{"id":2448015,"date":"2019-08-26T21:45:00","date_gmt":"2019-08-27T03:45:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.aspentimes.com\/?p=311798"},"modified":"2019-08-27T08:01:23","modified_gmt":"2019-08-27T14:01:23","slug":"forest-service-crews-tackle-daunting-task-of-clearing-avalanche-carnage-on-aspen-area-trails","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/alwaysmountaintime.com\/kspn\/local-news\/forest-service-crews-tackle-daunting-task-of-clearing-avalanche-carnage-on-aspen-area-trails\/","title":{"rendered":"Forest Service crews tackle daunting task of clearing avalanche carnage on Aspen-area trails"},"content":{"rendered":"<div class=\"swift-gallery p402_hide\" readability=\"6.9078947368421\">\n<ul id=\"imageGallery-311798-965\" class=\"gallery list-unstyled\">\n<li data-thumb=\"https:\/\/www.aspentimes.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/5\/2019\/08\/trailcrew-atd-082719-9-150x150.jpg\" data-src=\"https:\/\/www.aspentimes.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/5\/2019\/08\/trailcrew-atd-082719-9.jpg\" data-sub-html=\"Scott CondonThe Aspen Times | Wilderness rangers Veronica Reardon, left, and Anna Kistner start the daunting task of clearing downed trees from avalanche debris piled onto the South Fork Trail in Upper Fryingpan Valley.\" class=\"h-100\" readability=\"0\">\n<div class=\"caption\" readability=\"11\">\n<p><strong>Wilderness rangers Veronica Reardon, left, and Anna Kistner start the daunting task of clearing downed trees from avalanche debris piled onto the South Fork Trail in Upper Fryingpan Valley.<\/strong><br \/>Scott CondonThe Aspen Times<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"row no-gutters h-100\">\n<div class=\"col my-auto\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/www.aspentimes.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/5\/2019\/08\/trailcrew-atd-082719-9.jpg\" alt=\"Wilderness rangers Veronica Reardon, left, and Anna Kistner start the daunting task of clearing downed trees from avalanche debris piled onto the South Fork Trail in Upper Fryingpan Valley.\"><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/li>\n<li data-thumb=\"https:\/\/www.aspentimes.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/5\/2019\/08\/trailcrew-atd-082719-150x150.jpg\" data-src=\"https:\/\/www.aspentimes.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/5\/2019\/08\/trailcrew-atd-082719.jpg\" data-sub-html=\"Scott CondonThe Aspen Times | Veronica Reardon, left, and Jerry Olp, wilderness rangers with the Aspen-Sopris Ranger District, use a two-person crosscut saw to cut through a log felled by an avalanche Friday on the South Fork Trail.\" class=\"h-100\" readability=\"1\">\n<div class=\"caption\" readability=\"13\">\n<p><strong>Veronica Reardon, left, and Jerry Olp, wilderness rangers with the Aspen-Sopris Ranger District, use a two-person crosscut saw to cut through a log felled by an avalanche Friday on the South Fork Trail.<\/strong><br \/>Scott CondonThe Aspen Times<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"row no-gutters h-100\">\n<div class=\"col my-auto\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/www.aspentimes.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/5\/2019\/08\/trailcrew-atd-082719.jpg\" alt=\"Veronica Reardon, left, and Jerry Olp, wilderness rangers with the Aspen-Sopris Ranger District, use a two-person crosscut saw to cut through a log felled by an avalanche Friday on the South Fork Trail.\"><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/li>\n<li data-thumb=\"https:\/\/www.aspentimes.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/5\/2019\/08\/trailcrew-atd-082719-1-150x150.jpg\" data-src=\"https:\/\/www.aspentimes.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/5\/2019\/08\/trailcrew-atd-082719-1.jpg\" data-sub-html=\"Scott CondonThe Aspen Times | Members of the wilderness and trail crews combined forces Friday to cut through avalanche debris on the South Fork Trail in Upper Fryingpan Valley.