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[grainhog]

I have followed old pack trails for years. Most are blown shut. I like seeing those old trails to keep my bearings because I'm just not a "look at my phone every 30 yards to see where I am at kind of guy". I'm too busy trying to kill something.

I am glad that those pack trails never got re-opened either. I don't think the FS allows people to do that in Colorado anymore. But I could be wrong.

Cutting trail is legal here, but I agree--I wouldn't cut out an existing trail because it would be too likely to be discovered and used by other people. This zone never had a trail in the past.

 

[Pony Soldier]

After the 1910 file in northern Idaho, the FS and the the CCCs built literaly thousands of miles of pack trails for future access for fire control. Many of us maintained those trails between high school and college graduation. In the 70s the trails came off the FS fire budget and was replaced with helispots. That was followed by the let it burn policy.

There are a lot places you can 't get to without those trails. Consequently we have learned that trail maintenance is part of our requirement if we want to access our favorite areas.

I don't worry about overuse because the majority of people are terrified of leaving any developed transportation systems let alone leaving their vehicle of choice.

In most cases I'm within 2 miles of a maintained road and have only cut tracks of humans 4 times in 40 years. If your human density is higher than that, you likely need to be reconning other areas.

 

[5MilesBack]

In most cases I'm within 2 miles of a maintained road and have only cut tracks of humans 4 times in 40 years.

That must be a super-utopian place you have there......cut across humans 4 times in 40 years.....wow. In CO I'm not sure that would be possible even during the dead of winter.

 

[Pony Soldier]

Too many people !!! On what projects I have had in Colorado, i found too much open land. Probably a match for eastern Montana. Our heavy vegetation tends to thin the ranks. I have had days where the farthest I could see during a day was 50 yds.

 

[jjohnsonElknewbie]

Too many people !!! On what projects I have had in Colorado, i found too much open land. Probably a match for eastern Montana. Our heavy vegetation tends to thin the ranks. I have had days where the farthest I could see during a day was 50 yds.

The morning I killed my bull in the Bob, the guides spent 2 hours cross cutting the trail back open to get up the mountain. This drainage had burned a few years prior, and every time the wind blows hard the trail blows back in. We got to the top and went our separate ways around 9 instead of 7. By the time we hiked into position it was around noon. My guide bugled my bull in and we had him down before 1p. I won the lottery that day.

 

[Mayfieldarchery]

Loved the story !!

 

[Tobe_B]

I don't worry about overuse because the majority of people are terrified of leaving any developed transportation systems let alone leaving their vehicle of choice.

Like you, my preferred vehicle has four legs, with maybe a touch (or more) of attitude.


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[Crowmangler]

Great write up... chainsaw therapy is the best! Just like going out in the woods & pushing over dead trees.

 

[Cclon5]

Lessons learned I guess

 

[Cclon5]

Great write up... chainsaw therapy is the best! Just like going out in the woods & pushing over dead trees.

So true...me too!