Earthday

White Mountain Prerun

April 7, 2002

Bill Culver, Alan & Judy (guests at the last meeting) & I hit the prerun.  Here's what we learned today.

After the fire, there was a lumber company that was allowed to come in and take some of the trees.  Short story is the owner's kid died on scene in a tire changing accident.  Dad closed up shop and took off without doing the required cleanup.  That's where we come in.

Along the trail there are bunches of landings where the trees where stacked waiting to be loaded up.  Each landing has several 'skids' that are trails that were used to drag the trees to the landing.  Our job is to make it look like the logging company was never there.  Just like the off shoots on Gold Mountain that we hide, we need to mix in natural stuff.  A suggestion was made to not to make our work obvious.  No trees lines along the edge of the trail, just make it look uninviting.

What to bring:
- long pants, light colored long sleeve shirt, over the ankle boots
- rakes - dirt or leaf, shovels, picks
- old tow straps for moving logs
- sun screen
- lots of water
- any ideas for something to drag behind a rig to help grade the soil?

Bill, Alan & Judy & I are leaders for area 1, Project 6 which is a ways out.  We have one big landing with 2 relatively long skids to cover up and 2 smaller landings.  Our area is off 3N17.   We will meet at the Fawnskin Fire Station. Make the turn off 18, drive a ways up the road to park along ONE SIDE of the road only and walk back to register.  Once our group is ready - about 60 volunteers, we'll head out to tour work area.  3N14 North, right on 3N16 and then left onto 3N17.  They are expecting 200 people but hoping for 500 so expect a crowd.  Since I hate people, I'm hoping we can be one of the first groups to leave.  We will pass 5 other work areas which means 300 rigs to pass if we aren't in front of them.  Leaders need to be there by 7:30 to help direct people and in theory we will leave the fire station at 9.  I'm hoping I can convince everyone to go up early and we can be the first group to leave.  We'll work on the time as things get closer.

Think about safety.  With all these people someone will get hurt, don't let it be you.  IF your not Forest Service certified, don't even think about touching a chain saw.  Only one winch project at a time per leader.  We can designate other leaders once we get to the site.  We can pull down any tree that has 1 main trunk and no live foliage - but there needs to be a safety area twice as wide as the tree is tall.  Watch out for snakes, drink lots of water and take time for a lunch break.  It will be dusty and hot without much shade.

For Loco's question about full size rigs - it's a tough call.  I don't think I locked in all day but did use the low gearing.  I scraped along branches a couple times but if I was real careful, maybe I could have avoided them.  I would not take the Expedition if that helps.   I'd suggest riding up with someone else or volunteering for one of the first work crews and going out the same way you came in instead of looping back through 4N16 and 3N14 like we probably will.

How's that for making the 20th sound like fun?  There is hope for a raffle and barbecue dinner after.  Stay tuned for more details...  Supposedly there is a web site somewhere but I'm not sure where it is and haven't looked yet.

Oh yeh - the carnage.  Where there is smoke, there is fire.  Today's was under my dash.  SO far I only know of losing the fan motor (which makes the 3 days I spent redoing the heater core a waste), the radio and CB power.  Keep your fingers crossed it's not more - luckily it was big at all.  And my T-case pops out of gear when I go down a step hill.  I don't think Bill or Alan had any troubles.

JohnB