Visitors to the Indian Peaks Wilderness will find it easier to stay on route along 3.6 miles of King Lake Trail #901, thanks to our July 11th volunteer trail crew! Led by U.S. Forest Service Wilderness & Trails Lead Nick Walden, the team cleared brush and removed downed trees up to the junction with Bob and Betty Lakes Trail #810, building on earlier sawyer efforts.

The day was both fun and productive, with volunteers learning and practicing sawyer work under expert guidance. The Forest Service has received positive feedback from visitors—likely including the many trail runners we met along the way! 

Our final IPWA trail maintenance project of the season was conducted in the James Peak Wilderness on Saturday, September 19^th.  An IPWA crew of eight led by U.S. Forest Service Forestry Technician Emma Brock used draw knives, pruning saws and a crosscut saw to prepare for a bridge replacement along the South Boulder Creek Trail #900. 

We hiked about 2.5 miles to where a tree had been felled earlier by the USFS.  We cut a 24-foot section of it and then de-branched and de-barked it, producing a 24-inch diameter log.  Next year it will be cut it into two 12-foot stringer logs, finished with a flat tread and used to replace the two broken logs that span the creek at that location.