2009 August - Fitzgerald’s Bicycles

Blog

Phillips Canyon - Fish Creek Road Update

Fitzy wrote this instead of riding his bike. He mumbled something about a Blog, Teton Pass Trails, Trail Conditions. Wednesday, August 26, 2009
No one has anything to say?

So it looks like Linda Merigliano from the Forest Service has once again worked her diplomacy magic and secured trail access for Phillips Canyon on Fish Creek Rd. So far there is not a permanent solution, but the landowners recognize the importance of this trail head and have allowed us to travel on their land as long as we’re respectful of their private property. So, please consider the following when you ride up there:

No excessive speeds - especially if you are coming down the BPA powerline road
No Camping
No leaving the Trail
No Firewood Collection

Pretty simple really. Be sure to thank Linda when you see her!

Teton Pass / Snow King Update from USFS

Fitzy wrote this instead of riding his bike. He mumbled something about a Jackson Town Trails, Teton Pass Trails, Trail Conditions. Wednesday, August 26, 2009
No one has anything to say?

Hello everyone. I missed the St.Anthony’s crew this week. It is amazing what you can get done with a twenty person crew. We didn’t get as much done this week (like a new mile of world-class trail per week), but a lot of good work was done. I can’t emphasize how helpful Tim Farris’s Trail Crew has been this year. In previous e-mails I have called them the Wilderness Trail Crew. From now on I’m calling them the Jackson Trail Crew. In years past the trail crew would often almost disappear into the Wilderness during the height of the summer and the height of the trail season. Those days are over. It is a new trail world. Tim Farris expressed early in the season that he and the crew want to be more involved in the front-country operations during the whole season. Every week this season they have done some great work in the GSKA and the TPA. They are still doing good work in the Wilderness and Snake River Canyon Areas, but in-between hitches they have found time to give me lots of great help. This week Chris Owens and Sarah Newcolm fixed the wet section at the end of the Hagen Trail. Remember the little bridge that really didn’t work at the end of the Hagen. It’s gone, and a great turnpike with a 12″ culvert with big ditches is in its place. Chris and Sarah also helped Galen and I buff out the last three climbing turns at the end of the Ridge Trail on Tuesday. They came out real nice, and are now very rideable in both directions. Also the whole Jackson Trail Crew along with Galen came out on Thursday and helped Tim Brown finish his re-route on the Hagen Trail. They brought the grip-hoist and built a beautiful climbing turn with large rock cribbing on a difficult climbing turn. I thank them very much for all their help.

It was Christmas in the Hoback shop this week. Linda and Susan Marsh found us some more money! It is amazing how they continue to find this money this year. Usually at this time of year we have no money to buy tools and materials, but not this year. Tim Farris and I bought a new chain saw, chop saw, sawzal, wheelbarrow, and De-Walt drill. We also bought more culverts, geo-textile, rebar, post and rail material to fix the Cache Creek trailed fence, and sign posts for the GSKA and TPA. We are also looking at new clinometers and a nice new scribe for our copes on the log switchbacks.

This week Galen spent a lot of time buffing out a few sections on the Ridge Trail with. After last week’s discussion we have decided not to have fill dumptrucked up to the Ridge. I got some good advice from Fitzy and Lloyd Wiser. They suggest to let the trail ride in and winter. We can look at reaccess from there. Fitzy also feels that the techy sections of the Ridge South offers a little variety to the trail system on the TPA.

Erik Jacobsen
Trail Coordinator
USFS