re: unofficial LCC trail work crew

Hey everyone who is digging on LCC despite hot and humid weather...
I would like to see some trail improvements (not much, just some TLC with intent) and was hoping to get together with others of same persuasion, 'unofficially' of course.

To those in the know: how 'official' can we get (i.e. can we have a designated meeting time, show up in a group with tools, etc.) or do we have to do everything real stealthy like...

To those who want in: we should probably arrange times and what not off the web (i.e. via phone and personal emails).

I was thinking of 'actually' starting some time in mid to late August.

And, I was thinking the south side.

Please PM me with your email and phone number, I will 'organize' the 'unorganized', or at least make an attempt!

OH...one last thing. If you or anyone you know really has the right info regarding the legality issues surrounding this venture, please post and help keep us out of trouble!

maybe we could coordinate this thing with a clinic/meeting hosted by Mikey or some other "knowledgeable" influence...

let's all get together a few times, up in the canyon, down by the river!

i enjoy running into people in 'real' life and making the connection between MP user name and real faces etc.

i think (i.e. pretty sure) Mikey is up for giving us a removal and inspection clinic...which would probably benefit everyone whether you are placing bolts or not! this would be a great place to 'demonstrate' and spread the 'ethics' you want to see followed...

i for one want to do right...

Count me in.
I have a great idea for trail work.
Someday major trail work will need to be done. Look at the shape they are in. Its a fucking maze sometimes, and they all suffer from erosion proplems.
I dont like to see change in lcc, but we should also preserve what we have.

Glen do we still have that crew of fifteen kids to haul shit?

When and where do you want to meet?

I will bring the beer.

monkey

monkey,
i'd love to be a part of something like bjornstad used to do down in the desert (i.e. gorgeous and effective natural looking trailwork--indian creek/castleton for examples) and i think it would be fun and a great learning experience to have to quarry some of the stones ourselves...

file a claim for the base? $100?
i guess i can come up with that...it will have to be in late August though...

yeah, that bunch of kids would like to be part of something a bit more organized and 'productive' then last time, we only need to have a concrete plan...and the beer will have to wait until they are gone (after all, most of them have substance abuse issues)

i am gone till August 7th but will get in touch with you then
keep us all posted on ASCA/SLCA meeting

peace and shit
g-leno

As much as this kind of thing is needed, we need to be careful about pursuing this kind of work on FS lands. This is the type of post that would definitely raise red flag if it was seen by the FS. They generally have to do an analysis of this kind of work because they have to conform to the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA), which protects sensitive plant and animal species as well as cultural resources. This comes into play anytime you start working the trail with tools. If these trails were part of their system, it would be easy, but this is not the case. The climbing, approach trails have developed with out their consent and are not built to their standards.

The SLCA has a project tentatively scheduled for early October, on FS land, on the north side of the canyon, below the grist mill. You can check it out at: fs.fed.us/r4/wcnf/projects/…
Scroll down to "Proposed Salt Lake Ranger District Spring 2007 Small Projects" and check out the scoping letter and the Lower Little Cottonwood Trails Map.

This is the type of project that we need to start having a number of times a year. I think general clean ups and the blocking of useless social trails is fine, but we need to work with the land manager to avoid a larger problem that could reflect badly on the whole community.

The Slips is one place that we have permission to go in and do some more work. I think it would be a half a day for a crew of 5-10 people.

jonathan knight wrote:As much as this kind of thing is needed, we need to be careful about pursuing this kind of work on FS lands. This is the type of post that would definitely raise red flag if it was seen by the FS. They generally have to do an analysis of this kind of work because they have to conform to the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA), which protects sensitive plant and animal species as well as cultural resources. This comes into play anytime you start working the trail with tools. If these trails were part of their system, it would be easy, but this is not the case. The climbing, approach trails have developed with out their consent and are not built to their standards.

Jonathan, one thing that Carol McJesky at the SL Ranger District said was that once we established which, if any, climber trails would become "system trails," we climbers could then perform self-maintenance on existing spur trails. I guess that shouldn't be taken as carte blanche to develop more social trails, but somewhere in the middle it seems we'll get to maintain that which USFS doesn't want to. My take was that would probably mean they would want the Pipeline trail and we would get everything else.

jonathan knight wrote:The SLCA has a project tentatively scheduled for early October, on FS land, on the north side of the canyon, below the grist mill. You can check it out at: fs.fed.us/r4/wcnf/projects/… Scroll down to "Proposed Salt Lake Ranger District Spring 2007 Small Projects" and check out the scoping letter and the Lower Little Cottonwood Trails Map.

Hey, congratulations here. Based on the scoping letter, it looks like you're going to do just the parking lot trailhead this October, but I'm encouraged (and surprised) they posted the map showing all those trail segments. There's also a Cabbage Patch project?

The "restoration" work is presumably mostly trail removal I guess. I'm floored they put that proposed trail segment over to the egg on this. Have they really gone up and hiked that? I'm happy to go back up if necessary and rework that. I'm a bit confused what the intent is with the existing trails to the Egg, but maybe they haven't really thought it all through.

That's really interesting that they published that map showing so many "existing" trails, including the pipeline trail going through to the grist mill.

Robert Price

Thanks, Robert. Getting started on this has been a long time coming, eh? The plan is to work at the trail head and along the the old pipeline trail which does go to the grist mill although it is overgrown. The map reflects the initial proposal that has since been reduced in scope to fit into their small projects category. The upper trail work will probably be part of next years effort, so we definitely need to get together and revisit the "Egg Highway". The Cabbage Patch is symbolized as a project because it is a key anchor point for the work on the pipeline trail. The map is not quite right in that the old trails to the Egg will not be restored with the exception of the scar right above the road. Access to the pipeline trail and the old egg trails will be through the Cabbage Patch. The trails were gps'd and mapped a couple of years ago by the FS with the assistance of climbers.

Robert, give me a call or email if you want to talk more about this. I will let you know when we are going out there to develop a work plan, as well. Thanks to you and Allen Sanderson for getting this glacier moving a few years ago.

I'm glad you've hung in there as long as you have. I'll help out however you want when the time comes.

Hey Glenn shot you a message about some thoughts I had. Let me know what you think