\" class=\"h-100\" readability=\"-1.5\">\n<div class=\"caption\" readability=\"8\">\n<p><strong>Members of the wilderness and trail crews combined forces Friday to cut through avalanche debris on the South Fork Trail in Upper Fryingpan Valley.<\/strong><br \/>Scott CondonThe Aspen Times<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"row no-gutters h-100\">\n<div class=\"col my-auto\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/www.aspentimes.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/5\/2019\/08\/trailcrew-atd-082719-1.jpg\" alt=\"Members of the wilderness and trail crews combined forces Friday to cut through avalanche debris on the South Fork Trail in Upper Fryingpan Valley.\"><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/li>\n<li data-thumb=\"https:\/\/www.aspentimes.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/5\/2019\/08\/trailcrew-atd-082719-2-150x150.jpg\" data-src=\"https:\/\/www.aspentimes.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/5\/2019\/08\/trailcrew-atd-082719-2.jpg\" data-sub-html=\"Scott CondonThe Aspen Times | A ranger cuts through some of the downfall Friday on the South Fork Trail. Nearly every valley in the Aspen-Sopris Ranger District was hit with five to eight avalanches in March.\" class=\"h-100\" readability=\"-1\">\n<div class=\"caption\" readability=\"9\">\n<p><strong>A ranger cuts through some of the downfall Friday on the South Fork Trail. Nearly every valley in the Aspen-Sopris Ranger District was hit with five to eight avalanches in March.<\/strong><br \/>Scott CondonThe Aspen Times<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"row no-gutters h-100\">\n<div class=\"col my-auto\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/www.aspentimes.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/5\/2019\/08\/trailcrew-atd-082719-2.jpg\" alt=\"A ranger cuts through some of the downfall Friday on the South Fork Trail. Nearly every valley in the Aspen-Sopris Ranger District was hit with five to eight avalanches in March.\"><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/li>\n<li data-thumb=\"https:\/\/www.aspentimes.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/5\/2019\/08\/trailcrew-atd-082719-3-150x150.jpg\" data-src=\"https:\/\/www.aspentimes.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/5\/2019\/08\/trailcrew-atd-082719-3.jpg\" data-sub-html=\"Scott CondonThe Aspen Times | Jerry Olp, a wilderness ranger with the Aspen-Sopris Ranger District, uses a single-person crosscut saw to cut through trees knocked down on the South Fork Trail by an avalanche last winter.\" class=\"h-100\" readability=\"0\">\n<div class=\"caption\" readability=\"11\">\n<p><strong>Jerry Olp, a wilderness ranger with the Aspen-Sopris Ranger District, uses a single-person crosscut saw to cut through trees knocked down on the South Fork Trail by an avalanche last winter.<\/strong><br \/>Scott CondonThe Aspen Times<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"row no-gutters h-100\">\n<div class=\"col my-auto\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/www.aspentimes.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/5\/2019\/08\/trailcrew-atd-082719-3.jpg\" alt=\"Jerry Olp, a wilderness ranger with the Aspen-Sopris Ranger District, uses a single-person crosscut saw to cut through trees knocked down on the South Fork Trail by an avalanche last winter.\"><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/li>\n<li data-thumb=\"https:\/\/www.aspentimes.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/5\/2019\/08\/trailcrew-atd-082719-4-150x150.jpg\" data-src=\"https:\/\/www.aspentimes.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/5\/2019\/08\/trailcrew-atd-082719-4.jpg\" data-sub-html=\"Scott CondonThe Aspen Times | Tyler Lee, Veronica Reardon and Jerry Olp, left to right. clear a sawed tree trunk off the South Fork Trail on Friday. An avalanche deposited scores of trees on the trail.\" class=\"h-100\" readability=\"-0.5\">\n<div class=\"caption\" readability=\"10\">\n<p><strong>Tyler Lee, Veronica Reardon and Jerry Olp, left to right. clear a sawed tree trunk off the South Fork Trail on Friday. An avalanche deposited scores of trees on the trail.