The National Smokejumper Association Colorado Chapter site for information on trail and work projects taking place in Colorado. Maintained by Bill Ruskin (CJ '58).
Wednesday, June 29, 2005
NSA Crew Completes 3rd Project on Colorado Trail
On The Colorado Trail June 23-24, 2005: Over coming extreme environmental conditions-beautiful blue sky, early summer Rocky Mountain weather with temps in the 70's, crystal clear mountain water rushing down to Coors Brewery in Golden and eagles soaring high, five smokejumpers, one CTF official, one aspiring teenager and one trail dog completed another successful project on the Colorado Trail.
Starting at a basecamp elevation of 10,028' Richard Hilderbrand MSO'66 (squadleader) Warren Pierce CJ'64, Herm Ball MSO'50, Gasper Blea NIFC'78 (head sawyer), Blogger Bill CJ'58, George Milller, CTF, Cody Blea and Kepler, not deterred by massive snow drifts and swift flowing, icy mountain streams, cleared countless downfalls on a section of a connecting trail with the Colorado Trail. Urged onward and upward, by our squad leader, the crew cleared so many fallen trees that Hilderbrand, having only so many fingers and toes lost track after 20. Pierce piped in with his continuing encouraging words of "the trail junction is just around the corner," and the crew reached the high point of the supposedly two-day project at 11,658' joining with Colorado Trail (now named Kepler Junction).
The plan was to return to base camp and start up the other end of the trail on the second day. But no one was anxious to climb back up again with the chain saws so we continued working down the Colorado Trail to base camp arriving there about 6:00PM after clearing 10.5 miles of trail. Not bad for a days work. We figured that at this elevation , our trail work easily equated to 21 miles of cleared trail in the flatlands of the Bob.
That night we had a great dinner, and around a campfire the usual bullshit laced with an occasional true story. Our second day was a lot easier with blueberry hot cakes and coffee to start off another beautiful Colorado day and with all the work completed, we broke camp early and the crew departed . George Miller, field coordinator for the CTF, was again amazed at the volume off work accomplished in a short time by the highly trained and high spirited NSA Colorado crew. We are already discussing a two-day, (Thursday- Friday) project somewhere on the Colorado Trail for late June 2006.
Stay tuned for the next update on the NSA Colorado Trail Project, September 7-11, 2005.
There is still time to sign up and all are welcome.
