We had a small crew, but some great workers. We rode down Redbird Canyon and tied up our stock at the bottom of the fence line. Then we proceeded to hike almost clear to the top of the ridge to start removing the wire. This ridge is very steep and rocky and stupid Rod forgot to change boots, so he got to work in cowboy boots. I think it would have been easier to be barefoot.

After huffing and puffing our way to the top, we started removing the wire from the t-posts and pulling them out of the ground. The fence was 90% still standing which made it easier to roll up the wire. We were able to roll all four wires up together and the posts almost all pulled easily.

I estimated that we removed six hundred yards of fence line and about 150 t-posts. As we pulled the posted, we threw them as far down the hill as we could. Often they went over 100 feet at a time, due to the steep hillside. The wire spools we rolled to the bottom. This was our entertainment until one of them took a wild turn and headed towards the horses. Luckily for us, it got hung up in a tree and stopped before it spooked the horses.

The ground was so rocky that we actually bent several of the t-posts as we kept tossing them down the hill towards the trail in the bottom. We took a breather and lunch on the hillside and admired all the work we had accomplished in such a short amount of time. If there are any posts we missed on the hillside, none of us have plans to go back up after them.

We lost one roll of wire in the brush and spent over a half hour looking for it with no success. We sure hope a deer does not find it for us. We need to schedule one more trip to finish the project.

What a beautiful day for the ride! We had sunshine all day and just enough breeze to keep you from shedding clothes and getting sunburned. We had twenty one riders and about half a dozen non riders getting all the food prepared and waiting for our return.

This is the first year in several that we did not have a rider leave their animal unexpectedly and become a PIZZA Buyer. Oh well, many more rides to come, as it is early in the year. Brian Bishop, the land owner, joined us on the ride this year with a young colt. When we told him about the Pizza Rule he almost went back home, as he felt his odds were not good. His horse did fine until it passed his pasture mate and then did not want to go with the rest of us. We turned him into a pack animal and lead him for a while, until he got over his home sickness.

Most of the ride was on the flat bench with a great view of the surrounding mountains and a panoramic view of Lewiston. Rod just had to ride into the canyons checking on the deer herds and we were not disappointed as we saw a large group of deer.

This was the first time that the weather was so great that we set outside Kuther’s shop and enjoyed the sun and all the great food. Some years we have hugged the wood stove! Wow were there a lot of great desserts to go with the chili and corn bread. Thanks everyone for providing the great fixins.

Thanks to Brian Bishop and Bob & Laurel Kuther for letting us ride on their property and Kuthers for again hosting this ride. Our first Chili Ride was in 1992 and they have all been on the Flo Hansen Property, which is now farmed by Brian Bishop. How lucky we have been to have such great people that let us enjoy our stock on private property!!

We did have a few problems with mud, as you had to have 4-wheel drive to navigate the parking lot before the day was over.

With Bob Hough on the excavator we were able to totally change the look of the old Joseph Creek School House.

There were some additions to the schoolhouse that were real safety concerns. Both of the additions were removed, the school house was cleaned inside, and about a half acre of blackberry bushes were removed.

A hitch rail was also installed, not and easy task, as it was pretty rocky!

The original schoolhouse building is very solid and will make a nice place to have a picnic lunch, maybe camp overnight, or at least a roof over your head in case it rains again.

This project is ongoing, as we still need to level the parking lot, add a fire ring, repair the roof, and do a little fence repair. There was even some discussion of painting the schoolhouse.

School house project continued below...

The rest were the smart ones, who were the gophers and support from the ground. We only had one mishap when Rod lost his drill and it headed down the roof at breakneck speed. Luckily no one was below him at the time. This was the final project at the Green Gulch Trailhead.

There is talk of painting the school house and a sign, possible additions for the future. There now are a nice picnic shelter (school house), an enlarged and leveled parking area, stock hitchrail, fire ring, non-motorized access gate, and outhouse at this trailhead.

A Washington Dept of Wildlife Vehicle Use Permit is required to use this site. They are available online or anywhere hunting and fishing licenses are sold for $12.00. We need to schedule a fun ride so we can enjoy this improved facility. Thanks to Bob Dice and Dave Woodall from Washington Dept. of Fish and Wildlife for making it possible to make these improvements and all the members of TRBCH that helped out.

