#trailwork

[bigsurreccrew]

[valhikes]

Shasta-Trinity National Forest, California

Mostly not trail work photos from cutting trees and brush along a couple trails in the Canyon Creek area with the Bigfoot Trail Alliance.

[krs955]

[410md-shredneck]

Funny looking trail tool.

[foxbirdy]

Me & Monty on this Sunday night

[milesdavitt]

Scrawltober, days 23 through 26.

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[basaltbutch]

i love when trailwork posts break containment and its full of tags that are like. "i wish i could do this." i have FANTASTIC news.

[pacificnorthwesterngothic]

Not a plant, but I have a Mt. Rainier tattoo from my days as a trailworker up there and I think it looks pretty dope!

Oooh, would you be willing to share pics? I feel like, beautiful as she is, it might be hard to capture her in ink. She’s a big girl! Not so pointy and Insta-worthy as Hood. But so gorgeous. So I’d be excited to see how it looks 🩵

[trifoliate-undergrowth]

Some fun interactions from the end of my first conservation corps hitch:

We got mildly hysterical while doing final wash up and breaking down camp last night, giggling at stupid jokes and vine references and making weird noises, demonstrating what animal noises we could make. One guy can make a realistic crow noise with his mouth shut and said he and his friends would do it in class in high school and his teacher detested it bc they couldn't tell who was doing it.

Another guy and I were struggling to carry a heavy box (supposedly containing only official crew gear) to the trailer and the guy suddenly goes "hm maybe I shouldn't have put my personal weights in here before moving it" puts it down and takes out TWO THIRTY POUND KETTLEBELLS

We went to a local cafe before hitting the road this morning and there was an old man with a long beard working on his computer at one of the tables who asked what we did. When told we were doing trailwork, he said "you guys are on the right track" and he appreciated us and that he was glad we weren't some of those guys cutting down trees to put in housing developments, told us to stock up on guns and ammo because "it's coming," and said that "every time a tree is cut down an asshole is born." Meanwhile one of the guys on the second crew (camp buddies!) was doing trail talk (we need someone to get on corridoring!) To annoy another who absolutely did not want to hear another word about work stuff

[filorunsultra]

Trailwork (Translagorai) - June 23

Translagorai Classic funziona così com'è, quindi perché cambiare? Penso che adagiarsi su degli standard settati sia la miglior ricetta per imborghesirsi. Non mi è mai interessato portare più persone a fare la traversata, ma coinvolgerle a fare qualcosa di diverso e di utile. Ho bazzicato per un po' nell'ambientalismo di montagna, si parla tanto ma nessuno combina granché, scrivere non serve a molto e di per sé è un'attività piuttosto sedicente. Tutte le associazioni ambientaliste si lamentano della politica della SAT e del CAI dimenticandosi di tutte le attività che svolgono per permetterci di fare quello che facciamo. Neanche io approvo molto le loro politiche e penso che dovrebbero darsi una svegliata su certe cose, ma non serve a niente dirlo, serve sbattersi un po' e aiutarli a farlo, quel cambiamento. In val di Fiemme non c'era mai stata una partecipazione esterna di mantenimento sentieri come questo weekend, e di questo sono orgoglioso, ma allo stesso tempo triste, e trovo assurdo che nessuno ci abbia pensato prima di noi. Sono contento perché il lavoro svolto questo fine settimana ha dato una grande accelerata ai lavori di segnaletica sulla Translagorai, e siamo riusciti a fare un lavoro che altrimenti avrebbe richiesto mesi. Penso che questo genere di attività diventeranno più frequenti per il nostro progetto, nel futuro, e faremo in modo di coinvolgere sempre di più i corridori a partecipare. In due giorni abbiamo lavorato a circa 15 chilometri di sentieri, quando ci servono appena 24h per correrne 80. Non avevo mai fatto manutenzione sentieri prima e penso che questo fine settimana mi abbia dato tanto. Io, Dani, Mattia e il Marco ci abbiamo messo una giornata per portare un palo alla Litegosa e cambiare la segnaletica in due bivi: Translagorai è particolarmente difficile e questo fa capire quanto tempo richiedano attività che generalmente diamo per scontate. Poi c'è tutto il resto: le notti nel sacco a pelo, le serate in rifugio. Non vedo l'ora di tornare in Lagorai, e la prossima volta sarà per fare quello che ci piace: correre. Ma credo che chi c'era questo weekend vivrà in maniera diversa la traversata.

