WAY off Topic!

sabotloader · 07-29-2009, 01:46 PM

A lot of you know that I retired from the US Forest Service several years ago. But, it seems each summer I make my way back for this project or that project.

I was back again this past week. Idaho has a really good OHV program in that some of the fees you pay for license and tags go directly to the Idaho State Parks and Recreation program which inturn is used to construct OHV Trails. The Palouse Ranger Distict has taken huge advantage of this program for several years now. We have located and built approx. 120 miles of trail across the District in the Palouse River drainage.

These are some pics of the latest endevor...

This is the location of a segment of trail we are building through this old clear-cut. The brush is growing very well in the CC. The trail leaves here in the left foreground and goes up through the scab timber in the upper right then turns back to the skid road on top.

This the machine and the operator... 9000 lbs of deisel energy...

This picture shows where the trail is going up through this brush - we really grow brush well - and fast!

Looking from the scab timber you can see the truck below where we were going...

This is what it looks like when it is nearly done and ready for ATV/Motorcycle/Horse/Foot traffic

Really tough job supervising this and doing some location and some sawing + riding an ATV all day - but someone has got to do it.

SWThomas · 07-29-2009, 02:21 PM

Pretty cool! At least you're outdoors. I could think of a lot worse things to do...

mnprohunter · 07-29-2009, 02:23 PM

looks like a cool project.

Semisane · 07-29-2009, 02:51 PM

Neat! I'd love to have that machine for one week end at my hunting lease. We bust trails with a 60 year old tractor and box blade, but it doesn't do a job like that.

flounder33 · 07-29-2009, 03:46 PM

Sounds like a fun time. I was looking at the map. Is that near Potlatch Idaho? Do you live in that general area?
Art

sabotloader · 07-29-2009, 03:57 PM

flounder33

It is near Potlatch, ID. To be exact the sight is east of Potlatch, on Big Sand Creek right under Beals Butte.

Potlatch is the home of the Palouse Ranger District, spent 28 years working there. I live in Moscow south of Potlatch. Excellent hunting opportunities around here...

sabotloader · 07-29-2009, 04:00 PM

Semi

The machine is amazing - it really is designed to work. Today he was working on a very steep side slope... you can see how high above the trucks he was.

gregrn43 · 07-29-2009, 04:10 PM

Yea I could use that dozer for a week on my farm as well. That sure is some pretty country that y'all have up there.

cayugad · 07-29-2009, 07:12 PM

Well it is a good thing that areas like that are opened up to foot, ATV, horse, traffic. It makes a whole new experience to be in the wild country.

Where I live, they have trails, but they are classified. Some are ATV, some are snowmobile, or foot traffic only. Others are open to most anything but a full sized vehicle. All of them are open to hunters and make excellent grouse hunting for people new to the area. Also they don't get lost as easy...

sabotloader · 07-29-2009, 07:36 PM

Dave,

Most of our trails are multi-use... although we have set aside areas trails that are non-motorized and some that are single track only.

Horse traffic is not real common on our system and we are forunate there as we have clay for soils and a lot of horse traffic would really groove them + we have no $'s for trail maintenance.

I have always said... Horses on our trails.. are nothing more than a mouth, a stomach, a fertilizing unit, and four shovels - digging there way down.... the heavier the stomach area the more efficient the shovels are!