Dutch Oven Cook Off: Karen Parks and Cara Doherty put a lot of work and even more fun into the cook off. They had entertaining activities going on while the food was cooking. They sold tickets for samples of the food after the judging was over. There was a line of people waiting a half hour before the judging was to start, waiting to taste the various dishes.

Hands on Packing Classes: Jim White and crew did a great job with the eager participates that were serious about learning to pack. Some spent several hours at a time working with people. The focus of the event was recreational packing for enjoyment, but several people showed up with specific tasks in mind such as packing t-posts, and split cedar posts. Bob Henriksen put on an excellent demo on proper fitting of the pack saddle.

TRBCH Booth at the Outdoor Show: Bob Henriksen has members scheduled for the entire show at the BCHI/Twin River BCH booth. He brought some interesting props to attract people to the booth. One, a 4’X8’ bits display tried to wipe out Billie Havens the first night when it fell down. It took four people to stand it back up. It was secured to the wall after that and no more mishaps. We have five new memberships from the booth and got to talk to lots of people.

Thanks to all the members that stepped up and helped with all the activities TRBCH was involved in and those that helped setup and tear down.

It is amazing what good weather will bring. There were twenty eager workers with tools in hand ready to clear the Fordyce Trail.

With this big crew it was decided to cut our Cabin Gulch Trail also. We were well prepared with five chain saws and lots of loppers. We split into two groups with plans to meet in the middle.

Since we clear this trail annually it was much better than expected after the mild winter. Lucky we had backup saws, as we were down to only one working good on the Fordyce leg in no time.

We made it to the top and then we came to the monster tree. Working from both sides, we could see we had enough saw to make it through, the only problem being, we got the saw hung up. Digging out the malfunctioning backup saw and with persistence, we were able to finish the job and get the saw loose.

The ride back to the trailhead was full of discussion about the quality of work the other crew had done as both crews made the full loop in opposite directions. Thanks to all that helped!

As we all know by now, the weatherman cannot be trusted this year! It was supposed to be the nicest day of the week. There were moments that it looked fairly promising, but as the rain and then snow started falling as we were headed out to man our stations, we were wondering what the turnout might be.

After setting up our check stations, campfires seemed to be the top priority at each station. The riders started showing up and it just got better and better on the hill, little did we know that there was a downpour at the trailhead. We only had two trailers turn around and head home and this was only because they had no rain slickers.

We sold 110 hands and considering the weather, we were real happy with the turnout. The elk were not interested in moving around in the foul weather either and many of the riders saw elk as they made the scenic ride up Fordyce Canyon and down Sourdough Canyon.

Thanks to all that took time out of their schedules to make this a fun day for those involved. Many riders thanked us for providing this opportunity for them to enjoy their stock. Thanks also the Washington Dept. of Fish & Wildlife for letting us stage our Poker Ride on their property.

Finally with loaded pack horses and mounted on good horses we set out for the 2 1/2 hour ride back to our pickups and trailer again at the top of the Moore Trail.

 THE REST OF THE STORY

A DAY WITH ROD PARKS

As I slipped into the cold water at Billy Creek Boat Launch on the Washington side of the Snake River, I wondered what the day would bring. Rod had organized a work day at the Dough Creek Cabin, which TRBCH has adopted, and had to ride from Billy Creek to Dough Creek.  As the Chapter had passed a motion that a member can't ride alone on a Chapter project, I felt obligated to join Rod.  Besides that, I'd never ridden from Billy to Dough.

The back eddy at Billy carried me, my saddle and dry cloths upstream then kicking furiously I crossed the main current and on into the slack water on the Idaho side.  You need to time this exercise between jet boats as it's rather unnerving to a Pilot.  Now this sounds difficult but envision the Sea Otter with a meal of clams on his belly and you'll get the picture.

Rod welcomed me on the beach and we were soon at the new Tack Room.  Great pegs for the bridles and halters, racks for the saddles and pads.  Little Girl was Rods mount for the day and he allowed me to ride Rusty. We needed a pack mule and as luck would have it "B-B" was lame. Ask Rod what "B-B" stands for some time. 

