Trail work for 2021 has begun! Al Matson was out there Thursday through Sunday on a variety of trails. Thursday, he joined SWATS (Sawyers With Attitude to Spare) and helped clear trails in the Wilderness area around Three Fingered Jack. No chainsaws are allowed in the wilderness; only old-fashioned crosscut saws.
I got my crosscut saw certification the week prior. Our training crew cleared the trail from Round Lake up to Square Lake. It was an excellent experience, working with the Deschutes National Forest wilderness ranger. The following two days was chainsaw certification at Allingham (Ranger Station). Along with me, Bob Timers and Gary Elnan from CONC received their certification. In another certification program, Denis Krakow, Neil Wrede, and Donna Barton also received their certs.
On Friday, Al and Jerry Sebestyen hiked around the Light Bulb loop at Edison Snopark, and cleared several trees. The following day, Al was joined by me, Louise Brown, and Warren Preston. We covered Old Growth, Dynamo, and part of Supercharger. Warren has barely been in Bend one year, and we are already putting him to work!
Sunday, Al took a break from trail work, and just enjoyed a hike up at Paulina… and a bit of photography! With all the trails to be cleared, Al is looking forward to a bit of help from all of us that are newly saw-certified!
