Stewardship events are at the heart of our work. In addition to helping maintain a vast network of trails, these events offer opportunities for learning and camaraderie in the fresh forest air. A chance to form deeper connections with the landscape and with the communities that have made this trail what it is today.

As the year comes to a close, board member Chip Andrus offered to share some reflections on prepping for our first trail work party of 2023…

It was the day before the year’s first trail work party in southern Oregon and we needed to scope out the situation prior to the arrival of volunteers. The Cougar Peak Fire occurred two years previously and had burned hot along this 15 miles of the Oregon Timber Trail. No one had yet assessed its condition and what needed to be done to restore the trail. 

This section of the Fremont National Recreation Trail is isolated and attracts few users so even before the fire it was a track difficult to navigate. We searched out access points to the trail and started walking. Blazing yellow flowers carpeted the ground between the black tree boles.  And fading in and out were remnants of the trail. The plastic trail markers had melted during the fire so we focussed on the ground to find clues. 

Remarkably, not many trees had fallen over the trail during and since the fire.  That would come later as the standing dead trees decay. We concluded that the upcoming trail repair in the burn would be less about cutting out logs and more about re-establishing the tread., which is less exciting than cutting trees with chainsaws. But thankfully we had a large group of dedicated volunteers showing up the next day to make it happen.

And so we turned to the next important challenge at hand - how to survive the hordes of mosquitoes at the base camp.

How have YOU survived the swarms? We’re collecting tales from the trail and are currently seeking stories about your experiences with mosquitoes along the Oregon Timber Trail. If you would like to share your story just email it to Everett Ó Cillín along with your name and where your mosquito encounter took place. We can't wait to hear your swarm stories - keep ‘em short and sweet (300 words max). If selected, your story could be featured in some upcoming projects we’ve got in the works - more on that soon.