Thom Batty, the owner of Tall Town Bike and Camp in Lakeview, Oregon, has been receiving rider feedback about the Oregon Timber Trail for the past six years. One common complaint has always stood out: the excessive amount of blowdowns on Crane Mountain, making it a daunting start to an already difficult trail. Determined to address this issue, we focused on tackling Crane Mountain after completing the Watson Fire rehab work last year. The task, however, was no walk in the park. Just arriving at the trailhead required a long commute on steep, narrow, and rocky access roads. Equipped with 4WD and determination we pushed on, anxious to see the condition of trail and just how much snow and blowdown awaited. Would we be able to get the work done? Could we make a dent?
Our mission began with a scouting expedition on day one. Ben McCormack, Wayne Mackey, Mike Vanderberg, and Dan Sharp worked to clear the 15 road to the Crane Mountain summit. We logged out, lopped, and shoveled snow to ensure that the trailhead would be accessible for the following day's work. We skirted more snow and climbed to the former site of the Crane Mountain Viewpoint, and absorbed the 360 degree views. It was a great moment to orient ourselves, think about the work that was done to get to this point, and realize how this section of trail relates to the next. It’s wild how beautiful and remote it is!
On day one our group of four sawyers (Mike V, Wayne, Matt Ruddy, myself) was joined by Nate C and Dr. Elissa and we cut our way north toward Red Peak, where we had worked south until we were stopped by snow at the previous event. Luckily the snow had melted out enough, granting us access and revealing plenty of trail that needed logout. It was a long and demanding day with patches of snow hiking. We explored the remains of the 1969 plane crash. Really it’s just a wing wrapped around a tree at this point. We looked downhill but saw no other parts. I relied on the 2/3 rule. Save a third of your energy for hiking out with your 20 lb. saw and a bit for preparing dinner at the scenic viewpoint. The day’s not over til it’s over. Snack tip: gummy bears for the hike out. For me, it was cool to make the mental connection from one part of trail to where we had been the past event and to see how the snow melt had progressed. I remembered coming across a solo day rider who had a cougar sighting followed by two miles of bike pushing in the snow. She had dubbed this area that we just cut out “the tree maze” Indeed it was. It’s an incredible feeling of accomplishment to hike out a freshly logged out trail that was a tree maze just hours before. We did that!
We finished the day with a scenic meal at Willow Point. Ben had come up with the idea to treat everyone to a special meal with a view! I served up my taco bar, complete with homemade pickled onions, carrrots and radish. It took a bit of effort to clear the road to get the camp kitchen in place, but since our crew took longer to hike out, crew 2 took care of both road logout and kitchen setup. All I had to do was show up and warm up chicken, carnitas and tortillas. Voila! Dinner with a view. We cracked cold beverages and shared stories of our day on trail.
On work day two, I joined Nathan Frechen and Erich Weidenkeller in logging out the trail northbound, starting from Cave Lake Trailead (the start of the Oregon Timber Trail) We drove in as far as we could and started bucking as soon as the road was blocked by blowdown. The rest of our group continued where they left off on day one, working south on Crane Mountain. This section of trail is also used by ATVs. All day long I kept thinking about how hard it would be to start the trail with all these little dismounts and detours into the woods with a loaded bike. I started to understand the riders complaints. We finished the day with a dip in Cave Lake and a long commute back to camp. I was blown away by the scenery and so glad to get to know this part of the trail. I vowed to return, both to help finish the logout and to ride the freshly cleared trail!
Overall, the Fremont Stewardship Event #3 proved to be a hugely productive experience. The dedication of the participants and the unwavering support from our USFS partners resulted in substantial progress towards rehabilitating and enhancing trail conditions in the Fremont-Winema National Forest. This event exemplified the power of community and volunteerism in preserving the trail for everyone's enjoyment. It is events like these that will simplify future maintenance, aligning with the long-standing goal of the Oregon Timber Trail Alliance to increase access. Having attended all events this year, it’s hard to communicate to you the sheer volume of trail cleared and at the same time the realization of how much more work there is to be done. It will never be “done” We will keep returning year after year and hopefully our numbers will increase and we’ll be able to improve more and more trail.
We extend our gratitude to everyone who attended a stewardship event this season. A special thanks goes out to Ben McCormack for expertly handling stewardship coordination duties for all events. Thom Batty and Gracie Woodruff for their culinary talents in preparing delicious meals all season long, as well as to Nate Crabtree and Paul Hauser for their unwavering representation of the Forest Service and continuous support. Thank you to Matt Ruddy for pickups and logistical support for every event. We would also like to acknowledge seasoned sawyers like Nathan Frechen, Mike Vanderberg, Joe Myers, and Beth Dayton, who not only led logouts but also generously shared their knowledge with new A sawyers. Their mentorship and guidance have allowed many of us to grow in confidence with a saw. It is truly inspiring to witness this trail community uplift and support one another year after year. If this sounds interesting to you, please reach out. We need all the help we can get! Thank you to those that donated beverages for volunteers to enjoy around the campfire: Humm Kombucha, Deschutes Brewing, Ablis CBD, Reverend Nats Cider, Elevator and Trailhead Coffee Roasters. Thank you all!
From June 29 to July 2, 2023, the Fremont Stewardship Event #3 took place, with Willow Creek Campground. as our basecamp. Thirteen participants joined forces, collectively contributing 415 hours of labor. Our focus areas encompassed the Crane Mountain National Recreation Trail, specifically the trail segment from 161 to RD NF 4011, as well as a three-mile segment between Rogger Trailhead and Hwy 140. We successfully logged out approximately eight trail miles and felled 300 trees.
While the event made significant headway, there remains approximately 4.25 trail miles of work yet to be completed. We plan to hold a final event at the end of July to finish those remaining miles of logout. Get in touch if you’d like to be a part of that “golden spike” crew. It will be incredible to finish this section!