by Frank R. Leslie

4/26/99

Sierra Club provides some 60 trail maintenance service trips in support of wilderness areas. Some of our sponsors are the US Forest Service, National Parks Service, and Bureau of Land Management. We may also provide assistance to local agencies through our groups.

Wilderness trails provide access to hikers and horse riders to remote areas of the wilderness. These trails are often rocky in mountainous terrain. High cliffs are often next to the trail, requiring care to avoid injury or death. Trails begin as animal (game) pathways. Further development occurred as Native Americans used them in hunting. These were often followed by our trappers and explorers in the pioneer days.

Wilderness areas are designated in remote sections of land. There are no wheeled vehicles permitted, and no man-made structures are allowed off the trails. These areas are difficult to get to, often with nearly impassible roads leading to the trailhead. Do not confuse these areas with the Smokies or Yosemite.

You are responsible for your safety, and there is no ambulance to render aid in any reasonable length of time. Most regions do not have cell-phone service, although satellite phone will change that.

We backpack in, and we form a camp community about a hundred yards off the trail and preferably out of sight. The cook tent is placed after suitable latrine locations are selected.

After site approval by the leader, individual tents are set up some distance from each other and the cook tent. Tents are required due to the often cold weather.

Food has been bought from the fees by the cook, packed for transport, and then hauled in by some five horses. If bears are likely, all food must be protected by hanging or storage containers. Two assistants per day are signed up to aid the cook in preparing group meals. These are served in three or four courses.

Personal water for canteens is treated or filtered before use. Camp water is brought by the crew and treated first with chlorine and then with hydrogen peroxide. The crew may fill their canteens as a reward for fetching camp water. In the wilderness, streams or lakes provide the source, but all water must be treated.

There aren't even pit toilets in the wilderness. We dig two trench latrines in out-of-sight locations about 6 to 10 inches deep and some six to eight feet long. The toilet paper is in two plastic bags back near the cook tent. With two choices, there's less waiting. Taking a bag shows that the latrine is in use. A shovel is used to scatter a little dirt over each deposit.

We work every other day, and rest up with long day hikes and peak climbing.

Trail tread is widened and cleared to improve passage. Sloping trails require water bars that deflect water off the trail and prevent erosion. The edge of the trail may be chopped back to get an 18 to 36 inch wide tread. We often install rock culverts to pass water underneath a trail.

Wooden bridges are built over small streams or boggy areas. All timber is cut locally and prepared as necessary. All bark is removed to reduce decay. These tasks are done only with sponsor approval. Care is needed in making the bridge strong enough to support a horse train at about 1500 pounds per horse.

On the free days, we rest up by climbing mountain peaks or going on long hikes. In western mountains, the worksite is often above tree line, affording magnificent views. Others may prefer to lounge in camp with a favorite book.

Trail Maintenance trips provide an adventure that is a very different vacation. Service trips have lower fees than other Sierra Club trips. Try one and see!

Here are a few starting books:

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