Caton Lake Trail Crew Day 1

When I first read up on the Women's Only Weekend trips that were scheduled for the 2021 season, the one that struck me the most was the trip to Bear Valley Hot Springs. I kind of mentally skipped over the part where it was a backpacking trip as opposed to the typical car camping trip that I'd done in the past. I also didn't realize it was over Labor Day Weekend. But why should I notice those things when the trip was full and all I could do is get on the waitlist and hope that other people dropped out? 

Because hot springs! 

As it turned out, some people did drop, and I had my chance to hop in. I also had to make a choice at that point, because I was planning on doing a backpacking trip with my husband over the Labor Day weekend. But he insisted that I take advantage of the volunteering opportunity, in part because I've never backpacked with so many people before, let alone so many women. An unparalleled chance to learn how other women do it! 

I can't tell you how much I was looking forward to the hot springs, but, alas, they were not meant to be. See, there's a fire (again) up at Dagger Falls, and Bear Valley Hot Springs got included in the closure area about 5 days before the trip. So our trip leader had to scramble for another project for us, and she found one: Caton Lake. 

Not a hot spring, but I was committed. I'd dropped out of one of these trips in June because I wasn't feeling well, so I was determined not to be that person again. Besides, the drive to the trailhead was one I was mostly familiar with. 

However, it would involve driving on an unknown dirt road near or after sunset, and I really didn't want to do that. So, I let the leader know that I'd be overnighting somewhere on the way and would be there Saturday morning before it was time to leave. 

I don't particularly like driving unfamiliar dirt roads late at night, and my vehicle, while well able to handle those types of roads, is fairly new. But I also wanted to be alone. Being in social situations is not my natural element, and I was about to spend a LOT of time with these mostly strangers. I wanted a night to myself to prepare, so I took it. 

Unfortunately for me, I forgot that the Trout Creek Campground does NOT have a pit toilet. Other than that, the campsite was fine. There were others camped there, but enough spaces that I didn't interact with them. I just picked a spot and set up my in vehicle sleeping system. 

I hadn't actually slept in this car yet, so it was a bit of an experiment. I've got the back seats folded down and I planned to stretch out with my head behind the front passenger's seat and my feet just touching the hatchback. I brought a yoga mat for cushioning, but it wasn't quite thick enough so I ended up moving a blanket underneath me as well. My goal was to sleep without having to break into my already packed backpacking gear, and that I was able to achieve. 

It was pretty cold outside, but I got so warm that I actually cracked a window and took off my thick socks. It wasn't the most comfortable, but I've definitely had worse nights in cars. 

I woke up early to get to the trailhead, and I was so thankful that I had taken the exact course that I did, because Ditch Creek Road at sunrise is stunning. The road climbs a couple thousand feet, and as you get higher and higher, the views to the east just open up. There were clouds catching the sunrise color in pinks and golden oranges, and it was one of the most gorgeous drives I've done in recent memory. 

At the Caton Lake trailhead, there WAS a pit toilet, so I made use of that as soon as I arrived. Then I found my group and got changed into my hiking clothes and ready to go, finding out people's names as the morning went on. At first, I was using pneumonic devices based on the colors of the other women's jackets, but later in the day when they took them off, that plan was foiled. 

The group leader led us through ground rules for the trip and then we got the gear lecture. I have done trail work trips before with this group (just not while backpacking) so I knew a fair amount about the tools we'd be using and I didn't have a preference for which I'd be carrying. 

I let others pick first and ended up with the large silky saw and a shovel. Lucky for me, the silky fit in my pack's side pocket, so I only had to carry the shovel. Unlucky for me, I need two trekking poles to erect my tent, so I had to put one of my trekking poles in a side pocket as well. 

From the prior trips, I know that I don't enjoy carrying around equipment. My arms get tired fast and it's way harder to get my camera out for pictures when one hand has a shovel in it that's nearly as tall as I am. But I made do. 

Once the tools were distributed, we got ready to go. Before heading out, we decided to consolidate our cars at a campsite so we wouldn't be hogging all the parking near the trailhead. I ended up moving mine and blocking in two others in the process, but it was all part of the plan. 

Then we headed off. 

Trailhead!

The trail started off flat and straight.

Junction for Rainbow Lake.

This was my 6th big hiking/backpacking trip of the season, and my body let me know it was tired. I hiked towards the back of the pack and didn't worry about being slow, but it did irk me that I wasn't feeling as energetic as I used to. My tummy issues were also acting up quite a bit, but I tried to ignore that and push through. 

The morning was only a little hazy, which was a nice relief after the smoky summer we've been having in Idaho. I got some nice pictures of nearby peaks as we hiked the first, fairly flat, sections of trail. Not long after we reached the junction for Rainbow Lake, we found a large tree partially on the trail. 

AKA an invitation! 

Packs were dropped and we discussed what the best tool for the job might be - should we hack off the protruding branches? If so, a silky saw or a pulaski? After some consideration, we went with the power of feet. Eight women sat on the ground and we braced our legs against the deadfall, giving a mighty push at the count of 3. One push, two push, three push! The tree, and its limbs, was scooted nicely off the trail. 

The trail started climbing right around that point. Nothing too horrible, but I was feeling it way more than I thought I should, huffing and puffing. I didn't mind being at the back of the pack, but I was very aware of it. Aware that two years ago, I'd have been up front. 

We took a break as a group close to our top out point, ranging up the hillside. I still didn't know everyone's names at that point, but I was too shy to ask. I figured I would pick up on the remaining names eventually if I just paid attention. Of course, I was also thinking about retaining the names that I did know. 

The next section of trail was rolling, ups and downs, minor stream crossings and then a junction. We took a left at the junction and the trail began to descend. On that descent were several sections that were just crying out for a water bar to keep them from being washed away, so once we got to a flat spot a stop was called. 

Somebody picked up a hitchhiker.

The air is practically haze free.

Heading down to cross a stream.

Junction!

Let's get some work done, ladies!

First, we took a break, and then we split up to do some drainage work. I ended up going back up the trail with three other women and we built two water bars. I mostly worked the crosscut saw with another woman, creating the logs that would serve as the body of the water bar. Two other women dug out the trail where the logs would rest, and we all helped put everything together and smashed the dirt down. 

On the way back to lunch, I helped another woman to clear out a mud puddle where water was trying - and failing - to flow across the trail to a nearby stream. We cleared it out so that it was flowing clear and steady. 

Then it was time for lunch. 

Now, I thought we were going to go to our campsite, set up, and then do more work. If I had realized what we were actually going to be doing, then I would have topped off my water at this point. 

We hiked on for a bit, and then started running into deadfall across the trail. So we started cutting, lopping, chopping, brushing and grading. The smaller diameter deadfall could be handled by the silky saw, so that's what I started with as others wielded loppers and the crosscut saw and the pulaskis. 

This was thin enough for the silky - my first victim.

Another one for the silky.

I was game while I still had water to drink. I feel like I got a good amount of work done, but then my gut started rumbling. I took advantage of the fact that I had carried out a whole dang shovel and used it to dig my hole - after I climbed way high above the trail to get some semblance of privacy. 

After that, I felt very overheated, and I knew that I needed water. If there's one thing I've learned in the past few years trying to do the Idaho Centennial Trail through the Frank Church Wilderness, it's that I need to pay attention to my body and take care of myself. I first asked if anyone had water to spare - one woman offered, but then realized she too was out of water. So three of us went on ahead to find water, and, hopefully, our campsite. 

It was less than a mile, but it felt longer because the trail was not in good repair. Lots of deadfall to step over, and some to go under. Plus, near Caton Meadow, the trail simply disappeared, and we had to figure out how to get down to the bridge and the water. 

One of the women dropped her pack and then went back to the working party while the other woman and I got down to the business of getting water. Rather than get water near the bridge, I went to a spot in the shade and dealt with some detritus getting in my dirty water bag. I let myself get wet to help cool my body down and drank until I felt like a normal person again. 

Where is that meadow exactly?

We made it to water!

Then my new friend and I looked for a camping spot. We found a fire ring, and a long metal pole. We thought camping at the fire ring would be the thing to do, but when the rest of the party finally joined us, it was decided that we'd pitch in the meadow. The area around the fire ring was surrounded by dead trees still standing, aka widow-makers, so it wasn't the safe option. And at this time of year, the meadow was dry enough for us to pitch tents. 

I hiked back with some water to offer some to anyone who had run out. I only had one taker - the woman who had come with me and then left before drinking. My body is used to getting a lot of water, I suppose, and others don't need as much. 

We stacked the tools and helmets near the fire ring for tomorrow's work, and then got to work setting up our homes for the weekend. 

I picked a spot to pitch my tent and got to work setting up camp. The grass was so tall that it made walking a bit awkward, but otherwise the tent went up just fine. I got myself all set and situated and then headed over to the fire ring to cook dinner - and to see what everyone else had to eat. 

Fresh vegetables. Fresh fruit. Oranges! 

These women definitely backpack different than I do. Most of them were cooking meals (not rehydrating like I was) or eating things like tuna packets that didn't need to be cooked. Conversations ebbed and flowed and I tried to contribute where it seemed like the right thing to do. 

Not a bad pitch for my tent. 

Tens across the meadow.

I worked so hard, my glasses accumulated salt crystals. In three places (only one pictured). 

Socializing around the fire ring.

Sunset put on a show.

The one big mistake I made was actually to socialize as late as I did. See, when I'm backpacking/camping, I typically flee to the tent as soon as it gets chilly outside. That means that I'm not trying to warm myself back up from being cold, but staying warm. On this trip, I was trying not to be anti-social, so I stayed out and chatted even as I could feel the heat seeping out of my body as the sun sank. We didn't, as a group, head to bed until the sun had dipped nearly below the horizon. 

I did have some trouble getting to sleep. Not so much because of body aches as from the cold. I just couldn't get and stay warm, despite wearing all my layers and snacking. I planned to drink a hot tea before bed the next night and dealt with the cold as best I could. 

WOW - Bear River August 2019 - Day 1

I enjoyed my first experience with trail maintenance back in June so much that I just had to do it again. This time, I'd plan on staying the whole weekend instead of bailing out early because of prior commitments. And I'd go in with a little bit of experience in how the whole thing worked and what was going to be expected of me on the trail.

I drove out Friday evening after work. As luck would have it, I had driven out this way for a backpacking trip just the week before, so I knew where to expect the road that I needed to turn on. A good thing, because there were only two signs, and they had to be placed with maximum strategy rather than maximum aid to drivers unfamiliar with the area.

The first part of the drive was one I've taken many times - it's the route we take to the Queens River trail head through Idaho City. So I know the roads well enough to take them with ease. When I got to the turnoff, I almost went the wrong way, but one of the signs showed me that I needed to turn left very soon after getting on the road.

Then came a bit of a scary drive. The road was narrow enough to make me hope that no one would approach from the opposite direction (no one did), but the views were pretty enough to make me want to stop and take pictures (I didn't). I kept an eye on the odometer, but I was still feeling pretty nervous as I continued to drive and didn't see anyone. But as the road descended from the pretty views into a river valley, I finally saw the second sign and a group of cars parked at a not-very-well marked trail head.

I pulled into the line of cars and then went over and said hello to those who had arrived before me. I only knew the trip leaders from last time - everyone else was a first timer. I got my tent set up - this time I took our car camping tent and the air mattress so I could sleep in luxury, rather than the backpacking tent that's easier to set up, but much smaller.

Women continued to arrive as the sky progressed from dusk to dark. Two didn't come in that evening, and we hoped that they weren't lost - it's not as if they could have let anyone know if they decided not to come; there's no cell service out there. We went to our respective beds, after, perhaps, finding a quiet place to answer a call of nature.

Yeah, that was the major drawback of this particular trip. No pit toilet at the campsite.

I was pretty cold that night. I tried to tough it out, but I ended up going to the car and getting the down blanket that now lives in the car because it's too stinky for indoors. Stinky it may be, but it serves as an effective barrier to the cold and boosts the performance of my down quilt.

The next morning, I got up and got myself ready to go. I had packed my day pack before leaving home, so that was ready. I caged some hot water to make an herbal tea and ate my banana and energy bar breakfast. We gathered around for the gear and safety lecture around 8. The representative from the Forest Service had not yet arrived when we finished, so we started up the trail without her.

Bear River Trail is quite pretty.

I got to try my hand at chopping with an ax. I got one lucky blow in, and then I couldn't hit the darn thing again, so I ceded my tool to someone else to try. When we reached a tree that had fallen across the trail, we worked on getting it off and the Forest Service woman arrived with a surprise. Rather than doing general trail maintenance, as had been our plan, we would be going to a specific spot to work on a bridges.

So we set off for those spots - but we ran into a large log across the trail. About half of us stayed back to use the crosscut saw on that while the rest of us continued to where the bridges needed to go. I was in the group that went ahead; the trail itself is pretty nice, and the morning was cool enough that it wasn't a burden to hike along - even in the boots that I hadn't worn since the last trip in June since I switched to trail runners for backpacking.

The first spot where a bridge was needed was pretty obvious. The trail looked like it continued to follow a ridge, but it was actually supposed to turn to cross the river a quarter mile away. I could see how there were already some logs laid across the boggy grasses, but those logs were themselves buried in grass and difficult to see.

The old bridge, buried in the grass and not extending to dry trail.

While a few of us took a break, a few others, including myself, went ahead to the river crossing to see what was needed there. A beaver dam had complete drowned the trail at the river crossing to the point where the original bridge wasn't even visible from the trail anymore. A log downstream of the dam made for a makeshift bridge, which I crossed along with the Forest Service woman. I was charmed and amazed by how many fallen aspens had tooth marks on them (which I at first mistook for tool marks).

The decision was made to reroute the trail at both spots, but we'd focus on the bog bridge first. I started with digging out some bushes. See, rather than try to make the trail be where it had been, curving away from the ridge, we were going to punch the bridge out to the ridge at a right angle. There were bushes in the way, so I and another woman started by trying to clip and uproot them while others worked on digging out the grass where we'd lay more logs.

That day involved a lot of crosscut saw use. The last trip, I didn't get an opportunity to  use the crosscut, but this time I got as much as I could handle of it. We needed so many logs to make the bridge! Once a suitable log was found, it would get cut into lengths, and then we'd carry the lengths over to the bridge and find another log.

Gotta whack these bushes.

Needs more logs!

Yes, like this one.

I did find time to play around with the digital microscope on my camera.

I enjoyed the physical work, and getting to use the crosscut saw. I beat a strategic retreat right before lunch to find a place to dig a hole, and then rejoined the other women trying to stay in the shade. The day had turned quite hot, and we all needed to pay attention to that with how hard we were working.

We finished the bog bridge a bit after three in the afternoon. On the way back, I hung out at the rear of our walking train. One of my new friends was pushing a bit harder just to keep going, and I wanted to make sure she made it back okay. I know about being left behind, and I don't like to let others feel that way if I can help it. After all, she was out there in the woods. That's hard core whether you have to walk slow and take rest breaks or not.

Bushes gone, logs all the way.

Someone kindly took this photo of me - lucky it's so far away so you can't see how dirty I am.

One more view of the completed project.

Pretty, yes. Hot, oh yes. Where are the clouds??

And it was really, really hot.

I thought about going for a dip in the river when we got back, but I ended up just doing a face-wipe bath instead. I didn't want to stand anymore, but I don't own a camp chair, so I brought over the bin I was using for my food to sit on. Slowly, time for dinner came around. And we put out quite a potluck spread.

More flowers.

This is a hole under the trail. It's going to need maintenance sooner or later. 

Almost back to the trail head!

The two women who hadn't shown up the night before had indeed gotten lost, but they found us on Saturday. Dinner was burgers and brats, along with salads and fruits and chips and cookies and banana bread and veggies and all sorts of deliciousness.

This isn't even all the food; it's like the appetizer table.

My luxury tent, front and center.

When someone went to bed, I got to borrow her camp chair, but I didn't stay up too late. Everyone was a bit tuckered out from the work, and the hot day had turned into a chill night.

Trail Maintenance Adventure

On Friday night, I drove out to the Cottonwood Campground near Arrowrock Reservoir. This is a road that I've been on many times before, sometimes driving, often in the passenger seat while my husband drove. But this time I was all on my own.

I had left my husband behind, because I was on the way to a Women's Only Weekend of volunteer trail maintenance with the Idaho Trails Association.

I'd first noted the existence of these last year, but none of the dates lined up for me. I wasn't planning on doing the one in June, but then one of my Facebook friends posted that they needed more women, even if we could only come for Saturday. I'd made a commitment for Sunday, but I could go out Friday night and work all day Saturday.

I signed up.

I was nervous about going to spend time with a whole bunch of strangers - and one person that I knew a bit. I don't make friends easily, and being social takes a lot more energy for me than being solitary. So even though I made my way without drama, I was feeling as jumpy as the road was bumpy. 

But when I got there, it wasn't bad. I said hello, and then picked a spot to pitch my tent. I'd taken the duplex rather than the car camping tent because that tent was way too big for just me. This would be a nice tryout of my new quilt, and I was borrowing Ambrose's new backpacking pillow, so I should be pretty comfortable. The ground was damp from recent rain, and most of the spots were right by the high flowing creek, so I figured I'd get condensation overnight, but I'd survive. 

After I was all set up, I joined the other women around a campfire. I sat on a picnic table bench because I don't own a camp chair - that was one item on the list of things to bring that I hadn't been able to comply with. I mean, I did bring a crate and a sit pad, which could work as a camp chair, but I didn't break those out the first night. 

I could feel my tense neck muscles relaxing from being out in the woods. It was pretty easy to talk with the women. A little hard to hear at times because of the creek, but I felt comfortable. These were my kind of people. One of them even asked "Who has the duplex?" and I was pleased to have it recognized by a fellow backpacker. 

I was a little uncomfortable when someone made popcorn on the fire, because I can't eat that right now, but there was no weird reaction when I declined to take any. It was fine. Nothing to worry about. 

I turned in earlier than everyone else, because I had been up since 4:30 in the morning. Staying up past 9:30 was a hard ask for me. Especially as it was getting colder. I slept pretty well that night. 

I slept in and then got ready to go. I wore my Rail Riders pants, Mountain Hardwear shirt, the boots that now leak, but I figured they'd be better for this kind of work even with a less than perfect waterproof status. I carried my weekender pack so I'd have room to carry more stuff if needed. More stuff besides what I was carrying, which was snacks, lunch, ten essentials kit, water crossing shoes, towel and 3 liters of water with Nuun mixed in. 

After a basic tool and safety lecture, we carpooled over the to trail head since the road out there wasn't great for low clearance vehicles. I rode in a Subaru, and while I think I could have gotten my Focus out there, it would have been a whole lot slower. Then we got our equipment and hard hats and paused for a group photo by the sign. Several shots, actually, one for the ITA and a few for a reporter who was coming along to add to a larger story she was working on about women and the outdoors. 

There were two forest service personnel with us, and, because this district had no women in a particular position, one of them was a man. But he didn't impinge very much on the women-only-ness of the trip. We had talked on Friday night about embarrassing the guy by talking about periods, but he did not require embarrassing. 

It turns out that there's a specific way to carry tools while hiking. Only the crosscut saw can go over the shoulder. Everything else gets held down by your side, like a suitcase. And they all have to be held on the downhill side of the trail. I started out the hike carrying a Pulaski, which is a combination of ax and adze. It didn't start out heavy, but it got that way when I couldn't switch arms except when we crossed the creek. 

We only hiked out two miles, but I hadn't been training in my boots, so it felt like a lot longer. Plus, I kind of felt like I needed to pee, and I had no idea where I'd be able to do that in such a large group. As we hiked, the leader of our group would stop to point out areas that needed work, why they needed it and the basics of what we would be doing. I relished those stops to let the Pulaski rest on the ground - and to learn. 

After we got two miles out, we stopped because there was no bridge across the creek and the ford was going to be pretty gnarly. Better not to risk it - and there was plenty to do in the first two miles. But first we took a break. I sat near another woman, and the reporter came over to us both and talked with her first. When she talked to me, I did take the opportunity to mention that I write about backpacking and have self-published books on it. At that, she asked for my email address, so I thought that was pretty neat. 

After the break, I worked with another woman on building a water bar. Then we filled in a hole in the trail. And time just flew and it was time for lunch. After lunch, I ended up with the pole saw, and I spent the afternoon cutting down high limbs. The trail is cleared for stock, so it had to have ten feet of clearance overhead. I had a lot of fun with that, and I even got someone to take a picture of me using it. 

We got back to the trail head just before the sky opened up, and back at the campsite I was focused on getting to the bathroom and staying as dry as possible. This means I didn't bother to check on my tent until the rain had pretty much stopped and I wanted to change shoes. 

I was dismayed to discover that one of my stakes had popped out of the ground, allowing the rain to flow freely inside. I was pretty close to just calling it a day and going home, but as luck would have it, I had pitched my tent on uneven ground, and the water was all on one side. Nothing inside was too wet. My quilt was hardly wet at all. So I went to the car and got all my towels and mopped it up, cursing and grumbling the whole time. Then I got my shoes on and went back over to the potluck dinner where no one asked me why I'd been gone, so I didn't even end up telling anyone about my troubles. 

My husband cautioned me about the potluck, because in his experience backpacking potlucks did not typically end well. But this was a group of women. We know how to feed each other. There was, if anything, way too much food, including some chocolate humus that I wish I could have tried (no beans for me right now though). I ate, I enjoyed myself talking with people, and I turned in early again, because I needed to get up early and go. 

I had a harder time falling asleep that night. I was missing Ambrose, and a bit leery about the rain coming back. But I fell asleep and got up in the night to pee and looked at the stars, because I didn't use my headlamp so they were brilliant. And then I woke up on time and headed home. I will definitely be doing that again. 

Closer to a creek than I'd normally pitch. 

Ambrose's new pillow was pretty comfy.

A little sunset paint for the sky.

Trail head!

Pretty nice views from the trail.

And the sky was so blue.

High, fast water.

I helped make this waterbar!

And got dirt shoveled in my face - by accident.

Here there was a hole, but the hole is no more.

Fluffy clouds with a hint of possible rain.

Flowers were in bloom.

Fungus too.

Too early to eat these fiddle ferns.

Me working the pole saw. 

Butterflies love sweat.

More raging waters - from the safety of a bridge.

I managed to catch an insect in flight along with those storm clouds.