<\/strong><br \/>Scott CondonThe Aspen Times<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"row no-gutters h-100\">\n<div class=\"col my-auto\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/www.aspentimes.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/5\/2019\/08\/trailcrew-atd-082719-4.jpg\" alt=\"Tyler Lee, Veronica Reardon and Jerry Olp, left to right. clear a sawed tree trunk off the South Fork Trail on Friday. An avalanche deposited scores of trees on the trail.\"><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/li>\n<li data-thumb=\"https:\/\/www.aspentimes.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/5\/2019\/08\/trailcrew-atd-082719-5-150x150.jpg\" data-src=\"https:\/\/www.aspentimes.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/5\/2019\/08\/trailcrew-atd-082719-5.jpg\" data-sub-html=\"Scott CondonThe Aspen Times | Anna Kistner, a wilderness ranger, saws a tree trunk covering the South Fork Trail on Friday.\" class=\"h-100\" readability=\"-0.5\">\n<div class=\"caption\" readability=\"10\">\n<p><strong>Anna Kistner, a wilderness ranger, saws a tree trunk covering the South Fork Trail on Friday.<\/strong><br \/>Scott CondonThe Aspen Times<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"row no-gutters h-100\">\n<div class=\"col my-auto\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/www.aspentimes.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/5\/2019\/08\/trailcrew-atd-082719-5.jpg\" alt=\"Anna Kistner, a wilderness ranger, saws a tree trunk covering the South Fork Trail on Friday.\"><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/li>\n<li data-thumb=\"https:\/\/www.aspentimes.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/5\/2019\/08\/trailcrew-atd-082719-6-150x150.jpg\" data-src=\"https:\/\/www.aspentimes.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/5\/2019\/08\/trailcrew-atd-082719-6.jpg\" data-sub-html=\"Scott CondonThe Aspen Times | Lead wilderness ranger Tyler Lee surveys the immense job facing crews on the South Fork Trail on Friday. Lee's records show the wilderness crew has cleared more than 3,400 trees from trails this summer.\" class=\"h-100\" readability=\"-0.5\">\n<div class=\"caption\" readability=\"10\">\n<p><strong>Lead wilderness ranger Tyler Lee surveys the immense job facing crews on the South Fork Trail on Friday. Lee&#8217;s records show the wilderness crew has cleared more than 3,400 trees from trails this summer.<\/strong><br \/>Scott CondonThe Aspen Times<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"row no-gutters h-100\">\n<div class=\"col my-auto\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/www.aspentimes.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/5\/2019\/08\/trailcrew-atd-082719-6.jpg\" alt=\"Lead wilderness ranger Tyler Lee surveys the immense job facing crews on the South Fork Trail on Friday. Lee's records show the wilderness crew has cleared more than 3,400 trees from trails this summer.\"><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/li>\n<li data-thumb=\"https:\/\/www.aspentimes.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/5\/2019\/08\/trailcrew-atd-082719-7-150x150.jpg\" data-src=\"https:\/\/www.aspentimes.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/5\/2019\/08\/trailcrew-atd-082719-7.jpg\" data-sub-html=\"Scott CondonThe Aspen Times | Veronica Reardon uses a wedge to free a saw from a bind Friday while working on the South Fork Trail.\" class=\"h-100\" readability=\"-1.5\">\n<div class=\"caption\" readability=\"8\">\n<p><strong>Veronica Reardon uses a wedge to free a saw from a bind Friday while working on the South Fork Trail.<\/strong><br \/>Scott CondonThe Aspen Times<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"row no-gutters h-100\">\n<div class=\"col my-auto\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/www.aspentimes.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/5\/2019\/08\/trailcrew-atd-082719-7.jpg\" alt=\"Veronica Reardon uses a wedge to free a saw from a bind Friday while working on the South Fork Trail.