GSKA and Teton Pass Trails Coordinator Weekly Update - Sept 26th
Submitted by Erik Jacobsen
GSKA and Teton Pass Trails Coordinator
Hello everyone. What a week! After winter, of course, this is my favorite time of year out here. The trails are in excellent shape, the temperatures are cool, and the colors are vibrant. I had the pleasure of touring much of the Greater Snow King Area logging sign locations and what they say. We will be putting up fresh signs next year on all the directional posts. Some were a little confusing and I’m trying to clear that up. Also Linda and I are looking to rename a few things to avoid confusion, namely the whole Hagen complex. We looked at Galen’s new worker map and noticed that Sink or Swim now continuously travels from Josie’s to Hagen proper. It is my intention to call that all Sink or Swim eliminating “High Hagen” and calling that Sink or Swim as well. Instead of calling Hagen Highway what it is now, I want to call that the Hagen trail; since it also runs continuously all the way to the Cache Creek trail and Putt Putt. Also, I want to call the Hagen River Trail simply the River trail. Now when folks ask us how to get to the Hagen trail, we won’t have to say “which one”.
The Jackson Trail Crew and Galen continued on the switchbacks this week. There are just two left! Unfortunately the shear pins broke late in the day on Tuesday while gripping out a large stump shutting down operations. I express ordered 30 new pins from Bitchin’ Bob of Ramussen Equipment in Salt Lake City. Switchback operations recommenced on Friday. Chris Owen and I set up a 2 to 1 mechanical advantage and got that sucker out.
With the grip hoist temporally out of service Galen took the crew into the lower Ridge section and did some more clearing this week. We had quite a few new blow downs and a couple of adjustments to make. They also cleared a tree on Hagen and Josie’s Ridge for me.
I met with Scott Neison this week, and he brought to my attention a little battle that has been going on in the KC, Sink or Swim, and Josie’s area. There is a very ambitious “Stick Man” up there. He has good intentions. He is closing a lot of the multi-braided side trails in that area with sticks. Unfortunately he is just going a little overboard with it and laying down just about every stick he can find. He also places some sticks in dangerous locations. Some are too small and very pointy causing the infamous “pungy stick” danger. Scott and I walked with his dog, and I saw what is going on. The dogs like to grab the sticks and inevitably some of them fall in the trail. This can be very dangerous when encountered on a bike. Scott has been pulling a lot of the more dangerous ones all summer, but more a more reappear and so the battle goes. I will be taking the crew up there this Fall and work on a solution. My plan is to plant rocks and sage in the spurs. These will stay and not fall into the trail. I thank Scott for bringing this problem to my attention.
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