July 12 – 19, 2008
Shasta-Trinity National Forest, California – July 12 to 19, 2008 Mt. Shasta Ski
Park served as the primary base camp to the 600 participants, staff, and U.S. Forest
Service personnel that arrived for the Shasta-Trinity National Forest ArrowCorps 5 site.
Lodge delegations included Arrowmen from the US, Japan and Taiwan. Project tasks
included the removal of 22 tons of illegally dumped trash, constructing or
reconstructing more than 75 miles of trail on the Pacific Crest Trail, Sisson-Callahan
Trail, and McCloud Loop Trail system. Additionally, a fire lookout tower and four
“comfort stations” along the Pacific Crest trial were refurbished.
The ArrowCorps 5 Shasta-Trinity National Forest Project (ASTP) was located in the Shasta-Trinity National Forest an hour drive through 60 miles of magnificent country side north of Redding, California. The California /Oregon border is another 60 miles north. Interstate 5 (I5), a major north-south highway, bisects the project into east and west sections, with the city of Mt. Shasta, at an elevation of about 3600 feet, being at about the center of the entire project elements.
The ASTP consisted of several elements of work on the Pacific Crest Trail (PCT), feeder trails to the PCT, illegal dump site clean-up, and fuel reduction. The purpose of the project was to provide much needed assistance to the National Forest with trail maintenance and clean-up that otherwise would not be done. The projects required a range of abilities that should be sufficient to provide all participants with a satisfying experience, while rendering a service to the forest and future visitors.
To the East of the I5, there were two main elements of the project. There was standard trail maintenance done for the approximately 69 miles of PCT from where it enters the Forest at Peavine Creek to the I5. Standard trail maintenance provided restoration of the trail as needed, and included installation or re-construction of water bars, tread reconstruction, brushing, signage at trail intersections, and restoration and/or construction of new erosion protective structures adjacent to the trail. Additionally, there was trail maintenance on the approximately 7 mile McCloud Loop Trail, which included brushing, tread work and route markers. Elevations along these elements of the project vary from 2200 feet to over 6100 feet. Preliminary planning indicated that this work required approximately 21 crews, with 10 members in each crew.
West of the I5, there werre three trails identified as in need of maintenance. Directly west of the I5, the PCT passes through the Castle Crags Wilderness (CCW), with slightly over 15 miles of trail that needs standard trail maintenance. All work in this area was performed with hand tools and/or pole trimmers. No mechanical type of equipment was allowed to be used on this element of the project. Beyond the wilderness area, there is an additional 46 miles of the PCT out to Bull Lake that needed standard trail maintenance. Additionally, a PCT feeder trail slightly over 24 miles in length, known as the Sisson Callahan Trail (SCT), in also in need of some heavy repair. Some of
this trail, about 1.5 miles in length, has gullies 2 to 3 feet deep that will required intense rock work to bring the tread back up and create lead off ditches through adjacent berms. The elevation at the I5 starts these elements of the project off at 2200 feet and can get over 7600 feet, with the average at around 5500 feet. 4 crews were needed for the trail within the wilderness, 12 teams on the balance of the PCT, and 18 crews on the Sisson Callahan Trail work.
In addition to the trail work, other projects have been identified. Two of the projects will involve the removal of illegally dumped materials in the forest, normally adjacent to accessible roads, within a five miles radius of the towns of Mt. Shasta and Weed. Presently there are 6 crews anticipated for the week long project to clean-up the majority of the sites