Rod saddled Roscoe, dependable and time worn.  Then came Rod's infamous garbage cans for the chain saw, loppers, gas, Weed eater and wood preservative. 

The trail goes up Billy Creek and for the most part it follows an old logging road.  Rod assured me that we were not almost to the top of Craig Mountain, but only about half way there.  Finally we headed south and paralleled the Snake River. 

The latest fire did a lot of damage on Craig Mountain.  It was extremely hot and the fire crowned so most of the trees were destroyed. Scrub brush, willows and trees in the draws were all consumed. Canadian thistle is prevalent along with Star Thistle.  The Hills, Rock formations and Draws still hold a grandeur that is hard to beat.  There are still a lot of slopes and ridges covered with native bunch grasses.

We eventually crossed Billy Creek for the last time and headed thru a north slope which was covered with burnt timber.  Once beautiful pines are now blackened stobs.  They've started to rot and fall.  It will be interesting to watch Mother Nature mend these slopes and you can see a lot of healing already.  Rod and Karen had gone up this trail previously, cutting downed trees across the trail.  As they got into some larger trees, their saw wasn't large enough so they had to quit and try another day. 

We tied up the stock and Rod had the 44 Stihl throwing sawdust in no time.  One trick sawyers use is to stab the blade into the center of a log, saw up and down without cutting clear thru on top or bottom.  This is used when the pivot point is not obvious.  Guess what!  Rod stuck the saw! Luckily he had cut pretty close to the top and with a few strokes from his saddle saw it broke open. 

This all happened on what I call the "Mid Trail".  Most of it has a good tread and there are sections that look like it was built 5 or 6 feet wide.  There's an old tale that the Army built this or parts of it in their pursuit of the Nez Perce and needed the width for their cannons.  This trail goes clear into the Salmon River country and is a breath taker in the spring when the flowers are in bloom.  Try some of it.  If you want to ride it all, you'll have to have Rod or Rusty Bentz lead you. Rod and crews have done a lot of work on this trail, particularly thru the thorn brush patches. 

Coming out on a bare ridge, we looked down on the Dough Creek Cabin.  There we relaxed, ate our lunch and enjoyed the cool breeze coming up the draw.  As Rod swept and coated the cabin floor and porch with wood sealer, I used the weed eater around the cabin and hitch rail.  Fish & Game personnel had done some weed eating and thistle cutting previously.  Rod took over the weed eating and soon had the upper hitch rail and outhouse area scalped.

I measured the table and work bench for formica.  That will make it a lot easier to keep clean.  For members that haven't been to this cabin you need to see it.  In less than three days a great bunch of volunteers completely rebuilt it after it was destroyed by fire.  It is fully stocked except for food with 4 bunk beds.  Good stock water and there at this time a supply of wood for the wood stove.   You can access it from Madden corrals in about 3 hours.

The ride back was uneventful except when Rusty wanted to go back via of Rod's short cut.  Rod said that Betty Barnes has a name for this short cut. {censored}  This is the first major fire in some of this big timber for years and yet here is "fire weed".  It must stay dormant for decades.

Going back down Billy Creek we saw three nice bucks.  This brought the total of buck counts to five as we had seen some closer to Dough Creek. 

It got pretty warm so cold refreshments at the barn were really enjoyed.  Not everyone has a fridge in their tack room.  Riding Rusty was a pleasure.  He doesn't have the power that my Holstein has but he's smoother.  I've ridden Peruvian Pasos before and Rod's are just as smooth and easier to get into the saddle.

Karen treated us to a piece of delicious cake which topped off a great day.  Rod said, in my weakened condition he'd better take me back over the river in his boat.

Mission accomplished;  Bill Correll

P.S. The garbage cans rode great both coming and going!!

Windy Ridge Packing Project
Pack in and Install Culverts/Corduroy Removal

August 12-16

The location of this project was at the junction of Windy Ridge Trail #167 and Trail # 531.  The Favor's old hunting camp is located a few hundred yards away.

If any project was deemed to be a success just by the experiences of the participants, this is one.  One was a retired road Superintendent, two retired from the State Highway Department, a truck driver actively working in warehousing, a Biologist and a retired Boeing parts scheduler.        

