Hitch 2, June 12-June 21

Veterans Trail Crew- Grand Teton Nation Park

Sponsored by: The National Parks Service

To kick of Hitch 2, the Veterans Trail Crew had the long drive up to Grand Teton National Park where they continued on with invasives species removal, that previous WCC Crews started on during Hitch 1. Majority of the VTC’s time was spent walking and spot spraying for various invasive species within the park. Some of the species targeted included, Spotted Knap Weed, various kinds of Thistles, Hounds Tongue, Sweet Clover, and Cheat Grass.

For their day off, the VTC headed up to Brooks Lake where they hiked back a few miles on the CDT, to Jade Lake, where they spent the day fishing before heading back to camp to enjoy a dinner made from their catch that day.

All Said and Done:

• Spot Sprayed over 150 Gallons of chemical for invasive Species

All-Women’s Crew- Pilot Hill

Sponsored by: The Pilot Hill Project

For Hitch 2, the All-Women’s Crew had the short journey up to Pilot Hill where they began new trail Construction on Trail 27. While working on Pilot Hill, the All-Women’s Crew hand built .25 miles of new trail which contained a large amount of rock work. Rock features included, retaining walls and edge armoring along the trail.

For their Day off, the All-Women’s Crew slept in and had a lazy morning before heading into Laramie to check out Downtown, went to watch a movie, then enjoyed a meal out at the Buffalo Indian Restaurant.

All Said and Done:

• .25mi of new trail constructed
• Over 100ft of rock retaining walls constructed

Crew 1- Pines Campground, Medicine Bow-Routt NF

Sponsored by: National Forest Service

For Hitch 2, Crew 1 headed down to Walden, Co to work on campground restoration at Pines Campground. During their time at Pines Campground, Crew 1 built tent and living pads, constructed ADA accessible paths, hung signage, and constructed rock stair cases. Crew 1’s work at Pines Campground was important to preserve and maintain the campground for everyone to enjoy.

For their day off, Crew 1 went down to Steamboat Springs, Co where they explored the town and enjoyed the farmers market.

All Said and Done:

• 3 tent pads constructed
• 3 living pads constructed
• Approx. 40ft of ADA accessible paths constructed

Crew 2- Carbon County Weed and Pest

Sponsored by: Carbon County

For Hitch 2, Crew 2 headed over to Loco Creek in Carbon County to work with Carbon County Weed and Pest on Invasive Species Removal. During their time at Loco Creek, Crew 2 learned how to mix herbicide and identify invasive species for proper removal. Crew 2 had some challenging days due to weather, to overcome this they dug out invasive species by hand due to rain. The second half of their hitch weather was much better so they were able to spray for invasive species. Targeted invasive species included; Hounds Tongue, Canadian Thistle, and Mullen.

For their day off, Crew 2 headed over to Encampment, Wy to check out the Woodchoppers Jamboree and Rodeo. Afterwards, they headed over to Rawlins to enjoy a meal out at Ichiban Japanese Steakhouse before heading back to camp.

All Said and Done:

• Sprayed 234 gallons of herbicide
• Cleared approx. 27 acres of invasive species

Crew 3- Guernsey State Park

Sponsored by: Wyoming State Parks, Non-Motorized Trails Program

For Hitch 2, Crew 3 headed up to Guernsey State Park where they began work on trail rehab and remediation. Majority of Crew 2’s time was spent remediating Red Cloud Trail and Red Cloud Spur Trail, both old CCC trails. Most of the work consisted of trail corridor clearing and rock work, i.e., retaining walls and tread armoring.

For their day off, Crew 3 slept in and had a lazy morning before heading down to the beach to enjoy some time on the water before heading over to Wheatland to enjoy a meal out.

All Said and Done:

• Remediated .50 mile of trail

Crew 4- Laramie Ranger District, Vedauwoo

Sponsored by: National Forest Service

For Hitch 2, Crew 4 had a short drive up to Vedauwoo where they began on restoration and remediation of Turtle Rock Trail. Majority of Crew 4’s time was focused on fixing major drainage issues throughout the trail as well as clearing and naturalizing sections of the trail. Crew 4 focused on long-term problem solving by replacing wood and timber features with rock.

For their day off, Crew 4 spent the morning rock climbing with instruction from WCC Field Leader Phillip Crane. Afterwards they headed into Laramie and enjoyed lunch in the park, explored Downtown, and got some very needed showers before enjoying a meal out at Anong’s Thai restaurant.

All Said and Done:

• Remediated 1.9 miles of trail
• Constructed 1 rock retaining wall
• Constructed approx. 20 check steps
• Constructed approx. 22 drainages along trail