March 17, 2002
Modified
4/1/02, 4/19/02
Group
size was 17 due to three medical drop-outs in the last week. Group co-leaders were Kelly Maddock, Josh
Stewart, and Dave Stones. The others
making the trip were Stephanie Bonnette, April Calderon, Claire Campbell, Laura
Davis, Mats Edorsson, Gabrielle Frey, Allen Landon, Yesenia McNett, Tolly
Moseley, Dawn Rupert, Stephanie Ritter, James Sloan, Ana Villalobos, and
Melissa Whited.
Our
bus departed SU at 10:30 PM on Saturday, March 9. . We watched some VCR movies en route, and most got at least a
little bit of sleep. We stopped for
breakfast in El Paso and lunch in Silver City.
Weather in Silver City was sunny but with a slight chill. We reached the Gila Wilderness Area shortly
after 2 PM on Sunday
On
the 2001 Gila Destination Service trip, all participants stayed in Park Service
“dormitories” (actually more like bunk houses) near the Cliff Dwellings
National Monument, and the service consisted mainly of painting fences and
other objects near the visitor center.
Forest Service Ranger Mike Carr provided an alternate lodging option for
us in 2002 – camping at a group campground – plus an interesting project. Both groups combined to work on new trail
construction for the Continental Divide Trail, near the group campground. The dorm group traveled 27 scenic miles at
the top of the world every day to get there.
The
trail work was very rewarding. We
constructed over 225 yards of new trail, and we built rock cairn markers and
cleared trees and branches for another half mile of trail. We used such tools
as picks, pry-bars, pick-matics, Pulaskis, shovels, pole saws, Ninja saws,
loppers, and McClouds (sp?). If any of
us ever serve hard time, we will be better
prepared for it because of this trip.
Actually, there may well be summer employment opportunities available
for this type of trail work. (Indeed, Allen worked there Summer 2002)
E.T.
Collinsworth is a seasonal ranger, a fire fighter, and a “mule packer”. Since no mechanized tools are allowed
outside of a narrow corridor in the Gila Wilderness, mules are used to supply
trail crews, fire fighters, and others.
He stayed with us at the dorms and in all the trail work. He taught much, and gave of his own
time. His experience with mules
probably prepared him well for working with us novices. He and Mike told many stories about the
parks, forest service, wilderness areas, and their people and lore.
Beverly
Jones had stressed openness and flexibility.
How right she was! Many of our
plans changed once we arrived. Frozen
pipes affected the availability of water and heat in the dorm, although the
kitchen water and heat were restored after the first day The bathroom plumbing never made it, leaving
the dormites with a half mile hike to the bathroom. (We’ve been promised a
better dorm set-up for 2003) They
camped with the others Thursday night.
It was pretty cold, with water freezing to a depth of several inches,
but all survived, and even seemed to enjoy it.
The camp was at about 6000 feet elevation, in a beautiful forest of
Ponderosa Pines. The campfires were
wonderful.
The
food was plentiful. Two different menus
were used, but both groups had multiple Dutch oven cobblers and campfire
some-mores. Trail mix, fruit, tuna
kits, peanut butter sandwiches, granola bars, and more were consumed near the
trail markers by our group of “cairn-avores”.
Wednesday
was our day off. After being picked up
at 7 AM and shuttled to the Gila Cliff Dwellings site, the campers had
breakfast in the dorm kitchen. We then
got a tour of the Cliff Dwellings, where the Mimbres peoples lived from 900 to
1300 AD. After lunch, we hiked up the
Middle Fork of the Gila River, fording it several times to reach the 140 degree
hot springs, where all soaked. The hot
spring water and cold, cold, snow-melt river water provided a refreshing
contrast. It was also a nice break!
Other
activities included star gazing, finding bear tracks, seeing Mimbres pit house
sites, and finding (but not keeping!) shards of Mimbres pottery and Indian
artifacts. Watching beautiful sunsets
was also part of the day. Some
experienced “going” outside for the first time! The campers learned that even a freshman can be a leader and
teacher.
We
arrived back at SU at 4:45 AM Saturday, March 16. All learned new skills and new appreciation for the job. Some learned about themselves – things they
could do, and things they liked. Many
may/should become ambassadors for the national forests and environment. Overall, a great trip!
Dave
Stones