Recreationists labor for a better Continental Divide trail
By EVE BYRON 6/1/2007
John Gatchell spreads out the map on the hood of a car , anchoring one side of it with a rock.Oblivious to the wind whipping across MacDonald Pass, Gatchell points to dotted lines he’s drawn on the map — dots that he hopes eventually will translate to trails that connect or enhance sections of the Continental Divide National Scenic Trail.The trail theoretically could be hiked, biked or ridden on horseback 3,100 miles from Canada to Mexico, including 820 miles in Montana. But sections of it are somewhat obscure or vanish into roads, confusing recreationists trying to stay on the trail, said Gatchell.So for the past 10 months, a coalition of eight outdoor and conservation organizations has worked with the Helena and Beaverhead/Deerlodge national forests in an effort to string some trail segments together in an easy-to-use manner."This is a really tremendous resource and it’s so close to Helena," Gatchell, conservation director for the Montana Wilderness Association, said on Friday. "It takes only 15 minutes to get to the trailhead from town. It’s part of what we love — our ability to head out the door and be on the trail in minutes, on the largest quiet mountain trail in the nation."Heading south on the trail today with Gatchell is Dennis Milburn, vice president of the Back Country Horsemen, which is one of the groups involved in the effort to enhance two sections of the Continental Divide Trail between Helena and Butte in the next few years.Another stretch needing improvement is north of MacDonald Pass, between Nevada Mountain and Sweeny Creek, and one is south of Butte in the Basin Creek watershed.As a former Helena National Forest employee, Milburn knows the difficulties faced by national forests as they try to provide recreational opportunities to the public in the face of limited funding.His group has adopted trails in the Gates of the Mountains and elsewhere to do weed control, and they regularly provide the strong backs and pack horses for trail work in a 50/50 cost share with the National Forest."We do a challenge/cost share agreement, which is a creative way to find volunteers and funding," Milburn said. "We work with the Forest Service on a list of work to be done and cost estimates, then we do the work to their specifications."Today, Milburn and Gatchell stride along the trail past fields filled with larkspur and what looks like small yellow buttercups, listening to the twittering hermit thrush and ruby crowned kinglet.But they’re rerouted often by windblown, downed trees crossing the trail and try not to trip over the small granite boulders embedded in their route, which are inherent in this part of the forest.Only one trail crew this year will be working for the Helena Forest this year, which is why volunteers are coming up here next weekend with tools provided by the Forest Service for a little trail TLC.But what’s really on their minds today is a 16-mile segment south of MacDonald Pass, from Jericho Mountain into the Little Blackfoot Meadows, which might get improved in two eight-mile segments.The Jericho to Josephine segment may take a while, since it might involve crossing some private property. Gatchell said the Prickly Pear Land Trust is trying to work out a solution — whether it’s the purchase of the properties, an easement or some other method — that would allow people legal access."The Forest Service has the funding to survey and design from Josephine to Bison," which is just northeast of Little Blackfoot Meadows, Gatchell said. "… They hope to get the work done by 2008."This is for more than just the Continental Divide Trail," he added. "This hooks into other trails that provide opportunity for loops for people and horses."Those types of loops appeal to a lot of people, including members of the Helena Outdoor Club. Friday morning about half a dozen people were getting ready to hike on the Continental Divide Trail from MacDonald Pass to a meadow, then drop down some switchbacks into the Tenmile drainage near Rimini, where they had dropped off a car."It’s right in our backyard and it’s a gorgeous trail," said Barb Belt of Helena. "There’s lots of wildflowers, moose and elk."And the hikers, bikers and horseback (and mule) riders who are working to enhance the Continental Divide Trail, and those routes that lead into it, want to keep it that way."We’re seeing a lot of growth coming at us and want to make sure quiet trail opportunities remain for the future," Gatchell said, as he looked toward Red Mountain, Black Mountain, Colorado Mountain and Elkhorn Mountain from the parking lot at MacDonald Pass. "We’re willing to dedicate a lot of time working on these trails so people can come enjoy them."