On the road again Goin' places that I've never been Seein' things that I may never see again And I can't wait to get on the road again

On the road again Like a band of gypsies we go down the highway We're the best of friends Insisting that the world keep turning our way

[sundersea]

I have 4.5 months to find a job which would be fine in general because I would probably sign up to do some trailwork/fieldwork in the interim before I apply for schools but my employer is explicitly expecting me to find a professional position in my field which is deeply dubious so maybe someone just kill me

[midcarder]

me: whines about how heavy the trailwork has been this winter, sore as fuck, several naps per day to recover

also me: goes hiking on the same properties on my day off

[krs955]

[foxbirdy]

If you have time—how exactly do you get into conservation/fieldwork? Is it something you need a degree for? Thank you so much!

It really depends on the work, but in my experience, generally no! I am still working on my degree between jobs, and I've been able to get a lot of positions just based on experience. You definitely don't need a degree for trailwork - a degree is pretty meaningless in that capacity. For restoration, some agencies might show preference for candidates with a degree, but a lot of the folks I worked with didn't have degrees or were still working on degrees! Biological fieldwork is the only one of the three I talked about where a degree can be a sticking point - unless you've worked up a lot of relevant experience, generally (but not always) it's preferable that you either have a science degree or are a student. You can get field experience through volunteering and internships, but it can definitely be tricky to make a good wage or find positions you can access without at least some education.

[wild-shaped]

in memorium of my little old man <3

he'd hit fourteen years old this past march, and by god what an achievement! when we first got him as a puppy, he had no white but a little diamond on his chest, but by this point? dude looked like a fucken oppossum haha

he was such a loving dog full of life, and not once have i ever seen him get upset at anyone--neither human nor another animal (except for ants and cicadas--he ate them religiously lol). he just wanted to make friends with everyone! even when the prey instinct kicked in and started digging after a mole or armadillo, he'd stop after he made it to them, wag his tail, and go "now what???" then be very confused when the critter escaped

i remember when your brother was still with us--he was such a serious, protective dog. THE embodiment of a dauschund lol. and you two were inseperable back then, no matter how much of opposites you were. he wanted to chase a fucking deer?? you were right there with him, you tiny madmen. you wanted to flirt with the lady dauschund that my mom's friend kept bringing over? by god, he was a helluva wingman. and even when she snapped at you, you never snapped back. just wag your tail and trot off, until she bounced back over to play

and when your daughter came into the world, she became your best friend. rolled right over and adored your new companion. your brother never cared about your toys, but this girl! she was a competitor! she wanted them all, and you didn't mind at all. and when she wanted to wrestle but you were tired, you were such a sweetheart that you played anyway. she absolutely adored you, and she misses you. she still always seems like she's looking for you

i'd gone up further north for a trailwork job this past season, and when i did, i had realized just how much he was slowing down. i had hoped you wpuld have been able to hold on until i came back. i'm so sorry buddy, i should have been here. you've been with me a huge chunk of my life, and you've been with me the entirety of yours. it's not fair i didn't get to be with you till the end.

i do, however, take comfort in the fact that you still had my family with you. you're still survived through your daughter too. she embodies you so much; so happy, so playful, so adventurous. i miss you, and i will remember you. rest easy, old friend

[basaltbutch]

i should start only following fellow trailworkers this shits baller