Mt Defiance Trail 4/24 (trailwork #5)

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mcds
Posts: 802
Joined: April 7th, 2012, 4:25 pm

Mt Defiance Trail 4/24 (trailwork #5)

Post by mcds » April 25th, 2012, 2:09 pm

happy to report that as of 6:30 pm last night, the defiance trail is now clear, at least to the 4 mi mark which is about 2400' elevation (no snow at that point). Jack had posted a month or two ago about climbing starvation ridge, summiting defiance in the snow, then descending the defiance trail, writing that the blow down started on the descent at about 2000' at the top of the switchbacks. i can second that. the last 1/4 - 1/2 mile, which was the relatively level stretch on the crest of the ridge, had essentially no blow down. my goal was to clear to snowline, but it didn't seem necessary. so at 6:30 i turned around, looking forward to my dessert on the way down: cutting the non-obstructing larger blow downs that over the 5 days of grunting i had left behind because they were easy step-overs or duck-unders. I had time for a few, and swapped out my old 18" saw for a shiny-new and sharp-as-the-devil pruning saw. at home last night i celebrated with 1/2lb roast beef and a sourdough baguette, winco style. i'm looking forward to one last trip on the defiance trail to enjoy the remaining desserts.
Last edited by mcds on January 16th, 2013, 12:03 pm, edited 3 times in total.

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Jack
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Re: Mt Defiance Trail 4/24 (trail work)

Post by Jack » April 25th, 2012, 2:35 pm

I can't even begin to tell you how appreciated this news is! Having seen the destruction, I can only imagine how hard you worked! Thank you! Thank you! Thank you!

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potato
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Re: Mt Defiance Trail 4/24 (trail work)

Post by potato » April 25th, 2012, 2:45 pm

Unstoppable lone-wolf trail-fixer from out of the blue. Awesome, and thanks!
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Re: Mt Defiance Trail 4/24 (trail work)

Post by [email protected] » April 25th, 2012, 3:04 pm

Amazing amount of work - you have done a GREAT favor for many hikers to come and some coming this weekend. Wish that the tax dollars could be spent doing some of this work so we don't have to have all the burden on volunteers and non-profit groups (like PCTA and WTA). It is certainly a matter of misplaced resources.

That being said, the work is hard and long and the effort will be the reward of many hikers with smiles on their faces.

Thanks.

bossman
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Joined: November 8th, 2011, 1:48 pm

Re: Mt Defiance Trail 4/24 (trail work)

Post by bossman » April 27th, 2012, 6:49 pm

Thanks for all your work! My wife and I are heading there tomorrow. I've been up Defiance a couple times now, but my wife hasn't had the pleasure yet. We tried shortly after the storm caused all the damage and know first hand just how bad it was.

Cheers,
-Darren

mcds
Posts: 802
Joined: April 7th, 2012, 4:25 pm

Re: Mt Defiance Trail 4/24 (trail work)

Post by mcds » April 28th, 2012, 3:49 pm

@jack - it's unfathomable to me that you guys descended through that mire without injury or shredded clothing, especially after an exhausting day. actually, it was your post and bossman's post got me out there. so thank you both!!

@ted - i understand where you are coming from. i'm not sure i could do trailwork every day and still enjoy it so much, but for once or twice a week, trail work is my favorite workout and am grateful for being afforded the opportunity. personally, i would like to see the agencies step up security for trailhead parking.

@bossman - reading your post last night made my day. i hope you are out having fun!

dennisfromsalem
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Joined: January 10th, 2012, 6:30 pm

Re: Mt Defiance Trail 4/24 (trail work)

Post by dennisfromsalem » April 28th, 2012, 9:06 pm

[quote="mcds"]@jack -, i would like to see the agencies step up security for trailhead parking.


No amount of security short of 24 /7 on site personnel would make any difference. I worked forest patrol up in the Marion county area ( Jefferson park) and can tell you that there are "people" who specialize in car break ins at trail heads. The only thing that I observed that seemed to work was people took absolutely everything of value from the vehicles and left the doors unlocked. That way no damage to the vehicles from breaking in. often the damage from the break in far exceeds the value of the theft. It is truly annoying and I experienced this as my Honda was broken into at eagle creek. I wanted to go back and sit in the woods with a shotgun and catch the creeps in the act. After thinking it through, I realized that for a misdemeanor theft, that it just was not worth the effort. All of the agencies ( particularly the ones relying on timber tax cash) are very short handed and concentrate their efforts where they get the most bang for the buck....urban areas with person to person crimes.
I was thinking of buying an old chevy pickup just so no one would target it at trailheads. Truly frustarting!

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