Author: Jim, Sagebrush

• GET 2024 day 29, Oct 29, Tuesday
• Start San Mateo Spring campsite
• End San Mateo Spring campsite
• High gusting wind, so retreated to campground and car for safety, and returned in the evening.

Wind buffeted the tent all night, and the weather report says the wind will continue all day.

I could have tried to find a protected place to work, but in an abundance of caution I zoomed down the trail to Springtime Campground to shelter in my car, after caching tools and equipment. On the way down I noticed three new blowdowns across the trail from the night before.

Oh well, not much trail work accomplished today. Safety first.

Finished audiobook The Death Disk, by Mark Twain.

Finished audiobook 4 SF Stories, by C M Kornbluth.

• GET 2024 day 28, Oct 28, Monday
• Start Springtime Campground
• End San Mateo Spring campsite
• Lopped 0.8 miles of Apache Kid Trail, starting 1.6 miles north of junction with Shipman

My plan was to resume sawing on Apache Kid Trail, from where I left off, and perhaps camp near Twentyfive Yard Spring. I notice that another trail crew had come past since I had worked this section, and sawed a few huge logs I had to skip.

Further north, it became clear that other trail crew had already sawed the section I was planning. How far north had they worked? No way to know. So I decided to lop trail corridor, and camp back near San Mateo Spring.

Lopping is not considered as exciting or urgent or high priority as sawing, and some crews never get around to doing any. Lopping requires patience. But it really helps mark the trail corridor and makes for a pleasant hike.

My lopping is mostly aspen saplings in a recovering burn area.

More lopping is in my future.

Finished audiobook Castles in the Air, by Baroness Orczy.

• GET 2024 day 27, Oct 27, Sunday
• Start Nave Spring campsite
• End Springtime Campground
• 8 one-cut, 4 two-cuts, finished clearing downed trees from the remaining part of Shipman Trail

Heading towards Springtime, I cleared the remaining trees on Shipman. The trail is not lopped between Nave Spring and Apache Kid Trail, with plenty of oak. Should I lop on my few remaining days on this adventure, or saw trees on Apache Kid?

The weather continues to be clear. (If I do not mention weather in a post on this trip, assume clear skies and not too cold.) Today is hazy. Is there a fire somewhere upwind?

No one else is at the campground. I repair equipment, sew clothes, and do trail-laundry: Take a one gallon zip bag, put in a large article of clothing, add water, close bag, agitate with hands three minutes, discard water, wring or squeeze clothing. Do it all again, but add a few drops of Dr Bronners soap. Do it all again, without soap. Hang dry.

The laundry water turned black with charcoal dust from all the scorched trees being cut and dragged in the past few days.

Instead of taking a zero day this week, I will stay out on trail and continue working until the end of the month.

Finished audiobook The Status Civilization, by Robert Sheckley.