By EVE BYRON 6/1/2007
John Gatchell spreads out the map on the hood of a car , anchoring one side of it with a rock.Oblivious to the wind whipping across MacDonald Pass, Gatchell points to dotted lines he’s drawn on the map — dots that he hopes eventually will translate to trails that connect or enhance sections of the Continental Divide National Scenic Trail.The trail theoretically could be hiked, biked or ridden on horseback 3,100 miles from Canada to Mexico, including 820 miles in Montana. But sections of it are somewhat obscure or vanish into roads, confusing recreationists trying to stay on the trail, said Gatchell.So for the past 10 months, a coalition of eight outdoor and conservation organizations has worked with the Helena and Beaverhead/Deerlodge national forests in an effort to string some trail segments together in an easy-to-use manner."This is a really tremendous resource and it’s so close to Helena," Gatchell, conservation director for the Montana Wilderness Association, said on Friday. "It takes only 15 minutes to get to the trailhead from town. It’s part of what we love — our ability to head out the door and be on the trail in minutes, on the largest quiet mountain trail in the nation."Heading south on the trail today with Gatchell is Dennis Milburn, vice president of the Back Country Horsemen, which is one of the groups involved in the effort to enhance two sections of the Continental Divide Trail between Helena and Butte in the next few years.Another stretch needing improvement is north of MacDonald Pass, between Nevada Mountain and Sweeny Creek, and one is south of Butte in the Basin Creek watershed.As a former Helena National Forest employee, Milburn knows the difficulties faced by national forests as they try to provide recreational opportunities to the public in the face of limited funding.His group has adopted trails in the Gates of the Mountains and elsewhere to do weed control, and they regularly provide the strong backs and pack horses for trail work in a 50/50 cost share with the National Forest."We do a challenge/cost share agreement, which is a creative way to find volunteers and funding," Milburn said. "We work with the Forest Service on a list of work to be done and cost estimates, then we do the work to their specifications."Today, Milburn and Gatchell stride along the trail past fields filled with larkspur and what looks like small yellow buttercups, listening to the twittering hermit thrush and ruby crowned kinglet.But they’re rerouted often by windblown, downed trees crossing the trail and try not to trip over the small granite boulders embedded in their route, which are inherent in this part of the forest.Only one trail crew this year will be working for the Helena Forest this year, which is why volunteers are coming up here next weekend with tools provided by the Forest Service for a little trail TLC.But what’s really on their minds today is a 16-mile segment south of MacDonald Pass, from Jericho Mountain into the Little Blackfoot Meadows, which might get improved in two eight-mile segments.The Jericho to Josephine segment may take a while, since it might involve crossing some private property. Gatchell said the Prickly Pear Land Trust is trying to work out a solution — whether it’s the purchase of the properties, an easement or some other method — that would allow people legal access."The Forest Service has the funding to survey and design from Josephine to Bison," which is just northeast of Little Blackfoot Meadows, Gatchell said. "… They hope to get the work done by 2008."This is for more than just the Continental Divide Trail," he added. "This hooks into other trails that provide opportunity for loops for people and horses."Those types of loops appeal to a lot of people, including members of the Helena Outdoor Club. Friday morning about half a dozen people were getting ready to hike on the Continental Divide Trail from MacDonald Pass to a meadow, then drop down some switchbacks into the Tenmile drainage near Rimini, where they had dropped off a car."It’s right in our backyard and it’s a gorgeous trail," said Barb Belt of Helena. "There’s lots of wildflowers, moose and elk."And the hikers, bikers and horseback (and mule) riders who are working to enhance the Continental Divide Trail, and those routes that lead into it, want to keep it that way."We’re seeing a lot of growth coming at us and want to make sure quiet trail opportunities remain for the future," Gatchell said, as he looked toward Red Mountain, Black Mountain, Colorado Mountain and Elkhorn Mountain from the parking lot at MacDonald Pass. "We’re willing to dedicate a lot of time working on these trails so people can come enjoy them."
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