\"><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/li>\n<li data-thumb=\"https:\/\/www.aspentimes.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/5\/2019\/08\/trailcrew-atd-082719-8-150x150.jpg\" data-src=\"https:\/\/www.aspentimes.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/5\/2019\/08\/trailcrew-atd-082719-8.jpg\" data-sub-html=\"Scott CondonThe Aspen Times | The trail and wilderness crews blazed a path through dense downfall on the South Fork Trail on Friday. The crews have cleared thousands of trees from trails surrounding Aspen this summer.\" class=\"h-100\" readability=\"-1\">\n<div class=\"caption\" readability=\"9\">\n<p><strong>The trail and wilderness crews blazed a path through dense downfall on the South Fork Trail on Friday. The crews have cleared thousands of trees from trails surrounding Aspen this summer.<\/strong><br \/>Scott CondonThe Aspen Times<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"row no-gutters h-100\">\n<div class=\"col my-auto\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/www.aspentimes.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/5\/2019\/08\/trailcrew-atd-082719-8.jpg\" alt=\"The trail and wilderness crews blazed a path through dense downfall on the South Fork Trail on Friday. The crews have cleared thousands of trees from trails surrounding Aspen this summer.\"><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p class=\"caption-toggle\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.aspentimes.com\/news\/forest-service-crews-tackle-daunting-task-of-clearing-avalanche-carnage-on-aspen-area-trails\/#\" class=\"show-captions\">Show Captions<\/a><a href=\"https:\/\/www.aspentimes.com\/news\/forest-service-crews-tackle-daunting-task-of-clearing-avalanche-carnage-on-aspen-area-trails\/#\" class=\"hide-captions\">Hide Captions<\/a><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<p class=\"STND-STND BodyText DropCap\">One of the biggest and most destructive avalanche cycles ever recorded in the Aspen area struck in March and created a Paul Bunyan-sized challenge this summer for the crews in charge of clearing trails.<\/p>\n<p class=\"STND-STND BodyText\">The avalanches widened old slide paths on mountainsides and wiped out fir and spruce trees that had escaped unscathed for hundreds of years. The slides deposited thousands of trees in valley floors, creating massive piles of thick trunks, long branches, dirt, rocks and snow.<\/p>\n<p class=\"STND-STND BodyText\">Twelve men and women working on the separate wilderness and trail crews in the Aspen-Sopris Ranger District have faced the daunting task of clearing that brush on a network featuring <a id=\"N0xdf5820N0xe2b720:N0xdf5820N0xeb2bc0\" href=\"https:\/\/www.aspentimes.com\/news\/aspens-ideal-job-keeping-forest-trails-clear-2\/\">346 miles of hiking trails<\/a> and 175 miles of mountain biking routes.<\/p>\n<p class=\"STND-STND BodyText\">\u201cObviously, nothing like this has happened in hundreds of years,\u201d said Jerry Olp, a wilderness ranger in his fourth summer.<\/p>\n<p class=\"STND-STND BodyText\">The crews have sawed their way through more trees in 2019 than in the prior six years combined. They continue to work their tails off so hikers, mountain bikers and equestrians can enjoy the stunning scenery surrounding Aspen.<\/p>\n<p class=\"STND-STND BodyText\">Shelly Grail, recreation staff manager for the Aspen-Sopris Ranger District, oversees both the trail and wilderness crews. She said she\u2019s been awestruck by their work this summer and calls them \u201csmall but mighty crews.\u201d<\/p>\n<p class=\"STND-STND BodyText\">The wilderness and trail crews perform independent but coordinated jobs. They met up for a rare combined workday Friday to tackle mammoth-sized avalanche debris paths on the South Fork Pass and Chapman Gulch trails, high in the Upper Fryingpan Valley.<\/p>\n<p class=\"STND-STND BodyText\">After hiking about half a mile on the South Fork Trail, the crews were confronted with a nearly impenetrable mess of downed timber. The slide triggered high on the east wall of the valley, thundered downslope, crossed the creek and valley floor and bowled over trees on the west side of the valley. It created a 100-yard pile of pick-up sticks \u2014 tree trunks jutting out in every direction.