Andrews Creek Hot Shot Trail Work & BBQ

Kay enjoys the rest and a little water--in the rain!

The horses get a bit of lunch too!

Bill has a rest too, while Jan does the photography

The Washington State Back Country Horsemen Hot Shot Trail Work Party completed 5 days of trail and bridge work in the Pasayten Wilderness area on July 4^th. On June 30^th Bill and Jan Ford and Kay MacCready rode up Andrews Creek trail for the day to help with building turnpikes about 3.5 miles up. They reached about 4 miles up without finding a turnpike crew, so they did some badly needed brushing instead (most of the brushing was completed in later days).

The work party also included volunteer hours contributed by the Washington Trail Association (WTA), the Pacific Northwest Trails (PNT) Association, the Pacific Crest Trail (PCT) Association, and 2 members from our local Methow Valley chapter of the Back Country Horsemen (MVBCH). These volunteers came from all over Washington State. Some brought pack animals that packed supplies and hay every day to different work sites and one of the packers' assistant was his 15 years old daughter!

Volunteers were staged in several areas as they cleared trails and re-built a bridge that had burnt last year in the Diamond Creek wildfire. The crews, some of which were assisted by several local Forest Service workers. worked in the Andrews Creek drainage, Peepsight Pass, and Ram Creek. The WTA took on on the Boundary Trail. Hay was furnished by Steve and Jess Darwood of our local Cascade Outfitters.

On July 4th, the last day of the work party, members of MVBCH met the workers in the late afternoon at the Darwoods' base camp with a BBQ'd steak dinner. MVBCH members who helped with the BBQ were Bill and Jan Ford, Pete and Donna Stoothoff, George Schoenfeld, Mark Brantner, and Betty Wagoner. A special thank you went to Mary McHugh for anticipating and providing extra food! Needless to say, the workers were very appreciative of this warm welcome back to civilization! It was a great way for MVBCH and the Cascade Outfitters to say THANK YOU to all of the workers for bringing their stock and traveling to our area to work on our trails. A special thank you went to Jason Ridlon of the Back Country Horsemen of Washington for initiating and providing leadership of this project. 

George Schoenfeld seasons the steaks before BBQ'ing them

Job done--for now--and volunteers can relax before heading home