Ahtanum State Forest Work Party & Mother’s Day Run
Report and photos by Clay Graham / Eastern Washington Adventures
On Friday May 8th, 2009 we went up to the Ahtanum Sno-park to set up camp for the weekend.
Greg Mackey from the DNR came by our camp and dropped off the tools and things to use on our adopted trails.
Here are my boys picking up trash in the camp site we planned on camping in.
As the day went our members showed up to camp.
The next morning we had more members show up for the run.
We headed out toward the trail around 10:30 AM or so.
As we turned onto Whites Ridge Loop Trail we saw a Green Dot Marker down so we stopped to fix it.
We had most of the tools in Crawl Dad’s truck.
Back on the trail again picking up trash along the way.
As the trail turned west we found a tree top on the road.
Blind-Pilot pulled the tree onto an old blocked off road.
The strap got rolled under the tree.
Not far after that area we hit snow patches. I got stuck on a big drift with my Sami.
99 pulled me out with the Tweety Jeep.
We all turned around knowing just around the corner the snow was drifted badly on the north face.
We went back down to the Mid Fork Road.
We headed up and got on the other side of the Whites Ridge Loop Road snow drifts.
Next we turned up Whites Ridge Crest Trail.
We came up to another tree that dropped it parts.
The volunteers worked and cleared the trail.
Next we came up on a tree that had fell during the winter some time.
The end of the tree was covered with snow so we could not pull it around out of the way.
Blind-Pilot used my chainsaw to cut a path between the downed tree.
99 breaking this part of the trail since the Sami made tracks toward a tree.
Here is an area the Sami was small enough to cross without getting high centered.
99 in the Tweety Jeep wasn’t as lucky.
Tweety Jeep was stuck so bad we could not pull it forward.
First we tried with the Sami and then Blind-Pilots TJ.
We even tried to use the Tweety’s winch but it just about killed the battery.
Time to up grade the battery.
Havo gave 99 a pull back.
At the intersection of Whites Ridge Crest Trail and Whites Ridge Cross-over Trail we had some Green Dot Markers to repair and replace.
Out of the 4 markers only one was ok. One was broken, another missing and the other way in the wrong spot.
The broken marker.
The missing marker.
The marker in the wrong spot.
Some of the members happy that area was finished.
The Upper Whites Ridge climb had snow on it as it did the year before.
When this climb has snow on it, it gives most rigs a good challenge.
When it is dry you can make it up in 2WD.
Here is something you don’t see often, Blind-Pilot stuck.
We played awhile on the climb.
We headed back down to Whites Ridge Cross-over trail and ran it down to the Mid Fork Road.
Our next destination was Tree Phones Campground.
We wheeled the campground roads. The off camber snow drifts and tree holes make those roads fun.
The Sami did great breaking trail. A lot better than I had thought it would do since it has open difs.
To the right of Blind-Pilot you can see the top of one of the picnic tables at a campsite.
The Sami was sucked into a tree hole and got stuck.
Blind-Pilot pulled me out.
My camera was not fast enough to catch a picture of 99 driving up and over the steep snow drift.
She was already across when the camera snapped the picture.
Fox-Racers first time at Tree Phones.
The Sami in Tree Phones parking lot.
Some of the members had to head out so we all drove back down to the AWORC camp at the Ahtanum Sno-park.
Here are my little boys with there scavenger hunt bags.
After some of the members left, we headed up Sedge Ridge.
I left the Sami at camp and drove 99’s Tweety Jeep.
We took A-2400 and turned up A-2420.
We can up on an area where some trees fell into the road and people were driving up the back to go around them.
Blind-Pilot ran the saw again.
Members cleared the trail.
Up on top of the ridge, we turned Southwest on the Sedge Ridge Crest Trail.
We found a broken Green Dot confidence Marker.
Volunteers work to replace it with a new marker.
At Red Saddle we found another broken Green Dot marker.
Volunteers replaced it too.
On up the Sedge Ridge 4×4 Trail above Red Saddle we some snow patches.
I did not get a picture of the snow drift that I broke out the passenger side front marker and bent the radio antenna.
This snow patch was fun.
We found another tree down.
Someone had cut the end off but not enough to keep people on the trail.
Blind-Pilot and the volunteers fixed that.
We got up to the Rocky Climb to see it covered with snow.
I thought I would give it a shot right up the steep part with the Tweety Jeep.
After working it awhile I finely got to a point where I wasn’t digging thought the snow anymore.
The front tires were trying to drive up the snow and the rig felt like it wanted to go over backwards since I had to hit it hard.
Who knows if it really would of but why try?
Blind-Pilot tried to work his way around on the other trail up.
The off camber drift made it too hard to stay on the trail.
I also tried it and didn’t do any better.
Guido and Crawl Dad didn’t want any part if that snow covered hill climb.
We head back down to Red Saddle and then down A-2400 toward the Sno-park.
On A-2400 at A-2420 we replaced a missing Green Dot Marker.
Down close to the Sno-park we replace a shot up marker on A-2400.
It was close to 8 PM.
Guido was happy this was the last Green Dot Marker to do since he wants to eat dinner.
Back at camp Blind-Pilot left for home and we had dinner and did some BSing around the campfire.
The next morning we all packed up. We turned in the DNR tools, green dots and markers at the guard station.
Everyone other than my family left. We stayed to wheel some more.
99 Drove the Tweety Jeep and I drove the Sami.
We headed back up on Sedge Ridge taking A-2400.
A long the way we found another Green Dot sign down we had missed the night before.
It was an easy fix with my shovel.
On past Red Saddle we found there was a Green Dot marker missing.
As we were looking for the missing marker we saw the old road marker was down.
Monster stacked rocks around it to stand it up.
We could not find the missing marker and had already turned the new ones in so we will have to replace it another time.
We went on and turned up the South Fork Road. It wasn’t to far up we found patches of snow.
99 just about stuck it but made it through.
As we turned up the Sedge Ridge Crest trail the snow got soft.
I came close to getting the Sami stuck a few times but was able to wheel it backwards to get out for another run.
Well this time I pressed my luck and that was it.
Time for 99 to pull me out with the Tweety Jeep.
We got turned around at started heading down.
99 got off into the soft stuff and came close to getting stuck but again made it through.
We ran the South Fork road down and then went up Boulder Trail.
We stopped at a cool view point where you can see the upper and lower Yakima Valleys.
At the top of Boulder Trail we found another down marker.
I could only dig down a little so I had to put rocks around the marker.
One rock had big black flying ants under it and I made them mad when I picked the rock up.
The marker is good enough for now. lol
Up on Sedge Ridge Crest Trail we found a tree across the trail and a new by-pass.
We fixed it since I still had my chainsaw in the Tweety Jeep.
We went down A-2420 and then down A-2400 back to our camp at the Sno-park.
We loaded the Sami on the trailer and aired up the Tweety tires.
We headed home from our great weekend
This was a great run thanks to everyone that came.
Thank you to all the people that helped do the trail maintenance.
We logged 117.5 volunteer hours with the DNR.
Selah Sweets