<\/p>\n<p class=\"STND-STND BodyText\">The members of the crews put down their heavy backpacks, removed handsaws of every size and got down to business.<\/p>\n<p class=\"STND-STND BodyText\">\u201cIt\u2019s probably the same as other years as far as physically demanding but I think the mental thing, \u2026 it\u2019s kind of overwhelming when you come up to these,\u201d trail crew foreman Seth Hannula said.<\/p>\n<p class=\"STND-STND BodyText\">He has worked on the crew since 1999 so he\u2019s used to challenges. But Hannula said he hasn\u2019t seen anywhere close to the amount of downed timber as this year.<\/p>\n<p class=\"STND-STND BodyText Subhead\">Trying to find the way<\/p>\n<p class=\"STND-STND BodyText\">The first order of business Friday was locating the trail so the crews could cut the minimum amount of trees as necessary. Jarrod Keller picked his way to the far side of the jumble to locate the trail and give the rest of the crew a read on where to look.<\/p>\n<p class=\"STND-STND BodyText\">Once the route was established, they started hacking away.<\/p>\n<p class=\"STND-STND BodyText\">On most trees they used various-sized saws designed for one person. But some of the trunks were around 2 feet in diameter and required the double bucksaws also known as <a id=\"N0xdf5820N0xe2ba80:N0xdf5820N0xeb3478\" href=\"https:\/\/www.aspentimes.com\/magazines\/aspen-times-weekly\/cross-cut-saw-major-tool-in-forest-services-trail-maintenance-quiver\/\">two-person crosscut saws<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p class=\"STND-STND BodyText\">Olp and Veronica Reardon made short work of a couple of fat tree trunks with a double bucksaw fitted with multiple sharp teeth along the length of its 5-foot blade.<\/p>\n<p class=\"STND-STND BodyText\">Chainsaws would cut through the green timber like butter, but this trail, like many in the district, is in designated wilderness, where motorized and mechanized uses are prohibited. Removing the timber must be done with good-old muscle power.<\/p>\n<p class=\"STND-STND BodyText\">Reardon, 24, and Anna Kistner, 23, another wilderness ranger, shrug off questions about the grueling nature of the job. They enjoy the physical labor and the opportunities for seclusion that wilderness brings.<\/p>\n<p class=\"STND-STND BodyText\">After an hour or so of work, a path emerged through the jumble of tree trunks and branches. The trail and wilderness crews were fortified Friday by a couple of other rangers.<\/p>\n<p class=\"STND-STND BodyText\">\u201cWhen we\u2019re 15 people strong, we can make some pretty good progress,\u201d Hannula said.<\/p>\n<p class=\"STND-STND BodyText Subhead\">Long winter, delayed start<\/p>\n<p class=\"STND-STND BodyText\">Tyler Lee, lead wilderness ranger, said South Fork and the nearby Chapman trail were lower priority for clearing because of their isolation and lower level of use.<\/p>\n<p class=\"STND-STND BodyText\">The wilderness crew faced difficulty getting into the high country because a thick layer of snow lingered for so long. Once they were able to get into the backcountry, they focused on trails in the Maroon Bells-Snowmass Wilderness, where so many hikers and backpackers set their sights.<\/p>\n<p class=\"STND-STND BodyText\">\u201cOur first priority was <a id=\"N0xdf5820N0xe2bde0:N0xdf5820N0xeb3a60\" href=\"https:\/\/www.aspentimes.com\/news\/local\/historic-sized-avalanche-hits-conundrum-valley-southwest-of-aspen\/\">getting the Conundrum slide open<\/a>, getting slides on the Four Pass Loop open and some more of those Maroon Bells-Snowmass trails,\u201d Lee said. \u201cAnd really, now, at the end of August, we\u2019re starting to get into Hunter-Fryingpan Wilderness and some of these trails.\u201d<\/p>\n<p class=\"STND-STND BodyText\">The West Maroon Creek Trail is a heavily used route to hike from Aspen to Crested Butte. Lee estimated the crews cleared trees from five avalanche paths between Crater Lake and West Maroon Pass.