2017-Herman Gulch Trail Restoration

Start Date-End Date: 08/12/2017-08/13/2017 Land Manager Office: USFS - Clear Creek Ranger District Land Manager Contact: Ralph Bradt Funding Partner: American Hiking Society Programmatic Partner: Summary: Coloradans voted in a national contest to take care of this beautiful, easily accessible trail. Description: About the Stewardship Site: The Herman Gulch Trail, situated in the high country of the Arapaho National Forest and part of the iconic Continental Divide Trail, starts at 10,332 feet and climbs nearly 1,700 feet to the stunning Herman Lake. The gulch area has it all: mountain and valley views, beautiful streams, cascades, lush meadows filled with wildflowers, and it's even close to Denver. This special area has long been a Colorado favorite, but a sharp increase in usage of the trail in recent years is causing damage to the fragile ecosystem and wildlife habitat in the area. About the Volunteer Experience: This large project of no more than 130 volunteers will do an important service for a very popular trail. Over-loved trails often have significant maintenance needs, and the Herman Gulch is no exception. After enjoying coffee and breakfast, volunteers will be broken up into groups of between 8 and 10 for most of the project. On this project volunteers will work along the three miles of trail leading up to Herman Lake, constructing drainage features, building rock steps, and closing and restoring trail, among other tasks. The tasks will be difficult and/or technical in nature, and may require hiking long distances at high altitude, and as such this project is best suited for outdoor enthusiasts who enjoy a challenge. About the Overall Impact: High-use coupled with limited resources for regular trail maintenance has led to significant damage on this beloved trail. This weekend project will allow volunteers to address many of the needs along the trail, creating a more sustainable experience for hikers and bikers for years to come. NOTE: MINORS ON VOC PROJECTS All youth under 18 must be accompanied by an adult 21 years or older on overnight projects. *This project was made possible in large part by Michelob ULTRA and American Hiking Society's Go the Extra Mile Fundcampaign, a national online voting contest in which VOC came in 5th place and received $19,000 to maintain and restore the Herman Gulch Trail in 2017. Thank you to everyone who took the time to vote for VOC and the Herman Gulch Trail, and to Michelob ULTRA and American Hiking Society! Latitude/Longitude: 39.702510, -105.854277 Additional Information: Camping Available: Yes Physical Difficulty: Moderate, Difficult High Altitude Project: Yes Desired Number of Volunteers: 100 Total Adult Volunteers Attended: 115 Total Youth Volunteers Attended: 6 Total Volunteer Days: 121 Total Unique Volunteers: 84 Total Volunteer Hours: 965.5 Staff Hours: 0 Stipend Hours: 0 Project Summary: 85 volunteers spent the weekend of Aug 12-13 performing much needed maintenance work on the Herman Gulch Trail. A section of the Continetal Divide Trail, Herman Gulch sees hundreds of hikers and bikers each weekend in the summer months. This high use coupled with nearly two decades of limited to no maintenance meant volunteers were able to address numerous critical needs. Focusing on the first 2300' of trail, volunteers made a big impact in just one weekend, installing or repairing 37 drainage structures, installing five rock steps, 28 straw wattles (an erosion control structure) and closing 100 ft of social trail. The work was heavy and at high altitude, so a big shout out to the volunteers who really brought the elbow grease for the weekend and our volunteer leaders who succesfully managed a physically demanding project! Another big thanks goes to the American Hiking Society and Michelob Ultra, as well as everyone who voted for VOC last winter, for helping to support this project through the 2017 Go The Extra Mile fund. Successes and Challenges: Recruitment was a challenge on this projet. We had a goal of 100 volunteers each day, but wound up with 65/55. This meant we only hit 60% of our targeted volunteer days. It's unclear what led to this. It may have a lot to do with the overall number of large projects we are attempting to roll out in 2017. It was a bit of a blessing in disgusise though. Do to some late crew leader cancellations, we wouldn't have had enough leadership for 100 volunteers. The final number of vols was just right for the number of Crew Leaders on the project. Lessons Learned: Something to think about for next time is making sure people have camp fire expectations lined out before they arrive at the project. On this project, not only were we still in a stage one fire ban, but staff determined that it would be inappropriate to have campfires regardless in the area we were camping. (Loveland Ski Resort, in view of I70.) However, these expectations were not made clear to volunteers at any point. On Saturday night, a small group of vols constructed a fire ring and started a fire on one of the ski runs near our camping area. Staff had to ask them to extinguish the fire, which led to some frustration and dissapointment on part of the volunteers. Special Notes: Stewardship Education: Key Concerns or Comments from Staff or Volunteers: See lessons learned and incidents accidents. Description of Accidents/Incidents: One volunteer had some serious challenges performing the work at altitude. He intially joined the crew going to the top of the work section, but was sent to the bottom after he couldn't make the hike. Once there, he was unable to keep up with the rest of his group and perform any work, so the decision was made that he should rest. Staff hike him out when ready and he departed the project for the weekend. Another volunteer departed early on Sunday for similar issues. Perhaps this was part of what kept numbers low? For 100 or more, we need a pretty broad swath of physical capability levels. A high altitude project rated moderate-difficult could have kept many away. Description of Work Completed: