Maple Canyon Sign Installation

Last week we posted a carsonite at the Dibbles Canyon junction and near the top of Left Fork Maple Canyon Trail #006 that advised users of non-system trails. I am hopeful that they will do the job. The signing in the area needs improvement soon but this should help for now.

Non-System Trails

A concerned citizen recently brought to my attention the existence of some non-system trails around the top of Maple Canyon (trail #006) that are getting a lot of use. These trails are seeing some good traffic from motorcycles and because of years without maintenance, have become very trenched out. I was thinking about a solution...

Our primary options are to:

a. Post signs informing riders that the trails are non-system and are therefore illegal.

b. Close the trail by means of engineering (stacking cut logs and brush on top of it).

c. Issue citations to anybody who rides them.

Unfortunately, none of these options seem like good solutions to me. Signs are regularly shot up or ripped out of the ground, logs and brush are easy to be removed if one is willing to take the time and any citations are only going to create enemies for the USFS.

I believe that the most successful way to solve this problem is through social networking and peer influence on the trail. If we can get the word out that the use of non-system trails is counterproductive, maybe we can stop this problem. It has worked before and I hope it will again.

Here is the scoop...

-One trail begins near the meeting point of #006, #013 and #016. This trail heads North to a large meadow on the East side of Dick Mountain, then somehow makes its way to the top of Dick Mountain. Somewhere along the route Hobble Creek golf course is viewable. Apparently this trail has become badly trenched.

-The second trail begins a short distance to the South of the 006-013-016 junction. This trail begins in Little Diamond and feeds out at "Lower" Dibbles Canyon, approx. 1.5 miles up the Maple Canyon trail #006.

If you are riding in the area, you could let other riders know about Forest Service Summer Travel maps and the Uinta Trail Council. Protect your privilege...ride on legal routes only. Let's continue to work with the Forest Service to build a trail system that is fun, sustainable and navigable.

I have drawn on this image with pencil to show the approximate location of the non-system trails. The Hobble Creek golf course is marked with a circled X and the large meadow is marked with a small empty circle.

Contact: spanishforktrails@gmail.com

Downhill Biking and Single Use Trails

In my 6 summers working for Forest Service trails crews, I have seen a surge in the popularity of mountain biking, especially when it comes to "downhill" riding. This has led to an increasing number of conflicts between users. We have heard stories of horsemen being hit or nearly missed by bikers, one such case resulting in a man being thrown from his horse and knocked out cold. Horse riders can't hear bikers coming and bikers are riding too fast to stop in time. Just this morning we found a log that was intentionally placed in the trail to slow bikers. This situation isn't good for anybody.

In an effort to solve this problem, downhill riders have gone in search of new trails. In some cases this means using a trail that is not on the map ("Lower" Bennie Creek) and in other cases new trails are being built specifically for downhill use (Squaw Peak). This has created a unique management issue for Forest Service trails crews and law enforcement. Are we to shut down these rogue trails and ticket riders or ignore them? Because we are managing more trail (320 miles) than we have the resources (2 guys) to properly maintain, we are not looking to add new trails or more miles. Until we see current system trails managed to their specifications (Cottonwood 2nd Water), adding new trails seems like a bad idea. Ignoring the issue isn't really an option either as unmarked trails that are not on the map will cause confusion for users and without maintenance will eventually be unusable.

Fortunately we are not the only Forest Service District to deal with these problems. The Jackson Hole Ranger District, on the Bridger-Teton National Forest, has been successful in managing these same issues. In an attempt to manage illegal downhill trails, the Forest Service went looking for a group to adopt them. The Adopt-A-Trail program is a great idea. It allows individuals or groups to assume the responsibility of maintaining any particular trail. This ensures users access for the future and gives them a great sense of ownership. The need for a sponsor of these illegal downhill trails is what gave birth to the Teton Freedom Riders. Under the direction of this unique volunteer group and its founders, the Jackson Hole Ranger District has become a premier downhill biking area. Up to 40 riders arrive to help build trail on every "Dig Day" and local shops help by sponsoring the events with food, drinks, etc.

These efforts eventually got the attention of the Wyoming Business Council who allocated $50,000 in grant money for the construction of new downhill trails. The money generated by biking tourism was a big plus for the community and the potential value was recognized. This money provided wages for about 7 guys working all summer to build downhill specific trails. How cool is that? Now rather than working against each other, Forest Service trail crews and downhill riders are working side by side to build some awesome features.

Currently the Jackson Hole Ranger District has trails designated for Horse/Hiker only, for Cross-Country mountain biking only, and for downhill biking only. These trails are well marked and downhill trails indicate that no uphill travel is permitted. It is the responsibility of the trail adopter (Teton Freedom Riders) to keep these signs properly marked and maintained. Were the TFR to go away, the downhill trails would soon follow suit.

This is where good leadership comes into the picture. Without a good leader who can see to it that the program doesn't fall apart in the winter, these groups die off. This nearly happened with the Teton Freedom Riders. The Uinta Trail Council is a great example of a dependable volunteer group on our District. When we recognize a need on a motorized trail, we simply notify these guys of the need and they pretty much take it from there. By doing so, they protect their privilege and ensure future access. The Teton Freedom Riders have gone so far as to visit Whistler in Canada to learn how to build better features.

The potential is there for our Forest to be a destination biking location. We currently have 31 trails on our District alone designated for mountain bike use. There is potential beyond this for adding non-system trails (Kuntz Flat, near Shram Creek #124) to the map. We need to start somewhere though.

We are currently in the process of planning a "Dig Day" to improve Bennie Creek #071 in Payson Canyon. Work will consist of berm removal, water bar installation, brushing and rock removal. It will probably take place around mid-September. If you are interested in taking part, get in touch with us at SpanishForkTrails@gmail.com

Blackhawk Trail

This is a new sign installation for the Loafer Mountain trail, which leads to the Bennie Creek trail. This sticker format is our standard for marking trails.

We stopped to say "Hi" to the Dispersed Recreation crew. They were improving a post & rail fence around the Payson Lakes Guard Station. These folks do some good work and are a fun group to be around.

Purple Salsify or Oysterplant- Tragopogon porrifloius. This pretty thing is a weed from Western Europe. Supposedly the roots taste like oysters...

Here is Adam as we work our way South on the Blackhawk trail. We were in search of a half dozen Aspens that had reportedly come down across the trail.

Oregon checkermallow- Sidalcea oregana. Native species in the cotton and hibiscus family.

Monkey flower- Mimulus gattatus. Native commonly found along rushing streams.

False hellobore- Veratrum californicum. This plant is being researched for anti-tumor properties. It is poisonous to cattle.

False Dandelion or Orange Agoseris- Agoseris aurantiaca. Native.

Adam looks things over once more before cutting this Quakie off the trail.

Here is some Columbine with a violet tinge.

Looking at our plant ID sheet on the Payson Lakes Guard Station porch.

Richardson's Geranium- Geranium richardsonii. This white geranium is associated with wet areas and streamsides.

We found this stuff growing amongst the Mules Ear on the Blackhawk trail. It feels just like the stuff you find when shucking corn apart. It is commonly known as Dodder and is in the Cuscuta genus.

Adam hiking through a massive field of Mules Ear on Blackhawk trail.

We joined the Rec Crew for a weenie roast at lunch.

And of couse, S'mores.

Thanks to Teresa, our super knowledgeable Forest Service Regional Botanist. She is our primary source to ID our plant photos and we have yet to stump her.

Loafer Mountain & Santaquin Peak

Adam atop Loafer Mountain on Santaquin Peak @ 10,685 ft. 20 percent chance of T-Storms?...and we were certainly keeping an eye on the sky.

Nate atop Santaquin Peak. After hiking through the heat all morning and saturating my clothes with sweat, things got breezy and cool on top. Today happened to be the first day I wore cotton all season.

The mail box. These are found on several peaks along the Wasatch. The skull appears to be from a mountain goat.

Just in case you were worried the final few feet were too easy and too flat...

The view to the South, looking at Mount Nebo. Payson Lakes can also be seen just above the ridge line to the left.

We saw some goats...3 adults and 2 kids. We heard them first, as is usually the case for me. Are goats native? I say no, but according to the DWR, it's arguable.

Looking North from just below the summit. Spanish Fork Peak and Provo Peak are visible in the distance.

Not a great photo, I know. But this is SNOW! I got the winter bug a little too early this season.

What's with all the dead stuff? Some trees that have been killed by beetles turn red when they die. These trees are no longer red because they have been dead for years and have lost off of the red needles.

Same scene as the previous photo, only zoomed out a little.

This was a moment of realizing that I still had a good way to go.

Adam yields the pole saw. We put this tool to seriously good use almost every day. Horsemen...you can thank us when you see us. This tool is basically for your benefit.

See Adam in the top right?

An AMAZING day of fragrant wild flowers. This was the most floral trail I have been on in a while.

Personally, I don't think Adam looks as tired as he should here. The pole saw also doubles as a great machete, which Adam is using it for here.

Total miles for the day? Approx. 12. Not too shabby. We started at about 9am, worked our way up the trail reaching the summit at 1:30pm. We were back at the truck at 3:30pm. Only 1 hiker was encountered. Talk about a mountain that doesn't have the same traffic as Timp!

June

Adam removes this large White Fir from the Right Fork Salt Creek trail.



These cliffs are on the bottom portion of the Right Fork Salt Creek trail.



Adam and Billy crossing Salt Creek



Adam cut this old Quakie off of the Blackhawk trail south of Bear Trap Ridge.



This cluster of dead Aspens was on the Blackhawk trail also. These trees were leaning over the trail and so we decided to bring them to the ground. Several trees had already come down on their own.



This was the scene once the trees were safely on the ground.



Adam cuts the stump after this falling this hazard tree.



This photo was taken on the Maple Canyon trail. We worked on limbing low hanging branches for horseman as well as cutting back those trees and bushes that were intruding into the trail. This pole saw is fully extended and this is perhaps the highest cut I've seen yet.



This Vase Flower was seen on the Nebo Bench trail.

Be Considerate of Other Visitors

Earlier today as I was leaving my work in Salt Creek on the South end of the Nebo Loop, I noticed an older gentleman walking his dog along the side of the road, not too far from his truck and trailer where he was camped alone. I decided to pull over and ask if there was anything I could help with or anything I should be aware of.

The gentleman then told me about an encounter he had earlier this morning with some rock climbers. Apparently this group of 4 or 5 young men, who were in their early 20's, had chosen to climb the rock wall that was immediately outside of this gentleman's camper door. While I could see the appeal of this particular rock wall, there was irony in the fact that the climbers should choose to recreate in the only occupied section of the canyon. As this old Vet put it so well, "If I had wanted to have other folks in my camp, I woulda invited Hank, Vern, Al and Bob to come along."

Having kindly asked the group to reconsider their chosen climbing spot, this old timer was met with attitude and hostility rather than the consideration he had hoped for. The climbers did chose to leave the area but not without glaring the man down as they pulled away. For this reason, the old Man was fearful of leaving his camper unattended to go for more supplies. After some conversation, I discovered that this man had once been in military service (where he gained skill with ropes and repelling), had volunteered his time with land management agencies to treat noxious weeds, and had been a volunteer campground host at one point.

Here was a man who had simply gone camping to get away from noise and to free his mind, only to have the exact opposite happen thanks to a group of inconsiderate young guys. I offered my apologies on behalf of the climbers and suggested ways he may deal with similar encounters in the future. He apologized for having taken up my time and we went our ways.

My point in sharing this encounter is to remind people to be considerate of other people using the Forest and to teach your children to do so as well. I have personally had experiences very similar to this one and continuously see user conflict year after year. Be an advocate for your user group and an advocate for good people in general. Be a good neighbor and put yourself in the other persons shoes. If civil discussion doesn't work, know that you can contact local law enforcement, whether it be a Forest Service LEO or the County Sheriff.

http://lnt.org/programs/principles_7.php