NSA Colorado Projects

At a breakfast meeting today with George Miller, we discussed 2006 trail projects and we are going back to build two bridges over Frenchman Creek in the Collegiate Peaks Wilderness Area northwest of Buena Vista Colorado on June 22-23. (This is area where we climbed up to 12,000' on Mt Harvard with all of our tools last September, looking for the bridge site. When we ran out of trees, our astute squadleader, Hal Howell, suggested we turn around). We now know where the bridges are to be built. Rich Hilderbrand is the squad leader for the June project.
Good news on the September project, September 6-10 (Note: the dates on the sign up sheet for 2006 NSA projects are last years dates). George Miller doesn't have a major project for us this year but he is willing to provide logistic support with CTF's excellent base camp. So it looks like we will have a project with USFS Leadville District, the Continental Divide Trail Alliance, the Colorado Trail Foundation and the NSA.
More details on both projects will be posted as they become available. Stay tuned and check the blog occasionally. Don't forget to send your sign up sheets to Jon Mcbride.

To all who jumped at the Gobi,
I am sure you have heard that there is a Gobi Reunion on June 16-18, 2006. If you haven't heard about it I have the information and would be glad to forward a copy to you. The last reunion was a blast with a great turn out (60% of those still alive who jumped at the Gobi were there). I have talked with Jim Allen and he and Emily will definitely be there. For those of you that haven't heard Orville Looper passed away last fall so he won't be there.
I am interested in driving if we can get a car pool of 2-4 people from the Denver Area (or who can meet in route). I can drive (or ride) but unless someone wants to car pool I will probably fly. As you know it is not easy to get to the Gobi by air. Last time we flew into Portland, spent the night and rented a car and drove down the next day. Driving will probably take two days. I am very flexible regarding schedule. i.e., we could leave here early Thursday and arrive afternoon Friday, June 16 and could leave CJ Sunday morning June 18 and arrive here Monday night; or we could leave earlier and arrive earlier Friday and leave later Sunday or early Monday and arrive Tuesday. If you are interested please send me your thoughts. If your wife is interested in going, that is ok we can accommodate that, this does not have to be a man thing. If you know of any Gobi jumpers living in the Denver area please forward this information to them

Jim Dollard CJ'52
jfasdollard@msn.com
29110 Buchanan Dr.
Evergreen, CO 80439
303-670-1480

Warren Pierce, CJ’64 called Brenda Dolan Hobgood, Volunteer Program Coordinator for the Continental Divide Trail Alliance (CDTA) to arrange an introductory meeting. Brenda’s idea for the location of the meeting was at Starbucks in southwest Denver about 30 miles from the CDTA headquarters in Pine, Colorado. We couldn’t find the Starbucks so we convinced Brenda by cell phone to meet us at Gunther Toody’s in the vicinity since we didn't have breakfast and preferred ham and eggs to a latte. That should have been Brenda’s first clue as to what she was getting into.
The Continental Divide National Scenic Trail (CDT) is the ‘King of Trails’ extends 3100 miles across the Continental Divide from the Canadian to the Mexican borders with 760 miles in Colorado. The CDT is about 70% complete border to border with about 1000 remaining miles unfinished. The goal is to complete the CDT by the year 2008, the Trail’s 30th anniversary. For more information visit www.cdtrail.org.
We asked Brenda what the CDTA could offer in the way opportunities for some highly trained, enthusiastic volunteers who were willing to work for food. Brenda was well prepared and produced a typed list of three potential projects ranging from new trail construction to wilderness area bridge building project. Most of the projects are accessible from campgrounds or a dispersed area near the project site. The CDT can support volunteers with camp equipment and per diem of up to $6.00 / volunteer /day.
We then bragged to Brenda that there are no better trail volunteers than smokejumpers and that we don’t need training or supervision – just food and some ice to keep the beer cold. We noticed Brenda glancing at her watch and looking towards the exit. We told her about the NSA, and how the trails program is organized and the gave her copies of the 2004 and 2005 NSA Trail Maintenance Special Reports and spent at least 15 minutes telling her how good we are and warned her about spending an evening around a campfire at a smokejumper trail camp. Brenda, obviously getting uncomfortable with the two blowhards across the table, but being a good sport, pointed out that our waitress (named Peaches) was wearing a button on her uniform that said ‘under these clothes I’m stark naked’. We don’t know how we missed that one.
We concluded the meeting with Brenda agreeing she would discuss our meeting with her associates and get back to us with a specific proposal including the possibility of attending a ‘short course’ for crosscut saw certification from the Forest Service. We explained to Brenda that we are all skilled forest workers and experts with all forest tools and don’t need a three day session using a cross cut saw even though the CDTA insists on certification. We think Brenda left the meeting somewhat in a state of shock wondering what it must be like to be around 8 or 12 of those guys when she could hardly deal with two of them.