Photo Album: 1507 Sierra Buttes
On the weekend of July 23-25th, 2015, twelve experienced Trail Center volunteers joined six ACE (American Conservation Experience) crew members and two PCTA volunteers to engage in work on the Sierra Buttes Trail Realignment Project. This is a six-mile, multi-year project designed to move the Pacific Crest Trail from its current location on forest roads and private property where hikers have to dodge vehicular traffic, ATV's, OHV's and mountain bikes to a new, scenic path east of the existing alignment. The opening of this segment is expected for the 2017 season. Funding is provided by the Pacific Crest Trail Association, the U.S. Forest Service and the National Forest Foundation.
Trail Center volunteers arrived at the campsite on Thursday evening July 22nd and stayed at the (now abandoned) Forest Service Wild Plum Guard Station or the nearby Wild Plum Campground. These sites are located on the eastern edge of Sierra City and accessible via Highway 49.
Our workday started with a shuttle ride to the Packsaddle Campground near Packer Lake and a short hike to the active project site. Elevation was around 6400 ft., a little easier to deal with than some of our previous High Sierra work. Our volunteers could select from a buffet of work activities which included brushing and first cut of newly flagged trail, finishing of existing tread, completion of some switchback work, and digging in borrow pits and filling in a rock causeway (known there as the Yana Mines Detail). On Sunday morning one of our volunteers, Judd, was asked to help flag the final stretch to a service road crossing. By the end of the weekend the Trail Center finished about 300 feet of completely new trail, fixed several switchbacks, finalized some previously done treadwork and put in the last rocks on the causeway.
At the end of the day our volunteers could cool down and rinse off in any number of nearby lakes and streams where cool mountain water felt extremely refreshing.
The response to this project from our volunteers has been excellent and many suggested that we plan to come back next year.
The Trail Center would like to thank volunteers Kathy, George, Judd, Marilyn, Tom, Woody, Bill, Luke, Hank, Larry, Aaron and Eva for their participation and hard work. A special thanks go to supervisors Shaughn Dugan, Allie and Yana of ACE for their excellent leadership and welcoming and appreciative attitude, to Ellen Coyle, Jennifer Tripp and Justin Kooyman of the PCTA for assistance in planning and logistics, and to Joe Chavez of the USFS for project oversight and design.
Hank Magnuski
8/23/2015