Volunteers Resupply 18-day Trail Crew
30 June 2014 | Brookings, OR — Volunteers were busy over the weekend supplying an SMC trail crew deep in the Kalmiopsis Wilderness Area.
On Thursday morning four SMC hikers packed their bags full of 120 pounds of supplies and began a soggy 10-mile hike from Vulcan Lake Trailhead to Box Canyon Creek. The last three miles of the trail into Box Canyon drop over 3,200 feet in elevation.
“My feet are swimming,” lamented Mikaela Lea of Brookings, OR about 5.5-miles into the hike. This was the 18-year old cross country runner’s first backpacking trip. “I’ll be fine,” she said.
We arrived by 5 p.m. with pizza, salad, fresh veggies and tri-tip roasts.
On Friday we joined forces with the crew to help clear sections of Upper Chetco Trail #1102 which have received no maintenance since before the 2002 Biscuit Fire, and have accrued over a decade of damage from falling trees and ravenous brush.
“This is what we call a ceanothus jungle,” said crew leader Aaron Babcock, pointing to a stand of ceanothus reaching at least 17 feet high. “I have to call timber when I cut them.”
The resupply crew started the hike out on Saturday morning, reaching the Vulcan Lake Trailhead by 6 p.m. We stayed at the nearby Vulcan Peak Trailhead and drove into Brookings Sunday morning, and treated ourselves to breakfast at Superfly, which provided great food and affordable prices.
The SMC’s paid trail crew has been in the Kalmiopsis since June 16. They’re coming out from the Babyfoot Lake Trailhead on Independence Day. They’re a simply amazing group of young people.