BLOG #108. OUR TRAILS NEED OUR HELP

​By now most of us has been on a mountain trail.
What we are finding is a huge number of downed trees on almost every trail.


I was up at Lone Lake a week ago, and came across a 3.5’ diameter tree that broke off about 12 feet above the trail, and fell across the trail.
This kind of a downed tree is very hazardous. Loggers call them “wisdom makers.”
The USFS Trails crew, and a few North Idaho Idaho Trails Association sawyers, went up and safely removed this hazard.
THANK YOU!


Usually when I go up with The Spokane Mountaineers, we rarely find downed trees. But this year there are 5 left to be cut out.


Three weeks ago, I hiked into Lower Stevens Lake to assess the amount of downed trees and any trail work that will be needed.
I counted 63 trees of all sizes down across the trail.
 And until you get near the headwall, near the old miners camp the downed trees are 3 and 4 trees deep along about 200’ of the trail.


This is the same as I’m hearing from all over the I.P.N.F.


English Point of Lancaster got hit hard. ITA was there to help with the downed trees.


I can go on and on, but what our forests need from us right now, is us. 
We are the users. We owe it to our trails, to maintain them.


These are just two trails amongst hundreds in our region, that need us.


Below are the websites for three of the primary trail maintenance groups, in our area.
Contact any of these organizations and volunteer to help our trails.


Idaho Trails Association 
https://idahotrailsassociation.org
These fine folks have work parties all over Idaho.
Their efforts are felt even up here in N. Idaho.
They also lead Wednesday hikes around Sandpoint, and Thursday hikes around Couer d’ Alene.




Washington Trails Associated 
https://www.wta.org
The WTA has an Eastern Washington Trail representative in Spokane that has built and maintained our trails for years.
Trails like FishTrap Lake west of Spokane are an example of their dedication to making our trails safe and scenic.


The Spokane Mountaineers, Inc.
https://www.facebook.com/SpokaneMountaineers/
I’ve been a member of the Spokane Mountaineers for over 40 years, and am their Historian.
Our members volunteer for a number of projects with the above groups or on our own.
We are dedicated to preserving and protecting our trails and forest, all over the Inland Northwest.


One of the cool things about volunteering for the above organizations, is you get to dig in the dirt for fun.
There’s nothing like hiking back down a freshly groomed trail, and thinking…”I had something to do with this”.


If you have ever done trail work, or if you are interested in helping our trails, please contact which ever organization above you wish.


Our trails are our avenues to enjoy Nature, see the incredible sights, and to clear our minds.


Thank You for being our readers. 
Our goal is to show the beauty of our area how you can be part of it.


Chic        David   




https://www.inlandnwroutes.com