<\/p>\n<p class=\"STND-STND BodyText\">\u201cIt\u2019s pretty typical this year. We\u2019re finding five to eight slides per drainage,\u201d he said. \u201cEach one has been different. If the trail is more at the bottom (of the valley) where the debris is landing, it\u2019s a lot longer (of a) day and that\u2019s what we\u2019re seeing today.\u201d<\/p>\n<p class=\"STND-STND BodyText\">After working Saturday, he estimated the slide on the Chapman Trail was four times larger than that on South Fork.<\/p>\n<p class=\"STND-STND BodyText Subhead\">Waiting out the melt<\/p>\n<p class=\"STND-STND BodyText\">The deep snowpack delayed trail clearing in two ways.<\/p>\n<p class=\"STND-STND BodyText\">First, access to the backcountry was limited until much later than usual. Olp was one of the <a id=\"N0xdf5820N0xe2bfc0:N0xdf5820N0xeb3e98\" href=\"https:\/\/www.aspentimes.com\/news\/local\/aspen-wilderness-rangers-report-a-lot-of-snow-on-trails-above-11000-feet\/\">first hikers<\/a> to complete the Four Pass Loop from July 12 to 15. Second, it didn\u2019t make sense to clear a bunch of trees on the surface when there were several more trees buried underneath in the snow.<\/p>\n<p class=\"STND-STND BodyText\">The crews had to wait until some of the snow melted out. Even on Friday, the thick conifer branches and needles insulated a couple of feet of snow covering the trail.<\/p>\n<p class=\"STND-STND BodyText\">\u201cIt\u2019s just like an ice house,\u201d Hannula said.<\/p>\n<p class=\"STND-STND BodyText\">While some hikers were peeved that their favorite trails weren\u2019t cleared sooner, most people are grateful for the work the wilderness and trails crews are performing.<\/p>\n<p class=\"STND-STND BodyText\">\u201cEveryone\u2019s generally impressed,\u201d Lee said. \u201cThey\u2019re happy with the job we\u2019ve been doing. We\u2019re grateful for their support as we\u2019re trying to clear thousands and thousands of trees.\u201d<\/p>\n<p class=\"STND-STND BodyText\">Hannula said the magnitude of the avalanche carnage has been awe-inspiring for many hikers.<\/p>\n<p class=\"STND-STND BodyText\">\u201cThe biggest thing we were seeing early on was people just turning around,\u201d he said. \u201cThey were walking up to the (debris piles) and didn\u2019t even want to try going through them.<\/p>\n<p class=\"STND-STND BodyText\">\u201cIt\u2019s probably been good for the valleys, giving them back to the wildlife a little bit.\u201d<\/p>\n<p class=\"STND-STND BodyText\">The trail crew also had the daunting task this summer of clearing hundreds of downed trees and standing trunks <a id=\"N0xdf5820N0xdc6880:N0xdf5820N0xea2d18\" href=\"https:\/\/edition.pagesuite-professional.co.uk\/html5\/reader\/production\/default.aspx?pubname=&amp;edid=0183b280-c168-4395-9869-355059fe54b4\">charred by the Lake Christine Fire<\/a> on Basalt Mountain. They cleared out two popular trails on the mountain by mid-June.<\/p>\n<p class=\"STND-STND BodyText Subhead\">Hard to feel the progress<\/p>\n<p class=\"STND-STND BodyText\">Hannula, 47, and Olp, 27, are the two longest-tenured members of the trail crew and wilderness crew, respectively.<\/p>\n<p class=\"STND-STND BodyText\">Hannula is in his 20th year, while Olp is in his fourth. The veterans made similar, independent observations about the nearly overwhelming amount of downed trees to deal with this summer.<\/p>\n<p class=\"STND-STND BodyText\">\u201cIt was actually a little demoralizing this year,\u201d Olp said.<\/p>\n<p class=\"STND-STND BodyText\">He felt the wilderness crews had made good progress in recent summers \u201clogging out\u201d the trails it is responsible for. Every winter brings additional downfall from avalanches and snowfall. But this year brought the tremendous carnage of the avalanches on top of the usual winter conditions.<\/p>\n<p class=\"STND-STND BodyText\">\u201cIt\u2019s hard to feel like you\u2019re making a lot of progress,\u201d Olp said.<\/p>\n<p class=\"STND-STND BodyText\">Hannula said this year felt like the trail crew was battling Mother Nature herself. That crew was well-staffed the prior two summers and made good progress on the never-ending task of clearing timber.