Trip Report: Ahtanum ORV Trails Cleanup

[Jerry]

Ahtanum ORV Trails Cleanup
July 26, 2008

Last Saturday Evelyn and I met with Clay and the All Wheelers Off Road Club for their annual Ahtanum ORV Trails Cleanup. You know the drill, picking up garbage and litter thrown out by irresponsible users of the trails. This is an activity Clay got started a couple of years ago and it has grown into a real event. Represented were members of the All Wheelers, the Eastern Washington Off Road Forum, the Lower Valley Canyon Crawlers, the Jeeping Nomads, the Peak Putters, the Ridgerunners, the Tuff Enuf Cascade Crawlers, the Outlaws, the Washington ATV Association and other caring people. Fifty-eight volunteers signed the list and there were probably more who never got around to doing so. The cleanup was under the auspicious of the Department of Natural Resources and our hours were logged for future grant money. It is interesting to note that a snowmobile group was having a cleanup at the same time, but they went to a different area.

We met at the Sno-Park on the Middle Fork of Ahtanum Creek where there was plenty of room to park all the rigs, gather together for signup as well as providing space for a big “operations” tent Clay set up plus shady camping spots for overnighters. The DNR had a representative answering questions, handing out literature and free bottled water, and lending us some neat reacher/grabber tools for picking up the little stuff. And the Yakima County Sheriff’s Department sent a couple of ORV deputies (on quads) who fielded questions and offered advice. It was a well planned event.

We broke into groups to cover several trails within the ORV area. Evelyn and I followed Clay & Lisa and their family to the Whites Ridge area. Clay rode his Arctic Cat ATV and Lisa drove their Jeep Cherokee and their four youngest kids took turns riding with their dad on the ATV. Clay was in the lead so he and his helper got the brunt of it, Lisa and the kids followed him picking up what he missed while Ev and I got whatever was leftover. Even though we got the easy duty we still picked up two kitchen bags of bottles and cans. We really enjoyed watching the kids pitch in. Fun stuff.

It was a beautiful day, just right for the event. The roads and trails were a bit dusty, but that’s to be expected. Clay took us to an overlook where we ate lunch and later in the afternoon to a place with a fantastic view of Mt. Rainier. Well, it usually has a great view of the mountain, but those darned west-side clouds covered it up this day.

Back in camp the rigs were rolling in with their yield. One had old carpet piled on top of the roll cage, another had plywood strapped to the top, and another had stuff strapped to the back of the spare tire. A Toyota pickup was full of rusty cable, hunks of plastic pipe and other leftover logging and construction debris. Everyone had bags of garbage, mostly beer cans tossed by uncaring hunters and other recreationists. No doubt about it, it had been a very successful cleanup.

After transporting the garbage in pickups to a huge dumpster the crew got together for a potluck. Evelyn and I headed for home before the potluck, but others stayed and had a great time.
Jerry

[Ceg]

Ahtanum ORV Trails Clean-up


Hosted by the All Wheelers Off Road Club and with cooperation from the DNR.



July 26th, 2008

At 10 AM on Saturday July 26th, 2008 we met up at the Ahtanum Sno-park to set up trail clean-up groups. We had a big turn out. A long with the All Wheelers Off Road Club there were a lot of people from the Eastern Washington Off Road forum, some members of PNW4WDA, Lower Valley Canyon Crawlers, Jeeping Nomads, Peak Putters, Ridgerunners, Tuff Enuf Cascade Crawlers, Outlaws, Washington ATV Association and some other caring people. There were 58 volunteers total on the ORV Trails sign-in list. The Ski Benders also had a clean-up the same day as we did. They took the North Fork Road to clean-up along with the Big Bowl. I am not sure what other Snowmobile areas they worked in.

Here is the base camp.


My group (Ceg, 99, Monster, Bubz, Doc, Odo, Soggymountain and Mrs. Soggymountain) cleaned up the Whites Ridge trails. The first trail we ran was the Whites Ridge Loop trail starting at the bottom off the Mid Fork.

Monster




99


Doc


Soggymountain


Doc proud of his find.




Mrs. Soggymountain and Monster.




We found a tire on Whites Ridge Loop Trail.


We turned up the Whites Ridge Crest Trail and ran up to Norm Check Point for lunch.


After lunch we ran Whites Ridge Crest Trail to the end to start that trails clean-up for the top down.


One section of the Whites Ridge Crest Trail didn't have much to pick up since the loggers widened the trail burying what could have been there. Another trail turned into a Hi-way.

Monster finds some new trash.


Bubz wanting to chew people out for littering.


Soggymountain happy to be there.





We ran Whites Ridge Crest Trail back down to Whites Ridge Loop, Whites Ridge Cross-Over Trail and on to the Mid Fork back down.

Back at base camp people started coming in with a lot of trash.

Jeepscum had to go so he took his load to the Dumpster so we would not have to reload another truck.












We loaded up two trucks to take the trash to the dumpster.












Loading the dumbster.








Time for the Potluck BBQ.














It was great to have so many caring people come out.
Thank you to all that came to help and support this Ahtanum State Forest trails project.


Ceg / Clay Story by:
Clayton E. Graham
cegranch.com