Our 6th and 7th hitches were radically different than the previous 5. Front country is now the new norm, as are Chain Saws, Pion Jars, Brush Saws, and Dynamite; all features unbeknownst to the first 5 hitches. Such queer and alien features, like the Swedish made Rock drills called Pion Jars, were approached by all of us with mixed feelings. Some felt eager and excited, others felt discomfort and disdain, but I’d say the predominate feeling among the crew was willingness to get the job done and step up to the daunting task of digging 4800 feet of new connector tread. At least I was (while I was secretly tricking myself into believing our crew was hand-picked to do this job).
Our 6th and 7th hitches started out similar: packing up tools, group gear, and bodies to hit the road down Wild and Scenic highway 12 around 8:00ish in the morning. We stay on the windy road headed WSW for about 120 miles until we reach Lowell, Idaho, population. 24, scratch that, 23 people, elevation 1224 ft. If there was any sleep on the drive to Lowell, there would be none of that from there on out. After a brief pit stop at Cougar Canyon, Big Red and the crew make our ascent up to Cool Water Ridge.
After finding Coolwater Ridge Rd, we promptly rise at an avg. grade of 562 ft. per mile. After 8 miles of climb, we reach Idaho Point turn off, where we will have risen 4500 ft. At that point we have to look forward to an extremely treacherous ride on an unpaved 5 mile ride lasting about 2 and ½ hours (which led to periodic engine stoppages, coffee spills, and inadvertent head bangings). After having gone through 3 of these trips (2 up and 1 down) the rig started to show signs of damage with the camper detaching from the bed (later forcing us to walk the 3/4 mile stretch to the worksite). Feeling that the hard part is half over, we then set up camp and got ready for work.
After hiking the ¾ of a mile, we reach our worksite on the eastern slope of Coolwater Ridge. But along the way, a Black Bear is spotted along the western side chomping down on the season’s berry harvest. Looking east, we are greeted once again by the rocky Selway Crags peaks and, on clear days far off in the distance, El Capitan peak. In the foreground of the Crags, we see Ghost Mountain, which, together with Coolwater ridge, flanks a former lake bed-turned alpine meadow down below. A gently rolling stream runs through this area. A cow moose together with her calf were spotted refreshing in its waters one sunny afternoon while working. After 3 minutes in our sights, the pair quickly scampered off into the trees, presumably after the first subtle sign of danger.
As our presence was heard more and more each workday, wildlife spotting became more and more scant. Crew member Michael (aka McSpace) immediately began drilling rocks into the first bluff on the trail. A brush saw was used to clear bushes along the un-dug trail path, and chainsaws were used to cut and de-limb trees for firewood. All of this, though, certainly did not keep away deer from scampering wildly close to our tents at night.
In summary, the work done on the 7th hitch was pretty similar to the 6th but with the major differences being lower temperatures and more precipitation, and consequently, having a wall tent. The first night it rained all night leading to flooded tents, sleeping bags, and sour moods the following morning. The second day, the rain turned into hail eventually, causing us to cut our workday short and have an engaging Place Lesson. The third day of work resumed with better weather and brighter spirits. Good weather continued up to seventh day when our forest service sponsor arrived with dynamite. That snowy afternoon saw 2 blasts, including a 16-stick dynamite blast into the main bluff, instantly shredding or cracking thousands of pounds of rock (then pried out with rock bars). The 8th morning we were greeted with breakfast and a lesson on chainsaw use and maintenance (and another MCC vehicle damaged by the ride up to the campsite). That afternoon, we then rode back 1 day earlier than we previously would have due to re-gravelling of the first 10 miles of the road. All-and-all, the hitch was good. Even though we’ve completed around 600 feet (2500 ft. behind schedule) we still feel accomplished for building brand new quality trail and thus making history.
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