<\/p>\n<p class=\"STND-STND BodyText\">\u201cI was getting to a point where I was like, \u2018All right, I\u2019m finally starting to take some of these trails back,\u2019\u201d Hannula said. \u201cThen she throws me a blow like this. She throws me the wildfire then the avalanches. I don\u2019t know what to expect.\u201d<\/p>\n<p class=\"STND-STND BodyText\">Both crews have duties beyond clearing timber. The trail crew is responsible for preventing erosion and general maintenance of the trail tread.<\/p>\n<p class=\"STND-STND BodyText\">The wilderness crew monitors campsites to make sure backpackers are using legal sites, are using bear canisters for food and garbage storage, and are properly burying human waste. They are also performing data collection for future implementation of a permit system for overnight use of the Four Pass Loop.<\/p>\n<p class=\"STND-STND BodyText\">So, while they have spent a good deal of their time logging out, downed trees will remain on the trails from this winter\u2019s avalanches. It will take years to completely clear the downfall.<\/p>\n<p class=\"STND-STND BodyText\">\u201cWe could just do the downed timber,\u201d Hannula said, \u201cbut it kind of breaks my heart not to get to the other stuff.\u201d<\/p>\n<p class=\"STND-STND BodyText Tagline\"><a href=\"mailto:scondono@aspentimes.com\">scondono@aspentimes.com<\/a><\/p>\n<p> <a href=\"https:\/\/www.aspentimes.com\/news\/forest-service-crews-tackle-daunting-task-of-clearing-avalanche-carnage-on-aspen-area-trails\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">via:: The Aspen Times<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Wilderness rangers Veronica Reardon, left, and Anna Kistner start the daunting task of clearing downed trees from avalanche debris piled onto the South Fork Trail in Upper Fryingpan Valley.Scott CondonThe Aspen Times Veronica Reardon, left, and Jerry Olp, wilderness rangers with the Aspen-Sopris Ranger District, use a two-person crosscut saw to cut through a log [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[49],"tags":[],"class_list":{"0":"post-2448015","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","6":"category-local-news"},"acf":[],"publishpress_future_action":{"enabled":false,"date":"2026-06-25 18:28:12","action":"change-status","newStatus":"draft","terms":[],"taxonomy":"category","extraData":[]},"publishpress_future_workflow_manual_trigger":{"enabledWorkflows":[]},"distributor_meta":false,"distributor_terms":false,"distributor_media":false,"distributor_original_site_name":"KSPN The Valley&#039;s Quality Rock","distributor_original_site_url":"https:\/\/alwaysmountaintime.com\/kspn","push-errors":false,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/alwaysmountaintime.com\/kspn\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2448015","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/alwaysmountaintime.com\/kspn\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/alwaysmountaintime.com\/kspn\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/alwaysmountaintime.com\/kspn\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/alwaysmountaintime.com\/kspn\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2448015"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/alwaysmountaintime.com\/kspn\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2448015\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":2448031,"href":"https:\/\/alwaysmountaintime.com\/kspn\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2448015\/revisions\/2448031"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/alwaysmountaintime.com\/kspn\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2448015"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/alwaysmountaintime.com\/kspn\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2448015"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/alwaysmountaintime.com\/kspn\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2448015"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}