Cornell Club - Wilderness Work Day Experience (Summit County)

Note 1: This event is for members of the Cornell Club only.

Note 2: The agenda and work may change depending on conditions and the work available. Due to the event's late June timing, we may have most of the closer trails cleared to this might require us to change to different work or to lengthen the drive to the trailhead or the hike.

Join Eagle Summit Wilderness Alliance (ESWA) Sawyers for a day on the trail in Summit County, Colorado clearing trees off trails in the Wilderness along the Gore range. ESWA partners with the USFS and runs the only USFS authorized Wilderness Sawyer program in Summit County, Colorado. When the snow clears, we get busy clearing the trails of tree deadfall in the Wilderness area along the Gore Range Trail (GRT) from Frisco to Kremmling.

This event is an introductory event for members of the Cornell Club. Closer to the event day, we will choose a trail in the Silverthorne area to clear. Our plan will depend on the trail, but participants should be ready for a 9:00am start time. We will meet at the Theatre SilCo North parking lot which is at the front entrance to Theatre SilCo (460 Blue River Parkway, Silverthorne, Colorado).

All participants must wear long pants, long sleeves, substantial shoes (hiking), glasses of any kind (sun, safety, prescription, etc), leather gloves, and an ESWA supplied hardhat. Depending on the weather, you may also want to have a rain jacket. We will be eating lunch on the trail. Participants should bring lunch, snacks, and water sufficient for a day hike.

Once we verify that all the participants are dressed appropriately, we will then carpool to the trailhead. The trailhead drive will be anywhere from 10 to 35 minutes but we'll aim for the closest trailhead possible.

Participants should plan on a 4-8 mile round trip hike with 1,000 - 2,000 feet of elevation gain. We will be working from about 9,500ft to 11,500 feet of altitude. Our hike pace will be determined by the capability of the group but we typically manage a relatively slow pace. During the hike, as we encounter trail obstacles (tree deadfall), we'll clear the obstacle using one or two person hand saws. For the larger trees, we'll pull out the two person crosscut saw and show you how to assemble it and clear the tree. A certified Sawyer will be with you the entire way and will ensure the group's safety.

Clearing trees is fairly easy. The hard work is the hike. Therefore, if you can do the hike, you can certainly help in some manner with the clearing effort.

We'll plan on ending the day by 3:00pm. However, depending on the group and the work, we may make it a shorter day.

A little about ESWA:

We are a 100% volunteer organization based in Summit & Eagle County, Colorado. Our volunteers work in five capacities to protect the 4 Wilderness areas in our counties - Eagles Nest, Ptarmigan, Flat Tops, & Holy Cross Wilderness areas. Our Volunteer Wilderness Rangers educate the public and provide vital statistics to the USFS.

Our Sawyers clear trails of deadfall and our Trail Crews build bridges to help people access and enjoy the Wilderness. Our Advocacy team works with government agencies and other partners to protect and preserve the Wilderness for future generations. Our all-volunteer Leadership Team dedicates thousands of hours each year to lead, manage, and grow the organization.

You can learn more about ESWA at our website at: wild4eswa.org.

Contact information:

Zach Kauk

+1 (309) 857-6235

zakauk@gmail.com