds and animals and not giving two thoughts for the trail under my feet.  Doing trail work at Gaudalupe has changed all that.  Now when we hike it's the trail width, tread condition, water bars, plant encroachment and overhang, switchback planning, and lots of other little details that also demand attention.

Like much of the U.S. infrastrucure, and trails here were expertly designed, built and maintained until about 20 or so years ago.  Then a series of budget cuts, two one hundred years flood, and hiring freezes began to take it's toll. This national park is well known and loved for it's 80+ miles of trails. Usage, both by humans and horses is constant. As I mentioned in my last post, folks love their national parks. They appreciate and use them more and more every year.  At the same time maintenance and trail crew budgets and staff have been more than halved. That's where S.D. and I fit at GUMO.

Our boss, Mark, is the Mule Packer and Trail Boss. Our first day at work was foggy, wet, and

Before "rocking"

 at one point hailing, but nevertheless we walked out along our two mile 'job site', the Frijole Trail.  Mark pointed out all the work that need to be done to bring the trail that climbed up through outwashes and along the top of the allevial plain into good condition.  Some of the work was significant and involved, some just pretty hard and tedious.  Being new to the job, the hard and tedious tasks naturally fell to us.

After "rocking"

Our second day at work was sunny, warm and clear. S.D. and I hiked out to the mid-point of the trail (the Bear Canyon trail intersection) dropped our packs, mattock, sledge hammer and McCloud, took a long drink of water and began clearing the millions of loose rocks off the trail and out of the hundreds of clogged water bars.

Since then our trail work has been much the same, but that trail sure is starting to look sweet! We still get tired and dirty but our muscles are getting used to the work but we've experienced many special moments, discovered some new things things and had and a few adventures. (Adventures worthy of their own posts.)