Hi Y’all!!!!! After nearly 2 straight weeks in the backcountry I’m finally out and ready to report on some adventurous activities. Up first, an ITA trip up to Blackmare Lakes were we are restoring a trail from the South Fork of the Salmon River to the Blackmare Lakes far above.
For this trip, much of our gear is being packed in to our base camp by a pack team. That means some extra luxuries such as heavy snacks and other treats. Dan assists Molly in weighing each pack to insure a balanced load.
After having a proper safety meeting and other team details we headed off up the trail in front of the pack train.
Once we cross the South Fork, its mostly up hill for about 6 miles. Hiking with only a day pack seemed a little like cheating!
At the Blackmare Creek Bridge, the team stops for a photo. From left to right, our Team co-leader Anne, a recurring character on Davefaitlemonde and McCall “A” Team member, Shelley, Don, Don’s son Wes, Jenny (also an “A” Team member), Danial, and co leader Kirsten.
Not long after striking out, the pack team soon caught and passed us. Marge, Lori, and Molly lead the mix of mules and horses with all of our camping gear. For you city slickers turned in, each animal has the ability to carry about 130 to 150 pounds. Hauling in a bunch of backpackers is an easy day them as we all travel much lighter than the average base campers.
Back to work grinding up the canyon above the South Fork. Luckily, tick season was almost over so only a few hitchhikers were found.
June is peak runoff month from the snowpack melt high above so even the normally small creek crossings proved to be a challenge. Here, Jenny yells back at the rest of the team that the water is actually quite warm! Jenny has made many appearances here on Davefaitlemonde but you may not recognizer her as she had recently retired her brown tinted blue work shirt.
Further up the canyon, the character of the forest changes and is much more lush. This canyon, although being relatively close in is quite remote. This trail has been overgrown for many many years and the ITA has worked over the last 2 years to open it back up. As a result, this unburned and unlogged old growth canyon is quite amazing.
After hiking up most of the way to our base camp, we again passed the pack team coming back out. Molly, one of the Packers happens to be a Forest Service Archaeologist. The team stopped for a break and Molly gave us a talk on the history of the area. What a treat! We finished the last half mile trek to our camp site and settled in for the upcoming work days.
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