Meeting at the boat ramp in North Lewiston, we drove up Highway 12 past Wilderness Gateway in Idaho on the Lochsa River.  Forest road #107 took us up to the Lolo Motorway.  A few ROUGH miles West put us at the Twelve Mile Saddle trail head. 

There we set up camp, ate a spaghetti dinner and met our Clearwater Forest Contact, Tim Lewis.  Tim had brought a well used but still serviceable motorized wheelbarrow.  After much advice from our retired road people, Tim proceeded down the trail early on Aug. 13th.

None of us had been on this trail and by the time we had gone eight or nine miles we wondered where the job site was.  As we ate lunch, Scout Rod Parks, sped away on his Peruvian Paso, returning in about ten minutes to let us know we were only about a mile from the job site.

By the time we had set up camp, Tim had arrived.  We discussed the job and some of the old corduroy was removed.  In the morning, the corduroy removal was continued.  The streambed was dug down and widened.

John Partridge bolted the (3) 36" diameter half section culverts to the 4x4 timbers to make about an 8 foot culvert.  This was laid in the stream bed.

Tim Lewis, Jim White, and Leroy Hough had gone east of the job site to locate some large rock for the side walls.  After these were laid, they found a good source of dirt to fill between the side walls.  Bob Hough, Norman Hough and I went west about 600 yards to a good source of rock, baseball to football size for fill with the dirt.  These rocks were hauled in 5 gallon buckets set in panniers as we couldn't find any gravel panniers not in use.

With the size of crew, material availability and desire to get the job finished, we were through by 2 PM.  This gave us time for a ride to Cook Mountain where you can see a large amount of the North Fork of the Clearwater River.  Sunday morning some of the crew rode out Trail # 531 while the rest of us broke camp. Two other things stood out on this project.

One was the dedication of Tim Lewis in cleaning of water bars and dips as he trundled back to the trailhead with his motorized wheelbarrow.  The other was the Dutch Oven cooking Jim White had volunteered to do.  It was delicious and plenty of it.  Although, it was a close call on the Baby Back Barbeque Spare Ribs.  However, that is another story.

Project Coordinator; Bill Correll

Phase 1
Washington State Fish & Wildlife Grant
Lick Fork Progress Report
October 2-3

Several members met at the Fish & Wildlife Shop Sept. 23 and fabricated two non-motorized access gates and two hitchrails. A big thanks to Rusty Bentz as our welder. We would never have got them done without his welding skills. We did miss Mark Bogar, but Rusty filled in and did a great job.

All of the items were painted by an organized paint crew and loaded on a trailer to haul to the work site. Then on October 1st, Rod Parks and Bob Hough spent most of the day hauling the materials to the job site. The crew showed up Saturday, Oct. 2nd, and we went to work getting everything planted in the ground with concrete mixed in wheel barrows.

At the North Fork Asotin Creek Trailhead a metal fire ring and hitchrail was installed. At Sourdough Canyon, a non-motorized access gate and three fence brace post were installed. At Sheep Gulch (Fordyce Trailhead) a non-motorized access gate, metal fire ring, hitchrail, and two fence brace posts were installed. We also dug holes for future highline posts. Fish & Wildlife provide us will all the tools we needed to do the work. The real time saver was their mini excavator that dug all the holes. We would still be up there if it were not for the excavator and our experienced operator, Bob Hough. Dan Flanagan’s suggestion to use sauna tubes for concrete forms saved lots of mixing of the concrete. We still mixed up 49 eighty # bags of premix.

Pat Hough prepared a great lunch for everyone on Saturday It was a long hot day for October, over 80 degrees. We never finished work until 5:30. We  had a fantastic potluck dinner. Karen Parks did a great job BBQ’in the ribs. We had plenty left over for lunch the next day.

On Sunday, everyone that spent the night went on a ride up Cabin Gulch and down Fordyce Trail. Karen Kimball and Norman Hough showed up to admire the work from the day before and go riding with us. The only mishaps were Rod trying to electrocute himself with the welder (Wear your gloves next time stupid!!) and Debbie Flanangan’s horse losing a shoe. We robbed everyone’s tack rooms and got enough tools to nail the shoe back on and were off for a great ride.

Depending on the weather, we may build the new section of fence at Sheep Gulch and seed the hill climb area yet this fall. We will not remove the old barbwire fencing until next spring.